The delete button is painful…

Ok, how many of you have had to hit the delete button? If you’ve ever worked on a computer you’ve eventually hit the delete button. Some of you are probably wondering what I’m talking about. Well, for a writer, delete can be a dreaded, horribly painful button. Your finger hovers over it fighting with you not to do. Your finger screams “NOOOOO”, but eventually you force it to do what you’ve told it to do.

Now, let’s get past my dramatic description to the meaning of this post. I was working the other day on one of my books when I hit a brick wall. The unfortunate thing about this brick wall is it was very high and wide, no way around it. Suddenly the story just ended suddenly. What do you do when you hit that dreaded brick wall in a story? Is it too early to end the story, or do you just end it there?

Well, in some instances the story just ends there, but what happens when you know the story needs to go further in this book? If it’s a part of a series, well you just start the new book on the other side of the wall, but if it’s a stand alone, well, you’ve got to get past that wall. But how?

I sat staring at my screen, unable to think about the inevitable. After much thought and wondering what happened, I finally took a look at my outline. I was confused because it was going along so well and then I ran smack into a wall. Why? Then as I read down the many lines of my outline I realized what I’d done. Duh!!! Ok, so I’m blonde, I’m given at least one, maybe two blonde moments in a day. What I’d done was skip a couple of pivotal story line turns. For some reason I’d totally jumped over some very important happenings in the book. I’d actually skipped several chapters.

You may be saying, how on earth did you do that? Well, if you’re a writer you may be saying, yep, been there done that. That night I didn’t start writing until late in the evening after a long day of tax return preparation. I was exhausted and just wanted to get lost in my manuscript. That’s the problem, I got lost in my own manuscript. Sometimes when you’re really tired, you just need to step back and do something else. Maybe design a cover or work on some character descriptions, but beware if you step into a manuscript.

I had to delete three chapters, yes you read it right, three whole chapters. I’d totally skipped several chapters of important parts that would lead correctly up to the end of the book. My brain had literally skipped some of the main plot rendering parts of the manuscripts. As I read through what I’d typed it began to become obvious. All I could do was delete.

You may be asking why I didn’t copy the work and then paste into the end after I entered the needed work. Well, the ending I’d typed did not actually go along with the missing work. That’s another reason I map out the work that comes into my brain. If life steps in and walks all over my memory, well then I have some reminders written into the outline. It totally saved the manuscript. Needless to say, it will take a little longer to finish, but at least it will be complete as it should be, not just a quick ending to the story.

So, a little piece of advice. If you need some help with your manuscripts flow, sit back and take a deep breath. Then try out an outline, it really saved me this time and definitely saved the story.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Getting over the hump…

Yep, it’s Wednesday. The work week is halfway completed, but for a writer it’s a 24/7 job. Our minds can usually shut down the work thought process when we leave the office, but a writer carries the thought process everywhere. We can’t just shut it down. Well not usually. What happens when that thought process shuts itself down? Have a deadline and it just goes haywire because the writer’s side of your brain suddenly goes on vacation?

Yeah, I’ve been there and it’s painful. You have the greatest story to get out and suddenly, oh no, you lose it! I don’t know about you, but this can be frustrating. Especially if you’re under a deadline. Even the thought of the dreaded shut down gives you the chills.

Here’s a couple of things I do when it happens to me and yes it seriously does happen to every writer at one time or another. The length it lasts varies, but it’s real.

1: If you do outlines for your books, then pull it out. This helps me to refresh my thought process. Most of the times it’s like hitting the refresh button on my laptop. If you don’t do outlines, you might want to at least scribble down a few things to help jog your thought process in case of emergency. Just sayin…

2: For me these times usually hit when I’m stressed over something outside my writing world. Since I’m a multi-tasker, I usually have several things going at one time. Like right now I have tax season in full swing. When I do finally get a little time to sit down with my WIP’s my brain is tired and I’m just pooped. I’ve started coming in from the office and just sitting quietly for a little bit. I spend a little time with the family and since the weather is beautiful for the moment, I walk a couple of miles to recharge myself.

3: If you write about Cowboys, Military heros, or even Pirates, then go over to Google Images and search out your inspiration. Sometimes this helps me. I’ll even go on Bigstock and work on the cover if it’s not already completed. It helps me to get my focus on the reason for the story.

4: Do some research. If you have other works in process, do the research. Maybe something in the research will snag a memory or two.

5: Step away from the project that’s lost in your head. Maybe start something new you’ve had in mind, or maybe work on something you have started earlier. Sometimes it helps to step away from the work and come back a little later in the week. I’ve stepped away from one of my works in progress. When things pop into my head for it, I pen it into my outline that stays close by.

