The Meaning Behind a Book Cover

Everyone knows that being an indie author means we have to do everything ourselves, which is not entirely a bad thing. Besides experiencing the most epic growth in personal learning, I also enjoy exercising my decision making power and taking up responsibility for my actions. It's me putting on my big girl panties and say, "Let's roll". Everything we do is for the benefit of our crafts. Pretty cool, if you ask me :)

One of those responsibilities is designing the book cover. When it comes to cover, I want a design that's uniquely attached to the story. It has to mean something. For the characters as well as for the readers.

In I Won't Break, Rebecca (my talented cover artist) and I looked for a face that could be used to potray Lea. We all know Lea is half Dutch, half Chinese with features that are more European than Asian. The face also needed to capture the mood of the whole book. What we found was perfect.

Next, I added an object that was crucial in the story. If you've read the book, you will know why the necklace is an important symbol for Lea and Andrew.

I wanted the background to be white, because I think white symbolizes pureness. Rebecca then added a touch of blue; she made it even more perfect. The color blue, like the necklace, also means a lot to the characters, something that they cherished and lost and found again.

So there you have it, the step-by-step process of I Won't Break cover design.
Once you finish reading it, flip back to the front cover and pretend to see it again for the first time. Now that you read the book and know the story, do you see it differently?

It's LIVE

Writing Tip and What's Next

How important is it to assign a real face to my character in my writing process?

 

It's not crucial, but if I can have it, why not? 

In order to do more ‘show’ than ‘tell’, I need to be able to translate the character’s body language, facial expressions, the way he/she speaks into words. I always find it helpful to have an image/a face ready in my head. 

I normally start with celebrities. Browsing their faces is easy and a lot of fun. Once I find the face I'm looking for, I’ll apply my own imagination to the rest: how they dress, how they walk, how they shrug their shoulders, how they smile etc. etc. You get the idea.

In A broken Love Story series, I use Kristin Kreuk’s face for Lea and a Thailand’s soap opera actor whose name I don’t know as Andrew. 

I'm currently writing a very early (and messy) draft of Fly. After the plot and the character’s back story are created, I begin the search for my characters’ face. 

Since one of the characters is a Hong Kong citizen, it's only ideal to find a familiar Hong Kong face. I’ve always been fascinated with Tony Leung the actor, so I ‘assign’ him as Ben, both the sixteen-year-old and the twenty-year-old. Tony Leung has that shy and nerd qualities I need for my hero.

Kai is a little bit complicated. I still need to work on a few details about her before I can assign someone’s face to her. Nevertheless, I was drawn to these young models’ photos. Image-wise, those two are so Kai: easy going, outspoken, wild, fun, and unpredictable. Kai is the kind of girl who will face everything in life with a huge smile on her face. Oh, and she's a model too. I haven’t written much yet, but I’m already in love with Kai, truly and tremendously.  

Fly is an upper YA contemporary standalone.

When sixteen-year-old Ben learned his girlfriend had been offered a once-in-a-lifetime modeling contract that would require her to move overseas, he put her future first and his broken heart second.

“Go, Kai. Fly. Don’t look back. If it’s meant to be, I’ll catch up.”

He finds her four years later in Los Angeles. There’s no denial that the feeling they have for each other still rings true despite years of separation. What started off as an innocent puppy love has clearly grown into something more.

“You’ve caught up,” Kai says. But Kai soon realizes Ben doesn’t come to catch up. Ben comes to say goodbye.

Standing at a crossroads, Kai can easily see where each path will lead her. What she cannot see is Ben.

What’s the purpose of flying if she loses the sight of the horizon?

I cannot wait for you guys to meet them :)

  

My Favorite Character

My most favorite character to write is Andrew. 

He’s such a complex individual, he’s not easily defined as black or white. As matter of fact, I can’t truly pinpoint what color spectrum Andrew’s personality is. 

He’s so flawed, he’s real. 

He’s a hero, but not the ordinary Prince Charming. 

He’s a villain, but not the heartless monster who burns down every living thing within his sight. 

