Three-Six-Five

There are times in life when you say, What? It's been how long? Being an author is like that.
I can't believe my book has been out for a three-hundred-sixty-five days. And yet, I can't believe it's only been a year. It's perfect that Becoming Beauty was published in November, the month of gratitude, because I'm overwhelmingly grateful.

I'm grateful that I took a chance on myself and the story that rattled around in my soul for years. It desperately wanted to be told.

I'm grateful that Cedar Fort Publishing took a chance on me. Becoming Beauty may not be wildly successful, but it continues to move. I appreciate that the publishing house took me in hand and made so much more of Becoming Beauty than I could have done alone. Much of the good press has originated with Cedar Fort, their team of professionals, and their connections. A huge thank you to them!

I'm grateful to friends, new and old, online and in my community who have supported me. Countless individuals have created blog posts, bought books, recommended Becoming Beauty to friends, invited me to visit their school, book clubs, libraries, and coffee shops. I love that. And I love all of you who have taken time out of your life to help a girl out. I love you all. As they say, it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to publish a book.

I'm grateful to my family for being so proud, so impressed, and so supportive. It's true that they are my biggest fans. And yes, they keep thinking this is soooo cool and asking when my next book will be published. How awesome is that?

I'm grateful that stories keep whispering to my heart. It is not the end of the road and I refuse to be another one hit wonder. Even on my hardest teaching days, I know that there is another life waiting in the wings, an impatient muse tapping her toe until her chance to breathe life into another story arrives.

One year later, here's what I know: Don't abandon your dreams. Don't abandon that bit of more that is struggling to take center stage. It is more marvelous than you can ever guess.

Also, want in on a secret? Since Becoming Beauty can't have cupcakes for her birthday, she's shelling out the gifts! 99 cents all week! Just in time to gift it to a friend or secure your own holiday read!
Amazon Kindle
Barnes & Noble Nook
books&things ebook
iTunes ebook

A Proper Romance

There's something magical about a premiere novel, through it a writer's voice and style is introduced to the world. 

Along with her premiere novel, Julianne Donaldson created a new genre, the Proper Romance. Donaldson is apparently a girl like me, who enjoys a clean read without all the religious mumbo jumbo. Don't get me wrong, religion and romance have their place in life, but reading about them can become preachy and, well icky.

A Proper Romance strikes the happy medium between Christian Romance and Adult Romance. Donaldson's first book, Edenbrooke, is a perfect example. It's chock full of exuberance, humor, and first love. 

Marianne Daventry isn't your run-of-the-mill debutante. She's fond of twirling, meandering through the great outdoors, and singing ridiculous songs about cows. (Seriously.) How can she ever hope to become the type of lady worthy of a great fortune and marrying well? However, when the situation arises, Marianne must rise to the occasion, and with her sparkling sense of humor, wonderful heart, and innate clumsiness, hilarity and heartbreak are sure to be in ample supply.  

Edenbrooke is the favorite of my niece, Amy, who probably identifies a little too well with nutty/adorable/genuine Marianne. Amy's real-life romance, riddled with many a ridiculous moment, rivals Marianne's. If you enjoy a healthy dose of awkward giggle with your romance, Edenbrooke is the Proper Romance for you.

Just as the premiere novel tells a lot about a new writer, the sophomore novel reveals even more. Sophomore novels show how much the writer has grown and what storytelling skills they have refined. More than anything, seeing the direction an author takes after the first novel is fascinating. 

The entire tenor of Blackmoore is darker, more serious, and more suspenseful than Edenbrooke. Kate Worthington (not Kitty as she has been called since girlhood) faces prejudice based on her less-than-proper family relations, her past, and her friendship with a titled young man. Unraveling the threads of Kate's past alongside Henry Delafield, her best friend, is an absolute delight. And untangling her growing feelings for Henry is both delicious and heartbreaking. 

The depth and romance of Blackmoore makes it my favorite of Donaldson's novels. It's like the friend who is more interesting and solid because of the hell they've been through. Don't get me wrong, those happy-go-lucky folks are lovely and they bring the laughter, but they may not be the ones you want at your side when the crap hits the fan. 

Discovering clean books that are clever, humorous, and full of heart is the best. I can recommend them to others with a clear conscience, which is my absolute favorite. I like to think of Becoming Beauty as a Proper Romance (even though Donaldson's publisher didn't pick it up). There's just enough flirty/snarky romance to keep things interesting, but not enough to reach the ick zone. 

Find Donaldson's books on Amazon: Edenbrooke, Blackmoore, and just arriving on the scene Heir to Edenbrooke, the prequel to Edenbrooke. Oh, it's gonna be good!

I'd love to hear about your Proper Romance favorites...for instance, anything Jane Austen will do! Leave me a comment!

