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There are four ways that I'm aware of to get a book cover, each with a progressively higher risk of turning potential readers away.

1. Hire a professional artist or designer

This is the gold standard. You work with a legitimate artist who listens to your feedback, offers concepts, and ultimately creates a cover that feels intentional and exciting—something worthy of wrapping around your words.

2. Buy a pre-made cover

Pre-made covers are designed in advance and sold to authors as-is. You add your...

Now that we're a few episodes into the Outlaws story, I thought I'd share some insights and behind-the-scenes info in its making.

The Carriage Chase! (spoiler alert)

If you've read beyond episode 5 and 6, you'll have joined Alister on one crazy police carriage ride along Thames, through London, and over the London Tower Bridge.

This was his unrelenting chase toward catching Emerald Jack. As a story, it was fun to write but technically, it was one of the most difficult episodes to write.

To...

Opening the Door with a Playlist

Crafting playlists tailored to your story's emotions and scenes is an incredible aid in immersing yourself into the world you're creating. Music has this remarkable ability to evoke emotions and set a particular tone, making it an invaluable tool.

For intense action scenes, I select tracks with fast tempos or dynamic beats that amplify the feeling of danger. Meanwhile, for poignant or sorrowful moments, I choose more melodic,...

Closing the Door
In his book "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, " Stephen King emphasizes the significance of finding a quiet, private space where you can write without interruptions. For him, this is a symbolic act of commitment and concentration. He famously refers to this as "closing the door," both physically and mentally, to shut out distractions and fully immerse oneself in the writing process.

He encourages writers to treat writing as a serious...

My interview for Xandon and the King's Scepter with book reviewer Kirkus Reviews has been published. While I don't expect it to change much, it was a fun experience.

If you'd like to check out my book review or my interview, please see the links below.

Thanks for visiting!

Kirkus Reviews

• Xandon and the King's Scepter - A Kirkus Review
• Tyson Vonn Beck Explores Real Issues in Fiction

Originally, Xandon and the King's Scepter had a different prologue. One I had written early on, and removed, as
online writing advice was clear:

Don't use prologues.

They go further, saying:

Start with the first chapter and dive right into the action....

So, in draft #7, I removed the prologue and got to diving.

"But Xandon's first book has a prologue!" you might be saying...
(if you aren't first asking, 'Who is Xandon?' ' Why am I reading this?' and 'Where the...

I originally conceived Outlaws ~ A Serial Adventure as a series of eight small books. Each book coming in at roughly 6-7k words per volume and ending on a major story cliffhanger...

For Kindle Vella's flat, episodic format, I had to break the chapters out into smaller episodes, which meant framing content in tighter pieces and adding more of the "cliffhanger-y" element to each segment.

It's been a rewarding experience, and I believe the story has benefited...

I'm thrilled to announce the launch of the Kindle Vella story:
Outlaws - A Serial Adventure!

When Alister feels responsible for the death of his fiance, he quits his criminal gang. His plans to live a responsible, crime-free life are upturned when his old mentor, Emerald Jack, reappears - with one last job he's forced to carry out.

What is Kindle Vella?
Kindle Vella is a way to share serialized stories with readers over an extended...

I believe illustrations are a fantastic way to enhance a story. I think they add a bit of timelessness to the work. I'm always impressed when I see the illustrations of Alice in Wonderland by John Tenniel, or the illustrations in Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates by Howard Pyle himself!

Hiring an artist to create my book cover and provide chapter-side illustrations was something I had always wanted to do with Xandon and...

Writing a novel in itself is hard enough. You're already mired in the long hours of writing practice and studying writing theory... but wait!
"Now," you say to yourself, "what my story really needs isn't a ninth draft or a third editor, or even a higher than nearly nonexistent budget for marketing.... what it really needs is a map!"
If you're smart and employed, what you can do is hire a talented illustrator to craft your magical world into a visual masterpiece!
Thankfully, I am neither of those...