Reader's Freebies 8 - FINDING PANDORA: BOOK ONE: WORLD by E. Rachael Hardcastle
Hello and Welcome to Reader’s Abode! Today, I’d like to introduce another author in our Reader’s Freebies series. From West Yorkshire England, we have E. Rachael Hardcastle, a high-fantasy and post-apocalyptic fiction author.
I recently had the opportunity to read her novel, Finding Pandora: Book One: World. This is the first of four in the Finding Pandora series and is free. While I must admit Miss Hardcastle’s work is a bit outside my favorite genres, I’m glad I’ve taken the opportunity to read the writing of an up and coming author.
Finding Pandora: Book One: World introduces readers to a myriad of races, each having distinct powers about 7,000 years in the future. Humans still exist, but as a minority culture, with vamprys, traveling angels, and others, bringing a new perspective to their planet, Haeylo.
Arriete Monroe, one of the few humans on Haeylo, reluctantly agrees to help her former boyfriend. He convinces her his current fiancée (and Arriete’s friend) needs her help. Matters quickly escalate as what should have been a simple journey changes Arriete’s life. She is chosen to be the savior by a being referred to as the Recruit. With her new abilities (you’ll have to read the book to find out more) and the help of others, we’re taken on a whirlwind tour of different cities and worlds as they battle against the evil spewing forth from the original Pandora’s box. This is an action-packed story, which will also appeal to those who enjoy supernatural fantasy romances. When time permits, I’ll check out the sequel.
I also had the opportunity to ask Miss Hardcastle a few questions regarding her writing career:
Do you read much and, if so, who are your favourite authors?
I'm always reading a book and I prefer fantasy, science-fiction or post-apocalyptic novels. I read mostly on an evening before bed and do so until I naturally fall asleep. I can get through about one book per month depending on the size.
My favourite author is Mitch Albom, but I am also a fan of Charlaine Harris and Stephen King.
Which writers inspire you?
I feel Mitch Albom is incredibly inspirational. His books, namely The Five People You Meet In Heaven, The Time Keeper, Tuesdays With Morrie and The First Phone Call From Heaven, are heart-warming and emotional. If I am ever ten percent of the writer or the person he is, I'll count myself lucky. His charity work, beliefs, morals and values inspire me to be a better writer and overall a better human being.
I am also greatly inspired by Hugh Howey's success with Wool, which I am currently reading.
What is your favourite quote?
I have two favourite quotes, both by Ernest Hemingway. The first is 'write drunk, edit sober' and the second is 'the first draft of anything is shit'. They help me to believe in myself as a writer when I'm at my lowest point, but they inspire and motivate me to keep moving forward.
What is your favourite movie and why?
My favourite film of all time is Elizabethtown starring Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom. Not only does it have a beautiful soundtrack I can write to, but also it is incredibly well written with emotional scenes, important life lessons and humour perfectly placed throughout.
I also love Disney's Swiss Family Robinson starring John Mills for the adventure and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers starring Howard Keel for the music in tied second place. I watched these as a kid with my grandparents and they always remind me of them.
In third place, I think I'd have to say Stranger Than Fiction starring Will Ferrell. Who doesn't love a comedy about a struggling writer and her all-too-real protagonist?
So, what have you written?
At fourteen years of age, my poem was selected to be published in a collection inspired by Martin Luther
King called I Have A Dream. This inspired me to write and the book still sits proudly on my shelf at home.
As a young teenager, I wrote my very first novel The Soul Sanctuary (self-published) released in 2010 and its short sequel, Forgotten Faith (self-published) that same year. The book did well amongst people I knew, but it is by no means my best work.
Between 2010-2012 I wrote a twelve novel high fantasy series called The Recruit Adventure (self-published) and released eight of them before realising they needed a re-write and further editing. So, I took the books down and vowed to perfect them. I did work on them for a while, re-releasing book one a few times, but I never seemed to meet my own expectations.
In May 2016, after a lot of hard work and planning, I re-released book one in the series, re-named Finding Pandora: World via Createspace and Kindle. The book did well, so I continued to re-write and release books two, three and four (Heaven, Infinity and Eternity). Exactly one year later, book one is a #1 Amazon US Bestseller in its category and in the UK's Top Five.
I'll be holding a book signing in July 2017 for the complete collection of the first four books, and then taking a short break to work on some other fiction.
Between re-writing the Pandora books, I also released a post-apocalyptic novel called Aeon Infinitum: Run For Your Life, which is book one in a planned trilogy. The books are being written and released out of order, with book two The Wanted being the novel's prequel and book three, Faded Realm being the novel's sequel.
In early 2017, I also re-released a newer edition of my romantic short story Forgotten Faith, which received a five star review from Readers' Favorite.