He’s a human being, not a Knight in shining armor. 

He makes mistakes. He fixes it. 

He protects the people he loves. 

He feels responsible for everyone’s happiness but his. 

He’s a coward; he’s a warrior. 

He’s one contradicting man with many layers to his personality. I don’t even want to start mentioning his bleak past.

After three years of writing, Andrew and Lea's story finally comes to an end. I cherish every moment I have with all of the characters. If I were allowed to choose a favorite, I'd pick Andrew. He holds a very special place in my heart. Watching him grow is an amazing experience.

I Won't Break release date : February 2, 2016

I Won't Break Cover Reveal

The sequel to My Lea is here.
Well. Okay. Not really 'here' here yet because its release date is February 2nd, 2016, but the cover is here. Designed by the talented bertodesign.com

Heads out to Instagram for Cover Reveal Giveaway starting now until Nov 10. Find us using hashtag #IWontBreakCoverReveal

Find more about I Won't Break here.

MY LEA Review

This is probably the best review I've ever had *dances*

Click here for more of Cassandra's review

Amazon paperback

After nearly a year since I published the ebook version of MY LEA, I finally did its Amazon paperback version. Woot!

The process is not as scary as I thought it would be. I encountered a few minor problems which were resolved right away by the Createspace team. Phew!

MY LEA paperback is now available through Amazon. Go check it out :)

My Dream, His Dream

This weekend, one of my close friends sent her eldest son off to college. She’s not the first one to do so among my friends and family, and surely there’s nothing out of ordinary in sending our kids to college, but hers is the first one that made me think and feel. 

My friend's dream was for her son to pursue a career in medicine, to become a doctor or something in this line of business. Her son wanted to be a pilot. He was accepted in both faculties, which made things more interesting, as well as difficult. 

To have a choice is a gift, to choose is a battle.

We’ve heard phrases like it’s their life, not yours more often than not. I’ve preached those words to others too. It’s easy to say them with only logic as the foundation of our thoughts; it’s not easy when our heart weighs in. It’s easy to dismiss the struggle when it happened to some strangers, it’s not so when it happened to a person we know, to a kid we know. 

I can so imagine, if it were my kids, I would have definitely argued with them about their choices, pestering and brainwashing them, because letting go of my dream I have for them is hard, I don’t think I’ll ever be ready. I didn’t have this choice when I grew up, and as much as I vow not to take away those choices from my kids, I can’t shake this old-fashion parenting control off my brain. 

That’s why what my friend did for her son is admirable and so inspiring.

At the end, she and her husband support their son’s decision to join the pilot school. 

This is a HUGE deal. 

Not only our society has a tendency to think that becoming a doctor or a banker is more prestigious than any other careers, but for a parent who has a reservation to flying, my friend’s blessing speaks VOLUME.

In her one single sentence, “This is the time to let him go so that he can catch his dream” my friend has won three battles:        

1.       It’s a day-to-day battle to let our children go and be an adult. It’s especially hard when what we want is not the same as what they want, because it’s not just our kid we need to let go, but also our dream we have for them. It’s a constant battle to trust their choices and respect their decision without judgment or harassment because our instinct to take over and protect them is so strong, it’s nearly impossible to just sit and watch and nod. 
2.         It’s a real battle to overcome our own fear and reservation.
3.         It’s a battle to accept and live our children’s dream as our own. It's the right thing to do, but it doesn't always come easy.

Which mother would not cry when her son said, “Please don’t cry. If God’s will is for me to become a pilot, then He will show me the way.” I can’t believe this was coming from an eighteen-year-old boy. I’m sure my friend’s tears have created another ocean in our planet no matter how many times her son told her not to cry.

      

    I’m so proud of my friend. Believe me, not everyone is strong enough to do what she does, passing those three battles in flying colors and with an open heart.

      

    I’m so proud of the boy, our future pilot, because not every kid is strong enough to know what they want and be able to stand there and comfort (not confront) his parents.