These are just some of the ways I combat writer’s block. They may or may not help you, but it could give you some ideas.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Monday is Release Day!

This is the full book cover for Finding The Right Time. The official release is Monday. The Preorder is up until Sunday night. It is only .99 until the official release.

For an author release day is huge. As a reader it can be huge also. If you’re a fan of someone and they release a new book you usually get really excited. I know I do. If you’ve preordered the book, then guess what you have on release day, you have the book on your device and ready to read.

Release day can be riddled with excessive promotional posts (Yep, get ready because Monday it will hit) and then you have the excitement of seeing how well the preorder did.

Well here’s a little bit about the book. It’s a step away from my normal writing, but it was so exciting to write. This book is a Time Travel Romance, which makes it a fantasy lived out in a fictional book. Who hasn’t wanted to go back in time to redo something or undo something?

One of my favorite quotes in the book is:

He bowed his head and shook it from side to side. “I don’t understand how a man that’s been dead for over one hundred years can just take over your heart. How can you even think about going back to him? If you love me, how can you love him too?”

To me this is a pivotal part of the book. It’s an example of the emotions that are challenged in this book. Since I love romance, this book has such a strong pull to it. It shows that through everything, true love shines through. We’re all given a chance to love, it’s how we treat that love and nourish that love that makes the difference. If you don’t meet it halfway and give it a chance, how will you ever know where it could go. Sometimes we have to follow our instincts and most definitely our dreams.

This book was a long work in progress. I worked on this one for well over six months which is longer than my normal work time. It really pulled at me emotionally and kept me on my toes. When you step a little away from your normal genre a bit, it challenges you. I love a good challenge.

Here’s the preorder links available until Sunday night at midnight:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/413534

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-the-right-time-stephanie-hurt/1118861344?ean=2940045730792

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/finding-the-right-time/id830991170?mt=11

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Guest post from Sonya Loveday

First off, I want everyone to meet my friend and fellow author Sonya Loveday. Sonya Loveday, first and foremost is a reader, an avid one. It is of that love that brought her to the realization that this was the answer to the nagging persistent feeling that ‘there’s got to be something more’. The dream came alive in 2009 when she purchased her laptop and began the tedious step of becoming a published author. When she’s not reading, she’s writing. When she’s not writing, she’s reading. And when she’s not doing either of those things she’s sleeping, shuttling her children back and forth to school, letting the dogs and cats in and out of the house for the umpteenth time in the last hour and dreaming of a clean house. You can find Sonya Loveday on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and WordPress on the links below: http://www.facebook.com/sonyalovedayauthor?ref=hl http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11660396-sonya-loveday https://twitter.com/SonyaLoveday – @SonyaLoveday http://www.sonyaloveday@wordpress.com

Now I want to give you a look at her newest book which will be released officially March 31st. If the cover doesn’t draw you in then the description will. I just love her covers.

This looks to be an awesome book. But let’s not forget the 1st book in this series. Casted came out July 2013.

If this doesn’t pull you in, well you need to go back to the start of this post and try again. Let’s go out and support Sonya.

As always, good writing and May God Bless you…

Friday, Friday, Friday…

Good Friday morning… Well, it’s here folks. It’s finally Friday and it’s gearing up to be a gorgeous day here in Georgia. I feel like it’s been Winter forever. The sun is happily streaming through my windows this morning. As I sip my 2nd cup of coffee, I smile. It’s nice to see sunshine for a change. It’s actually supposed to feel like Spring today.

Friday’s are exciting. It’s the last day of the work week for most and it’s date night for others. Since it’s tax season for me, Saturday is my end of the work week. Oh well, that’s life. Since life has been crazy my writing has been sporadic. As most of you know I have several books in the works, so this is hard for me. I don’t get home until late in the evening and by the time I sit down to relax, I can’t get my head to work on the latest manuscript. I usually just sit and stare at the screen. I did manage to get the outline finished for one of my works in progress, which is exciting.

How’s your writing going? Are you in the middle of a deadline? Are you in a writing slump? What’s up?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

It’s Spring! I’m so over Winter!

Well, today around lunch time it will become officially Spring. Of course that doesn’t mean that Winter has let go of it’s grip here in the US. Here in Georgia we’re looking at cold temps next week and yep, a hint was given about a possible snow scenario coming really close to us next week. Really, we live in the South and for some reason Mother Nature has forgotten that. Oh well, we’ll deal with it as it comes.

When you think of Spring you usually think of Spring cleaning and refreshing everything around you. For me it’s crunch time in tax season and that means I’m up to my elbows in tax returns. My writing usually suffers some during this time of the year. I can’t keep my brain solidly on a story line when I finally get back into the house at night. But I think maybe I can go through my old manuscripts and do some refreshing.

