Sam Szanto reads her short story, The Cleaner. Sam placed 2nd in the 2021-2022 Writers’ Mastermind Short Story Contest with her story, If No One Speaks. She has just published her debut short story collection by the same name, which also includes The Cleaner.
You can read our exclusive interview with Sam here.
https://writersmastermindgroup.com
Originally Published on The Writing Cooperative
Writing, publishing, and selling a novel is challenging for anyone, but what is it like to be a blind writer? Think about composing, spotting errors, using track changes, and formatting.
Moreover, in today’s publishing world, a blind author must figure out how to build an author platform, run a blog, network on social media, manage an email list, and perform other marketing activities.
We talk to two blind writers in the Writers’ Mastermind to discover what it’s like to operate in the modern technological world without sight.
Bia Bella Baker is the author of YA sci-fi fantasy, Hecctrossipy, which she is expanding into a series. Clennell Anthony is the author of Dark Brilliance, and is currently working on her first romantic suspense.
Both authors use a combination of technologies to accomplish daily tasks most sighted people take for granted.
Bia and Clennell tell us what it’s like to be blind writers, which tech has changed their lives the most, and what systems need to be improved.
They also share what each of us can do to create a fuller experience on the web for visually impaired people.
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Today, we are excited to feature Clennell Anthony, a paranormal romance and fantasy author. She is a founding member of the Writers’ Mastermind and the host of our Saturday write-ins.
“Nell” is the author of Dark Brilliance, and is currently working on a multigenerational paranormal fantasy saga. She is a visually impaired author who recently appeared on The Writing Cooperative to talk about accessibility awareness.
Learn more about Miss Anthony and her work in this enlightening interview.
Clennell is a published author of short stories in literary magazines such as Southern Reflections and Short Fiction Break. She has a published Novella entitled, The Circle, the first book in her Draiocht Trilogy, available on Amazon.com. She writes romance in many of its subgenres: romantic suspense, fantasy/paranormal, and mystery/thriller.
Clennell has a long and winding background in writing, but she has interests in just about everything—from murder and mayhem in other authors’ novels, to magick and zoology, if that’s what her characters are into. She lives in Florida and enjoys being entertained by the Amazon Echo Dot and Show that are strategically placed throughout her home. She enjoys reading, writing, research, and coming up with new and interesting conflicts for her characters to resolve. At present, she is editing The Cursed and working on The Convicted, books two and three of her Draiocht Trilogy.
Clennell is a woman of many talents, but her first love is writing. She wants to welcome you into her strange and wonderful world. So step into her parlor, join the party, and discover magic.
Clennell’s parlor can be found at website: https://clennellanthony.wordpress.com. Follow Clennell on Twitter & Facebook. She can’t wait to meet you!
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where are you now? What has your life been like?
I live in Jacksonville, Florida now, but I’ve been a few places around the United States. I’ve lived in North Carolina and Georgia. I received an MFA in Creative Writing from the low residency program at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Life has always been an interesting rollercoaster as a visually impaired individual. Even more so of late, since my vision insists on getting worse. I enjoy life as a mental health counselor, writer, and visually impaired woman. It’s just living and adapting, something we all do, but I feel as if I’m finally doing it well.
2. What kind of stories do you like to write?
I love to write stories that make people feel, even if all they’re doing is laughing or thinking about what’s motivating the character. I love magic, so I tend to write about it in many of its forms. I’m nosey and like to look up some of everything.
I like for characters to be well rounded, funny, interesting, and to do or say something that keeps the reader thinking. I hope that my stories get the chance to change someone’s outlook or at least make them laugh so hard they can’t breathe for a few minutes, or even sigh with relief or contentment. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but sometimes, I just can’t help myself.
3. What sets you apart from other writers in your space?
In truth, I’m not sure about this one. I don’t really look at another writer’s work and go, how am I different or the same? I tend to read books for the pleasure of it and think to myself, how did she accomplish this or that? I’ll read a book a second time, trying to understand how the writer created a setting, plot twist, or resolved a conflict. But, I’m truly unsure of what makes me stand out as unique or different.