    Good luck, boy. This is no longer your dream you’re carrying, but the dream of many young people out there who, I hope, would see your choice in life as an inspiration. Your dream is also the dream of every mother and father (not just your parents) who has put aside their egos and wants so that their children can live theirs.

MY LEA paperback

I stil can't believe that the first printing batch that I did for fun and without any proper sales plan has SOLD OUT, and that I'm currently looking at the second printing edition of my book 🙆🙆.

Thank you so much, guys, for supporting Lea and Andrew. It means so much for a debut indie author like me. (It means the stars and the moon and the sun and everyhting else)

*takes a deep breath**

Okay. Here we go 😀.

For signed copies, please drop me an email at themellyberry@gmail.com

Thank youuuuu....

Don't Copy, Don't Steal

Artists create. It's not just our job, it's who we are: authors write, performers perform, illustrators illustrate, painters paint, singers sing... it's who we are.

If you love our creation, thank you. You have given us the greatest joy ever.
If we manage to inspire you through our works, then it's a triple plus, a bonus. It's the thing that makes what we do worth it.

But please don't copy. It's not inspiration, it's stealing.
Don't copy, then claim it yours, and then sell it for money. It's worse than stealing.

We want you to be inspired, yes.
Be original, be loud, be brave.
Be yourself.
Don't steal other people’s work.
You are better than that.

How To Survive Editing

Very simple.

1. Leave your ego at the door. As matter of fact, divorce your ego. Trust me. Your work will THANK YOU.

2. Break it up into parts. Don't count the red marks all at once. Unless you're a  masochist.

3. Whenever you feel like it is too much, always allow yourself to focus more on the good part of the editing (example in the picture).

4. Author is the creator. Author is the boss. We make the final decision. But we are not perfect; we make mistakes. That's why we need help from others to edit our work. I don't believe in self-editing. It's not a matter of "can or cannot", I'm pretty sure a lot of authors are capable of editing their own work. I just don't recommend it.

5. Always, and I mean always, treat yourself to something awesome and fancy once you've passed (and survived) the whole editing process! You earn it. Big time.

My Lea Amazon

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My Lea Goodreads

I Won't Break Goodreads

Picture is taken from "I WON'T BREAK" first draft, a My Lea sequel by e. mellyberry.

A Thank You Diorama

When my 8-year-old wanted to give her teachers something as a thank-you gift, she didn't go for card or chocolates and flowers.

She made them dioramas "Thank You for Helping Me Grow."

The first one shows a green caterpillar that transforms herself into a beautiful  (featherly) butterfly.

The next one shows seed in a garden that transform into a tall tree. She used real leaves to make that tree.

I helped!  Cutting and pasting mostly.

What do you think?
You think her teachers would love these gifts?

MG Fantasy : A Dare

I have one particular story idea that's been living inside my head since I was in high school (so yeah, it's been there for like 300 years already).

It's an MG Fantasy thing, you know, with magic, funny creatures, a war between good and evil kind of stuff...

The story has obviously evolved through time, one of the perks of having it undeveloped for so long. This time, I dare myself to 'develop' it into real words and papers and such *cross fingers*

We will get into the head of a fourteen-year-old boy who's pretty confident about who he is, only to find out later that, well, he is not who he think he is. 

Here's one of my favorite scenes when our hero (I haven't found him a suitable name yet) meets an ancient priest after he accidentally set his power off in a battle against the bad guy. Let's just say that the battle didn't end well... thus the meeting.

Hope you enjoy this little sneak peek of THE KORRS :)

The skeleton-look-alike guy didn't open his eyes, which I thought was a bit rude, considering what I'd been through to get here. At least he spoke though. And in a language I understood.

"You must learn your root before you can lead."

"Lead who?"

"Your brothers and sisters."

I corrected him. "Two brothers and a sister." Make it two bullying brothers and one bossy sister. 

He spoke again as though he didn't hear me. "Your other brothers and sisters."