Coloring Contests & Captain America

Maneuvering through today's marketing world requires finesse, creativity, and maybe a collection of dorky tee shirts. Luckily, I have kind friends who've helped me to set up a website, arrange author events, and connect with readers both on- and off-line. (Thanks, friends!)

I've learned something from those much more wise friends of mine. The key to marketing is keeping everything fresh. Blog posts, status updates, traditional book signings and other author events, etc. 

After arranging a couple of book signings, my marketing guru Raylynn Sleight suggested holding a coloring contest at the same time. My kindergarten teacher brain flipped into high gear, visualizing unsupervised children graphitti-ing every possible surface. 

“They have a kids area," she reminded me calmly. “But we don't have to do it if you don't want to.”

My teacher brain shut up for a second. My inner problem-solver filled the void. “Maybe we could do an online contest too?”

That did it. We located free Beauty & the Beast coloring pages online, nabbed crayons from my classroom, and gathered all my regular book signing paraphernalia. Raylynn designed custom posters and graphics to promote the signings online and at the various locations. (Have I mentioned how awesome she is?)

The technique worked beautifully at the signing, which was held during Friday Night Art Stroll in Ogden. Engaging kids in an activity while chatting up their parents--which was exactly what Raylynn had envisioned--was more fun than I could have anticipated. (And no, there were no crayon mishaps.) In addition to a successful sales event, involving social media in choosing the winner was a fabulous plan. I haven't had so much interaction and discussion in a long time! So much fun!

The next author event was a signing at Salt Lake Comic Con with several other Cedar Fort authors. We needed something to encourage super fans to stop long enough to chat with them about our books. After much deliberation, we settled on a prize wheel. It gave us a reason to call people over and offer freebies, but what really kept them chatting with us was the fact that all of us were friendly published authors. Some sales were made based on that alone. (Seriously thought, if you can't find any talking points at Comic Con, you need to watch more movies and read more books/comics. Because Captain America!)

These two events went quite well, but sometimes things won't work as well. Stay positive and learn from the experience. Spend more time thinking about the people who will be attending and cater to them for the next event. Just because you don't sell many books doesn't mean you are a crap author with nothing to offer. (That last bit was for me. *hangs head in shame*) At the last author event Raylynn and I set up, I sold very few books, but I made some fabulous connections. 

Here's my nugget of wisdom: the only time an author endeavor is a failure is when we give up. So, carry on and keep writing and schmoozing! It's good for you.

Neglect Not the Reader

It's rare that I'm not reading something. The book-that-shall-not-be-named claiming space on my bedside table is well-written, has an interesting premise, and features easy-to-connect-with characters. But since the first few chapters, I couldn't help thinking, How many pages until the end?

Issue 1: Book Blurb 
I'm an impatient reader. When I'm halfway through and the enticing events in the book blurb haven't come to pass, I think, What's that all about? That blurb is a promise to readers, a morsel of what's coming. When it takes over half the book to deliver on that promise, either the book blurb needs to be tweaked or the first 100 pages need to be lopped off. (Neither solution is particularly encouraging to writers, but it's better than disappointing readers.)

Issue 2: World Building 

The first 100 pages of the story were mostly world-building, defining life back in the day (culture, etc.) and relationships between the main characters. I'm not a proponent of Start With A Bang! because there are compelling stories that draw readers in through wonderful storytelling. Fun/interesting characters dropped into intriguing/uncomfortable situations will always pique my interest. Like the characters, the reader is dropped into that world, and just like real life, they won't learn everything at once. The beginning is only a snippet, a small nugget of the world. The majority of world-building is for the author's benefit and has little place in the story.

Issue 3: Point of View 
There are 4 narrators so far, one of whom has little to do with the main storyline and little new perspective to contribute. For me as a reader, a certain amount of mystery is created when the storytelling is confined to one or two characters. They only know, view, and understand a certain portion of what's happening at any given moment. There's nothing better than making the audience question the narrator's knowledge or understanding and wondering if the narrator is truly reliable. 

Finally, on page 165 the story is getting good. I've passed all the social mores, the random outside characters telling their part of things they're not featured in, and 15 relationships defined in minute detail, and something awesome is about to happen. I'm glad I'm still reading and will probably finish this weekend, whereas it's taken me a week to get this far. Readers should never have to work so hard to see the author's promises fulfilled. Isn't our goal to earn those reviews that say, I couldn't put it down! I had to read all night! That's money, my friends.

There's much to consider when writing and editing a novel, but narrowing the focus and treating your audience like intelligent humans is always a sound plan. Also, delivering on promises you make throughout the novel (and especially in the cover art and book blurb) is important.

