Sales....

I got a few sales on smashwords and I'm still waiting for my proof so that I can distribute on amazon.  I did send out some query letters to see with this new version if anyone is willing to pick it up.  I had one already email back for the manuscript and the outlines for the other two books.  So fingers crossed that maybe that will go somewhere but I know how hard it is to really get a traditional publishing contract and such.

I got a little further on book two.  I'm really trying to push it out so that I can start editing maybe by the end out july or so.  Plus there are some other story ideas that I've been thinking about.  One with a world where magic or being magical is against the law, guess you could say that it's almost going with the idea of what happened during the time governments were looking for witches.  Another does a twist on the old folk tale of gypsies coming to take bad children away (yes, kind of on the dark side but the idea just floated in one night and I thought that I might be able to do something with it).  All the other ideas really stem from stories or fairy tales that I read before and basically does a what if A, B, or C happened instead.

We'll see what happens, I want this series done first no matter what.  I love the characters in this story, they've really helped me in some of my worst times so I want to give them my full attention.  I had a friend ask if I would expand it past three books and I told her no.  Everything should fit into the three especially considering it used to all be in a 621 pages book.  Everyone will be where they need and want to be by the end of the books.

Available...

Well, I'm still in the process of everything being approved and added to the distribution lists for the different eBook stores but my book is available directly from SmashWords.com.  I'll attached the link below.  I was able to keep my original cover idea on here but the one that is in print had to have a different cover since I couldn't format the pictures how they wanted them.  It's all good though cause both covers look great.

Thank you in advance for anyone that decides to purchase and read the book.  Good or bad, I would love to hear people's reviews of it.  I'm working on book two now so I'm hoping that it'll be available by the end of the year and then the third by this time next year or sooner depending on how everything goes :-)

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/61676

Submitting...

Well, after a lot of work, I have submitted my book and I am waiting to hear back for the review.  I already had to fix something once so hopefully I've got it all set right now.  Something tells me that the site I'm using for the print version is going to be done a lot faster than the site for the eBook version.

Everything that I had originally down for the second book I ended up junking.  I started over yesterday with a new beginning that I think flows a little bit better plus puts some time between the end of Live and the beginning of Laugh so that Sarah has time to adjust and just take over her new found life.  With how things are going, it maybe done by the time all the reviews and resubmitting is done LOL.

Bright day even with the rain...

It's been a wonderful morning.  I've been able to get through another 20 pages of editing.  I was scared for a little bit because I was bouncing back and forth between present and past tense but it seems to be settling down now.  I've only had to expand on a few things which is awesome to say the least.  I've decided not to give myself any more deadlines since the just stress me out and make it harder to get anything done.

I've been taking different nature pictures to alter as covers.  I am hoping that I'll be able to get a few today now that it's really raining good.  I figured the water will help be a bit reflective.  Hopefully it'll make for some really good pictures.  I have so many ideas of for the direction of this series and a different one that I started before.  We'll see what happens.  I wish I could just write everything out and not have to go back and edit but I know that that's not possible.  Oh well... everything will come together eventually.

Editing .....

I'm still working on the editing.  I ended up re-writing more and moving things around so it is really slow going.  It'll be worth it in the end though :-)

Trying to stay positive but it does start to get harder with things others have been saying.  I know it's not normal for self-published books to take off but I really am hoping that it will.  I'm really tempted to pull an all nightier and just push it through but with my health always bouncing back and forth I don't want to take that risk either.  Plus I think I would make more mistakes so it would be counter productive.

Editing, editing, and.... oh more editing...

I really do have a greater appreciation for the people that edit books.  It is beyond nerve-racking.  There are so many stupid errors that I made and doing the spell/grammar check really is not enough I have found but I figured it wouldn't be.  I keep adding things as I re-read too just to clarify different things and highlight others.

I hope all the mom's had a great mother's day.  Both my daughter and husband gave me cards in the morning.  She made a little plastic flower with lifesavers in the center.  She said it was because mom's are lifesavers.  I thought it was so cute.  And then to top it off, she went out with her grammy and got me flowers.  She even remembered how much I love purple roses.

Well back to editing... how some people sit there and can do this day in and day out is beyond me.  It's a mixture of frustration that I made the mistakes in the first place but relief that I'm finding them before I submit it.  :-)

Cover....

Cover completed...

