Dragon of the Stars

Today the center of the blogging universe (or at least our little part of it) joins us with another "What If?"...

What If?

For an author, that can mean the difference between a good idea and a great idea. It can spur us to look beyond the obvious and even beyond the unobvious.

Since there are only so many basic storylines, we need to explore the ‘What If’s’ to make our story original and our own. There are so many ways we can twist a story around and stand it on its head. (And whenever someone stands on his head, loose change falls out, so that’s even more story nuggets!)

What If…?

The main character was the opposite sex?
We tried a different setting?
Time travel was involved?
The killer was someone different?
We changed the time period?
The main character had an allergy?
What if a monster emerged from the lamp and not a genie?

There are thousands of questions we could ask ourselves. Each answer leads down a different path. Brainstorming a ton of options often leads to that one thing that propels the story forward in a unique direction.

I had a lot to consider for my latest book, Dragon of the Stars. What If…?

The qualities of Earth’s toughest animal, the Tardigrade, were in a much larger creature?
The greatest ship could not be controlled?
Failure wasn’t an option but there was no way to win?
Someone had to make an unheard-of sacrifice?

Those questions helped bring the story to life and gave it twists most never saw coming.

What are some ‘What If’s’ you could ask to take your story in a new direction?

Dragon of the Stars
By Alex J. Cavanaugh
What Are the Kargrandes? http://whatarethekargrandes.com/

The ship of legends…

The future is set for Lt. Commander Aden Pendar, son of a Hyrathian Duke. Poised to secure his own command and marriage to the queen’s daughter, he’ll stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

But when the Alliance denies Hyrath’s claim on the planet of Kavil and declares war on their world, Aden finds his plans in disarray. Entrenched in battle and told he won’t make captain, Aden’s world begins to collapse. How will he salvage his career and future during Hyrath’s darkest hour?

One chance remains–the Dragon. Lost many years prior, the legendary ship’s unique weapon is Hyrath’s only hope. Can Aden find the Dragon, save his people, and prove he’s capable of commanding his own ship?

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Stars-Alex-J-Cavanaugh-ebook/dp/B00S0DPUYU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1420814971&sr=1-1&keywords=dragon+of+the+stars
Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dragon-of-the-stars-alex-j-cavanaugh/1121069418?ean=2940046510720
ITunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dragon-of-the-stars/id957912496?mt=11
Kobo - http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/dragon-of-the-stars
Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragon-Stars-Alex-J-Cavanaugh-ebook/dp/B00S0DPUYU
Amazon print – http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Stars-Alex-j-Cavanaugh/dp/1939844061/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1427824785&sr=1-1
Overdrive - https://www.overdrive.com/media/2130736/dragon-of-the-stars
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23521766-dragon-of-the-stars






And just released –


CassaSeries
By Alex J. Cavanaugh

The Amazon Best-Selling Series!

CassaStar - CassaFire - CassaStorm

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZAP5PV4?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Amazon UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ZAP5PV4?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Barnes and Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cassaseries-alex-j-cavanaugh/1122097909?ean=294015196217
Kobo – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/cassaseries
Goodreades – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25705316-cassaseries

About the Author:

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design, graphics, and technical editing. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. He’s the author of Amazon Best-Sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm.



http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/
http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/
http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh  

Dragon of the Stars by Alex J. Cavanaugh

Lookit, Peeps. I love Dragons. Any dragons. Even Starships named Dragon. And cats too, ala The Secret of Nimh. The talking kind, the nice kind, and the evil Smaug kind. Love 'em.

Dragon of the Stars

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Release date – April 7, 2015

Science Fiction – Space Opera/Adventure/Military

Print ISBN 9781939844064

EBook ISBN 9781939844057

Dancing Lemur Press, LLC http://www.dancinglemurpress.com/

The ship of legends…

The future is set for Lt. Commander Aden Pendar, son of a Hyrathian Duke. He’s poised to secure his own command and marriage to the queen’s daughter. He’ll stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

But when the Alliance denies Hyrath’s claim on the planet of Kavil and declares war on their world, Aden finds his plans in disarray. Entrenched in battle and told he won’t make captain, Aden’s world begins to collapse. How will he salvage his career and future during Hyrath’s darkest hour?

One chance remains–the Dragon. Lost many years prior, the legendary ship’s unique weapon is Hyrath’s only hope. Can Aden find the Dragon, save his people, and prove he’s capable of commanding his own ship?

http://whatarethekargrandes.com/

What Are the Kargrandes? A new clue and puzzle piece every Monday! #whatarethekargrandes

Pre-order –

http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Stars-Alex-J-Cavanaugh-ebook/dp/B00S0DPUYU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1420814971&sr=1-1&keywords=dragon+of+the+stars

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23521766-dragon-of-the-stars

Goodreads list - https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/77683.Most_Anticipated_Science_Fiction_Fantasy_and_Horror_Novels_of_2015

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/74206.Can_t_Wait_Sci_Fi_Fantasy_of_2015

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1127.Excellent_Space_Opera?page=1

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. He’s the author of Amazon Best-Sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm. The author lives in the Carolinas with his wife.

http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh    

This is pre-ordered and highly anticipated on my part. 

Marketing. Are you too busy to do it?

 

I've heard it all before.

I don’t have time to market my book.

Publicity is not my style.

I’m really shy.

Perhaps you’re all of the above. Maybe you have other excuses. But let me tell you this. From the day you put a The End to your beloved manuscript, marketing is All. You’ll. Do.

No one gives a flying fig about your book. No one cares as much as you do. No one can offer a compelling reason to read your book.

Except for you.

At UnicornBell, we talk about critiquing those first chapters, that important first page, and who to send them to. But nothing gets you published if No One Reads It. Not the best written chapter in the history of literature or most alluring book ever. Nope. Nada. Nothing.

To draw people into your world, you must write a compelling hook. I mean, those fish won’t just leap into the boat, folks. You start with a query, a sentence, a unique idea that brings readers to your ms.

Taglines, queries, synopsis, blurbs; these are your first marketing tools. You must learn them in order to be a part of this writerly world. Establish your platform in social media with blogging, websites, Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Goodreads.

And regarding blogging, informative material is All. If no one follows you, if there are no spectators then you are not marketing yourself well. Alex Cavanaugh is one of the best examples of a well-run, informative, and consistent blog. He comments on nearly all of his followers' blogs, a mighty accomplishment to be sure. It creates loyalty and connects him with his followers.

Some believe the real marketing begins after the contract with bling prizes, bloghops, and book tours. And yes, that will be a big part of your life when it happens. But before all that, marketing yourself is the one and only relevant tool in your mechanics box.

If you think writing the novel was the hard part, I want to give you a heads up. If you don’t market your manuscript, nothing will come of it.

Learn how to market. There is no other way.