A wave of relief surged through me, and with that, a tinge of disappointment. I had made this journey for nothing. I was not the one they were seeking. "No, I have--" I stopped just as a new dread settled in. "Wait. How many more brothers and sisters I don't know about?" Because three didn't seem to be enough apparently.

The man smiled, showing a row of blackened gum and nothing else. "Deera di paretto."

An ancient language that had long been forgotten. The language of the sky. Scary part was, I understood it well as if it was my own. 

by e. mellyberry 

Don't Quit Yet

Alright.
I'm blogging about praises I've received for MY LEA. Yup, you're right, this is me showing off, not gonna deny it.

I have every right to, I guess. Who wouldn't be proud of their own children, right? Our creation is our kid.

My Lea is special to me because of many things :

- it was my debut novel.
- it was written in English, and English is not my first language.
-  I've written it with blood, tears, frustration, fear, rejection, insecurities, also love and pride for three long years.
- I taught myself how to write by reading lots and lots of books, articles, reviews, blogs, anything I can get my hands on, and following authors I admire. I never had any formal education in writing. My background is faaaar from writing. Far, far from it.
- My Lea's rating is not so bad for a first-timer. Teehee!

So please excuse me while I dance for me. I kinda need that, because as you know, writing is a lonely business. And it's a tough business. If I don't stop once in a while to smell the roses, it'd be too easy for me to forget why I write in the first place.

Also, this showing-off post is for you - aspiring writers, dreamers, beginners... 

Don't quit just yet. The journey is complex. I remember whenever I was thisclosetogiveup, I would stop, distract myself from my writing and find something else that could inspire me.
So I'm paying this forward. I hope this post inspires you. I hope My Lea inspires you.

Don't quit just yet. Break down the goal and deadlines into smaller portions. It's easier to manage that way.

Don't quit just yet. Don't let others define - or worse, belittle - you, your passion, or your creation. You are not competing against other people. You're competing against yourself.

Don't quit, okay. Because if I can do this, writing a bloody 90K words worth of a novel in foreign language, so can you.

And now... have you read My Lea ?

Amazon  Kobo  B&N  iBook

Raising Teens

Raising teens is HARD HARD HARD. Don't look at me. I'm not here to give you answers. I don't know how to do it either because, hey, I'm here for the first time too and I'm still learning. Surprisingly, or not, the only thing I've learned so far is that these teens could surprise me, humble me even, if only I ... listen.
Seriously. It’s that simple.
If they feel comfortable confiding in you, that's a big fat bonus. Use that trust well.

Raising teen means we need to put on our coaching jersey. You don't get to play the game with them every time, but you can still watch them play and yell out a few pointers from the side field every now and then.

We need to be more their friend and less their dictator. Putting an arm around their shoulders works much better than putting chains around their ankles.

I remember a saying from Buddha. It goes like this : If you hold them too tight, they'll choke. You hold them too loose, they'll run wild without direction.

A good wisdom 😊

Kartini Day

Being a Kartini means I can be myself. 

I can be a girl and a lot more. 

I'm good at what I do, and I do what I love. 

Skirts and kebaya are not there to confine me, they're a part of who I am. 

I respect everyone, but most of all, I respect myself.

This is me and I love every moment of it.

Selamat hari Kartini, sisters.

*Kartini was an Indonesian heroine. She was a pioneer in the area of women's rights for Indonesians.

Reading Control

First, lemme share with you what I know so far.

I know parents who let their fourteen-year-old daughter read FSOG.

I know parents who let their young kids read violent manga because they think manga equals comic and that all picture books and comics are harmless.

I know parents who ban YA books that have pre-marital sex scene in it. They also black-list the authors who write those scenes (bye-bye John Green and pretty much all YA writers out there).

I know parents who won’t allow their children go near—let alone read—LGBT books.

I know a lot of parents who give total freedom to their teens to buy any books they want because they think reading books is better than let’s say, playing video games or browsing porn, without ever checking the genres of the books their kids bought. Reading is good, yeah, just make sure you know what they read.