4. What drives your writing? What do you mean to accomplish with your stories?
My motivation is usually concerned with good overcoming evil or the bad guy getting his comeuppance. I like to see the underdog triumph. I enjoy writing about love and survival, whether it’s the magical or the realistic.
My mission is to grip the reader with the motivation of the characters and make them root for that underdog, and hope that the nemesis of the piece gets their due, whether it’s going to jail, turning into ash and blowing away on the next breeze, or being killed to keep the good guys alive and gaining their happy ever after.
5. Who are you favorite writers and books? What are your other creative influences?
You don’t want me to start naming authors and books. We’ll be here all day and into a week from now. I can just see myself snapping my fingers and going, “Oh, yeah, and this author and that book.” So, I’ll spare you the long-winded answer and tell you my top three.
1. Nora Roberts – My favorite book by her is True Betrayals – genre romantic suspense.
2. Nalini Singh – My favorite book by her is Heart of Obsidian, book 12 of the Psy-changeling Series – genre paranormal romance.
3. Karen Rose – I Can See You, Book 1, Minnesota Duet – genre romantic suspense.
6. Tell us about your writing space. When and where do you write? Do you work in silence? Or music?
I write in a home office. I have two bookshelves full of books on everything from magic to police procedure. I have a corner desk, a computer, two printers, another desk, all my visual aids, and an Echo device I yell at for talking entirely too much even when no one is talking to her.
7. What is your favorite thing to do when you are not writing?
I know this sounds a little nutty, but read. I love to read. I don’t do much else. If I’m not at my day job or writing, I’m reading something, even if it’s the headlines in a newspaper update in my email. I prefer romance, though.
8. Who or what is your current artistic muse?
My current artistic muse lately has been from my dreams and the past. For some reason of late, I have found so many stories that I can tell from my past as a child, teenager, and young/new adult. Life is interesting and I’ve found that truth and reality can be far stranger than fiction can ever be. Well, unless you’re talking about magick, shapeshifting, and vampires. I enjoy things that go bump in the night in fiction, not so much in reality.
9. Why do you think it’s important to write fiction?
I think the writing of fiction is important because so much of reality draws us into stress and anxiety. Fiction gives the writer and the reader a bit of fun and pulls us out of our daily fight for survival, the chaos, and hum-drum living. It gives us something other than the next day to look forward to, and well, it’s just fun!
10. Who would be the best writer, alive or dead, to tell the story of your life?
When I first saw this question, I thought, I can’t think of anyone. Then, I thought through all the memoirs and autobiographies I’ve read over the course of my life. Frank Conroy, the author of Stop Time, one of the best memoirs I’ve read, came to mind. So, I say Frank Conroy because he wrote one of the most compelling and attention catching memoirs I had the pleasure of experiencing.
11. How has being in the Writers’ Mastermind helped you? What’s the best part of being with a writing group?
Being a part of the Writers’ Mastermind has made me truly feel like a writer. I struggled a lot with imposter syndrome before I joined the Writers’ Mastermind. Being a part of the group allowed me to see that I wasn’t the only one struggling with angst and the idea that being a writer was more than I was.
The thing is that, the only thing it takes to be a writer is to write, but so often we’re made to believe differently. The people in Writers’ Mastermind have given me a sense of belonging, helped me finish one novel and complete another, and have been the support system I’ve never had before.
If you’re a writer, find a writing group that you can identify with and full of people who make you feel like you’re exactly what you strive to be, even when you’re stuck or when you’re feeling your lowest. It’s the best place to be amongst people who accept you, understand where you’re coming from, and won’t judge you or try to force you to be someone you’re not.
I’ve received this and so much more from my association and membership in Writers’ Mastermind.
12. What are you working on right now?
Right now, I’m working on The Convicted the third book in the Draiocht Trilogy. It’s a little challenging for me because I’m also working on keeping up with blogging. I need to be a bit more consistent there, so I’ve taken to writing one blog per week. So, I write vignettes, short stories in series, prose pieces, and sometimes what I call “just because” pieces when I’m not working on The Convicted.
Dark Brilliance is a book of short stories. Each story has its moment that shines, though there is a darkness that persists, light shines through the flame of somber sadness, tortured occurrences, and hope threads through that lifts the darkness and turns it to brilliance.
