Featured: Take Two

Setting up a blog tour is a tricky business.

In doing so, a few things might happen.

• Some bloggers are so popular that they won't fit into your blog tour schedule.
• The format of your tour might not mesh with the style of some authors' websites or blogs. 
• People you hadn't contacted previously will invite you to guest post for them as well.

If busy bloggers or stylistically different authors love you enough, they'll offer to feature you at a later date. Unless you're on your deathbed, agree to guest post with a BIG smile. If they suggest content that doesn't mesh with your style, do your research and find a way to make it your own.

That's where I've been since January. I've been a-guest posting! I've covered a number of different topics from humorous to serious, as well as earning a few more book reviews.

Winter through Spring I was hosted by:

PrairieWifeInHeels: 
Midnight Sisters, wherein PrairieWife invites me back to share Midnight Sisters with her readers as part of We Love Our Readers Month of Giveaways. (Don't worry, it's an annual event! They'll do giveaway month again next year!)

Sacha Black: 
5 Obnoxious Questions People Ask Writers, because non-writerly folks just don't get it. But we won't get offended, will we, my darlings? Nope. We'll get even.

Carol J. Hedges: 
10 Ways I'm Crazy Enough to be an Indie Author, where I reveal just how crazy I am and how it works in my favor in the indie publishing world. Certifiable and proud, my dears!

Getting Your Read On: 
Midnight Sisters, a lovely review of Midnight Sisters from book blogger Aimee. She was initially unsure about reading another version of Twelve Dancing Princesses, until she sank her teeth into this one! Here's to romance and quirky plots!

OTV Magazine: 
A Call to Arms. A Call to Love, explores the power of women, kindness and love in the battle for equality. Having a loud voice and a list of grievances isn't enough, we must work together effectively instead of assigning of blame.

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During my blog tour, Midnight Sisters was accepted for review by Rosie Amber's Review Team. 

Barb Taub: Barb discusses the history of and universal appeal of fairy tales. Then she shares her thoughts about Midnight Sisters in a beautiful and thoughtful out review.

Shelley Wilson: Shelley, who is a fellow Young Adult author, discusses the ins and out of the characters and twists in Midnight Sisters and how much she enjoyed this original version of Twelve Dancing Sisters.

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During spring and early summer I was hosted by:

Denise Derrico: Explore my deepest author secrets (and a whole lot of nerdiness) along with author Denise Derrico.

Lisette's Writers' Chateau: Published authors have been lying to you for years. Want to know the Dirty Dark Secrets of publishing no one talks about? I'm spilling the beans!

On Writing & Wellness, I share my battle with carpal tunnel syndrome, severe allergies, and traditional publishing and how I came out the other side with improved health and another published book.

The Shift: Traditional to Indie

The Waiting Game is loads of fun.

Because learning that your story isn't an agent's or publisher's cup of tea builds character, right?

And who doesn't appreciate waiting and waiting and waiting to hear if your story is good enough or if it fits into the Holy Publishing Schedule?

The truth is no matter which path you take, indie or traditional, the lion's share of the work will fall to you. Whether you ask for it or not, advice on plot, character arc, blocking, and a myriad of other topics will come your way. And baby, the marketing alone can knock you flat.

Because of the labor intensive nature of publishing, I thought I'd pose the question to my followers:

Do you have a preference between traditional or indie books?

The response was overwhelming: NO ONE CARED. As long as the story was worth reading, it would be read, they claimed. My confession? I lean toward traditionally published books, but only those with high-quality storytelling and great cover art. Send an indie book with the same characteristics my way and I'll snatch it up too!

Why bring this up now? Because my waiting game has reached an end. And I'm on my way to becoming an indie author. The big pieces are in place. A professional editor and a cover artist have been secured, and I'm in the middle of editing my twist on The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

As I jump into uncharted waters and try not to sink, I'll need all your support, kindness, and patience. And I'll be pleased to answer when you ask:

When is your next book out?

Because it hits shelves later this year, my dears! And that in itself is exciting. I still have so much to learn about self-publishing and I welcome your tips and warnings. Leave me a comment below!

And keep your eyes open for a new version of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, penned by yours truly!

Humor & Inspiration in Writing: So, You've Published a Book...

