Author, blogger, and friend Marcia Meara invited me to participate in her #TenThingsYouMayNotKnowAboutMe blog feature last month. I had so much fun thinking about it, writing it, and meeting her incredibly interactive followers. I hope you will enjoy both this post and Marcia’s blog: The Write Stuff – “Writers Helping Writers” with Marcia Meara & Friends.
#TenThingsYouMayNotKnowAbout #ValerieOrmond | The Write Stuff (marciamearawrites.com)
Thank you, Marcia!
When I published my first book in 2011, book trailers were all the rage. They were relatively new at the time and came in all shapes and sizes. Then, it seemed they went out of style. I remember hearing, “No one does those anymore.”
I did my own research and found, as is often the case with “intelligence,” the first report was inaccurate. Book trailers are still alive and well, which didn’t surprise me due to the growth in video popularity across all platforms. Armed with this current marketing news, I set forth to create a trailer for my latest book.
I share this story with blog readers, many of whom are writers, because I wished I’d read a post like this before I started. I tried a variety of software programs recommended online, but none clicked with my non-tech brain. Then, a writer friend recommended I try Microsoft’s built-in Video Editor program. Why not? So, I headed to my best source for learning things like this, Kevin Stratvert, followed his directions, and created a decent trailer.
I say “decent” because one of Microsoft Video Editor’s shortcomings is the lack of transitions between video frames. The harsh transitions didn’t work for this project, so I consulted Kevin’s YouTube channel again to watch 5 BEST FREE Video Editors video. I now had small moving images created from my first effort and applied them to the OpenShot video editing program which allowed me to create the needed transitions. Yay!
I also decided at this point that the free music clip I’d included from the Microsoft Video Editor program wasn’t exactly what I wanted. I purchased a new clip from AudioJungle for a reasonable price, and I was happy with the outcome. I mention this because I’m glad I didn’t settle with what was easier and sort of worked the first time around. Here is the result for the Believing In Horses Out West book trailer. My answer is to the title question is – yes to book trailers.
Thank you to award-winning and prolific author Janice Spina for having me as a guest on her blog! Janice writes in many genres and supports other authors in their journeys. Interview an Author on Jemsbooks.blog: Valerie Ormond! | JEMSBOOKS
I released my third novel, Believing In Horses Out West, on Friday, and it’s been a whirlwind couple of days! This book takes young Sadie Navarro on an adventure to a Montana ranch to check on a horse she rescued. While there, she makes new friends, learns about ranch life, and encounters a mystery.
New York Times Bestselling Author of Sgt. Reckless: America’s War Horse, Robin Hutton, described the book as “A thrilling coming-of-age story filled with love, lessons, and finding one’s purpose in life…”
On book launch day, the book achieved an Amazon #1 New Release ranking!
The next day, the book debuted at Freedom Hill Horse Rescue’s Spirits & Steeds festival for a book signing where I had the chance to meet readers, volunteers, and tons of wonderful people who stopped by to talk about all three of my books.
Books are available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, the Believing In Horses website, and retailers worldwide wherever you buy books. I greatly appreciate my readers and those who have encouraged me to keep on writing through the years; thank you for helping me reach this milestone!
I’m excited to announce that Believing In Horses Out West will be published in October! This standalone novel in the Believing In Horses series takes our heroine on an adventure like she has never seen before. Want to know more?
Sadie Navarro rescued a mare from an auction accomplishing what she thought was the most important mission of her young life.
Now, that mare is headed to a ranch in Montana and a home Sadie knows nothing about.
She wants to make sure the horse is in good hands, but Montana is far away and a different world from Maryland.
Will fourteen-year-old Sadie need to stand up to rugged cowboys to protect her special rescue horse?
Details to follow, but the book will be available in paperback and eBook formats and distributed worldwide. I thank all my readers for their wonderful support of my first two books and hope you will enjoy the latest ride!
