Need Your Help with a Back Cover Blurb

Hello lovelies!

Hope you had a marvelous New Years! I certainly did. I am so excited gearing up for the release of Hell School: Fresh Meat... FINALLY!! It will be out in March. If anyone is interested in being a Beta reader, let me know and I will be happy to send over a copy.

In the mean time, I am working on the front and back matter, and would love your input.

Which one do you think works better?

High School is supposed to be fun, but when Sam’s mom moves them across the country Sam finds herself starting over in a new school, in a new town, trying to make new friends.

As if that wasn’t hard enough, now she has a stalker.

Sam keeps getting letters and poems from someone claiming to be her secret admirer. Though some of her friends think it is very romantic, Sam wants nothing to do with it. Despite her efforts to stop the harassment, the letters keep coming… and getting creepier.

This story is based on true events.


Or...

Based on true events

Sam is dreading starting high school in a new school, in a new town, and having to make new friends. After her mother moves them across country, from Montana to South Carolina. Sam has to adjust to all the newness.

Being the new girl, Sam finds herself the romantic interest of several boys. But her “secret admirer” is the most persistent of all. Despite her efforts to discover who it is and get him to stop, the letters keep coming. What some friends first found romantic, quickly turns from annoying to terrifying.

Will Sam ever be safe?

Do either of these grab you? Are there bits and pieces you like? I would love your feedback in the comments below. 

Until next time, 

Keep Reading!

Finishing a First Draft Feels Good!

Hello my lovelies!

Things have been hectic over here as usual! But I am feeling really accomplished. I have finished the first draft of Hell School: Fresh Meat, and am on track for a March release date! SQUEEE!!!!

I cannot tell you how good it feel to finish a draft! There is this huge weight that lifts. But it is far from finished, and I am eagerly ready to start working on the content edits. It has been too long since my last book came out!

This is the serial stalker I have been working on. Book one is Sam Havre's freshman year of high school in a new town. We meet the friends who are going to shape the series, as well as the beginning of her creepy stalker.

I am looking for four or five people who would like to provide a read through and let me know what you think.

If you would like to assist, please let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Keep Reading!

Writer's Corner: Why do I Write?

This is something I have been debating lately and it is kind of a long debate. Because there are many facets to this question. The first, and most obvious, is the very literal question at hand, and the answer is fairly simple. I write because I have all these ideas that bounce around inside of me, desperate to get free and if I do not write them down I truly believe that they would drive me mad. It is cathartic, it is a release. The thrill of creating something without the morning sickness that plagued me all through my pregnancy.

The next deeper version of the question would be why do I write and publish? This becomes a bit more complicated. I think it comes down to the old adage, if a tree falls in the woods, and no one is there to hear it, does it really make a sound? I put so much energy into creating this remarkable world, and extraordinary characters (at least to me) of course I want to share it with everyone I meet. Much like I want to share great books I read, movies I have seen, etc. I am not content just to create, I need it out there in the world.

Which leads to the last question I must ask. Why do I spend hours each week working on writing, promotion, spend money advertising, and pushing to be seen and known as a writer? It certainly isn't for the money (I know,I just did my taxes for the third year in a row and my writing "hobby" costs more than any of my husband's hobbies.)If it is for vanity, that is a fail as well. Yes, I have enjoyed some great reviews, but I still wallow in anonymity.  I am pushing the boulder up hill with no idea how far I still have to go to reach the mountain peak.

 And yet, I still manage to convince my family to bear with me on this crazy ride, pushing for more money for marketing, wondering if I can hire a publicist, should I hire a marketing professional, how can I afford to go on tour, and a dozen other thoughts on promotion that aren't practical given how little I am selling.

Which again leads me back to the question: Why do I write? Why do I keep fighting this uphill battle? Why do I keep taking 15-20 hours a week away from my family, chores, health and life? Why do I keep "investing" (yes, I use this term ironically) money into these projects? What is my ultimate goal?

Well, my ultimate goal is to write. I write to be read. Is everything else worth it? That is still up for debate.

