Friday, August 30, 2013

Mark Your Calendar!!!

I have a bunch of buddies with September book releases, so I thought I'd put them in order of release so you can just look HERE and keep track of what's coming...

September 2:  Jade Jamison (one of my reliable sprint buddies and first readers for my Shot in the Light Series) Is releasing Rock Bottom, sequel to the Best-Selling Bullet. Note for the release weekend, Bullet is only 99 cents--these are rock and roll... I want to say love stories... they are, but NOT typical romance... sexy (some erotica level scenes) but REAL... Your inner groupee definitely wants to read these.

Sadly, as an Indie, no pre-orders, so don't forget!!!


September 15: Witch Land: The Cindy Chronicles Book 2 (of 6) by RaShelle Workman

After RaShelle's wildly successful serial Blood and Snow (about Vampires) RaShelle is taking on Witches!

POSSESSING MAGIC DOESN'T GUARANTEE A HAPPILY EVER AFTER. OR DOES IT?

Life sucks. 
Possessing magic sucks. 
What doesn’t suck? Fashion, Cindy's boyfriend Gabe, and her best friend, Snow White. 

Cindy (Cinderella…shhh, don’t tell) was born a witch. It’s part of who she is. But there’s more to her than that. She loves deeply. And has a big heart. She’d do anything for those she cares about, including risk her own life to save theirs. 


September 17Alex Cavanaugh (who needs no introduction around here) is releasing CassaStorm.  This is the third in Alex's triology that began with CassaStar and continued with CassaFire. If you want to look in on the CassaStorm blog tour, details are here.

Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, his only struggles are occasional rogue pirate raids and endless government bureaucracies. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans. 







October 1: Gwen Gardener  is releasing A Guilty Ghost Surprised. Okay, so not quite September, but very nearly!

An Angel Among Us

Paranormal happenings at the Eady household are the norm. Recently, things have become downright peculiar. Childish giggles at odd hours of the night lead Indigo Eady to her little cousin, Bryan, a guileless cherub spirit, complete with Spider Man pajamas and a set of faux angel wings. The problem is that Bryan died nearly three years ago in a hit and run that killed him and his mum. The driver was never found.  Now the gang must solve the mystery of his death in order to send him back to heaven.  But where to start when the trail is three years cold?

Indigo Eady


Indigo Eady is not clumsy. At least, that’s what she keeps telling everyone. Can she help that the overactive spirit community of Sabrina Shores causes her psychic abilities to short-circuit? It’s unfortunate that her cute friend Badger is often on the receiving end of her mishaps. At times, she is positively hazardous to his health. Even so, sparks fly in more than one direction.


Late September/Early October

Janet Oakley is the award-winning author of Tree Soldier and sets her historic fiction in my favorite locale, the Pacific Northwest. She's carved herself a niche with her books--she is a history expert in this area and most of the books on the time and place seem to lack the heart Janet puts into them. You should read one or both. If you like EITHER historic fiction OR the Pacific Northwest, you will love these.

Timber Rose:  1907. Women climbing mountains in skirts. Loggers fighting for the eight hour day. The forests and mountains of the North Cascades are alive with progress, but not everyone is on board.
Caroline Symington comes from a prominent family in Portland, Oregon. Much to her family’s dismay, she’s more interested in hiking outdoors and exploring the freedoms of a 1907’s New Woman than fancy parties and money. She plans to marry on her own terms, not her parents. When she falls in love with Bob Alford, an enterprising working-class man who loves the outdoors as much as she, little does she know how sorely her theories will be tested. Betrayed by her jealous sister, Caroline elopes, a decision that causes her father to disown her.

The young couple moves to a rugged village in the North Cascade Mountains where Caroline begins a new life as the wife of a forest ranger. Though she loves her life in the mountains as a wife and mother, her isolation and the loss of her family is a challenge. As she searches for meaning among nature, she’s ushered along by a group of like-minded women and a mysterious, mountain man with a tragic past.
Eventually, her relationship with her mother and sister improves and things seem to be taking a turn for the better. That relationship is tested again when her uncle and her sister's ruthless ex-husband muscle their way into the national forest, threatening the nature she loves, and more importantly, the man she loves. Though Caroline desires to reconcile with her family, she knows she must take a stand. 

