I was having a tough time coming up with a blog title for this post. I usually use song titles, but this one’s tough. As my editor’s name is Roseanna, and this relates to her blog, I think I can get away with that one. What do you think?
I’ve never had trouble selling things. Well…I had to believe in the product, but then I could sell it. I worked in sales through high school, through college and even after college when I was doing design. I would get very enthusiastic about whatever it was and that seemed to pour over and make others excited, too.
One thing I am not very good at, though, is chatting myself up. I think most people have a problem with that. It just feels awkward. So, thankfully today, I don’t have to chat myself up–my lovely editor has done it for me. If you’d be so kind to pop over to Roseanna White’s blog and read her review of Jasmine, I’d so appreciate it. Click right HERE.
She’s also running a contest of giveaways that you can enter very easily. It helps her, and it helps me š PLEASE leave a comment on her blog so she knows you’ve been there! And if you’ve had the chance to read Jasmine, or plan to when it comes out in paperback, let her know!
Thanks you guys! You’re the best.
Is there a song title you’d like to see me use? Leave me some suggestions in the comments below!
Saturday was an amazing day. Actually, it started Friday evening. I got home to discover that Jasmine was LIVE digitally, out there on Amazon (don’t worry, it’s becoming available on other formats as the week goes on-I’ll keep you posted). What an incredible feeling. I”ve been doing guest blog posts here and there, marketing and sharing and suddenly, there she was. I downloaded it to my Kindle right away. As soon as I flipped to the title page, I started to cry. I’d realized my dream of being published.
I’ve been so focused on guest blog posts and lining up marketing, so focused on the date on the calendar, that when my husband suggested we do a little something to celebrate, I couldn’t fathom it. Being the loving, wise, man he is–he completely ignored my protests and picked up some delicious gluten free cupcakes from Piece Of Cake (if you haven’t eaten their wares, you MUST) and a bouquet of beautiful flowers. At the top, you can see a cute collage photo of our celebration my daughter made.
I’m like a proud new mama–there she is, isn’t she pretty?
Have you ever realized a dream–or are you still waiting for one? I’d love to hear your stories.
And thanks for all your support in making this one happen for me.
Saturday approacheth! Whatās so great about Saturday? Lawn work? NOPE. Wellā¦maybe. But, better than that, you can download the digital release of my novel, Jasmine. Can I get a hurrah?
Ever since June hit, Iāve been hearing that Rocky theme song music in the back of my headācomplete with wakka wakka guitar riffs and string section. You know the part where Rocky is running and training and he finally gets to the top of the stairs and tadah! Then he goes on and fights a lot and gets brain damage. Umā¦Where was I going with that?
Writing is a bit like Rocky. You develop a story idea, get it all on paper, edit it to death, let others edit it, polish it and start pitching it (this process can take years). Then itās all cake, right? Nope. Youāre just at the top of the stairs, exhausted, hoping for a Gatoradeābecause now starts marketing. Actually, youāve got to be marketing all along, really, but you really start pushing and connecting and chatting up your book at this point. The hard work keeps goingāhopefully without the brain damage (this is in direct proportion with how many times you whack your head against your computer screen).
To whet your interest, hereās the Jasmine book trailer. You didnāt know that book trailers existed? Yep, they do. Would you do me a favor? Forward this blog post to a friend or two. Share the video. All that lovely social media stuff. Iām in your debt.
And please donāt forget to hop over to the Shepherdās DoorĀ at Portland Rescue Mission (indicate women and children’s recovery)Ā Ā and Door to Grace websites to donate to their amazing ministries, helping hurting women and children. You can make a difference in someone’s life today.
I use song titles for my blog posts. Iām very connected to music when I write and it just takes a bar or two of something on the radio to transport me to another place. So, when I started to think about this post, I immediately remembered a song I loved when I was a kid. Iād lay on the floor in front of my motherās record player and listen to her Don McLean album. Wonderful Baby would conjure up the best images in my little-kid mind. And with the launch of my book creeping up on me, itās the first song I thought about for the title.
Deep breaths! About four months from now my novel, Jasmine, will be released digitally (JUNE!) and then in September to paper. Itās been a long time coming.
In talking with a good friend the other day she commented how she thought the hard part was finding a publisher. And indeed-thatās hard! But there were those many, many years writing short pieces and novels that wonāt see the light of day. There are all the classes, conferences and connections made with professionals in the field. Then came building a following on my blog, Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, and Goodreads.
Waiting for a book to be published is like waiting for your baby to be born. At first youāre super nervous, because what have you gotten yourself into? Do you even know how to be a parent? You have a panic attack or two and then decide to break the news to family and friends. Their excitement carries you along and you start to feel like, āYeah, I can do this!ā And then the nausea and vomiting comesāscratch that, I didnāt throw up when I found out about JasmineāI will, however, spare you the gory details of my 18 months of vomiting with my actual pregnancies.
Umā¦where was I? Oh yeah. You start preparing for the babyās arrival (market plans). Then comes all the scary videos on how hard and painful things are going to be. Complete strangers (seriously, this happened to me a lot!) tell you horror stories about their birth experiences, and you begin to imagine the worst. Youāre suddenly back at what have I gotten myself into?
