Back to the Grind

/ Eli Kale / 1 Comment

Friends

The material for “Unguarded” (Book Two) is developing nicely. After a weekend of rest and relaxation, it feels great getting back to work on my writing projects! If you’re an author and tend not to take breaks from your work, I strongly encourage you to give it a try. I understand the demands of deadlines and whatnot, but giving your mind a break from the constant flow of ideas and pressures of work will actually help make your project a better story!

There is so much I want to tell you regarding my next book, but I must keep it to myself for now. I am very excited to see where this next book takes me, and to see what more I will learn in the process.

That’s something else that you must do as a writer: be open and willing to learn along the way. It is very much a part of our nature as people to think we can handle a lot of what goes into creating something without being open to learning about what it is we’re creating! Writing is a very dynamic art. Words are written, thoughts change, and thus words are changed. This is a recurring process, and it should be. The first draft of a story shouldn’t be it’s final draft.

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Part of that process of changing words, thoughts, sections of the text, and so on is being open to new ideas and creativity. In my case, I have a history degree but that in no way means that I’ll know every fact and figure that I want to use in my book. I check and cross-check my information as I write. And that’s just content.

By “be open and learn along the way” I also mean that it is important for an author to understand how her/his industry works and where she/he belongs in it. Trying to navigate one’s way alone through the world of publishing, especially self-publishing, can be a daunting and almost impossible task. My advice? Ask questions.

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I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “The only stupid question is one that is not asked,” which mostly comes from the classroom, stemming from students’ fear of being embarrassed by asking something they believe ALL the other students know. Well, whether all the other authors in the world know the answer to a question brewing in your mind, it is still vital that you ask it. Whether you’re querying a friend, a publisher, or even another author…ASK your question.

That is all I have for write now (you see what I did there). I felt like having a more “stream of consciousness” kind of blog today rather than something more systematic. I hope you found something in it that you can apply to your own work, even if you’re not an author.

If you haven’t already, please check out my 4-star debut book, “Resistant,” which can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, WaveCloud, the Apple iBookstore, and Google Play. And if you do decide to purchase it, I ask that you please review and/or rate it after you’ve finished. Those reviews and ratings really help me out!

Until next time,

-Eli

Book Two Begins

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

Today is the first day of writing for Book Two in the Faces of the War collection. Before my wedding in May, I had roughly planned out the storyline for the book, but today I begin getting into the meat of the writing process. It is definitely an exciting moment!

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If you’re new to this blog and haven’t been up-to-date on my work, here is a link to my first book on Amazon, where you can preview the first pages for free: “Resistant”

The second book in the collection, entitled “Unguarded,” is the next biggest project I’m working on. I am also currently in the process of releasing a three-title collection of short stories early this autumn, entitled “The Short Story Collection: Volume 1” by Eli Kale. I mentioned this in the previous blog post, but I’ll restate it here: these short story projects will help keep my writing fresh and give me opportunities to write about things not related to the content of my novella collection. Keep an eye out for Volume 1 come this fall!

So far, “Resistant” has received good reviews! You can give them a quick look on Goodreads. Reviews and ratings really help the book become known, so please leave a review and/or a rating if you do pick it up. I can’t give you too many details on Book Two, other than the title and that work has begun. I would really love to tell you about the story, but it’s too early for that right now. I am responding to some of the reviews I’ve read, adjusting my method for this next book. I hope I can make it better than the first!

If you’re new to my blog entirely and like what you see, take a hop, skip, and a jump on over to my social media profiles and other sites:

Twitter

Facebook

The Independent Author Network

Book Viral

Even if the story doesn’t strike your fancy, please pass the word along to a friend!

I look forward to moving ahead in this process yet again, and to informing you about my progress.

-Eli

I’m Home!

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

How good it is to be back in the United States! If you were not aware, I recently got married and went on a honeymoon to Italy. That’s why I’ve been absent from my work for a while.

I had finished my debut book, Resistant, in late-April and had both print and ebook versions of my book on the shelves by the time I was married in late-May. I decided to treat my wedding and honeymoon as a natural break from my work, and to continue on with new projects upon returning home. If you haven’t gotten the chance to check out my book, you can see it on Amazon here.

