Author: L.L. Crane
Series: Mark of Powers (Book 1)
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian Fiction
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 14 2015
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
What would you do if you were one of the last of your kind on earth? Sixteen year old Teak’s Mark of Power has kept her alive, but will it last? Although she is a trained killing machine, it isn’t by choice. Slated to be one of Siv Gareth's elite soldiers, her life seems to be on course, but she has a decision to make. Does she follow her father’s wishes and become a soldier, or chase after her own dreams of training dragons? Persecuted, shunned, and tortured because of her skin color, Teak is mad, and somebody is going to pay for it. Siv Gareth’s race war has just begun, and now that the Purity Law has passed, the Destroyers are out in hordes to kill her and any others with light skin. When she shoots an arrow at Siv Gareth, a chain of events unwinds that ultimately threatens her very existence. Accustomed to going it alone, Teak finds herself on a long journey with a group of inept teens, and she must learn to depend on them…or die. When two boys enter the scene, one irritating and the other mesmerizing, Teak wonders if she has a shot at a normal life. But will her lack of Power and skin color ruin it? This dystopian society novel, Book 1 in the Mark of Power Series, is riveting with suspense, action, betrayal, and the brimming hope of romance.
Guest Post
What’s
the worst part of self-publishing? Why?
The
worst part about self-publishing is marketing and thinking of selling your art
as a business. After pouring your heart and
soul into a book, editing it, editing again, and again and again, then it needs
to sell. If you aren’t selling books,
then it’s a hobby, which is fine for some people. My goal is to be a full time author, but I
know I have a long way to go.
I
already own my own business, so I started writing as a creative outlet, and
then I discovered that I really started another business! This can be tedious and time demanding. People think that you just write a book and
it instantly becomes a success, but that isn’t how most Indie authors
work. We have to write, publish, and
write some more. Then we have to figure
out how to sell those books! We have to
develop a fan base and truly appreciate those readers and their feedback, which
I definitely do.
The
great news is that self-publishing offers you so many opportunities, like
designing your own book cover and choosing the words and characters that are in
your thoughts. But, it would be great
for a publisher to pick up your work and take over the intricacies of self-publishing,
like editing and marketing. Never before
has self-publishing been this easy, but the down side is that there is a lot of
competition.
Like
anything worthwhile, you have to put in your time. I am young in this department, even though I
am on the older end of life! Still, I
love having the opportunity to write and sell books. When I get a good review or sell a book, it
is a thrill like no other. I just need
to focus on selling more books and getting more reviews, which isn’t as
exciting. That part is monotonous, and I
would rather be writing.
The
other difficult part about self-publishing is finding time to do everything
that needs to be done. I could spend all
day writing, but that doesn’t pay the bills.
It becomes a juggling act, and sometimes the marketing end falls by the
wayside because it just isn’t fun. It
took me years to build up my business, and I think the same is true for Indie
authors. We just need to put in our
time, strive to be better with each book, and figure out what works and what
doesn’t work.
L.L. Crane lives in a remote area of Northern California with her two horses, six goats, three dogs and two cats. When she was a child, L.L. Crane dreamed of being a writer. She used the name, “Katie Bush” as a pen name for the famous writer she hoped to become, cranking out book after book on her mom’s old blue typewriter.
As life often has twists and turns, L.L. Crane found herself becoming anything but a writer. She graduated with a B.A. in Education, even though she was honored to begin her college career with the aid of writing scholarships.
After becoming a teacher, raising three children primarily on her own, as well as owning and operating a business, L.L. Crane finally pursued her dreams and began writing novels. She brings her own experiences from teaching and her love of animals to her stories.
L.L. Crane is an avid reader and writer and loves children, animals, reading, riding horses, and gnomes.
Places to find L.L.
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