My brand new book called, “Perfect Lies” has passed the test after receiving 3 drafts from CreateSpace. I learned so much in such a short time and what I learned will help me publish my next books much faster.

I made the cover design myself and that is where you really have to be careful. I was using gradients in Photoshop and the colors just don’t transfer well. I wanted the cover design to look classy so I decided to go with an all black background and two images.

Sometimes less is more because it came out exactly the way I wanted it. It took me 3 drafts to get it right but for my first cover I can’t complain.

Now I have to approve this draft in my CreateSpace account and within a week or so “Perfect Lies” will be available for sale. This story is a good read if you like reading fiction. I don’t mean to sound like I have a big ego but I do believe in my stories and the feedback I have gotten so far tells me there are a lot more people who are about to read a good story.

This fiction blog was started to get feedback from my readers and my next post will have a first chapter preview for all of my visitors. That way you can get a sample of my writing before you buy the book.

A word of warning though, my style is to leave you hanging after every chapter. So one chapter may leave you hanging just enough to where you really need to know what happens next. Another warning, I start with a bang and most people who read the first few pages usually gasp a little. Kind of makes you curious, doesn’t it?

My book publishing process for “Perfect Lies” is moving forward and I received my first proof copy recently from CreateSpace. I have to tell you that holding my first paperback novel in my hands was an exciting experience. I have worked on the story for so long and my wife, Janie, has been logging some pretty long hours lately helping me figure out all of the Microsoft Word details that can drive you crazy.

After the shock wore off I realized that what looks good on the computer screen doesn’t always translate well with print on demand publishing. My cover looked beautiful in PhotoShop but the dark blues came out purple. The font I chose for the first draft was Ariel and that was a big mistake.

So here is how I corrected both and what I learned since I submitted the first draft. From reading the CreateSpace forums everyone says the colors come much out darker on the physical cover. So I changed the dark blue on my cover to a blue color that is 4 shades lighter. I’m hoping it still looks like it’s dusk.

I changed the font from Ariel to Georgia and justified the margins. That gives the book a more professional look and makes it much easier on the eyes to read. I also allowed for more space at the top and bottom of the page.

I have now resubmitted both interior and cover files again to my CreateSpace account and ordered a second book proof. I want my readers to experience a quality product. Just because I’m using print on demand publishing doesn’t mean I have to settle for anything less than if my book came from a traditional publisher.

So many little technical issues continually come up but I just keep working through them until I get exactly what I want. With this being my first attempt at publishing I’m learning a lot quickly. My real reward will be when I get to release “Perfect Lies” because I know a lot of readers will love this story.

I’ve spent many long days and late nights producing this novel and I have to tell you I loved every second of it. While the mechanics of putting it together has been interesting, for me it’s all about the story. Creating new stories is what I love to do and my next novel is already taking shape.

Today I want to give you a synopsis of my new fiction thriller novel, “Perfect Lies.”

When Texas billionaire Martin Wentworth discovers his daughter is building a hotel on her private island in the Gulf of Mexico he must do everything in his power to stop her and protect his secret. When someone is standing in his way he has no problem eliminating them even if it’s his own family.

If you dare to step into the world of this super rich and powerful Texas family it may be hard for you to know the difference between the truth and Perfect Lies.

So far the few people that have read my new fiction novel have given me feedback that was even better than I had expected. When you see people’s eyes light up when they talk about reading your novel you know that you have done your job as a writer. For me there is no better feeling hearing that multiple times with the exception of actually creating it all.

If you like fiction thriller books, you’ll love “Perfect Lies.” I throw in a lot of twists and I like to move the plot along quickly so it remains exciting. One person who read it said, “Wow, reading it made me think I was on an wild roller coaster ride. I could hardly put it down.”

My advice is hang on to something before you open this book because this ride starts from page one. If you read Perfect Lies I can guarantee your imagination is in for one exciting journey.

I am getting ready to release my first and new fiction paperback novel called, “Perfect Lies” and I wanted a place to get feedback and comments on this new book as well as my future novels and short story collections I will be releasing. So this blog was created because feedback from my readers is very important to me.

Here is what I have done so far to get to the point I’m at today. After writing and editing my novel, I set out to publish it. After researching and talking with many other fiction writers, it was obvious that getting my novel published in the traditional way was going to be a very time consuming process.

While I enjoy earning money just like everyone else and would love to have a publishing contract, I decided to self publish simply because I want more time to write. After all, writing is what it is all about for me and this way I can publish a lot more books much quicker if I have no publishing delay.

As of today July 26, 2009 I have bought a block of 10 ISBN numbers, because I’m already working on a second novel. I also have a collection of short stories I want to publish as well as a book of poems. To get my novel ready to be published I formatted the interior files in a 5.25 X 8 PDF template and designed my cover with PhotoShop. I uploaded these to my CreateSpace account which is a publish on demand company that Amazon.com owns.

After making a few minor changes to the cover, the files were accepted and I am awaiting the 1st proof copy to be mailed to me. You can only imagine how excited I am that in a few days I will hold my first new fiction paperback novel in my hands. Soon I will have a picture page and you can bet I’ll have one with me holding my novel.

Writing fiction is my passion and no matter what happens, I’m going to keep moving forward with new novels and short stories. I will document what I’m doing to promote my books and short stories because that is really the key to getting more readers.

As soon as I approve the proof with CreateSpace, a few days later I can sell the novel and will have a link on here to that page. My next post will give you a clear synopsis of what “Perfect Lies” is all about. I welcome your suggestions and look forward to your comments.