Last year I sat down and declared my novel for the annual Nanowrimo challenge. I planned to work on the third book in my Voices series but working everyday between my two jobs, trying to keep up with family and personal obligations and dealing with my struggling health made it an impossible venture. It was the first time I have ever had to pull out of participating and it was something I thought long and hard about before officially deciding. However, in the end, I knew it was the best move for me to make.
I write outside of the Nanowrimo challenge. I will admit I do not find time to focus on writing as much as I would like other than during November, but I do work on it from time to time. It had been my intention to get past the health issues and get down to one job and then go back to write book three so I could begin working on the rewrites and edits for the trilogy that I believed the Voices series to be. The health issues continued unfortunately and I wasn't able to get down to one job until June of this year. Even then I was battling some health concerns though those have mostly cleared up now.
So this year as I was considering if I wanted to attempt it again I talked it over with my boyfriend who is one of the major sounding boards for everything I do. We talked about some of the things I have been doing to improve my health such as training for a 10K and riding in a charity bike ride, both of which I will be taking part in over the next two weeks. It is something I need to continue doing in order to keep my health on an upward trajectory. So that is a time concern to be take into consideration, not only do I need to set aside the time for the run (one day) and time for the ride (3 days to get to and from California) as well as making time in the mornings to get to the gym in order to stay healthier.
The next thing to think about is the three signings I need to make time for. Two of the signings are on the same day which is one less day to take away from writing but it makes for one long and full day. I am also preparing for a holiday party I will be hosting for the Las Vegas authors the day after Nanowrimo officially ends. I will be baking all of the desserts (19 of them) and making the decorations / putting them up in the front and back yards plus throughout my house. So all of those things are more items I need to have in my calendar along with the five days a week I work. Writing this month was starting to feel impossible.
Yet when we talked it over he mentioned me has seen me complete Nano when I didn't start until November 9th and had no idea what I was going to work on. He has seen me complete a novel while working two different jobs and pulling back to back doubles. He knows it is a passion and he has faith I can do it. Not only does he believe in me and how much I love writing but he knows it is an escape for me. When all those other things make me feel overwhelmed and I start getting emotional or frustrated it is a way for me to clear my mind and focus on something I enjoy.
I know the story I will be working on. I have the basic idea and know the ending I am working toward. I now know there is a fourth book that is the actual end of the series but I am excited to get into book three and hopefully when I am done I can jump right into the last book and finish the first full series I have ever written. Bring on Nanowrimo 2018, I am ready!
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Friday, August 24, 2018
Two Different Sides
Ok, ok, I know, I've been gone a while. Close to a month, I know, please don't throw things at me. I have been busy with writing stuff I swear. I finished the editing and publishing work for my latest book Just Deal With It which was an adventure and a half. I have also been working hard to set up a launch party for it. In Vegas that can be a challenge. There are so many things happening all the time that you want to find a time and place that will have people but not have to battle a full social schedule in order to find a time to do it.
I managed to find a weekend that wasn't fighting Labor Day, other book signings, still close enough to the publish date to be relevant, and gives me time to work hard on the other book I am releasing this year, Fish. Fish will be out in mid-October and while I am excited to share another of my Sharing Strength characters, this book is hard to write.
Just Deal With It is a fun and funny group of stories form my experiences over the last 8 years as a dealer working here in Las Vegas. The casino world is definitely one I could never compare to anything else and the people watching is second to none. People bugged me for years to either do an open mic night and tell stories about the crazy things I have seen or write a book so others can get a taste of what my "day job" is really like. As a writer I decided the latter was the way to go. That isn't to say I won't myself with a mic in my hands eventually as well though.
Fish on the other hand is a labor of love because it is difficult to write, discuss, or even describe. I can say the theme is extremely relevant in today's society right now, sexual assault. The main character is a sweet, innocent girl who is always there for her friends and never wants to let anyone down. She is from a strict, sheltered household with parents who do not always approve of their daughter's friends because some are more "fast life" than Rachel. When a rape happens the entire world turns upside down for Rachel and her friends as moving forward seems impossible.
