My Works

New Book Trailer for Imminent Danger (Animoto)

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Michelle Proulx

I’ve seen a couple of cool Animoto book trailers floating around the internet, so I thought I’d try my hand at making one for Imminent Danger. 

It’s a grand total of 30 seconds long, and there’s no way to control how long the images or text stay on-screen. That being said, there are lots of themes you can choose from, and it’s literally just plug and play. So if you’re looking for a super easy way to make a book trailer, I’d definitely recommend Animoto.

The book trailer:

Special shout-out to Celeste DeWolfe for her awesome fan art that’s featured in the trailer!

In other news, Imminent Danger will be free to download on Amazon this weekend (Jan 31 – Feb 1). I’ll obviously do reminder posts when those days actually arrive, so this is just a heads-up in case you’ve always dreamed of reading my book but haven’t had the funds to do so.

 

Unrelated media of the day:

Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/5dzhPeu

Categories: My Works, Self Publishing | Tags: , , , , , | 17 Comments

1 Star Rating Silliness on Goodreads

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Michelle Proulx

So following the re-release of Imminent Danger, I was over on Goodreads doing some editing — making sure the new purple cover shows up when you search for the book, making sure the reviews transferred over from the old edition, etc. And I discovered something very odd.

A gentleman named John Hayward (probably not his real name) had given a 1 star rating to all three of my published works — i.e., Imminent Danger, as well as the two free short stories. Fair enough. He hates my writing. A bit weird that he didn’t bother reviewing any, just slapped on 1 star ratings and called it a day, but whatever. No, wait, that is really weird …

So I went to his profile page. He joined Goodreads December 2014. He left three 1 star reviews — all for my books — on the same day in the span of 3 minutes. He hasn’t posted a single rating or review since then.

Yeah, something fishy’s going on.

I contacted Goodreads about it — this guy is obviously trolling — and I got an email back from them yesterday. The bottom line is they do have a system in place for removing false ratings and reviews, but this user didn’t have enough red flags on his account to justify an investigation. Basically, they were sorry about it, but they can’t do anything. They were very professional and polite, and they urged me to contact them again in the future if I found more suspicious circumstances.

Here’s a screencap of Mister Hayward’s profile page for your viewing enjoyment:

john hayward 2

And here’s his profile page if you want to see for yourself: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/37879516-john-hayward

I don’t blame Goodreads for not taking down this guy’s ratings — they have a system, and I get that. So that leaves me to wonder what I’m supposed to do about it. It also makes me wonder what this guy’s deal is. Did he really, honestly, truly read all three of my books, hate them all, and create a Goodreads account just so he could leave 1 star ratings? Is he someone I’ve pissed off, and he’s trying to get back at me via online ratings? Is it some random troll just passing through? Only time will tell.

Thus ends my tale. Any insight is welcome and appreciated!

 

Unrelated media of the day:

Prepare yourself for some major feels (i.e., sad feelings) …

Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/NLtCD9V

Categories: My Works, Self Publishing | Tags: , , , , , | 53 Comments

Imminent Danger is Officially LIVE!

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Michelle Proulx

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen — Imminent Danger And How to Fly Straight into It is re-released on Amazon and ready for your reading enjoyment! (Scroll to the end of the post for links.)

The 2nd edition features a variety of exciting updates, including:

  • A brand new cover!
  • Revised interior text! (the story didn’t change or anything, my editor and I just did another run-through to tighten up phrasing, remove some minor logistical errors, punch up the wow! factor, etc.)
  • An affordable print edition! ($12.99 list price on Amazon, compared to the previous $21.99 atrocity that iUniverse created)
  • An affordable ebook edition! (it’s enrolled in KDP, so I’ll probably be doing some free days in the near future)
  • A shout-out to my fellow WordPress bloggers in the Acknowledgments section! (if you’re reading this, you rock, and never forget that)

For anyone just finding this site for the first time, here’s the cover and description of Imminent Danger:

Imminent Danger Cover Reveal

High school junior Eris Miller thinks she’s having a bad day when her roommate’s boyfriend catches her stepping out of the shower wearing nothing but a towel. Then she gets abducted by scaly six-armed aliens with a strange fondness for the color blue, and her day suddenly gets a whole lot worse.

