What is your Purpose here?

Davy Jones What Is Your Purpose Here GIFfrom Davy Jones GIFs

For this month's IWSG post, I have a little testimonial...

I've been wondering about it lately. Doesn't everyone have a purpose? In this world, people can influence each other by their words, actions, appearance, and even slight glances; and all of these things are judged with a myriad of interpretations...

I always have good intentions. But sometimes my joking is taken the wrong way. I acknowledge my faults and besides my snarkiness, one of the worst is being quick to judge. I've been aware of it for many years. Though I've tried and am still trying to be better, I've lost friendships over it and wish I wasn't this way. I try very hard to be friendly and see the good in everyone. I try to encourage and uplift as often as I can. But I have many down days. And those are the times my guard falters and the gates holding me back release unintended thoughts, for which I am quick to apologize. But despite of all the good, positive kindnesses, it seems the harsh words are remembered most. This vicious cycle makes me doubt myself and my purpose.

I never thought I'd be a writer. Then, I was led down that path. I was happy and hopeful that I was supposed to reach masses and become a positive influence. Now, I've been stalled for a few years. Bills, my hectic job, and other responsibilities have made it almost impossible to dedicate much time to not only writing, but marketing and going to events. Without a publisher, it's all on me. Even though I just published a new book, it took more than twice as long to get it done, and I haven't spread much word about it--though I'm very thankful for those in my small circle who've helped! Then I see another animated movie with many common elements of a screenplay I submitted to a contest and made it to the semi-finals in. Is the world trying to tell me something? I'm wondering if my purpose is on another path.

I'm so thankful for you all. Sometimes my writer friends are all that keep me going. I won't give up on writing completely. Maybe I just need to take my time and put less pressure on myself to produce. We can only do what we can do, right?

I hope I didn't bring you down -- January seemed to be an especially dreary month that lingered on forever! You know writing things down is cathartic, especially when other writers can relate. That's what the IWSG is for. Thanks for listening!

And in the spirit of venting, chatting about life & writing, I'm going to re-boot our Writer's Chat.

WRITER'S CHAT

on Discord

1ST & 3RD TUES EACH MONTH

STARTING FEB 6 @ 7:30 PM EST

Let me know if you're interested in receiving REMINDERS & the LINK by sending me an email - to TaraTylerTalks on gmail. It's been a while and we need to catch up!

PS - I love supporting other writers. Sherry Ellis had a recent release of the 4th book in her Bubba & Squirt MG adventure series--this time they explore Paris in an exciting search for their dad! Here's a link to it and my review: CITY OF BONES by Sherry Ellis

Let's hang in there!

Vacation is over

Where does the time go? School starts earlier and earlier. I have only 2 weeks left of summer break, but some states have already begun! I have a lot to prepare and plan--especially with 2 newish classes, but this year, I'm putting it off a little longer. Probably because of all the school related activities I did that took up most of June.

August IWSG

But I was very productive in July, and I am happy to report for this month's Insecure Writers Support Group that I finally uploaded DISPOSAL as an ebook (totally forgot I didn't do that!) 

AND... CONDUCTION is now in the polish/publish phase. This part of the writing journey is tough and time-consuming, so I might not get it done by the end of this year as I would like, but I'm going to give it my best shot! Anyone interested in a critique partner exchange, let me know!

Puppy Update

We are also picking up our 3rd puppy (yes, I said 3rd) in mid-September. The two we have now are growing up so fast and much better behaved and more manageable, so what's one more? haha. It's funny how having them in this way reminds me of my boys: the two oldest  are very close in age and my youngest a few years behind them. And if the personalities hold, the last one will be the most easy-going. They sure make life fun and keep us young!

Help Wanted

Back to my CONDUCTION publishing goal. I am seeking help with: a cover, editing, and Goodreads--and I'm willing to pay $$. I'm putting this out there to my writing friends first, and if you have any recommendations, I'll take those too! This writing gig is too vast to get it all done by myself when I also have a very busy full-time job. If you have any advice, feel free to share that as well.