Minor topics in the book also include bullying and high school society as a whole but the center of the book is dealing with the sexual assault. I have openly discussed in the past that I am a domestic abuse survivor but I do not talk about the times I was raped often. They were a result of the mental state was lived in after my abuse and while I am using much of the emotion I experienced while working on Fish the story is completely fictional. Rachel is a part of me and I'm a part of her so I cradle her in a loving embrace in my mind. Sharing this story will be painful and emotional but it is a topic we need to be talking about so I want my sweet Rachel to stand tall and do what she needs to do in order to lend her voice to such a painful subject.
Now if I can just make the mental switch from the fun and laughs of Just Deal With It and get focused I can get Rachel off to the editor and back to work on the Voices series.
I managed to find a weekend that wasn't fighting Labor Day, other book signings, still close enough to the publish date to be relevant, and gives me time to work hard on the other book I am releasing this year, Fish. Fish will be out in mid-October and while I am excited to share another of my Sharing Strength characters, this book is hard to write.
Just Deal With It is a fun and funny group of stories form my experiences over the last 8 years as a dealer working here in Las Vegas. The casino world is definitely one I could never compare to anything else and the people watching is second to none. People bugged me for years to either do an open mic night and tell stories about the crazy things I have seen or write a book so others can get a taste of what my "day job" is really like. As a writer I decided the latter was the way to go. That isn't to say I won't myself with a mic in my hands eventually as well though.
Fish on the other hand is a labor of love because it is difficult to write, discuss, or even describe. I can say the theme is extremely relevant in today's society right now, sexual assault. The main character is a sweet, innocent girl who is always there for her friends and never wants to let anyone down. She is from a strict, sheltered household with parents who do not always approve of their daughter's friends because some are more "fast life" than Rachel. When a rape happens the entire world turns upside down for Rachel and her friends as moving forward seems impossible.
Minor topics in the book also include bullying and high school society as a whole but the center of the book is dealing with the sexual assault. I have openly discussed in the past that I am a domestic abuse survivor but I do not talk about the times I was raped often. They were a result of the mental state was lived in after my abuse and while I am using much of the emotion I experienced while working on Fish the story is completely fictional. Rachel is a part of me and I'm a part of her so I cradle her in a loving embrace in my mind. Sharing this story will be painful and emotional but it is a topic we need to be talking about so I want my sweet Rachel to stand tall and do what she needs to do in order to lend her voice to such a painful subject.
Now if I can just make the mental switch from the fun and laughs of Just Deal With It and get focused I can get Rachel off to the editor and back to work on the Voices series.
Friday, July 27, 2018
Pushing Through
Today I finished the final edits and formatting for my book Just Deal With It. The book is all about the town I live in, Las Vegas, from the casino dealer's point of view. Everyday when I go to my day job there are things I am sure to hear. From "Are you the cooler?" to "Winner winner, chicken dinner!" and of course "You're killin' me smalls", somethings are a given. I always like to share some of the experiences I have had doing one of the most fun jobs I have ever worked.
A few years ago I was joking around with another dealer as I walked out to my car after my shift. She asked if I ever thought about writing a book about the things I have seen while working in a casino. The truth at the time was that I had never considered doing so. I just enjoyed making people laugh with my random stories. I remember looking at her and rolling my eyes saying, "Oh yeah what a great idea! I could call it Just Deal With It and we could all have a good laugh at the inside joke." She turned to me after pushing the elevator button smiling.
She waited until we were almost to the top then asked when I would be publishing it. I laughed not realizing she meant it. It would be over a year before the idea would find any friction in my mind. While attending the San Diego State University Writers Conference I was again telling the tales of the casino to make people laugh. An agent overheard me and asked for an exclusive first read of the book I was pitching. What followed was an amusing twenty minute discussion about how he could possibly read something I was;t actually writing. He convinced me to think about it and gave me his card and a deadline, should I decide to follow through.
The next part was frustrating. Another dealer, whom I considered one of my best friends, has always had the dream of being published. I went to him to ask if he would consider co-authoring the book with me. He was ecstatic. We began working on ideas and layouts immediately but as time went on nothing came from his side. I missed the deadline waiting to see what wonderful stories he would include. After a year of pushing and getting nowhere I had to face reality, it was all on me. That meant the book would be shorter than I originally planned but I was ok with that. I would still make it as fun as I could and share the stories I had always seen bring a smile to people's faces.
