Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Quotes of the Week

The best stories don’t come from good vs. bad but from good vs. good.
—Leo Tolstoy

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.
—Albert Einstein

Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can write anything good.
—William Faulkner

Everything can nourish the writer. The dictionary, a new word, a voyage, an encounter...a book, a phrase learned.
—Anaïs Nin

I knew nothing about writing and have merely tried to tell an interesting story entertainingly.
—Edgar Rice Burroughs

Let me put this as delicately as I can: If you don't read, your writing is going to suck.
—Kim Addonizio

Make it so good and so clear that it doesn't need any further explanation.
—Shel Silverstein

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Tuesday Tips: Conferences

http://www.scificonventions.com/
Last weekend I attended a science Fiction Conference in Maryland called Chessiecon.

I really enjoy attending these conferences for many reasons.

Meeting People

It is a great opportunity to meet readers, other authors, editors and book industry professionals. There are lots of great networking contacts and new friends to be made. I really enjoy being with other people that love Scifi as much as I do.  Plus the Cosplayers are fun!

Learning About Writing
As of today, I feel I am still a new author. I constantly need to refine my craft. I still feel like I am just making it up as I go. It's good to learn about tools, techniques, and methods that will improve my projects. At this last conference, I had a flash of inspiration that will result in a future novel.

Learning About the Business End of Writing
The business end is where I need the most help. I don't know jack about marketing, taxes, copyrights, or a hundred other topics that are important. At these Lit Cons, I have learned so much about Indie Publishing, lawyers, accountants, contracts, ISBNs, promotions and more.

Add on top that they are just fun. I really enjoy sitting on panels as a guest author, as much as, attending the talks. Topics can be serious or silly. All enjoyable.

--Check out the Cons in your local area! I highly recommend attending!

Monday, November 28, 2016

Reading: Pandora's Star

This week I read Pandora's Star by Peter Hamilton.

Here is the description from Amazon:

The year is 2380. The Intersolar Commonwealth, a sphere of stars some four hundred light-years in diameter, contains more than six hundred worlds, interconnected by a web of transport “tunnels” known as wormholes. At the farthest edge of the Commonwealth, astronomer Dudley Bose observes the impossible: Over one thousand light-years away, a star . . . vanishes. It does not go supernova. It does not collapse into a black hole. It simply disappears. Since the location is too distant to reach by wormhole, a faster-than-light starship, the Second Chance, is dispatched to learn what has occurred and whether it represents a threat. In command is Wilson Kime, a five-time rejuvenated ex-NASA pilot whose glory days are centuries behind him.

Opposed to the mission are the Guardians of Selfhood, a cult that believes the human race is being manipulated by an alien entity they call the Starflyer. Bradley Johansson, leader of the Guardians, warns of sabotage, fearing the Starflyer means to use the starship’s mission for its own ends.

Pursued by a Commonwealth special agent convinced the Guardians are crazy but dangerous, Johansson flees. But the danger is not averted. Aboard the Second Chance, Kime wonders if his crew has been infiltrated. Soon enough, he will have other worries. A thousand light-years away, something truly incredible is waiting: a deadly discovery whose unleashing will threaten to destroy the Commonwealth . . . and humanity itself.


Could it be that Johansson was right?

Book 1 of 2 in The Commonwealth Saga (2 Book Series)  

--I actually listened to this one on Audio because it has one of my favorite narrators, John Lee. Good stuff.

Friday, November 25, 2016

Chessiecon Starts Today

I ate enough pie on Thursday. I will be one of the Guest Authors at Chessiecon at the Radisson North Baltimore (formerly the North Baltimore Plaza) in Timonium, Maryland.

The event is Friday to Sunday:
  • 3:00 pm - 11:00 pm Friday
  • 10:00 am - 3:00 am Saturday
  • 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Sunday
Stop in and say hi!

I love going to these Scifi Literary Conferences. I always learn something new. I get to meet other authors. I buy some new books.

--Mostly I sharpen the ax...

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Humans!

I have many things I am thankful for this year. I am a very fortunate man. I have wonderful family, friends, readers and co-workers.

I have great coffee and cats and food.

