Seven Hours Left!

There is now only seven hours left to download my free ebook from Ether! Being in this contest has really showed me the power of marketing and getting your message out there. I am currently third with seven hours to go! It is very close so I only need a few more of you to download it! It’s completely free and will only take you about two minutes!

How to….
1.Download Ether from the App store
2.Once it has downloaded search for Karla or The Box in the App
3. Click on the story
4.Click FREE and then DOWNLOAD
5. The story will now be in your collections!

Each device you do it on counts as a vote!

Much much love xxx

I Need Your Votes!

Hello Everybody!

I have just had my short story short listed for the “Ether” Sci-Fi anf Fantasy competition. I need all the downloads I can get. http://bit.ly/yUC2T0  The app is really worthwhile having it has tons of great short stories on for reading on-the-go to find my story just search for my name Karla Mouncey-Jaggers or the title of my story “The Box”. I really need your downloads I would be so greatful. You don’t even have to read it!

Much Love

Karla

Any Editors Out There?

I am finding the editing process so painfully boring!! I find myself dreading sitting down and going through the gramma and sentence structure. There are much more exciting ideas and stories out there. I have decided I would like to find an Editor. Someone I can pay to go over all the niggaly bits that I hate.

Can anyone recommend someone affordable? I would much rather go from someones recommendation than a random google search.

Blood is Thicker Than Water

“I instinctively reached for my rucksack and then realised I had left it upstairs I searched around the room for anything wooden to use a stake. There was a pool table at the back of the bar, I would have to put a lot of strength into my blow but it would do. Vampires are so allergic to wood that as soon as I broke the skin it would sink easily into his heart like any sharpened stake. I ran to the table picked up the stake and then turned back to Ralph. Ben was standing next to the big vampire and although his voice wasn’t raised I could hear everything he was saying. “Brass put Ralph down now. You have about forty seconds until he dies and if you let that happen I will not be able to save you” Brass grunted but didn’t let go. Every other vampire in the room seemed alert and ready to strike. I didn’t care what he was saying my brother was choking to death. I ran towards them and raised the pool cue in the air to get more momentum into my blow.

Ben looked at me with a stern expression and I don’t know what made me trust him but I slowed my strike a little. I put the tip of the cue on the vampire’s skin and pushed slightly I felt him go ridged. “Let go or I put this threw your heart”. He turned his head slightly to me and spoke in a voice like he had just smoked a million cigarettes and downed a pint of whisky. “I will snap his neck before you can kill me” I knew what he said was true but I also knew that Ralph had just fallen into unconsciousness. I started to panic and panic made me not think straight. My only thought was that I needed to distract him, get him off of Ralph in the next ten seconds. I did a stupid thing I smashed my hand down onto an empty glass on the bar. I felt the glass bite into my hand and hot liquid seep down my fingers. Brass’ attention immediately switched to my hand and he let go of Ralph. I watched Ralph take a deep breath and knew I didn’t care what happened next.”

Chapters, Who Need Them!

After completing a second novel this November I looked back over my manuscripts and decided that they felt more like two parts of the same book. It was then that I decided to merge the two into Book 1: London’s Bleeding. Once decided I then had to start putting in Chapters.

When I write for the first time I tend to write one long string of prose without any chapters. I do try hard to put in paragraphs (mostly). This style of writing leads me to the rather long and drawn out process of adding chapters! I am aware that a book needs chapters if not for structure then so the reader can stop reading at a set moment rather than in the middle of the action. Some of the main feedback I got from readers was there need for chapters.

It was long long long process but after it was completed I was relieved. I now feel like I can set myself realistic editing goals for example I will complete the redraft of chapters 1-3 this week.

Overall I think chapters are needed for reader and writer. In the future I will try to put them in. Its just that Olivia talks too damn fast. 😉

New Years Goals

So Christmas is upon us! This is the time of New Year’s resolutions and thinking back over the year. This year I have been very proud to have written two first drafts of the Olivia Everett series as well as much short and flash fiction. I also completed NaNoWriMo for the first time, and after having had a short comedy sketch commission by The Peryls I now consider myself a freelance writer. My new years resolution or new years goals (it seems the very phrase ‘new years resolution’ is code for ‘will not succeed’) for 2012 will mostly be related to writing.
1. To complete the redraft of the Olivia Everett books
2. To submit the finished novel to at least one agent
3. To have something published in any form i.e internet magazine, writing website, anthology, newspaper etc.
4. To have one of my plays put on (or at least rehearsed read)
5. To blog at least once a week
6. To complete Script Frezy in April
7. To complete NaNoWriMo in November
I plan to look back at this post once at least month to make sure I am keeping up with my goals and to keep up with my blogging in a much better way that I have the past few weeks. I would like to ask any people out there if they would like any short stories commissioned. I feel I work well with a brief for my fiction and welcome any suggestions.
Wishing all those reading a fantastic Chrsitmas and New Year and may Yuletide blessings shower on all of you.

