Femme Audio Takeover

When I first wrote my poetry book, When Can We Be Soft?: Poems of Female Resilience, I wasn’t even aware that there was a growing community of freelance audiobook narrators. Those of us in the poetry community on Twitter often recorded readings of our own poems, so I knew that I would narrate the collection. I also had experience with narration because I used to record our class novels for my students who struggled with reading. It was never a question of hiring a narrator. Honestly, I thought that was only something available to big publishers.

This past summer, however, I came across a video on TikTok of a audiobook narrator offering to read a snippet of a book for what they were calling #FemmeAudioTakeover. I immediately sent a message asking if they still had space. While waiting for a response, I came across another narrator offering the same thing. Come to find out, Femme Audio Takeover is a well-organized event in which femme and non-binary narrators record themselves reading submitted snippets from femme author’s books and WIPs. (Authors, for more information, sign up for Ruthie’s author-narrator collaboration newsletter.)

This year, I will have narrators reading from my forthcoming romance novel You’ve Got Bookmail and The Maenad, which is my forthcoming debut fantasy novel. At the time of last year’s event, I only had one WIP that would have been appropriate for the event, The Maenad. I had just finished the first draft, so I chose two narrators I was mutual TikTok friends with and two short snippets (250-350 words). On takeover day, my feed was full of femme voices narrating works by femme authors, and it was amazing. Then I got the tags to my snippets.

Nothing prepares you for hearing your words, your characters, your story brought to life by someone else. I had no words while watching the videos. I just sat there with my head in my hands and tears in my eyes. Both of the female narrators read moments with the same main character, and yet she was different in each video. If I didn’t already believe it before that day, I knew without a doubt that reader interpretation is just as important as author intent.

One of the reasons that I read my books aloud during the editing process, complete with voices and intonation, is because I want to identify any shifts in characterization. It is much easier to recognize changes in the main characters if you listen to their voices, their diction, their cadence. A strong narrator will be able to help your character maintain their voice throughout. If you are femme or non-binary author and unsure about what I’m saying, head on over to TikTok and check out the hashtag in bold above. You will find so many options for getting a portion of your book read during one of the events. Take a chance that I’m right, and your book becomes even better through their interpretations.

Though I’ve learned a lot about narration from following so many wonderful narrators, this week, I was blown away by a new fact. Did you know that not only are male narrators often favored over female narrators by readers, but if there is a dual/duet narration of a book with a male narrator and a female narrator, the female narrator will rarely be highlighted in any sample available? Add in that the venues once available for authors and narrators to find each other are now pushing AI voices as money-saving options, and our female and femme narrators need our support more than ever. (If you’re interested in more information about the travesty that is AI narration, check out the hashtag #HumanVoicesOnly.)

This year, Femme Audio Takeover happens on January 15, so even if you’re not quite ready to have your work read aloud, check out the hashtag that day to see all of the awesome clips. You might find your next favorite book. Who knows, you might even find a narrator for your next book, or your new favorite narrator voice.

If you’d like to know more about my process for recording my poetry collection, including the process of trying different recording software and uploading files, please let me know.

Interview with Skyemera

As I am using this blog to build my blogging consistency by making a post each day, I have decided to supplement my writing process posts with conversations with my characters. I have multiple works in progress (WIPs), but I will focus on The Maenad, Age of the Forgotten Ones Book 1 until the book releases in a few months.

Many of you have probably already seen the featured image for this post. The main character of my mythology-inspired fantasy is what might be considered a female faun, though she is so much more. This is a chance for her to introduce herself to the audience.

What is your name?
Skyemera, though my grandmother is really the only person who calls me that. Most just call me Mera.
How old are you?
I’m not sure how to answer that. I think I’m fourteen, but some recent events have me second-guessing it.
Where were you born?
In The Thicket, which is part of the Tribunal Forest.
What did your father and mother do for a living?
My mother is currently resting at the end of her pregnancy. I don’t know my father, but I hear he is from a land far away.
Were you well off? Middle class? Impoverished?
I guess you could say we are well off. My grandmother is the community matriarch, and we live in the biggest house in The Thicket.
Do you have siblings? If so, what are their names and ages?
Not yet, but like I said my mother is pregnant.
I guess that makes you the eldest, yes? 
As far as I know.
Who do you think will be your mother’s favorite?
Why would you ask a question like that? Are parents supposed to have favorites? I would hate to think I’d lose my place in my mother’s heart after all these years. Is that how your people live?
How do you feel about having a sibling?
This is a difficult question. I’ve always wanted a sibling. I’ve always wished there was someone else around who is like me, but I’m not sure it’s even possible. Either way, I will just feel better when the babe is born and my mother is well.

