Birthdays

Hello, friends!

It’s been a while. Quite a long while. Which, I think is probably a good sign for a writer. When you see long gaps between blog postings, a lot of times it means that the writer has been hard at work on their next project.

For me, the past few months have been a mix of work and play. Earlier this month, I celebrated my 25^th birthday. I had family and friends who made the day so special. I went kayaking, drank sangria, and watched some of my favorite movies. It was a wonderful time.

It’s crazy to suddenly be in my mid-twenties. Time goes so quickly! When I started my first real post-college job at the newspaper where I work, I was 22. I can hardly believe I’ve been in that industry for so long. And because people are always coming and going at my work place, it makes me feel extra old-timer-ish lately.

Birthdays are always a good time for reflection, and also for resolutions. I’ve been reflecting a lot lately. Sometimes it’s easy to look at your life, and have a feeling like you’re stuck and that you’re going nowhere. But if you break it down, you begin to realize that you’re not stuck. You’re always moving, even if it doesn’t look like it. I heard an analogy once that life is often like being on a ship crossing the ocean. You look out and see the view everyday, and you think to yourself "I’m not making any progress. The view looks the same." But this isn’t true. You’re moving, even if you can’t see the immediate progress. And then one day, you spot land in the distance, and you realize you’ve been on an epic journey the entire time.

When I break down the last few years of my life, I feel like I can see the subtle changes in the ocean view. It’s progress, even if it’s not always so easy to see.

As I look ahead now, I am so excited for my career as an author. Things are in the works, and I feel that the next year of my life is going to be very significant. I think by next July, I will see land.

I can’t tell you all the details yet because it’s not set in stone, but I am hard at work on a new series of books called The Cherry Mojito Mysteries. It’s a paranormal mystery series centering around a bartender who can see how and when someone is going to die. I’m also working on another project under a pen name, so I don’t have a solid ETA on the new series yet, but it will for sure be out before Christmas. I will post more updates as we get closer to publication.

I have a great feeling about the upcoming year. I think it’s going to be a spectacular one!

We Are the Lucky Ones

I went out for a walk today. It was the first foggy day of the season, and when I finally left my house at around 2 p.m., the fog was just starting to burn off. A beautiful blue sky was starting to emerge, and a soft breeze was blowing in, making the leave tremble and dance and drift away from their branches. All around, trees were bursting with color, shades of apple cider and burnt honey. And everything had a glistening coat of dew on it, shining in the lazy streams of autumn sunlight.

And all of it made me feel very lucky.

It’s easy to feel lucky this time of year, living in the place I live in. Everything is so vibrant and glowing in the fall, and all of it just makes you feel good to be alive.

Out on my walk, I was thinking about things, and thinking how pleased I am with what I’m doing, and where I’m going.

I’m not at the place I want to be at in terms of my goals and my hopes for being a successful self-sufficient author. I’m not making much money. I’m not able to fix my car like I’d want to. I’m not able buy everything I’d like to. I’m not able to travel and live as freely as I’d like to. I’m far away from being that full-time author/ Maui beach bum that I dream of being someday.

But I’m getting there. I’m working toward it. And more importantly, I’m doing it in a way that’s bringing me such happiness and joy.

Over the past year, the way I look at writing has changed so much. It used to be this thing I was doing to get in on an opportunity. I’ve always been a decent writer, and I figured I could put it to good use with this new wave of e-book possibilities.

But I see things so differently now. I’ve realized that writing is one of, if not the, biggest passion in my life.

It’s not easy, and sometimes it’s a downright struggle. But I love it. And there’s no doubt in my mind that I belong doing this. I belong writing.

And I feel so lucky to know this, and to be chasing this wonderful dream.

Those are my thoughts on this gorgeous autumn Sunday.

When I came home from my walk, the house smelled of some sort of heavenly autumn stew in the crockpot, and everything was decorated with pumpkins and warm orange lights. And I felt so pleased to be right where I was.

So happy to be right where I am.

Easter Reflections

Greetings, and Happy Easter!

I love Easter. I’m not a religious type or anything, but I love the time of year that it falls in, and the low-keyness of the holiday. It’s great just sitting down to a tasty meal with the family, and just having kind of a lazy, enjoyable and peaceful day. Easter has all the best of Sunday, and somehow, makes it easier to ignore the looming week ahead.

