Showing posts with label Ashley Maker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ashley Maker. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Romance Roundup

Here's what I'm looking forward to this week!


Beautiful cover! Can't wait for this one.

Desperate to prevent an abusive arranged marriage, Princess Araya flees to a neighboring kingdom, only to land at the mercy of the impulsive Crown Prince Thoredmund, who provides refuge in a secluded forest and teaches her survival skills. Her surprise at the unexpected hold the price has on her heart mirrors his shock at falling for the one girl he can’t have.
As the young couple’s feelings for each other grow, the fragile alliance between the two kingdoms threatens to break apart. With a vengeful duke and an enraged king fast on their trail, Thor and Araya must decide how much they’re willing to risk for love.
Even if staying together means starting a war.

This one is pitched as The Fault In Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park!!!

The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this compelling, exhilarating, and beautiful story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death.
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it's unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the "natural wonders" of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It's only with Violet that Finch can be himself-a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who's not such a freak after all. And it's only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink.


Thursday, July 3, 2014

A Newbie Vlogger's Tips for Video Blogging From Ashley Maker

Hi and thanks for having me! Beth invited me to talk about vlogging via YouTube, and so I thought I’d tell readers out there about my (somewhat limited) experience so far.

When I first thought about getting into vlogging, I thought it would be easy. They’re short videos, right? How hard can that be? Well, it’s definitely harder than it looks. The videos can be short, but there’s still a lot of time and effort that has to go in to making them as effortless as they appear.
Here are some a few tips I’ve learned along the way.
1.       Find a decent camera. I’ve recorded myself on a phone video camera and a real video camera. In comparison, the phone video camera was very much lacking in light and audio quality.
2.       Download or purchase video editing software, and spend time getting familiar with it. I confess to being in way over my head when it comes to editing software. I usually do the best I can, then call for help from my much more tech-savvy husband. He helps trim my videos down and make them more polished.
3.       Be sure to check out YouTube’s terms of service. Know what you’re getting into. Also learn about monetized videos. If you choose to go that route (to make money off your videos by ads being placed in them), you need to understand what is and isn’t allowed.
4.       Check out and support other vloggers. Like many other social media avenues, there is a fantastic online community of vloggers. Go subscribe, watch, like, and comment on videos. It’s a great way to get to know people, study different vlogging techniques, and get your name out there. You also might make some new friends, and connections are invaluable in any industry.
5.       Find a style you are comfortable with. As a good friend and vlogger told me, this might take a while, and that’s okay. Just getting comfortable talking to a camera can take a while. Try different approaches until you find one that works for you.
I’m still really new to vlogging, but I’ve found making videos both enjoyable and challenging. Utilized correctly and consistently, vlogs can be a powerful marketing tool. Good luck in all your vlogging endeavors!
If anyone would like to come chat with me on social media, you can find me in these places:
YouTube: youtube.com/ashleydmaker
Facebook: facebook.com/authorashley
Twitter: twitter.com/ashleymaker


Author Bio:

Armed with a keyboard, microphone, and an energetic imagination, Ashley Maker is a combination author/songwriter from Oklahoma with a passion for all things creative. UNDER THE TREES, a Young Adult blended historical romance, is her debut novel, releasing from Cliffhanger Press, LLC in the fall of 2014. Songs inspired by the book can be heard from Seeking Never, the recording band she sings in with her guitar-playing husband Corey. A newbie vlogger and former editor, Ashley spends much of her time writing, procrastinating on social media, and waging a revision war against pronouns. The rest of her time is spent doting on her daughter and cuddling with a myriad of family pets, most notably Johnny Cash, cat writing buddy extraordinaire.