The stories are grouped by the moment captured by the author. For example, “Endurance” focuses on the life of a home: the wars that were fought around it, the neglect it withstood, and how it waits for someone to come along and rebuild its grandeur.
Dark Brilliance contains stories that exhibit moments of love, life, sensuality, power, hope, and fulfillment. Come join in the journey this book of short stories will take you on.
Thank for hanging out with us Nell!
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As a self-published author, I am always looking for new ways to expand my readership. After being exclusively with KDP for many years, I felt like I reached a plateau. When thinking about releasing my first full-length novel series, I wondered, how can I launch bigger?
Then I heard about Kindle Vella, a serialized fiction platform. It’s always tempting to jump on the next big thing in the publishing industry, but it’s also a huge risk. Is it worth your time to publish on Kindle Vella?
I say yes, but not for the reasons I originally tried it.
Kindle Vella allows you to issue your story out in 600-5,000 word “episodes.” Some authors write as they go. I uploaded a novel I’d already written one chapter at a time. Think of a literary version of Netflix. Its competitors are Radish and Wattpad.
Authors can release episodes right away (though there is a small wait for review and approval) or they can space releases daily, weekly, monthly—pretty much however they want.
Readers get to read the first three episodes for free. Then they must buy tokens on Amazon to “unlock” each new episode. Vella stories are read in your Kindle Reader, using the Kindle App for iOS and Android, or on Amazon’s website.
The Kindle Vella Publishing interface is super lean, and the process is streamlined. Simply add a title, write or paste your episode into the text box, and hit save, publish, or schedule.
What’s unique about Kindle Vella is that authors can leave a note at the end of each episode for the reader. This is my favorite feature for authors. It’s a place to talk about where story ideas come from, share interesting research notes, expand on character’s perspective, and reveal relevant personal anecdotes.
Kindle Vella has also added a poll feature, where authors can post a question to their readers.
Readers may show their appreciation by giving episodes a thumbs up. At the end of the week, the are prompted to “crown” their favorite story, adding an extra element and social-media type of upvoting system.
Vella says authors earn 50% of the money readers spend on the tokens used to unlock their story episode, which is about midway between the 30% or 70% you earn with KDP. It’s possible that if readers spend more using the token system than they do for the flat rate book, it works out that you earn more.
In addition to royalties, a monthly bonus is delivered to authors based on episodes read and customer interaction.
Your existing readership might not know how to or want to use Kindle Vella. I was hoping my existing readers would try Vella and give my story some initial activity so that new readers would find me, but only a few were willing to try or knew how to access Vella.
The platform is still new and the user base seems underdeveloped. The algorithms are a mystery! SEO is severely lacking, especially in categories. You can see the options in the screen shot below. For example, if you write literary fiction or horror, where do you fit in?
Also, Vella is still only open to US authors and readers. There is a loophole—I can write and publish from my home in Panama because I have a US KDP account.
On the flipside, though Vella Readers can read free episodes outside the US, they cannot purchase tokens to finish stories unless they are inside the US. So, though I have a US Amazon account, when I am in Panama, I am blocked from buying tokens and must remember to stock up whenever I am on American soil.
Note:
True: Vella authors cannot offer or have offered the same content for free on any other platform (e.g. blog) or republish previously published books.
False: Rumor had it that authors could not publish both to Vella and as an eBook or other format. This is not necessarily true. Vella authors can upload their story to KDP for eBook, paperback, and hardcover formats as long as they wait 30 days after they’ve published their last episode on Vella.
My strategy for Kindle Vella was to use it to generate some pre-release buzz and introduce Oblivion Black to a new market.
After hitting publish and viewing the stats in the dashboard, I quickly realized that my story was not getting found. There were only a handful of readers, according to the stats, and those were existing fans from my email list who told me they were reading my story on Vella.
Keep in mind, I have not been promoting on social media. As I said, I assumed the platform itself would organically expose me to new readers. So far, it has been hugely disappointing.
Visibility is nil. The chance of moving up in the ranks organically seems low, judging by the fact that in the past 6 months, the top Kindle Vella stories on the front page have not changed.
