Jodi McIsaac http://jodimcisaac.com Author of Through the Door urban fantasy novel Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:47:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Off to Ireland to research Book 3 http://jodimcisaac.com/off-to-ireland-to-research-book-3/ http://jodimcisaac.com/off-to-ireland-to-research-book-3/#comments Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:30:04 +0000 Jodi http://jodimcisaac.com/?p=1737 _

Tomorrow I’m heading home. Okay, so “home” is a bit of a stretch – the McIsaacs came to Canada from Ireland in the mid-1700s, so it’s been awhile. But I am headed to Ireland for a glorious ten-day research trip for the third book in the Thin Veil series. I’ve been wanting to make this trip for a long time, but what with two wee kids and a job and a husband with a job it didn’t look like it was going to happen. But then my husband, who is awesome, took the kids back to British Columbia (where we used to live) for their spring break said, “Go!”, so I jumped at the chance. Bonus: my cousin Sarah, who (whom?) I haven’t seen since we were at university together 14 years ago, is coming with me, and I’ll be able to visit some girlfriends from the days when I was waiting tables in Belfast and chasing redheads.

Book 2 of the series, INTO THE FIRE, is in the copyediting stage but I’m hoping I can sneak in a few descriptive edits after I’ve been to some of the places in the novel, mainly the Hill of Tara, which is the ancient coronation site of the Irish kings and where the Tuatha Dé Danann set up camp when they arrived in Ireland.

So most of my research on this trip will be for the 3rd, yet-to-be-named book that I’m in the process of outlining. Here are some of the high points we’ll be hitting:

  • Dublin (especially the Viking parts)
  • The Book of Kells exhibit at Trinity College
  • The town of Kells
  • The Hill of Tara
  • Newgrange and Knowth, ancient passage tombs
  • Trim Castle
  • Blarney Castle
  • Rock of Cashel
  • Cliffs of Moher (to see the Merrow)
  • Aran Islands (to see the selkies, and to visit Dún Aengus, an Iron Age ring fort)
  • Cruachan Ai (home of Queen Maeve of the Táin Bó Cúailnge, or The Cattle Raid of Cooley)
  • Dublin Literary Pub Crawl (of course)


I bought a fancy new camera and am going to try to make some video blog posts when we’re out and about. And I will take scads of pictures and put them up on Flickr. And hopefully in my down time (and on the 20-hour flight) I will finish the outline of the third book so I can start writing as soon as I get home on April 5, armed to the teeth with descriptive details.

If there’s someplace you think I must visit that’s not on the list, let me know in the comments! I’m primarily looking for places associated with (a) The Book of Kells, (b) the Viking invasions and (c) magical creatures/folklore. And that, my friends, is all you’re getting as far as hints about Book #3. =)

REMINDER: If you haven’t already, you can enter to win a signed ARC of the 47North edition of THROUGH THE DOOR here on Goodreads. Contest ends April 5! ]]> http://jodimcisaac.com/off-to-ireland-to-research-book-3/feed/ 6 New cover reveal! http://jodimcisaac.com/new-cover-reveal/ http://jodimcisaac.com/new-cover-reveal/#comments Thu, 07 Mar 2013 03:37:28 +0000 Jodi http://jodimcisaac.com/?p=1731 _

A new edition needs a new cover! I loved my old self-published cover, but I also adore this one. I think 47North did a great job with it. What do you think?

]]> http://jodimcisaac.com/new-cover-reveal/feed/ 0 Giveaway bonanza! http://jodimcisaac.com/giveaway-bonanza/ http://jodimcisaac.com/giveaway-bonanza/#comments Thu, 07 Mar 2013 02:26:35 +0000 Jodi http://jodimcisaac.com/?p=1715 _

I’ve got a box of Advance Reader’s Copies of the upcoming edition of Through the Door burning a hole in my floor (okay, I only have half a dozen of them, but still…). That means it’s time to give some away! I’ve already given one away via my Facebook page, but here are two other ways to win:

1. Tweet, Like, or Follow

Every time you tweet about the giveaway, like my page on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter, you get another chance to win! Contest ends at midnight MST on Friday, March 8. Click here to enter!

