Month: July 2018

Here’s What I’ve Been Working On

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I’m kind of at the point where I’m sick of my own story.

Writers, you know what I’m talking about.

Having read and reread (and reread and reread…) the same passage about twenty thousand times makes you hate it. And that’s where I am—about to hate it—so I’ve been working on something else that *desperately* needs my attention: marketing.

I have to have some sort of something that shows the book and includes information about it/me. What do we call those? Advertisements, that’s right. I’ve been working on advertisements. And by that, I mean the only ONE I have that I feel semi-confident to share with the public and have associated with my brand (which I still need to like, develop).

Here’s what I’ve been working on:

Not too, too bad, right? But I tweaked it some more, added a release date and a quote:

Still not sure if this is going to be the final version or if I’m going to scrap the thing and start again. I really hope it’s not the latter since I have the pre-order date still set for August 3rd so, like, I’ve got to be advertising this bad boy or else my streak of no sales will continue ☹

So, love the input! Yay? Nay? Like the quote? Need a new one? (I’ve got back and forth with this A LOT) Let me know. I’d like to throw something into cyber space next week if at all possible.

Indies, how do you guys come up with your ads? Do them yourself or contract out?

Readers, how vital are ads in your book-buying decision?

P.S. Oh! I’m going to be featured on Tina Holland’s blog tomorrow. Totally forgot until just this second. But woop!

I’m Going to Keep This Short

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(written late Tuesday)

Thing is, I waited until the last minute (again) and today was tough. Like brutal at some points, and the last thing I want to do is talk about how crappy today was or how stupid I feel about releasing BTN only three months after BTT (lesson learned!) or how lack of sales/reviews is getting me down. It’s a whole gross sob story over here and Batman is treating us to subs, so I’m going to keep this short:

I’m working on the edits for BTN which will *hopefully* still be on track for 8/3 (Ari’s birthday!)

Oh, and we did not see Jurassic World. We saw Antman and The Wasp—and it was awesome 😊

How was your Tuesday? Today? This week? Did you see either Jurassic World or Antman and the Wasp? What’d you think?

Cover Reveal: Better Than Now

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I’ve actually taken a few days off from writing, so this feels a little weird. I’m in that limbo stage between having passed my MS to the editor and sitting here twiddling my thumbs, waiting for her to get back to me. Believe me—there’s plenty I could be doing, but sometimes a little break really does a creative mind good.

It’s said (by many, many authors) that to write well is to write every day. I strongly mostly agree with this. It’s a craft, so, yes, you have to keep up and practice to get better, however, a nice reset button with fresh eyes does wonders. It’s how I started writing book 3. I was obsessing over the ending of book 2 and had to put it away. Then, like magic, a coupe of days later—poof! Instant access to door number 3, which then helped me finish book 2.

No writing-break epiphanies here, but it feels good to be back at the keyboard and talking about book stuff 😊 Since it’s technically mid-July, the gears have *officially* been switched to Better Than Now (woop!) which means promotion needs to start soon-ish. And to get that done, I need to be broadcasting the cover.

So…without any more stalling…I’m excited/nervous to present to you the cover of Better Than Now:

Yep! Looks pretty much like the previous one except for title and cover. Two reasons for this:

  1. I am broke. When I say broke, I mean broke. It’s a skill to get a book published (editing, cover design, formatting) on a tiny little budget, but damnit money is not going to be the thing to hold me back. Not in this.
  2. I actually envisioned wanting all three to look very similar; I didn’t necessarily think they’d have the same background, but I love it. I’ve loved it since Joleene showed me and I love how it combines both Autumn and Alex’s talents. Changing only the title and cover adds a good sense of continuity to the series, so when you see one, you might remember having seen another (they say that on average a consumer will see a product seven times before purchasing it) so it can’t hurt.

What do you guys think? Too much like the first? Individual enough to be its own? You don’t care and want to go outside and enjoy this beautiful day? Gotcha. Me too. 😉

Well, whatever you end up doing, enjoy it! I’m off to help Batman with yardwork and boring adult things. But after the chores are done, it’s off to a cinematic adventure 😊 Anyone seen Jurassic World yet? Good? Bad? How hot is Chris Pratt? (That’s all I care about).

The Great Banner Switch

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Since we’re teetering on mid- July, I think *THINK*it’s time to switch banners, right? I’ve been proudly—and staggeringly—waving my Better Than This flag, but I think it’s time to change it up. I’m no longer in the I’ve released a book last month phase; I’ve slipped into the I’m releasing a book next month club, and that means a switch of gears. So, I’m proud to present the FIRST (of many) posts focusing on Book 2 of the Better Than This series: Better Than Now.

::::::::::DANCING UNCONTROLLABLY:::::::::

::::::::::several hours of sleep followed copious amounts of Oreos::::::::::

Alright, so what’s going on with BTN? First of all, thank you for asking; you’ve always been so polite 😊 Second, you’ll be happy to know I’ve finished it, so, panic attack avoided. I’m sending it to the editor this week and I’m hopeful to have it available for pre-order on 8/3. It’s right around the corner, but I think I can manage. Know why? I got this.

Some other non-writing coolness: my sister and nephew came up this weekend and we went to St. Augustine. It always feels so magical in the oldest city in America.

What’s this? Am I actually at a castle?

Nope! Just the (Castillo de San Marcos) fort. Could be a castle, though right?

I meant to put a different picture here, but it got deleted. Sorry you have to look at this one.

Used to be a moat. Now, a place for kids to fall into.

Batman and my nephew, talking about the fort. Learning shit.

Great city if you’ve never gone. (You should go)

Alright, I’m back to the great banner-switch. Enjoy your hump-day 🙂

Time’s A Changing (and Flying) IWSG

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I’m going to make this short (as time is limited), but don’t EVER only give yourselves three months between book releases, even if the thing is pretty much written (which it still may not be). I’m cutting it close, guys. Real close. Like, I’m too embarrassed to tell you exactly what’s going on, but let’s just say that you should NEVER give yourselves three months between book releases unless you’re Hermione Granger, and even that’s pushing it.

I haven’t been participating as much in writer groups and doing writer things because phones are pretty much banned at work and the precious little time I do have (not including time with Batman and Appa) I’d rather be writing. Editing. Making sure there’s a product. So, I’m off to go do that because I’m dumb and planned poorly and am just now realizing I’m publishing another book next month.

::mild heart-attack::

Anyway, onto the optional IWSG question!

What are your ultimate writing goals, and how have they changed over time (if at all)?

My writing goals have…loosely stayed the same. I used to want to be this huge, best-selling author that everyone knew, with movies made on each of my books (pretty much Steven King). Of course, that’d still be nice, but somewhere along the way, I realized I want a fanbase. I want to write for people who want to read the kind of stories I like to tell. Mega money would be great (fame—I could live without) but to support myself on selling my books to a loyal and loving fanbase…that seems pretty on point.

Insecure Writer’s Support Group (IWSG) is a monthly blog hop for writers at all levels to share their fears and insecurities in a safe and encouraging place. Please drop by and say hi to Alex Cavanaugh who started this nifty concept in bringing us all together.

P.S. All my books are free on Smashwords! If you like that sort of thing. ‘Til the end of July 😉