Trapped on a spaceship bound for the slave markets of Sirius B, Eris fears she’ll never see her home again. But then fate whisks her away from her reptilian captors and into the arms of Varrin, a fast-talking space pirate who promises to deliver her safely back to Earth. He claims to have her best interests at heart, but Eris soon discovers that her charming rescuer has a hidden agenda.

As they race across the galaxy, outrunning a villainous figure from Varrin’s past, Eris begins to realize that their relationship is putting her planet, her life and her heart in imminent danger. She knows that trusting Varrin could prove deadly … but what other choice does she have?

***

Check out the book here:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.ca

***

Call for reviews:

If you have at some point in the past read Imminent Danger and enjoyed it, please consider posting a review on any of the above sites. The reviews from the old edition did not carry over to the new edition, so currently Imminent Danger is sad and review-less. Thanks!

SHWOOP.

Categories: My Works, Self Publishing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

New Imminent Danger Fan Art!

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Michelle Proulx

On this most glorious of Tuesday mornings, I am thrilled to share with you a new piece of fan art!

This was done by my friend Denise Gow-Morse. Fun story — we met in South Korea, where we both taught English at the same private school (or “hagwon”). Then I moved back to Ontario, she moved back to Halifax … and then I moved to Halifax, in a house approximately 5 minutes from hers. This was all purely coincidental.

Enough rambling. Enjoy!

Artist: Denise Gow-Morse

Artist: Denise Gow-Morse

Note: Not to alarm anyone, but I totally just successfully published the shiny new version of Imminent Danger on Createspace and Amazon. Why am I not making a bigger deal about this? Because I had to do some fiddling (mainly to get the old book version to stop linking to the new Kindle version), so I don’t want to start going nuts with the OMG IT’S PUBLISHED EEEEEK! stuff until it’s all set up properly. But until that day comes (in approximately 3-5 business days), if you do want to check out the shiny new and published Imminent Danger, click here.

Categories: My Works | Tags: , , | 6 Comments

Reflections on My Successful IndieGoGo Campaign

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Michelle Proulx

That’s right — my IndieGoGo campaign is officially over! And I hit my funding goal! Woo!

All in all, it was a really fun experience. Probably my favorite part was coming up with the perks, and I think everyone’s going to be happy with what they get.

Here are the final stats:

  • Total raised = $631 (126% funded)
  • Contributions = 21
  • Most popular perk = $25 Sign ‘Er Up, Captain! (signed copy of Imminent Danger)

About 2/3 of the contributions came from family and friends, with the rest coming from all you wonderful people who read this blog!

I don’t think I got any contributions from people I don’t know (i.e., random people who stumbled across the campaign and decided to donate). So I think the takeaway from that is that IndieGoGo campaigns aren’t a great way of connecting with random new readers on the internet. Oh well.

The vast majority of contributions came during the first two days of the campaign, with a few others trickling in over the rest of the 30 days (and a final small surge on the last day as people realized the campaign was ending). So 30 days of campaigning might have been a little long, but overall I think the time frame was good.

In terms of my funding goal ($500), I’m really glad I set it so low. The thing with IndieGoGo is they do “flex funding”, so you get to keep everything you raise, but if you don’t meet your goal, they take 9% of what you raise (as opposed to 4% if you do meet your goal). Hence why I set the goal so low — to make sure I don’t get dinged with the 9% fee. And it worked!

I’m planning on running another campaign in the spring when I publish Chasing Nonconformity, and I’ll have to ruminate over whether or not to set a higher goal. On the one hand, a lower goal makes it easier to hit. On the other hand, once you hit the goal, people might not be as inspired to contribute anymore. I really don’t know. I tried the low goal, and we did go over by $131, so clearly people weren’t averse to the idea of contributing to a funded campaign (so long as they get cool perks out of the deal, presumably). Any thoughts on low goals vs. high goals?

Those are all my reflections for now. Thank you again to everyone who helped out with the campaign — you’re awesome!