Carol Hedges:
Author, Blogger, Super Gran

When writers take on the publishing world, they jump in with two feet. I had NO idea what was coming in the form of marketing, sales, and random comments from strangers and not-so-strangers. I've already unveiled a few secrets of marketing and authorship. Today's Humor & Inspiration guest, Carol Hedges, will address a few more of the...uh, annoying aspects of authorship (i.e. random comments strangers and not-so-strangers make when they discover you're a writer/published author.) 

Let me just say this about Carol Hedges, she is hysterical. Whether she's discussing her granny duties or introducing her latest book, she's professional, warm, inviting, and YES, hilarious. Introducing her to you is an immense pleasure. Take it away, Carol!

* * *    

Advice to Newly Published Writers

So you have finally published your first book! Congratulations, fellow writer, welcome to the best club on earth! And here you are now, head held high, feet a million miles off the ground, waiting for your sales to take off, 5 star reviews to pile in, and Hollywood to make that all-important call.

***ADVANCE WARNING***

As you share your wonderful achievement with family, friends and complete strangers (because you won’t be able to resist), expect to encounter the following:

1. You don’t look like a writer: this has been said to me so many times I have lost count. I have tried to get the person to define exactly WHAT a writer looks like (pallid, vacant stare, two heads, ink-stains on their jumper). All I ever get is ‘not like you.’

Apparently. they expect us to look weirder.

2. I’ve often thought I could write a book. Everybody has a novel inside them, it seems. And it is so easy to write it, apparently. Don’t bother to share the agonising hours staring at a blank screen, the sleepless nights trying to work out the plot, the constant feeling that you are wasting your time. They won’t believe you. It must be easy...after all, YOU did it.

Because that's just so easy-peasy.

3. I don’t have time for reading. Subtext: ‘I am far too busy doing important things for such idle frivolity; you clearly aren’t.’ Smile and wave, smile and wave. Put them in the next book and kill them. Slowly and painfully.

Boneheads, beware!

4. So what’s it about, your book? OK, trick question. You will be tempted to launch into your carefully written blurb, or that brilliantly crafted synopsis that took you three days to produce. Waste of time. They will inevitably reply by asking you whether your book has got any dogs in it because they like reading books about dogs.

This one's ALL about dogs. (And an easy reader!)

5. I’ve got this really good idea for a book - do you want to hear it? No, you don’t. Because this is your moment, your achievement, your book. But they will tell you regardless. In detail. They will probably then offer to let you use their idea in your next book. Resist the temptation.

The correct response to an unsolicited book pitch.

6. That (insert name of over-hyped writer) earns a fortune. Aha! Now’s your chance. Lead them carefully through the meagre royalty rates, the bookshop discounting, the amount of unpaid promotion you have to do. They won’t believe you, but it will remind you why you wanted to be a writer in the first place...for love of the craft, not for money.

I'll just leave this here...            

........and then pat yourself on the back, tell yourself that you have achieved what thousands of others can only dream of, and start writing your next book.

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Carol Hedges is the successful UK author of 15 novels. 12 for teenagers and young adults, and three adult historical novels. Her books have been shortlisted for various prizes. Her YA novel Jigsaw was long-listed for the Carnegie Medal and her first Victorian Crime novel Diamonds & Dust was listed for the 2013 CWA Historical Dagger. She is currently writing the fifth book in her Victorian Detectives series. The fourth, Murder & Mayhem, will be published later this year.

* * *

Gorgeous cover art, Carol. Also, I'm totally in love with the pink car of joy.

See? She's a delight! I think I'll keep her (but mostly for my own amusement). Feel free to find her online, she's easy to chat with and is an amazing writer and mentor. 

Twitter: @carolJhedges

Her award winning blog: Carol Hedges 

Discover The Curious Victorian on Facebook

Visit her Amazon author pages:
Amazon (UK)
Amazon (US)

Also, you can revisit the other writers from the Humor & Inspiration Features: 

Lydia Thomas: No, I Won't Write Your Memoirs 

Prairie Wife in Heels: The Idyllic Country Life 

Anne Goodwin: When Words Behave Like Toddlers 

Terry Tyler: Art Inspires Life

Kaley Tallman: Abandoning the Comfort Zone

Heidi Doxey: British Book Invasion

Allison Maruska: Four Steps Away From the
Colleen M. Story: Writers with Personality
Tamara Copley: The Magic of Humor

Sarah E. Boucher: Beating the Blaaahs

Jenniffer Wardell: All the Best Jokes

Crafting Your Craft

Just like cheese, wine, and crazy friends who encourage you to act like an idiot, writing gets better with time. 

