Have I finally become a risk-taker?

Life has many risks. I have always been averse to this... I am a bear, not a bull!

However, it is good to try to go out of your comfort zone every now and again. To be bold and go bravely where no other, etc, etc...

Since I published back in 2012, I have avoided spending any money on advertising for fear that I may not get it back. I spent £10 on Facebook about a year ago and it did NOTHING! A complete waste of money. I might have thrown it on the fire for all it did.

However, last year I was lucky enough to be featured on FreeBooksy for free, and my downloads rocketed in the US. I also saw after-sales of my books, so it was a huge success. They now charge to be featured, so I decided to go for it and spend some money! I have actually made some money in 2014 (shock, horror, gasp!) so this is actually reinvestment... right?

I was featured yesterday on FreeBooksy. The feature cost $100 and I have had over 1200 downloads for HYBRID on that day (so not thousands as other authors claim), but this was enough to get me to the No.1 spot in my category! YAY!

I did not get into the top 100, which is a shame. This would surely have made the downloads reach the skies!

The amazing thing is that I have also had sales already. This really shocked me! I assumed readers would download my free eBook, and then decide whether to get the trilogy. Whoever you are - THANK YOU! I sincerely hope I do not disappoint you.

Anyway, I think I am nearly halfway to getting my money back on the second day, so its fair to say that this has been an AWESOME investment. I think that to get results you have to put your money in your pocket... (No, a sweet wrapper will not do!)

I have also been watching the Buffy TV series again, after having got the Box-set for Christmas. I am already on season 2! I have said before that my main character, Steven, is based on Angel. I have to say that I stand by that. My trilogy is not like Buffy. It lacks the humour (can we call it that?) and madness with all the crazy paranormal stuff that happens on the hell-mouth!

But, there is a serious side to Buffy at times (really) so my trilogy captures the trauma of first love and what happens when it is not possible. The whole Buffy-Angel romance really got to me. They could not be together regardless of how they felt.

My trilogy also has a SciFi element to it, a could-it-happen twist. With Buffy, we all know its pure and utter escapism in the paranormal, which is why I love it!

The Evolution Trilogy was inspired by my obsession with vampires, which started in the 80's with THE LOST BOYS (R.I.P. Corey Haim - so sad!), continued in the 90's with INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE, and exploded in the 00's with BUFFY and TWILIGHT.

I will always be grateful to Stephenie Meyer for encouraging anyone to write in an interview included in the TWILIGHT DVD back in 2010. I loved the TWILIGHT SAGA back then and was obsessed.

I guess I just love the brooding vampire...

Ultimately, Caitlin is my heroine in my trilogy. She follows her heart, makes mistakes, but then makes the most of her situation.

Steven is also a man of conviction, who follows his beliefs and does the right thing.

For me, escapism in the paranormal is fantastic, but I want people to have a conscience. We all have a soul, no matter how dark, and its important that we consider others before own own interests.

Writing EMILY was interesting. Some people will never do the right thing... they are simply jinxed!

Thank you again for your support. 2015 is looking great!

All the best,
Vanessa

EMILY: Prequel to The Evolution Trilogy

I just wrote a Halloween post on my main blog which you can read by clicking HERE

I have included an extract from EMILY, which went live today! Exciting! To tempt you further here is another scene to enjoy. In my opinion, the confident male has been blown out of proportion over the years...

Emily lay back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling, breathing deeply. After ten minutes of waiting, she had given up on Paul actually turning up. She picked up the Agatha Christie book she had abandoned the night before, and resumed the story.

As she read, she thought about Agatha. When the murder mystery stories first appeared on the scene there had been a lot of interest, but no one could have imagined the extent of her success. What an imagination! If she had even an ounce of Agatha’s talent, she would certainly deserve to live forever. Imagine the amount of books she could write. Unfortunately, writing had never been her forte. Truth, she was not sure what was – other than being an outsider. Everywhere.

Engrossed in a juicy bit, where Poirot is about to unveil the murderer with great finesse, she heard Paul return.

She shut the book, stuffed it under her pillow, sat up and patted the sofa. ‘Come sit next to me.’
Something about his demeanour had changed, as he took a seat and eased his hand into hers.

