Writing / Publishing – Tiffany Shearn

Mind on My Store

Renaissance Faire

If you have never been to a Renaissance Faire, I strongly recommend finding one close enough to you to attend the next time it comes around. Dressing up is a blast – but not required – and you can always pick up a piece or two for a future costume each time you go from one of the amazing artisans vending.

To make a day of it, you should plan out at least a few shows to stop and watch. Between the shows, you can then shop, get a pickle or meal, or simply people-watch and see all the costumes, cast, and crew. There is a great deal of work going into the production of a faire, and I was impressed with the improvements made for participants of the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire this year.

For me, as a vendor, the faire was not great. Five weekends became more exhausting as time marched on. We also did not have a good location for selling books. Traffic was less, and we were a bit too close to the front. As a result of sales being lower this year from last, I have a fair amount of extra inventory taking up space in my storage area.

Selling Signed Copies!

Having an online platform to sell signed copies of my books has been an idea on the thought shelf for a while. Part of my hesitation has been not wanting to purchase and store inventory to facilitate efficient shipping. With that issue addressed – despite my best efforts – I am one step closer to executing online sales.

The remaining challenges are related to generating demand and the cost of the sales platform. Both of these aspects also take funding, which is more limited due to my journey into entrepreneurship. I’ll probably go with Square/WordPress for the platform. I would just need to upgrade my subscription and integrate the two. Generating demand is a bit (enormously) more complicated.

Demand requires either time or money. I could increase my advertising, or I can try to find the right place and level of social media presence and content. Both approaches will require research, as I’m not naturally good at either and will probably dabble in both.

I’m part of the MySpace/Facebook generation, and I didn’t have an account with either until I was about twenty-three. If you know of any good groups or places or have any ideas, send them my way. I could use all the help I can get on this front!

In the meantime, if you are interested in a signed copy of my books and you live in the U.S.A., keep an eye out for the notification for when my store goes live!

Stay frosty, my friends!

Hidden Strength Release

I’m a bit late in posting the announcement here, but Hidden Strength is out and available in ebook and paperback formats! This is the fourth and final book in the Hidden Series of Elaria. The moment is a culmination of a four-year labor of love and puts the cap on an emotional journey. I love all of my characters and their unique personalities. I know many readers have enjoyed getting to know them through the series as well.

Initial feedback has been positive, and I hope the reviews start coming in soon. My sister said I should sell the final book with a pack of tissues. There are heartwrenching moments throughout, and everyone mentions different ones pulling at their heartstrings. It is interesting to see what events hit for different people.

Audiobooks

I’ve started looking into audiobooks. The format is frequently asked about when I go to events like the Renaissance Faire. I’m hoping to save up some of the money I make at the faire this year to pay for a good voice actor, but I’m not certain about the approach I want to take with the producer.

A couple of years ago, I asked if people preferred male or female voice actors for their audiobooks and the feedback was evenly split between the options. I’m leaning toward a faint British accent because that feels “old-school fantasy” to me. I think either gender could work since I tell the story through multiple points of view. While Annalla is the main character, Larron follows close behind for “screen” time, especially in the first book.

I would love to hear some of your favorite fantasy readers if you are a big consumer of audiobooks. Let me know in the comments, and keep an eye out for more audiobook information to come!

Hidden Strength Cover Reveal

For those who signed up for my newsletter, this will be repetitive. With this final cover reveal of the series, I wanted to share a little more about the covers and their design inspiration.

Once again, Miguel Lobo has brought a wonderful eye and talent to create the cover for one of my books. For each of the covers in the Hidden series, I wanted to represent a scene that felt like a turning point for the story or characters in my mind.

With Hidden Memory, it was at the beginning when she was alone and afraid in a strange forest. As it is not a spicy book, I took some liberties and gave her some semblance of clothing in the image, but the scene for me is one of desperation and isolation. She is a combination of terrified and numb, determined and wounded. Annalla has become a blank slate needing to rediscover herself.