The Maenad will be released in Spring 2024. I hope to have some cover art sneak peeks in the next couple of weeks, and I will announce when ARC sign-ups open via my newsletter, so if you’d like first access, subscribe to my newsletter.

A Messy First Draft?

Not on my watch. Not in my files. I know I’ve heard the suggestion/advice that it is more important to finish the full draft than worry about it being a good draft. Fine. I can agree with that to an extent. It is impossible to edit a blank page, and it is even difficult to edit as you go along when you don’t know where your story is going. But, it is also difficult to maintain continuity in a story if your writing is pure chaos.

You see, I am a pantser. I do not have an outline or plan when I begin writing a story. Half the time, I don’t even have a character’s name. When writing my fantasy, I had a little more than normal because it had developed alongside a memoir I was writing. As I got further into the draft, I realized I didn’t need to write the memoir any longer and that the fantasy was a much more interesting story. Thus, I started that Work in Progress (WIP) with around 25,000 words. That’s a lot to go off of and build from, but this is the exception. With my romance novels, for example, I start with a completely blank page and say “Who’s going to talk first?” Usually, it’s the female protagonist. I am more easily able to write from the female perspective. Once I figure out who she is and something about her, I can better pair her up with a male protagonist who fits her needs.

Being a pantser, however, doesn’t mean that I don’t follow structures. I’m very attuned to plot structures because I’ve always been a prolific writer. That’s why I’m so focused on making sure there is continuity in my manuscript as I write it. If I lose the plot, I will either 1) lose interest in the story, 2) never get it back, 3) lose my mind. Since the location of my mind is regularly in question, I choose to take a more reciprocal approach to my writing. If I’m doing writing sprints, I will write nonstop for the time frame. The next day, though, I will start by reading over what I wrote the previous day. I need to make sure it flows from the day before and that it sets me up for what I write today. I also clean up simple proofreading errors. Sometimes, I realize halfway through that I need to change POV or Tense. I’d rather fix that whenever it comes up than to finish the manuscript and have to revise the entire thing.

While this process may not be ideal for everyone, it works for me. By the time I finish my first draft, it is pretty clean, and I am able to focus on any developmental needs without getting bogged down in typos and punctuation issues. It minimizes the amount of time I have to spend in editing, and I’m more likely to have most errors corrected by the time my beta readers get the document. If not, they catch them. We all have to find the process that works for us.

If you’d like more information into the pantser/plotter conversation, I really like this video that was shared with me by a TikTok mutual. In it, she talks about quadrants of writing preferences, which gave me a much better view of my style than anything I read on the dichotomy.

The Value of ARC Readers

When I got ready to publish my first book, a collection of poetry, back in April 2023, I had no idea what ARC Readers were. I’ve learned so much since then about the different types of readers authors, especially indie authors, need to have a successful book launch that sets them up for continued success. There are alpha readers, beta readers, and ARC Readers before you even get to the ones who purchase your book at or after release. Today, I’m just going to talk a little about ARC Readers.

What is an ARC?

ARC stands for Advanced Reader Copy. These are readers who sign up to get an early copy of your book with the hopes that they will post a favorable review on important reviewer sites (Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc) once the book goes live. Some ARC readers will catch typos or other issues that have made it past all your rounds of edits, and there are always typos/issues that make it through. There are no guarantees, though, that these readers will love your book, or that they will even post their review, but one can hope, right? Authors can decide if they will send out physical ARCs or digital eARCs. Most indie authors stick to eARCs because they are more cost-efficient.

How to build an ARC team

The easiest way I have found and heard of to build a team is to create a form that potential readers will fill out, so you can collect their information, especially email addresses if you’re sending eARCs. This form should share all important information about the book, including a summary/blurb and any trigger warnings. I also ask my potential ARC readers what their favorite reviewing sites are to read and post reviews. I learned about a new site through this question, and I was able to go on there and add my book’s information. I also ask potential readers if they’d like to subscribe to my newsletter, which is a quick and easy way to increase your number of followers.