TIMBER ROSE is about gilded society, thugs and big timber meeting the newly formed Forest Service, mountaineering clubs and a young woman's desire to make her own way in a changing world.

TIMBER ROSE is the prequel to the award-winning TREE SOLDIER.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

In Case You Missed It!!!

First:  A Reminder and an Invitation:  Anyone interested in participating in my How The World Ends Blogfest, it is ONE WEEK from today (on the release of A Flock of Ill Omens, first in my Shot in the Light serial.

I will send you ALL you need except for your brief entry as to how the world ends (a paragraph or two).  More information here.

I would LOVE IT if you'd join us!!!


And NOW--I've had a crazy summer and it's nearly at an end, so I thought it would be nice to share with some of you the BOOKS you might have missed!!!

(Sorry to people I missed, I know there are tons of you--I scoured my regular haunts, but the facebook feed only goes back so far)


On Gabriel's Wings by Kathleen Barker

In the fourth and final installment of "The Charm City Chronicles" saga, Kate finds herself married at 17, and her teen and adult worlds collide. While husband Michael is away at college, her beloved grandmother's health goes into serious decline and Kate's graduation is imperiled. These struggles soon become the least of her worries as Michael's brother, Gabe, just can't give up the hope of rekindling his romance with her until he sustains life-threatening injuries. "On Gabriel's Wings" is a roller-coaster ride of young adult love and conflict that will keep you reading until the very last page.

Something Taken by Jerrie Brock

Everything changes the night Terry is pulled over by the Denver Police. Intimidated and frightened, she submits to the cop’s demands. Terry did not realize that her submission would be used as future consent. As the cop stalks her, Terry finds her life slipping out of control. With only her pup to share her guilt and fears, and drugs to hide her shame, all her dreams are crumbling around her.

Friday Night Alibi by Cassie Mae’s

In the wealthy town of Sundale, Kelli Pinkins has hatched the perfect plan to capitalize on her sweet reputation. For a generous fee, she will be every trust-fund baby’s dream: a Friday-night alibi, the “girlfriend” or “BFF” that parents dream about. With college approaching in the fall, Kelli’s services are in demand more than ever, which means that her social life is nonexistent. But Kelli is A-okay with that. She’s raking in cash for school. Besides, relationships are tricky, and sometimes very messy. She’d rather be at home on Xbox LIVE, anyway. Then the unexpected happens: She meets college stud Chase Maroney.

Tombstone - Wyatt Earp, the O.K. Corral, and the Vendetta Ride 1881-82 by Sean McLachlan

The Gunfight at the OK Corral on 26 October 1881 is one of the most enduring stories of the Old West. It led to a series of violent incidents that culminated in the Vendetta Ride, in which Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and several other gunslingers went after their rivals the Cowboys.

Like most tales of the Wild West, the facts are buried under layers of myth, and the line between good guys and bad guys is blurry. Wyatt Earp, leader of the so-called "good guys", was charged with stealing horses in the Indian Territory in 1870 and jumped bail. Becoming a buffalo hunter and gambler, he got into several scrapes and earned a reputation as a gunfighter. Several times he helped lawmen arrest outlaws, but usually his assistance came more because of a personal grudge against the criminal than any real respect for law and order. He even got fired from a police job in Wichita for beating up a political rival. 


Secrets of the Ash Tree by Siv Ottem

Secrets of the Ash Tree' is the story about Liv, a young woman who discovers her true nature through the unraveling of hidden secrets. Her adventures begin when she digs up a chest that was buried by her father under the old ash tree in her garden. What she finds inside the chest changes her life forever. Liv discovers one secret after another and is thrown into a world full of dangerous and strange creatures, mighty Norse warriors and perils beyond her belief. What started out as a fairy tale in her father’s journal was to become her legacy, a guide line to survival, and a map to the world she was about to enter. Each day, each mystery, each encounter will ultimately reveal her true destiny and behind the edge of a sword awaits a young god who is willing to share that destiny with her.