In the next few days I will be uploading the manuscript for publishing and the official release date is set for August 26th. It is the anniversary of the day I left my previous work for the casino I have called home for the past six years. I cannot wait to introduce people to my world in a more meaningful and entertaining way. It was a journey to get here but well worth every step.
A few years ago I was joking around with another dealer as I walked out to my car after my shift. She asked if I ever thought about writing a book about the things I have seen while working in a casino. The truth at the time was that I had never considered doing so. I just enjoyed making people laugh with my random stories. I remember looking at her and rolling my eyes saying, "Oh yeah what a great idea! I could call it Just Deal With It and we could all have a good laugh at the inside joke." She turned to me after pushing the elevator button smiling.
She waited until we were almost to the top then asked when I would be publishing it. I laughed not realizing she meant it. It would be over a year before the idea would find any friction in my mind. While attending the San Diego State University Writers Conference I was again telling the tales of the casino to make people laugh. An agent overheard me and asked for an exclusive first read of the book I was pitching. What followed was an amusing twenty minute discussion about how he could possibly read something I was;t actually writing. He convinced me to think about it and gave me his card and a deadline, should I decide to follow through.
The next part was frustrating. Another dealer, whom I considered one of my best friends, has always had the dream of being published. I went to him to ask if he would consider co-authoring the book with me. He was ecstatic. We began working on ideas and layouts immediately but as time went on nothing came from his side. I missed the deadline waiting to see what wonderful stories he would include. After a year of pushing and getting nowhere I had to face reality, it was all on me. That meant the book would be shorter than I originally planned but I was ok with that. I would still make it as fun as I could and share the stories I had always seen bring a smile to people's faces.
In the next few days I will be uploading the manuscript for publishing and the official release date is set for August 26th. It is the anniversary of the day I left my previous work for the casino I have called home for the past six years. I cannot wait to introduce people to my world in a more meaningful and entertaining way. It was a journey to get here but well worth every step.
Monday, July 16, 2018
Sharing Rachel
Last night as I was driving home from work I started thinking about why I am struggling so much when working on Fish, the book I will be releasing in October. I know the main points of the story and the dialogue will flow as it should when I get to those points in the story. I have a playlist set up for the novel Sharing Strength and Fish is simply the novella prequel to Sharing Strength so everything seems to be in order. So why is it so damn hard?
For one thing, Rachel is not the main character in Sharing Strength. She is important. I would even go so far as to say her role in the book is vital to the story. However, she is not the main focus. The playlist is for overall mood and leaning more toward the main characters Kyle and Jasmine. Ok, understanding that I thought about Rachel and came up with several songs that work specifically for her. Now she has her own playlist. Things should be easier, but they aren't.
Rachel doesn't have the easiest time in Sharing Strength. Her trials and tribulations are emotional and at times painful. She is that character that tugs at my heart strings and knowing everything she deals with in the novel I wanted to give her some dignity in her novella. The problem is, the prequel is the book that explains how she became the person she is in Sharing Strength. I have to put her through even more to get her to the point she is at the beginning to the novel. I cry for her because of everything about her. Her age, just sixteen almost seventeen years old. She is struggling with her parents, her friends, even her teammates on the swim team have a tendency to make things difficult for her at different points. She has been sheltered and so when adversity arises she has no idea how to handle it.
She comes from a strict upbringing with the focus on religion. She is the epitome of a "goody two-shoes" and holds onto that even when rumors and bullying start to make her appear otherwise. Rachel is someone who fights to prove she is the person she says she is but every time she falls down it gets a little harder to get back up. She doesn't want to give up. She wants to heal from every time she has fallen, been kicked down or thrown, she is just having trouble finding that hand to help stand her up and dust her off when she needs it.
Fish is the second novella in the Sharing Strength series but because Survivor was based on a true story and only parts of Rachel's personality and experience come from a real person it is more difficult to write. I know she will step up and share the story if for no other reason than she wants to help, even if it is as a fictional character reaching out to a world beyond her own.
