November is launch month for The Loyalist Legacy, the third in my Loyalist Trilogy and what a month it has turned out to be. Our thoughts are on our American neighbors to the south and the most vitriolic and divisive election any of us can ever remember. No matter whose side you’re on, this was a dirty fight and it was hard to see dignity and even honesty go out the window.
And it’s the time of year when we specifically remember those who served that we who have come after might live our lives in freedom.
Of course almost my every waking thought is on my book launch with personal appearances, book signings and speaking engagements, and my three-week book tour all over the Internet. Yesterday I did a newspaper interview here in my hometown after two major events on the weekend. So much fun! Meeting people who love historical fiction in general and my Loyalist trilogy in particular is pretty darn rewarding.
As I drove home after one of these events I thought about the connection between my latest book (the Loyalist Legacy), November 11th and Remembrance Day, and this pivotal American election.
Five Items to Make Us Feel Better This November
Though our history is relatively short it is full of catastrophic events which could have ended Canada. Wars, rebellions and civil disobedience are part of our past and yet here we are. My Loyalist trilogy is a testament to the efforts of individuals fighting for a good life here.
Canada suffered through the 1837 Rebellion in Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Quebec) yet managed to survive and become one of the best countries in which to live today. William and Catherine Garner, the real couple whose names I borrowed in The Loyalist Legacy, were there for that rebellion and survived.
Reading fiction and particularly historical fiction lets us imagine things that may have happened in the past from which our ancestors recovered. We see the strength in ordinary people when faced with disheartening and even terrifying events going on all around. We can recover.
One of the things my daughter started me writing with her is a gratitude journal. Every day we try to write 3 things for which we are grateful and it helps me to focus on the good in my life as well as have a wonderful view into just who my daughter is. We pick each other up with that journal and we remember how lucky we are.
In The Loyalist Legacy the difficulties of being settlers in an unsettled land, of fighting to save children from disease with no healthcare, and of seeing one’s neighbors divided over just how to solve political and social problems every day–those difficulties seem so much larger than ours just at this moment. There is a bigger picture. Perhaps we can all focus on it while we strive to build a better world.
When the first book in my Loyalist trilogy was published, I was ecstatic. The cover was fabulous, the paper quality excellent, and everything else seemed just what this perfectionist wanted. The bubble floated along with me in it until, little by little, snippets of doubt crept into my mind. Oh, my readers mentioned over and over their excitement, their sleepless nights, their need for the next book just as soon as I could get it written. In fact, readers have been all that I could expect and much more.
The Loyalist’s Wife 2nd edition cover.
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Still, a few things bothered me. I’d missed checking the chapter headings and numbered them incorrectly. That was a relatively simple fix and that’s why the printer sends a proof copy. Then, as I did numerous public readings, I found the odd error. Horrors! The worst one was using the wrong name for one of my characters, an error which I discovered right in the middle of a public reading. Luckily my performance genes took over and my audience never knew. But I did. The worst was finding sections where the writing was just not what I am capable of and I hated those bits. Did I mention I’m a perfectionist?
This past spring and summer, I upped my author game by recording this first book for an audio book and that led to a perfect opportunity to go back and fix all those things which bugged me, and more. As I prepared each chapter for the recording sessions, I made changes in the text. Then when I was reading for the two hour recording sessions I always had a pen in hand. A large squiggly black thing in the margin was quick to put in as I was reading and, once home, I made the correction needed. This was a fabulous way to check my own work. Reading aloud makes me notice every little word and if it doesn’t read well, it’s probably not written well. Now I’m a convert for proofreading aloud. This is particularly good for dialogue bits and the dialogue tags with them.
At the same time as I was recording and editing the 2nd edition of The Loyalist’s Wife, my third in the trilogy, The Loyalist Legacy, was in the review process and I had cover decisions to make. Even though I loved the first cover for Wife, the thought of a trilogy sold as a set made me think about making the books similar. The second book, The Loyalist’s Luck, had such a striking cover I directed my cover artist to use it as a model for the third. While she was at it, she suggested the artwork above for the first one. I loved the idea and what you see above is the updated cover for the second edition. It cost me a bit of money but not nearly so much as you might think. Well worth it.
