Elance Freelance Writing--The Key to the Online Freelance Marketplace

A while back, I wrote about freelance writing and how much I've enjoyed doing it. Yes, it can be time consuming, but I find that it helps pay the bills and helps me pay for promotional costs for my books. I use Elance to find freelance work ,though there are many different websites that offer jobs for freelancers. My experience with Elance has been mostly positive and what I like about this company is that if you run in to little hiccups here and there with clients, the Elance team helps solve the problem. When Angela Caswell contacted me about a short guest post regarding a book she wrote to help writers understand how to use Elance, I said yes! I even read the book she is talking about and found it to be a great guide for someone who is new to the site and wants to know the best and most effective way to win jobs and get noticed. So without further delay, welcome Angela!

Elance Freelance Writing – The Key to the Online Freelance Marketplace

By Angela Caswell

I recently landed my first summer internship in social media marketing. When this door opened, I was suddenly struck with the urge to search for other ways to work from home. This led me to the exciting world of freelance writing. The only question that remained was where to get started?

This question may seem daunting to a young entrepreneur, but never fear! Did you know there is an online marketplace for freelance writers to connect with clients? The social media platform is called Elance, and now there is an eBook to help you begin marketing yourself as a freelancer.

Elance Freelance Writing: A Writer’s Guide to Making Money is authored by Courtney Allison and Joe Latuszek. The eBook offers countless practical tips for starting your own Elance business and successfully marketing your skills to clients. In this handy eBook, you will learn about:

·        How to create your best personal profile

·        How to make your profile searchable and visible to clients

·        Tips for bidding and winning clients

·        Ways to create positive client/contractor relations

·        And so much more!

One of the most helpful aspects of the setup on Elance is the ability to review the history of potential clients. You can search to see how often they hire, their payment history, and comments from other Elance users.  Elance is not only an online marketplace, but an online community, enabling users to effectively communicate and create optimum business partnerships.

Using this social networking platform is a great way to start making money as a freelance writer. Reading this eBook (www.elancefreelancewriting.com) offers a step-by-step guideline to equip you with the tools for success. You can get started today!

[Elance Freelance Writing: A Writer’s Guide to Making Money by Courtney Allison and Joe Latuszek is available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, and Smashwords.com.]

Someone Else, Somewhere Else--Author Q &A with Jenelle Jack Pierre

All Things Writing is a blog geared for writers, and we enjoy chatting with other writers about the process. Today we visit with Jenelle Jack Pierre. I really loved her short story Someone Else, Somewhere Else and was so jealous of the way she was able to make the prose just flow! It's an honor to have her interview for us!

Mary Ann: I notice you have a MA from the writing program at John Hopkins University. Tell us a little more about your writing background.

I studied Communications as an undergrad and wrote two YA novels during that time.  In graduate school, I began writing short stories, including Someone Else, Somewhere Else.

Short stories versus the novel? I know you've written before so which do you prefer?

 I think they’re both interesting genres.  I won’t say I prefer one over the other.  A novel is for when you want to dive into another world you’re creating and you have time to do this because of length.  When I’m writing a short story, I have to add depth to the narrative faster because of the shorter length.

Someone Else, Somewhere Else is full of such rich prose, and you really bring your characters to life. Was this story based on true events?

 The only true aspect is that one of my friends had a mean stepmother.  The setting, characters, situation, etc are all make-believe.

I like the way you handle Henry and his deception about the rabbit. Many times authors will go overboard trying to be subtle about that kind of character development and it ends up not being subtle at all! With that in mind, how much time you spend in the editing process for short stories?

 Short stories can take a lot of time to edit.  I edited this story at least four times.  Editing a short story can take awhile because I want to build a believable world and show the characters grow in some significant way. 

Are you solely a YA writer or do you work in other genres as well?

  I write YA and contemporary short stories.

Tell us about your next project and the book we are giving away today!

Thanks for asking, my next project is called “Love’s Onlookers.” It’s a collection of short stories.    Someone Else, Somewhere Else will be included. Three of the stories will have a young protagonist. 

Someone Else, Somewhere Else is available to your readers, who can currently download it for free at eretailers, including Amazon.  One winner will get a copy of my YA novel, “Before I Breathe.”

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions. I really enjoyed your story and look forward to reading more of your work!

Here's my review of the short story, Someone Else, Somewhere Else.

First of all, I love that this author, Jenelle Jack Pierre, is marketing her short story! It's just another example of how authors need to think outside the box when it comes to selling and promoting their work.  And this is a tale worth promoting!

Someone Else, Somewhere Else is told from the pov of twin girls who talk about their experience living next door to a family with a less than idyllic home life. The twin's mother recently remarried a man that everyone likes and who strives to take care of his new family. The people next door also have a blended family, but unfortunately, the stepmother tends to favor her own kids over her stepdaughter, Ariya. It's a distinction that everyone seems to notice, but no one wants to bring up. Of course, things change when Ariya takes a stand and pays the consequences for her actions.

