There’s less than two weeks until Christmas, and I’ve done no decorating (not even a tree).  I really haven’t done much shopping, and nothing is wrapped.  It’s not that I haven’t wanted to do these things.  It’s just that the time has not been there.  My oldest daughter’s schedule has kept us busy this month with extra activities and two school projects.  We always put the tree up as a family, and that means we all need to be at home for one full afternoon.

At a party I attended the other night, someone told me that they have their tree up but not decorated.  Like me, she feels there’s not much point in doing all the work of decorating a tree for so little time.  Yet, it is a family tradition in our home, and we even buy the kids a special ornament each year that goes along with what they’ve done during that year.  (And, no, I haven’t even looked for their ornaments this year.)

I’m starting to feel the last-minute pressure, and I feel a late, online shopping binge coming my way.  I believe we have a free afternoon this Saturday, and we can put up the tree after I get home from a writer’s meeting.  I did manage to get the kids some matching Christmas outfits the other night, so I may even have time to take their pictures sitting by the tree.  That means I may be able to send out cards this year.  (I’m really random on card sending.  It’s basically every other year.)

Is this normal?  I feel as if everyone around me has their Christmas decorations out and are in the spirit of things, and I’m a Scrooge.  No matter what I do in life to downsize my schedule to slow down, it’s always crazy and hectic.  Is this because I’m a mother?  Is it like this with everyone?  If so, how did this happen to our society?

Well, I will continue to ponder my life, but I have a stack of emails and marketing that is waiting for me.  Maybe I’ll end my evening shopping from bed, and everything will arrive on time.  That is me being optimistic and living by one of my mottos.  “It’s all good.”

I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season.  May your cookies be yummy and not stick to your tummy (and thighs)!

Hmm… This is so very true.

Here’s a Goodreads giveaway of a signed copy of Unexpected Metamorphosis just in time for the Christmas and New Year holidays.  Enter to win and don’t forget to share it with others.  Good luck!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Unexpected Metamorphosis

by Tianna Holley

Giveaway ends December 21, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

After three weeks of not being able to type due to sickness and the holidays, I have been eager to get back to my novel.  Yesterday I sat down at my computer with the intention to get back to my writing, but by the end of the day, I had not done anything but open the file.  This morning I sat down at my computer, but by noon I had still not started back on my writing.  I then realized it was fear that was holding me back.  Since it had been so long since I had typed, I worried that I could not start again.  It’s amazing what self-doubt can do.

When I finally started typing, it all came back to me, and the story flowed freely from my fingertips.  Writing is not work.  It’s a natural process for me.  (The editing, however, is dreadful work!)  I even began to feel better as a person, and it truly goes to show that writing is a sort of therapy for me.  I love it and can easily lose myself in the story I’m typing out.

In fact, I wish I was typing on it now, but as soon as my youngest son walked into the house from school, he had a complete meltdown.  I thought if I put him in my bed and typed beside him, he would fall asleep.  That, however, is not working out very well.  I can’t work on the novel with a child rolling all around the bed, in a bad mood, and fighting sleep.  Hence, I am forced to take a break and thought I’d write a quick blog post.

Fear and self-doubt have no place in our lives.  If you truly want something in life, you have to push that fear aside and go after it.  It’s hard at first, but eventually, if you continue on, it will get better.  You will be in a much better place, and you’ll be glad you pushed yourself into doing what your subconscious told you couldn’t be done.  We are our own worst enemies.

Do you like to write but the thought of writing a novel terrifies you?  Then write a poem.  After that, write another one.  Then another…  Keep it up, and eventually, you’ll have more to say.  Learn the grammatical rules, and you’ve mastered most of the obstacles of writing.

Another big obstacle is to learn to write for yourself, not for others.  I write what I want to read.  At the same time, I understand others may not like the same thing as me, and I’m fine with that.  There are many bestsellers that I have no intention of reading, because they aren’t for me.  The same goes for my writing.  Never expect everyone to relate to your emotions and style.  That’s an unrealistic expectation that will make you miserable.

Well, my son has still not fallen asleep, yet I’m now yawning.  I need another cup of tea and a change in location, because I don’t intend to stop writing any time soon.  This novel won’t type itself, and I’m getting eager to hold it in my hands.  After a slow November, I plan to push myself hard this month.

Stay tuned for the cover reveal and some short excerpts to soon be released.  I know you’re ready for them 🙂

The month of November is finally over, and it was a crazy and hectic month for most writers.  Thankfully, I did not attempt NaNoWriMo, as I knew my writing would be challenged with the amount of guests I had during the week of Thanksgiving.  My children and husband were sick, which added to the distractions of the month.  As I took care of the children and prepared for my guests, I watched as most of my writing peers soared in their word count.  Although I am happy for each of them, I do admit to some jealousy as I longed to be among them in the race.

As a writer, it is extremely hard to shut out the “voices” that call to me throughout the day, wanting their stories to be told.  As of now, I have two different novels and a novella in my head, and they are each fighting for my attention.  There’s a saying that a writer writes to forget and a reader reads to remember.  That is so very true.  The untold stories constantly consume my mind, and I can’t wait to get them written down so that I can finally stop thinking about them.  Then, another story takes their place, and it’s an unending process that continuously repeats itself.  There is no peace with a writer.  We are plagued with thoughts throughout the day and even into the night.  Falling asleep is often a battle, as our mind would rather create things than shut down.

Now that December is here and National Novel Writing Month is over, I imagine most of my peers will slow down a bit after the frenzy of last month.  As for me, I am eager to finish my work in progress, and I plan to push myself hard this month.  Although my family will have to adjust to my workload coming back, I will try to balance the Christmas season with my personal need to finish this novel.  While last month was filled with doctor appointments and organizing my home, this month will be filled with Christmas parties, gift wrapping, and so much more.  However, this month I stand firm to my writing.  It will be done, even if it is done in the late hours of the night.

There is a benefit to my children being out of school for two weeks.  I won’t have to get up at 5:50 in the morning, and I can sleep in.  It’s amazing how better of a writer I am in the wee hours of the morning when everyone in my house is asleep.  I wish I could say the same for a normal day at work.

This month should be exciting.  I hope to finalize the cover soon, and I plan to have a cover reveal coming your way.  Stay tuned and get ready to find out what’s happening with Alissia.  Book two is very different from the first, as she is in a completely different situation.  Will there be answers to some of the mysteries revealed in Unexpected Metamorphosis?  Some, but not all.  The Alissia Roswell Series is an adventure, and I have so much awaiting her.  New things will be introduced, answers will come, but most importantly, Alissia will grow into the woman she needs to become.  These things don’t happen overnight.  Her story is complicated, which you’ve already learned if you’ve read the first book.

As always, I truly thank you all for your support.  If you haven’t left a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads yet, please do so.  It would help immensely in getting the word out.

How exciting it is to finally get to a scene I’ve had in my mind for a long time!  My fingers can’t wait to type it out, and it’s hard to focus on anything else.  That is how I felt about a week and a half ago.  My daughter was at a birthday party, and I spent the afternoon in my vehicle in the parking lot of the party place doing research for the big scene.  Around 6:00 p.m. I ate some dark chocolate and continued with my research.  By the time we got home that evening, I was no longer hungry, and I was ready to do some writing.  I grabbed some lemon water and went to my bedroom to type.  That night I went to sleep with a smile on my face, because the following day was Monday.  The children would go back to school, and the hubby would go to work, leaving me an entire day of silence to type out my big scene.

At least, that was the plan.  That night I experienced extremely vivid dreams and woke drenched in sweat.  When I awoke the next morning, I was too drained to get out of bed.  It was the first time I was not able to get my children off to school.  My hubby had to do it.  My entire day was wasted, and I got nothing done.  It seems, I erred by skipping dinner and had a sugar drop during the night, which left me without any energy the next day.

That Tuesday I went to a doctor and had tests done.  Then two of my children got head colds (one is VERY cranky while sick), and there were routine appointments throughout the week.  I’ve also got a lot of company coming in for Thanksgiving, so I spent my weekend trying to get caught up on housecleaning.  This week has been spent with more doctor appointments.  (Everything came in normal, and I’m healthy, just won’t be skipping dinner any time soon.)  Last night I had to cook for a brunch at my son’s school I attended this morning.  I also found an email last night reminding me that one of my daughters will be on stage singing tonight in choir.  I also need to bring cookies, separately wrapped (which means I need to bake some quickly).  I’ll add that since I’ll be having two Thanksgiving meals at my home with many guests for the entire week, I need to have a lot of desserts and meals made and in my freezer before they get here.  (Two pumpkin pies are in the oven now and will go straight to my freezer.)

What happened to my writing?  I was so close to an exciting scene, yet it still sits there waiting for me.  It’s not one that I want to start and have to walk away from in an hour.  It’s one of those I want to be able to focus on to get it right, and it won’t be easy to put down until finished.

The rest of my week is packed, and I have a conference to attend this weekend before my family gets here right when I get home.  Although I knew this month would be busy and I did not sign up for NaNoWriMo, I’m watching my fellow authors zoom through their word count, and yes, I’m jealous.  I keep reminding myself that life happens, and this month I just have to go with it.  Next week I will enjoy the company of my family and friends, and my novel will be waiting for me once it is over.  Life will return back to normal, at least until Christmas.

Until then, I have to be content with knowing I’ll get back to Alissia’s adventure soon, and I will also be starting a new stand-alone novel also.  It’s a story that came to me back in October, and it is demanding to be typed out.  It won’t go away or leave me alone.  I guess it needs to be told, even if it is not in the fantasy genre or something I had expected to write.  But, Unexpected Metamorphosis was not planned either.  It just came and demanded to be written.  I guess that is how it is to be then.

Well, I have pies to put away, laundry to finish, and cookies to bake.  Sadly, I wish I was writing today.  It truly bothers me that I can’t type 🙁

Thank you for all the support, and I hope you’re enjoying your week.

Although this was not a question I struggled with, I have found that many aspiring authors don’t know whether they should use a pen name.  I’ve also seen authors change their names after starting their writing careers.  There are group discussions where I’ve read that some authors think pen names are overrated and not a necessity.  So, here are my thoughts on whether you should use a pen name or not.

First, Google your name and see what comes up.  Then go to Goodreads, Amazon, and other social media sites and do a search on your name.  I also want you to see if you can use your name for a website or if it is already taken.  When you become an author, you will be marketing your name, and if it is common and already found all over the place online, it will be more difficult for your readers to find you.

Next, you need to decide whether your name is easy to remember and easy to spell.  Since most marketing is now done online, you want people to be able to remember you if someone mentions your name in a conversation.  They will also need to be able to go home and search for you online.  I love unique names.  However, there’s no benefit to you if people can’t spell your name.

The next question you need to ask yourself is what kind of writing you will be doing.  Almost all the erotica writers I know use a pen name, and if they also write in another genre, they use another pen name for that.  They keep their erotica names strictly to that genre.  Not all of them do this, but most of the ones I know do.

When deciding upon a pen name, you need to remember that you will be signing this name often and quickly in front of people.  From experience, I know this can take some getting used to, and it’s easy to get confused while you’re trying to talk and sign a new name at the same time.  Therefore, you need to make sure it comes easy for you to sign.  Practice writing it out a few times to see how comfortable it is.

As for me, there was no question on whether I would use a pen name or not.  When I Google my real name, thousands of sites pop up.  It is very common.  Although Tianna Holley is similar to my real name, the small change I made makes it easy to find me online.  When you type in my pen name, I show up.  I’m not competing with hundreds or thousands of others on the web.

I have learned that signing under my pen name can be somewhat problematic at times.  In fact, there’s a story behind the first time I signed in public.  It was completely unplanned, and I was caught off guard.  I had just received the first shipment of books and went to the post office to mail out some of the signed copies.  The woman behind the counter noticed the extra book I had accidently brought in, and she asked about it.  Then she pulled out money and plopped it on the counter and began to spell out her name for a signed copy.  As I happily complied, much attention was brought to me, and everyone soon started talking about me being an author.  It did not help that I was in my workout clothing and no makeup.  I was trying to hold a conversation with the people, spell the woman’s name behind the counter (which was unique), and sign a new name.  Although I consider my handwriting to be messy, my handwriting under pressure is even messier, and I felt horrible at the scribbling I had done to that woman’s book.  I tell you this to let you know it takes a little getting used to sign a new name, and you will have to do it under pressure at times.

Since the change to my name is very subtle, I also have another small problem to deal with.  When I have spent a weekend at a book signing, I find that it is hard for me to remember to sign my real name for a while after that.  I will sign my pen name on school documents and such.  I’ve had teachers ask me which is my real name.  I send letters to them on notes I’ve bought with my author name and web site at the bottom, yet I sign my real name beneath my message.

There is a benefit to having a pen name.  It would seem strange for me to market myself.  It’s much easier for me to become Tianna Holley when I need to sell myself in front of others and online.  Although I’m still talking about myself, it makes it better to do it under another name.

I hope this helps and forgive me if you find any faults in today’s post.  I’m typing this out fast, as I have a child that has to be at a doctor’s appointment shortly.  When I get back, I will do a better check, but I did not want to miss today’s post on this topic.  If you have any questions or comments, I do welcome them.

I know that I have some social media connections with other authors living in the Atlanta area, and I’d like for us to get together as a group.  I’m not thinking anything formal or classes.  I would just like a night out so that we can meet and do some fun networking.

One of the greatest joys of doing what I do is when I’m around other authors, talking about the industry and writing process.  Although my friends and family are great supporters of what I do, there’s nothing like being around those that truly “get” what I’m saying.

So, if you live in the Marietta, Roswell, Cumming, or Woodstock area, maybe we can find a central place to meet for dinner one night.  Contact me if you are interested, and I look forward to meeting you.