Derek, the Warlock

I see Derek, the warlock in my novel The Vampire's Food Chain, as an unassuming, likable guy who can control the elements and has a deep connection with the Earth.  As far as coloring, he's on the lighter side, either blond or ginger, and while he isn't brooding, he's not happy-go-lucky either.  He takes his job as Shawn's food source seriously, just as seriously as he sees himself as her protector.  He realizes that she's more powerful than he is, but that doesn't bother him.  As far as relationships go, he's not threatened by her power and actually wants to see her become more so.

What do I think Derek looks like?  Well, a Google images search has given me these four candidates, although Paul Bettany, Heath Ledger, and a number of other actors come immediately to mind.

 Derek Candidate #1:

 I love this guy's hair and great blue eyes, but I'm wondering if has the warlock attitude.  Can't tell without more picture.

 Derek Candidate #2:

Love this guy's hair and his torso.  I also like that he looks slightly serious, but not completely so.  He looks like he's got some great warlock moves in him.














Derek Candidate #3:

I'm not sure if this is Todd Lowe or not, but if it is, Lowe would be perfect.  He's got the face, the hair, the eyes, and the build, plus he can play the slightly unfocused, focused character that epitomizes Derek.













Derek Candidate #4:

Again, it's the hair, the eyes, and the general demeanor of this guy who screams Derek to me.  I love that his shirt doesn't quite fit his shoulders, too.  It's such a guy thing.  He'd look great in a wizard's robe.













So I'm wondering which of these guys readers would choose as Derek.  Or if the answer is "none of the above," who they would nominate in their place.

Fun Food Chains

When I Googled "food chain," I got all sorts of hits for children explaining what a food chain is and some offering games that show how food chains work.  Most were pretty bloody, but accurate.

My favorite graphic for food chains, however, is the one on the left from what looks like a school worksheet entitled "Food Chains and Food Webs."  I love the zebras running the opposite way the lions are facing.  Go, zebras!

And just like in my book, the race is on.  Neither will prevail, because to do so would mean the extinction of one of the groups--lions or zebras.  So even though there is a food chain, it's a balanced system, hence the pyramid and not a lopsided weight scale.

Oh, yes, and for those really excited about worksheets, there's even a Food Chain Quiz that one can take at the site.

Speaking of Food Chains

Probably the most knowledgeable person in the world about food chains is my son-in-law Richard Choularton, who is an absolutely amazing person.  He works for the World Food Programme, a part of the United Nations, and is instrumental in getting food distribution to poor areas of Africa.  Previously, he worked for CHF, another organization instrumental in getting food aid to people in need.

Richard isn't a vampire, nor does he want to be associated with them, I'm sure, but he knows much more about sustaining life than any bloodsucker could ever know.

You go, Richard!  The world is a better place because you are in it.

First Amazon Review

Whoa!  A review, and a good one at that, has appeared on Amazon.  I'm hoping that brings a click or two on the page.

I've realized since self-publishing with CreateSpace that even though I've had PR experience, it was back in the dark ages of PR.  Social media is way, way beyond me.  Right now I'm working on a short (and I mean short) video to offer websites and blogs.  I'm also working up a few dialogues between my major characters to offer as guest blogs.

All of this is taking away from the creating of the second book in the series which I titled Shawn Goes to Hell at first, but now is known as The Vampire's Food Chain: Devil's Food (with the third book entitled Angel's Food).

Added to the promotional and writing pressures are the visits from friends on the East Coast and Midwest (wonderful!) and the trips we have planned to California's answer to Sin City: L. A.  Since we're driving (or rather my husband is driving), I'm hoping to have a lot of Devil's Food written and a few dialogues finished by the time we get back.  Then I'll start shopping the dialogues around and hand the chapters to my beta reader, my daughter Beck.

We'll see.  We'll see.

Social Media and Me

Hmmm...I'm beginning to think that for all the time I spend on the computer writing word after word, I'm not very social--at least as new media is concerned.

I have a Facebook account and keep up with pictures of my grandchildren that way.  But am I a big poster?  No way!

I now have a Google + account and a long list of potential "friends" or "acquaintances" I've never heard of.  Should I befriend them?  Or should I just ignore them?

But don't I want to get the word out to everyone who reads vampire books that my book is available?  Obviously, hermits don't sell many books, but they do have time to write them.  What's more important now?  Writing the second book in the series (Shawn Goes to Hell, uh, actually titled The Vampire's Food Chain: Devil's Food) OR promote the book that's published?

Sigh.  Being a writer (and that's what I think of myself), I'd rather write.  But is that counterproductive?

What a dilemma writers put themselves in when they opt for the self-published route.  Maybe I should have tried harder to get an agent and go the "traditional" route of getting published.  Maybe.

But I really do like this brave new world of self-publishing and its promise to readers that more is available than the works selected by agents and marketing professionals who worry about bottom lines instead of written lines.

Living Dead Goes Live

Ta da!  The book went live on Amazon today.

Phew!  Now onward to write book 2 in the series.

Thanks again, Bugs, for all your help and reading and rereading!  Love you!

Proofreading

So all the code for the book was okayed by CreateSpace, and they sent me the option of buying a print-on-demand copy to proofread OR a PDF of the interior pages as they stand now for proofreading purposes.  I opted for the PDF and am now printing the pages.

I'm hoping to have the pages proofed by Friday and be able to get the book "out there" then.  We'll see.  I haven't read the book in a while, so I'm wondering how many editing changes I'll want to make.  Editing to me means making large changes as opposed to proofing which are small changes like spelling, punctuation, etc.

Still, it's an exciting process.