2. Enter on Goodreads

If you’re on Goodreads, you can enter to win until April 5. Click here for the Goodreads giveaway.

Good luck! ]]> http://jodimcisaac.com/giveaway-bonanza/feed/ 0 The Stone of Destiny and the re-release of Through the Door http://jodimcisaac.com/update-on-book-2-and-the-through-the-door-re-release/ http://jodimcisaac.com/update-on-book-2-and-the-through-the-door-re-release/#comments Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:28:49 +0000 Jodi http://jodimcisaac.com/?p=1700 _

It has been FOREVER since I’ve posted, but for good reason – I’ve been crazy busy writing the second book in the Thin Veil series, as well as doing more edits on Through the Door in preparation for the April 23 release of the 47North edition. Here’s a bit of a run-down of what’s been going on:

Through the Door re-release

Through the Door was given the professional editing treatment, which means the new 47North edition is a little bit different, and by different I mean better. I worked with editor Angela Polidoro to smooth the language and clear up a couple of potentially confusing plot points. (If you’ve read the self-published version of Through the Door, there’s no need to buy the new one, unless you’re curious about the changes). It was my first time working with a professional editor and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. The lovely folks at 47North are also designing a new cover, which hasn’t been finalized yet but the drafts I’ve seen look great. I received a box of Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) last week and am hosting giveaway contests on Facebook and Goodreads and various places, so watch this space or head on over to my Facebook page for the next chance to win one. And if you want to pre-order the new edition, you can do that here.

Audiobook pronunciations, yikes!

I’m thrilled that the Through the Door audiobook is being read by award-winning narrator Kate Rudd, who recently won the 2013 Odyssey Award for her narration of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. Very cool. Of course, I was caught a little off-guard when the director of the audiobook contacted me and asked me, “So … how do you pronounce all these words, anyway?” Confession: I don’t. I usually just skim over them in my head. So I had to hustle and try to figure out how one actually does pronounce words like Bobd Dearg and Doonacruip. I contacted my two girlfriends in Ireland, one of whom is an Irish history teacher, as well as novelist Kevin Hearne, whose books are also based on Celtic mythology. As I thought might happen, all three came back with different pronunciations for each of the terms in question. I guess that’s what happens when you work with languages that no one actually speaks anymore. So I picked the pronunciations that I thought would be easiest for the narrator, and there you go. My super-professional solution. =)

The Stone of Destiny release date

I handed in the first draft of Book #2, The Stone of Destiny, on February 4 and am now going through edits with my aforementioned awesome editor. That will take a couple of months, then it will head into copy-editing and proofreading and design and pre-production and all the other things that I now no longer have to worry about (which, frankly, is kind of awesome). The release date is set for December 10, 2013 and I’ll be sure to let you know when pre-orders are available.

Book #3 and Other Stuff

Once I wrap this round of edits I’ll get back to figuring out what is going to happen in Book #3. I have a very rough outline that mostly consists of a wall of sticky notes in my office. But I’m VERY excited about it, and I think it has the potential to be my favourite one of the series.

Apparently the magazine First for Women (which is usually at grocery store checkouts) has chosen Through the Door for one of their editor’s picks this month — I have yet to confirm this as I can’t seem to find the new issue of their magazine here in Calgary, but I’ll keep looking. Let me know if you see it!