I’ve spoken several times about revising older releases and making them new. Usually when you do this you change the cover and give the book a new outlook. I’m planning on a couple of revisions in the next couple of weeks. I’m also following some advice from a couple of my reviewers.

Also, this is a good time to clean up your files on your computer. In the Winter we get bogged down in the Winter time slow down of our brain. We let junk emails pile up, we let old, unuseful files pile up. Well, let’s clean up that computer and get ready for the Spring/Summer inspiration that comes to most writers. I write more in the Spring/Summer time period. So if the computer is clean and ready, you can write unhindered.

So, how are you Spring Cleaning your writing?

As always, Good Writing and May God Bless You…

Talking with fellow author, V. Steele

Good morning everyone… I do hope you’re having a great day so far. Today I’m talking with fellow author, V. Steele. We actually met well over a year ago through my blog. It’s crazy the way we just clicked. She writes racier books than I do, but we have the same concept of writing. So, without further ado, here’s the interview that we did over the weekend.

S: Good morning V.

V: Morning Steph, how’s it going with you?

S: It’s great. Let’s get down the nitty gritty. When’s the 3rd book coming out in the My Prodigy Trilogy coming out? I love this Trilogy, so I do have a personal reason as well as professional to ask this.

V: (Softly laughs) Well, it’s coming out early summer. I’ve been working on another manuscript that is part of the Chasing Cowboys series. But I do plan on working on the 3rd book soon. The cover is in the works now.

S: I can’t wait to see it. Hope to get a sneak preview when it’s done. Tell us a little about your work in progress. I do love cowboys.

V: Cowboys are fun to write about. The newest book in the series is called “My Obsessed Cowboy”. This has been such a fun book to write. It’s the story of a young woman and her cowboy. She loves him but he takes it too far. She can’t take the obsessive behavior so she leaves town. But as with any obsession, it doesn’t stop there. It’s going to have an interesting conclusion that hopefully leaves you excited and ready to find a obsessed cowboy.

S: That sounds pretty interesting. When should we expect to see this book published. I can’t wait to see the cover design.

V: I hope to have it out this Spring. This cover is also in the works. I’ve played with a couple of different ideas, but ultimately it’s the designer who works the magic with my ideas.

S: Since I’ve had the chance to read some of this manuscript, can you give us just a little sliver of the story without giving away too much?

V: Oh yes, that’s a great idea. Here goes:

That night when he took her home she decided to tell him they had to cool it. When he pulled up to the walkway in front of the house she grabbed his hand as he went to get out. “Kyle, let’s talk a minute.”

“Alright babe, what’s up?” He caressed her hand and she had to close her eyes to keep her body from overtaking her brain yet again.

“Kyle, we need to take a break from one another.”

His head snapped up. “What do you mean, a break? Who is it? Who’s trying to sneak into my territory?” He moved closer and the look in his eyes was murderous.

“There’s nobody else, we just need to take a breather.”

“Why? I thought you enjoyed our time together.” Suddenly she saw something different in his eyes. She couldn’t figure it out, but she knew it was dangerous.

“I have enjoyed the time we’ve spent together, but truthfully I can’t handle your possessiveness.” She had to be truthful.

“I’m not possessive. Is it wrong to love so much that you want to keep that person close. That’s how much I love you Tess.” He kissed her hand and squeezed it.

“Kyle you don’t realize that you’re acting possessive when you say I can’t talk to another man. We have several cowboys that work on this ranch and they are my friends.”

“I don’t like you talking to other men because I don’t like to share.”

“You’re not sharing anything, they are just friends.”

“I see the way they look at you. I’m not blind Tess.”

She pulled her hand out of his and opened the truck door. “Just think about what I’ve said.”

He opened his door and ran around to where she stood. “Baby, don’t walk away like this.”

“Like what Kyle. I’m just going home.” She threw up her hands in frustration.

Well, that’s a small snippet of a pivotal point in the first of the book.

S: Since I’ve read past this point, I can tell you this does pull you into the story. I want to thank you for this interview and the snippet from your newest work.

V: Thanks for this chance to talk about my work. Also thanks for the help with all of my publishing questions that I’ve bombarded you with over the last year.

S: It’s been fun. I can’t wait for the new releases.

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed a small look into what’s up with V. Steele. She has several books out and many more to come. Check her out at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and many other retailers.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

What’s behind the spike in Romance Novels?