Be Thankful today.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Promotion! Free Stuff!

This weekend only, you can get the Kindle Edition of Blood of the Scarecrow, Book 3 of the Solstice 31 Trilogy for free on Amazon! That's right, purchase price $0.00!

I have also reduced the price of Still Falling and The Broken Cage to $0.99 for same period!

This will get you the entire Solstice 31 Saga for just under $2!

But only this weekend!

If you have Kindle Unlimited they are ALL Free!

Happy Holidays!  Be Thankful!

Martin Wilsey


Quotes of the week

The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean.
—Robert Louis Stevenson

Ah, good taste, what a dreadful thing! Taste is the enemy of creativeness.
—Picasso

Writing is like breathing, it’s possible to learn to do it well, but the point is to do it no matter what.
—Daphne Du Maurier

The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.
—W. B. Yeats

I admire anybody who has the guts to write anything at all.
—E. B. White

Read a lot. Reading really helps. Read anything you can get your hands on.
—J.K. Rowling

Play around. Dive into absurdity and write. Take chances. You will succeed if you are fearless of failure.
—Natalie Goldberg

Any work of art must first of all tell a story.
—Robert Frost

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Tuesday Tips: Dreams

Some nights I have amazing dreams.

More than one image or place or plot or character in my novels had their origin in my dreams.

Dreams are challenging:
  • How do I encourage my dreaming?
  • How do I dream about something specific?
  • How do I remember my dreams?
 This is an odd topic and your mileage may vary. All I can do is tell you what I do to encourage my dreams.

How do I encourage my Dreams?

For me I think it is a combination of things that make me dream memorable dreams. On a typical night I think everyone dreams. The thing is, most of the time, people dream scenes from their daily lives. Driving to work. Doing my jobs. Normal daily stuff. Not memorable.

You hear stories about eating spicy food or pizza giving people dreams or nightmares. I am one that has creative dreams if I drink a Gatorade right before bed. I think that it's different for everyone. You just have to find the catalyst.

How do I dream about something specific?

Our brains are amazing answer machines. It will subconsciously try to answer anything asked of it. Be careful what you ask. It will find the answer. "What will my protagonist's spaceship look like?" Has been a good question for me. "Why does she fall in love with my protagonist?" is also good. Ask yourself this over and over before bed. Writing it down is even better. Read it over and over.

Just don't ask yourself things like, "Why am I so stupid?". "Why do I suck as a writer?".

How do I remember my dreams?

This recommendation is not just for dreams. Keep a notebook handy. A few words are enough to spark the memory of your dream. "Black, carapace like a bug. no windows. turtle shaped." was the inspiration from a dream that resulted in the description of the Shuttle Transport Unit (STU) from the Solstice 31 Saga.

If you are a writer, you may already be doing all this without realizing it. It may be what makes some people into writers. Falling asleep with things drifting in your mind.

If you're lucky you can even Lucid Dream.

--Put your subconscious work!

Monday, November 21, 2016

EVENT: Chessiecon

Martin Wilsey rocking that shirt
After I eat enough pie on Thursday I will be one of the Guest Authors at Chessiecon at the Radisson North Baltimore (formerly the North Baltimore Plaza) in Timonium, Maryland.

The event is Friday to Sunday:
  • 3:00 pm - 11:00 pm Friday
  • 10:00 am - 3:00 am Saturday
  • 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Sunday
Stop in and say hi!

I love going to these Scifi Literary Conferences. I always learn something new. I get to meet other authors. I buy some new books.


--Mostly I sharpen the ax...

(you know the story about Abe Lincoln right?)

Friday, November 18, 2016

Fast Friday Indie Interviews: L.C. Perry

L.C. Perry

Tell me about yourself?

I am currently a student at a college in Atlanta, Georgia. When I’m not writing books, I am usually watching anime, reading, listening to music, daydreaming or stuffing my face with sweets. I am an indie author focused on writing Young Adult fiction of any genre.

Tell me about your current Book:

WHEN CONFRONTED WITH AN UNBELIEVABLE AND INESCAPABLE MISSION, A SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL MUST BREAK LAWS AND BOUNDARIES IN ORDER TO SAVE HER WORLD.

