Urban Fantasy Book Giveaway

Five years ago I published my first novel Ula: Born of Shadows with a small publisher. I knew that I needed to market the book if I was going to have any success as a fiction author, but I didn't do it. Life stuff got in the way and if it sounds like an excuse, that's because it is. The truth is that at pretty much any stage of our lives, we're faced with challenges. Even during the most placid periods, we still have jobs, dishes and oil changes. There has never been a moment in my life that I couldn't make a dozen excuses for why I wasn't writing.

To make a very long story slightly less long, a couple of months ago I realized that if I didn't commit to writing in a real way then I was going to spend the rest of my life wanting to be a writer, but rarely writing. Since that day, I've written at least 1,000 words every day - many days 2,000 plus; I've cancelled my contract with my small publisher and started the journey towards self-publishing; I've contracted a freelance graphic designer to build an author website and I've taken about a thousand notes on fiction marketing. Over the next few months I plan to re-release Ula: Born of Shadows - my first novel in an urban fantasy series. The sequel Sorciere: Born of Shadows will follow shortly thereafter. They're both currently written and edited. The third book is in the works - though I have another 30,000 words to go, then will come the editor, the cover art etc. I will do my best to come here and share the journey with all of you. There's something amazing that happens when you share your story, it resonates with others and they share their stories in return.

Thanks for visiting! I am giving away three paperback copies of Ula: Born of Shadows on my Facebook Page. Visit the link below and like the post for a chance to win a copy.

Visit My Facebook Page for a Chance to Win a Free Copy of Ula: Born of Shadows. Winners will be chosen September 30th.

Writing Every Day

I have been writing every day for a couple of weeks now. With a one year old vying for my time and attention, writing has been less of a priority. Though let me be honest, prioritizing writing has always been challenging for me. When I wrote my first published novel Ula: Born of Shadows, I wrote every single day. I also didn't have a day job, a child, or many of domestic rituals I've now taken on, but ultimately it wasn't about my time. I simply chose to do it. Just like now, some days I choose to vacuum or file paperwork - other days I skip it. If I skip it long enough, the dust/cat fur/clutter call me to action. Writing is both easier and harder to ignore. You see, no one is going to choke on a carpet hairball if I don't write for a few days. On the other hand, my brain, heart and bones will start to vibrate with the irritating request that I sit down and write. If I ignore that request long enough, I start to feel lost, frustrated and disappointed in myself. Those feelings don't help me to write. On the contrary, the self deprecating thoughts are another barrier to my creativity so I push it further from my mind. It's a disturbing cycle and so easily broken by a few minutes at my computer every day. That's it - so simple - ten minutes of writing and I can find ease. Lately it has come naturally. I have several projects going simultaneously. I've also just downloaded Scrivener and I've been slogging through YouTube videos on how to use it. So if you find your own frustrations with making writing a priority, I'm going to outline a few tips that I use to get my butt in the chair.

• Brainstorm: Sometimes the only writing that I do in a day is a long rant about what's happening in my story and what could be happening in my story, etc. I have a separate file for every book dedicated to brainstorming, character development, outlines, synopsis, ideas. It's crucial to the writing of my novel and it helps me get the ideas out of my head without the pressure of committing words to the novel when I feel less inspired. 
• Podcasts: I love podcasts and subscribe to a huge variety them from spiritual growth to writing and editing. One of my favorite writing podcasts is Write 2B Read by Ani Alexander. She interviews authors and people in the book business who provide great tips, resources and stories of their development as authors. I'm almost always inspired to write after I listen and you can tune into podcasts while driving, cleaning, cooking, which means you're not detracting from other to-dos.
• Long Hand: Keep a notebook handy at all times to jot down ideas or write a scene or character description. So often writing inspiration will strike when I'm riding in the car with my husband or running into town on an errand. If I have my notebook handy, I can get my writing done at that moment. I also believe that our ideas are unique when we're in the world instead of tucked at home in front of our computer. Take advantage of your own unique perception in those moments by writing them down.  

Northern Michigan 

Beta Readers for Your Unpublished Manuscript

Somewhere along your book writing journey, you're going to have to stop slamming your laptop when people peer over your shoulder, and actually share your work. To non-writers this is a piece of cake; however, after you've spent years meticulously crafting your narrative, releasing it to potentially critical eyes can be pretty unnerving. Which is why it's especially important for those writer's who are the most terrified at the prospect of revealing their work. One of our greatest obstacles as writers, is coming out of the comfort of our writing room and interacting with other human beings. It's also a huge part of successful book marketing these days - even more so if you're choosing to self publish.

Beta readers come in all shapes and sizes. You might begin with friends and family, but keep in mind that they love you and don't want to hurt your feelings so getting truly honest feedback from them may be hard, if not impossible. Moving beyond that sphere, are you part of a book club or writer's organization? Ideally, your beta readers will not only be readers, but readers within your genre. Another option is to reach out via social media, especially if you have created a platform that communicates to an audience of people who like the kinds of books that you write. You might also consider seeking beta readers on websites such as WorldLiteraryCafe.com or another of thousands of websites that help connect writers with beta readers. One of the benefits of this final option is that you can get reviews that are not biased by a personal relationship with you.

When you find your readers, do your best to make the reading process easy for them. Make sure that your final draft has already been revised, spell-checked and organized into chapters. For friends and family, I send my manuscript in GoogleDocs with editing enabled so that they can put feedback in the body of the text. Make sure that the copy is clean and easy to read.

And then wait. A lot of our writing life is a waiting game, but begin another project in the meantime. When the feedback comes back, consider it carefully, but don't immediately start red penning your manuscript. Look for trends in criticism to see where multiple readers are noticing the same issue (i.e. a character who lacks depth). Everyone reads from their unique perception and not every piece of feedback will be good or even useful to you. When it's all said and done - thank your beta readers profusely - and if you have other books maybe even offer them a freebie to increase the chances that they will read and critique your next manuscript as well.

Trekking the Self Publishing Mountain

In April I am having a baby. This is a pretty big deal as life stuff goes and an especially big deal in my world because this will be my first child, which means I'm embarking on an entirely new adventure that I hadn't necessarily anticipated for this lifetime. I'm excited and nervous and 10,000 other emotions that I probably don't need to list since many of you may have already had the experience. One of the major changes underway is that I will be leaving my current jobs to care for the new little guy sharing our apartment. This pending change has inspired me to return to writing as a more full time gig. For the last couple of years - since Ula got published - I've been working primarily in the psychology/social work fields - in addition to teaching yoga. I've continued to write - my Born of Shadows sequel Sorciere is currently in edits with the publisher and I'm in the process of writing Book III; however, I have not been living as a working writer. I intend to change that.

 How? Well that's where it gets sticky. My love is fiction and that is always my primary focus; however, after publishing traditionally, I feel that self-publishing is most definitely worth a try. I have a novel that I wrote three years ago that I've just begun to edit. It's in the chick lit genre and as far as self publishing goes, I am a novice. I've been on an information binge, consuming podcasts, articles and interviews about the self publishing process and to be honest, it's a tad overwhelming. Despite the brain overload, I feel pretty excited and inspired by all of the success that self published authors are experiencing. I hope to share the journey with all of you and I would love your tips, feedback and insights as well. Thanks for reading and writing and Happy 2016!

Self Publishing Help

Perhaps you've been sitting on a book for years and have been unable to secure a publisher or an agent. Or maybe 2016 will be the year that you write your novel. Whatever the situation, self publishing offers every writer the opportunity to make their book available to the world. Check out this quick infographic for some self publishing tips.