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/stewf/1353541386/”>Stewf</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/”>cc</a>

What’s behind the spike in Romance Novels? Could it be the world we live in? Could it be that we need some type of hope? I don’t know about you, but I love to sit down with a great romance and just get lost in it, if only for a couple of hours. It makes you think about possibilities, takes you to another world and makes you laugh, cry and smile.

Romance novels have always been a draw, but it seems as though lately there’s more of a need for them. Several years ago if you said you were a romance author, people would just laugh and say ‘you can’t find anything substantial to do with your life.’ But it’s not that way now. When you say you’re a romance author people sit up and congratulate you. The romance genre has exploded in so many directions. You can find a romance that fits your every need, really every need…

Here’s to hoping the romance genre stays popular. By the way, don’t forget to wear green today, Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

As always, good writing and May God Bless You

It’s Finally Friday!

If you haven’t looked at your calendar, yes it’s Friday. This has been the longest week in many ways and then again it’s been really short. I was blessed this week to have my assistant home from UGA for a couple of days to help me in the office and with some covers. We finally finished the paperback cover for Finding the Right Time. It’s awesome and I’m so excited for it’s release March 31st.

Along with good, usually a little bad comes. One of my clients and good friends found out she had cancer this week. It was such a blow when she called. It made me think about a lot of things. This was such a shock to her and her daughter. But she’s handling it with such strength and positive thinking. I would hope I could do the same thing in such a situation. My prayers are lifted up to her today.

As for my writing, I received some wonderful advice this week about writing. It helped me to think about some of my previous releases. Did you know that even the most famous writers go back to their first releases and revise them? It’s funny when we first start out writing it’s a learning process. The more we publish the more we learn. I’ve learned so many things over the last couple of years through writer friends and lots of research. So, when I get a little time between manuscripts, I might revise some of my earlier works. We’ll see how that goes, especially the time between manuscripts 😉

It’s Friday and I hope you are planning a fun weekend. It’s supposed to be a rainy last half of the weekend here in Georgia. I’ll be working on tax returns, but I do have some time scheduled in to work on the book that’s currently taking over my brain. I’ll give you a snippet later on, but for now, I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

As always, good writing and May God Bless YOU…

Where are you headed? Not Sure?

That’s a hard question sometimes. Most people have no idea where they’re headed in life. They just take like as it comes and usually don’t make plans for the future. Do you have a plan? Have you got your future in mind or just living in the past?

Life is full of turns, curves, stop signs, yields and just plan out warning signals that go unattended. How do you plan to see it through? Do you live life by the seat of your pants, never knowing which way to go when you get to the fork in the road? Most of us stand that this fork and stare straight ahead, confused and not sure what happens next.

This happens so many times with writers. You write your manuscript, but now what? Do you publish it? Do you take a chance with a traditional publisher, but then again do you take a chance self publishing it? This is a hard question to ask yourself, but if you want to become a writer, it’s a question that needs an answer. What’s your goal?

Here’s a couple of road blocks that can come along:

1: Turns: This happens after you type The End. Are you self disciplined enough to self publish? Are you patient enough to wait on a traditional publisher?

2: Curves: Well you’ve made the decision as to how you want to publish your work. What now? If you decide to self publish the road can have many curves and you have to be disciplined enough to take those curves and move forward carefully. If you decide to send it to a traditional publisher, then the curves can be a long time coming and then when they do can you handle the possibility of a 90 degree curve when they either accept it or reject it?

3: Stop Signs: This is when you come to a complete halt. Either your manuscript is completely rejected by a traditional publisher or you decide to self publish and you have no idea where to go from here. That happens, how do you pull away from that stop sign?

4: Yield: With self publishing you have to know when to slow down and take the next step carefully. You need to be patient and slow down before going forward. This is also a good way to handle turning over your manuscript to a traditional publisher. Have you had your manuscript edited by someone other than yourself? One of the easiest way to be rejected by either way you publish is to send in your manuscript before it’s ready. Don’t run straight through the yield without slowing and taking a second look.

5: Warning signs: Also follow the warning signs. Don’t jump into the frying pan without being ready for the burn. If you don’t handle the business as it needs to be handled you will end up getting burned, rejected and ignored in the market. Remember writing is a business and the second you decide to publish, you’re a writer and that’s a business. Run it with that in mind.

So, where are you headed? Do you know your plan? Before you take that huge step into publishing, figure it out. Know what you want to achieve and make a plan. Don’t go into it without knowing the risks.

If you want to self publish and don’t know where to go from the words The End, check out the publishing service that I’m a partner in, Horseshoe Publishing. We strive to help authors move forward and put out the best product they can. The link to what we do is at the top of my page. We are offering a Spring Into Action 25% off special, so check us out.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…