For one thing, Rachel is not the main character in Sharing Strength. She is important. I would even go so far as to say her role in the book is vital to the story. However, she is not the main focus. The playlist is for overall mood and leaning more toward the main characters Kyle and Jasmine. Ok, understanding that I thought about Rachel and came up with several songs that work specifically for her. Now she has her own playlist. Things should be easier, but they aren't.
Rachel doesn't have the easiest time in Sharing Strength. Her trials and tribulations are emotional and at times painful. She is that character that tugs at my heart strings and knowing everything she deals with in the novel I wanted to give her some dignity in her novella. The problem is, the prequel is the book that explains how she became the person she is in Sharing Strength. I have to put her through even more to get her to the point she is at the beginning to the novel. I cry for her because of everything about her. Her age, just sixteen almost seventeen years old. She is struggling with her parents, her friends, even her teammates on the swim team have a tendency to make things difficult for her at different points. She has been sheltered and so when adversity arises she has no idea how to handle it.
She comes from a strict upbringing with the focus on religion. She is the epitome of a "goody two-shoes" and holds onto that even when rumors and bullying start to make her appear otherwise. Rachel is someone who fights to prove she is the person she says she is but every time she falls down it gets a little harder to get back up. She doesn't want to give up. She wants to heal from every time she has fallen, been kicked down or thrown, she is just having trouble finding that hand to help stand her up and dust her off when she needs it.
Fish is the second novella in the Sharing Strength series but because Survivor was based on a true story and only parts of Rachel's personality and experience come from a real person it is more difficult to write. I know she will step up and share the story if for no other reason than she wants to help, even if it is as a fictional character reaching out to a world beyond her own.
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Newsletters
Last week I watched a webinar about book marketing. There were a few things I already knew but a few tweaks I could make to existing strategies which may improve visibility and sales. One thing mentioned repeatedly was newsletters. Using them, and doing so effectively, can be a major difference in your marketing effectiveness. I have chosen to look at newsletters from both sides, as a creator and as a subscriber.
I do have several I personally subscribe to that cover everything from cover art designs and writing programs to simply reading about what other authors are releasing or giveaways they are doing. It is a fantastic learning experience to see what authors similar to myself are doing along with ways I may be able to make those ideas more personal for my work. Because of this I have a huge influx of information everyday. I have fallen behind but for the sake of getting my writing career back on track I will be going through all of the emails this week, taking note of the newsletters I find value in and getting rid of ones doing nothing more than pushing products or services I don't see myself using.
The goal is to not only be caught up but using the information I gain each week as I go through the new emails. I want to find a way to connect with the information most useful for my writing then customize the marketing strategies and hopefully share my experience with other beginners like myself.
From a creator's point of view I am working to find what information to include, what is just filler, how to make it personal and fun, and of course how to track the effectiveness the letters. The webinar discussed ways to grow your subscriber list as well as how to include a pieces of information to help the reader know you and make it more personal for them at the same time. I have sent a few basic email newsletters but armed with this new information I am hoping to switch to a new service in the next month or so and begin to improve my reach so I may begin to see a growth in my writing as a business.
Part of that growth will come also from understanding the market so as I go through my current subscriptions I will begin deleting ones that not only hold no helpful information but will replace them with newsletters and blogs by authors in my genres and more closely related to my personal goals. As I continue to learn more I will be sharing the trials and triumphs here. Also if any of my readers have things they would like to see included or other authors have advice I would welcome any contributions to be considered.
I do have several I personally subscribe to that cover everything from cover art designs and writing programs to simply reading about what other authors are releasing or giveaways they are doing. It is a fantastic learning experience to see what authors similar to myself are doing along with ways I may be able to make those ideas more personal for my work. Because of this I have a huge influx of information everyday. I have fallen behind but for the sake of getting my writing career back on track I will be going through all of the emails this week, taking note of the newsletters I find value in and getting rid of ones doing nothing more than pushing products or services I don't see myself using.
The goal is to not only be caught up but using the information I gain each week as I go through the new emails. I want to find a way to connect with the information most useful for my writing then customize the marketing strategies and hopefully share my experience with other beginners like myself.