That’s also what I wanted to briefly discuss in today’s blog–the aforementioned new projects. As you can already tell by the title and subtitle of my first book, there are more books to come in the “Faces of the War” collection, a grouping of WW2 stories told from different perspectives. I am also working on short stories. My goal is to get back to writing on both projects between now and next Monday. I will finish the short stories and get those published through Amazon KDP by (hopefully) the beginning of August. I will then continue working into the autumn on the second book in the “Faces of the War” collection. More details regarding that book will be revealed in the coming months.

I really enjoyed creating the first book, and I truly hope to find that same enjoyment as I continue. I got to read the book’s first reviews last week, and seeing what others think of my work is very gratifying and humbling. And reviews are what are needed to help further boost my book, so if you are thinking of reading my work (or perhaps you already have), I’d greatly appreciate a review and rating from you. You can do it through whatever site from which you purchased the book, or through Amazon (my primary “shelf”). Also, please check out my social media pages, like Twitter and Facebook.

Thank you for all the support and encouragement thus far in the process. I am really looking forward to continue writing, as it is a passion of mine. Please pass the word along to a friend…you never know who else you’ll run into who will like reading the books you do!

-Eli

Important Update

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Friends,

Things are going very well on my end! “Resistant” has been out in ebook and print format for a few weeks now, and continuing promotion for it is underway. If you haven’t picked up your copy yet, or haven’t at least checked it out, I urge you to do so. Spread the word about it…every little bit helps!

I did want to be sure I informed you all that I will be absent from social media and email until early June, as I will be getting married this Friday and will be on my honeymoon following afterward. Please bear with me while I’m gone; if you would like to get a hold of me in the meantime, I will respond to you as soon as I return home. I certainly don’t want anyone thinking I am ignoring them!

I look forward to working on my next project when I resume writing in June. I also look forward to sharing details about it with you as I go!

-Eli

Looking Ahead

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Friends,

I am pleased to say that after seven months of hard work, I have finally brought my debut project to the bookshelves of the public! “Resistant” is now in both ebook and print format, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, WaveCloud, Google Play, and the Apple iBookstore. Go check it out when you have a chance!

The support and encouragement from so many family, friends, and followers has been overwhelming, and I can’t even express just how grateful I am for that encouragement. It has helped me come this far, and I can only hope to keep moving forward from here. If there is one thing I’ve learned in my literary journey so far, it’s that building up and supporting others is a key to success.

I’d like to give a little insight into what I am doing now that my first book has gone live. While I’ve been very busy keeping up my social media profiles and working behind the scenes to publish and promote my book, I’ve been working even harder to get ready for a particularly wonderful transition in my life right now. I will be getting married to my amazing and beautiful fiance, Sarah, later this month, and will be taking a month or so off from writing to focus on the wedding and honeymoon. Rest assured that I will resume work in late June on my next project; here’s where the information gets juicy!

The title of my next project is “Unguarded” and will be Book Two of the “Faces of the War” Collection. At this point, my projected release date for it will be sometime shortly after the New Year. However, I intend on releasing an ebook before then. It is the first volume in a planned project of short story collections. My goal is to write short stories on the off-days that I don’t work on my larger projects (most notably the Faces of the War books) and release them in between the larger releases. It helps me to keep writing, and it gives you more material to read, and at a lower cost than my larger projects. In addition to the Faces of the War collection and the short story collection, I have other ideas on my list to develop into projects.

I am very excited for what is in store for me. Working on these types of projects brings me great satisfaction. I look forward to seeing my following increase and my projects rise in number. I write for me, yes…but I also write for you, my audience. Without you, I would not be able to write. And so I thank you.

Until next time!

-Eli

Cross-Promotion

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

I would first like to say thank you for all the support and encouragement throughout the process of writing and releasing my debut book. It truly means a lot to me!

I have received word that the print version of “Resistant” should be released sometime this week through Amazon. I will include a link on the RESISTANT tab on my home page, as well as post a blog announcing it, when it does release. I hope it gets off to a great start!

I have given some thought to different ways to promote my work, and one method in particular came to mind…and for this, I’ll need the help of others. It’s called cross-promotion; I’m sure you’ve heard of it. The concept goes like this: I have a book that I’d like to promote. You have a book you’d like to promote. Both of these books are our own works, by the way. On an individual basis, we’d work out an agreement to where we’d promote each other’s work. It’s free advertising. All it takes is a little work on our part: a Tweet here and there, a shout-out in a blog post, and anything else that comes to mind.

