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Archives for September 2016

Meet Ed Ahern- Author

September 6, 2016 By Charlotte Holley Leave a Comment

Gypsy Shadow Publishing Author Ed Ahern

Ed Ahern

Fascinating individual describes Ed Ahern. His modern fairy tales overflow with the vividness of his imagination and his talent as a storyteller. Gypsy Shadow’s  Fireflies, New Springs, Legends and Wee Folk Genres feature young adult and children’s stories, folk tales and fantasy. His The Witch Made Me Do It fits nicely in each of these categories. As a result, you will find something to enjoy and hopefully share with others in this collection of modern fairy tales!

The Witch Made Me Do It by Edward Ahern

Interview with children’s fairy tale and fantasy author Ed Ahern:

How old were you when you first started to write?

Ahern: At sixteen, I started out writing obituaries for a weekly newspaper; my first paying job writing. About the same time, I completed my first fiction story, a shoot-em-up bodice ripper that never got published, and which I fortunately lost many years ago. Additionally, my junior year in high school, I wrote my first poem, a stinker about ants that got published in the school newspaper.

What motivates you to write?

Ahern: My motivation varies with the type of writing, and where I am as a writer. My non-fiction is limited to articles about fly fishing for Atlantic salmon, written to help other anglers and show off what a hot shit angler I am. An initial goal when I resumed writing fiction and poetry was publication. But now, some three hundred published pieces and reprints later, I write what I hope is decent and not what I think an editor will like. Atlantic Salmon Spawning - Natl Geographic

I write really because I like telling prose stories and conveying poetic thoughts and emotions. Like probably most performers I live for the enjoyment and appreciation of an audience.

What’s your favorite non-writing activity?

Ahern: In order of personal importance: family first, then reading, fly fishing, shooting, online diversions like Facebook and Twitter, and exercising.

Are you an activist, or is there a particular area of conservation or compassion you are passionate about?

Ahern: Activist is probably too strong a term for me. Nonetheless, I’m a conservationist and support organizations like Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited and the Atlantic Salmon Federation. I no longer support the NRA, their views on gun control are not mine (nor the majority of NRA members)

Do you have pets?

Ahern: No pets at present, but a past with, serially, one cat and three dogs. I’ve spent over forty years living with household animals, and I’m not counting the gerbils and goldfish.

Are you an only child or do you have siblings?

Ahern: I’m the first of three, with a sister and brother lined up behind me.

Are you married—and do you have children? What do you love about your relationship?

Ahern: Married forty-nine years in November, 2016. My stock line in the bio is that I have my original wife, but that after so many years together we’re both out of warranty. Two children, five grandchildren. We’re very close emotionally but not geographically.

What is the most significant thing that has happened during your lifetime?

“I survived.”

Ahern: I survived. I was a sport diver as a teenager and a Navy diver and bomb disarmer while in service. Then almost ten years living overseas as an intelligence operative, then another quarter century avoiding the conflicts and disease in second and third world countries. Almost swept away twice while wading where I shouldn’t have in turbulent rivers.

What do you read and what is your preferred medium?

Ahern: Two part answer. Pro Bono I handle a stable of review readers and sit on the review board for Bewildering Stories, which entails reading and evaluating around 25,000 words/week. My leisure reading alternates between literary fiction, genre fiction and nonfiction. The leisure reading is almost always from a physical book.

What are your favorite books?

Ahern: There are too many to list. I tend to keep or buy a book I really like, and there are well over a thousand books squirreled away in the house. And my tastes have changed over the decades. The Tarzan and Tom Swift books I read as a child seem pretty awful now, although I loved them then. I continue to make dedicated efforts to plow through Ulysses and Infinite Jest. I love the writing but get so frustrated that I put them back down for awhile. I do reread Tolkien fairly frequently.

Who are your favorite authors?

Ahern: Another “it depends” answer. Some authors are comfort food- George R. R. Martin for example. Some authors are annoyingly good—the short stories of Flannery O’Connor and Andre Dubus. Some authors recompose English into brittle brilliancy—David Foster Wallace.

If you had a gift certificate for $100 worth of books, where would you begin browsing and what would you buy first?

Ahern: No hesitation. Collectable books on Atlantic salmon fishing. I’d need more than a hundred dollars though.


WEBSITE: www.swampgasworks.com

TWITTER: @bottomstripper. I write almost daily about writing.

FACEBOOK: edward.ahern.39

KEYWORDS FOR YOUR BOOK(S) AND YOUR INTERVIEW.

fairy and folk tales, children’s books, Christmas books, reading to children


Thanks, Ed. We are honored to have you as one of our authors!


Have a great day and READ!