I know parents who turn to bookcray like me for book recommendations and ask questions about the books their children want to read (yay for booknerds and yay for these parents).

How far do you think our involvement should be when we notice kids read books that are not intended for them?

My biggest dilemma so far is whether or not I should notify parents whose daughter has been reading FSOG. 

While we're on the subject of book genre, I'd like to explain more about YA characteristics to some people. While YA books are relatively clean as opposed to New Adult, YA is a story about the life of teens. And with that, good realistic YA would deal with issues most teenagers face each day: curiosity, angst, depression, the urge to rebel against authority, physical changes, hormonal mood swings, crushes, and certain degree of sexual attraction and tension. Banning them won't make the issues go away.

We should read beyond the attributes of the characters. For me, the most important aspect in a story is the humanity behind it and the real emotions we as human being feel as they’re being portrayed by the characters in the books. LGBT or not, if the book tells a great story, it’s a great book. Period.

Not all parents are bookworms, and that's okay. We don't have to transform ourselves into a librarian to know what we're doing. We don't need to read the whole book before our kids to know what the story is all about. Synopsis and book reviews will help us with that. 

As parents, we just need to be present, aware, and open-minded. And before we decide whether or not our kids are ready to read books with more mature content, maybe we can all sit down together with them and discuss this? See, having a dialogue means being present and open-minded, right?  

Just saying :)

Do Fun Like A Boss

My seven-year-old daughter just finished making a full diorama based on a short story she previously wrote and read on YouTube called "Sweaty Yeti". 

http://youtu.be/6wGUzeU2XZ0

http://youtu.be/eWm4rQSAB2I 

My daughter has been 'famous' for her love for creating knick-knacks from junks. Anything she can get her hands on, she would turn them into some craft.

Some of my friends asked whether this diorama was a part of Nina's school project. The answer is no, it's not. She's doing it purely for fun. 

As expected, they didn't believe me. "But whyyyy?"

"Because she loves doing it and she's doing it without any burden."

Pause. 

"Yeah... but why?"

It makes me think.

How often do we, adults, do something we love for fun? Most of the time we only do something because we're under an obligation to do it, or there's monetary reward behind it. Definitely not for fun.

Well. Maybe we should all learn to be more like our children. 

Let our wonder takes our breath away and let our curiosity whispers life into our soul.

Maybe we should nurture our talent once in a while, even if it’s only for temporary.

Maybe we should all do what we're good at doing and have fun while doing it. You know, do it like a boss.

Yeah?

Ten YA Books that Could Use an Extended Ending

Have you ever read a book, loved it with your heart and soul, then left dumbfounded when you’ve reached the end? It’s like, did something happen during my downloading, or did Amazon send me the broken copy because there’s no way the story ends here. 

There should be something more, one more paragraph maybe, one more chapter, heck, one more book even.

Sound familiar? Been there before?

Yeah. I’ve been there before. Many, many I-don’t-wish-to-acknowledge-it times. 

Don’t get me wrong. The authors did a great job in writing the whole book—the ending included—but I’m a fangirl, and by default that means I know everything about the book better than anyone. Especially when it comes to how to write a more satisfying ending.

I’ve listed ten Young Adult books which in my opinion could use some extended ending.

My list is based on YA books I’ve read until March 2015.(Warning: some minor spoilers ahead)

#10 Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Eli is my number one favorite among Dessen’s boys. At the end of the book, Eli wore a dress shirt and dress shoes. It's written right there in one sentence. This was Eli, guys, and he’d never dressed up. I believe this calls for an extra paragraph or two.

#9 Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor

After everything they’ve been through in two lifetimes, it’s only natural that I expected Akiva and Karou to get their epic ending. I guess I was disappointed.

#8 Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

I want more awww moments before reaching the last page. More kissing. More dancing. More, more, more… 

#7 Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

No, no, no, no, no. I refuse that postcard, Park. Send it back and do something else instead.

#6 Where She Went by Gayle Forman

It was such a bittersweet ending: the song, the feels, the final stage. I don't want the magic to end. I’d feel much more sated if Gayle decided to write the third book about Adam and Mia. I need another closure badly.