That’s all I’ve got for now! I’ll try to post more frequently but I’m better at Facebook so if you want more regular updates make sure to come and visit me there! ]]> http://jodimcisaac.com/update-on-book-2-and-the-through-the-door-re-release/feed/ 3 Signing with 47North/Amazon Publishing http://jodimcisaac.com/signing-with-47northamazon-publishing/ http://jodimcisaac.com/signing-with-47northamazon-publishing/#comments Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:21:43 +0000 Jodi http://jodimcisaac.com/?p=1680 _

Exciting things are afoot! I’ve just signed a three-book deal with 47North, the fantasy/sci-fi/horror imprint of Amazon Publishing, for Through the Door and its two sequels. The deal has been in the works for a while; there was another interested party involved and the whole thing takes a lot of back and forth – especially since I don’t have an agent to do all the back and forth stuff for me. But the process was remarkably painless, the papers were all officially signed, sealed and delivered this week, and I am now breathing a massive sigh of relief.

How will this change things? Well, it means you’ll probably get your hands on Book 2 sooner, since now I have a deadline! 47North will re-release Through the Door sometime this spring, but it will still be available to buy in its current edition until then. Book 2 will follow hot on its heels a few months later, and Book 3 about a year later. And – no promises – there may be audiobooks, which makes me a little giddy.

So I’m self-published no longer, and I’m okay with that. I’ve loved my self-publishing experience, but one of my reasons for self-pubbing was to hopefully catch the attention of a traditional publisher, who could then help me take my career to the next level. Trying to market a book while writing the next one (and holding down a day job and small children) is overwhelming, to say the least, so I am grateful for the editing/marketing support the traditional publishing world provides. And from what I’ve seen so far, Amazon is a very author-centric publisher who (obviously) understands the new realities of the publishing industry – an ideal partner for the next stage of my journey.

]]> http://jodimcisaac.com/signing-with-47northamazon-publishing/feed/ 10 Why I give my books away for free http://jodimcisaac.com/why-i-give-my-books-away-for-free/ http://jodimcisaac.com/why-i-give-my-books-away-for-free/#comments Fri, 05 Oct 2012 17:45:45 +0000 Jodi http://jodimcisaac.com/?p=1675 _

A couple of month ago I joined the ranks of self-publishers trying The Great KDP Select Experiment. This means that I agreed to publish the digital version of Through the Door exclusively with Amazon (which is why you haven’t been able to buy the book for Kobo or Nook) for 90 days. In return, I would be “allowed” to give Through the Door away for free for up to 5 days during that 90-day period, and the book would also be available for free all the time to Amazon Prime members as part of the Kindle Lending Library (which allows members to “borrow” one book for free a month).

Um, what? Why would I want to give my book away for free? There are a number of authors who reject the notion of giving away any of one’s work for free. Their position is that artists deserve to be paid for their work, a sentiment with which I completely agree. But in my opinion, giving away some product for free can help the artist make more profit for his or her work, and be a very smart business move. Why else do you think McDonalds gives away free coffee for a week every year? Why does Costco hand out so many free samples I can take my kids there for lunch? Why do Grammy-Award-winning artists like The Civil Wars offer a free album download on sites like Noisetrade? If it’s approached strategically, with well-defined goals and boundaries, giving away one’s work for free can be the best approach to building your audience and your business.

Here are just some of the reasons why, if you are a self-published author, you might want to give free a try:

1. Grow your audience. Once you’ve exhausted your network of family and friends, it can be hard to find an audience for your book, especially now that the market is so crowded. By offering your book for free, you are reaching readers who otherwise wouldn’t know you exist – and if they like your work, they’ll come back for more, and they’ll tell their friends, who will then pay for it. Who doesn’t love to recommend a good book?

2. Sampling works. If you’re writing a series or have more than one book, offering one of the books for free is a great way to entice readers to pay for the others. It’s the philosophy behind all sampling models and free trials – you are lowering the barriers for the customer and giving them a no-risk opportunity to try your products, which will hopefully result in a sale. Giving away some work for free isn’t volunteering – it’s just good marketing.

3. Gain exposure. If your book does well during the free promotion, people are going to take notice – especially if you’re proactive in telling them about it. After Through the Door hit the top of Amazon’s free bestseller list, I sent out a press release to all media outlets that I thought might be interested in the story – those in my hometown, those in Halifax, where the story is based, and those in my current city. Several of them picked up the story, which resulted in greater exposure and increased sales.