IWSG Anthology Blog

Lastly, we have three great posts coming up at the IWSG Anthology website:

8/2 - Getting Middle Schoolers Excited About Reading by Sherry Ellis

8/9 - Wait For It... Patience Through Metaphors by Bish Denham

8/16 - TBD by Ellen Jacobson

We have a few opening left in 2023, but we'll need more in 2024. Let me know if you're up for it.

Hope you are finding time and motivation to write this sultry summer 

And as the sun sets on this hot and humid season,

We will welcome my favorite time of year... 

Fall.

via GIPHY

The Publishing Biz

For this month's IWSG post, I'm sharing an interview about publishing with a pro!

L. Diane Wolfe

Senior Editor at Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.

First, we'll talk about the IWSG Anthologies... How do you choose judges? and Themes? Can I ask - how much participation/entries do you receive?

We all search for judges based on the genre. Alex (J. Cavanaugh) probably does the most work on this.

For the theme, we all make suggestions and then vote on them. I always remind the other admins that simple is best and keep it to one-two words. We usually pick the best although I have the final say since it will be the title of the book my company publishes.

Alex said we had a record number of entries this year. That’s probably why this year’s top stories are the best we’ve ever had—lots of competition.

Fantastic - better and better every year!

As a publisher, how's business?

It’s been an interesting couple of years. 2020 we had no live events, which really hurt, but fortunately eBooks and audio books sold better than previous years, balancing out the lack of print sales. Last year was better although some of our live events allowed fewer attendees which certainly reflected in sales.

This year we have four amazing releases. It’s all a matter of getting them in front of their target audience.

I hear you and am also feeling the pinch. Hoping to get back to business soon!

Do you work with agents?

We’ve had agents approach us, but we prefer to work directly with authors. We are a small press, so it is my opinion that any agent contacting us is really aiming low and the author deserves better. (Agents take a 15% cut. Since writers can query us directly, I feel they deserve a better deal.)

That's reasonable and thoughtful! Many authors appreciate a direct approach.

What sells the best? Anthologies? a specific genre? popular authors?

Science fiction is one of our top sellers along with middle grade historical. But sometimes titles will surprise us. We have a fantasy/paranormal romance coming out later this year that’s garnered more positive review request responses than any book we’ve ever published. Some of our anthologies have done well and we are hoping that the upcoming romance title will perform great.

I think romance is a standard and usually does well.

What do you love about your job? (btw, do you have another job? Seems like this would be full time!)

I love the ability to work from home and set my own hours. Of course, my husband says I am the worst boss ever as I am at my computer (off and on) from 6:30 am to 9:00 pm or later doing work. I have a few other sources of income—book formatting, speaking engagements, teaching sessions at community colleges across NC, etc. I try to keep all of that spread out so it doesn’t take away from what I need to do for Dancing Lemur Press.

Well, your hard work pays off! Thanks for enlightening us on the IWSG Anthology and giving us info about publishing trends. All valuable info. Great chatting with you!

L. Diane Wolfe is the Owner of Dancing Lemur Press LLC as well as a Speaker & Author. Known as “Spunk On A Stick,” Wolfe is a member of the National Speakers Association. She conducts seminars on book publishing, promoting, leadership, and goal-setting, and she offers book formatting and author consultation. Wolfe is the senior editor at Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. and contributes to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C  ---  Spunk On A Stick  ---  Spunk On A Stick’s Tips-Blog

• Last little side note - I met a fellow local author recently, Janet Irvin, and she has a great blog and following. And I'm honored to be featured as her "Author of the Month!" Here's my interview... 

Make sure you follow Diane and check out her imprints and blog!

Looking ahead to better weather on the horizon.

Ready for sunnier skies and dispositions!

How to Self-Publish the RIGHT way!

The traditional route to getting your book published is painstaking, time-consuming, and full of rejection. The only difference between that and self-publishing is the rejection.