It's hard not to give away the whole story since it is so short, but I will say that Pierre manages to present a slice of life. Set on an island that feels very small town and homey, her characters are believable and easy to relate to. I'd venture to say that we've all seen a girl like Ariya at some point in our lives. I think the tension between the stepmother and Ariya was just right, leaving the reader feeling their emotions, but not going overboard with it so that it turned into a cliché. I was a bit confused as to when they story was taking place. At times it felt like it was set in the past, but the Xbox references made it feel more current. There is also a moment where the daughter is hanging laundry on the clothes line and I couldn't help but think, "Okay, you can afford the Xbox, but not a cheap indoor washer and dryer?" Then again, I guess that shows where my priorities are when it comes to the laundry!

All in all, this was a fast paced read with great characters. Check it out by clicking on the link and register for the giveway of Before I Breathe!  

Amazon: Someone Else, Somewhere Else

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Rotter World--A review of Scott M. Baker's Latest Novel

Happy Mother's Day! Nothing says love like the gift of Zombies! Be sure to enter our giveaway! All you have to do is leave a comment and you'll be entered!

Rotter World…the title already conjures some strong images. The book contains some even stronger ones. Of course, that's to be expected in a tale about zombies, vampires, and the military. Now before you go thinking that this is another 28 Days, Resident Evil, or Walking Dead rip off, let me just set you straight. Sure, it has some of the same qualities, but I found that this book by Scott M. Baker managed to take on a life of its own and be a really interesting, if graphic, story about mankind's survival after a zombie apocalypse.

So let's get to it! Here is the synopsis from the book:

Eight months ago vampires released the Revenant Virus on humanity. Both species were nearly wiped out.

For Mike Robson, the situation could be far worse. He joined up with a small band of humans and the last coven of vampires who are riding out the zombie apocalypse in an old fort along the coast of southern Maine.

The group's uneasy alliance is strained by the arrival of the creator of the Revenant Virus. He claims there is a vaccine that will make them immune to the virus, but it's located in a secure underground facility five hundred miles away.

To retrieve the vaccine, Robson leads a raiding party of humans and vampires down the devastated East Coast. Yet none of the horrors Robson has faced match what awaits in the underground facility.

Yeah, I'm gonna agree. What waited in the facility was pretty bad and one of the reasons I love the cover of this book. It captures a moment that was riveting in the novel!

I think Mr. Baker did a great job of creating sympathetic characters that have gone through a lot. Robson, the protagonist, is especially well done. He's the everyman who's been beaten down my guilt over an incident that was really beyond his control. The camp relies on him, as does, Natalie who falls for him. Their relationship is sweet to watch and I found myself worried about what would happen to them in the end. By the way, Mr. Baker, great sex scene!

I like the vampire element in this book, too. The vamps are the bad guys who realize they've made a big mistake in releasing the zombie virus. It practically wipes out their entire race and causes them to join forces with the humans. Of course, not everyone is on board with this kind of alliance which just adds tension to the plot. O'Bannon is an awesome bad guy, and as a reader, you can't help but root for the zombies and hope they get him in the end.

My only complaint is that I wanted more. I got plenty, but I wanted to know what happened next. Did they get back to camp? Did everyone get vaccinated? Sequel, please!

If you can't tell, I highly recommend Rotter World by Scott M. Baker. Keep in mind it does contain some graphic violence and is not for the faint of heart! Pregnant women should consider reading it only if they want to give birth early. People with heart problems should probably take their pills first.

This is the Amazon buy link: ROTTER WORLD

 or if you are a Barnes and Noble Fan click here: ROTTER WORLD

Here is the author bio info!

Born and raised in Everett, Massachusetts (just outside of Boston), Scott M. Baker has spent the last twenty-two years living in northern Virginia.  He has authored several short stories, including the e-chapbook “Dead Water” by D’Ink Well Publications; “Rednecks Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things,” which appeared in the autumn 2008 edition of the e-zine Necrotic Tissue; “Cruise of the Living Dead,” which appeared in Living Dead Press’ Dead Worlds: Volume 3 anthology (August 2009); “Deck the Malls with Bowels of Holly,” which appeared in Living Dead Press‘ Christmas Is Dead anthology (October 2009); and “Denizens,” which appeared in Living Dead Press’ The Book of Horror anthology (March 2010). 

Scott’s first zombie novel, Rotter World, which details the struggle between humans and vampires during a zombie apocalypse, was released by Permuted Press in April 2012.  He has also authored The Vampire Hunters trilogy, which has been published by Pill Hill Press and received excellent reviews from Famous Monsters of Filmland and Fangoria, among others. Scott has finished his fifth novel, Yeitso, a homage to the monster movies of the 1950s set in northern New Mexico, which is currently with a publisher, and has begun his next novel, Hell Gates, the first in a series of young adult novels set in a world in which the realms of Hell and earth have merged. 

When he is not busy writing, Scott can either be found relaxing on his back deck with a good cigar and a cup of iced coffee, or doting on the four house rabbits that live with him.

Please visit the author’s website at http:\\scottmbakerauthor.blogspot.com.