If you're not familiar with |
If you're not familiar with |
March was fun, with some new to me events.
We started the month at Mona Shores Comic Con, which was great because it was free for vendors, and also, many of my fellow author and vendor friends were there so we got to catch up. This one was put on by a high school so we met many students as well as some of the general public. I've been informed that next year, the chicken should also be in attendance. 🐔
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I even had a few early copies of Nugget for Fantasticon. |
Next, I ventured over my first Ohio event in Toledo. Fantasticon was full of new to me vendors. New friends were made and I got to chat with a few old ones too. It was great to get to meet a new audience and introduce them to my books.
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I had a tiny table for Third Coast so we had a book mountain instead of my usual spread. |
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Author friends, old and new |
I wrapped up with month with my annual across the state college con in Alma, MI. Attendance was down this year due to a lack of advertising, but I did meet some new readers, as well as visiting with a few fans and I got a lot of reading done.
There are lots of places to find me in April on the list -->
Now that Nugget the Space Chicken is out in the world, I'm onto the second project of the year, I9. I closed the window on beta comments on Monday so now comes the fun of compiling feedback and digging into revisions.
Audio narration of Sahmara is also in the works. I'm guessing I'll have a few more chapters in my inbox at some point this month.
Interface is making slow but steady revision progress and going well with my critique group.
I also may have started writing the second Nugget book.
Can one have too many projects going at once? Nah. Ok, maybe, but I'll do it anyway because that's how I roll.
If you're not familiar with and find links to all the other participating writers. |
Onward to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group Question: What fantasy character would you like to fight, go on a quest with or have a drink with?
Have a seat, Vlad, we're gonna have a few beverages and see what happens.
It would probably start as a drink, then we'd get talking and either end up in a fight or find ourselves on a quest or a combination of the two because really, what's a quest with a fight in there somewhere?
Jasper and Opal’s first mission with their scientist parents
is to study the world of Ishenor to see if it could be a home for humans. They
travel to the planet’s surface with Nugget, their pet chicken, to collect
samples. Everyone has a job to do.
While their parents explore the landscape, Opal gathers
plants and Jasper collects rocks. Nugget’s job is to stay out of trouble, but
hunting for bugs leads her to a lost baby dragon.
Can Opal, Jasper, and Nugget get the dragon home safely before their parents return, or will they all be grounded forever?
Amazon / B&N / etc. and also signed copies direct from me on that handy tab above
If you're not familiar with and find links to all the other participating writers. |
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After three long days of pitching books, most of us still managed to smile. |
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Hanging out at my booth at the Women's Expo |
Last weekend was my first comic con of the year. A small show but perfect for getting back into the swing of things after the holiday break. It was fun getting the con vendor gang back together and meeting new readers.
This weekend I'll be remembering how to do three day events again at the Mid-Michigan Women's Expo. Our author alley will feature eighteen Michigan authors (who will likely be chugging a lot of caffeinated beverages). Books are stocked and my event gear is ready to roll.
Nugget the Space Chicken and the Dragon of Ishenor is ready for ARC readers. If you're interested in a review copy of this early reader chapter book aimed at ages 5-9, there's a sign up form here.
If you're not familiar with and find links to all the other participating writers. |
If you're not familiar with and find links to all the other participating writers. |
Let's see what was on the agenda for 2024 and how I did.
New books I hope you'll see in 2024:
Frayed - out with ARC readers RELEASED!
One Shot At The Sphinx - in the last round of edits RELEASED!
Laya's Vacation - waiting for illustrations RELEASED!
Projects I hope to get to or wrap up in 2024:
Godmother - currently just notes I did start this one. So yay? Is it wrapped up? Nooooooo
i9 - first draft in progress First draft complete! Hooray!
Interface - first draft in progress Ooooooh, yeah, so uhh..... FAIL. AGAIN. Sorry, Interface.
On the bonus side, I did write Nugget the Space Chicken, which wasn't even on my list (currently out for edits and a reading by my target audience). Woohoo!
Other goals for 2024:
As always, I'm hoping to read more. I have so many books on my TBR stacks and on my kindle. I did get at least one if not three books read a month, so I'll call this a win. Did I also add to my TBR stacks so I looks like I accomplished nothing? Yep.
I'd like to get out in my flower garden more. We'll see if my body cooperates. I did return to the flower garden and cleaned out / replanted several large sections, redid my stone stairway, AND built a large raised vegetable garden out of five pallets full of very heavy blocks. #muscle
Maybe work a little less. Yes, I'm laughing at that one while looking at my 2024 events over there on the right, but we're back to that hope thing. On paper, I did work less. A little. I only did one book event Sept - Dec so yay me. The down time would have been fantastic had I not also taken on two exchange students in Sept for the rest of the school year. Are they fun kids? Yep. Are we having a good time? Yep. Am I relaxing? Umm Nope.
