I just
wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I hope it’s a good one for all of us.
J
This year I
plan on being more organized with my book stuff and possibly sharing with you
my writing in progress. I haven’t shared a lot about my books on this blog because I don’t want to seem like I’m spamming y’all and another reason is I
get a lot of request from other authors to help spread the word about their
books, which is totally fine. I love helping other authors out. I also believe
in paying it forward. So I’ll continue to support them here on this blog. I’m
actually seriously thinking about creating another blog just for my books and
my journey in the literary world. If I do, which I think I’m going to, I’ll
letcha y’all know, so hopefully you’ll follow me there, as well.
For over a
year, off and on I’ve been trying to figure out how to create a newsletter and an email
signup form. I finally figured out the signup form but before I post it, I need to
learn how to do a newsletter. I’m not shy to say I suck at technology. LOL. However,
I will find a way and once I do, you’ll be one of the first to know.
Anyway,
there’s a cool book coming out I’ll be posting about here in a couple days for
another author. You’ll have to check it out. The cover is awesome and if you’re
a fan of pirates and Captain Hook, I think you’ll want to get this book. I know
I’ll be adding it to my TBR list.
I recently asked this
question in one of my Google Plus groups and received a surprising amount of
responses, which was cool. I told them I was a careful writer and sometimes I get annoyed with
myself because it seems to take me forever to write a book.
Wait a
minute.
What do I
mean by “careful” writer?
Basically,
in a nutshell, I want the research I have to do to be accurate and my
story to
be perfect. So I believe it takes me longer to write because of those things. Not to
mention as of right now, I work a full-time job during the week which sucks up
a lot of my time. But to be honest, I think quality is more important in my
books than quantity. I want my readers to get a bigger bang for their buck when
they buy my novels. I want them to be entertained and love my stories. So if it takes me longer to write them, in
the long run it’s worth it, right?
Btw, in case you’re wondering, I do make good
use with my free time. I get up
in the morning an hour early before I have to,
just to write, and then I write some more in the evening times. During the
weekend, I write as much as I can.
The other day I was asked where I was going on vacation. I
told this person nowhere. I have a book I’m aiming to release sometime this summer and another one to finish. I’m too busy to take a week off and go where
ever. Besides, if I went anywhere, I’d be thinking about my books, my fans and
my street team.
Anyway, I
know every writer is different. Some can churn out a book every month or so,
while it takes others a year or more to write a novel. It usually takes me three months, but with
Tangled Roots it has taken me longer than I anticipated. It was going to be a
novella, but my characters surprised me and demanded more. So I complied, and I’m excited about it. I’ll do a post about Tangled Roots in the near future and
a cover reveal.
But this
post is not about plugging my next book. I want to know what type of writer you
are.
Do you have to have complete silence to write?
I can’t write when music is
playing. I also prefer not to hear the TV as well, but sometimes it’s
unavoidable because the living room is near our computer room. I suppose I
could wear earplugs.
I was once asked in an interview if I have a certain candy
I need while I write. At the time I didn't, and I still don’t really.
However, I’m starting to like having red licorice on hand.
What about you?
Do you need to have a certain candy or food while you create your stories?
Now that I'm thinking about red licorice, I need to get some this weekend. I know I don't have anymore.
I must not forget.
*makes a mental note to get
some and a pair of earplugs*
So what have
you accomplished this year? Do you ever think about that before the New Year
begins? What about the things you had to endure? Do you set goals for the next
year?
I do all of
the above.
In 2013 I
published two books: Dark Spirits and The Devil’s Third. I put the ecopy to
Beyond the Eyes for free on Amazon, because I love the new mythology I created, some of
the characters, and I want others to experience it as well for free. I’ve learned more
about marketing, but of course I’m still learning. I joined lots of literary
groups. I met and became friends with some wonderful authors. I created a
street team on Facebook. I’ve done book launching parties, blog tours,
interviews, and book signings. I’ve met and interacted with some of my fans
whom I love.
Yeah, I’ve
been busy trying to spread the word about my books and make a name for myself
in the literary world. But there’s
still a lot of work to be done and a lot to learn.
I’ve accomplished
all of that stuff while working at a f/t day job. Talk about being stressed out
at times. Not to mention, dealing with the mundane things in life we all have
to deal with.
Blah!
But I
believe the end result will be all worth it. In fact, when I hear from fans
telling me how much they love my books, a renewed energy engulfs me, and I
continue on.
Yeah, it’s
worth the stress and tears.
Did I say I
love my fans?
So 2013 was
mostly a year to get a foothold in the literary world. I also had this blog pimped
out by telling Parajunkee Design my idea on how I wanted it. She did a
wonderful job, don’t you think?
Lately I’ve
been dealing with being crazy busy at my day job. It’s always like this in the
winter time because I work for a mom and pop propane company. So far this season
we’ve been slammed. The weather has been in the minus degrees. It’s like living
in a freezer box, and of course people need their heat. I don’t blame them, but
I wish they would be nice and not so demanding. I mean, most of them are nice but some are assholes. In those situations, I
wish I can do what Darth Vader does here:
Anyway, the
owners at my job are awesome people, so I’m fortunate not only to have a good
job, but to work for down to earth, sweet people. I remind myself of that when
I’m getting stressed out or when customers piss me off.
In a couple
weeks it’ll be 2014. I have a couple projects going on at the same time: a Beyond
the Eyes novella and a novel in Ameerah’s (uh-meer-uh) POV. I already have the
cover for her book, and it’s beau-ti-ful.
Seriously.
You’ll love
it.
Trust me.
Originally I
was going to make her tale a novella, but she has a lot to say. She was a
flapper in the 1920s, then her parents stuck her in an insane asylum where she
died. Because of her contempt for humanity, she became a dark spirit. So, yeah,
she has a lot of shit to tell ya.
