Writer's Life March 2019

I compiled these snippets from posts that were originally created throughout the month of March 2019. I hope you'll get a good idea of how my life was going at the time and how that affected my work. (8/5/2020)

(3/8/2019) -

Our trip took a lot out of me but not as much as I imagined it would. I was able to post responses for the challenges, even though I started late. And here I am on Thursday fighting the horrible signal this afternoon so I can share those posts with you tomorrow. I love it! I hope you're enjoying these bitsies of my work, too.

Coming soon (April or May), I'll have another Indie Author Interview to share with you. I so enjoyed the last one with Elizabeth D. Marie and I'm looking forward to the next one just as much. Keep checking back here for more information if you're interested. You can also sign up for my newsletter and get info on what I'm up to.

(3/15/2019) -

Writing challenges have been such a great way for me to find problems in my story. I'm happy they're working in this way. It's not always easy to figure out which direction to go once you find a problem in your draft.

(3/18/2019) -

If you've been following along with my blog for a while, then you know that my MCs for 'Over Land & Under Stone" are a couple of misfits. Perhaps you're also aware of the adage 'opposites attract'? In the case of Zec and Liha, this would definitely be the case.

Oh, no! An oversight! Oh, the humanity!

Imagine that! Me, forgetting to check something kind of important... <sigh> I was notified Friday (but didn't see the message until this morning) that one of my manuscripts has the wrong ISBN listed inside. I just had to shake my head because it seems that would be basic, something of a 'duh' level on the checklist. But no. I totally didn't check that. So if you've ordered (or tried to order) a paperback, please forgive my oversight.

Another thing I was notified of was that Draft2Digital didn't have my 'permission slip' concerning my sole ownership of the copyright for Ripples. So I needed to remedy that or lose my connection to the biggest selling venue.

The life of an independent author who is also self-publishing /and/ creating all the artwork /and/ doing all the marketing (aside from kind friends and family spreading the word) is certainly a challenge. I know I'm going to miss things. I just have to remember that I'm human and be OK with the delays. I can't afford an editor still, nor can I afford to have someone promote my work for me. Otherwise, I'd publish through Ingram Sparks. Their package deals are certainly the best, especially concerning in-store sales opportunities. Until I can afford them, I'll keep publishing through Draft2Digital and Lulu Publishing. They've been a huge help to me in many ways as I learn how to live this crazy indie author life.

To others struggling to figure it all out, be sure you give yourself space to be human and make mistakes. It is in our mistakes that we learn the most helpful things. Breathe. Fix the issues. Then continue pressing on. But whatever you do, don't quit! And know you are not alone in your struggle.

(8/22/2019) -

It's been a rough month! I wasn't sure I'd manage to get my normal blog posts out. Our internet has been acting crazy this past week. And that's not all!

You know, sometimes I feel like I'm sharing so much people will get tired of hearing what's coming and just ignore the book once it's out. But if I'm honest, I remind myself I'm not writing to earn more money than I could manage. I'm writing for the love of writing. I know there are people out there who will find my story and be touched by what they read. And even if that doesn't happen, my children will be able to pass these stories down to their children. That's a pretty amazing legacy, I think.

(3/29/2019) -

March has been a physically challenging month. I feel extremely worn out and unproductive, even though I know I accomplished a lot.

Camp Nanowrimo starts April 1st and I'm gearing up for it. I'll continue revising OLUS and give it my all so that I can get it out to my beta readers and get it back in time for making any necessary changes.

Tomorrow, I'll be checking over my newsletter and getting it ready to send out. If you haven't signed up for it yet, then you still have time. Newsletters go out on the first of each month.

Also coming up next month, another Indie Author Interview! Stay tuned every Wednesday in April.

Thank y'all so much for reading. I'm so glad you stopped by!