Gypsy Shadow Publishing celebrates its seventh year in business in September of 2016. Primarily an eBook publisher based online, we have almost 50 books in print! Drop by, check out our more than 250 eBooks by almost 100 authors and pick out something to read!

Denise Bartlett, Chief Editor GSPDenise Bartlett is Gypsy Shadow Publishing’s Chief Editor and acquisitions editor. She delights in working with established authors to tighten up their manuscripts and their messages and  with brand new authors to bring their dream of being a published author to fruition. Visit her on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/DeniseBartlett.ChiefEditorGSP/

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Filed Under: Authors, Fireflies Genre, GSP, Legends Genre, New Springs Genre, Wee Folk Genre Tagged With: author, books, children, collection, Ed Ahern, Fantasy, folktales, Gypsy Shadow Publishing, Modern fairy tales

Blurb – What’s in a Blurb?

September 3, 2016 By Charlotte Holley 4 Comments

Book Blurbs:

What are they and how can you sell your books with blurbs?

Blurbs are baby commercials. Little ads. Introductions. Blurbs entice readers to discover your book!

Library Study Area

Journey with me (you may have to go back in time) . . . to a bookstore or library, and begin browsing the shelves for your next book to read.

I scan the area for the Category Sign I am interested in today. After I locate it, I go to the section, for instance, Fiction and creep into the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre stacks. First, I check a few authors who are my favorites and grab a new book, if there is one, or at least one I don’t remember reading before.

Standing with my first choice in hand, I start looking at the covers of the books. Drawn to pick them up, I search for the blurbs on the back cover, and inside, if there is a dust jacket.

A short blurb on the front or back cover sometimes draws me in to read a longer blurb inside. On the basis of those two items, I may then want to flip to the beginning of the book and read the first three paragraphs, continuing through a couple of pages if I like what I read. Otherwise, the book goes back on the shelf.

Did you get that?


A Bee In Sage and Coral Vine      A short blurb

Optimally 25 words (Smashwords.com wants at least 50 characters)

A colorful hedge of flowers. Make yours stand out!


 A Bug In A FlowerA longer blurb

It’s nice to have one about 50-100 words and one 150-200 words. The point is that you need an “elevator speech” for your book, with a focus to your audience. What’s it about? Why do I want to read it? Is it funny, educational, scary . . .?

The objective of the blurb is to get your prospective reader to click through on a link and read the first few paragraphs of the manuscript itself! If they click on the link (attached to the name of your book, the cover image or to a specific website where your book is sold), there is a good chance they will consider buying it!


A Bug On Rock Rose

     Nab them with the first few paragraphs!

Create a dynamite manuscript and turn it into a great book! Endeavor to lure your reader all the way into the reading room and don’t let them go until they are convinced they have to have your book.

That’s all the time you have to create a bond between you and your reader! So, write blurbs. Write them about your own books and about the books you read and put them onto Facebook, other social media, or booksellers to get your name out there as a reader, as well as a writer.

Take action! Blurb!


Barnes & Noble

Barnes and Noble gives this take on blurbs: Nook’s tips for Writing your Novel’s Description

1. Pitch it

If you had 30 seconds to explain to readers why they would enjoy your book, what would you say? Translate this 30-second pitch to 150-200 words or copy—that’s your description. 

2. Add a headline

Then write a shorter, snappier 20–40 word headline that draws in readers and quickly lets them know what your book is about. Is it a love story, a period piece, a nail-biter? It’s also a good idea to help identify the tone (humour vs. thriller), genre (romantic, fantasy) and main events. If your book crosses genres, be sure to note that too. For instance, paranormal romance is a hot topic and readers would be interested in knowing that you have both a steamy plot and vampires. Already have your copy? Edit the first line to include a few more details and you probably have a pretty good headline. 

3. Leave them wanting more

Don’t be afraid to leave your readers with a few questions. Once you have them hooked with the header, your reader wants to learn more. But what and how much will you tell? Always create suspense—entice readers to buy the book to find out more.


Have a great day and READ!

Gypsy Shadow Publishing will be celebrating its seventh year in business in September. We are primarily an eBook publisher based online, although we have almost 50 books in print! Please drop by and check out our more than 250 eBooks by almost 100 authors. (Including the owners of the company!

Denise Bartlett, Chief Editor GSPDenise Bartlett is Gypsy Shadow Publishing’s Chief Editor and acquisitions editor. She delights in working with established authors to tighten up their manuscripts and their messages and in working with brand new authors to bring their dream of being a published author to fruition. Visit her on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/DeniseBartlett.ChiefEditorGSP/

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Filed Under: Gypsy Shadow, Marketing, Reading, Writing Tagged With: blurb, books, manuscripts, marketing

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