Perusing my website's stats revealed that my most viewed posts were published in 2015. Weird, right? In 2014, I worried about proving myself as a writer and making a splash when my book was released in November. Conversely, in 2015 I had to relax and accept my limits as a writer, blogger, and author because I began teaching at a new school and had to blog less frequently.

That's right. Less. 

I'd just released a book. On top of online marketing, I had to do the traditional high-heels-hit-the-pavement variety of marketing too. (Don't judge. I like to be pretty when I hit the pavement.) And stress hit an all-time high when I moved from the elementary school I'd been teaching at for 8 years to a charter school. 

The only plausible reason I could find for those pesky numbers was this: 

Practice Makes Perfect. 

(Or in my case, practice makes better.) 

Writing: In 2015, I went from crafting one-point-to-be-made posts to integrating other's posts, websites, books, themes, and links into my own posts. And I began to write about writing. I tackled topics like Indie vs Traditional Publishing and full-time vs part-time writing, the Waiting Game of writers and publishers, dealing with deadlines, the importance of keeping promises we make to readers, the ins and outs of world building, and how to break writing rules effectively. 

Connection: In 2015, I learned the value of connecting with other authors and writers as well as readers both online and in real life. I found a commonality with them and began discussing the struggles all writers face. I posted about other authors and their books more than ever before.  Also, I cracked the code on Twitter. Seriously. And finally, I understood the Power of the Share, which is something I plan to harness more in 2016. (If you want to be part of that process and be featured on my website, please leave me a comment below.)

Promotion: In 2015, I took advantage of #MondayBlogs and #ArchiveDay regularly, which boosted my readership drastically. Also, I learned to play the numbers game and promote my posts on all forums (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc) in their own unique way and repeatedly post (not spam) for higher interaction. And I learned a bit more about marketing and online etiquette. (Because let's be honest, what does a kindergarten teacher know about marketing? Unlike buyers, the kids come to you! But hey, we know plenty about the pleases and thank yous of etiquette.)

Like years of piano lessons that refine musical ability, I refined my writing and consequently my website through weekly practice. I'm still not there yet. But I'm much closer than I was in 2014 and today I'm more excited than I was 2015.

Tally ho! Onward and upward in 2016, my friends!

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I'd love to hear about your 2015 discoveries and how they effect your perception of the future. Leave me a comment below!

Dead. Dead. Deaded.

Deadlines. Have we ever discussed the fact that the word itself features the word dead? It's like diet, whose root word is obviously die. Die! Die! Die!

Uh, sorry. Where was I? Oh, yes. We were going to discuss the fact that meeting some deadlines might make you question your purpose in life. Or at least your sanity. Sometimes the worst deadlines are the ones we set ourselves. Today marks the close of the summer when I tried to kill myself off with the Mother of all Deadlines.

For me, summers are sacred to writing and playing. Last summer I not only edited Becoming Beauty for publishing, but I also wrote the bulk of Twelve (except it's now retitled...uh, I'm not telling yet) and took a number of vacations. This summer the plan was to submit Twelve and jump into writing the next book (which is a retelling of Rumplestiltskin). But I never could have guessed what would happen instead.

Allergies and severe carpal tunnel syndrome curtailed most of my summer writing activities. Exactly half a chapter of Book Three has been set down, which was disappointing. But luckily, my ducks were in a row to submit Twelve to the publisher. I knew that as soon as I went into surgery I wouldn't be allowed near my laptop for weeks. (What I didn't know was that during recovery I wouldn't even have the desire to write.) So, after getting all the comments back from beta readers, I pushed through my story. Twice. The dreadful surgery week arrived and a few more personal tragedies and family dramas took my attention away from writing. Finally, I shut myself in my room, ignored my lovely parents, and started finalizing the submission process for Twelve. I think a little angel must have been watching over me because the process was more upscale the second time around. Luckily, I had most of the elements ready or nearly ready. It took a about 90 minutes to prepare everything, an extra five minutes to stare at the forbidding SUBMIT button, four seconds to take a deep breath, and a millisecond to tap that silly red button and bid farewell to my baby.