From a creator's point of view I am working to find what information to include, what is just filler, how to make it personal and fun, and of course how to track the effectiveness the letters. The webinar discussed ways to grow your subscriber list as well as how to include a pieces of information to help the reader know you and make it more personal for them at the same time. I have sent a few basic email newsletters but armed with this new information I am hoping to switch to a new service in the next month or so and begin to improve my reach so I may begin to see a growth in my writing as a business.
Part of that growth will come also from understanding the market so as I go through my current subscriptions I will begin deleting ones that not only hold no helpful information but will replace them with newsletters and blogs by authors in my genres and more closely related to my personal goals. As I continue to learn more I will be sharing the trials and triumphs here. Also if any of my readers have things they would like to see included or other authors have advice I would welcome any contributions to be considered.
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Kitten's Corner - Bree
Hey everyone, Bree here. Pumpkin is sleeping so I decided to take over and show my mini me, mom calls her Oreo, around a little bit. Things have been crazy here for the last month as mom tries to work during the night and then come home when the sun is coming up. She has been so tired it is difficult to get her to do anything, even give us extra treats.
She cleans like she always does and eats like normal, sort of. But she also goes out to meetings she calls them and has been all excited about a new book. I hear her talking about it all the time. She keeps saying next month everything will happen. She has been talking about designs for something, I hope it's a new cat toy. I love it when mom gets excited but it would be better if she did it while snuggling me and giving me cheese.
Pumpkin likes to go up to mom's office when she is working and sleep on the computer so she probably knows more about what is going on than I do. I just thought it would be fun to send you all a message to say hello and I think something big is about to happen. Keep an eye out for details and I will jump on here again if I get the chance when I find out more.
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Characters Showing Strength
In just a couple of days I will be sending the manuscript of my collection of humorous short stories off to my beta reader / manager for editing and feedback. I have had a blast working on that book and I cannot wait to get the cover on it and ready for release at the end of August. With that said, I am now jumping back in on my Sharing Strength series. It is a huge switch to go from writing and editing fun, entertaining stories about casino life to telling the story of a teenager dealing with a major trauma.
For those that don't know, Sharing Strength is a novel I wrote in response to a documentary I was watching. I spent three hours observing how the writers and cinematographers went about explaining PTSD, its effects on those living with the syndrome, and finally telling the audience that unless you served in the military you couldn't possibly have PTSD. I was infuriated. I was diagnosed with PTSD when I was in my early twenties and I have served a day in my life. I don't believe for a second that what I went through was any less traumatic for me than a soldier seeing combat. It is simply a different form.
My anger at the creators of that documentary immediately awoke a series of characters inside me. There was Craig. A father dealing with intense depression and self-hatred after being involved in a single car crash that killed his four year old son Jeremy. Craig suffers from a horrible case of survivor's guilt and deals with it by spending most of his time in a drunken stupor. He doesn't want to live the way he is but he doesn't know how to cope any other way so he joins a support group.
Brian and Kyle have been best friends since they were ten. They became like brothers from the moment Kyle moved to the neighborhood and Brian's father took him in as another son. Kyle's mom was a single mother and was grateful for the friendship and father figure her son found. Along with Brian's younger, they worked on cars, learned to target shoot and after high school the bets friends joined the military. On a mission one day their team was ambushed and they witnessed several friends killed in action. They take dramatically different attitudes toward what the experienced and approach the support group with those opposing views as well.
Jasmine is a survivor of domestic abuse. She has the scars, both mental and physical, to show what she has been through. She doesn't trust men and lives behind the lens of her camera. It is safer for her to stay disconnected and observe the world from a distance. She has a loving family but she never told them what she was going through because her abuser convinced her everything was her fault and everyone would either laugh at or blame her if she spoke up. She believes there is a way to be happy again but knows she needs someone who isn't so close to the situation to talk to in order to find her path back.
Rachel is a good girl raised in a strict, religious household. She is a teenager but her worst rebellion is staying awake to read a romance novel before bed instead of doing her Bible studies or homework. She has close friends on the swim team and has always found swimming to be the perfect escape. She is gifted in the pool so much her friends call her Fish. One night she is called on by one of those friends to rescue her from a bad situation and ends up the victim of a sexual assault. She is so ashamed she rushed home to hide what happened but things get even worse when the boy that attacked her tells everyone she came on to him. Rachel's world turns upside down as she fights to clear her name and deal with the fallout form the rumors surrounding her. When door after door in her life slams closed she finds the support group looking for someone who will listen and not judge her.