Teenage Ringzette Almer is a Torosapien that lives in a world that is just as gripping as it is beautiful. The world, Floresha, has taken the place of Earth which was destroyed centuries ago by an unknown power. There are four main tribes that live as a part of its inhabitants: The Chayas, the Marconnis, the Wielders and the Juugulars. Ringzette, a Chaya, is plunged deeper into her world when she comes across a mysterious man who implants a gem on her stomach. As if things couldn’t get any stranger, she is told that her claimed to be dead brother may not be dead after all and a father she never knew has left her with an unfeasible mission that he himself was unable to complete.

Now with her whole world on her shoulders, Ringzette must break the forbidden rule of travelling to the other tribes and find the six guardians that are born to protect this planet. She not only has to race against time, but also the enemies destined to destroy the very same people she must find and protect. To make matters worse, she will have to accomplish all this while managing to survive the treacherous lands of the tribes she's only heard of from her textbooks. As aFast Friday Indie Interviews lazy teenager born from a tribe of peacekeepers, what are her chances of making it through this alive?

Read a fast paced, adventurous story filled with action and intensity that will have you running through the pages! Meet distinctive characters that you won’t forget and a world that is both stunning and dangerously thrilling.

What are you working on now?

The final book in the Metamorphosis trilogy as well as a two book series

Where is your favorite place to be when you write?

My room.

What is your favorite Website?

YouTube :)

Links:

Email: lcperry614@yahoo.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Floresha-Metamorphosis-Book-L-C-Perry-ebook/dp/B01FY1LAKI
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8Oxtr5p7Lo
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15274029.L_C_Perry 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lcperry614/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LPanimefreak5 



Thursday, November 17, 2016

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Quotes of the Week

The easiest thing to do on earth is not write.
—William Goldman

One must be ruthless with one’s own writing or someone else will be.
—John Berryman

All great literature is one of two stories; a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town.
—Leo Tolstoy

Let the meaning choose the word, and not the other way around.
—George Orwell

A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children isn't a good children's story in the slightest.
—C.S. Lewis

It is impossible to discourage real writers—they don't give a damn what you say, they're going to write.
—Sinclair Lewis

We all have time machines, don't we, those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward are dreams.
—H.G. Wells

My ideas usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living.
—Anaïs Nin

Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets.
—Arthur Miller

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Tuesday Tips: Roadblocks

I started trying to write my first novel when I was 22 years old. I didn't actually get published until I was 55. I encountered a lot of Roadblocks along the way.

Here are a few of the Roadblocks that held me back:
  • Insecurity. Who did I think I was that thought I could write a novel?
  • Poor Planning. I wrote myself into corners, not knowing where my story was going. 
  • Waiting for Inspiration. I would stare at the black screen of my Apple IIe expecting it to find me.
  • Focus. It is such a distraction-filled world.
  • Time. I am too busy. I have a full-time job. I have kids. I have a wife that needs me.
  • Fear. What if people hate it? What if I suck? 
 All of these seemed to fade away when I got serious about planning. I planned my time to write daily, I outlined the hell out of everything, and I treated it like a job. I sit and write 2 hours every weekday. I attend a writers group every Sunday. I just do it no matter how inspired I feel. Now I have published three novels that have good reviews and sales. Plus a pile of short stories.

--It's all about Discipline. You can do it!

Monday, November 14, 2016

READING: The Fold

Last week I will I read The Fold by Peter Clines.

Here is the Description from Amazon:

The folks in Mike Erikson's small New England town would say he's just your average, everyday guy. And that's exactly how Mike likes it. Sure, the life he's chosen isn’t much of a challenge to someone with his unique gifts, but he’s content with his quiet and peaceful existence.

That is, until an old friend presents him with an irresistible mystery, one that Mike is uniquely qualified to solve: far out in the California desert, a team of DARPA scientists has invented a device they affectionately call the Albuquerque Door. Using a cryptic computer equation and magnetic fields to “fold” dimensions, it shrinks distances so that a traveler can travel hundreds of feet with a single step.