Here’s the full updated cover for The Loyalist’s Luck. I’ve added the other two covers on the back as well as extra words on the front for all three. (The second book of The Loyalist Trilogy on this one.)
Notice the number at the top of the spine. I love that! My three books will look great sitting together on my wonderful readers’ bookshelves, don’t you think? Because I made significant changes to the interior and to the cover of the first book, I chose to give it the second edition label on the inside title page. You’ll still be able to buy the first one online for a while but for my speaking and signing engagements, once those are gone I won’t order more. Get ’em while they last!
I have used the cover for the third book here. It will be launching in November with a three-week blog tour weekdays Nov. 7-25. More about all of that later. For today I just wanted to suggest to other authors that doing a second edition is not as difficult as you might imagine and when I received my print copies a couple of days ago, they pleased and excited me just as much as the first one did about three and a half years ago.
Cover Reveal for The Loyalist Legacy coming in November!
I’ll be looking for new editions from other authors from now on!
Today I welcome two wonderful writers to my blog–Mary K. Tod and Helen Hollick–both of whom write delicious historical fiction among other things. Mary has a new book just launched so that is the prime subject today but I’m going to point you to a post she did on Helen’s chock-full blog. It’s kind of like putting chocolate sauce on fresh raspberries. Check out both of these authors. You won’t be disappointed.
Now for some of my personal links to them: Last year at the Historical Novel Society Conference in Denver, Colorado, I stepped onto the elevator and a very pleasant voice said, “Are you Elaine Cougler?” Someone recognized me! So much fun. And that someone was Mary K. Tod. What a delightful happenstance!
At the same conference I met the esteemed author Helen Hollick who wrote earlier in the year from the HNS to tell me my first two historicals had been favorably reviewed online under the HNS banner. Hats and all Helen made quite a splash at the conference and her blog is fantastic.
Have you ever wanted to sit on the sidelines and watch history unfold before your very eyes? Or perhaps you’ve wanted to be part of it, experiencing first-hand the sweat and the swirling smoke after a firing? Well, you can do either of these things. Re-enactors are a welcoming and friendly group and one has even invited me to take part in one of their weekends, even offering to share her tent with me.
These pictures of an event at Fort Erie earlier in the season come through a bit of a circuitous route from a diligent re-enactor, Ryan, who is a member of two units. He belongs to a naval unit (Simcoe Squadron) and an infantry unit (British Indian Department). And he will be at Fanshawe Pioneer Village for Fanshawe 1812: The Invasion of Upper Canada days August 27 and 28. He has generously shared these pictures taken by Meagan Ashleigh-Moeyaert and Steve Zronik (Laughing Devil Photography). Enjoy!
by Meagan Ashleigh-Moeyaert
by Meagan Ashleigh-Moeyaert
by Steve Zronik, Laughing Devil Photography
by Steve Zronik, Laughing Devil Photography
by Steve Zronik, Laughing Devil Photography
And here’s Ryan keeping watch at the end of the day. Thanks so much to the photographers and to Ryan Moore who made this post possible. Be sure to see the re-enactors at Fanshawe the last weekend in August. I’ll be there!
Jean Little and her sister who assisted in Jean’s presentation.
This past June I was lucky enough to attend a writers’ conference in downtown Toronto, Ontario. Such a plethora of choice sessions to attend made my two days there very interesting but the best for me was going to hear Jean Little give the Margaret Laurence Lecture which is always entitled “A Writer’s Life”.
I knew this would be interesting as Jean Little’s writing helped send me on my own writing journey. I well remember sitting on my back porch and finishing Listen For the Singing, one of Little’s books I read for a Children’s Literature course I was taking at the time. As I closed the book the tears came and I remember wishing so hard that I could write that well that I couldn’t stop crying. You see, Jean Little is almost blind but has risen to the top of her profession. What an icon she is.