I finished the cover for Live, so I'll post that today.  I'm still going through the editing.  I have read many different self-published books and have found errors so I'm being really careful to go through everything really well.  I don't want to have a bunch of errors in there.  I'm really getting excited to be able to submit it really soon.

Ending is...

DONE!!  After a night of no sleep, I finally have the ending done on the first book.  I'm beyond excited and happy and very proud.  Now for the hard part.... editing.  Like I mentioned before, I don't want to submit something that had typos or really stupid mistakes.  Thankfully, I has a few people that have offered to read through it for me too so at least there will be other eyes looking at everything.

The light at the end of the tunnel is almost here for this one.  I did start book two also.  It's going to be really great when it's done.  I can't wait :-)

Continuing....

So I have just about all I want to put into the first book done.  I've been doing some editing off and on since I'm finding it easier to go back and re-read to create what I want to happen next.  After reading other self-published books, I definitely want to make sure that the editing is good.  There's nothing more annoying than to read through a story and pick up on typos and spelling errors.  I don't want that to be in my finally product.

I'll probably submit it and then upload it to the copyright site to get the copyright all set as well.  I so hope everyone will like it.  Not everyone is going to relate to the characters but they've been great to have around to keep my sanity during this time.

Sick and science projects...

Another day of no writing, I will definitely be working overtime tomorrow after dropping my daughter off at school.  I spent the day with a fever and sleeping.  I love that my children can share but seriously the germs can stay with them.  

My daughter has decided that she wants to do her up-coming science project on whaling.  I am one that doesn't like to keep anything from her so I asked her if she wanted to look for a video clip of what happens.  Of course, she said yes so I checked youtube and found one that GreenPeace had posted.  I'll be the first to say I eat meat and understand where the pork, beef and chicken come from but watching what happens to whales and dolphins has always been hard.  I love watching whales and dolphins and actually went whale watching for the first time this past summer.  It was awesome and my daughter was with us so she got to see them first hand too.  So watching the clip, she was really quiet and then they show when they drag the whale up and you know it's dead.  She just started bawling.  I felt bad that she saw it and was upset but again I don't keep things from her.  I don't think sheltering a child from certain things is right and plus this is what she's doing the project on.  I asked her after if she was sure especially with how upset she got and she's more than ever determined to do this.  Definitely proud of her, my little activist in the making... maybe.

I'm hoping I'll be feeling better so I can get writing done tomorrow.  Another morning at the local Barnes and Nobles so that I can get the quiet I need.  It's so hard to write at home with all the distractions.  I'm working on being more focused but there's always something that comes up if I'm at home writing.  At least if I'm at the bookstore, if they want me they have to drive to the store.  It's a great way to be left alone.  

What a morning....

I tried and tried to work on the ending for Live but of course was completely distracted by yesterday's events.  I woman that I went to school with passed away from complications.  She was only about two or three months older than me.  It's scary how life can be taken away so quickly and suddenly.

I'm looking forward to the venture that I'm looking to do.  I have decided my story will be three books, Live, Laugh, Love.  I've always enjoyed and loved that saying and it's only fitting it be the titles for this story.

Unfortunately, writing is not on the books for today.  My daughter has a girl scout cookie booth to do so it's off in this freezing spring weather to stand with her.  I'm hoping to be able to sneak away later tonight to get some work done though.  I'll keep my fingers crossed.

The beginning...

It's been over two years since I've worked but in that time I have accomplished somethings.  The first being that I have finished my bachelor's degree in HR management and Marketing.  I decided against attending the actual ceremony since there really wouldn't be that many people there to celebrate.  The people that would've meant the most to be there have long past.

Writing has become an outlet for me to keep my sanity.  I have self-published a couple of stories under a pen name since they're romance stories.  It isn't a genre that I particularly like to write and I was just seeing how it was.  There's only been one person that has purchased them both so I guess that's a little encouraging.  The genre that I really enjoy is fantasy for young adults.  I know it's a really saturated genre but it's what I love to write about.  Creating my own worlds and using the imagery that has always been in my dreams.

I submitted my first manuscript to different agents and publishers.  Of course, everyone that I sent it to had rejected it.  I was lucky to have one agent give me some advise on the structure and everything in the story.  So now, my 621 page book has turned into something much bigger.  It's become a 3 or 4 book series (depending on how my characters develop).  The first of the books is just about done.  I'm fine tuning the ending and then editing and editing some more.  The covers are going to absolutely amazing since my talented husband will be creating them.