‘Everything okay?’ Emily asked.

‘Yes, I’m fine. It’s a bit stupid. But, I have to tell you something.’

Emily felt her heartbeat race. She imagined the worst. ‘You can tell me anything. I couldn’t think badly of you.’

‘I don’t think you’d think badly of me. It’s just embarrassing.’

She could not imagine what this was about.

After a minute of silence, he squeezed her hand. ‘I’ve never been with a girl before. I have to admit I’m a bit scared of you. You seem so confident compared to me. I think I’m going to disappoint you.’

She felt like laughing, yet held it back. It would seriously hurt his feelings. ‘Is that why you hold back? Is that why you keep running away from me?’

‘Yes.’ He was keeping his eyes fixed on his wardrobe. 

‘Do you trust me?’

‘Of course I do,’ he replied. 

It was her turn to be brave – to take the lead.

You can read the rest and find out what happens by clicking on the links!

Thank you for your support, Vanessa

Amazon    Smashwords    Barnes & Noble   iTunes 

Emily has not changed in fifty years. A freak accident made her immortal, or so she thinks. When she is finally allowed to return to her beloved England all is not as she expected. So much has changed. The past she was holding onto does not exist. Since the Second World War, people have embraced a new age. In this era, people have an obsession with gadgets, strange clothes and weird music.

Added to this her blood-lust has become insatiable and her promise to control herself is torn to shreds. That is until she meets Paul. She never expected to find love... and when it happens, can she do what it takes to hold on to it?

Fate has never been kind to Emily, and it gives her everything she wants at a cost. She must pay a price for being a murderer. For within her twisted heart lies a dark soul.

And now, the time is near...

RETURN is now available online via SMASHWORDS, KOBO & AMAZON (ebook & paperback)

Please click on the links above to go to the retailer directly...

It is really exciting for me to think that nearly 4 years of writing, editing, etc have culminated in three full size novels...

Through the Trilogy, I have had a lot of fun, and have even cried at the decisions I made.

I have packed a lot in... first love, relationships, family, university life, oh, and vampires of course! Well, perhaps not, I'll let you be the judge on whether my creation makes them qualify as vamps!

Since I was little, I always loved SciFi cartoons... Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Scooby Doo (yeah, it qualifies...). As I got older I read a range of books. Enid Blyton was fantastic with fairies, etc and then detective stories like Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie.

I read a lot of thrillers too - James Herbert and John Grisham to name a few.

I loved TV series and was hooked on Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest (I watched these with my gran a lot - oh yeah). I then moved on to young adult series like Home & Away (I know....) and loved one called Heartbreak High.

I had always liked vampires in movies - The Lost Boys, Interview with a Vampire. But, it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer that got me completely hooked. I just loved the whole bad wanting to be good angle, and the sexual tension... I also liked the alien angle used in Roswell, and others like it (yes, I have watched Star Wars & Star Trek!)

A romance angle used within a SciFi setting has to be my favourite... I believe this is known as speculative fiction, not SciFi. I believe this describes the genre for my Trilogy.

So, it is no surprise that Twilight has influenced me. It got me writing stories again for a start (only took a break of 15 years). I caught the tale end of the movie browsing television and I was hooked. Read the series really quickly and had no idea it was so big until I saw loads of people with their copy.

So, why am I telling you all of this?

Well, to explain why I wrote the Trilogy, of course... (chuckles).

If I'm honest, I do not think my Trilogy is like Twilight, the style of writing for a start is very different. But, I have of course been influenced by all of the things I love, as mentioned above.

I also did not realise how much my upbringing in Gibraltar impacted my writing until I wrote RETURN. I obviously had things that needed to be said, in a fictional setting of course.

I am really happy with the way the Trilogy ends... it definitely works for me, and I hope it works for you too.

Please let me know what you think if you read it.

Keep reading, writing and watching great films! Let the imagination run riot...

Thanks for reading,
Hugs & best wishes
Vanessa Wester

To celebrate the release of RETURN, please spread the word and download HYBRID via smashwords for FREE.

Use this coupon code RJ72J
Valid until December 8th, 2013