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Daniel Comes To Your School

7/22/2014

3 Comments

 
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A big box of DANIEL getting ready for school visits!
Here in Michigan, the new school year is just over a month away. In other parts of the country and world, school's already begun or never ended. I can't keep it straight, but all I know is that it's prime time for me to get out the word about DANIEL THE DRAW-ER and the upcoming, currently untitled sequel.

HOW IT WORKS:



Before our school year ended last month, I was invited to visit with four classrooms in my local district. Most of the kids had read a good portion, if not all, of DANIEL THE DRAW-ER and were excited to ask questions about how I came up with my ideas, my writing process, and what was next for Daniel and his friends. When time allowed, I read a favorite section of the book out loud (almost always it was the part where Whiskers gets stuck in the tree. Really fun for me to read!).

At least one of the classes drew pictures about their favorite DANIEL THE DRAW-ER character or what they would draw if they had a magic pencil. One of the teachers made copies of the students' work for me, and I'll share some of those with you soon.

Each of the teachers sent home order forms so the kids could buy a paperback copy of the book, which I signed and personalized while visiting the class. I tried to keep the cost of the books down because I know what it's like to be the parent of multiple school-aged kids, always overwhelmed with requests for fundraisers and field trip money. For those children who were unable to purchase a book at my visit, I also brought signed bookmarks for each child. I also am happy to donate a copy of DANIEL THE DRAW-ER to the school or community library.

As an independent author, my most difficult battle is marketing my book. Children who read this level of story don't typically own eReaders and don't usually shop on Amazon or scan through Twitter. They rely on parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians to introduce them to fun, worthwhile books. That's why your word-of-mouth is so, so, so important. Without it, the kids don't even know I, or Daniel, exist! 

If you are a teacher or a librarian, or someone who works with a group of kids who might enjoy an author visit, please let me know. You can reply below, or contact me through the contact form on my site. Obviously, at this time I need to limit in-person visits to locations in the SE Michigan area, but I'm also available for Skype or Google+ virtual visits, if your school or library has that capability. If you have other ideas, let me know, too! I'm eager to share this story with as many kids (and adults) as possible!

And, as always, thank you for your support!
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Just Do It

7/18/2014

2 Comments

 
It sounds like the boys are going to bust through the floor of the upstairs bedroom and land in my room, in a cloud of drywall dust and splinters. I check the clock on my laptop, which I've been staring at for at least an hour trying and failing to eek out my usual 400 words per day.   

"What are they doing? It's almost midnight," I groan. "I can't concentrate with them making all of that noise."

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My life. Constantly.
It's common knowledge that I struggle to write when I'm in a noisy environment, especially my house. Usually I have to hide in a room in my basement to make any serious headway on a manuscript, but it's difficult to do that when my presence is needed to maintain world peace. At a coffeehouse, the noise belongs to other people. The kids bawling their heads off and the high-pitched whir of the coffee grinder have nothing to do with me. When it's my kids screaming and boring a hole through the floorboards one body-slam at a time, well, I should probably look into that.

My husband shakes his head. "You're crazy for trying to write a book during the summer, you know that?"

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Yeah, I know that. I mean, call me crazy (and he did), but I think it's not such an outlandish idea for my children to maybe, possibly, potentially adhere to a bedtime. And I'll give you a hint, it's not midnight. Lately, it's been playplayplay until they drop from sheer exhaustion. Thank goodness there's three of them, or else they'd expect me to be part of that nonsense. But I digress.

Here's the thing: I can't wait. I just can't.

To date, I've written four novels and a novella. I'm currently smack-dab in the middle of my second. And guess what? Half of my books have been written during the summer, amidst the usual craziness of kids and horses. The other books were written during November, with holidays and two ever-present children. It's not a great idea, but when I look at my options--writing when my house is empty (which never happens), leaving the house to write (also rare, plus, babysitters. Cha-ching!), writing with WWIII happening all around me, or not writing at all--there really aren't any that make sense. So I grit my teeth and press on with a small goal that keeps me in the writing game without my house crumbling to the foundation.  
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Something will always be there to distract me. A more exciting opportunity will always pop its little head out of the bushes and whisper, "Psssst! C'mere! You can write later!" You all know what I'm talking about.
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This guy knows what... squirrel!
It's like that quote: If I wait for conditions to be perfect, I'll get nothing done. You know the one. I'm sure you've seen it, as I have, splattered all over Facebook and Pinterest and wherever else people post that stuff.
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I'm not sure what this pink forest has to do with accomplishing anything, but it was a better option than the girl running in the snow.
Unless I am willing to sleep in till noon (I am) so I can stay up till the wee-est hours of the morning (my favorite time of day, wee-est), I'll rarely wind up with a house quiet enough to let the creative wheels in my brain start, and stay, in motion. It's just not gonna happen.
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Especially those blasted kids!
Isn't it the same with everything we do, or want to do? Life isn't going to bend over backwards to make sure we're able to pursue the things we're interested in. That includes our hobbies, sports or exercise, keeping up with loved ones, and basically ALL THE THINGS.  