Men of Foxwick by Cherie Reich 

 A blind teen seeks a place in the kingdom. A dragon seer journeys to Wintermill to spy on the queen. A sword master’s worst fear comes true when he fails to protect the royal family. A king falls in love with an herb witch, but will she feel the same way? A hunter will rise to the challenge to hunt down a man-eating monster.

Murder, Madness and Love by Yolanda Renee

Sunlight blazes on an empty canvas.
Arctic winds gather snowflakes on a frosty window ledge as a statuesqueform appears. She moves past a table littered with papers. Headlines splash news of murder, but it’s the photo of another young woman with features mirroring her own that draws her attention.
A different headline peeks from underneath the Anchorage Times.
Wealthy Businessman Dies in Car Crash … BLACK WIDOW SUSPECTED!

Violet Storm by Lynn Rush’s

Emma Martin may have severed her mind-scrambling bloodlink by killing the vicious vampire, Seth, but he's left his mark. When she starts to lose time and begins hearing strange voices, Emma fears she's either going crazy, or something much darker has weaseled its way into her mind--and her soul

 Ruby’s Fire by Catherine Stine

If everything about you changes, what remains? Seventeen year-old Ruby, long-pledged to the much older Stiles from the Fireseed desert cult, escapes with only a change of clothes, a pouch of Oblivion Powder and her mute little brother, Thorn. Arriving at The Greening, a boarding school for orphaned teens, she can finally stop running. Or can she? The Greening is not what it seems. Students are rampaging out of control and as she cares for the secret Fireseed crop, she experiences frightening physical changes. She’s ashamed of her attraction to burly, hard-talking Blane, the resident bodyguard, and wonders why she can’t be happy with the gentler Armonk. She’s long considered her great beauty a liability, a thing she’s misused in order to survive. And how is she to stop her dependence on Oblivion to find a real beauty within, using her talent as a maker of salves, when she has nightmares of Stiles without it?

 Dreamland by Stephen Swartz 

This looks like it's cheating, but it's not. The SECOND one came out in June, but I am linking the first in case you want to start there (I would).

 High school nerds Sebastian and Gina discover a doorway to a new world. Adventure-loving Gina falls in love with the world of Ghoupallesz and wants to stay, but studious Sebastian fears losing touch with Earth, so he returns alone. Nevertheless, he sneaks back time and time again for his own adventures before finally giving it up after too many lost loves, betrayals, and war.

Years later, working night shift at the IRS, Sebastian feels the cosmic pull once more. Gina is in trouble. Again. Of course he must return and save her! Perhaps this time, he hopes, they can remain together. Returning through the interdimensional doorway, Sebastian must first gather his old comrades from the war, cross the towering Zet mountains, and free Gina from the evil Zetin warlord’s castle.


The Soul Flies Free by Roland Yeomans 
(this one is short--31 pages, but also inexpensive)

Create Hope … or rather a clone of the last Sidhe. But when you’re a small fae girl just awakened to find you are the only hope for the world, the chances for a happy ending seem … hopeless.


Pharoah's Son by Diana M Wilder

Again, this one is earlier, but the 2nd in the series came out this summer...

As Prince Khay, fourth son of Ramesses the Great, is marshalling a procession for a festival,  one of the colossal statues of his grandfather, Pharaoh Seti, comes crashing down into a throng of worshippers, bringing the feast day of the good god Ptah to a sudden, bloody end.

So go get some books and get reading!!! (September releases tomorrow)

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Where is the Tart!?

Panicking!!!

You know how I bite off more than I can chew?  Yeah... doing that...

I am madly trying to finish book 4 for first readers.

