Support the Author…

Good Tuesday morning. I hope everyone is safe and well. We’ve had a nasty round of weather here in the South and let’s just say it’s still really dark here.

When you pick up a book you’re taking a chance on that author. What if it’s an author you’ve never read or your favorite author? Either way you’re supporting that author. If you like the book it’s really important to send out a review. But what if you’re not too keen on the book, well still do a review, but don’t be nasty.

My rule of thumb when doing a review is to be honest and think of how I’d want a reader to respond. If it’s great then shout it to the world. If it’s alright, then give it a review that states it’s an alright read and maybe give some of it’s attributes if it has any.

But what do you do if it’s horrible? I’ve read some books that I just barely finished and others I never finished, even though I really truly tried. It’s time to review, but what do you do? Well, I think you need to leave a kind review. What’s that mean? It means don’t degrade the author with comments like “I couldn’t finish this book because it was horrid” or “This book stinks, don’t go near it”. Maybe say something like “This book wasn’t my style, but I tried it out”, which leaves it open for others to try. I like the reviews that mildly state a couple of issues with the book, but not by cutting the author to the quick, but by making a couple of suggestions. I’ve actually used some of mine to refresh my skills.

A comment I had on a review one time that really steamed me was that I left the book on a cliffhanger to get more money out of the reader by making them want to buy a book. She went on to say she wouldn’t buy another of my books because of it. The funny thing is that it clearly states it’s part of a Saga, which should have clued her in that it didn’t end with that book and she read it all the way through. Oh well.

My point is this, give your authors some love. We work really hard and spend a lot of time writing to get that book out there so give us something to work with. Good thing we don’t price our books by the hours we work on them. But it’s so worth every hour spent over the keyboard.

As always, good writing and May God Bless you…

10,000 views, Wow!

In my two and a half years doing this blog, I can say it’s been wonderful. At first I was uncertain about it. I thought I’d become stumped and have problems coming up with the goods to make it happen. 😉 But I’m a writer at heart and that hasn’t been a problem. Usually I have to tamp down my need to post more than once a day.

The friends I’ve gained through this blog have been, well what can I say, heartwarming, true and just plain out great. I’ve met so many people from all over the world and gained personal relationships with many. We email each other, join together for blogs and so much more. It’s just phenomenal how it all works.

So, this is to all my friends from all over the world. Thanks for the comments, likes, and all the warm friendships that have made it worth while. I’ll see you on the other side of 10,000…

As always, great writing and May God Bless You…

Seasons Change, Do we?

Here in Georgia the temps have begun to dip at night making it possible to open our windows at night. I love this time of year for many reasons and not so much for other reasons. The leaves are starting to change and the sun sinks low earlier.

For me Autumn is beautiful and exciting. It means Christmas is right around the corner, YIKES! It’s time to bring out the sweaters. It won’t be long before we start having fires in the fireplace, which gets me all mushy thinking about hot chocolate and really good books. I love to curl up in front of the fire with a good book or better yet with my laptop working on my latest manuscript. Some days when the air is crisp I’ll walk out to the front porch swing with a thick sweater and hot chocolate to write.

Oh and don’t forget the pumpkin spice flavored everything. My coffee in the morning is filled with pumpkin spice creamer and visions of pumpkin spice doughnuts dance in my head. It’s best they stay in my head and not on my hips. Although I have ventured there some already.

But there’s always a down side to the changing of the seasons, my allergies. Yep, I’ve been a little out of sorts for a couple of days and yesterday it hit. Woke up last night to puffy cheeks and intense pressure. Sleep wouldn’t come so I walked into the den and sat reading a great book for a couple of hours. But it happens every year so I’ll medicate myself and drink plenty of warm drinks to help with the stuffy head.

The biggest problem is I want to write, but pounding heads and writing don’t mix, unfortunately. I’ll have to do some heavy writing when this spell is over with, but that’s what we writers do best. We marathon write as deadlines loom over our heads. Sometimes my best writing is when I’m pushed in a corner and time is running out.

But for now I’ll leave you with something to think about. My new series “5 Oaks Ranch” is coming soon. It will start with Ridge, the oldest sibling.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Stepping out of a hole…

It’s been such a wonderful September with the Romancing September Across the World with my friend across the pond, Rosie Amber. I’ve learned a lot from the different authors. It’s crazy how different all of us are, but in so many ways we’re the same. We all face the same hurdles and somehow we jump them and run toward the next one, but what happens when you jump one hurdle and fall in a hole on the other side?

I just recently released Emma Rose. It was a challenge to me for many reasons. If you’ve never written historically relevant material you might not understand this, but let me enlighten you. I’m constantly reaching for my timeline to keep dates correct and world happenings. You can’t put the cart before the horse so to speak. Well that wasn’t the only challenge with Emma Rose.