While I go through the process of self-publishing Windy Hollow, I'm taking you along for the ride! (ps - Here's a form if you're interested in helping me with my Campaign or Windy Hollow's release)

Steps to Self-publishing:

1. Write a phenomenal book - I have lots of posts on that...
2. Edit - Hire a professional - the more eyes & critiques, the better, plus a technical/grammatical final look.
3. the Cover - I've already given my two cents on covers, here. A definite must to get professional help, especially if you want/need artwork.

And today, I'm talking in general about Formatting.

Once you have polished the contents of your book, you have to go back through and delete stray formatting extras, like extra tabs or spaces. All paragraphs should be uniformly formatted with automatic indentations and spacing. You will have to forget about "Select All" if you need to make changes to margins, line spacing, paragraphs, etc. once you start getting it ready for publication.

There is so much involved in Formatting for publication! Just look at the first 4-5 pages of any book. Title page, copyright/publisher page, dedication page, and the dreaded Table of Contents... which I guess could be optional, but is preferred for some genres like fantasy and sci-fi and middle grade. These pages conform to no formatting used in the rest of the book and are usually not numbered.

You also have to consider that the top of each page alternates between the title of the book and the author's name. Even/Odd page headers are easy enough to deal with, but when you throw in each new chapter page, it throws everything off! New chapter pages do NOT have a header. It's best to start chapters as a new "section" which can be designated with "different first page header" and conveniently linked back to the Table of Contents. I haven't tried linking to the TOC yet, I didn't have the patience, so I did it manually.

If you have any cool/fancy images for new chapters and/or breaks within the chapter or illustrations, those also need special attention. Each one should be checked and re-checked to make sure they all look the same.

At the end of your book are the Acknowledgments and Author Page, plus any other info you want to include. As with the first few pages, these pages each get their own format, usually without a header.

Not too bad, right? Ha! I almost went cross-eyed checking all the formatting. Little things kept popping up and I'd have to re-check the whole thing again to see if the flaws were anywhere else in the book. And there's a whole other set of rules for print pub vs e-pub!

I like to write this stuff down for myself as it's usually a long while between publications and I tend to forget what-all is involved. Hope it helps!

I also want to make a special announcement! My wonderful and brilliant romance writer friend, Elizabeth Seckman recently published her latest novel! Perfect for Father's Day!

HOOSIER DAD

by Elizabeth Seckman

Sarah Andrews can hold her own in a courtroom, but when it comes to love, she’s 0-3 and Rich Cooper was her biggest loss to date. 

Now available!

 Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / kobo.com

Elizabeth is a mom, a wife, and the caretaker of far too many pets, all of whom her children swore they'd take care of. But they went off to college leaving fur babies in their place. She is a multi-published author of women's fiction and romance. 

Blog / Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Why Writers are Important!!

First, a great big shout out for the latest IWSG Anthology:

Masquerade: Oddly Suited -- NOW AVAILABLE!

Young Adult Fiction: Romance - General/Paranormal/Contemporary
Print ISBN 9781939844644  $14.95
EBook ISBN 9781939844651  $4.99

Find love at the ball…

Can a fake dating game show lead to love? Will a missing key free a clock-bound prince? Can a softball pitcher and a baseball catcher work together? Is there a vampire living in Paradise, Newfoundland? What’s more important—a virtual companion or a date to the ball?

Ten authors explore young love in all its facets, from heartbreak to budding passion. Featuring the talents of L.G. Keltner, Jennifer Lane, C.D. Gallant-King, Elizabeth Mueller, Angela Brown, Myles Christensen, Deborah Solice, Carrie-Anne Brownian, Anstice Brown, and Chelsea Marie Ballard.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will mystify and surprise even as they touch your heart. Don your mask and join the party…

Links:
Barnes & Noble - Amazon - iTunes - Kobo - Goodreads

Check it out!!

And now for my IWSG post -

WARNING: BEING A WRITER IS TREACHEROUS!

If you want to be a writer, prepare yourself for disappointment, heartache, and rejection. You must have thick skin to take the criticism and low ratings of others. It requires steadfastness and perseverance. You must accept working long hours for no pay. Frustration is also a big part of writing.

And in this day and age, CHANGE is the only CONSTANT.

