Are you an aspiring author with a work in progress?  Since becoming a published author, I have met many people filled with questions about publishing, writing, and marketing.  After many hours of research, classes and a conference, I am ready to share my knowledge with others.  Do I know everything  to know about being an author?  Of course not!  However, I wish that someone had given me all the information I now have a year before the release of Unexpected Metamorphosis.  A lot of my timing was off, and I had to learn a lot from trial and error.  I can save you some of the mistakes I’ve made. Having a book published is not all about writing.  There’s a lot of hard work and many hours that have to be spent in doing other things. I love to write, and I love to talk at speaking engagements.  Answering questions and helping other aspiring authors is somewhat a passion of mine.  The idea of using Skype to do an hour training session came to me one night, and I’m willing to test it out.  For $20 paid via PayPal, I will sit down and go over the following:

• Self-publishing vs. traditional
• ISBNs
• Building a platform/social media (FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, Amazon Author Page, Shellfari, Google+, etc.)
• How to use all of Goodreads as an author
• Giveaways (Goodreads, Rafflecopter, and Flash)
• Website
• What to expect at conferences and book signings
• Networking
• Marketing
• And most importantly, when to begin doing these things.  Timing is key and should begin way in advance of publication.

Be sure to have plenty of paper and pens handy, and the best part is you can ask me questions.  The  call is private and personal. If this is something you are interested in, please click on the contact button in the top menu.  I look forward to meeting you.

Many years ago I left my career as a paralegal in trying to slow down.  I had gotten off track and had begun to put my job before everything else, working weekends and missing children’s ball games.  My driven personality had gotten in the way, and I had gotten my priorities mixed up.

I thought staying at home would change things, and it did, for a while.  I started homeschooling my son, then I added some college classes to my schedule, had three more children, learned to bake from scratch using healthy ingredients, and so much more.  I did what most stay-at-home mothers do, I put my family first, but with my extreme personality, I somehow lost myself along the way.

Some people think homeschooling means a life of solitude and unsocialized children.  Well, not so.  There are many classes and groups that support homeschoolers, and since my children got finished with school early, they could participate in all kinds of sports activities.  Eventually, my schedule was crammed with children’s activities, school, and hosting parties.  My life was crazy and hectic, and although children are rewarding, they don’t exactly tell you they are grateful at the end of each day.

I eventually burned out.  My stress level was high, and my weight went below 100 pounds (can’t eat when stressed).  During the process, I found myself in writing, which is strange and not something I predicted.  It just happened.  Now my children go to public school, and I focus on my writing career most days.  However, I continuously have to remind myself to walk away from my to-do list without feeling guilty.  Same goes for my writing, especially this month with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) coming up.  Although I’m not participating in this, I’m surrounded by authors that are, and I see the posts and tweets.  Everyone is getting ready to go extreme, while I’m telling myself to settle down and take time to enjoy my hot tea.

While I am focused on writing the second novel in the Alissia Roswell series, marketing, public speaking, and all the things that go along with being an author, I am also taking time for myself and my family.  I’m trying to find that balance I think we all search for, and I believe it’s working.  I’m gaining the weight, which always comes with happiness.  (Thankfully, my daughter can wear the jeans I’ve had to pull from my closet.)  I’m also coming along on the second novel without staying up into the wee hours of the night.

If you find that you can’t keep up with yourself, I urge you to take a look at your life and see what you can drop.  Don’t wait until you crash and burn.  Pull back on the reigns and dump some of the load.  Enjoy life before it’s too late.  Sit back and read a book.  (I happen to know of a great one.)

There’s something about cold weather that makes me want to throw on some old, comfy clothes and withdraw from the world to write, read, or bake bread.  Although I was wearing shorts and sitting on my back porch just last week, this week the temperature has dropped, and it’s cold.  Luckily, my calendar is empty (which is rare), and I get to spend the week without running errands, packing, or preparing for a weekend party at our home.  Instead, I get to focus on my writing, and I’m watching my word count go up.

What makes a writer happy?  Going to bed each night feeling productive and getting closer to the end of their work in progress.  Writing a novel is extremely time consuming, and most writers never get a return in pay for all those intensive hours of writing.  So why do we do it?  We can’t not do it!  When we have a story consuming our mind, we have to get it out.

Somehow, writing lessens the chaos around me.  It soothes my soul (along with a cup of hot tea).  So, as I sit here by the fireplace with my tea, typing away, I wish you a good day.  If you’re a fellow writer, I hope you find the time to get some words typed out.  If you’re not a writer, I hope you’ll find a cozy place end your day with a good book in hand.  Hmm… I do know of a good one, but I may be a little biased 🙂

Thought I’d give all my readers a quick report of where I am on my work in progress.  I’m at 25,500 words and am at a big scene I’m eager to type out.  Unfortunately, I have a pile of emails that I’m behind on, a stack of interviews I haven’t filled out, the cover designer is waiting for my response, and I haven’t even begun to pack for this weekend’s two book signings.

On the personal side of things, the past two weekends were filled with a large birthday/slumber party at my house and travel to Mississippi for my husband’s high school reunion.  I still have two children with birthday parties coming up, and I have a stack of papers and emails from the schools with events and volunteer information.

