Why I Didn't Finish Reading Your Book...

Hello there, fellow independent author.  How are you doing today?  I hope well.  Did you make any sales last night?  I hope so.  Those numbers going up make our days a bit brighter, don't you think?

So, I bought your book.  The title was good.  The premise was promising.  Unfortunately, though, I wasn't "grabbed".  Why?  Because you didn't let me bond with the protagonist within the first few pages.  You didn't give me anything that allowed me to empathize with her/him and wonder what would happen to their lives. 

I'll be the first to say that I am not a bestselling author.  But I am an avid reader, and I do want to give fellow indie writers a shot. 

So, if you want to take my advice, please consider the following:

• First impressions matter.  I'm talking beyond cover art and even minor grammatical problems.  The person you are selling is the protagonist.  Make me care about him/her as soon as possible.  That means giving me their background, personality quirks, aspirations and a problem they are facing. 
• Take your time introducing new characters.  If your protagonist lives in her/his head a lot, and frequently thinks about the people in their life, describe them in his/her eyes so that I have an easy time connecting them. 
• Make the rest of your characters vulnerable, too; it will make me care about what happens to them. 

I think that one thing all indie writers (and probably all writers) share is that we are avid readers.  I try to keep my "reading points" in mind when I write.  Try to think of your own, too.

Cyndia Rios-Myers

Where Fiction Comes From (At Least For Me)...

Articles like this are what get my mental gears going:

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/the-strange-double-disapearance-of-teacher-hannah-upp--191509506.html

Where in God's name did Hannah Upp go for three weeks?  How did she go from jogging outside of her apartment, to be found sunburned and floating (alive, thank God) in the Hudson River THREE WEEKS later and have no memory about that time at all?

How does it happen again?  She disappeared for two days, and was found unharmed by friends who were searching for her. 

This poor soul has no idea what happens to her.  By all counts, she appears to be a very smart woman (a Spanish teacher and an assistant teacher at a Montessori school).  Doctors have diagnosed her with a condition called Dissociative Fugue (sudden and spontaneous amnesia is characterized by a loss of identity, coupled with prolonged, seemingly directionless wandering).

I truly wish Hannah Upp all of the luck and health in the world. 

But in stories like this (where unanswered questions abound) is where I find all sorts of inspiration. 

So, go online and look on the news.  Watch TV shows on the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, The Learning Channel or even HGTV to find the questions you don't have answers to.  The answers you make up on your own makes for very entertaining fiction.

Happy Writing!

Cyndia Rios-Myers 

Thank You!!

I know that you are all tired about hearing my request for reviews, so I am going to put a stop on that (for a while; writers need reviews!).

What I wanted to do was thank my readers for liking my books so much.  The messages on Facebook and the ones in person mean so much to me.  I am so glad that the little stories that have played out in my head (and made it to paper) have amused you all so much. 

That makes me happy to write, and happy to publish.  With that in mind, it is time to get back to writing. 



Thank You!

Cyndia Rios-Myers

Why Did You Return That Book?

Hi There!

It's me - Cyndia Rios-Myers.  I hope that my name rings a bell.  It should (maybe vaguely) as you purchased one of my books. 

But here's the thing...you returned that book you purchased.  Why did you do that?  Had you purchased it before?  Did you not like it?  If you purchased it before, I understand.  If you didn't like it, I have to tell you that disappoints me (but I understand). 

There is one more alternative that disturbs me.  If you read the book (the entire book), and then returned it, I have to tell you how messed up that is.  Very.  Extremely.  It is horribly messed up.

Let me tell you something about us self-published writers.  We work HARD at this; at writing, at editing, and at marketing our works.  We don't get a lot of respect from "traditionally published" writers or from academics.  That does not deter us, though.  We continue to sell our wares. 

But having to deal with unfair reviews, no reviews, and questionable returns is not easy at all.  But then again, we are used to rejection. 

Still, when buying books, don't be a jerk.  If you hate a book and don't read it all the way through, return it.  We understand.  If you purchased it in error, we understand that too.  But if you read the book and returned it to get your money back, that is awful.  That makes you a thief. 

So please be a considerate reader, and a considerate human being. 


Cyndia Rios-Myers

New Cover Art for The Song of the Sleeping Grass

Hi Folks!!  I wanted to share the new cover to The Song of the Sleeping Grass with you all.  The old cover was okay; I threw it together myself a few years ago.  I figured that I should go ahead and soup up the cover a bit.  Here it is:

 

 

 

The new cover is now live on Barnes and Noble (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-song-of-the-sleeping-grass-cyndia-rios-myers/1029286320?ean=2940012032683); I think that it will be ready to go on Amazon very soon. 

Thanks for reading!

Cyndia Rios-Myers

Thank You!!!

Thank you all for downloading Rescued by the Wolf, Book One of the Wolves and for telling your friends about it!  It means so much.

So enthralled was I by all of the purchases that I reread the book myself.  What did I find?  I'll tell you.

Yes, the book could use a bit of editing.  That aside, I LOVE that book.  I was enthralled by the story all over again.  I felt the pain of Lana's life, the companionship of her wolf, and her peace with which she accepted her new life, along with all of its perils. 

I hope that you liked it, too.  I hope that you believe that Lana, Jenny and Coyle were more ordinary than extraordinary and that you could relate to them.

In any case, keep reading the series.  I promise that it will have ups and downs, and lots of real life problems along with those of the paranormal.


Cyndia Rios-Myers

Hello There!

And thank you for downloading my book!  I really hoped that you enjoyed Rescued by the Wolf - Book One of The Wolves.  I hope that you read the rest of the books in the series and that you enjoy them just as much. 

I'll tell you what I was thinking when I wrote the book, or what my inspiration was.  I wanted to know if I could write a women's fiction novel combined with a horror/paranormal one.  Do you think that I pulled it off?  I hope so. 

I love writing Women's Fiction.  I love it, love it, love it.  I love taking a section of a woman's life, dissecting the emotional aspects of it and then laying those out for all to see.  But I also think that werewolves are pretty darned cool.  There is something tortured about their souls; I love creating a venue where empathy can be created for them. 

Thanks again for downloading my book!

Cyndia Rios-Myers