I'll give you an example. Last July, I took up running. I don't even know why I did it, I just felt like running.
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Kinda like this, except with a skoch less beard.
By the time December rolled around, I was up to six-mile runs and hooked. Well, maybe not hooked. That's kind of a strong word to use. I was running, anyway, and then the Polar Vortex came to visit and overstayed its welcome by a few months. Wind chills kept my little corner of Michigan frozen in the sub-zeros. Two days in a row, I recall running four miles in greater than -11 wind chills. Was -11 ideal running weather? Not hardly. But running was the only thing getting me out of the house and keeping me sane, so I did it anyway. Every run day, it took me half an hour to squeeze myself into 50 kajillion layers of clothing to keep my skin from falling off my body and cleats designed for running so I wouldn't pull a Bambi on the icy back roads. 
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Me, without my Yaktrax.
When I look back, I don't regret a single moment I spent with chapped lips or frozen badonkadonk. Those moments proved I was stronger than I thought I was, and that I could do anything I put my mind to. 

Stars rarely align. If you're waiting for sunny and 70 degrees before you throw a saddle on that horse or lace up your running shoes, well, then you've got a good chance of sitting on the couch forever (especially in Michigan). If you're waiting for a quiet house and you've got four kids, you'll be waiting for 18 years. Longer, if your man-child is also waiting for the perfect conditions to land their dream job and move out of your basement. Like Nike has been telling us for decades, we need to "Just Do It".  


The following is a list of simple ideas I've used to help form my daily habit with writing. Maybe you're struggling with getting the ball rolling with writing as well. Or maybe you need help in other areas of your life. This list, specifically, might not help you there, but you're a smart cookie. I'm sure some of these ideas can be adapted to give you the nudge you need. If not, give me a holler. I'll go all drill sergeant on your hiney.
Six Tips For Just Doing It
  • Noise will always be there. Buy some noise-canceling headphones and drown the kids out for a few, if you have to. I don't have a suggestion for what to do when they tap you on the shoulder or tug at your pant leg, but I hear duct tape works well.  Kiddddddding! Only kidding!
  • Find a special or quiet(er) spot of the house to hide. Notify your family that they should not bother you when you are in this spot unless there is blood or zombies.
  • If your life allows for such luxury, take a little time out to visit a cafe or restaurant that won't mind you hogging a booth for an hour or four. Make sure you recreate any and all action scenes or dialogue because the other patrons love that sort of thing.
  • Set a reasonable time limit or easy-to-reach word goal (mine is 400 words. You may prefer writing for 15 minutes or some other benchmark). Then, hit your goal daily. Failure is not an option. And, in the immortal words of the Cobra Kai, "No mercy!"
  • Find an awesome friend who will hold you accountable. If you have many writer friends, you probably also have a writer friend who needs someone who will at least act enthusiastic about daily word counts. If you don't have any writer friends, make some on the Interwebs. If you're not down with making virtual friends because, after all, they aren't real people, then snag that bossy friend with the control issue. It's all good.
  • Don't forget to reward yourself when you reach a goal. It can be as small as a cup of coffee or a soak in your bathtub, or as big as a yacht or a trip to England--which, by the way, I'm tagging along on. Cheerio!


Leave a comment below sharing your best "Just Do It" tip that keeps you motivated when you just don't wanna. 
2 Comments

Daniel the Draw-er 2 Sneak Peek!

7/11/2014

2 Comments

 
In May I started working on the second Daniel book, DANIEL THE DRAW-ER 2 [working title].  It's turning out to be quite an adventure, because there are a ton of great scenes and stories that want to be told.  My goal was to hit 14,000 words (the approximate length of DANIEL THE DRAW-ER), but I'm just shy of 12,000 words tonight and there's so much left to be written.  We'll see what happens when it comes time to edit.  

In the meantime, here's a silly little peek to see what Daniel's been up to this summer:  
A girl with a short red braid sits down in the grass next to me, and stares at the picture as I work.  She's wearing a bright pink Glitter Ponies shirt.  Glitter Ponies is a girl cartoon, and it’s nowhere near as cool as Bionic Aardvarks of Underworld Z.  I can't believe she can wear that shirt without being embarrassed.      

“What's your name?"  She twirls the end of her braid between her fingers.

I stop drawing, not sure who she’s talking to. "Wh-what?"  

"What's your name?" She repeats.

Wait.  Is she talking to me?  I look over my shoulder, but no one else is around.

“What. Is. Your. Name?” She asks again.  I’m trying to ignore her, but she’s looking at me and blinking a lot.  Yeah, like that’ll magically make me pay attention to her. 

“I asked you a question." She touches me on the arm, and I pull away from her as fast as I can.  It’s a proven fact that girls are the number one carrier of cooties, and no one likes cooties.  I’ve never seen a real-live cootie up close before, so I don’t know what they look like, but I’m not about to find out at Camp Bigfoot, when I’m so far away from Mom and her special cootie shampoo.  Besides, if anyone’s gonna have them crawling around on their clothes or hiding in their ears, it’s this girl.  