4. The “also bought” list. In a Forbes article describing the impact the KDP Select program is having on the publishing industry, NYU prof David Vinjamuri quotes bestselling indie author Martin Crosbie, who partially credits the upswing in paid sales following a free promotion with the “customers who bought this book also bought …” list that shows up at the bottom of a book’s Amazon page.

When you give away books you are entered into the “also bought” list. The “also boughts” are on a book’s product page. So, for example, if you look up My Temporary Life there will be suggestions from Amazon on the product page. It will say something along the line of-”customers who bought this book also bought…” We want to be in as many “also boughts” as possible. Then, when a customer is looking at a book and sees mine and sees that someone “bought” it, and also bought the book he’s looking at he might be inclined to take a look at my book too.


For me, this grand KDP experiment worked better than I had ever dreamed. During the five days Through the Door was free in July, it was downloaded over 61,000 times (my goal was 25,000). It spent all five days at the top of Amazon’s Fantasy bestseller list (Amazon has two bestseller lists – paid and free), and three days in the #2 spot in the entire Kindle store. I don’t consider these 61,000 downloads lost sales, because those people probably wouldn’t have bought the book – they downloaded it because it was free. The key, however, is that they loved it, and they told their friends. Five- and four-star reviews started pouring in, and once the free promotion ended my sales increased dramatically. These are sales I otherwise would not have made, because people would not have heard of the book. Since then, Through the Door has been hanging out in the top 20 on the paid bestseller list (it’s #6 in contemporary fantasy and #26 in overall fantasy as I write this post), book bloggers and traditional media have been taking notice and promoting the book through reviews and interviews, and … well, I’ll save the best news for my next post.

Because KDP Select is growing in popularity, it’s not enough to just sign up for the program and wait for your book to soar to the top. As Vinjamuri points out, “The number of free titles available has exploded. Now an author needs a credible marketing campaign just to promote this free sampling.” If you are an author and are looking for ways to make the KDP Select experiment work for you, there are plenty of resourses online that I won’t repeat here. Just google “how to promote KDP Select free” and you’ll come up with plenty of step-by-step guidelines for making the most of your free days, including links to the book blogs and “bargain e-book” sites that will promote your book when it is free.

As always, your first priority needs to be writing a good book. Study the craft, hire professional editors and designers, and put your absolute best work out there. Even if it’s free, a poorly-written and edited book will have a hard time finding an audience. But if you’ve done the work and produced a great book, KDP Select is an excellent tool for helping you share it with the world, AND build your business as an author at the same time. ]]> http://jodimcisaac.com/why-i-give-my-books-away-for-free/feed/ 10 Through the Door: The Movie Cast http://jodimcisaac.com/through-the-door-the-movie-cast/ http://jodimcisaac.com/through-the-door-the-movie-cast/#comments Sat, 22 Sep 2012 16:13:49 +0000 Jodi http://jodimcisaac.com/?p=1659 The Thin Veil … and will do a little daydreaming about who I think should play these characters if a movie version of the series is ever made.

Cedar

My first choice for Cedar would be Annie Wersching, the actor who played Renee Walker on 24. I’ve only watched one season of 24, but I loved Annie’s combination of strength and emotional vulnerability. I can totally see this expression on Cedar’s face – she is anguished because her daughter is missing, and yet she is trying to stay in control and figure out what she can do to find her:

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Annie was my model from Cedar from the start. In fact, I even photoshopped a photo of her to give her Cedar’s colouring – green eyes, black hair, no freckles. This is what was up in my “Cedar window” when I was writing:

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If Annie isn’t available, Evangeline Lilly would maybe be my second choice.

Maeve

Julie Walters, of course. Is there really any other option?

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Then it only makes sense that Bonny Wright is the young Maeve:

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Nuala

I adore Bryce Dallas Howard. And no, I didn’t pick her just because she was one of the Victorias in the Twilight movies. I picked her because she can pull off gorgeous and sexy and evil all in one smouldering look. Exhibit A:

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Exhibit B:

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Exhibit C:

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Brighid

My ideal Brighid is Angelica Huston … 20 years ago.