Just a little food for thought, my friends. Not every book will become a favorite, but there are reliable techniques for reaching readers. Carry on, my dears! Happy reading! (And writing.)

Purpose Reborn

So much stronger than fleeting happiness, a sense of purpose can drive us forward through the dark days.

What was I thinking when I published a book, took on the unknown world of marketing, left my job, started a new job, had hand surgery, underwent various dental procedures, and participated in several author events? 

No wonder I'm tired.

After the dust settled and the new car smell wore off those wonderful new experiences, the work of it settled into my bones and I understood what I'd gotten myself into. No matter how inspired I might have been to finish penning a chapter or complete a project, like I always do, I hit a place where I question my own capability and wonder if I can make it through. 

After reading A Room With a View in college, I have always thought of that state as being muddled. (Fabulous read, by the way.)

Photo courtesy of Upsplash.com

There are few endeavors I undertake lightly. I've always been a test the waters, then retest the waters again before jumping in kind of gal. So when I feel like I'm going through the motions, pasting on a smile while everything inside me is cold, it's particularly muddlesome. 

The cycle typically begins with a period of wallowing in couch potato land, accompanied by ranting, raving, and basic hermit behavior. (I try to keep this part strictly offline. To my dear friends, I love you and I'm sorry.) When I'm finally ready to take a proactive approach, I do the following:

I mentally review what brought me to this place and this decision. For me there is usually a pinnacle moment, a feeling of rightness that precedes the decision and gifts me with the purpose to see it through. Remembering that moment awakens at least a portion of that purpose again.

Sometimes taking a moment to breathe and rest, reconnect my heart and mind, and remove myself from the muddle is enough to recenter my mind. Music, art, theater, and literature all distract me from the drama of day-to-day life and help my mind refocus. On top of escape, the bonus gift of inspiration is just as likely to spark the next good idea, solution, or direction. 

Acting like an utter imbecile removes me from the muddle and allows me to examine the issue from the outside. Game night, chicken dances, kitchen yodeling, acting like a kids with kids, and about a million other pointless activities always help me remember who I am. Some people are off-put by silliness, but there is little I know that is better for retraining negative thoughts.

Each of us has moments when we lose sight of our purpose. As devastating as that might be, we can always reclaim it. And yes, I'm right there with you. Leave me a comment and tell me how you cope with life's muddles.

Finding Jesus

I have a philosophy about classroom chatter. It's permissible as long as the assignments are being completed. Also, it's good for my own entertainment. I present the following as evidence:

Finding Jesus

A conversation between five-year-olds

“Did you see Jesus' footprints?” a boy whispers loudly. His expression is a mixture of mischief and barely contained excitement.

I'm already holding in snorts of laughter. The teacher next door has set up some sort of alphabet game in the hallway with brown footprints laid out in a path.

“Maybe he's hiding!” a girl replies. “Let's play hide-and-seek with Jesus at recess! He's fast!”

I have to walk away to keep from bursting out and alerting the whole class to the situation. Nothing prevents everyone from hearing what the boy hollers out next.

“Baylee's found Jesus!”

Who knows? Maybe this is who she found...

* * *

For other gems from my kindergarten life, please read: 

Adventures in Kindergarten 

Business as Usual

It's Playtime!

Authoring & Other Ventures

Overpriced parking and people dressed as anything under the sun (especially if it includes a corset). Also, Captain America and a number of his high-profile associates. Sounds like a really crazy dream, you might say. I say, Welcome to Comic Con!

I'm lucky to have a friend who volunteers at Comic Con, so I get the inside scoop (and free passes!). I've been to my share of these events. The difference is, I've always gone in the guise of fangirling, never as an author. And certainly not with other authors. 

Chilling behind a table and/or enticing potential readers to pick up your book isn't my usual Comic Con experience. (My usual experience included more hysterical yoo-hooing.) That being said, there's nothing cooler than chatting up Maleficent, finding out she loves fairytale retellings (in retrospect, I should've seen that coming), and passing along a signed copy of Becoming Beauty to her. Yep, I've officially hit the big time!

My marketing guru friend Raylynn Sleight always says that marketing plans need to feature a blend of traditional (i.e. face-to-face, feet-hit-the-pavement, real-life marketing) and social media marketing. In my experience, keeping a balance between the two keeps sales regular and author events fresh and exciting. (Plus sometimes you get to wear really cool tees!)

Really, is there anything cooler than engaging in tete-a-tetes with new readers? I'm going with No. Also, Comic Con is a brilliant place for character studies. Where else will you find lowered inhibitions, people playing out their deepest fantasies, and girls wearing fishnets as pants? Nowhere, man. At least nowhere I'd want to go.

For more on my adventures at Comic Con, follow the links embedded above! I promise to only fangirl a little...