The Author of the
Vampire from Hell Series Returns
Hi, I’m Ally Thomas and I’m a writer. Today, fellow author friend Emily Walker
asked me to be on the “Not So Famous Authors” blog. I readily agreed because Emily is a wonderful
author and a supportive friend in the world of Indie Authors.
This blog is described as being one that "Much like the
Not Ready for Primetime Players, there is a group of amazingly talented authors
on the cusp of stardom. They gather here at the Not So Famous Author's Blog to
tell you all about writing and smashing your head on a desk. Not just the
writing part."
When I read that part, I almost hesitated to be on the blog
today because I don’t feel I’m an amazingly talented author or on the cusp of
stardom. I should probably tell you why.
Briefly, I can tell you the last installment of my series I
wrote was over a year ago. That’s a
tough statement to say even now or share with the world. But it’s okay because I know what that really
means. It means I haven’t given up, not
yet and I’ve returned to writing.
I may not be a famous author some day. I may not even be a talented writer (if you
read some of my reviews), but I have something far more enjoyable. I have readers out there who want to read
more of my stories, especially the Vampire from Hell series. For me, that’s what writing is all
about. Sharing it with others is the whole
point. And thankfully, my readers are
the ones who brought me back to writing.
Here’s the longer
part to this story…
No one tells you when you start out as a person pursuing a
creative profession such as writing that you may have more on your hands than
just the act of writing. When I
published my first story, The
Vampire from Hell – The Beginning (Part 1) in early 2011 on Amazon, I had
accomplished a goal I had wanted to achieve my whole life. I had published something! I was beyond excited about the new journey of
writing.
In the summer of 2012, soon after finishing Parts 2 and 3 of
my series, I fell into a writer’s block.
Long before I took up writing, I really thought writer’s block was some
lame excuse authors made up. At the time
in 2012, I didn’t understand what was wrong, what had happened, or why I
couldn’t write the next part in my series (Part 4). The ideas stopped, my imagination dried up, and
my characters were silent.
Now, looking back, I see it very clearly. I had burned myself out. I had pushed myself further in the first year
of writing than I should have, and I had destroyed my creative self. I had been working two jobs, my day job and
waking up at 3 am to do my writing. With
everything else related to my personal life, I had to also keep my world as an
Indie Author moving forward. I worked
feverishly to promote, market, and share my stories with many new readers. It soon dawned on me, as an Indie Author,
just how much time promoting and marketing takes away from writing.
Before I knew it, I had dug a hole for myself, jumped in,
and was buried neck deep.
That’s the basic reason I stopped writing. There are a few other reasons, but I won’t go
into them here. My way out of my
writer’s block was to put everything on hold.
I thought the best plan of action would be no action. What do you do when you have destroyed the
one thing you’ve always wanted to do? I’ve
dreamed of being a writer for as long as I can remember. I had to accept that I had failed to finish
my series, and that there was a good possibility I may never finish it. I had to figure out a way to fix it, not just
drop it.
Ultimately, I didn’t want to leave writing. Normally that is what I do when I realize a
creative project has run its course. I
just stop. But writing is more in my
blood than anything else. It’s like
breathing. And even though I knew it was
painful at the time to breath, I had to figure out a way back to the keyboard. That was the real challenge because I had to
face myself and a lot of demons to become productive again.
Around Thanksgiving 2012, I opted to write a few paranormal
romance stories. I wanted to see if I
could do something different. I thought
even if I couldn’t write on my current series, maybe I could at least write
something. During the Spring of 2013, I
wrote and published a few stories under two pen names and it helped me see just
how much I like the genre of fantasy I write in and how talented many of the
romance authors I know truly are.
So with all that being said, I found my way back to the
keyboard in the late Spring. I continued
to get emails and posts from readers who loved reading my books and wanted to
know more about my heroine’s story. With
their encouragement, I decided to give this whole writing thing another
try. That’s why today I can confidently
say I have decided to relaunch my series, The Vampire from Hell.
New Covers
Today I’m revealing all four new covers for each
installment:
·
The Beginning – Part 1
·
A Vampire Among Angels (Part 2)
·
A Vampire On Vacation (Part 3)
·
The upcoming The Vampire from Hell Returns (Part
4)
I’d like to thank Cora with Cora Graphics for creating
covers for Part 1, 3, and 4. Humblenations.com created Part 2’s
cover.
New Release
Also today I’m happy to announce a revised Anniversary
edition of the first 3 parts of my series will be available soon. I’ve included the cover for you to view. I made that one :D This release will be
called “The Vampire from Hell Revamped” and it will be available in ebook and
paperback before “The Vampire from Hell Returns (Part 4)” is released.
Primarily this is for my fans, who have stood by me through
thick and thin. But readers new to the
series can enjoy the book as well. I’ve
included several new scenes, character sketches, story insights and behind the
scenes information. I think it may be a
fun way to re-read the series and get ready for the next installment that is on
its way. Please note: the overall plot
of the series up to Part 3 (A Vampire On Vacation) has not changed. Various chapters have been elaborated upon for
the enjoyment of readers and my fans.
Free Ebooks
You can start my series, the Vampire from Hell for
free. Also I have several free ebooks
available that you may like to check out.
Go to http://www.allythomas.com
for more links and more information.
I’d like to thank Emily for inviting me to be on the “Not So
Famous Authors” blog today and for letting me share this today with you. Feel free to share your comments on the
covers and/or anything I discussed in this article. I’d love to hear from you. You can also email me at ally at allythomas
dot com.
About the Author
Ally Thomas loves writing fantasy and paranormal books for
that showcase vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches, and any furry monsters
who go bump in the night. Her paranormal fantasy series, The Vampire from Hell
has been on the Top 100 Amazon bestsellers list in Fantasy since its first
release in 2011.
Ally lives in the great state of Texas with her husband and
is currently working on the next installment of the Vampire from Hell as well
as exploring her passion for vampire romance with a new YA paranormal romance
series called The Moon Journals.
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