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Felix

He’s the guy in the middle. =)

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Finn

Honestly, I’ve been coming up blank when I think of modern actors who could portray Finn. In my head he looks pretty damn close to the model in the sliding banner on my homepage – so if anyone knows who that model is, tell him to get into acting!

For awhile I thought maybe Bradley Cooper (I fell in love with him as Will in Alias)

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… maybe Michael Vartan (also from Alias) …

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… or maybe even Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond from Lost) …

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… but I’m not 100% sold on any of them.

So there you go – those are my picks, who are yours? I have no idea about child actors so I’ve left Eden out of this casting list, but if you have thoughts or ideas for Eden, Finn or any of the other characters, I’d love to hear them in the comments! And let’s all keep our fingers crossed that my daydreams will become a reality and we’ll see a Through the Door movie someday. ]]> http://jodimcisaac.com/through-the-door-the-movie-cast/feed/ 3 Moving provinces, radio interviews and Proust questionnaires http://jodimcisaac.com/radio-interviews-and-proust-questionnaires/ http://jodimcisaac.com/radio-interviews-and-proust-questionnaires/#comments Thu, 23 Aug 2012 22:49:27 +0000 Jodi http://jodimcisaac.com/?p=1640

Despite the insanity, book sales have been been humming along. Since we did the free promotion at the end of July, Through the Door has consistently been in Amazon’s top 15 in contemporary fantasy and in the top 100 of all science fiction and fantasy books. There are over 210 reviews, the vast majority of them 5-star … so, THANKS!! I’ve also LOVED interacting with all the new readers, so if you want to say hi on the contact page or in the comments here or over on the Facebook page, DO IT. I’d love to hear from you.

A couple of weeks ago I did an interview with a Halifax radio station and finally managed to grab the audio and upload it to Soundcloud. Here it is if you want to take a listen:



Also, the New Brunswick Telegraph Journal did a “Proust questionnaire” piece on me on Saturday, which was a lot of fun, though it made me feel slightly abashed to discover that my most treasured possession is my MacBook Pro. You can click on it to make it bigger, but you might need a magnifying glass to read it so I’ve put the text below the picture.

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The Salon Questionnaire

Name? Jodi McIsaac

Age? 34

Provenance? I was born and raised in Fredericton, NB. I went to university in Moncton and then set out to see the world, spending time in London, Belfast, Winnipeg, Toronto, and finally landing in Vancouver, where I’ve been for the past 9 years. But at the end of the month I’m moving again – to Calgary this time.

Why writing as a career? It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. Ever since I learned how to read, I’ve wanted to write novels when I grew up. I took a bit of a detour into corporate communications and copywriting before actually biting the bullet and writing Through the Door. I still have my day job as a freelance copywriter, but if I could write books full time I definitely would!

What was your breakthrough moment? As a novelist, I think I still have yet to have it (although hitting 60,000 downloads on Amazon and seeing my book beside George R.R. Martin and The Hobbit on Amazon’s bestseller list was AMAZING). In life, it was when I woke up one morning and realized that if I didn’t start writing my book now, it would never happen. There would always be excuses, life would always be busy, and one day I would find myself at the end of my days thinking, “I always wanted to be a writer.” So despite having two small children and running my own business, I found the time to make my dream a reality.

What would you be if you weren’t a writer? A humanitarian aid worker.

What are you working on next? Book 2 in The Thin Veil series! I plan on writing at least two more books in the series and then we’ll see what happens next. I have more ideas than I have time!

What place on Earth inspires you and why? I love old places, which is why I’m so drawn to Ireland. I love how the ancient history and mythology of the people is still a large part of the culture. Canada is such a new country — especially Vancouver, where I live now. If a house is over 50 years old here it’s considered a heritage site. I grew up in New Brunswick in a home that was over 100 years old – and that was considered normal. But then you go to a place like Ireland and you have buildings that are hundreds or thousands of years old. I love the depth that such history gives to a culture and its people.