I began writing the background stories as a novella called Survivor. Jasmine's story is based on what happened to me as a teenager and while, for legal reasons, it is a fictionalized version, it was important for me to finally admit what I went through. Survivor has had a tremendous response and I have heard from others who experienced similar pasts how it helped to see they weren't alone. I am now preparing to write Rachel's story and then I will be moving on to Craig. For Kyle and Brian I am working with a combat veteran who is helping me get a first hand look into the world of combat. These are not easy stories to share but I think they are ones the world needs to know.
As soon as the four novellas have been released I will be releasing the full novel. As it is a follow up and shows the support group working for all of the characters and how they interact with each other I wanted readers to get to know each of them individually first. I love every one of them and hope my readers will have the same care and affection I have found in the fighting spirits and desire to heal they share with one another and the me as well.
For those that don't know, Sharing Strength is a novel I wrote in response to a documentary I was watching. I spent three hours observing how the writers and cinematographers went about explaining PTSD, its effects on those living with the syndrome, and finally telling the audience that unless you served in the military you couldn't possibly have PTSD. I was infuriated. I was diagnosed with PTSD when I was in my early twenties and I have served a day in my life. I don't believe for a second that what I went through was any less traumatic for me than a soldier seeing combat. It is simply a different form.
My anger at the creators of that documentary immediately awoke a series of characters inside me. There was Craig. A father dealing with intense depression and self-hatred after being involved in a single car crash that killed his four year old son Jeremy. Craig suffers from a horrible case of survivor's guilt and deals with it by spending most of his time in a drunken stupor. He doesn't want to live the way he is but he doesn't know how to cope any other way so he joins a support group.
Brian and Kyle have been best friends since they were ten. They became like brothers from the moment Kyle moved to the neighborhood and Brian's father took him in as another son. Kyle's mom was a single mother and was grateful for the friendship and father figure her son found. Along with Brian's younger, they worked on cars, learned to target shoot and after high school the bets friends joined the military. On a mission one day their team was ambushed and they witnessed several friends killed in action. They take dramatically different attitudes toward what the experienced and approach the support group with those opposing views as well.
Jasmine is a survivor of domestic abuse. She has the scars, both mental and physical, to show what she has been through. She doesn't trust men and lives behind the lens of her camera. It is safer for her to stay disconnected and observe the world from a distance. She has a loving family but she never told them what she was going through because her abuser convinced her everything was her fault and everyone would either laugh at or blame her if she spoke up. She believes there is a way to be happy again but knows she needs someone who isn't so close to the situation to talk to in order to find her path back.
Rachel is a good girl raised in a strict, religious household. She is a teenager but her worst rebellion is staying awake to read a romance novel before bed instead of doing her Bible studies or homework. She has close friends on the swim team and has always found swimming to be the perfect escape. She is gifted in the pool so much her friends call her Fish. One night she is called on by one of those friends to rescue her from a bad situation and ends up the victim of a sexual assault. She is so ashamed she rushed home to hide what happened but things get even worse when the boy that attacked her tells everyone she came on to him. Rachel's world turns upside down as she fights to clear her name and deal with the fallout form the rumors surrounding her. When door after door in her life slams closed she finds the support group looking for someone who will listen and not judge her.
I began writing the background stories as a novella called Survivor. Jasmine's story is based on what happened to me as a teenager and while, for legal reasons, it is a fictionalized version, it was important for me to finally admit what I went through. Survivor has had a tremendous response and I have heard from others who experienced similar pasts how it helped to see they weren't alone. I am now preparing to write Rachel's story and then I will be moving on to Craig. For Kyle and Brian I am working with a combat veteran who is helping me get a first hand look into the world of combat. These are not easy stories to share but I think they are ones the world needs to know.
As soon as the four novellas have been released I will be releasing the full novel. As it is a follow up and shows the support group working for all of the characters and how they interact with each other I wanted readers to get to know each of them individually first. I love every one of them and hope my readers will have the same care and affection I have found in the fighting spirits and desire to heal they share with one another and the me as well.
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