Here is a link to my current ARC team form in case you need an example. If you’re interested in open-door romance that leans on the sweet Hallmark side with spice, feel free to sign up, but I’m simply putting this here as the example.

Once your sign-up period has closed, or you have the number of ARC readers you’d like, you can close the form to additional readers and download a spreadsheet. The first thing I do is filter for those ARC readers who want to subscribe to my newsletter, so I can copy and paste their emails into my subscriber list. Then I re-filter the spreadsheet for everyone who has agreed to review the book. I copy and paste those emails into my Book Funnel page for the book I’m about to release. I never send book files or newsletters cold without the person having subscribed.

Book Funnel is a paid website that authors can use to send eARCs to readers, or really any digital book. The beautiful thing about this site is that with the mid-range subscription, they will add a watermark to your document, so if someone shares it to a pirating site, you can know who it is and not allow that person access to your free books again. It also allows you to track who has downloaded the ARC. For my last release, I had 22 people sign up, 11 people download, but only 5 people write reviews. Considering it was my first novel under the Leya Layne pen name, I was not upset by the small numbers, but it is still helpful to know the percentages. ARCs are not guaranteed reviews, and trying to enforce reviews is only liable to blow up in a negative way for you.

Positive Aspects of enlisting ARC Readers

  • You receive additional early feedback from readers who are interested in your genre.
  • You get reviews on sites before release day, so more people will see your book.
  • You develop a list of loyal readers who will help share and hype your book.
  • Word of mouth is one of the best free tools that indie authors have at their disposal.
  • Good ARC readers will reach out to help you make last minute corrections to your manuscript that might have made it through your rounds of editing.

Negative things to consider before enlisting ARC Readers

  • Unrealistic expectations for ARC readers can create negative feelings for readers and authors
  • Not every reader will love every book, so be prepared for low ratings.
  • Not every reader will provide a review.
  • It is hard to differentiate between those who legitimately want to read your book and those who just want free books.
  • The wrong readers sign up for your book because of incomplete descriptions.

All that to say that once your book is ready for release, finding legitimate ARC readers who are excited to read your book is invaluable to your marketing strategy. We just have to go in with realistic expectations for 1) how many people will sign up, 2) how many of those people will follow through and read the book, and 3) how many of those readers will actually leave a review. Don’t scrimp on your ARC team by limiting numbers, especially if you’re sending out digital copies of the book. I think the averages I have seen say that 20% of those who sign up will read the book and 20 percent of those people will leave reviews. So set yourself up for success by trying to build a large ARC team.

This information was so helpful to me as I moved into my first round of ARC readers, and I’m excited to share it with others as I begin the second round for my next release. I hope you find it helpful.

Year Two Blog Changes

2023 has been a whirlwind year for my writing and author career. I went from barely coming into my own as a poet to drafting a complete novel, publishing a collections of poetry, adding a new pen name to publish 18+ romance books, and publishing a children’s picture book. I now have three books published under my LLC, and I have big goals for 2024. If you subscribe to my newsletter, or follow me on social media, you’ve probably already seen them. In short, I have a goal to draft at least 8 books and publish 6 of them. I will also be in 3 anthologies this year, and I’ve been accepted as a signing author for three author events (and counting).

Since there is so much going on, I need a way to chronicle all I’m doing and learning. So while my blog has focused entirely on poetry thus far, on January 1, I am switching it up a bit to follow my writing journey. Year 2 is looking to be amazing, but I also know it will come with its own trials. Hopefully, writing about the things I’m doing and all that I’m learning will help keep me grounded and also possibly resonate with someone else. I hope you’ll stick around and follow me for all of the ridiculous that is becoming an author in my late 40s after decades of thinking I couldn’t write creatively. That doesn’t mean there might not be a poem or two thrown in whenever the muse gets her act together.

She Stood Waiting…

Instructions for this contrapuntal form (see below for a definition): Read through once. Then start at Line 1 and read every other line. Restart at Line 2 and read every other line.