What place in New Brunswick inspires you and why? The Bay of Fundy is pretty spectacular. I love the power of the tides – the highest and wildest in the world! The complete transformation that takes place every time the tide ebbs and flows is remarkable. It makes me believe anything is possible.

Secret indulgence? Hmm … if I told you it wouldn’t be a secret, would it? But I have been known to make and eat an entire pot of rice pudding in one evening.

Who is your favourite hero of fiction and why? Anne Shirley. She was my inspiration for becoming a writer as a child and encouraged me to dream big dreams – and that it was okay to let your imagination run wild and use ridiculously big words.

What is your greatest extravagance? I’m not a very extravagant person. Probably the money I spend at Starbucks! It’s my second office. Also, I refuse to buy fake maple syrup – does that count as extravagant?

What is your greatest fear and why? Losing one of my children. I can’t imagine anything more horrible than that.

Greatest joy? Watching my kids delight in books and stories. My six-year-old has started writing short stories, illustrating them and stapling them together. And now we’re starting to move beyond picture books and get into classics like The Hobbit, The Chronicles of Narnia and George MacDonald. I can’t wait to start Harry Potter with them!

Your favourite book or author on Earth and why? The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein. Why? Because it’s quite obviously the greatest book ever written.

Your favourite New Brunswick book or author and why? Frank McKenna’s biography. I had the pleasure of working for him when I was 19, but I caused a bit of trouble. I’m mentioned in the book as a “clerical error.”

What are you reading? Bill Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words and A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin.

What’s on your iPod? Snow Patrol, Metric, Ashley MacIsaac, Regina Spektor, Florence + the Machine, The Civil Wars and (don’t tell anyone) Taylor Swift.

What talent would you like to have? I’d like to be able to play the fiddle. I adore fiddle music and someday I’m determined to play in a Celtic punk band.

What is the greatest public misconception about being an author? That we’re all rich! The truth is that very few authors – even bestselling authors – can afford to quit their day jobs.

Your most treasured possession? Besides my MacBook Pro? *thinking* Yeah. My MacBook Pro. Is that sad?

What is your motto? Illegitimi non carborundum

How would you like to die? Heroically. Or tragically. Definitely not peacefully in my sleep.

What is your favourite cultural venue and why? The Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver because (a) it is gorgeous and (b) it was in Battlestar Galactica. ]]> http://jodimcisaac.com/radio-interviews-and-proust-questionnaires/feed/ 1 Through the Door in the news http://jodimcisaac.com/through-the-door-in-the-news/ http://jodimcisaac.com/through-the-door-in-the-news/#comments Mon, 13 Aug 2012 06:56:21 +0000 Jodi http://jodimcisaac.com/?p=1629 Through the Door went crazy during the free promotion at the end of July! I’m in the process of writing a blog post about how that all rolled out … but in the meantime here’s the first mainstream media article about the book! It’s a fuzzy scan but the online version is behind a subscription wall so it’s the best I could do. Yesterday I did a live radio interview with a station in Halifax – I’ll post the audio as soon as possible. And another very fun newspaper article is coming out this week, which I’ll also post when it’s released. So stay tuned!

_ ]]> http://jodimcisaac.com/through-the-door-in-the-news/feed/ 2 Win a Kindle Fire! http://jodimcisaac.com/win-a-kindle-fire/ http://jodimcisaac.com/win-a-kindle-fire/#comments Mon, 06 Aug 2012 06:11:19 +0000 Jodi http://jodimcisaac.com/?p=1610 Kindle Nation Daily website. Just head on over for your chance to win a brand new Kindle Fire (and check out some great Kindle books while you’re at it). The contest runs until August 12. Good luck! ]]> http://jodimcisaac.com/win-a-kindle-fire/feed/ 4