This weekend and the first of next week, I won’t be around a computer much, and my phone does not get service where I’ll be staying.  Since I won’t be online much, I thought I’d let you know that I’m still working on the next book in the Alissia Roswell series, and next week I plan to focus on getting a newsletter out with a sneak peek.  Be sure to sign up for the newsletter by clicking on the link in the menu at the top of this page.

If you have already read Unexpected Metamorphosis, please click here to leave a review on Amazon.  You don’t have to have purchased the book from them to leave a review.  You just have to have read it.  If you’re a member of Goodreads, please leave a review there as well.  They are very important for a début novel, and it only takes a moment to type one out.  They don’t have to be long and detailed.  You can just let others know you liked it.  You can also become a fan on Goodreads to show your support.

Stay tuned for that sneak peek in the newsletter, and thanks for all your support.

Most of you already know that I’ve started on the second book in the Alissia Roswell series, and although I had anticipated a spring release, it may be much sooner.  I have stayed focused and love to write.  However, I’m now in a bit of a dilemma.  I introduced a character in this novel, and he’s a wealthy ladies’ man, aka very eligible bachelor.  He’s charismatic and charming.  All that good stuff.  Sounds great, right?

Well, I’ve been married for over fourteen years and have not been around men like that since my single days.  I am struggling on getting his words right.  I have to think like this character, and I’m having a hard time doing that.

I called Melissa, who is my right hand when it comes to writing, and now we’re both struggling with this man’s words.  Here’s his first appearance in the novel:

Although my parents spoke of your beauty, I find myself at a loss for words.”  He let go of her hand and added, “It is an honor to meet you, Lady Alissia.  I have heard much about you, as you seem to have won the hearts of my parents.”

I called Melissa and told her to help me finish his first sentence, and she came up with something about a sunrise and colors and beauty…  I don’t know.  It was worse than mine.  In the end, out of frustration, I gave up and blurted out, “He’s speechless, Melis!  I have no words, so he has no words!”  Well said, right?

Since Melissa is my highly trusted beta reader that gets my writings at the end of each night, I have to listen to her opinion.  (Well, I don’t have to listen to her, but she’s the only person that can tell me how lame something is without me getting mad at her.  Strange, but true.)  Last night she texted me saying the book was great, but we have to do something about this guy’s speech.

Ugh!  Now I have to research how a man like him would talk.  I have to think like he does, and I am not a charming people pleaser.  I’m more like Alissia and Luke, the aggressive, don’t really care type.

I had to research wolves, knife throwing, and formal clothing for my last novel.  Now I’ve got to research charming men?  For the love of my readers, I will do this.  But, if you know of a charmer or are one yourself, feel free to contact me.  I’m asking you to charm me.  Give me some words to knock me off my feet.  Bring it on!  Yes, I’m feeling desperate 🙂  (My poor husband.  He puts up with me.)

I’ve started on the second book in the Alissia Roswell series, and once again, writing has consumed my life.  Unlike the editing process, when I’m in writing mode, I think about the story nonstop, which is a blessing and a curse.  The good part about having the story in my head is that it’s like a movie playing nonstop in my mind.  By the time I’ve written major scenes in the book, I have replayed it continuously and have plotted out every detail to make sure I’ve left no loose ends.

The curse of being in writing mode is that I’m so focused on the story that everything else becomes a bothersome distraction.  I want the story out of my mind as soon as possible, and that means I want to be able to type nonstop until it’s on paper.  That can be a problem when I’m also a mother and wife, and I’m supposed to be handling marketing and having public appearances.  I have a life outside of writing, but it’s very hard to think of anything else.  This week has been filled with afternoon dental, doctor, and orthodontist appointments, and I have taken my laptop to each one of them and continued the typing while in the waiting rooms.  It’s really hard for me to stop.  I want it finished.

With that said, the second book is coming along at a much faster rate than the last novel.  Unexpected Metamorphosis has already described how the world works, so I don’t have to create anything new.  However, I am bringing in a lot of new characters in this book, and I’ve had to think about their personalities.

I have received a lot of great feedback from both friends and strangers on Unexpected Metamorphosis, and it warms my heart that everyone seems to love Alissia and her story.  I know I will eventually get negative feedback (all authors do), but right now I focus on the good.  Everyone seems to say they can’t put it down, and they’re eager for the second book to come out.  Well, I’ve listened to the feedback, and I’m trying my best to get the next one to you as soon as possible.

If you have not signed up for my newsletter, you may want to do so, as I will be sending out monthly sneak peaks from my current writing.  I’m big on not giving away too much detail, so I’ll have to think hard on what to share in the newsletter.  However, I plan to do my cover reveal a week earlier in the newsletter, so you really should sign up.

Speaking of the cover, it’s coming soon.  I plan to call the designer this afternoon with the details of this novel.  I can’t wait to see what he does with this one, as I am very pleased with the cover of Unexpected Metamorphosis.

If you have an ereader, be sure to sign up for the mega giveaway going on right now.  There are a lot of novels listed by many authors, and you can enter more than once.  Also, please feel free to share it with your friends so that we can get the word out.

If you have read Unexpected Metamorphosis and liked it, please leave a review on Goodreads, Amazon, or Barnes & Nobles.  Ratings and reviews are the best way to support an author.