Urban or Rural Thesaurus...or both!

As we write, we can become consumed by the plot, by the story events that sizzle with conflict, tension, and intrigue. But what often holds readers in thrall are our characters and how they grow and change.

Who they evolve into, what fears they push past, how they take on pain to reach fulfillment regardless of the challenges—all of these steps in the character's journey, combined with the plot, can create a fascinating trek through the pages of a novel. And yet there's another element that's needed to meld the story and character arc together: the setting.

Choosing the right one for each scene is critical to give deeper meaning to the character's inner and outer journeys. The right setting can symbolize our protagonists' goals, remind them of their past, steer their choices through emotional triggers, and lend them the strength to soldier on, no matter what opposition stands in their way. But what if "the right setting choice" is one we haven't experienced ourselves first hand? How do we describe it?

Well, there's some good news on that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the sights, smells, tastes, textures, and sounds that a character might experience within 225 different contemporary settings. And this is only the start of what these books offer writers. In fact, swing by and check out this hidden entry, HOUSE PARTY, a location from the Rural Setting Thesaurus volume.
 

And there's one more thing you might want to know more about....

Becca and Angela, authors of The Emotion Thesaurus, are celebrating their double release with a fun event going on from June 13-20th called ROCK THE VAULT. At the heart of Writers Helping Writers is a tremendous vault, and these two ladies have been hoarding prizes of epic writerly proportions.

A safe full of prizes, ripe for the taking...if the writing community can work together to unlock it, of course.

Ready to do your part? Stop by Writers Helping Writers to find out more!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sherry Gammon

Guilt Trip by Juli Caldwell Enter to WIN a copy!!!

Avery Elliott is so busy hiding from her past that she doesn't realize she’s been stuck in a rut for the last decade or so. Despite a job she loves, a hilarious great-grandma she adores, a reliable Friday night date, and two of the best friends a girl could ask for, she’s not happy.

So why can’t she move forward with her life? 

After Mr. Friday Night humiliates her and bails, Avery spins it into an opportunity. She joins her friends on a singles cruise, hoping to reset her stagnant life.  Instead, her great escape becomes a floating prison, locking her in with everything she needed to get away from. 

And then someone she never thought she’d see again appears on board, a blast from the past who’s haunted her for far too long. Avery has to decide if she should leave the past where it belongs, or fight for a happiness she never thought she deserved.

Guilt Trip is now available on Amazon. Check it out!  In honor of its release and Valentines/Singles Awareness Day, Juli Caldwell is having a Worst Date Ever contest. Visit her facebook and share your awful story--BOOM. You're entered. Give Guilt Trip a shout out or a retweet on Twitter--another entry. Make sure you hashtag it #guilttrip and let her know @ImJuliCaldwell so she can find your entries! Winner gets signed paperback or ebook, whichever they prefer! Winner announced Sunday Night.

Thanks for stopping by!
Sherry Gammon

Do You Judge a Book by its Cover?

Over the years my novel Unlovable has changed. Not the story, (with the exception of fixing a few typos!), but the cover has!
This cover is my original cover. It is a photo of Central Park that I added a few effects to and called it good...Oh how naive I was! I sold a few hundred copies, but I knew that I needed to update the cover or all my hard work would be for not.

My next cover changed everything. I contacted a digital artist out of
England named Paul Beeley. I'd seen his work and was impressed. I told him what I was looking for, and together we created this cover. That changed everything! My book was picked up by several big book bloggers, received wonderful reviews, and caught the eye of Films By Serendipity who is currently making Unlovable into a movie! So it seems people may judge a book by its cover, at least at first. If the inside doesn't hold up, then the world's most incredible cover won't help at all.






However, according to the powers that be,(the big five publishers) changing book covers helps to draw in new readers. One cover may connect with someone, whereas another may not. When I recently updated the cover to Unbelievable from this:

   to this:     

Since so many people were now copying my cover I decided to freshen up Unlovable to this: (Yes, I now design covers!)

It is pretty much the same except for a color change and I added some details, like Maggie's trailer in the background. I toyed with the idea of changing the cover completely, but I loved the girl on the cover and felt she represented Maggie so well..until now.

  OR

I LOVE these covers and am seriously debating whether or not to completely change Unlovable's cover. I love the girl on the swing and feel people connect it with Unlovable, but I wonder if a new look altogether might be better.

PLEASE comment below. Should I change the cover, or stick with the blue girl on the swing? And of the two new suggested covers, which do you prefer? 

I'd like to thank all of you who took a chance on an unknown indie author and read (and reviewed!) my book! I will forever be grateful. <3
Thanks for stopping by!

Sherry Gammon