For Hidden Sanctuary, I wanted the river scene. If you’ve read the book, you know what is coming soon after they arrive at the river. This is a moment of transformation and realization that she is much more than she or anyone thought. It also demonstrates some of her youth and inexperience, and how the interplay of those aspects can be a threat to her and those around her.

Miguel came on for Hidden Promise, and I wanted that scene to be one of wonder and discovery. Not all discovery is welcome, though. Entering the sanctuary for the first time accompanied the weight of so many additional burdens and expectations. A mission had been accomplished, but everyone realized it was only a new beginning.

Now, for Hidden Strength, we come to the end. Everyone and everything is rolling toward a final confrontation. Both sides struggle for the most advantageous actions and positions. It’s war, and families, hearts, and lives will be torn apart. The scene is one of bated breath on the precipice of the moment they cannot return from. For better or worse, their next steps are as inevitable as the result is unknown.

Those are the feelings that went through my mind when I wrote the scenes and what they conveyed to me. I would love to hear what you feel from them, as art is as emotional as it is visual.

Hidden Strength Update

The manuscript is with my beta readers!

Hidden Strength is the fourth and final book in the Hidden Series and will be released in early June. I’m excited to share this finale with you and hope you are too. My sister said I should recommend a box of tissues to be sold with this book. She became emotionally invested in the characters over their journey as much as I did. It is bittersweet to see this story coming to an end.

Along with the manuscript sent to its next round of reviewers, I have also sent the sketch and description to my cover artist. Miguel Lobo, who did the cover for Hidden Promise, will be working again on this cover art. His initial insights and drafts have already turned out so beautifully, and I can’t wait for everyone to see the final product.

Newsletter subscribers will get the first look at the cover. I’ll probably do a special newsletter so we don’t have to wait until the second quarter distribution in April. That is also the month I should send the book to my editor for the final, professional, editing. Formatting will happen in May, and then it is out! I should have just enough time to order paperback copies and have them arrive in time for the Renaissance Faire that starts in July this year.

As a reminder, prices will be going up after the release of this final book. Hidden Strength is on a discount for digital preorders, so if you want the ebook, I recommend buying it during the preorder period. Then, all the paperback books will be going up a dollar on Amazon after the final book is released. Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to June!

Happy weekend reading!

Favorite Parts

In honor of my book anniversary and sale for Hidden Memory, I thought I would go a bit into some of my favorite aspects and parts of my first book. It’s a question I get when I sell at vendor events like the Renaissance Faire. Like creating blurbs or pulling quotes, it is also something with which I – and many authors – struggle.

What is my favorite part of my book and series?

I love the characters. Even the secondary characters have personalities and build relationships with the main characters and each other. The characters are also distinct enough that you can have your own favorites with each book. I have my personal favorite secondary, and it pleases me to hear from others about theirs and receive various answers. It means I haven’t overly focused on my choice in my writing. For this reason, I will not tell you who mine is in the first book, and instead ask you to share yours.

Second, I love my world. The people living there, their different origins, and the associated magic systems. I have several other blog articles about the history of the races in Elaria. All of those connections and interactions give the world depth. It’s a place you can imagine other stories taking place within or dream about visiting.

What is my favorite scene from the first book?

As a reader, combat scenes are some of my favorites. I love the action when it gets my heart pumping. The first fight with the gilar is great. She goes from having nothing and is forced to improvise at the moment to avoid getting killed and helping her companions. Even injured, her training overrides the pain and allows her to turn the battle.

On the non-combat side, I think my favorite scene is when she comes back to camp with the blackberries after foraging. I like how it’s this little moment showing how she isn’t perfect, but also how the group has bonded and laughs with each other. I enjoy laughing with the characters in a book and feel like I’m also bonding with them.

So, those are my favorites from Hidden Memory. If you’ve read the book, feel free to comment with some of your own favorites. You can also share the story with others this coming week, as the digital book will be on sale for $0.99. Keep an eye on my social media accounts for announcements for when that deal goes live, as it will only be up for about a week.

Have a great weekend!