I have feedback on book 2 from second readers and copy edits on book 1 from Leanne I need to get in there and TODAY should get back edits on book 3 from first readers.

I can't POSSIBLY keep track of all this...

But I DO have two posts planned this week and you can help:

If you know of blogger buddy books released this summer--I want to to give them a shout out THURSDAY.

And if you know of books being released in September (Alex and RaShelle are already on my list) I am doing a calendar Friday.  So PLEASE SHARE!!!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Write, Edit, Publish Bloghop: Vacation Theme


Halo, fine friends and welcome! This if my first run at this Write, Edit, Publish Bloghop and already I find myself needing to cheat. My life has overwhelmed me and writing and editing take TIME, so instead of writing something FRESH, I am going to post my Vacation themed first scene from A Flock of Ill Omens.

Only it’s a workcation… So that is cheating twice, eh?

But first: what this blog hop IS:

Hosted by Denise Covey, it is practice to polishing up our work (and getting feedback):

1. SUBMIT your name to the Inlinkz list below NOW if you wish to participate
2. CREATE your entry according to the monthly theme - August = VACATION. More info here
3. EDIT your entry until it sparkles
4. POST your entry on your blog/facebook on the dates shown - remember to state feedback preferences (full critique to general comments) and whether your work is copyrighted - ©
5. READ other entries, giving feedback as requested

Feedback I am seeking: Does this HOOK you (do you want more? You can have more if you do… offering this free—first in a serial), anything that confuses you? Rub you the wrong way? I have a copy editor with this now, so no need for typo level stuff, but I’d love impressions.


A Flock of Ill Omens (first 2 pages)

1. Sidney Knight: Lincoln City, Oregon: Sea of Birds

Sidney Knight knew some people were freaked out by seagulls. She'd had a college boyfriend she mocked for it. Sure, they were noisy and moved as a mob, chasing anyone who seemed open to sharing a snack. But she didn't mind them. Except these. These were silent, spread across the beach in an unnatural formation, sprawled past a hotel and two cabins before they clogged a small delta that released a stream or storm drain into the Pacific Ocean. These didn't chase anyone. Or move or blink. They were dead. She didn't need to get any closer to know that.

She'd come to Lincoln City for the weekend because she was facing deadlines for three freelance articles she'd pitched and her recently engaged housemates, Sarah and David, had been celebrating loudly for the last week. She couldn't begrudge them their joy; she loved them both. But she needed quiet to get her work done.

Finishing the second article had sent her out of the gale-force-free comfort of her motel room to wander up the beach for some fresh air. She'd always loved the Oregon Coast. It was rock-lined and tragic and the November wind and rains exaggerated the stories in her head, making her yearn for a day she could just sit by a fireplace writing fiction and listening to the wild coastal sounds. Sadly, the freelance articles would be a necessary supplement for decades, but even there, a wind-blown walk usually cleared her head. But not with those seagulls.

She turned and ran back to the hotel, the wind working against her this time. The endless flight of wooden steps seemed even longer than normal as she made her way to the motel office. She had to ring the bell. In fact, she rang it three times before the harassed-looking woman came out, drying her hands.

“Sorry about that,” the woman said, giving off an air that was more annoyed than sorry.

The wait had allowed Sid to catch her breath, or so she thought, until she tried to speak.

“Seagulls. Hundreds of them...”

“Well this is the sea,” the woman said.

“Dead. All of them.”

“Oh.”

“I think it might be that avian flu they've been talking about—the new strain. We're supposed to call the authorities.”

The woman's irritation evaporated, replaced by alarm. She dialed the phone. Yes. Dialed, Sid thought. It was one of the quaint things about the coast. Not much got updated.

“Joyce? This is Milly up at the Sandpiper. We've got a dead bird problem.”

She listened for a while. Sid could hear the higher-pitched voice over the line. She couldn't make out many of the words, but she was unnerved at the long list of instructions Milly seemed to be getting. Finally, Milly said she'd try and hung up, looking a little desperate.

