My Milkshake Brings All the Boys to the Book...Wha'?

Tip of the Day: A2A contributor Kristina Springer has a FREE young adult novel for download today. Check out Boy Swap on Amazon!!!!! Also for free is her short story, Cart Princess. And her novel Paparazzi Project is 99 cents!

All of my books up to this point have been female-oriented. Every main character has been female. All the books have been in first person...and I've faced a lot of criticism for having too little romance and too much action.

They're probably right. I'm not a girly girl. I'm the girl all the guys want to hang out with. Not because I have big boobs or flirt or whatever - but because I'm into guy stuff.


The majority of novels I read are written by men, for men. They involve explosions, mysteries, and hot & fast sex with little romance. Not to say I don't enjoy a good romance once in a while, but, for me, that is an exception. I prefer action-adventure movies over sweet comedies. I'd rather spend an evening in sweats playing video games than be taken out.

With HIDDEN, I decided to let go of everything I thought I was supposed to do. I wrote with my man's mind. I wasn't gentle to my characters. I didn't have a lot of kissy romance (though there is some quick & dirty sex). I hacked creatures to bloody pulps. I exacted cruelty on my characters. They live and die by the sword. And things just get worse in the next book in the series, HUNTED.

For the first time in my writing career, I'm getting feedback from men. They love the covers (a few women have written me and said they hate them). Women who are readers of my earlier books are writing me and telling me their husbands and sons are enjoying HIDDEN even more than they are. I have male fans!

I can't tell you how exciting this is to me. I know there are a lot of women out there like me who enjoy reading men's adventure fiction and would rather watch The Expendables than the newest romcom. I'm so happy they're reading my books!!!!

But if I can reach men, admittedly a smaller reading population than women, I'll be thrilled. My only concern........will men go out of their way to buy an action-adventure fantasy written by a woman? I don't know.

I seriously considered publishing HIDDEN under a fake male name. Or using initials. But, I figured, screw that. If indie publishing has taught me anything, it's that we can be and do anything we want. Why hide the fact I'm a girl? Just because I have a vagina, it doesn't mean I can't write with some grit.

I'm excited to see where these books lead me. It's been a blast writing them. Since I'm not writing specifically for teen girls anymore, I can let loose with the plot. I don't have to be afraid. It's so liberating.

Let's all keep our fingers crossed that my Dragonlands series can do it. I want men to take a chance on them!

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber
www.meggjensen.com

What I'd Like to See More of in Indie Pub

Tip of the Day: Nervous to give self-pub books a try? Don't be. 99% of the time Amazon allows you to download a sample. Try it before you buy it.

It's really hard to give a list of things I'd like to see in indie and/or self-pub books. As far as genre goes, I think we've got them all covered. Want an angel/werewolf/time travel adventure? It's out there. Want a straight-up YA vamp story? There's six billion to choose from.

What I love to see is originality. I want to read something that hasn't been done before. One recent release that did that is Spider Wars by Angela Carlie (full disclosure: Ang is one of my writing buddies, but she has no idea I'm about to promote her book).

Spider Wars is a YA novel that straddles the line between paranormal romance and horror. It's edgy. It takes risks. It gave me nightmares.

That's what I want. A book that sticks with me for a long time after I read it. And Angela's next novel is so original...I can't talk about it, but OMG...her books are what imagination is all about.

 I'd LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to see more middle grade novels from self-pubbers. Now that the Harry Potter ebooks are available, I'd say it's not long before MG explodes in ebook format. Are you ready? (I am...wrapping one up as I write this.)

And even though my novels are pretty dark at times, where's the ebooks for the bubble gum crowd? Not everyone likes darkness. Sit down at your keyboard and write something cute! NOW! (*disclaimer* - I wrote this post earlier in the week before the other A2A girls mentioned the same thing. I'm seeing a trend here...)

What else would you like to see from the self-pub/indie community???

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber