Friday, March 30, 2018

Quarter Goals, Successes, and Failures

Tomorrow is the last day in the 1st quarter of 2018. The three months have gone by so quick. I'm in the process of reflecting on how the 1st quarter went and planning for the 2nd quarter.

There are a several things I can check as done for the first quarter.

  • Started writing Hank's story (Durant Brothers, book 3).
  • Published PROTECTED HEARTS. 
  • Created and published paperbacks for
    • MATED HEARTS.
    • PROTECTED HEARTS,
    • SURVIVING IVY, and 
    • LUCIFER.
I still have a few things that I didn't get done.
  • I didn't finish writing Hank's story. 
  • The outlines for Phoenix's story and the next book in the Undead series are not finished.

I got about 10,000 words into Hank's story when I realized I didn't like the story as I had it outlined. I stepped back from the story and pulled out my notes. When I wrote the outline, I deviated from my notes. So I went back and rewrote the outline. The story now works, but it means I'm scrapping what I had originally wrote and am starting over. 

So in the 2nd quarter, I'll be writing Hank's story. I will also be working on the outlines for Phoenix's story and book 2 in the Undead series. 

For the 2nd quarter, I'm sitting down and breaking down my projects into the tasks that must be done in order to accomplish them. I'm hoping this will help me stay on track better than I did last quarter.  I'm also going to rewrite the running list of projects I had planned for 2018 so that I can check off each one as I complete it.

Monday, March 26, 2018

Weekly Quote


Live life to the fullest, and focus on the positive.
--Matt Cameron


Monday, March 19, 2018

Weekly Quote


You must stay drunk on writing
so reality cannot destroy you.
--Ray Bradbury


Friday, March 16, 2018

Random Thoughts: Paperbacks, Author Bookplates, and Planners

The past 24 hours have been busy. I've completed and uploaded the  interiors and covers for four books--Mated Hearts, Protected Hearts, Surviving Ivy, and Lucifer.

One has already been approved for distribution. That means, in a few days it will be available for purchase on Amazon. By the end of this year all of my books will be available in paperback, as well as the new books I write.

I'm thinking about designing an author bookplate (these are signed labels that can be put on the front pages of a book). As more of the books come out and I get the bookplate designed, I will post more information. Let me know if you're interested.

I'm making some changes to my planner. I expected this to happen as I use it more and create or download the inserts I need.

The other day at Hobby Lobby, I bought a Webster composition planner. It was the only teal colored one and it was in their clearance for $10.  It had a lined composition book inside it. I believe there are a couple of blank calendar composition books you can by to put into it also, but I haven't really looked at any of those.

The planner itself is actually a fairly new product, so it surprised me to see it there. I grabbed it because I use a lot of composition books and have been for some type of cover/planner to put them in. I'm thinking about using some small discs and putting one or two months of my HP planner into it. I think it will work. If it does, I will post pictures on Instagram.

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Backlist Wednesday: Joy's Forever


Joy Anderson is different from the other shifters in Bryant Station. She and her cave bear have died and been reborn more times than she can count.  In each life, she has longed for her mate and a family, but lies and her insecurities have kept her running from her mate.

There is only one woman Theo Willis wants and that woman is Joy Anderson. She is his mate, but she has been running from him for centuries and he doesn’t know why. 

They need each other, but will that need be enough to bring them together? Will they be able to discover who is behind the lies that has kept them apart?

Available at:


Monday, March 12, 2018

Weekly Quote


Once you replace negative thoughts 
with positive ones,
you'll start having positive results.
--Willie Nelson


Saturday, March 10, 2018

Random Thoughts: Self Promotion

So many authors make self promotion look easy, but for me it's probably the most difficult aspect of
being a writer. I've always found "selling stuff" difficult, and it started a long time before I was a writer.

Think back to your school days--elementary, junior high, or even high school. Remembering those days is a scary thought all by itself.

Do you remember all the various fundraisers you participated in? There was always something being sold--candy, cards, wrapping paper, t-shirts, fruit. The list was endless. But one thing all the fundraisers had in common was the prizes. If you sold so many items, you could earn a really cool prize, and the more you sold, the better the prize. And then there was the prize for the top seller.

I hated the fundraisers.
The lure of the prizes was great but I really hated asking people to buy the stuff. I hated the "pressure" that was put on me to sell a certain amount so that the fundraising goal would be achieved.

These days, instead of fundraisers, I'm promoting my books. But it's not just me. There are thousands of other authors who are doing the same thing. We are all trying to get the readers' attentions so that they will hopefully buy our books, love them, and come back for more.

But what works when it comes to promoting books?
There's a ton of advise on the subject. Type "self promotion" into a search engine and you will find articles talking about the art of self promotion, what's effective and what's not, and a whole host of tips among everything else you ever wanted to know about self promotion. I've even come across information on "tip jars" for authors. I'm not sure how I feel about this new trend. I keep picturing the tip jars you see at bars and diners.

So, what works?
Honestly, I think everything and nothing. What worked a year ago may not work today, but a few months from now it could work again. I think the biggest thing is to keep writing...

And to keep posting about my books.

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Backlist Wednesday: Surviving Ivy


Ivy hummed to herself as she waited for the barista to make her drink.
She looked around the room. She was going to miss the place. She hoped Bryant Station had a coffee shop. “If they don’t, I could always open one myself.” She smiled at the thought of opening her own business. Once she was moved and settled into her new home, she would have to look into the possibility of opening her own business.
Change was definitely a good thing.
Now, she just had to find her mate and keep him alive.

Available at:
Amazon http://amzn.to/2taQXAh
iBooks http://apple.co/2sHh9F3
KOBO http://bit.ly/2twfheW
Nook http://bit.ly/2sc2kcI

Monday, March 5, 2018

Weekly Quote


Yesterday is not ours to recover, 
but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.
--Lyndon B. Johnson


Thursday, March 1, 2018

Random Thoughts: Spring, Funk and Other Things

When I look at the trees, there is a green haze around them. The trees are budding. Spring is here.
I'm not much of a summer person. Me and the sun are not friends. I burn really easy and very quick, and that's with the highest spf sunscreen that I can find. But right now, I'm ready for warmer weather.

I've been in a bit of a funk. I think it's a combination of the day job draining my time and energy along with life stuff. DH's heart issues have been weighing heavily on my mind, especially since the blockage that was cleared back in December. And then there's the issue with the lack of sleep. It's frustrating because I've got so many things that I have to do and then there's all the writing I want to do. Sometimes I feel guilty because I am taking time to decorate my planner or just sit with a cup of coffee.

The Winter Olympics are over. (Sniff) During the two weeks they were on, that was my go to programming. I love the Winter Olympics. The athletic abilities are amazing. I've been on ice skates once and spent most of my time on my rear. LOL! The snowboarding events looked like so much fun.  I think learning to snowboard would be awesome. I think I'm going to put that on my bucket list.

I'm tossing around the idea of a street team. Like so many things, I'm trying to learn more of the ends and outs.

It's almost midnight and I can hear a plane practicing. The airport is next door, so I have the privilege of listening to all sorts of practice runs and such. The cool thing is when they take out the vintage planes. Those are cool to watch as they fly over the house.

Time for me to get back to writing.

Have a wonderful weekend!