“I hate to ask it, but I need to put some barriers down there on the beach and Jim won't be back for hours. Could you help me drag the barrels down?”

“Um... the authorities aren't coming?”

“Joyce said we're about her tenth call like this, so not for a while. We need to make sure people don't go traipsing through them—the dead birds.”

“I don't think anybody would—it's awful!”

“You'd be amazed what people will do to avoid climbing up those stairs any more often than they have to.”

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

The World Ends HOW!? Blogfest



Halo, fine friends!

You know how I warned you Monday that I’d be posting for a blogfest? Well today’s the day I post the schtik!



WHY!? I am soon releasing A Shot in the Light, at least the first episode, for serial consumption!

Date: September 5, 2013 (release date for A Flock of Ill Omens, the first part) (the 6th or 7th is fine if that fits your blog schedule better!)

What/How:

1)  Sign up through the linky
2)  I will send a bit of info to you a few days before (blurb, cover, links)
3) You add 50-250 words about how YOU think the world will end (all in fun): is it nuclear war? Aliens? Zombies? Asteroid? [Is it clear yet I think way too much about this?] Giant Spaghetti Monster? Attack of the Interrobang!? Or are you on board with my flu scenario?

PRIZE!!! To sweeten the pot, I will randomly choose one entry for:

A SUBSCRIPTION (the full serial, as it comes out) and a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate

Please Please PLEASE Help me spread the word! I think all your ideas on how the world will end will be thoroughly amusing!

[Also wik: for those of you popping over for Denise Covey’s Write, Edit, Publish blogfest, that entry will be up tomorrow!]

[Also also wik:  Happy Birthday Mom!]






Monday, August 19, 2013

Like Crack (My Nefarious Plan)


This is my plan *BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA*. It's my theory that a serial's success is dependent on how addictive it is. So I am taking a little time to study successful drug dealers.

You think I'm kidding?

Well, okay, mostly I'm kidding. Except not really. Because it makes sense.


And see, once you READ this ill make sense *shifty*
FIRST, I offer up a sampling for free... a BIG sample. It has to be enough to hook somebody, after all... So I plan on offering this puppy (only it's not really a puppy—it's a 100-page book) to ANYBODY WHO WANTS IT.

Got that? You want to read it? It's FREE! Now Kindle won't let me ALWAYS have it free—they are stinkers that way. But they WILL let me have some free DAYS, so for each successive book, I will give the first away, but I am going farther... I am just offering it up to alla y'all here... you want it? Just tell me. And as soon as it's ready, I will send it to you.

I am starting a LIST—so just gimme your email --my email link here works if you'd rather send it privately than posting  (unless you know I have it already—then just shout).


I will ALSO ask you to officially download it on that first free day, just so it goes into my numbers (and so if you want to review, you are a 'verified' reader... And I WOULD appreciate reviews on it... But I am not requiring it. I just wanna HOOK YOU! *cough*


See how glamorous you'll be!
The NEXT drug dealer lesson is then not letting it be too long between doses, or you will get through withdrawal and may not NEED the next one. So Book 2 will be just 2 weeks after book 1... And then Book 3 just 3 weeks after that. I am hoping by that point to have you all good and addicted and then I can set you up in a brothel... wait. No, wrong story.


And HEADS UP!


Reserve the date! September 5 is MINE—a wee blog fest if you don't mind... I will put the details up on Wednesday.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

IndieLife Intro

So I am not yet Indie published, but by this time next month, I will be, so I decided to join in with some great people and start getting to know them… this Indie Life Blog  is the 2nd Wednesday of the month… (go join if you have or will Indie Publish!)

Since I am new at this, let me start with a brief intro, THEN I will list the things I plan to do this month before pressing publish on September 5.


What I hope to get from YOU is a reality check of what I’m MISSING.

I’m Hart (hi, Hart) and have traditionally published a couple Cozy Mysteries. I’ve always written, but only learned how to FINISH books in about 2006 (and those first three were fan fiction).