Then, the Waiting Game begins. It's different going into it the second time because I know what to expect and I have a back-up plan. Also, I know the editors, marketing directors, and cover artists and I've already spoken to a number of them about this project. And I'm VERY excited and hopeful!

Let the waiting game begin!

Meanwhile, summer is pulling to a close and I'm heading back into kindergarten teacher mode. (No worries, it just means LOTS of amazing stories, my dears!) And since we're on the subject of school, in 100 words or less, turn in an essay on the subject: My Summer Vacation. Due immediately! Drop it in the comments. Thanks for stopping by!

The Waiting Game

As soon as people find out I'm an author, they pepper me with questions about everything from how well my book is selling to what I'll do when I'm famous. But the number one question they ask is:

When is your next book out?

That's a lot of pressure. Especially if you've just released a book, are busy marketing, and aren't close to publishing again. Sometimes other parts of life (family, non-writing career, etc.) take center stage. When dealing with curious readers, I usually skip the lengthy explanations and mumble something about how I'm working on it. 

These days I tell them that I've submitted Book Two to my publisher. That spurs question two:

Have you heard anything yet?

Because I'm an established author, things are a bit different heading into the big, bad world of publishing. I understand the process more the second time around and therefore have more patience with The Waiting Game. Now I know the rules.

There's a lot more than preference going into the publisher's decision to accept or reject my book. Does it fit their style? Will it appeal to their audience? Is the timing right to put a book like mine on the market? How much editing will be needed to make it successful? Is it worth the effort? It takes time for publishers to consider all of these issues. 

After I submitted Becoming Beauty, I waited for months and nearly gave up before the blessed email arrived. My published friend chose that moment to comment, “I didn't want to say anything, but I thought it was good that you hadn't heard from them.” What I had overlooked was that no rejection meant no rejection. It's something to appreciate, even though it doesn't spring you from The Waiting Game.*

What do you do in the meantime?

Sit back and relax as much as you can. Nothing makes you look less professional than throwing a fit because something hasn't happened yet. When you're ready, get back to work on the next project. 

By the way, wouldn't it be nice if authors had one idea at a time and could work on it to completion? But whether you plot out your novels meticulously or fly by the seat of your pants, story ideas intrude on each other like a group of untrained kindergartners. This problem actually works in a writer's favor when they're playing The Waiting Game.

What if your book gets rejected?

If you garner a rejection letter, you'll join the ranks of writers, many of whom are now published authors. We've all had rejection letters. It makes sense that your story won't appeal to every agent or editor you query. But that doesn't mean it's the end of your story or your career as a writer.

The first time around, I had no idea what I would do if my book was rejected. I had no connections to editors, cover artists, or publishing gurus. And at that point, I didn't trust myself to take the self-publishing route alone. A couple of years later, I do have those connections and I'm becoming more comfortable with the thought of becoming an indie author. If I felt like it was right, I'd take that path. After all, it never hurts to develop a plan B.

I hope that my ramblings have been of help to you. I find that mixing a bit of perspective into any situation makes it bearable. That's all I'm trying to do. While my carpal tunnel surgery has kept me from writing much more than the occasional blog post, it can't keep my mind from flitting onto the next project. As soon as my hands are strong enough to keep up with my brain, that's what I'll do to distract myself from The Waiting Game.

* * *

How do you keep yourself from going crazy or giving up during the writing and publishing process? I'd love to know what others have learned that has helped them to move forward. Leave me a comment! And as always, thank you for reading!

*Let me clarify that I DID hear something from both publishers initially. One was a speedy rejection and the other was interest expressed in my novel along with a request for the entire manuscript. It did take several months for formal acceptance to arrive. 

Full-Time, Part-Time, Indie, or Traditional

We all have issues, like problems with our health, self-image, employment, and relationships. But writers have their own special set of  issues. Two subjects that fascinate and infuriate writers everywhere are Traditional vs Indie Publishing and Full-time vs Part-time writing. As I've made my way in the writing world, I've seen some pretty heated discussions about each of the issues. Recently I interviewed author Jo Ann Schneider, who just released her third book Fractured Memories, and I grilled her on both subjects. Plus we had really good pizza.