 

Unrelated media of the day:

Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/o0HZYid

 

 

Categories: My Works, Self Publishing | Tags: , | 12 Comments

Chasing Nonconformity Cover Reveal!

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Michelle Proulx

At long last, I’m psyched to reveal the cover for what will be the second book in the Imminent Danger series — Chasing Nonconformity! The cover design was done by the talented Ravven (same as the Imminent Danger cover). And thus, without further ado …

chasing_full

Wow! Not gonna lie, guys, Book #2 gets a bit intense. In fact, here’s a summary for you of the plot:

Still reeling from accidentally marrying an exiled alien prince named Varrin, and from almost getting her head blown off by a six-armed lizard man with anger management issues, seventeen-year-old Eris Miller is ready for a vacation. But Varrin is desperate to rescue his beloved spaceship, the Nonconformity, from the clutches of the galactic government, so her vacation will just have to wait.

While Eris and Varrin chase after the stolen ship, they’re unaware that trouble is brewing on the other side of the galaxy. The villainous Emperor of Rakor has assembled a task force, led by the commander of the deadly Skin Slicers, to hunt Varrin down. With enemies closing in and the Nonconformity slipping further and further from their grasp, Eris must ask herself: how much is she willing to sacrifice to ensure her happily ever after?

Chasing Nonconformity will be published in Spring 2015, and if you’re interested in getting a signed copy, I’ll be running another crowdfund campaign around that time in which you can grab a copy or three. Until then, if you’d like the matching set, stop by my current IndieGoGo campaign for Imminent Danger and grab the first book in the series!

Also, big thanks to all the wonderful bloggers who helped me out with the cover reveal:

Charles Yallowitz

Misha Burnett

Danielle Shipley

Nicholas Rossis

Anthony Renfro

Audrey Driscoll

Beth Madden

Christina Channelle

Thanks for stopping by, and have a fabulous weekend!

Categories: My Works, Self Publishing | Tags: , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

I Hit My Fundraising Goal!!!

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Michelle Proulx

That’s right — as of Sunday evening, I’ve officially hit my IndieGoGo fundraising goal! Huzzah! Big thanks to everyone who’s participated in the campaign so far, and big thanks to anyone who hasn’t yet but intends to contribute before the campaign ends on Dec 9. Remember, if you want to get your hands on a signed copy of Imminent Danger, this is the best way to do it!

This also means y’all get to see the cover for the sequel, Chasing Nonconformity, because a promise is a promise, and I promised I’d share the cover if we hit the goal. Which we did! Yay! The big reveal happens this Friday, so keep your eyes peeled and your excitement at a survivable level.

It also means we’re now into stretch goal territory. So here’s the first stretch goal! If we can hit $600, I’ll add in an art card of the swanky new Chasing Nonconformity cover to the perks of everyone who contributes to the campaign (note: not including the $3 perk, because that’s just digital and therefore doesn’t involve physical mail). You know you want one!

In related news, my mother is coming to visit me next week, which means we’re going to get a ton of editing done on Chasing Nonconformity while she’s here. I doubt we’ll get the whole way through, but that’s what Christmas is for!

 

Unrelated media of the day:

Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/wWrpU4X

Categories: My Works, Self Publishing | Tags: , , | 20 Comments

NaNoWriMo Update

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Michelle Proulx

More than two thirds of the way through November — seems like the perfect time for a NaNoWriMo update!

I’m failing miserably.

First, I started re-writing a fantasy story I’ve been playing around with for the past six years. I got 15k words in, and realized I was writing Star Wars Episode 1 when I should have been writing Episode 4. Dang. Switched over to my original plan — Book 3 of the Imminent Danger series — and got the first two chapters tapped out with relative ease. Then started daydreaming in the shower about the fantasy story, except this time Episode 4 instead of Episode 1. Lost all interest in Imminent Danger Book 3. This morning, was randomly inspired in the shower again and now am eager to get back to work on Imminent Danger Book 3 again.

My muse is wildly unreliable, and she’s driving me nuts. Also, she only seems to come to me in the shower, which means I now shower for about 45 minutes a day. My roommates have learned to take their showers either before me, or an hour after me, otherwise they get no hot water. Sigh.