#5 All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

I can’t … It’s just … I’m still too emotional to talk about this book and its bright places.

#4 I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

I’m satisfied with Jude’s part. Cannot say the same thing for Noah’s though. I kept on turning the last few pages, but nope. Nothing more about Noah and his charismatic boy next door. 

Me sad. 

#3 The Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

This is the most painful love triangle in the history of modern fiction. How did you end a book that had the most painful love triangle story ever? The answer is you cannot.

#2 Champion by Marie Lu

A handshake is not a proper way to end a trilogy, not in dystopian, not in contemporary, not anywhere ever. I demand a rewrite on that last chapter! And please make it longer. And hotter, because, my god, Day is twenty-seven for crying out loud. He’s hot, broken, and available. What can be more perfect than that?

#1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

No, I don’t think I need more Harry, Ron, and Hermione. What I desperately need is seven books of Snape.

What’s your list, people? 

Tell me, and let’s compare notes.

#amwriting

Just the other day, I’ve overwhelmed myself with the stress of having launched a book.

What kind of promotion I should do next, how to maximize sales, what to do with negative reviews, why my brain seems to stop functioning when it comes to writing, where the hell is my royalty payment, what to do with my backlog titles, whether or not I should keep writing children’s books or branch out to other genres, traditional publishing vs. self pub, why can't I shake off this writers block WTH, it’s so difficult to write a sequel, my daily life is stealing away my writing time, my writing cave looks totally uninspiring, I have no idea what to write for my next books, what should I write for my social media, how to run a successful social media, what the other bestselling authors are doing and whether or not I should copy their moves, where the hell is my writing muse when I need her the most, what if my book sales stops, what if I run out of promotion ideas, why this blogger and that blogger haven’t replied me, how to reach more reviewers, how to edit my work, what to write, what to write, and so on, so on, so on….

I drove myself mental. I burned myself and everything around me. If someone told me that writing was a blissful profession, I would strangle that person with my teeth, claws, sword, and would so expelliarmus that person into the next century.

Writing and its yada-yada business is NOT blissful. Not even close. It’s the total opposite of blissful.

Then my husband, who has gone extremely tired with my rants and enormous self-pity, snapped at me. “My God, you’re unbelievable,” he said in his most charming tone ever. “You know how many people out there wish they could have your talent and the opportunity to share their works with the world?”

I’m glad he thinks—and believes--that my talent is a ‘real talent’. Not gonna argue with him on this. But I’m gonna argue with everything else he said.

“But, but…,” I argued with the intention to burn down the world of writers with me, “You have no idea how exhausting it is to deal with the business plan and the aftermath of creating a book. You wouldn’t know. You work in a financial institution; all you do is buy and sell and calculate a simple math equation with your calculator.”

In which he replied, “Since when your number one hobby, the one that makes you smile and fly over the rainbow, makes you this bitter? Why are you so stress over writing?”

Before I could even order my tongue to shoot acid reply at him, he added, and what he said stopped my fury dead, “Write for fun. Please, I beg you. Don’t worry too much about what to do after you finish writing it, just keep writing, good or bad, funny or suck-ass, just write for yourself.”

And it strikes me. One of the greatest authors in the world once said the same thing, too. “Write for yourself,” said J. K. Rowling.

My husband, a non-artistic person, shares the same thought as J. K. Effing Rowling. Who is the writer in da house, really, me or him?

So I force myself to calm down.

Of course my husband is right.

Write for yourself.

Write for fun. Don’t worry, the rest would follow.

Write for fun, guys, #amwritingforfun!

Are you?

*****

My New Adult Contemporary novel MY LEA is availabe at  

Amazon
Kobo
B&N
iBooks

Scribd

 

Psst. Now, that we establish that ground #amwritingforfun rule, would you add my book to your TBR pile? 

*winks, bats eyelashes, smiles angelically*

I run a goodreads giveaway from now until April 24^th, 2015. You can enter here