What a Rotten Shame!

I heard from Kristen Hope Mazzola, author of Crashing Back Down that her novel, and dozens of other books, also written by indie authors are available on a piracy site. Folks, this is a crime! The creators of these works do not get paid from these sales. It is a copyright infringement to use anyone’s material for commercial gain if you have no rights to do so.

It is very sad to see that these unscrupulous persons are alive and well in cyberspace. Please do not purchase books, or anything else for that matter unless you are sure that the site offering these goods is authorized to handle the product. It is generally best to order from the author’s site or somewhere such as amazon.com.

If you are an indie author, do a search for your book to see if it appears anywhere other than where you posted it for sale. One author reportedly found her novel on 20 different sites. Don’t let common thieves ruin the holidays for these hard-working authors!

Holly Kerr Interviews The Editor Afloat!

Many thanks to author Holly Kerr for posting an interview she and I did. Thanks also to Anna Ellis for introducing us, and to Kristen Hope Mazzola for her interview that both Holly and Anna read. Small world – see how that goes ’round? Check out Holly here (she’s Canadian, don’t pick on her spelling)  http://hollykerr.ca/karen/ She is the author of Baby? Baby! Baby!?

Anna has released the first two parts of her trilogy, Husbands and Wives. This is a quick read about the friendliest of neighbors – great fantasy stuff!

Kristen, by the way, is giving away some signed copies of her new paperback, Crashing Back Down. Be sure to visit her page to get entered into that drawing.

A Conversation with Author Kristen Hope Mazzola

Kristen Hope Mazzola is a fellow WordPress blogger. She and I follow one another’s adventures here and on Facebook. I admire the enthusiasm behind  her posts. When she wrote she didn’t know “weather” or not to use an editor, I stepped up and created my current special – free final edit for first-time authors. She signed up and now is about to release her debut novel, “Crashing Back Down”. The final edit is one of the very last steps before publication. We spent a little time talking about the process. Here is our conversation:

Editor Afloat: We’ve edited the first few chapters of your novel so far. Have there been any surprises for you?

Kristen Mazzola: Yes! Actually, I was surprised at how many small mistakes I was making! I’m thrilled with the amazing edits/feedback so far.

Editor Afloat: Is it what you were expecting in general?

Kristen Mazzola: A clean polished manuscript by the end, which I’m very confident that will happen 🙂

Editor Afloat: Do you feel the final editing process is important?

Kristen Mazzola: At first I was not too sure if I needed an editor, thinking I might be able to take care of it. Boy, was I wrong! A professional editor is necessary  for all authors. I’m thankful The Editor Afloat found me through Facebook!

Kristen Mazzola: I actually am curious about how you got into editing?

Editor Afloat: I’ve been addicted to words since grade school where I earned a 100% on all my spelling quizzes. My academic background is Communications so I decided to turn my annoying habit of proofreading everything I see into a useful tool.

Kristen Mazzola: Being on a boat and having horses seems to lead to an already busy life! Where do you find your time?

Editor Afloat: Yes, I do keep busy! I am a widow, so my time is my own. I prefer to work rather than sit around.

Kristen Mazzola: Have you enjoyed my story so far and is it what you expected?

Editor Afloat: When I am editing I read word by word, phrase by phrase, sentence by sentence. It isn’t until my final read-through that I actually get the sense of the whole story. 15 chapters edited at this point, I can tell you that I can’t wait to find out what happens to your characters Mags and Walker. You are a very talented young lady Kristen. 🙂

You can follow Kristen here on WordPress and also on Facebook. We will both be announcing the release of her novel, “Crashing Back Down”, very soon. Stay tuned!