The invention promises to make mankind’s dreams of teleportation a reality. And, the scientists insist, traveling through the Door is completely safe.

Yet evidence is mounting that this miraculous machine isn’t quite what it seems—and that its creators are harboring a dangerous secret.

As his investigations draw him deeper into the puzzle, Mike begins to fear there’s only one answer that makes sense. And if he’s right, it may only be a matter of time before the project destroys…everything.

--I really enjoyed this novel a lot. Highly recommended. Thumbs way up.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Fast Friday Indie Interviews: Mat Blackwell

Mat Blackwell

Tell me about yourself, Mat.

My name's Mat Blackwell, I'm from Australia.  I've been writing professionally for TV for a good decade or so (a bunch of shows that Australians would probably recognise: The Glass House, Good News Week, The Sideshow, Wednesday Night Fever, Room 101, etc) as well as numerous sold-out Comedy Debates (“sold-out” as in  “they have sold all the tickets”, rather than “have no cultural value due to the interference of corporate sponsorship”).  But I’ve been writing short stories and novels all my life, ever since I can remember: I think I was about five when I decided that’s what I wanted to do with my life (I recently re-found an old book that I was given when I was seven, and in the front my aunt had written in it “to my favourite budding author” – so it was clear to everyone that I wasn’t kidding).

Although writing for TV is fun (and has allowed me to craft wordage for people like Barry Humphries, Paul McDermott, Wil Anderson, Waleed Aly, Amanda Keller, Corinne Grant etc – a huge buncha Aussie comedians, basically), my first love is novels and short stories.  I don't actually own a TV – I watch stuff on the laptop, when I watch stuff.  I’m happy (and lucky) to write for the screen, but nothing compares to the grand sweep and internal access of the printed word: when screenwriting, I can only write what’s possible given the budget, but with books, I can write whatever I want, big, small, impossible to film, whatever.  I love it heaps.

The kind of writing I love best is not just entertaining, but deals with something conceptual: big ideas, or tricky ideas, or grey areas, or taboos, or conundra.  I studied philosophy back in my Uni daze, and I love a ripping good yarn that also deals with something philosophical.  So that’s what I try to do with my writing: not just entertain, but provoke, or interrogate, or at least explore.  And maybe have a laugh now and then too, why not?

I also feel like an inordinate amount of the world’s media is American, or USA-centric, or whatever the term might be, and it irks me no end that Australians are raised on American television and music and books.  If this was a fair cultural exchange, I wouldn’t care, but it’s not: while Australians grow up singing songs about New York New York or being straight outta Compton, and watching shows set in California and Albuquerque, Americans don’t know the first thing about Bendigo or Broadmeadows or Bentleigh.  So another thing that is important to me in my writing is to rep my hood, so to speak, and refer to Australians living and interacting in Australia.  I know it might be easier to sell books by setting them in Los Angeles or whatever, but I’m just not going to do it.

Am I a grumpy misanthropic eccentric who doesn’t get out of the house very often?  You betcha. 

Tell me about your current Book:

My current novel is “Beef”.  It’s about vat-meat and love (and music, and psychics, and cults, and meaninglessness, and legacy).  It centres around Royston Beef, a bumbling rudderless sociophobe who has a pretty charmed but meaningless life as inheritor of the world’s leading synthetic vat-meat corporation, and how his life changes when he meets Gene, a voluptuous psychic musician.  The novel is basically an exploration about infidelity, and how far you can push it before it actually becomes an affair: the whole time, Royston is riding the fine line between technicality and truth, sliding closer and closer to definite infidelity, while trying to convince himself that he’s not doing anything wrong.   This all happens in an Australia of the very near future, a world where the killing of animals for food is as abhorrent as the keeping of slaves, a world where music is entirely corporatised to the point where every song is about a specific product, a world where strange cults thrive and psychics are out of the closet, etc.  It’s like a sci-fi novel, without the sci.  It’s also like a romance novel, without the romance.  I guess that makes it just a novel.  Hmmm. 

What are you working on now?