Emma Rose presented another problem. When I started out I was headed in a certain direction, but when I got to a crossroads I floundered, in exhaustion I went down the wrong road that took on another persona. I wasn’t happy, but I was too far in to go back, or was I? As I neared the words The End my heart kept telling me it was totally wrong. The story completely lost it’s meaning to me. I had jumped one hurdle and landed in a bottomless pit, falling into writer’s oblivion!

The Saturday before the release date on the upcoming Friday I took a leap that helped me to see the light at the top of that dark hole. I went back to where the story meant something, over thirty word document pages. I highlighted them and saved them in another file and then I did something drastic. I hit delete. As my finger hovered over that ominous black key I struggled with indecision, but finally did it. I deleted 5 whole chapters of a manuscript I’d stayed up late and got up early to finish before the deadline.

I sat for a long while staring at the void in my manuscript I’d just created. I know I saved it but that didn’t lesson my fear. I knew deep down that if I was planning to meet my deadline I had to get scrambling to repair the void. I stepped back, worked on something else that was going along pretty well.

When I came back two hours later it was clear. With determination and some fear I started that section over. The words flowed freely from me as they didn’t when I’d first worked on this section. The story became clear. No longer was it unfocused and dull, it was crisp and clear with a purpose that blowed me away. I knew where it had to go and when I did eventually type The End I was satisfied and teary eyed.

I’d jump a authors worst hurdle, fell in the dark hole and made my way out with exhuberance. It left me totally at peace with the decision and now I know that when it happens again, it’s for the best and just do it.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Discover the real you!

Do you know who you are? Do you really? Sometimes events in our lives shape the person we are. Maybe something happens that causes you to think about what you’re doing with your life. There are so many aspects of my life that have been shaped by fate.

I sat Saturday afternoon writing and thinking. I was caught up in the storyline and suddenly I was in deep thought. The character was having a personal battle and it hit me. We’re all in a battle of wills. We wake up with a plan for the day, well sometimes we have a plan, but life steps in and those plans can change.

We go through life making plans, changing plans and seeing them through as best we can. We have a life plan, but do we really expect all of it to happen. Life changes constantly, whether it’s a death, marriage, birth, career change or just something as simple as traffic. We all have life changes that send our plans in a different direction.

For me things have changed many times. As a child I had it all planned out. I’d be a horse owner and have a huge ranch. Then as I became a teenager and was introduced to romance novels I wanted to be a writer. But then I went to college and changed my major from business to Accounting and became an Accountant. After losing my son’s twin before he was born my life changed drastically. I realized how fragile life is and my want for more children were dashed with one word from the doctors. So I became a Children’s Minister to help children find their destiny in life.

Well, some of the aspects I mentioned above have come to life. I’m now a romance author with many published books and I realized my dream this weekend of appearing on the bestseller list at Amazon. I work with children two days a week by helping to shape them into good Christian adults and showing them how to live a positive life. But no, I’ve not yet achieved the goal of becoming a horse ranch owner, but I have written many novels about that and lived my dream through my work. For now that’s good for me.

So, have you discovered the real you or are you still searching?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Changes make all the difference…

Yep, I’m doing a happy dance this morning. With All My Heart (Revised Edition) Is doing really well on Amazon.

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,588 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #75 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Religious & Inspirational Fiction > Christian > Romance > Mystery & Suspense
- #82 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Mystery & Suspense

You may be wondering what I did as far as changes. Well, I did a couple of things to change this book from the original edition.

Here are the changes I made:

1: I updated the cover. The original cover was awesome, but as one author explained to me, if you change the manuscript and republish you have to change the cover.

2: I went in and changed the voice slightly in this edition. I also added a couple of elements that made the story flow better.

3: I changed the categories that the book was put into. Amazingly enough, as the numbers above tell the tale, it worked.

I’m in the process of revisiting a couple of my older published books. As my writing becomes more refined and I learn new techniques it causes me to think of my earlier works. Now when I go back over them I smile. Things have changed with my writing voice and I have to make sure that all my work changes with me.

So if you have older works that maybe need a facelift, then go for it. It’s been an awesome thing for With All My Heart. Of course this book has done well in the past, but the numbers from just the last two days have been, let’s just say, awesome!

I also want to thank my Twitter friends that took over the post from the other day regarding the republishing. They spread it like wildfire over the Twittersphere and I’m humbled by their wonderful comments and promotions. It’s amazing the support I’ve received from so many, so thanks to you from the bottom of heart 🙂

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Insomnia – Not a writer’s best friend…

For the last two nights I’ve written until time for bed. Which you might be saying, that’s good, you’re getting in writing time. But there’s a problem. I have a couple of characters that are pulling at my sleep strings. As soon as I put my laptop down and head to bed my mind wonders to them.

Monday night I laid down and picked up my Kindle to read a little before bed. Of course my eyes got heavy and not from boredom with my reading selection, it’s really good, but I was tired. So I turned out the light and lay my head on the pillow with a contented sigh. The problem started at that moment of contentment. The characters in my pirate romance were telling me to get up.