Me: I've only gone down the traditional publishing path, but while I waited for that acceptance letter to come, I wondered what my next step would be if it didn't come. I thought about my indie author friends and considered the difference in income from self-publishing and receiving royalties from a publishing house, managing marketing campaigns, taking care of editing, and the amount of control writers have over the publishing process. 

In the end, I was grateful Cedar Fort gave me a chance and helped me through the editing and publishing process. That choice worked for me at the time. But Jo, you’ve gone down both avenues. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Self-publishing vs. Traditional publishing? Are the any drawbacks or major annoyances you want to share?

Jo: I’ve now gone through one small press, one serial into a book press online, and one that I published myself.

I do have to say that having someone send me all of the files with the book cover, and the different e-formats of the book, and the bookmark designs, and all that jazz is awesome. 4 weeks before I released Fractured Memories (my indie book) my cover designer copped out on me, so I had to scramble to find a new cover artist. In the end I think I found a group I can work with for almost everything, but it was a huge pain. At one point I was literally waiting for a cover—everything else was finished and ready to go. So not having to worry about that is nice. Plus formatting e-books is a pain. Luckily I have a computer savvy hubby who did most of it for me.

I like being able to control my price point on my indie book. And I make more money per book than on my more traditionally published books.They’re just on-line, not in the book stores, so that’s a conundrum.  However, if you look at the stats, Amazon sells a lot more books that a brick and mortar bookstore.

The part I really loved about Indie publishing is that when my book was ready, I got to release it. I didn’t have to wait for a year and a half before the publisher actually got it out. That delay is really annoying. The release date for New Sight got pushed back twice before it finally got published. That’s not a unique problem, it happens all the time in the publishing world. It’s frustrating.

I always tell people to do what feels right for them. I went traditional first, while a good friend of mine went indie. We’ve had different experiences and we’ve each learned from what the other has been through. There are pros and cons to both paths. If you’re wondering what to do as an author, go find others who have done it to talk to. They’ll tell you all about it.

Me: So interesting! In my experience, Cedar Fort handled cover art and publishing almost completely, editing was a collaborating process, and I had a larger role over marketing than I might have had with a larger publisher. I'm really grateful to have had such wonderful mentors to help me launch my my first novel. But maybe in the future when I'm a little more established as an author, I might take the self-publishing route.

The other thing we've discussed before is full-time vs part-time writing. As a single woman and a fledgling author, if I don't work full-time, I can't afford my condo. Or Netflix. Because of that, I consider my teaching career to be necessary to my writing career. There are perks to working 9 months out of the year and dedicating summer and school breaks to writing. It may not be ideal, but it works for me. Your position is completely different, Jo. If you had the choice, would you be a full-time writer or continue as a part-time writer? Give me the goods!

Jo: Ooh, good question. Not sure. Sometimes I think I get more accomplished as a writer if I don’t have unlimited time. I make it a priority and don’t mess around on the interweb or run errands all day. If time is short, I often get more accomplished.

That being said, if I could find the discipline to really buckle down and write, then I’d love to go full-time as an author. My dream is to be releasing two books a year, minimum. My books are longer (65k – 90k) so I can’t keep up with the authors that put a 40k book out every three months. I’m okay with that. I pretty much can’t write shorter novels. They just explode everywhere and end up as trilogies. Which means I could for sure use more writing time. I just need someone to crack the whip behind me and say, “Write, slave!” whenever I click on Facebook or YouTube.

Me: If I didn't have a day job (and I wasn't easily distracted by shiny objects and pretty handbags) I'd be all all over that whip, Jo! We could have side by side work areas and both get more writing done than we do now. However, I'm pretty sure that I could never be full-time writer. I like people too much to spend all of my free time in solitary confinement.

* * *

Such good food for thought, don't you think? I love powwowing with other authors and picking their brains about writer issues we all face. In the end, I don't think there's a right or wrong way answer about publishing or full-time writing. You have to develop a publishing plan and a writing schedule that work for you and meet your goals.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Traditional vs Self-Publishing and Full-time vs Part-time writing! Leave me a comment below!

If you'd like to learn more about Jo Ann Schneider, her books, and the other projects she has in the works, follow the link to her website, or click on the links below. Happy hunting!

Babes In Spyland 

(YA Fiction/Humor)

New Sight 

(YA SciFi/Fantasy)

Fractures Memories 

(YA Fiction/Distopian)