I’ve now written 15 first drafts (plus the fan fiction, so 18) but only published 2 (my 3rd Cozy comes out in March and a 4th Cozy I plan to sell traditionally-I don't suspect I will have trouble).

Probably half of those remaining are fixable to be published… but I’ve been waffling how to go about this. See… I believe the decision of the HOW has to do with genre and personality. And my personality is really more suited to traditional—details stress me out. Control’s not my thing. DETAILS aren't my thing... I just want to WRITE.

But I also HATE the ‘shopping the stuff’. The mystery is pretty easy. I had a referral and an easy first sale (7th book, mind you, but 3-book contract), but my other books I’ve queried haven’t gone that easily.

The serial collection cover
And then I fell in love with the serial.

I have three very strong stories in various stages of development that are definitely best suited to the serial format, so I decided it was time to set aside my fears (and detail aversion) and give it a shot.

I will see how it goes and see if I learn what I need to before I decide how I’ll publish my standalone books, but for now, I’m committed to the serial release of A Shot in the Light, a flu apocalypse thriller… (10 ‘episodes’ about 100 pages a piece) And here is what I need to do:


Production (by the end of August)
(the stuff I know how to do
Book 1 is with editor (scheduled release 9/5)
Book 2 is getting an edit (scheduled release 9/19)
Book 3 is with first readers

Need to write book 4 (the core is done)
(first 3 covers are ready)

(the stuff I need to figure out)
Need to learn to format for ePublication
Need to investigate Kindle Special Direct—considering this for initial publication, then expanding formats in maybe December when I’ll put out my first ‘bundle’

Need to write cover copy
Need to write acknowledgements

The first in the serial (99 pages)
Need set of blurbs (15 words, 50 words and 100 words)


Marketing

Update Author Profile on Amazon
New Author Profile on Goodreads (first need to get them to allow me two names)
Look into additional book venues (Book Bub?)

Solicit reviewers

And I know there are a thousand other things. I want to do this RIGHT or I probably would just wing it. I tend to do that. But I LOVE this story--really I do. And I want everybody ELSE to love it, too!  Which means I need to do all I can so people even KNOW about it.


So if any of you have MUSTS on your list for first time indie authors, especially if you know about serials, I would LOVE to have you share!!!


Monday, August 12, 2013

Friends Don't Let Friends... Anti-blog Blogfest



Halo fine people! Today I'm participating in Gary at Klahanie's Anti-blog Blogfest... what blogfest would YOU never join? This idea tickled me. I bet we see some funny stuff today. And certainly we should get to know a little more about our bloggy friends.

You guys know me (or not)--I'm totally easy. There's not much I wouldn't do, but there ARE a couple, so here we go...



Well, maybe THIS kind of Bad Book Blogfest...
5: Bad Books Blogfest. Now I have books I don't like now and then... but those of us hoping to be a part of this business just do NOT serve ourselves well by making a big deal about that. If we are mean, it makes it more likely people will be mean back.






Ask who cut the cheese?
4: Miss Manners Blogfest: I am so lacking in propriety. I also hate being told what to do enough that participating in something where people are telling people what to do? Yeahno.









Now THIS is stylin!
3: In Style Blogfest: My husband sometimes tells me I dress like a clown. True story. My daughter has been trying to redress me since she was 9. The fact of the matter is 1: I'd really rather be naked. 2: I am EXTREMELY cheap. 3: I DON'T CARE about clothes... no. Worse than that. I resent them. 4: I don't really approve of the idea of anybody caring what people think about how they dress. I can get along with someone loving to play with fashion in their own way—some people have a sense of style and that's all fine. But KEEPING UP? No. Brand names? NEVER. Spending a lot of money at it? Not me.




Erm... yeahno.

2: Domestic Diva Blogfest. I hate cleaning. In fact I really just figure stuff just gets dirty again. I'm not much into cooking and don't garden. Laundry is the bane of my existence. This is just NOT my area of expertise. Or interest.






Say it with me: Get them OFF!