Currently I’m working on an anthology of short stories, and the novel-length quasi-sequel to ‘Beef’, ‘The Post-Cultural Pregnancy of Sydenham Jones’.  Short stories are great bite-sized morsels of goodness, and I’ve always loved them (to write, and to read).  And although the story of ‘Beef’ is definitely closed off with the ending of the novel, I still felt that some of the more minor characters, and the world itself, still had more to say.
I’m also counting the days until the webseries I co-created and co-wrote is released onto the unsuspecting world.  It’s called “Bruce”, and it’s a share-house black comedy set in 1788, the year that my wonderful nation was created by invading an already-quite-inhabited country and cramming it full of convicts.

The trailer is watchable here: https://vimeo.com/60045230

I’m also working on a black metal comedy web-series, a bunch of essays on ethics and art, and a seemingly-endless sequence of music reviews.  There is always more to write!

Where is your favorite place to be when you write?

The Stooge.  That’s short for ‘studio’, it’s a dim and gnarly cramped dungeon of a space, filled with two decades of paintings, an augmented drum kit, and piles and piles of precious things/junk.  I was actually interviewed recently about the specific relationship between my space and my creativity, you can hear it here:  http://therightspaceshow.com/#/mat-blackwell/

What is your favorite Website?

I do find myself coming here more than I should: it takes you to a different random useless website each time. http://www.theuselessweb.com/  I am a big fan of chaos-magic and creative randomness, so this suits my temperament perfectly.

Links:

eBook: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01G3M9MWA
PaperBack: http://www.lulu.com/shop/mat-blackwell/beef/paperback/product-22716888.html
WebLog: http://matblackwell.blogspot.com.au/
My band with my daughter – we’re called “Stinky Picnic”, she named it when she was three. https://stinkypicnic.bandcamp.com/

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Quotes of the Week

You must write every single day of your life... You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads... may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.
—Ray Bradbury

Show up, show up, show up, and after a while the muse shows up, too.
—Isabell Allende

If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.
—Elmore Leonard

The first sentence can’t be written until the final sentence is written.
—Joyce Carol Oates

That's one of the nice things about writing, or any art; if the thing's real, it just lives.
—Woody Allen

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
—Albert Einstein

A great book should leave you with many experiences and slightly exhausted. You live several lives while reading.
—William Stryon

I don’t have to live in the real world—I'm a fiction writer.
—Aaron Sorkin

Every voice we hear, every face we see, every hand we touch could become story fabric.
—Buffy Andrews

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Blood of the Scarecrow: Audible Edition

Now available on Amazon and Audible!

Captain James Worthington, Roland Barcus and the crew of the deep space survey ship Ventura have been betrayed and blown out of the orbit of the planet Baytirus in a heinous ambush.

As they struggle to survive, the crew discovered they were sacrificed to protect a dark agenda. Now that they've fought their way free of their planet-bound trap, the survivors are ready to go home. Whether Earth wants them back or not.

--Get all three!

Vote

Today is election day 2016.

My last political post before the election.

One day I will write a Science Fiction novel about the events that led up to an election where both the candidates were so hated by so many. In a year that gave up the death of Abe Vigoda, Bowie,and Prince, the rise of Creepy Clowns, Terrorists in America, Cop Killings and the Cubs winning the World Series.

The ending might be good or bad. Or a little of both...

Monday, November 7, 2016

READING: The Weak and the Innocent

This week I read The Weak and the Innocent by Ryk Brown.

Here is the description from Amazon:

Episode 14

A ship in the hands of their enemy…
A liberation gone wrong…
A chance to double their ranks…
A bold and daring plan…

Their support from the Pentaurus cluster dwindling fast, the Alliance faces new and unpleasant realities in the Sol sector. But untoward changes also bring unexpected opportunities… The 'trick' is in how you use them.

“The Weak and the Innocent” is a 110,000 word novel, and is the 14th episode in The Frontiers Saga.


--This is book 14 of the series. Thumbs up!

Friday, November 4, 2016

Fast Friday Indie Interviews: Jesse Teller

Jesse Teller

Tell me about yourself, Jesse.