If you still want to be a writer, if your heart and passion won't be swayed, the public thanks you. Writers provide everyone with an escape from everyday lives. Writing is the basis of knowledge: from the foundations of history to the promises of the future in our world and beyond. There would be no movies, television shows, or books without writers. Writers inspire, educate, and encourage the rest of the world to do great things and be greater people.

Thank you for being a writer. When life gets you down, keep writing. Despite all the negatives, it truly is worth it!


I'm trying to look at the bright side and figure out how to move on now that my publisher is officially closed. I can't order any of my books and no one is responding, not even our distributor. It's been a very tough several months. Luckily I have the cover and the formatted copies, so I am going through with self-publishing WINDY HOLLOW, but it won't be until this summer... I still have to make some tweaks and time is not on my side.

Thanks for your support you guys! Hope things are well with you!

Read all about it!

Time for IWSG February installment. I'm really struggling to figure out what to do about my books. I'm trying to stay positive that my 6th book will be published SOON, but it's very difficult when so many of my compadres are in sour spirits!

Then finally, I got some GOOD NEWS!

Firstly, I went ahead and commissioned the new cover for WINDY HOLLOW myself with the same artist who creatively crafted the covers of the first two books in the series. He's fabulous! He already sent me a terrific sketch and he captured the image I pictured perfectly. Can't wait to share it (and hopefully set a release date SOON!)

Good news #2 - I entered another Janet Reid Flash Contest--and I came in the top five, with some much needed positive feedback! And I also won a book--Yay! It was great to see Madeline Mora-Summonte got honorable mention in the contest too!

Then I realized that Ms. Reid is the best at giving authors cold hard facts and solid advice that works! So I sent her a question as I debate what my next step will be with my books... Basically, I asked if another publisher might be willing to pick up my series. I have a feeling that since my sales are but a trickle, it would probably be a No. But I look forward to her advice--Here's what she said...

So my dear IWSGers, the writing business has its ups and downs and we just have to deal with it and keep going. There are times when things get downright depressing. Then there are the moments of wonderful and surprising uplifts, so don't give up!

Keep Writing!

True Apocalypse

When I started this post, I intended to write about how to create a better apocalypse story. With all the tragedies in the world lately--uncontrollable fires, devastating earthquakes and tsunamis, and so many other world tragedies--I was going to relate the true apocalypse of losing everything and starting over in real life to sci-fi world destruction apocalyptic writing. I feel terrible for all those whose lives have been turned upside-down, with surviving as their first priority.

I had lots more to say, but now I have some depressing news myself... not apocalyptic, but still sad.

via GIPHY

Lately, I've mentioned here and in my newsletter that my publisher Curiosity Quills has been going through a rough patch. It feels like the entire industry is at an all-time low. People just don't seem to read like they used to with all the other forms of high-speed, attention-grabbing, immediate-response entertainment at their fingertips. Anyway, CQ isn't going under or folding just yet, but they are definitely reorganizing, leaning toward primarily e-book publishing. And many of its authors are taking their rights and running. Funny thing, Susan Gourley/Kelley recently posted about both these turmoils--lack of readers and failing publishers!

With the release of Windy Hollow so close, I'm trying to stick it out, but it has been put on hold temporarily. It's just about ready, but there are a few items that need to be resolved. I have informed my faithful friends and Street Team helping me with my release blog tour. And as soon as I have any news, I will be blasting it. Hopefully it will be very soon!


I still want to give a shout out--this week it's to my fellow CQ commiserate...

Rena Rocford!

Rena Rocford is what happens when a Mad Scientist writes books, has a kid, and herds cats with helicopters--results may vary. She writes Science Fiction and Fantasy for all ages.

Her first book Acne, Asthma, and Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon is available now from all major book retailers with sequels and more books on the burner.

I love Rena's sense of humor and writing style--her stories are awesome! We've been writing and bloggy buds for quite a while. I feel partially responsible for her joining CQ by talking it up, and it was great for a time... You can read about the twists in her publishing adventure on her blog.