I love uploading to Kindle Vella and getting the instant gratification of seeing a piece of writing go live each day. Reviewing my story in Vella’s Kindle format has helped me in my proofreading and editing process.
Adding the authors notes was time-consuming, but truly a joy. Even if few people read them, I will be able to use them as bonus content for my mailing list or future blog posts.
Virtually no one new has discovered my book on Vella yet. Still, I will continue my Kindle Vella pre-release strategy because the monthly bonuses alone are worth it. I’m using them to fund my cover design for each book.
Readers get to try the first few chapters for free, allowing them to tell right away if the book is a good fit. As a reader, it’s nice to have bite-sized pieces to read during in-between moments. And readers will enjoy the feeling of connection with the author and knowing the story behind the story. There is an element of anticipation and suspense as you wait for the next episode, though this can also be equally annoying. If you’re a bit masochistic or appreciate the payoffs of delayed gratification, Vella is for you. If not, (again like Netflix) there are plenty of completed stories (mine included) that you can binge through as quickly as you like.
You can access Kindle Vella stories in your Kindle reader of by using the Kindle app. Download the Kindle app for iOS or Android and sign into your Amazon account. The Vella stories you follow will appear on your home tab, as well as in your library. You will get notifications from the stories you follow each time a new episode is released.
You can also read Vella stories from Amazon’s website.
I’m still getting to know Vella as an author and will keep you posted as I learn. Now it’s your turn.
Are you interested in publishing to Kindle Vella?
What are your issues with it as a writer or reader?
Do you have questions or tips to share?
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(read the first 3 chapters for free)
Although there are many ways to name your characters, it’s more difficult than it seems. As writers, we must pick memorable names that define the personality of our characters. Each character’s name must be distinctive so our readers will not confuse them, yet we don’t want complicated names that will trip them up as they’re reading. If we have a huge cast of characters, we may run out of new and original ideas.
Writers who plan will create character profiles as they outline, choosing their names before ever writing. Those who write by the seat of their pants (like me) invent names as we go, or use placeholder names until the writing is done.
I’ve had to go back into my manuscript more than once to rename characters after realizing they had boring or similar sounding names. I’ve also had to research authentic names for characters who come from different countries.
I asked our members at the Writers’ Mastermind their favorite ways to name characters. Here are some fun ideas you can try out the next time you’re stuck for a character name.
1. Movie credits–Most of us stop the movie when the credits roll. Next time, read through the names. Jot down any that jump out at you.
2. Players of sports teams–Are you a sports fan? Football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, golf, horse racing? You can find an endless supply of names at sporting events. Mix and match first names and surnames for your next hero or villain.
3. Name tags of personnel–Next time you’re at a shop, restaurant, or grocery store, look at the employee’s name tag and save that name for a future character.
4. Family tree–Mine your family tree for cool names, and honor your ancestors in your story.
5. Graveyard–Walk around a graveyard with a notebook and resurrect the names of the deceased.
6. Scrivener name generator–If you use the Scrivener app, you can use the built-in name generator. Click “Edit” and scroll down to “Writing tools.” From there, you can choose gender, language, and other options.
7. Online name generators–If you don’t have Scrivener, no worries. There are many free name generators online, like the fun-to-use one on Reedsy.
8. Baby name books–Bringing a new character in the world is like having a baby on the way. That’s why baby name books are the perfect source for names. They also list the meaning of the name, which adds an extra layer of personality.
I got the name for Ona, the protagonist of my WIP, from a New Age baby name book, which included names from different cultures and traditions all over the world.
9. Google–When characters need foreign names or common names for different time periods, Google is the best option. Search up “most popular names” in the geographical area or time period your character is from, and you will find loads of interesting names.
It helps to read your story out loud to see if your characters’ names ring true. Beta readers will also tell you if they get confused.
Avoid using multiple names that start with the same letter or have a similar structure, especially important characters who appear in the same scenes. Mix up sounds, syllables, and styles. Good names will sound and feel right, and create a picture in the reader’s mind.
Please share by replying!
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Suggestions by Patty Lesser, Daniel Soule, Christie Adams, and Christa Wojciechowski.