Writer's Ramblings on Marketing

Before I get going on this ramble, I want you all to know that I am going to have a special post on the 14th as part of a sort of Anti-Valentine's day blog hop being done by several horror writers. Be sure to come by and check out my post, and then visit the link to the other authors posts. It is sure to be fun!

Alright, so on to the ramble of marketing. My "real job" is working for an advertising company promoting programmatic advertising. A really great tool. I actually took the job in hopes of being able to pay for my own campaign eventually. After a year, I can't quite afford the campaign. But I love talking to people about programmatic.

Image Courtesy of Death To Stock

I have started a sort of mini version of the campaign on my own, hoping to boost sales to the point where I can afford a full campaign with my company one day. I love doing content writing, like these blog posts. I love creating ads, setting up blog hops, getting reviews, doing book shows and many of the other aspects of marketing. I love engaging with readers on Goodreads, Wattpad, and figment.

But I have spent more on marketing than I have made. I spend more time on marketing than I get to spend writing. I feel like no matter what I do, it doesn't seem to be making an impact. If I am lucky, any single social media post gets 20 views. I can count the number of people reading any single blog post on one hand (Thanks mom!)  My all-time website hits are less than most companies get in a month. I've tried doing Youtube video reviews, but the time and effort just weren't worth the limited exposure. I need to do more research on making videos more efficiently.

I am a jack of many trades, and a master of none. Sometimes I wonder if the time and money I am investing in promotion is a waste. I wonder if I would be better off investing that time in my writing exclusively. I wonder if I should hire others to do the marketing for me. And yet I cannot invest such huge amounts of money without knowing if I will get better results than what I have achieved myself.

Despite getting very positive reviews for all of my books, I have not seen that those reviews have helped with sales. Despite starting ad campaigns through social media, adwords, and other sources, I have not seen an uptick in sales. Part of the problem is that I make so little on each book sale that it is hard to recoup that in marketing. Part of the problem is that a lot of the "free" media that once was available has been diverted to those willing to pay. (I am totally calling out Facebook here!!!)

It is hard to build a grass roots campaign. I need people to share and tell others about my work. But how do I inspire you to share? How do I get in front of you wonderful readers when there are so many others competing for your attention?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Are you wondering how you can help?  I know I am not the only writer struggling with this. You can help. Share your favorite authors. Help us get the word out about our books. Write a review when you read a book. Tell your social media fans what you are reading. Pin books. Retweet, share Facebook posts, share our blog posts, Tell us what you think.

Until next time,

Keep Reading!

The Joys of Writing

I have been spending more time reading other budding writers and realize that there are some exceptional stories out there. Many times in the last four years I have lamented that I cannot get in front of readers and have wondered how awful stories have managed to get out there and in some cases end up huge successes despite glaring errors.

Found on Big Questions Online

But then I see these brilliant stories from budding writers and I am humbled. I want to focus on fine-tuning my craft, not complaining about stories I deem less worthy getting better reviews, or more exposure, or whatever stupid crap I come up with to assuage my silly ego. I started this venture in writing years ago before the concept of being a famous author meant making lots of money. I have lost sight of that. Not that I want to become ridiculously wealthy from writing (I mean, don't get me wrong, I would not complain if that happened.) but I have been wasting writing time focusing on all the wrong things. I lament how if I didn't have to work I could get so much more writing done. But there was a time when I went to school full-time, worked full time and was raising two toddlers and still made time. It is as lousy an excuse as ever. I was spoiled for two years able to work from home and publish three full-length novels. I need to get back to focusing on the good, building my craft, fine tuning my stories, and stop whining about not having enough time!

And with that, I am back to writing! What brilliant story have you read recently? Share in the comments below.

Until next time,

Keep Reading!

Talk to Me Readers

I had a strange experience the other day. An old friend (ok, really a past acquaintance) noticed that I "had a real job" and asked "So, you've given up the whole writing thing?"