Who's ready to read more?  Comment below and say hi!  I'd love to hear from you!
2 Comments

It's Not World Peace, But...

7/8/2014

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Being an author is hard.  Whether you're going it alone as an indie author, or you've snagged an agent and a publishing house, it doesn't matter.  It's hard.


I'll stop you before you accuse me of whining.  I'm not.  For me (and many of my wordgeek friends), writing stories is probably the single-most-amazing thing one can do with a keyboard.  Unless you're one of those people who knows how to recreate the Mona Lisa using only binary code or something.  Then, yeah, you win.  


Anyhow, I love writing.  I love thinking of crazy stuff and actually putting it into words, sharing it, then having someone tell me that my words made them laugh.  Or that they listened to their children giggling together while reading one of my stories.  Writing isn't world peace, and it sure isn't the answer to world hunger, but all of that has to start somewhere.  A smile.  A laugh.  Sharing.  


Sharing.


As a writer, there are a few different ways to share.  This book publishing thing is new to me, so I'm experimenting with ALLLLLLLLL of the ways there are to share, just to see what happens while I'm sharing and afterwards.    


A couple of weeks ago, I ran a free promotion on Amazon for my Children's/Middle Grade book, Daniel the Draw-er.  Earlier in the month, I also offered "Daniel" for free.  Over the span of the month of June, 1,000 people downloaded my book.  For free.


To the average person, this doesn't make much business sense.  I gave away 1,000 copies of a book, or x amount of royalties from actual purchases.  The money I didn't earn in those "lost" royalties could have paid my house payment or a car note, or, heck, bought me a new pony if I so desired (I don't.  I know, I don't believe it, either).  But, between you and me, those 1,000 people aren't buying my book.  Those 1,000 people don't know who I am from the other millions of authors currently published on Amazon.  I don't have a PR firm paving the way for my success.  The only way those people will hear of me is from me.  And you, oh fantastical reader.  Did I lose sales from someone who likely would have eventually bought my book?  Absolutely.  It's okay, though.  Because something important happened.  A small percentage of those 1,000 people who actually opened my eBook and read my words now know that I mean business.  They might have smiled and laughed with their kids at bedtime, or from a hospital bed, or on that long plane flight or car trip.  They might even look for my name next time they go to buy another book.  And maybe, just maybe, they might even trust me.  


Authors share with other authors, too.  


I'm not known for my speedy reading unless it's one of those rare un-put-downable books.  Most of my friends on GoodReads know that I've been trying to read "The Book Thief" for over seven months, and that I keep starting and putting aside Lauren Oliver's Delerium.  Committing to read a book is a really big thing for me, but the writing world is a community, just like any other.  Authors, especially indie authors, rely on networking with other writers.  If we don't support each other, few will.  There is absolutely zero benefit in holing yourself up in your house with only a cellar full of booze to keep you company (although, admit it, we've all dreamed about that at least once).  Cutting down another writer, even someone you see as your competition, does NOTHING.  It just makes you look like a big, prententious jerkface.  A jerkface in a bathrobe with lotsa liquor, but a jerkface, nonetheless.

So, guess what?  In order to make my community of writers successful, I'm on a mission to not be a gigantic jerkface.  My game plan: 

  • I'm reading (True Colors by Krysten Lindsay Hager; Worth the Effort by Kai Strand; Turning Home by Stephanie Nelson; Madness Behind the Throne, by J. R. Simmons; currently I'm working on Into the Realm:  The Chronicles of Carter Blake, Book I by R. W. Foster).  I've downloaded a few more to work on soon (Past the Fields, Where All Is Golden by Ann T. Bugg; Curdled Dream by Rasheed Rambler).
  • I'm writing reviews.  They're short reviews, but if I've learned anything during my short publishing/marketing stint, it's that reviews are gold.  They can make or break a book, a reputation, a day.  Friends, if you never remember another thing I say, remember this:  Take five seconds to write a review for a book you enjoy, especially for writers who don't have the good fortune of calling themselves J. K. Rowling, Stephen King, or James Patterson.  Love it?  Review it. Pleaseandthankyou.
  • I've written a book blurb (recommendation which will be featured on its cover) for a book I've read, which will be featured on their book covers (Madness Behind the Throne, Book Five of the Gates of Atlantis series.  Each book features a different author--this one was written by J. R. Simmons). That's kind of cool because my name will be on J. R. Simmons' book, so without even trying, J. R. will be helping me out, too.  That's the funny and beautiful thing about helping each other.  When you do, you usually find yourself on the receiving end of some kind of blessing, too.  



If people, not just those of us in the writing and publishing world, would take the time to ask how we can help instead of focusing on "Me! Me! Me!", things could be better.  Still not world peace, but, gosh, wouldn't it be a great first step?


What about you?  Is there a need you have that someone in this community can help you with? 
Picture
This made me smile.
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