I feel very thankful this Easter. Even though it’s not Thanksgiving or anything, it’s hard not to reflect back on the past year during holidays. You can’t help but think about where you were a year ago (even though, technically because of where Easter falls this year, it was more than a year ago. But, small potatoes, I say.)

Last Easter, I was still the post-college doldrums. Without a job, without a direction really, trying to figure out how I’d find an income in the worst job market of recent times.

But then, I started throwing myself into writing a book. The book I was writing never saw an audience (though I plan to get to it eventually), but I worked late into the evening on it every night. I stopped worrying so much about getting a job, and just enjoyed what I was doing.

A year later, I’ve got a career-type job, I’ve got a book published, I’ve got two more books in the works. I’ve got an e-book market that’s growing that didn’t even exist a year ago. I’ve got summer coming up.
I see so much promise for the year ahead.

So, these are my thoughts on this particularly blustery Easter on the high desert. I feel so thankful, and happy to be doing what I’m doing. And more importantly, I’m excited to continue on this path.

Happy Easter to all of you guys out there, and enjoy your holiday!

Keeping Upbeat on a Monday Night

I’ve made it to the other side of 15,000 words. Yahoo!

Even though I’m feeling good about it, I still feel like I’ve been struggling to get the words and the plot of the sequel down. Just writing the first book was a big step. Now I have to figure out how to keep it interesting and not have it be redundant.

Drowning in the Dark takes place in a small town on the Oregon Coast. And of course, there’s only so much you can do in a small town without things getting boring. I imagine that’s why there’s so many urban paranormal books out there. Cities do keep things interesting.

I think even big authors have trouble with this in their sequels. Like Charlaine Harris did that in the Sookie Stackhouse series. The second book in the series mostly took place in Dallas, leaving behind the small town of Bon Temps. Or of course in the Twilight series, Bella leaves Forks to go after Edward in Italy. And then it seems that in the third installments, the characters return home.

So these are things I’ve been mulling over while writing the second in the series. I think too, keeping that romantic intrigue without hitting the readers over the head with it is tricky too. I myself only enjoy a splash of romance in what I read – for me, less is more. But at the same time, I understand that it really drives most stories.

On a side note, I’ve discovered that I’m really not the reader I thought I was. I recently joined Goodreads, and was adding books to my library, when I came to the realization that I really have read very few books in the paranormal genre. I’ve read a lot of the greats in horror -- Stephen King, Richard Matheson and Ann Rice, but there are some definite holes in my reading. Holes that I want to fix soon! If I only had the time… Sometimes I’m faced with the choice between reading or writing. And these days, I’ve mostly been choosing writing.

Anyway, those are my ramblings on a Monday evening (just about a Tuesday morning by now.) Perhaps I’ll check back in on the other side of 20K.

The Key to the Universe

So now that the first book is out there, I’ve been working diligently on the second one. Or, trying to at least. I do find myself getting distracted easily. I think it might be because I’m faced with writing the second book – making it as interesting if not more than the first book. It has to live up to the first one, and still stay true to the characters, and also, still leave room for a third installment of the story. All things that kind of make me want to surf the internet aimlessly for hours, or watch movies, listen to new music, or do just about anything other than write.

That living up to the first book is kind of tough. It’s pretty much the way of the world, I think. If you’re an artist, you most likely get caught in the sequel doldrums. You’re debut is usually good, then you go into the sophomore slump, and then most of the time, you’re third installment is the masterpiece. I know it’s that way with music a lot of the time – bands go through that. I don’t know if writers have that same trajectory. Probably not, because generally, your career as a writer lasts a lot longer then your career in a band.

But I’d really like to make my second book as good as, or better than the first one. Which will require a lot of thinking, a lot of work and a lot of concentration. Focus, focus, focus. The key to the universe right there.