Current Releases:
Finding Pandora (World, Heaven, Infinity, Eternity & The Complete Collection)
Aeon Infinitum (Run For Your Life)
Forgotten Faith
In The Works:
Dragonborn (a stand alone high fantasy novel)
The Wanted (Aeon Infinitum book two (prequel))
Faded Realm (Aeon Infinitum book three (Sequel))
It's All In Your Head (a stand alone post-apocaly
ptic thriller)
The Resurrection of Pandora (four novels to continue the twelve book series)
The Rise of Pandora (four novels to complete the twelve book series)
I am also working on some untitled novels but they are not yet developed enough to reveal here.
What drew you to write in this genre?
Fantasy, Science-Fiction and Post-Apocalyptic fiction all explore beyond the boundaries of 'real life'. There is magic, mayhem, adventure and danger around every corner with a quest to join or a villain to defeat. I love to read these genres so naturally I wanted to write the books I haven't yet found on the shelves, but would really like to see. It is so freeing and a fantastic means to escape our own mundane reality.
Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?
I try to avoid writing to a word count because I think it encourages meaningless prose simply to reach a target. Instead, I write scene by scene, evaluating what needs to happen next and how, then moving the story forward until I have accomplished this. Word count is irrelevant. Time is irrelevant. When I'm finished, I re-read and tweak it then move on. This way, I ensure every scene I write has its purpose and place in the book.
Do you proofread/edit all your own books or do you get someone to do that for you?
I proofread and edit all my novels, however I do send the final draft to BETA readers before I consider publishing the finished book/s. Professional editing can be very expensive and, despite that second set of eyes, there is no guarantee that every error will be found. However, I do have a great deal of respect for editors – it must be a long, tiresome job to do. Still, I wanted to learn how to edit myself to increase my skills, knowledge and value to others. I have spent a great deal of time studying and learning how to edit a novel and during the first few attempts, I enjoy the process. When I struggle to find errors or find myself paying less attention, I hand the manuscripts over to BETAs. I also design my own covers and format the interiors for the same reason/s.
How are you publishing this book and why?
I self-publish (indie publish) all my books because I like the freedom and control over my work. I believe that self-publishing is ideal to build a platform, learn your craft and prove your worth. I like the challenge to write, edit, format, design, publish and market the book/s myself. When I do this successfully, I feel proud of my achievement and motivated to continue.
However, I do dream of one day publishing with a respectable traditional publisher to experience both sides of the industry.
Did you do a press release, Goodreads book launch or anything else to promote your work and did it work?
Marketing and promotion is a difficult topic for any indie author to discuss because so many of us feel lost. We are introverts exploring the territory of the extrovert, and it's terrifying. You need to offer free, helpful content to your target audience and other writers.
Here are the top five ways I market my novels and myself:
1. Social Media – set up Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Google+ accounts. Use the same name and image for both so readers can easily identify you and actively post updates, announcements, pictures and snippets from the book to attract attention. Participate in groups, join discussions and support others. Add your book links where appropriate and offer advice to establish yourself as a 'professional' in that area.
2. Start a podcast – my podcast The White Room is on YouTube and I offer free interviews and support for indie/ hybrid writers. I chat with them live for thirty minutes about writing, publishing and marketing to help them with publicity, to attract their fans to my platform and to help others out there with the tips and advice we share.
3. Print some bookmarks and leaflets – leave them places where your readers are likely to visit, ask local businesses if you can display one on a notice board and hand them out at events. Be present and approachable at all times and give these items away for free with each purchase direct from you. When someone orders a signed copy, post it with a free bookmark and a leaflet advertising another book they are likely to appreciate.
4. Keep a progress journal – I record everything I do and learn each day in a page-a-day journal I picked up in a local supermarket. I keep track of techniques and tips others give me, I listen to podcasts and make notes, tally my followers to see who I'm losing and why, monitor my sales to watch for peaks, then evaluate them etc. I also keep track of positive comments and feedback for when I feel like giving in. If you don't note down what you're learning, you may forget. Even if you move on and avoid a certain tactic, it's written down for you to approach later if necessary.
5. Build an email list – when anyone contacts you for any reason, be kind, polite and helpful. Offer as much as you can free of charge and in a timely manner so people know they can trust you. Gain their respect, their loyalty and their admiration. When you have solid fans and followers, then you can market to them by sending a one-off email announcing your latest release. Spamming someone you just met with three different emails is unacceptable and destined to fail. Sending one pleasantly worded, attractive email to someone you helped in the past who is already a fan, (including a personalised message or freebie) is a much better and softer approach.
Please join us in two weeks' time for a continuation of the Reader's Freebies series with Barbara Russell discussing one of her favorite websites—Instafreebie. Hope you’ll join us again!