Those two
projects I plan to complete this year. We’ll see if I can write them both at
the same time, which I’m attempting right now. A fan of mine wants me to do a
spinoff on Carrie and Tree, so I may do that as well this year.
In 2014,
Kevin and I plan to finish siding our house and completing the inside of our
enclosed porch. We live in a house that was built in the 1930s. It seems when
we start one project to this house, another one presents itself. Needlessly to
say, we still have work to do on our homely abode.
Hello, and welcome to the Unofficial UtopYA Authors Holiday Giveaway!
What is this giveaway all about? Getting you -- the readers -- into the holiday spirit! Each day there will be a new prize pack being given away, loaded with awesome authors all united by the fantastic YA/NA Convention, UtopYA! We hope you'll love our prize packs, but that's not all that's being given away. To top off the holiday spirit, we're giving away TWO, that's right, TWO fully loaded Kindle HDs! Two lucky winners will receive Kindle HDs, loaded with EVERY book being given away in the giveaway prize packs! So what are you waiting for? Check out today's prize pack, and enter to win one of twenty-seven fantastic prizes! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! :)
Without further ado, here are the amazing books in the Day 9 Prize Pack after the jump!
Lately I’ve been wondering a lot about my purpose in life and destiny.
Do I have a purpose?
Is destiny bullshit?
I don’t know.
The Devil’s Third is going through edits and rewrites right now. I’m excited about this book, and it makes me happy I have fans anticipating its release. I can’t wait to share it with the world. I’m also anxious to write a whole new different series. In fact, I started writing it; however, I need to figure more things out about the story, so I’m doing some research at the moment.
Anyway, I know what makes me happy and what I want, but I wonder if it'll ever happen. I've been working very hard towards my goals, but the results I've been after hasn't manifested, and I'm worried.
Sometimes when I get down about life, picture quotes helps lift my spirit, so here are some, along with my own words to go with them . . .
* I don't do this. I do what I can to achieve my goals, but now a small part of me is wondering if some of our goals will never come into fruition.
* I'm sure it'll all make sense one of these days, but I can't laugh at the confusion. It's not funny. I can't smile through the tears, because I'm sad. I can; however, remind myself that everything happens for a reason. I just hope it'll have a happy ending for me.
* I hope this is true, because I love to write stories. It makes me happy, and I've been working hard at it. Maybe in the end I will be successful at it . . . unless, it's not my purpose or destiny.
* This is true. One of the main reasons why I self-published was because I had to know I could do it all on my own. I could have taken the traditional route, but I had to prove to myself I could do the publishing and marketing thing on my own. I also hate to ask people for things, but through this whole process, I've learned it's okay to ask for help or a favor. What's the worst that can happen? The person says no. Big deal. Move on. It's also true if you don't step forward, you'll always be in the same place. I've met a lot of cool people since I decided to take this route, and I've learned quite a few things as well. None of it would have happened if I fed myself the bullshit story on why I couldn't achieve it, right?
* I think everybody who creates something out of nothing needs to remember this.
* Um, I don't know about this . . . my high calling?
* I truly believe life is about creating yourself.
* Yes, one of the cool things about writing a novel is it'll outlive me. Another cool thing is, two hundred years from now somebody might be reading my words and seeing the word pictures I've created.
* We never know what tomorrow might bring, and this saying is so true. Our life is a book, so even during the boring and sad parts we must keep reading.
* This is a good one. We shouldn't care what other people think, because if we do we become their prisoner. Be your crazy and weird self. Have fun and do the things that make you happy. In truth, your happiness is what really counts, right? If you're not happy, how are you going to truly love? How are you going to learn and grow and create yourself on how you want to become? You can't, and to me those are the reasons why we're all here. So the key to it all is YOUR happiness and MY happiness. Now let's be weird and crazy this weekend and do a lot of laughing and smiling. What do you say . . . are you in?
Have you attended the Virtual Ebook Fair? If not, what are you waiting for? This event is taking the internet by storm. In just a few months it's become a favorite hang out for readers and authors alike as they mingle and chat. Started as part of bestselling author, Tammie Clarke Gibbs' launch for her latest release, SWORN TO SECRECY, a time-travel romance, the Virtual Ebook Fair quickly became an event everyone is looking forward to.
Traditional book fairs have always been a favorite for booklovers, now you can attend one and meet new to you authors as well as some of your favorites without spending for admission fees and gas to get to the event, and while there's nothing that can take the place of meeting authors in person, there are many benefits to attending in your pjs from the comfort of your own home.
Originally, a one-day Saturday event, the Virtual Ebook Fair is now held over two days beginning each week on Friday and running through Saturday at 10 pm est.
Each author has their own booth, and some have more than one where they share a short excerpt from their ebooks/books and then give you a link where you can read more or buy the book and visit their website/blogs. In addition to the excerpts, many share funny accounts of the writing process and interact with visitors in a fun way.
You can enter to win giveaway e-books by subscribing to the brand-new Reader's Rock emagazine that will launch this month. The subscription is currently free and gives you one entry for each week's giveaways. You only have to register once. In addition, authors often give out coupons for free e-books or run one or two-day sales on their e-books.
If you really love to read, you'll love this event, and it just gets better and better. Growing by leaps and bounds, it promises to continue to be one of the hottest destinations for booklovers around.
Sunday was an awesome day to work on renovating our RV (Aesop) because t he weather was cool enough for us to get shit done. -And w...
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About Rebekkah Ford & Blog
Hi. Thanks for stopping by. I'm an author of thrilling paranormal and fantasy books, and I love to go on adventures. This blog is about my books, writing, life, adventure, and exploration. ��
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