So going a little off topic, I’ve had a few sales of Drowning in the Dark. Nothing major, but I didn’t really expect anything major right off the bat. But even just the few sales I’ve had make me feel all giddy inside. Thinking that some people are out there reading my book is pretty cool. The feeling’s definitely a lot stronger than the one you get from people reading your news stories. Because unlike a lot of those news stories, I really feel like I’ve put myself into Drowning in the Dark. It’s coming from a different place, if that makes sense. A much deeper, more meaningful place then it does when I’m writing about education or city business.

So those are my thoughts for now. I should get back to writing my book I guess. I’m at 10,000 words, and hoping to make it to at least 15,000 by the end of this week, in between work and all the other nonsense that needs to get done. So I better cut this post short then. Catch you on the other side of 15K.

The Big Day

Today is the day.

The official day that my book, Drowning in the Dark, becomes available on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Smashwords in an e-book format.

And I have to say, it’s pretty damn exciting. This is my debut book, and it’s a wonderful feeling to see it online, available to the reading masses like that. Not to mention, the feeling of just writing and finishing a book. That’s pretty special too.

I never thought I would get to write and publish something like this so soon. I'm 23 years old, and I had always thought you could never really become a writer until you became older and more established. I always thought you had to slave away for years and years in far-flung corners of the publishing industry, and maybe if you were lucky, the earliest you could publish something would be in your 30’s.

But this whole new e-reader wave has really broken down those old and outdated industry standards. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to be writing what I want to write at my age. And of course, to have the opportunity to have it published! That last part is pretty major. Because I’m pretty sure that if I went through the normal query route, my book would not have been be published, or if it did, it wouldn’t be ready for another two years or maybe more. And by then, it wouldn’t be cutting-edge anymore.

So what I’m saying is that I’m so extremely pleased to be apart of this new wave of e-reading. I truly do believe it’s the future, and I’m so thrilled to be apart of it, and have the chance to mainline my book directly to the readers.

On a side note, I’d really like to thank all the fine folks at You Come Too Publishing. I couldn’t have done it without their valuable insight and help.

So with that, I’m going to leave you with a description of the book below. Here you go:

There's a demon walking the streets of Freeport. And only teenager Samantha Carver can stop it.
It's hard to outrun your past. But that's what Sam thought she could do. After moving to a sleepy town on the Oregon coast to live with relatives, she thought she was safe. She thought she could be someone different. She thought she could be a normal teenage girl.

However, the quiet coastal town of Freeport is no refuge. After a girl at the high school is brutally murdered, the police believe Samantha's cousin and best friend, Terry, is responsible.

But Samantha knows what her friends, teachers, and the police don't. The murderer isn't human. Samantha has seen this before. Too many times. She has witnessed the dead rise from their graves and do unspeakable things. She carries the scars on her skin and the sorrow in her soul to prove it.

The evil that she thought she had left behind in the rotting graveyards of her past is still stalking her.

Will Samantha be able to save Terry, Freeport, and herself from the malevolent power that threatens to rip her world apart? Or will she succumb under a surging tide of evil and drown in the growing darkness that surrounds her?

In the tradition of Amanda Hocking and Charlaine Harris comes a paranormal romantic thriller with more chills than a cold and windblown night on the Oregon coast.

Pushing Past the Gray Days

So I’m relatively new at the writing game. There are those writers who say things like, "I’ve been writing since I was 10," and maybe that’s the case, but not for me. I always leaned in that direction, and I think back then I would have said that I was writer, but it was only recently that I really became one, and learned what its all about.

In college I tried to work at the student newspaper, but ended up not really liking it, so I kind of gave up on the whole journalism thing. When I graduated, I came out to a terrible job economy, and ended up working at a call center for a while. And then, I finally landed my current job as a reporter.

I’ve been at the paper for about a year now, and it’s taught me so much about being a writer. I learned that some days you have it, and some days you don’t, but regardless of how you’re feeling, that deadline comes no matter what. So you better just buck up and push past whatever block you’re having, otherwise you won’t meet your deadline, and pretty soon, you won’t have a job.

Being able to do that – to push past things even when you’re in a slump – is really the most valuable lesson I’ve take away from it. There’s no giving up. Some days you turn in stories that you feel less proud of than other days, but that’s just the way it works. It’s all about being persistent, and continuing even when you don’t feel like it.