Now the second thing which made me want to attend Little’s lecture was the name of the Canadian author whose name graces the event. Margaret Laurence. As a young stay-at-home-mother searching the local library for books, I found Laurence’s Jest of God. And my mother lent me her copy of The Fire Dwellers. Both of these books seemed to reach right into my soul and know what I was thinking and feeling. The first is about a single school teacher in the Canadian prairies and her sad struggle to find a life and to recognize who she is. The second deals with her sister suffering through a less than perfect marriage in Vancouver, both sisters shaped by their prairie upbringing with an undertaker father and the down sides of living in a small town. I could relate to all of this even though my own story is nothing like these.
With every new book that Laurence produced, I went further into my own coming of adult age. The woman just seemed to pick topics so current and so poignant that they touched me. Later I was lucky enough to teach The Stone Angel to my senior English classes, and the story of Morag Gunn came to life in The Diviners. Laurence wrote several other novels and many short stories but The Stone Angel is the one for which she is revered even though it was, at one point, removed from school curricula as a result of extremist book banning actions.
It took me a lot of years to find the exact right combination of life circumstances to reach out and become a writer myself but these two women certainly egged me on. When my son asked me if there was anything I wished I had done in my life so far, I said, “Write a novel.” It just popped out. He replied with all the reasons he thought the timing was perfect. “If not now, when?” he asked.
Have you ever wanted to write a book or to meet published authors face-to-face? On Civic Holiday, Monday, August 1, 2016, you are invited to meet 6 London area authors, face-to-face, and peruse their books at a fabulous event hosted by Chapters, Wellington Road, and the London Writers Society.
You Are Invited
What: The London Writers Society Inaugural Authors Day. Six featured local authors will speak about their writing and be available for book signings.
When: Civic Holiday Monday (Aug. 1) from noon to 3:00 p.m.
Where: The Chapters Book Store, 1037 Wellington Road, London, Ontario (519) 685-1008
Who:Six local authors whose storytelling and writing matches that of best selling authors. Featured authors will be:
Pat Brown, prolific author of gritty detective mysteries and historical fiction.
Elaine Cougler, award-winning author of an historical fiction trilogy based on the Loyalists.
Colin Forbes, writer of a thought-provoking autobiography about his work as a physician on four continents.
Rita Hartley, author of a compelling memoir about trekking back from loss to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
John Matsui, award-winning writer who’s won critical acclaim for his urban fantasies and thrillers.
Aldous Richards, author of acclaimed sci-fi literature
Why: Fans around the world know these talented writers. The London Writers Society wants to introduce their works to a wider local audience.
What reviewers are saying about:
KRONOS DUET by Aldous Richards- “it will leave you breathless.”
LATE BITE by John Matsui- “Kept me up all night.”
LONG CLIMB BACK by Rita Hartley- “Clever and witty and inspiring throughout.”
FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART by Dr. Colin Forbes- “(Forbes is) deserving of the word – humanitarian.”
THE LOYALIST’S WIFE by Elaine Cougler- “Her storytelling ability is awesome.”
L.A. HEAT by Pat Brown- “Brutal, Thrilling, Romantic and HOT.”
So now you have all the info. Here’s the blatant promotion part: Please come and say hi to these six authors. We’ll be delighted to chat with you and tell you all our tricks. You can see how extraordinarily different we all are. You can even buy our books! 🙂
This morning I’m writing my weekly blog post while on a bit of a car trip with my husband. We are driving down highway 401to Windsor early this warm and humid day in southern Ontario in connection with hubby’s STEM Camp duties.
All along the flat lands surrounding Chatham and Tilbury and beyond, rows of hydro-producing wind turbines stretch farther than I can see. Part of me loves this new technology for producing electricity but another part abhors the blight on the farming landscape.
It is mesmerizing. Slowly the giant tri-armed monsters rotate at the same pace, but not in sync. Always the author, I think in metaphors. I think of writing and the slow journey each of my books has been. And the way each day is just a few more pages written or facts found or ideas hatched, and sometimes all three at once. And when I’ve completed enough of these days, the books are done.
The wind turbines, costing millions of taxpayer dollars, diligently turn, turn, turn, and in the homes and businesses across Ontario lights burn, factories churn, and we all spurn the days gone by when two hands and a strong back took the place of all this power. But there is no completing the task for these giants. Our hunger for more and more power just grows.