In related news, my IndieGoGo campaign is still going on, and tragically we’re $50 short of the goal. Nooooooes! So if you’re interested in snatching up a signed copy of the shiny new Imminent Danger, complete with revised text and gorgeous cover art, pop over to the campaign and claim your copy today! The campaign ends around Dec 9, but the sooner we hit the goal, the sooner I can start coming up with awesome stretch goal prizes to give all the awesome people who’ve donated.

How go your NaNoWriMo attempts? Or if you’re boycotting NaNoWriMo, how go your non-NaNoWriMo-writing attempts?

Unrelated media of the day:

Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/zjCCYRR

Categories: My Works, Writing | Tags: , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Chasing Nonconformity Cover Art Situation

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Michelle Proulx

You may not be aware of this, but the cover art for my sequel, Chasing Nonconformity, is actually ready and raring to go! The only thing we need now is a good opportunity to reveal said cover.

And I have hit upon the perfect opportunity!

As you know, I am running an IndieGoGo campaign. It’s going pretty well — we’re only $50 away from hitting the initial funding goal! So in order to encourage that last little leap, I declare this now:

I shall reveal the cover art for Chasing Nonconformity once I hit my funding goal!

So if you’ve ever dreamed of owning a signed copy of Imminent Danger, this campaign is the best chance you’re going to get to acquire one. You want the $25 “Sign ‘Er Up, Captain!” perk, which nets you the signed book, plus whatever other goodies I throw in. Obviously the book can also be purchased once I re-publish it via Createspace in December/January, but that won’t be signed, and how will you eventually sell the book for millions of dollars in a few years if it isn’t signed? HMM?

Well, that’s enough promotion from me for today. Thanks for listening to me ramble!

 

Unrelated media of the day:

Might have shared this already, but it’s just so gosh-darned cute.

Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/8tUf7dg

 

Categories: My Works | Tags: , , , , | 6 Comments

IndieGoGo Campaign — Day 1 Results

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Michelle Proulx

It has now officially been one day since the launch of my IndieGoGo campaign to help pay back the cover design costs for my novel, Imminent Danger And How to Fly Straight into It. Woo!

Day 1 was awesome, and exceeded all expectations. Thanks to the generous contributions of friends, I’m already at 45% of my funding goal. And a ton of wonderful people have helped share the campaign on their own social networks, so hopefully that percentage will continue to grow. Thank you to everyone who’s helped out so far, and thank you in advance to everyone who is planning on, but has not yet had a chance to, contribute!

An interesting thing I’ve noticed, from browsing assorted book campaigns on crowdfunding sites, is that I set my goal ridiculously low. Most of the projects are looking for several thousand dollars of funding at the very least, with some going up into the tens of thousands. I guess it’s a difference in mindset — I’m trying to pay back the cover design cost, which I’ve already paid for, so at this point literally any funds I can drum up are more than I could have hoped for! Whereas other projects are more along the lines of, “If this campaign succeeds, I will be able to: hire an editor ; upgrade my website ; take off work for a year and write”, etc. This isn’t a commentary on the efficacy of one crowdfunding approach over the other — it’s just interesting to note.

And for everyone wondering about my $500 goal, here’s the reasoning: that’s the lowest goal you can set. If I don’t make the goal, oh well, since I wouldn’t have had a chance of making an even higher goal anyway (thus, no opportunity lost). If I do make the goal, awesome! Cover design paid for, hope renewed that one day I’ll actually be able to start making money off my writing. And if I surpass my goal … well, I’ll get to that if it happens, but basically I’d get to have lots of fun coming up with stretch goal rewards for all my backers, not to mention I could put the extra money toward helping drag my book out of obscurity.

Well, that’s enough rambling from me for today! If you haven’t check out the campaign yet, here’s the link again. And even if donating money isn’t in the cards, please consider donating your time and social media connections by sharing the campaign. I shall not rest until every person on the planet has seen this campaign! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

 

Unrelated media of the day:

It’s not the most vocally spectacular parody cover in existence, but the theme is fun and the lyrics made me laugh a couple of times.

Categories: My Works, Self Publishing | Tags: , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.