I'm a man obsessed with fantasy. I think about it constantly. I'm almost always working on a book. I don't run out of ideas. Writing is all I want to do, and I enjoy doing it. I have a wife and two kids. I've got a writing partner. Her name is Sadie. She's a Rottweiler, and she's with me for every word I type.  With my work, I'm trying to make sense of my troubled past, and trying to teach myself how to be an honorable man who can raise two productive and brilliant children. Every one of my novels is searching for something. I can only hope that by the time I'm done, I've found it.


Tell me about your current Book:

When an evil wizard tries to appease his demon god, a warrior fairy must stop him by saving a newborn prince, or else a demonic gate will unleash Hell's army upon the world.
A zealous guardian in a peaceful city, Gentry Mandrake is a fairy unlike any other. Cast out and hated for his differences, his violent nature makes him wonder at the purity of his soul. He hunts for belonging while fighting to protect the human child bound to him. Explore the mythical realm of The Veil, the grating torture of the Sulfur Fields, and the biting tension between power and purpose in this wondrous struggle against a demonic wizard and his denizens. Can Mandrake
overcome such terrible foes to defend those he loves?

What are you working on now?

Right now, I'm finishing the third book of a trilogy called The Manhunters. It tells the story of an elite group hunting down a mass of escaped criminals. It has been a whirlwind ride of action and emotion, and I am looking to begin publishing this series in October of 2018.

Where is your favorite place to be when you write?

I pretty much exclusively stick to my office when I write. It's filled with images of monsters and angels. The entire room has been streamlined for work and creativity. I write on an ancient Army desk that holds up a state-of-the-art computer.

What is your favorite Website?

I'd like to say my favorite website is something hip and revolutionary. I'd like to say it's a research site with a powerful search engine that I use to hunt for nuggets of truth I can suffuse into my stories. But basically, most of my time browsing the internet is spent on YouTube, listening to music that inspires me or gives me an escape, and watching weird videos of people falling down.


Links:

Email: jesseteller@yahoo.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jesse-Teller/e/B01G0ZB7JG/
Blog: https://jesseteller.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PathtoPerilisc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JesseTeller
Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15269506.Jesse_Teller
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/SimonBard
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JesseTeller

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Quotes of the Week

It's impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously you might as well not have lived at all.
—J.K. Rowling

Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can write anything good.
—William Faulkner

Stories may well be lies, but they are good lies that say true things, and which can sometimes pay the rent.
—Neil Gaiman

If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don't write.
—Anaïs Nin

Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard.
—Anne Sexton

Work like hell! I had 122 rejection slips before I sold a story.
—F. Scott Fitzgerald

Never judge a book by its movie.
—J.W. Eagan

Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it.
—Jack London

The best way to learn about writing is to study the work of other writers you admire.
—Jeffery Deaver

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Tuesday Tips: Patience

When you are a new author and have decided to go the Indie Published path, one of the most important things you need to cultivate is Patience.

Bam! Your first draft is finished! Indie authors usually upload it to Createspace and it looks awesome. The second draft makes it better. The third draft better still. They order a proof and it is so exciting when that first proof is in hand.

Try to cool your jets.

Don't rush to publication. (I did it and had to release a second edition a month later after reviews talked about typos.) 

By now you should have lined up beta readers, a professional editor and hopefully a writers group that will help you.

Here is what I like to do now as my process:
  • Do as many drafts as it takes to make it as good as you can. Leave it for a month. Don't touch it. Get some distance. Then do a last line by line review.
  • Get a beta reader you trust to review it for plot. Not a spelling, grammar and punctuation review. Make mods if required.
  • Have it professionally edited. Pay for a good editor. It's worth it.
  • Print five or six Red Pen Proofs.
  • Give these to your HONEST Beta Readers. NOT your Mom.  Collect feedback, not praise. Make Mods if required.
  • One last pass through your editor. 
  • One last Proof for format review.
  • Do not publish without first seeing a Perfect Proof.
  • Press Publish.
It is important that your contract with your professional editor details the process. Your editor gets last review. Turn Track Changes on to show the mods you make.

There is a similar review process for the Kindle edition. KDP make review and updates easy.

--You will want to rush. Resist. Get help. Remember that first drafts always suck.