These days the debate rages about reading itself and about paper versus electronic books with the camps on either side of the debate, sure their viewpoint is correct. I like both. Just now I’m delighted to be sitting in a Tim Horton’s with my water and my iPad writing this post. Traveling is my favorite time to read electronically.
I’m usually old school when it comes to reading. I love to touch the pages, to see physically how far I’ve read, and to organize my favorite books on my shelves, by author and/or subject. Before we downsized I treasured over 1500 books in my very own library, part of which I’ve kept.
I see no reason why we readers can’t enjoy both ways of reading, according to our tastes and circumstances. And I haven’t even mentioned audio books! Just now we’re putting the finishing touches on the audio version of The Loyalist’s Wife. More on that in the weeks to come.
How many of you are like the wind turbines, bit by bit fueling your own valuable creations? And what do you think of running our lives through this type of electricity creation?
Here’s a book display I did early on in my new-author-selling-books career. It’s not bad but below is a list of things I’ve learned along the way and I hope some of them are useful to other authors.
20+ Ways to Make Your Book Table a Book SALES Table
Plan ahead. The morning of the event is too late.
The number of copies of books you have should correspond to the size of the event. Extra books can be stored under the table or in your car, just in case.
Make up a price sign and get a plastic display case to hold it upright on your table. This saves people the embarassment of having to ask.
Get your photo taken for marketing and display it on your cards or other handouts.
Do not put candies on your table. Too messy. Give out bookmarks and/or other items instead. (business cards)
Take a tablecloth that matches your covers well in case the venue has nothing on the tables.
Have a signup form for your list, either soliciting through a free draw or inviting those who buy your books. (MailChimp)
Maybe put a pick up sheet of Raving Readers’ Comments on your table.
Dress the part. Maybe a costume if you want and it’s applicable but definitely nicely.
Bring your smile. A friendly face will go a long way to getting people to stop at your table.
When they do, have a good opening question ready. I use several such as “Are you a reader?” “Do you like historical fiction?” “Enjoying the event?” Anything that shows you’re human and approachable. And don’t look desperate!
If people are reading the back of your book, let them. Especially if they seem not to want to talk.
Get there early to set up.
Remember not everyone is a reader or a reader of your genre. It’s okay.
Make people feel welcome whether they buy or not.
If they are rushing by, let them.
Know about the other vendors and their books so you can help them sell, especially if you’re talking to someone who loves science fiction and you sell children’s books. Direct them to your fellow author’s table.
Autograph books ahead of time, then add a personal note if they ask. Saves loads of time.
Your autograph is a selling feature. Emphasize that you have personally autographed books for sale.
Take your banners with you and use them if there is room. You can’t put them up if they’re at home.
There are many ways to have success at your table. Getting readers to sign up for your list, having readers notice you and your books, getting a query about speaking gigs, and, of course, making a book sale right then and there.
Take your Square gizmo so that you can accept credit cards. Lots of people don’t carry cash so be ready for them. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to turn away a sale becaue you’re not signed up for Square.
Good Luck! Of course you’ll make most of your own luck.
November is launch month for The Loyalist Legacy, the third in my Loyalist Trilogy and what a month it has turned out to be. Our thoughts are on our American neighbors to the south and the most vitriolic and divisive election any of us can ever remember. No matter whose side you’re on, this was a dirty fight and it was hard to see dignity and even honesty go out the window.
Now the second thing which made me want to attend Little’s lecture was the name of the Canadian author whose name graces the event. Margaret Laurence. As a young stay-at-home-mother searching the local library for books, I found Laurence’s Jest of God. And my mother lent me her copy of The Fire Dwellers. Both of these books seemed to reach right into my soul and know what I was thinking and feeling. The first is about a single school teacher in the Canadian prairies and her sad struggle to find a life and to recognize who she is. The second deals with her sister suffering through a less than perfect marriage in Vancouver, both sisters shaped by their prairie upbringing with an undertaker father and the down sides of living in a small town. I could relate to all of this even though my own story is nothing like these.
