Setting of your book…

Good morning peeps! It’s finally Friday, yea! Hope all is well with you and yours…

Ok, so you’re beginning a new storyline and you have the main characters, the emotional pulls ready, the cover, but what about the setting, the background? Where is your book set? Is it in a small southern town, a wintery northern suburb, or maybe a foreign city?

Good question, huh? When I started writing Tuscany, well, it was a no-brainer. But some of my other books it wasn’t as easy. Here are some things I took into consideration before selecting where the book would be set.

First and foremost, I had to sit down and figure out my main character’s occupation. If they were a stock broker, well, I’d probably set it near a big, metropolitan city. What if they were a cowboy, then it would need to be a country setting, for the most part. Then of course, if it was a snow ski instructor, well, you get the picture.

A couple of my books don’t really tell where they are and there’s not a lot of detail about the surrounding area, only details regarding their immediate surroundings. As with Tuscany, since I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting, I had to delve into posts upon posts upon posts about the region, the food, and everything Tuscany. It was wonderful, like a mini vacation in my head. Hey, I’m a writer, I can take a vacation in my head and I don’t even need sunscreen 😉

So, do you know where your book is set? Is it an important part of the writing process? I think so, for the most part.

As always, Great writing and May God Bless You…

Just another reminder, my over 40 romance will be released on February 17th, but it’s available on pre-order now at these links:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/605289

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seaside-beginnings-stephanie-payne-hurt/1123226112?ean=2940152555912

Word Counts…

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Word count, the eternal question for a writer… I’ve been asked this question so many times that I’ve lost count. How do you know how many words your manuscript should be? How do you forecast it?

Words form themselves in a manuscript and if you’re a writer, you totally understand that statement. Now with preorders available on many book sites, the first thing they ask is what will be your word count, you have to ask yourself that very question. Do you know? Any round about figures?

Here’s how I figure the word count or where it should be by the time I type The End.

Well, as most of you know, I do an outline for almost all of my books. As I do the outline, each part of the outline is a chapter and each chapter should have an average of as little as 1200 words and as many as 2000 words. (That’s my figuring, not a science 😉 )

Then of course, when I finish the outline, I go back and figure up the chapters times the average chapter length. My outline helps me to make sure the story can go the length of the book. If I can only get to number 10, then it will be a fairly short novella, but if it can go the distance to around 20 or more, well, I have a good size book on my hands.

You may be asking how I know it will go the length I’ve figured, well, in outlining, each section should have a good position. Meaning you should be able to make at least a chapter out of that one section. If not, then it will be shorter than expected. When I do my outline, I think deeply over each section and make sure the story can carry enough gusto to finish the chapter.

So, how do you figure your word count? Ever figure too short or too long? It happens, but if it’s not published yet, don’t sweat it…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Don’t forget to go by and preorder “Seaside Blessings” at many ebook retailers. It’s available at several sites…

Taxes & Writing on my!

Good morning, it’s already the 6th day of the year, wow times flying. If you’re an author then you’ll want to read this post, and even if you’re not and you file taxes, take a few minutes to check this out.

Here’s a list of expenses that you can claim as a published author if you have royalties to claim as income.

Expenses:

Writing program expenses (Ex. Word, Powerpoint, Scrivener, etc.)

Subscription Fees (Ex. Writing Magazines, Writing Site fees, etc.)

Dues (Ex. Romance Writers Associations, Writing Associations, etc.)

Computers/Laptops/Printers

Pens/Pencils/Paper/Journals/Notebooks

Postage (Used to mail books, letters to editors, etc.)

Advertising

Swag expenses

Book Signing expenses

Labor paid to a writing assistant

Editing fees/Cover Design Fees

Website design fees/Domain fees

These are just some of the expenses that some authors forget when they sit down to do their taxes.

Now remember to make sure you get all of the 1099 forms from all the places where you sold books this year. I always print a summary of sales report on all of the sites my books are on, that way I don’t leave out anything.

If you have any questions as you prepare to do your return, email me and I’ll help. Check out my accounting website for more information at http://hurtsbusiness.wix.com/hurtsbusiness

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Romancing the New Year…

Good Tuesday morning peeps! How’s your new year so far? Mine has been busy. Of course tax season starts this month, not to mention the end of the year reports, income statements, W-2’s and 1099’s are all due out. Oh, and did I mention my newest book is set to release February 17th.

Whew, yeah, it’s a little busy, but those that have been reading my blog for a while, you know this is when I’m in my element. My new book is coming along great and in line with the deadline. Let’s hope it stays that way. I just need a couple of more hours in the day, but don’t we all?

Have you added any romance into the new year yet? If you haven’t, then go to any of the book sites and you’ll find something in the romance genre you like. Just cuddle up with a blanket and get lost. Hopefully I’ll have a little time in the next couple of days to do that, but for now, I’m cuddled up in a blanket, by the fire, sipping coffee and writing. Then it’s off to the office for a day filled with cleaning, organizing and setting up appointments.