Thatās where Iāve been for the past few weeks. Excited but uneasy. Self-doubt creeping in. But, then I spied a locket my dear friend gave me when she heard about my publication debut (see photo). She hadnāt a clue that writing a novel was so similar to the birth process or how meaningful that locket would become to me. But, every now and then, I just pick it up and stare at it, a silly grin plastered over my face.
As Iām preparing for the baby book launch, will you stand by me and pray and help get the word out? Iād so appreciate your help. Please share my blog with your friends and ask them to sign up so they donāt miss out on any announcements. Just as it takes a community to raise a childāit also takes one to launch a book!
Do you have a blog I can be a guest on? Are you in a book club? Can you help me by posting on Facebook, Twitter and other avenues as the days draw closer? Iād love to count you in my launch team! Leave me a message below.
Upon hearing Iām going to have my novel, Jasmine, published (releases in June 2013), just about one in seven people tell meĀ they’veĀ always wanted to write a book. And then Iām asked, hope filling their eyes, how long it took.
I’ve always had one story or another rolling around in my head for as long as I can remember. But, the actual writing process was difficult for me when I was younger, so I took turned to fine arts and carried that through college. I donāt regret it a bit, because studying fine arts helped me be a better watcher and analyzer of people and spaces around me.
About the time I had my daughter, I put away my paints and drawing equipment. My dear girlĀ didn’tĀ like to nap, and loved getting into my colorful things. By the time Iād set up an area and start on a project, sheād wake up and grab my brushes and pens. This frustration for me, though, forced me to turn to a media that could be cleaned up rather quicklyāand one I could go back to easily. Writing. My world opened!
I started writing short stories and my first novel about fourteen years ago. That novel turned into a huge learning and proving ground for me. It was at that point I started to attend writerās conferences. And my world opened even further! I started taking classes, networking and buying up books on writing. IĀ couldn’tĀ wait for the next conference to submit things and get feedback. I wanted to be better at my craft. I was hungry for it.
Iāve now completed three novels, and am in process of writing my next. Thereās no easy way to publishing, even if you self-publish (you want it to be perfect, right?). Hereās some advice I followed, and if you want to write, I think itād do well for you, too:
Show up at the computer (or notepad) as often as you can and write. Write something!
Read. A lot. Read books in the genre you want to write in, and then read everything else. Fiction, non-fiction, magazines, what have you. Study books on writing and the creative process.
Attend writerās conferences, take classes, listen to veterans in the field, and take advice humbly. Submit, submit, submit your stuff when you have opportunity. Connect with other writers, share and encourage each other.
Have a fire in your heart to become betterāstrive for it. Take those classes where you have to write something and share it aloud (scary? You bet, but invaluable). Join a critique group. Get feedback as often as you can from people you respect. If you write in a bubble, youāll never improve. Trust me.
If you have a story in you, and youāre serious about getting it out of you, then do everything you can to do it.
I love hearing from you! Are you writing, or do you want to write? Tell me about it in the comments below.
The other day I was hanging out with my husband at his workplace. Iāve done this twiceĀ this month. Itās funādowntown Portland all bustling with people and busyness. Well, except for the reason Iām doing it: our car has been in the shop. Again.
Itās not like a ālittleā issue either. Itās like every time we turn around some additional thing breaks. I know what you are thinkingāthe shop saw us coming a mile away and are taking advantage of us. But, they really arenāt. One of the issues was very hard to diagnose, and the others are due to wear and tear…it just happened all at once. All thatās left is the engine and transmission. Good thing Iām not superstitious! Knock on melamine and fiberboard cubicle walls.
I canāt help thinking that if I worked here every day, Iād be more than a bit distracted by the view. Itās very pretty. Lots of green trees, blue sky (today it IS!), little birds flitting by. And as Iām a people watcher, people on the street…er, across the way, cleaning their windows catch my eye. Right now, the gal over on the 5th floor is doing a very nice job getting rid of all those streaks. Shiny!
I donāt mean to spy, but I have the unconscious tendency to look into windows as we drive by and see families sitting down to dinner, or peek at the interior of a house and admire the decor. Iām not casing the joint, I promise! With my background in interior design, Iām always fascinated at the different uses of spaces. Then my writer mind kicks into high gear and I start to imagine the person/family that lives there:
The older woman across the way values her view. She spends precious hours of her one day off a week to clean the windows and enjoy the last few days of nice Pacific Northwest weather before the rains come. Her favorite thing to do it sit in her deck chair and enjoy a cup of tea and a scone before she dashes off to work cleaning rooms at a nearby hotel. She can’t really afford theĀ satelliteĀ dish she’s gotĀ hangingĀ off the balcony. She got it for her son who comes by a couple times a month. Her friends tell her she shouldnāt waste the Ā pittanceĀ sheās allowed to earn after retirementābut she wants him to know she loves him. One day heāll come over and not turn on the TV at all, and theyāll talk for hours. Maybe sheāll even buy a second deck chair.
I was having a tough time coming up with a blog title for this post. I usually use song titles, but this one’s tough. As my editor’s name is Roseanna, and this relates to her blog, I think I can get away with that one. What do you think?
