Indie Artist Crossover Karma Post #2

A Lovely Lace Cuff!

Once in a while, I like to take a moment out from whatever else I've got going on to share a little something about one of the many awesome independent artists that I know who works in some other medium besides writing!

Last time it was the band 7Lions - who are continuing to rock their way around the West Coast and up the charts!

Today it's my fabulous friend Ashley DeCarli... I've known Ashley for years, and while I always knew she was an amazingly creative person, I was still delightfully surprised when she opened a store on Etsy, revealing a whole new side to her that I never knew existed - she makes great, wearable art in the form of scarflettes, cuffs, bracelets, necklaces, etc.

So, as this week's little act of good karma, I'd like to cordially invite you all to pop over to her virtual store, and check out all three pages of wearable art, jewelry, and more! It's a great way to support an independent artist, and make yourself (or a special sister, friend, wife or lover) stand out from the crowd! Today's the perfect day for it, because everything's 10% off when you use the coupon code GLISTEN10...

I know I'll definitely be doing some shopping here for my many sisters, and if she ever comes out with a line of manly accessories, peut-etre pour moi!

Have a great day, and more writing-related stuff will be coming your way soon!

Best to all,
Edward

Epic Fail? Yes, it Was Awesome! Plus ROW80 Check-In, Crossover Karma, and more!

At the Wat Chan Temple

Well, checking in from the People's Democratic Republic of Laos, where I've been traveling for the last few days. Tomorrow it's onward to Vietnam, first stop, Ho Chi Minh City (still commonly referred to as Saigon!)

First, a big thank you to anyone who supported my first Indie Crossover Karma artists, the rock/rap group 7LIONS - after the millions of votes were tabulated, they came in a close second in Macy's iHeart Radio contest - so, while it's unfortunate that they won't be headed to Vegas in September to play that big festival, hopefully the fact that they beat 22 other bands and solo acts from around the nation will help move them closer to getting a big recording contract, and it's certainly helped showcase their music!

The Final Analysis

I am also happy to report failure in my attempt to break into the Amazon Kindle "Top 100 Free" with my latest short fiction release, and also the failure to give away 1000 free copies of Lethargica. Why am I happy? Because we learn more from our failures than our successes, and I learned a lot with this latest release, all of which I'll document for the benefit of others in a future post.

Another product of the week that will get more discussion in the future was the creation of a Social Media Plan - something that every self-published author needs, and that I now (finally!) have...

Meanwhile, what about those darn ROW80 goals?

WRITING

- Wr0te Another Chapter of The Notorious Mister Wickham - yes, I know I'm supposed to be working on Charming, The Artillerists and Merry Christmas, Mister Washington, but it's bad form to argue with your Muse!

PUBLISHING

- Publish German Translation of Happily Ever After - I sent a follow-up note to the German lady who has offered to do the translation - she's very busy, so who knows? (FYI, I'm looking for a French translator, too - so, if you know anyone, leave me a comment!)

FITNESS / LANGUAGE

- Sigh... this keeps falling through the cracks... Between a shoulder injury, lack of a fixed schedule, and lack of gyms in the little towns in which I keep finding myself, I'm finding this hard to stay on top of. But I am trying to send as many SMS messages to my French-speaking friends in French, and am studying off and on... Bad me! Will try to do better and have something useful to report next Sunday.

NETWORKING

- Stayed caught up on the Author Karma Facebook Liking List...

- Wrote a guest post for Nicole Basaraba's Writer's Uni-Verse-City on the topic of short stories...

- Created a Social Media Plan

PROMOTION

- Ran the last of my target KDP Select Promotions!

ADMINISTRATION

- Create a “Short Story Contest” website Cancelling this goal... Maybe next time!

So, that's what's new in my neck of the woods... Will look forward to reading about what other folks have going on, and happy to entertain your questions or comments.

Best always,

Edward

Indie Artist Crossover Karma Post, #1

One thing that all independent artists should do is to support each other in our various endeavors, especially when it costs little or nothing.

There are so many kinds of indie artists out there - writers such as myself, illustrators, musicians, jewelry designers, painters, singers, poets, circus performers, and so many more.

So, once a week, I'm committing to showcase a worthy artist who needs a little help to accomplish a milestone goal in their craft, in the hopes that my friends, fans, and followers will join me in supporting them.

This week's artist is the band 7LIONS, who blend urban hip-hop poetry from their rapper Prophet with the alternative rock influences of an array of band members to form songs that not only sound great, but make you think.

These guys, based out of Los Angeles, are currently battling for the top spot in Macy's iHeartRadio competition - they've already beaten 19 other top bands and solo acts from around the country to make it as finalists, and in the final week of the competition, every vote counts.

When they win (with a bit of help from you and me) they'll be going to Las Vegas to perform in a massive music festival in September that has the potential to launch them into the spotlight.

What can you do to help these guys achieve their dreams? It's simple - go to this page and click the blue "VOTE" button. It takes just a minute, and although you have to verify your e-mail the first time, you can then vote up to 25 times per day just by clicking vote and typing (or, if you're smart/lazy like me, pasting) your e-mail address in the box.

It's that simple. If you would join me in voting for the rest of the week, and in sharing this post (or the link below) via Facebook, Twitter, Triberr, or your other networks, I guarantee the karma will come back to you - because YOU (or someone you nominate) could be next week's indie artist getting a little boost from this page...

http://macys.iheart.com/macys/entries/profile/1.html (link to share on Facebook)
http://bit.ly/L5qRCe (shortened link for Twitter)

Thanks for your support, and if you'd like to nominate another artist (even yourself) please tell us a little something about them, their art, and what sort of help they need in a comment.

Best always,
Edward