I'll keep pressing onward.

Thanks for your support!

What's a Publisher?

Hello, lovely writers!
I have the honor to be a humble host for the IWSG this month. My fellow Co-Hosts are:

Toi Thomas

T. Powell Coltrin   

M.J. Fifield

And of course, our fearless leader, Alex J. Cavanaugh! We're all here to listen and learn and know we aren't alone!

The question of inspiration this month is...

What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why? 
My publishing journey continues... I've been with the small press Curiosity Quills for several years. It started out great! They paid lots of attention to the authors, they edit with us, they create covers, and they get us set up on Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, etc. Plus they have a contest and set up some reviews to get us started. Then, like baby birds, we kicked out of the nest to fend for ourselves... Fly, be free! All in all, it's been good. No matter what, I think most writers have to promote themselves and get out and sell, unless they're picked up by the big publishers. Even then, it's readers and word of mouth that determine how well the book will do... Success breeds more success.

I've stuck my toe in the self-publishing pool with my UnPrincess Novellas. That is all DIY, but there are many formatting programs to help with getting your book published pretty easily. You just have to take care of the editing, cover, and again, promotion!

Writing a book is a distinguished accomplishment. Publishing it is a matter of perseverance and finding the right fit. Promoting it is where the REAL WORK begins! Ugh!

I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's thoughts on Publishing!



In other news...
You may have heard the latest IWSG Anthology Contest is underway. Well, today they are announcing the judges! To find out who they are, hop over to the IWSG site.

In conjunction with the beginnings of the new IWSG Anthology Contest, we have combined all the previous IWSG Anthologies into one IWSG Anthologies website!


And it just so happens, that my Shout Out of the Week is one of the admins:

Cherie Reich

She's been writing forever and is very good at it. Multi-talented, she can do all aspects of publishing, and has written a ton of great stories! I'm excited to be working with her at the IWSG Anthology site.

Cherie Reich owns more books than she can ever read and thinks up more ideas than she can ever write, but that doesn’t stop this bookworm from trying to complete her goals, even if it means curbing her TV obsession. A library assistant living in Virginia, she writes speculative fiction.

Give me an I! Give me a W! Give me an S! Give me a G!

Go IWSG!!!!

Hey, it's September and that means:

Football Season and Fall! Yay!

It starts with a Spark

Welcome to my new format - took me an extra week to work things out, but you know how that goes... I need a plan! So now I have one.

I will be posting writerly stuff each week: advice, woes, joys, and news. I also have a couple of recurring themes, like Compelling Characters and Hot Genres. But my favorite part is my Weekly Shout Out. These are the folks who have helped me along the way and people you should know, if you don't already! And if you'd like to be featured, just let me know.

Now, on to this week's starting post, appropriately:

It starts with a Spark.

"I have a great idea for a book..."
So many people think this. Probably everyone has thought it once or twice in their life, in some form or other. But only a small percentage act on it. And an even smaller amount of those actually finish writing a book. Then there are the very few and proud who get published.

And it all starts with the spark of an idea.

Most of my non-writing friends are impressed that I've written books. For about three seconds, then they move on with their own stories. I get it. We all have a jillion things going on in our lives to worry about and share with others to get through it all. That's why I'm so glad I have connected with other writers! I'd never have made it this far without them.

We all felt that spark. We acted on it and wrote a book! We edit and polish and labor over it, worrying if we are good enough to be called an author. And some of us are even published. We aren't in competition with each other - we all support one another and cheer each other on. We all know what it takes to be in the publishing industry. It's like baseball - a game of OVERCOMING FAILURE. We don't give up. WE WRITE ON!

And this helps me introduce my first
SHOUT OUT OF THE WEEK:

Michael DiGesu!

Michael and I have been blogging buddies for many years. And Julie Flanders and I even got to meet him in person! He's had many ups and downs in writing and in life, but he's a perfect example of how to OVERCOME! He doesn't let life keep him down. And recently, he WON 1st Place in the monthly WEP Writing Challenge!

Congrats, Michael! And keep writing!