I quickly tried to push them to the back of my brain. I do run a busy accounting business and sleep is something I need. But they were persistant. I rolled to my other side and tried again, but guess what, they were on that side too. Finally about an hour later and really wound up sheets I got up. You’d think I would pick up my laptop, but I refused to give in to the characters demands.

I carried my Kindle to the couch and turned on the lamp beside me. I situated myself comfortably in the corner of the couch and settled in to read until I could go to sleep. The characters kept up at the needling. I knew that if I gave in to them I’d be up the rest of the night writing.

Have you ever wondered if your characters haunt you? Well, I’m here to tell you they do. Every time I would get into my book a noise would happen in the room that I couldn’t explain. One time something shifted in the corner and I almost jumped off the couch. I turned toward said corner and frowned. I refused to answer their call.

Then it happened again last night, but this time I refused to give in. I tossed and turned. The good thing that came out of last night’s insomnia trip was I rewrote one of the scenes in my head. This morning I changed it and was pleasantly surprised with the results. The chapter flowed so much better with the changes. SO maybe the insomnia was worth it. But of course my tired, blood shot eyes this morning don’t think so. I so need a nap, but I’m not going to tell my characters, hopefully they’re tired from their constant nudging.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

How’s your editing?

One of the hardest things for most authors is the editing process. It’s a very important part of the writing process. Some authors hire editors and leave it all up to them, but is that enough?

I recently read an article in a writer’s magazine and it opened my eyes to several things concerning editing. A bestselling author was talking about editing and she was astonished at what readers caught in her latest work that was missed by both her editors. Do we only skim over the work while editing?

One author said that she read the work again after the editor finished, but she found about 20 errors that were completely missed. So, when has your book been edited enough? If professional editors are missing the errors what do we do as writers? For me I read and then read again. It’s amazing the errors you find on the second read through.

When writing usually I’m so into the story that I don’t even realize the english that I use. But what if the story needs the bad english to make the point at that place in the book. Will the editor catch that or will they change it and in that one change make the paragraph lose it’s meaning? This happens so many times to writers. Sometimes the way you state something to make a point might not be the best english, but in the situation it makes perfect sense.

So, how’s your editing skills? Do you need help? If you’re not sure about your editing skills, check out having your book looked at by more eyes before you publish. My company, Horseshoe Publishing helps authors get their books publish ready, including intense editing.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Not a cowboy in sight…

Well my pirate romance is coming along nicely. I’m actually enjoying it immensely. Since pirate romance novels were my favorite when I was younger it’s like going back in time. I have suspense mingled in with romance and a lot of sea air. I want the reader to feel as though they’re on the ship.

Captain Caleb Tanner is not like most pirates. He’s got morals and does things for others. But he’s been dubbed as a pirate and he’s alright with that. The first time he sets eyes on Serena Wilimgton, he’s smitten and wants to know more. He’s a great reader of people and he sees something is not totally right with things.

Serena Wilmington loves the sea and everything that goes with it. When her mother dies suddenly, leaving her dying wish for Serena to leave quickly from her childhood home to stay safe, she goes where her heart leads her. The only thing is her heart has led her to stowaway on Caleb’s ship. It gets crazy when she boards a pirate ship as a boy, but Caleb figures her out. Just wait till you see how it goes. It definitely doesn’t go as Serena thinks.

I will be doing a cover reveal soon. It’s still in the works, but the bones are there. The book is coming along quickly. I did well over 5000 words this weekend.

So, do you like pirate romance?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

“The Summer I Fell” Cover Reveal for Sonya Loveday

Check out the upcoming book from my friend and author Sonya Loveday. The cover tells me this is going to be a really good book. Today is the cover reveal and the release date should be coming soon. Check out her site for upcoming release dates. I’ll post them here also. Show Sonya some author and reader love today…

Riley Clifton can’t remember a time when she wasn’t a part of the Six, a group of rowdy boys who would do just about anything for her. Growing up alongside of six guys is never easy. Especially in high school. Falling in love with one of the Six? Even harder when Ace has a hold of her heart, and he doesn’t even know it.

Jake (Ace) Aceton has loved Riley for a long time, but has kept the secret oath of the Six. Riley was off limits. At least until after graduation. When he overhears Riley admitting to her best friend, Paige how she feels about him, Ace doesn’t let his chance slip by. Riley, in his mind, has always been his.

When her college plan falls through, and her future is left to the hands of fate, Riley finds herself scrambling to keep up with all the changes. But that’s not the hardest part. The hardest part is saying good-bye, especially to Ace.

Heartache, hard lessons, and a love deeper than her Alabama roots will threaten to crumble Riley’s world as she waits for Ace’s return.

Will Riley and Ace’s love be strong enough to hold them together when life tries to tear them apart?

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.