Visage of hope
Posted at the corner
Bright eyes watching
Fighting desperation
Train comes in
Tracks rattle omens
Horn sounding arrival
Departure imminent
Promising future
Realistically grim
Open heart and mind
Unsettled spirit

I was first introduced to a contrapuntal poem the other day on Twitter, and I didn’t even know what it was called. I just thought it was an interesting and complex form that could tell a different story, or create a different image, when read in it’s multiple parts. According to Writer’s Digest, contrapuntal poems intertwine two separate poems into a cohesive composition where a line from the first poem precedes a line from the second.

I took the photo of this woman standing outside the alley that leads to a burlesque show in Skagway, Alaska. I imagined that she was out there to drum up an audience for the show, but then thought, she could also represent a moment in time when someone is lying in wait. We don’t know what she’s waiting for, but she is there, looking toward the railway station. The fully intertwined poem is meant to give the sense of her conflicted heart. The poem that starts on line one demonstrating hope for the future. The other, starting on line two, demonstrating the reality that the future for a woman of the time in that place was bleak.

I hope my poem captured the emotions I was trying to convey. If you liked it, and want to follow more of my writing, check out my website for information about my poetry collection and forthcoming books. You can also find me sprinkling poetry all over social media. If you’re a fellow poet and want to try this form, please tag me somewhere. I’d love to read what you create.

The Dirt We Carry

Hidden behind
the icy veneer
Walled inside
the suit of armor
Buried beneath
the marble floor
Lies the dirt we carry

Insidious in nature
A by-product of
long-forgotten choices
caught between
hard-placed rocks
It waits, worming
its way through veins
firing synapses
like gunshots
oozing fear
through pores
until someone
sees beyond
the facade
leaving us
exposed

I learned so much about icebergs during our time in Alaska. I never before thought of them being various sizes and colors. I’ve already published a poem about a beautiful blue one we saw, but I was just as fascinated by this one that carried the history of its travels within. The same is true of us, and we can either hide away in shame or break free and shine in the sun inspire the imperfections.

If you like this poem and want to check out more of my work or follow me and my work, look through my links.

The Artificial Garden

Hope is an artificial garden
Of perpetual bloom
Colored by rainbows
Cutting the gloom

Hope smells of lavender
With essence of plastic
Transforming nightmares
To moments fantastic

Hope buries memories
In peat moss and soil
Promising sunshine
Beyond the storm’s toil

So follow the flowers
Until you’re able to cope
Imagine their scent
To generate false hope

When we got off the boat in Victoria, BC, I was blown away by the beauty of these painted flowers. They lined the parking lot at the cruise terminal in beautiful, bold colors. I have had this poem sitting, partially written, on my computer for months. I wasn’t sure how to end it. There have been so many stories of lost hope lately that I decided to shift the conversation from one of false hope being a negative to the idea that sometimes we need hope cling to, even if it’s not fully real. I wish us all a sense of hope when the world feels hopeless.

If you like the poetry you’ve read here, check my website for other examples of my writing, and consider subscribing to my website for updates on my larger projects.

Note to Self

Promises to self are hard to keep
So you pretend, walls built high
Door locked and key lost
Or so you thought
Trouble is, there’s always a prince
Waiting to rescue the princess
From the tower of her own making
He climbs the walls and waltzes in
Because it takes a kingdom
To protect a castle
When the queen is broken and alone
With hope squeezing her chest
Leaving only room for his words
Voice as smooth as honey butter
Promises as useless as a silk condom
Yet they sound like magic
And you buy what he’s selling
Ignoring the infomercial’s admonition
But wait, there’s more

During our trip to Alaska, I found the most fascinating things to look at and learn about. This photo was probably in my top 5 things I saw. Evidently, someone thought it a good idea to make silk condoms and gave them to a well-known madame. She, on the other hand, was smart enough to know they were worthless. She decided to sew them together into rosettes and hang them along the shower curtain in her bathroom as decoration. No two rosettes were exactly alike, but the display was both fascinating and hilarous! I don’t know about anyone else, but I have made plenty of poor relationship decisions in my life, holding onto promises that could’t hold water…much like silk condoms.

If you like this poem, check out my debut poetry collection When Can We Be Soft?: Poems of Female Resilience.

The Crane

The weight of the world
Like boulders immovable 
Holding you pinned
Frozen in place
Bone-crushing ache
Asking why between shouts
Of “fight your own battles”
As if holding a shield and
Brandishing a sword
Didn’t require empty hands
When all you needed was 
Someone to help you lift