I would love to promote other authors’ books, especially indie authors, because I know how important the work is to them and how much they want to get word of it out to the public. So if you have a book you’d like to promote–it doesn’t even have to be a recently released work–shoot me an email and we can talk about doing some cross-promotion! I look forward to hearing from you!

My email is on the home page of my blog, but I’ll include it here for convenience: elikale.author@gmail.com

Until next time!

-Eli

Release Update

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

I thought I’d take a moment to inform you of a few things.

First, the print version of my debut book, “Resistant,” should be hitting the Amazon shelves soon.

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Second, I have just created a feedback form on my blog (the tab titled “Feedback & Mailing List) that allows anyone and everyone to leave me feedback, about anything! I am also designating it as the location (aside from the form on Facebook) where readers can sign up for my Mailing List. After I return from my honeymoon in mid-June, I will send out an email update through the Mailing List at least once every 2 weeks. That is the plan as of right now.

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Lastly, I can’t believe it has been just about a week since my book went live! You can now find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, the Apple iBookstore, and at WaveCloud. The ebook is priced at $4.99. When the print version is released, you will find it on Amazon, priced at $7.99.

It has been an exciting ride thus far, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it takes me!

Until next time,

-Eli

Book Release: “Resistant”

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

The time has finally arrived…my debut book has been released! You can find it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and it will soon be on other sites as well. Information on the book’s release, and anything else related to the book, can be found on the “Resistant” tab on the home page of my blog. To celebrate the release, here is a picture created by the online word cloud tool “Wordle”…

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It has been quite a journey, I must say–one that seems like it started a long, long time ago. Through this journey I learned a good deal about writing and about the industry in general. That is something I believe is a vital part of being passionate about something: you must be involved in your craft and not just go through the motions. This experience has definitely brought me closer to the idea of not only wanting to keep writing, but to work hard to write a lot. I am very grateful for the love and support given to me by family, friends, and colleagues. It has helped me bring to life something I created from nothing, and that is an amazing thing to me.

Through this process, I found myself thoroughly enjoying what I was doing. I put in quite a bit of research for this book to help supplement the information I knew already. Creating a story couched in the fabric of history is something that makes me giddy when it all comes together. It’s always intriguing to address the “what-ifs” of history, as well as to see how events could have tied into the “real thing.” It’s been done many times before; I’m just giving my take on the concept.

To conclude my reflection, at least for the moment, I would like to say that I look forward to creating more stories and bringing them to you for reading. I am always open to suggestions and criticisms, because I want to become a better writer. If you read my story, I ask that you leave a comment somewhere or write a review. Those words from the reader’s perspective really help me out in a lot of ways!

-Eli

“Resistant” Release

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Friends,

I am pleased to reveal the front cover of my debut book, “Resistant.” I would like to thank the designer at WaveCloud who helped me bring this to life, as well as others who have helped and inspired me along the way. This is the first big reveal of the book, giving my audience a window into a story I have created. It is a great relief to finally reach this phase in my debut journey.

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The story is about a young French girl named Rienne who is faced with a difficult situation when the German army invades France in the summer of 1940. With her home city of Paris now occupied, changes occur in her everyday life that are uncomfortable and unwelcome. As the plot thickens, she is faced with a choice that will have bearing on the rest of her life. What will become of her? Where will she go? How will the war affect her?

I hope you will check out my book when it is released in the coming days. And if you’re not a fan of historical fiction or WW2 history, I’d appreciate it if you pass the word along to a friend.

Follow this blog to stay up-to-date on the book.

-Eli

“Resistant”

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

If you haven’t seen it already, I released the title of my debut book earlier today on Twitter and Facebook. “Resistant” will be out within the next two weeks! I will be updating you all on Monday, as well as throughout the next few weeks, with more details both before and after the book’s release.

I don’t want to give away too much right now, but I will say this…if you like historical fiction, especially set in the time period of the Second World War, then you will enjoy this story. If you like stories with action and emotion, you will enjoy this story.

One thing I ask is that you please pass the word along to anyone you know if you think they would like this book! A good way to get involved with me and to be “in the know” is to follow me on social media, especially this blog. Just copy the links below and paste them to the digital walls of your friends and family.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Eli_Kale

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elikaleauthor

This Blog: https://elikaleauthor.wordpress.com/

Check back on Monday for the cover reveal of my book, “Resistant.” And look for it online in the coming days!

-Eli