Hope you’re day is going well.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Just a little reminder, “Seaside Beginnings” is on preorder at Amazon and Smashwords. Go by and get your copy preordered so it will be delivered on the release date…

By the way, tomorrow I’ll be talking taxes and the author! So come back for a little tax advice…

Seaside Beginnings

Seaside Beginnings front cover

“The moment she stepped out of the SUV, she took a deep, cleansing breath. A smile spread across her face as the smell of sea air filled her to the core. She followed Dan up on the porch, noticing the splintered boards and wicker furniture that was falling apart. Once she walked inside the front door, a feeling came over her and it wasn’t a hot flash, it was the feeling of coming home.”

When Maddy loses her husband, she has to start her life over at 45. She decides to follow her dream of buying a Bed and Breakfast, and quickly learns its more work than she thought. The infuriating contractor she hires to help out is stubborn and hard headed, and they quickly become best friends. But will Seaside Beginnings bring them closer or tear them apart?

Now available for preorder at Amazon.com

Happy New Year!

Ok, so how many of you have made a New Year’s resolution? I’ve made a couple of the normal ones, better health, lose weight, better organization. We’ll see how that goes. Also, I’ve made a couple of writing resolutions. I have a list of books and release dates that I plan to keep to the date.

Tonight I’ll celebrate the New Year with my Church family. We always have finger foods around 9, then music until close to midnight. Then we’ll all join around the altar, holding hands and praying in the new year. It’s such a special way to bring in each new year.

How do you celebrate? What are your resolutions? Hope I bring more romance to the world, one book at a time 😉

Happy New Year to all my friends and family! Wish all of you a prosperous and healthy new year!

As always, great writing and May God Bless You… See you next year…

It’s almost Christmas!

Good Monday morning folks were you ready for Monday yet! Me neither! As you know, I love my coffee, but this morning it’s not good at all. Since I was half asleep when I put the coffee together last night, it’s highly likely I put one too many scoops in the filter. Oh well, I’m still gulping it down with a cringe. I’ll probably be running on high octane in about an hour.

Can you believe that Christmas is almost here? It’s in a couple of days, are you ready? I have a couple of gift cards to purchase, then I’ll be ready to go.

I’m pleased to announce that I did what I promised myself I’d do, I finished the Five Oaks Series before Christmas. All 6 books came out this year! Whew, I’m exhausted, but happy with the results. The Christmas book actually rounded the whole series out, with little bits of everyone’s life joined into one book.

Since the series is complete, I’ve been taking a couple of days to take a breath and go over my schedule for 2016. Can’t wait to reveal some of the books in the works, but my assistant would have a coronary if I tell everything 😉

Speaking of my assistant, she’s home from college for Christmas, so she’s busy creating wonderful covers for upcoming projects and yes, I’ve promised to keep them secret, but it’s so hard. She even talked me into this really cool calendar/journal. It stays beside me all the time. All my publish dates, finish dates, proofing dates, etc. are in there!

I just love it! The things inside of this fancy cover are top secret, well for a little while, but I’ll sneak some stuff out when I can.

So, are you finished shopping? Have you finished what you wanted to this year? If not, hop to it, the end of 2015 is almost here.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

A Christmas to Remember…

A Christmas To Remember Front

Well, with a happy heart, I release A Christmas to Remember today! It’s been a crazy year, writing 6 books to complete the series. Funny thing is, it was originally only 5, but the characters pushed for this last, sweet book of memories, recipes and little surprises. This book brought me to happy tears and it’s straight from my heart to yours. So I hope you enjoy it!

I’ll be offering bundles soon of the whole Five Oaks Ranch series books! Thanks to the fans of the Five Oaks Ranch for believing in the story and characters. The comments I’ve received have been so sweet and make me smile. Ridge was even honored with a nice gold 5-star review from Readers Favorite! His cover wears the honor proudly!

As we begin to say goodbye to 2015, I’m planning the release dates for 2016 books. I have several in the outline stage ready to come alive. A couple are already in the works, so keep watching out for upcoming releases.

As always, great writing and May God Bless You…

Maggie’s Release!

Maggie front cover

Maggie will be available by tomorrow morning! I can’t wait for you to meet the last Cauthen sibling. She’s sassy, loving, adored by her brothers and has a secret…

You’ll fall in love with her story. It’s a story of secrets, love, and family.

So, have a happy Monday and remember, get Maggie before the Christmas edition comes out the end of this week.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Saturday coffee is always better…

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Why is Saturday coffee better than any other day? It’s the same coffee… I think it’s the fact that you get to sleep a little later so it’s not just for pulling your lazy self out of sleep. Or maybe it’s the fact that you can actually sit down and enjoy it.

For me, it’s the fact that I can sit, relax and sip my coffee, not just gulp it. Coffee pulls me from sleep into the day time. Only I have a bad habit of writing and sipping coffee until I’ve down three or four cups. When I’m writing I can go through half a pot before I know it. Especially on Saturday morning.

This morning as I sip my coffee and reflect on 2015, I can hardly believe that it’s almost over. Last night I finished the last book in the Five Oaks Ranch series. It’s been a busy year, publishing six books in a series, but that’s the goal I set and I saw it through.

The last book, A Christmas to Remember was such a sweet story. I cried during some of it and I hope that the readers will feel the nostalgic pull that I tried to put into it. It contains recipes at the end, but you’ll get the reason why as you read the book.

So, here’s to a great Saturday of writing and May God Bless You…