I was completely flummoxed on how to respond. My emotionally irresponsible part wanted to get very huffy and explain that NO, I had not given up on "the whole writing thing!" I am hard at work on a four part series! I only took that job to pay for marketing!

But since it is very difficult to throw an adult temper tantrum via Facebook message, even with the happy little emoticons.

 I took several deep breaths before responding. The cool logical part wanted to explain that as an indie author I have to wear many hats, including paying for all the services that a publishing house would provide such as cover art, editing, marketing, promotion, etc, etc, but then I realized that this individual would then probably ask "Well, then why don't you traditionally publish?" and that would have led to less logical conversations, and me chewing my finger off rather than resort to the temper tantrum it would almost certainly lead to.

I don't know if I am being oversensitive, if somehow my passion for writing has been jaded by a general lack of response, or if the whole industry is going through a down slope as traditional publishers have begun to learn to combat indie publishing by lowering their expected profits on e-books while more and more books are being produced at a seemingly never ending rate.... but it seems like everywhere I turn I am being inundated with the message that I will not be a successful writer.

I have other friends in the writer world who are going through similar experiences. They aren't getting picked up by traditional publishers, they aren't seeing a return on their investment of indie publishing, they feel like they are screaming at the masses and no one can see or hear them. And I have read their work. They are all very creative story tellers. They have done their due diligence. They have had their work edited. They have released polished stories.

And still I am seeing samples on Amazon of poorly worded, tragically edited, and cliche books hitting the top charts. What is going on here?  Am I just so out of tune with my potential fan base? Are readers less concerned with the quality of writing?  Do readers no longer pay for books unless they are from a "known" author, or from a traditional publisher? What do we authors need to do to entice you to read our books?

I appreciate my wonderful friends (mostly on Facebook) who are sharing my articles, but I would love to get some comments on this dilemma from the people who actually matter, readers. I cannot bear to read another LinkedIn article about how the Indie press is dead, or how readers are no longer interested in indie books, or how E-reader sales are up and the paperback is dying, or heaven forbid how the newer generations just don't READ.  I am ready to go to the source.

Talk to me readers, tell me your thoughts in the comments below.

Happy New Year: My Goals for 2015

Image from Happy New Year Wallpapers

Hello lovely readers, if there are any still out there. I do apologize. There have been some major changes in my life this last year.  Because of them, I have struggled with reorganizing my limited time and making time for writing. But I am actively working on my Stalker series, and plan to publish the first book in the series, Hell School: Fresh Meat, this year.

I have been doing A LOT of thinking on whether to pick the blog back up, how I would go about it if I did, and if it was truly beneficial to my writing, or would only distract from my limited writing schedule.  Here I am, so I guess we are going to do this!

My goals for 2015 are around focusing on my writing. I had to take a "real job" in 2014. (You have no idea how hard it was to write that. I have published 5 books, but can't consider it a real job since I am not making a real living from it... yet)  On a plus note, this job allows me the money to pay for decent covers, to pay for marketing and to pay for promotion. The downside is that it takes up 40 hours a week. That's a lot of writing time. But in 2015 I will be working on making writing a priority outside that 40 hour work week.

I am focusing on putting my marketing dollars to work; getting my books out there more, and building up a readership. I have great reviews from those who have read my books, but two years working social media has shown me that it isn't enough to get out there and build up my reputation. There are too many other authors competing for the free space.  I am not going to completely disappear from social media, but as I am sure many of you have already noticed, I don't have as much time. I will be there more in 2015, but my main focus is going to be producing quality writing to entertain you. That doesn't necessarily include clever posts, pretty pins, or 124 character tweets.

I have seven books beating around in my brain. The four-part Hell School series, the sequel to The Hunters, the Third book in the Clear Angel Chronicles and an Infection story I actually wrote two years ago, but lost in the move. I don't expect to finish them all in 2015, that would be insane! But I definitely need to get them going!

That, on top of my personal goals will keep me pretty busy! Look forward to staying in touch with all of you in 2015!


 Until next time,

Keep Reading!