An Extract From Part Two

“It was very dark in here, there was music playing but not too loud and it looked like there were a few levels. I didn’t know where to start looking for Ben, there were buckets of beer and champagne scattered around the room for anyone to take. There was also a bar at the back of the room which looked to be serving food I couldn’t make out what it was and the someone walked past me with a bacon sandwich. My stomach growled at me, I headed to the bar and took a sandwich, I started eating it and tried to think of a way to find Ben in this three story mess. A dribble of ketchup ran down my chin and I reached up to dab it away when I felt someone do it for me. I looked up to see Benidict, Arch Vampire of London licking ketchup off his finger the symbolism of the scarlet liquid was striking.

“Hello Ben” I said looking into his eyes, I knew he couldn’t Gaze me with my Nan’s pentacle tucked in my shirt. “Livy” he responded extending his hand to help me up. I stood up with out his help he tutted “What is the great emergency?” “How did you know I was here?” I asked him. His face became conflicted “I am torn in how to answer that” I sighed the mind games had started already “Just answer the question Ben” he continued. “I smelled you Livy, I can smell you coming a mile off, I am drawn to your particular scent” he took a deep breath in through his nose for emphasis. I shuddered, I had to ask. “Can we go someone where more quiet? I don’t really want to be competing with this noise” I gestured around me. He nodded and walked forward, I followed him up the stairs and through a door to the back of the room. The noise behind me muffled and the lights had become brighter, he led me to a white door marked staff only and went through.

We walked into an office, there was a man with long hair snorting cocaine off of a desk, the sign on the desk read bar manager but I was betting this wasn’t him. The man stood up defensively, I felt the tickle of Gaze and heard Ben “Leave us” the man obliged and walked out swiftly. Ben pulled up a chair for me and leant against the desk so that I was lower than him, I doubted that it was an accident.

He looked down at me and now that we were alone I started to feel nervous and to be honest a little weirded out about the fact that I had kissed another man earlier. I didn’t own Ben anything we weren’t together and I had no intention of dating a dead man but there was sense of betrayal being around him. “You seem nervous Liv, more so than usual” why could he read my emotions so well, I put my hand into my pocket and pulled out the note. I went to hand it to him but when my fingers touched his the coldness of them made me jump and I dropped the note. I bent to pick it up and whacked my head on his knee, he laughed above me, a low chuckle. I fixed him with a glare “Shut up” I mumbled this made him laugh more. I thrust the note at him and he took it still smiling and began to unfold it. I saw him read it and then read it again, his face had become serious and he placed the note gently beside him on the desk.”

NaNoWriMo Winner!!

This is just a small post to say that I just completed NaNoWriMo!!

Expect much more blogs and excerpts from the new book to follow soon!

NaNoWriMo and Talking with Kate

Firstly I want to apologise for my lack of blogs for the past few weeks! I have been spending all my spare time getting my wordcount for NaNoWriMo!

In have just hit 35k so I now feel far enough over the halfway mark to start blogging again! NaNo has been an amazing experience, I have learnt so many new skills! Firstly my typing has increased in speed I am finding that I can get at least 2000 words in two hours which is a big improvement. I am also discovering the joy of letting my characters do all the work!

I start with an idea or event that needs to happen and then I introduce it to Olivia to see how she deals with it. I have been overwhelmed with my imagination and I’m slightly worried that Olivia may actually be living in my head! 😉

Beside NaNo the last few weeks have also been very productive writingwise due in large part to an amazing friend. She pushed me to send my first three chapter to Kate a friend of hers who is published in three countries! I took the plunge and sent her the chapters. She took a while to respond which I thought meant she never would.

Last week I had accepted that she didn’t like the chapters and put it from my mind. Then I got an email back. I was shaking as opened it. I was convinced she was going to tell to give up. I couldn’t be more wrong. She really enjoyed my writing and wanted to talk to me in person.

After two hours of amazing conversation with Kate (in which I took five pages of notes) my head was spinning. She told me that she loved my writing style and I had a real chance of getting published. She said I need to finish my first draft. Get it as perfect as possible and when I’m ready she will help me get on the right track!

This has been an amazing month and once I finish my NaNo novel it will be my best ever writing month!

NaNoWriMo Buzz

So Nano has begun! I started early yesterday morning, I actually started my day an hour early to get some writing done! I was rehearsing all day and the performing in the evening. I managed to reach 2k in all the breaks and pauses.

What struck me most about the process was the buzz I got! Every time I reached another 100 words I got a little tummy flip! I’m loving getting back with Olivia, it’s like a big cuddle everytime I sit at my lap top.

I don’t want to ruin anything for the few who have read book 1 but there are some twists coming tour way! I am now on my way to my first organised write in !

It’s official my name is Karla and I am a NaNo addict!