Novice Self-publishing, 5.5 – ebook to paperback

~ Cathy Cade ~ 11 Comments

Earlier in this Novice Self-publishing series I outlined the steps needed to convert your free-flowing e-book manuscript to a print-ready PDF . This post gives more information about that process. When your printed copy is uploaded to Amazon for publication, you will be asked if you want Amazon to publish it as an e-book. You … Continue reading Novice Self-publishing, 5.5 – ebook to paperback

Why Aren’t You Reading Terry Pratchett?

~ Cathy Cade ~ 12 Comments

Just read this post from Alex Raizman about Terry Pratchett.
My thoughts exactly, only he says it so much better than I could.

The Home of Alex Raizman

Tolkien. Martin. Sanderson. Le Guin. These are some of the names that most commonly come up when people talk about the great fantasy writers. These are the people who’ve created some of the most unique and enduring worlds in fiction – Middle Earth and Westeros are household names, while the Cosmere and Earthsea are worlds fantasy fans know like their own neighborhoods.

Yet I don’t see Sir Terry Pratchett and Discworld come up often enough on those lists, and that makes me sad, because Sir Pratchett is one of the greatest fantasy authors who has ever lived, and Discworld is one of the most creative settings ever. So if you haven’t read Pratchett, or have and want a nostalgia trip about why he’s amazing, read below to find out what makes him one of the best fantasy authors of all time.

The Setting of Discworld is Incredible

OKHwm Every single one…

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Being a Better Writer: The Ellipses and the Em-dash, Odd Forms of Punctuation

~ Cathy Cade ~ 5 Comments

This is a useful article on ellipses and m-dashes. I’ve been told I use too many of both, so I’m trying to give them up, but this will point you in the right direction.
Both are sometimes applied differently in the UK – I tend to put a space each side of my dashes when used as an alternative to parentheses (and they are n-dashes rather than m-dashes, as applied automatically by MS Word) but the important thing is to be make your choice and be consistent, as emphasised in this post.

Unusual Things

Welcome back readers! I hope you had, if from the US, a successful and interesting 4th of July, and if not from the US, a solid weekend! I did. For starters, my friends and I gathered and watched all of Season 3 of Netflix’s Stranger Things. I won’t spoil anything (obviously, I mean, come on) but I will say that I think it’s better than the second season. Mostly because they fixed the largest flaw with the second season, which was some weak pacing in the last few episodes. Here everything is much more tightly bound together, and there’s never really a single moment where even if you feel like you can stop that you want to.

So yeah, it’s really good. I do recommend. Next, there are only a few hours left in the Independence Day Sale! By tomorrow, it’ll no longer be available, so if you…

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Who are you today?

~ Cathy Cade ~ 9 Comments

I read this poignant post today and wanted to share it.

stumble upon serendipity

Image result for stranger

Who are you today?

I often wonder

Have you geared up to tackle blunt realities or are you still clouded by conspiracy theories?

Are you still a cosy armchair expert or are you jumping into the field and getting your hands dirty?

Is your full-time job what you’d like to do in leisure? Perhaps, you published the comics, that the seven-year-old you unleashed on walls and chart paper alike.

If genetics wins the Nature vs Nurture debate, then perhaps you’ve found your safe haven in education. I bet you’re raising hell by inspiring your students to rebel.

I hope you’ve embraced your awkward self and still happily flail on the dance floor, fumble song lyrics and stay wary of glass.

I pray you still get lost, every now and then, and go through a memorable adventure to find your way back. Who knows? Maybe those days are long gone and…

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