Which brings us to... Goals for 2025:
Publish Nugget the Space Chicken
Publish I9
Finish writing Godmother
Finish writing Interface (Shaking my head at this one. Poor Interface)
Successfully juggle enough book stock for all those events --->
Read two books a month
Keep working on the overgrown flower garden
Did you have a good year? Do you have goals for the year ahead?
November's writing month was a success! While I'd hoped to get to more than one project, I did at least manage to finish i9. 66,951 words spewed from my head to the the keyboard. The rough draft of i9 clocked in at 117K. There are definitely some spots than need fleshing out so I'm guessing that will increase a bit but we'll see how the edits shake out when I get that far.
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I had a goal of at least 1K a day. Other than the one day I was gone at a comic con for long hours, I was able to at least touch my WIP every day. Yay! |
So what's next on the agenda? Editing? Nope. That story needs to rest for a bit. More writing! Those other two projects aren't going to write themselves. Sadly.
While I take a day to ponder which project I'll be diving into next, let's get to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question.
If you're not familiar with and find links to all the other participating writers. |
As a writer, I endeavor not to write cliff hangers. The book needs to end. Does the main conflict need to be resolved? Yes. Do the characters need to have meaningful growth? Yes. Can there be a few unresolved tidbits floating around to tease the next book? Yes, that is acceptable.
Would I ever end a book with: to be continued? I have strong words on that topic so we'll leave it at a HARD NO (see the toned down version below).
As a reader, if I invest time and energy into a book at it ends with any version of 'tune in next time to find out', that book is flying at a high velocity into the nearest wall and I will not read that author again. For the love of all that's holy, end the damned book! If an author cannot end a book, my faith is lost in this little contractual thing we have going on. I purchased a book. I did not purchase a book with the unwitting obligation to by two to twelve other books to find out how it all ends. There need to be 'endings for now' along the way. If the author can show me a gratifying end to a book one and I enjoyed book one, I will likely give book two a try. Leave the choice to continue in the reader's hands.
To get back into the swing of things, I set a goal to write (at least) 500 words a day from Oct 14 to 31. Setting a goal lower than I know darn well I can do helped alleviate the pressure of 'having to do the thing'. While it was a rough start and there were three days early on that I wrote less or nothing at all, I did manage to grease the gears enough that my brain and fingers remembered how this noveling thing works. By the end of the month, I was hitting my usual NaNo pace of 1,800 words a day.
I used Trackbear, a nifty new to me app to help set my habit goal that I can also use to set word goals and combine word counts to meet those goals across multiple projects. This is super handy and much easier than trying to math while in writing mode. Check out this free app if your interested in setting writing goals and establishing good wordy habits.
How do I have time to hit 1800 words a day with a job, surprise kids, pets, and all the usual life things? When I'm in full noveling mode, I write three times a day. Morning (before everyone else is up) tends to be pretty productive. A quick twenty minutes after work but before making dinner. And then whatever time I have between after dinner and before running the surprise kids around / spending time with my husband / becoming unconscious.
Can I crank out 1,800 words in one sitting? Yes. Can I do that in an hour and half? Sure. Do I like to? No. It's mentally exhausting and hard to maintain day after day. For me, anyway. Your word mileage may vary. Breaking up the word load over the whole day is easier to handle and less stressful. And who needs stress? Save that for your characters.
If you're not familiar with and find links to all the other participating writers. |
I paint, doodle, go on random new craft binges, and when in the mood, do cross stitch. What do you like to do?
June was busy. July will also be busy. August will be insane and then things get better. September through January are my writing months. I'm looking forward to those months. Nice sedate, quieter months.
Not that the busy months are all bad. During those months, book sales at all these events pay for my groceries, my house cleaning, a little extra income so I can have fun now and then, and they also have been subsidizing my major garden project. Thank you to everyone who has purchased a book so far this year. I enjoy eating.
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Laya and I were included in a local news article about the Lakeshore Art Festival. |
I'm wrapping up the artwork for Laya's Vacation and am aiming for an August release. When in August is yet to be determined. Am I running behind? Yep. Am I stressing about it? Eh, what can you do?
Critiques on I9 continue to bode well. Now I just have to continue writing it. Is it September yet?
If you're not familiar with and find links to all the other participating writers. |
I know Word.
My fingers know Word.
It does what I need it to do: sit there quietly while I put words on a page.
It autosaves for me.
It keeps all my current stuff projects in the 'recent' folder so they are easy to find.
I don't get distracted from writing on an internet hunt to figure out how to use some feature of it.
Both Grammarly and Pro-Writing aid have a plug in for it.