1: The Joy of Pants Blogfest: Y'all KNOW how I feel about pants, yes? Say it with me: Pants are evil! Down with Pants! So this is the very last blogfest I would ever join...


So have I offended everyone? Hopefully not. Now go check what everybody ELSE would not do for a blogfest!

[did anyone notice I counted to three like King Arthur? It is my way.]

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Marketing, Naked Thursday Style


(Warning: On Naked Thursday, I sometimes may tell you more than you want to know)

So I hear stuff sometimes, right? Stuff I'm 'Supposed to' do, and if it rings true to me and I feel even remotely capable, I'm like 'yeah, okay.' I've got FOMS, see? (fear of missing something) so I generally am open to experimentation. Broadly... Like I'm totally easy.

But SOME of this stuff, I just think ARE YOU HIGH? Stuff that either seems like just an insane amount of work, an insane activity, or REALLY BUGS ME when I'm on the receiving end, so I just am loathe to start bugging people as badly as some people bug me. Make sense?

Anyway, I thought I'd do a little series on this as I lead up to having to promote the heck out of myself... just ADMIT to y'all my ISSUE with something that I'm theoretically supposed to do, and see if you can talk me into it<--this is your goal, if in fact you disagree with me: TALK ME INTO IT. Look at it as a challenge.

Today I'm going to start with a biggie because it fits TWO of the categories above. It both seems like an insane amount of work AND bugs the crap out of me. (no offense if you do it—we've all been told we're supposed to, so I only blame you as part of a collective, not personally.)


Mailing Lists

Now I could be on THIS (Hell's mailing list)
I DON'T WANT TO BE ON ANY. That doesn't mean don't email me. By all means, DO if you have a personal or small group of friends type plea or question. But all that NEWS? No. I want to get that in my Facebook feed or from your blog. NOT in my inbox. My inbox is where I do BUSINESS and I don't want it clogged when I am trying to look at what I need to do.

(now if I've signed up for something, that's another matter entirely—by all means, remind me)

(and likewise, if you've done me favors—hosted me, shared stuff—then PUT ME on your list of people you are asking for stuff from (this goes for pretty much ALL my regular blog visitors), but I look at this as 30-50 friends unless you're Alex and really HAVE several hundred friends--and for a specific REQUEST, not NEWS--I don't look to my email for NEWS unless you are my agent or editor)

But everywhere I turn it says 'Oh, an author needs a mailing list' like it's a REQUIREMENT to be annoying in order to sell books, and this just doesn't ring true... But maybe that's just me.

So here are my questions:

1)  Do you LIKE getting a newsletter from authors?

2)  How often is too often for a mailing list mailing?

3)  Do you mind mass mailings for favors?

4)  Do you READ stuff that comes to you and 200 other people?

5)  Do you HAVE a mailing list?

6)  Has it really done miracles for you and if so, explain.

Go on! Convince me!

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Crisis of Confidence




Firstly, WELCOME anyone stopping by as part of the insecure writer’s group! (and anybody stopping by for any other reason).  It’s first Wednesday, when we share our insecurities or offer up wisdom to cope with said issues.  So be sure to stop and visit some OTHERinsecure writers today, too!



As for me…

I am in that wonky bipolar phase of getting feedback. I’m up, I’m way down, I’m up again… Can I address this? I’m not up to it. OHMYGOSH THIS IS FABULOUS!






And what I’ve come to that might help some of YOU is this… when you are feeling DOWN because the feedback points out something HARD to cope with, keep the faith. It IS hard… but it is what makes the work better. Pushing yourself to fix something that either you breezed past too quickly or maybe just weren’t up to doing the first time… LEARNING to do it right on the rewrite…






This is GROWTH friends!





 And this process of pulling and pushing us to help us grow is GOOD!  They just should maybe call us taffy. *shifty *



Someone reminded me of a Neil Gaiman Quote yesterday:  When someone tells you something is wrong in your writing, they are usually right. When someone tells you exactly how to fix it, they are usually wrong.