News and Notes from the Writing Desk: June Edition

I'm trying to keep busy this summer (like that's hard to do). Here are some updates:

What I'm Working On:

By studying the entire independent publishing industry, much of which I probably still know little about, I've realized that while four pieces/projects/books/whatever-it-is is a good goal for writing, it's not a practical schedule for publishing. An indie writer has to be ready with the next-big-thing as soon as the buzz dies down from the most recently published once-big-thing.

My project for the month is not one, not two, but three romance novellas. These will be sweet romances where readers will be eager to find out whether the main characters thrown together as temporary roommates will eventually see that they were made for each other (spoiler alert: they are, and each book will rise to the height of the first kiss). The series is based around the specific place rather than the same cast of characters, so there will always be new people to meet.

The reason for waiting until three are complete? I want to have backups when the first book's sales drop off. Whenever these are ready, they'll be on KDP Select and probably only available as an ebook for a time so that it's easier to managing sales and freebies. That means I can't explore other retailers with this set of work, but having only one sale outside of Amazon in the past five years has taught me that other retailers don't hold the same weight as Amazon. I have to go where the most potential for sales would be, at least until I've established a bigger audience.

Once all three novellas have fallen from their brand spankin' new status? They'll get bundled into a box set, of course, which appears as something new, and gives new readers a chance to get a bargain on all three. It's a good plan, but whether I can execute it in the timeline that I give myself, I'm not sure.

What I'm Reading:

Terrible, horrible, no good, very bad books. So bad I won't even call them out by name. Not all of them, of course, but two of them are ready to get some harshly worded reviews next week. These books are not at all what they portray themselves as, either by synopsis or by average review, and that's getting on my nerves.

What I Wish I Was Doing:

Um, I don't know... writing more? Having more new patrons to get to know on Patreon? I would say traveling the world, but I would be lucky if I add half a mile to my weekend bike route.

Oooh! I know! Getting more reviews! I found a new site that does daily emails like BookBub and FreeBooksy that is way more within my budget for promotions. The problem is I still have to meet the minimum requirement of ten reviews (a four or five-star average) on a single title before I qualify. I wasn't going to use the promotion until I had something new to put out, but in order to get a new book in, one of my previous books has to meet the ten review requirement. I'm still very willing to give digital copies of my books for free, but I really need the review if anyone ever decides to request one. Or, you could just drop $1 a month on Patreon and get digital access to all of my books instantly. You know, whatever gets you in the mood for some book review love.

A Valentine from Me to You

I told you I had a freebie coming up. And here it is:



Synopsis:
Lindley Neil is perfectly happy working as a photographer's assistant in her small, Midwestern town. As her boss Lexi LaPort starts getting bigger and better gigs, Lindley gets to follow Lexi around to L.A. and New York to photograph movie stars and models. What she didn't expect was to fall in love. Twice.
With a movie star and a prominent journalist vying for her affection, Lindley also knows that her job with Lexi won't last forever. Lindley has to choose her own path, even though it means she has to break someone's heart. Will it end up being be her own?

Get your ebook copy now through February 14 to enjoy it for FREE! Happy Valentine's Day!

Useless Rant (and a Few Updates)

I have to shut off the TV.

No, this isn't about wasting my time in front of it instead of writing. It's about not wanting to hear anything about football or politics (not that I don't stay informed of politics, I'm just sick of it). A few hours of music and a good book is probably all I need to recharge, so maybe by then I can safely resume consuming the news again.

Yeah, I know. Not likely. Politics is an endless cycle and this sports story will ebb and flow for awhile before finally (hopefully) disappearing. The only upside? Hiding dozens of Facebook posts so that I can remain blissfully ignorant about trending topics is therapeutic. No offense to any of my friends, of course. :-)

So let's get back to this real world of mine--the writing updates. In Another Life hasn't had an update on Write On in two weeks. Go ahead. Call me a slacker. I probably deserve it. :-) I'm going to try and get some more chapters up this week. And don't forget to come back to the blog at the end of the week for the details on my freebies coming up! Let's hope we all can have a very productive week. 

February Has Arrived

Why does my calendar feature a photo of a blobbish, heart-shaped donut? Because it's February, of course! No longer does the idea of candy hearts and pounds of chocolate given to me by a loved one rule my thoughts--as much as I would love to have someone show their undying love for me, I'd rather have it on a random day instead of when Hallmark tells them to shower me with gifts. Or any day at all. Ya know. Anywhoo...

Turning the calendar page makes me happy and sad at the same time. Happy because I'm no longer wallowing my heart and brain in the terror that has been dubbed Singles Awareness Day (see above; I've finally become enlightened instead of a bitter shell of a human about Feb. 14). Sad because every flip of the calendar page tells me I didn't do enough personally and professionally. It's the audible Homer Simpson "D'Oh!" when you realize you haven't moved an inch from where you were in January. The productivity gurus all tell you it's about small steps. What about microscopic ones? What about those that are invisible to the naked eye? A basket of my microscopic steps towards goals of any kind still isn't really visible. Especially to me.

But I'm not stopping, even if I have virtually nothing to show for the previous weeks.  I could throw out that whole the journey, not the destination stuff, but no. I'll spare you. I want to arrive at that golden destination, look around, say, "Eh, not bad," and go about finding a new destination. That's the goal for me. Multiple figurative and literal destinations. Maybe February will be the stepping stone I'm looking for. Let's get to it.

**PS: I've got a fun freebie coming up next week; I'll post more about that later. Be prepared with your Kindle/Kindle app in hand. ;-)

Here's a Chance For #Freebies!

Hey guys -- Happy Labor Day weekend!

I know that most of you are on vacation, or at least relaxing at home with your long weekend (if you don't happen to work in food service or retail). So, I thought I would brighten your day by bringing you a special offer. This is an awesome chance to help influence what products people are using and talking about and get a chance to get free stuff. I know I love free stuff. Do you? Read on.

Recently, I joined a program called Influenster that rewards its members who are influential in different expert topics. They are looking for more members, but it is an invite-only program. And guess who just happens to have 5 invites left to give out? Yep, that's right. Me. I do. Want one?

You may want to know how Influenster works to see if you are interested. You can read all about it at their website, but I'll give a quick overview. Once you sign up, you take a few short surveys about topics you are interested in, then you are awarded badges and an Influenster score. My topics include beauty, fashion, food and pop culture. There are also topics such as eco-friendly, wine enthusiast, debonair man and home decor. You can also earn other badges for lifestyle topics such as new mom, pet owner and bookworm (yep, I've got that badge too).

Once you earn your badges, you can improve your score by sharing product pages on social media, writing reviews of your favorite products and answering questions other users have about those products. The higher your score, the greater the chance you will be able to get freebies, such as a VoxBox full of goodies.

If you take my invite and sign up this week, you can have your own chance of earning qualification for the next VoxBox just by using your own invites to give out and let your most influential friends shine along with you. If you get three active invites of your own, you are one step closer to those freebies. Can't you just imagine it already? There's no cost, you don't have to do stuff every single day--all you have to do is link your social media accounts to your profile and your set!

In order to get your invite, I will need your email address. I promise, you will not receive any other email other than the invite. You can EMAIL me with the subject line "Influenster Invite" and I will send it out ASAP. Or you can send me your email in a DM on Twitter. Or on Google+. Or Instagram (trying to make this as easy as possible!). To automatically qualify for the next VoxBox, you have to sign up and send out your invites before Friday. I can't wait to hear from you!