The .doc format easily imports into InDesign when I'm ready to format.
Everyone accepts a .doc or .pdf from Word for submissions and critique.
The newer version has a built in narrator that makes read aloud edits super easy.
If you set up your document correctly, Word event makes jumping around between chapters super easy with it's side bar menus.
Are there plenty of other options? Sure. But Word is what works for me.
How is it June already? Time flies when your schedule is full. And then you get a cold. Twice. And drop all the balls and then scramble to pick them all up. I don't have time to be sick! Get thee away from me germs!
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I bought my spirit t-shirt. |
Writing in general? Out the window. I am getting some reading done after hours at events though, so yay?
Yes, September is a long way off, but I'm looking forward to quieter times. Does this mean I'll slow my event roll next year? Mmmm probably not. But I will attempt to better organize and protect my writing months (Sept-Feb) so I don't have to stress about fall releases.
Sales have been good at events since April. Which is wonderful because Jan-March sales were pretty dismal. Now we're in tight inventory management times with 3-5 events per month. No stress at all. Everything is fine. *grimace*
The weather has been playing relatively nice, though this next ren faire looks like a rainy weekend. Ah, the perils of outdoor events.
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Meet Ziggy, my newest chicken buddy. |
Other distractions have included:
Building a large raised garden bed with 70lb+ blocks because my wooden ones rotted after 7 years. This giant bed is going NOWHERE:
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Progress! |
Sewing a ren faire outfit for my daughter:
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Tunics for everyone! |
Weeding flowerbeds (a losing battle that maybe I'll catch up on this fall) No pic needed here. Imagine a hill full of weeds and small unwanted trees with flowers poking up through them. Yep. You got it.
If you're not familiar with and find links to all the other participating writers. |
Clones. As long as my clone and I don't get sick at the same time, we could be so much more productive. One could stay home and work on the flower garden and sew and paint and write and the other could go off on road trips to events and work on Amazon ads. One of us could sleep now and then. That would be super cool. We might even make notable progress on my towering TBR stacks. Maybe. Hmm. But that might also mean two of us lose in the bookstore. Nope. Only one clone is allowed to buy books. We must have rules!
Ok, I should probably have a serious answer here but my brain to too scrambled to offer constructive suggestions.
April showers bring May flowers and so many projects.
Yes, I normally juggle a few writing projects but it seems like everything is wanting to be written at once. And I'm excited about all of these things so it's hard to focus on just one. For the record, focusing on one project while pondering the others is how I would recommend managing this balancing act. It's just not working right now.
Painting interior art for Laya's Vacation (children's picture book)
Writing The Adventures of Nugget the Space Chicken (young reader chapter book)
Writing I9 (stand-alone adult Science Fiction Mystery
Finishing Interface (stand-alone YA sci-fi)
Writing Godmother (stand-alone YA fairytale)
Fleshing out this new idea for a funny post-apocalyptic zombie/ghost story that just manifested.
Among other things that are not-so-patiently waiting their turn. OMG. If someone knows where the dial down on the idea faucet is, could they help a girl out? Please?
In addition to several events, I visited with the members of the book club at Jason's Books and Coffee in Grand Rapids who read Destiny Pills & Space Wizards. (And yes, I look weirdly photoshopped into that photo, but it's legit. Crazy phone camera focus)
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T-rex joined me for the West Michigan Women's Expo |
Kay-Kay and I visited six classrooms for March Reading Month, talking about books, writing, and chickens. We had a lot of fun and so did the kids.
My flock grew last month. Meet Lucy. She's a Toulouse goose mix that is settling in nicely with my chicken ladies.
April 6: Cadillac Pop Con, Cadillac, MI
April 12-14: Grand Rapids Spring Fling Comic Con, Kalamazoo, MI
April 26-27: Whitestown Viking Festival, Whitestown, IN
If you're not familiar with and find links to all the other participating writers. |
How long have you been blogging? What to you like about it and how has it changed?
It doesn't seem like this long, but apparently, I've been at this since January of 2010! When I first stepped into the blogging pool seemed like so many others were doing it too. These days it feels like our numbers have dwindled. It could be that many, like me, are still at it, but we don't post as often as we used to. Thanks to this group, I can say I at least post once a month. Hooray for that!
I met a lot of fun people through their blogs, had a great time doing various blog hops. The A to Z challenge was a particularly great one that pushed me to think of new ways to work that in each year. Sadly, these days, I don't have as much brain to devote to blogging as I did back when I was first starting out. At that time I was just getting into the publishing world, writing a lot of short stories and polishing my first novels. Now I'm busy going out to promote my bookstack and drowning in the perpetually running faucet of inspiration when I'm home.
There are far worse problems to have. ;)
Keep blogging.
This has been the best winter ever in terms of weather. We had real winter for a month. That was just long enough to appreciate winter. Anyway, moving on to Spring! Yay! I can deal with occasional days of snow in between the good ones, but being able to work in the yard in FEBRUARY is pretty damn awesome. Especially when the months that I'm usually trying to squeeze in lawn clean up are filled with book events.
Between the stick picking up duties and bonfires, I'm putting the final editing touches on One Shot At The Sphinx. Which led to sitting down to re-read the series to make sure I have all the facts straight. Oh, the perils of writing a prequel after building the world for six books. And while I'm reading, I got the bright idea to reformat the paperback interiors to celebrate the series being tied up. Is it actually done? It might go on (there are notes for another book) but the core series is complete. I'm not changing the content, just doing a facelift. #projects.
Painting on Laya's Vacation is slow going. The cover is done but I haven't found my grove on the rest yet beyond doing a full mock up of the book. My brain needs to wrap up the series first before it has the power to delve into this undertaking.
Writing on I9 is on hold, also until the series is wrapped up, because it turns out that working on two sci-fi projects at once makes story details easy to entangle. Oops. #dontcrossthestreams
A Broken Race is only .99 Feb 26 - March 4 on Amazon
Not Another Bard's Tale and Dreams Of Stars And Lies are only .99 - March 3-9 on Smashwords
Sahmara is FREE March 20-24
My one February event was a blast other than a medical emergency with one of the other attending authors the morning of the first day. Nothing like a medical scare to start things off. Thankfully, everyone is ok now and we agree on the need for having an emergency contact list for group events like this in the future.
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18 Authors and so many books |
Hall of Heroes Comic Con - March 2&3
West Michigan Women's Expo - March 15-17
Alma Con - March 23&24
If you're not familiar with and find links to all the other participating writers. |
Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?
This month's co-hosts are:
Miffie Seideman https://miffieseideman.com/
Kristina Kelly http://kristinaseyes.com/
Liza http://middlepassages-lcs.
Jean Davis http://jeanddavis.blogspot.
I'm not a fan of AI in writing. I don't use it beyond the common features of Grammarly and Pro Writing Aid. Even then, I don't like the more AI involved features those programs offer. #theresistance
Could AI help me write my synopsis? Sure. Can I write a synopsis? Also sure. Having done it a few times, writing a blurb or a synopsis isn't a terrible chore anymore. I've gotten fairly comfortable with it.
Could AI help me brainstorm scenes? Yep. I could also just sit here and close my eyes and brainstorm scenes. Again, having written quite a few books, I'm fairly comfortable and confident in my ability to keep the writing momentum going.
Could it help me pick out appropriate keywords for ads? Now this I might delve into a little because I'm not comfortable there yet. But that's not quite as much on the 'creative' end of the AI abilities as much as other aspects. Like all tools, AI has its uses. Just be responsible so we don't end up with #skynet blowing us up over bad grammar.
As we slip into shiny new year, it's time to look forward to new things. Usually I have a one word resolution but I've yet to come up with one so I'm forgoing that this time around. As always, I'm hoping for a more relaxed year, but that never seems to actually happen. Doesn't hurt to hope though.
How did I do with my 2023 goals?
• Release Everyone Dies: A Collection of Dark Tales DONE!
• Finally finish Frayed, because OMG this has been a tough one to get from brain to page. DONE!
• Illustrate Kay-Kay: The Littlest Chicken (new) DONE!
• Write/finish one of the following projects: Godmother (new), I9 (new), or Interface (2016 WIP).
I did start I9 so I'm calling that somewhat done.
• Release one of those five projects. I released Everyone Dies and Kay-Kay so DONE!
• Don't keel over. I'm still kicking. DONE!
New books I hope you'll see in 2024:
Frayed - out with ARC readers
One Shot At The Sphinx - in the last round of edits
Laya's Vacation - waiting for illustrations
Projects I hope to get to or wrap up in 2024:
Godmother - currently just notes
i9 - first draft in progress
Interface - first draft in progress
Other goals for 2024:
As always, I'm hoping to read more. I have so many books on my TBR stacks and on my kindle.
I'd like to get out in my flower garden more. We'll see if my body cooperates.
Maybe work a little less. Yes, I'm laughing at that one while looking at my 2024 events over there on the right, but we're back to that hope thing.
If you're not familiar with and find links to all the other participating writers. |
Well, I don't use Bookbub, so we're going to answer with platforms I do use: Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. I mostly follow back other authors, but if I've met a reader in person at an event, there's a fairly high chance that I'll follow them back too. I tend to only follow people I actually know rather than amassing numbers. That's probably not the most marketing beneficial way to go about it, but that's how I roll.
If you're not familiar with and find links to all the other participating writers. |