I applied that same principle to my creative writing as well, and it’s really helped me. If I have a deadline for something, I know I can complete it within the time frame. Each day, I stuck to writing 1,000 words, no matter how I felt. Of course, going back through the editing process, you can see the days when you weren’t feeling it (Sometimes you have an overwhelming "What the hell was I thinking? moment), but that’s what the editing process if for. The first step is just to get the words down.

I only learned this recently however. My upcoming paranormal romance book, Drowning in the Dark (Got my title picked out!), is the fourth book that I started writing. I had tried to write three other books before this one, and I never got past 15,000 words because I’d get stuck and loose enthusiasm for the story. And soon I’d loose complete interest, and abandon it because I couldn’t get past those gray days.

So finishing and publishing this book is a really big step for me (I guess that’s a stupid thing to say – it’s a big step for every first-time author.) But I’m really excited about it. Even if the book doesn’t do well right away, the fact that I actually finished it and put it out there is good enough for me. (At least for now J ) Now that I’ve done it, I know that I’ll be able to again and again in the future. And that right there is pretty cool.
　

If I Can't Think of a Title for This Post, How am I Gonna Think of One For My Book??? and other good stories...

I’ve been studying the market a lot recently trying to come up with a title for my book. I’m getting closer and closer to the publication date, but haven’t actually chosen a title yet. I’ve had some ideas, but have found it a little problematic when I consider them from a marketing standpoint. Plus, with the book being solely available as an e-book to begin with, the rules seem to be a little different.
The genre is paranormal romance, and of course, you have to take your audience into consideration, but you also have to consider what will sell books. What I’ve learned with the book titles and covers in this genre is that they are not scary or frightening. Usually the titles are vague, one word, and allude to things you won’t understand until you’ve read the book. Though the covers are visually interesting, they are equally vague.
I’ve been playing around with the one-word title thing, and seem to have gone down a silly path. My book takes place by the ocean, so I’ve been coming up with absurdly simple names like – "Rocks," "Seaweed," and "Starfish." Things that really have nothing to do with the book, and titles that I would probably pass over if I were the consumer.
That one word thing is harder than I thought.
On the other hand, going with a full-blown horror title and look seems like it would sell more books initially, but maybe scare away the people who should actually be reading the book.
So here’s the conundrum. Striking the right balance between horror and romance, so that both groups will know what the book's about.
But maybe I’m getting a little ahead of myself here. The book should sell a few copies before I start worrying about alienating audiences.
I am having my cover designed by You Come Too Publishing’s graphic artist, and I’m really excited about how it’s turning out. The title… well, I'm still mulling it over.
The hours are ticking.

...Not Just Another Drop in the Ocean

So it's Sunday night. Feeling those same old familiar Sunday night shakes when I think about all the things I have to do tomorrow. Pay bills. Go to work. Obligations. And tonight, I can't stop listening to Summertime Rolls by Jane's Addiction.

Yep. It's definitely Sunday night. Dreading Monday, dreaming of quitting my job as a reporter and becoming a beach bum in Hawaii and learning how to surf. So it goes.

But hey, I've got February to look forward to. Because February is when I'm publishing my first horror book as an e-book. It's a zombie young adult paranormal romance book that I hope will make a killing (excuse the bad pun.) I'm not expecting success immediately. But I'm doing what I love, and I hope that success won't be too far behind.

I know I'm a little late to the blog game. A little late with all of that social media. I think I was close to the first wave of people who started using Facebook and Twitter. But lately, I've become disillusioned with all of it. I get sick of hearing about other people talking endlessly about their own lives -- hearing them complain constantly. It's just the nature of it, so I've taken a step back. Seeing if I can live without checking my Facebook account everyday (we'll see how that goes...)

So on that hypocritical note, I've decided to start a blog. A blog tracking the writers process. A diary of a working girl moving on up in the world. Hopefully moving on up to a a little beach side shack in Maui -- that's what I dream of. You know the movie, Islands in the Stream? You probably don't -- it's a little obscure (I spend a lot of time in the obscure.) It's an old one from the 70's that takes place in the Caribbean during World War II, starring George C. Scott (one of my very favorites) and David Hemmings and based on a Hemingway novel. The main character, Thomas Hudson, is an artist who lives on a beach in the Caribbean. He works making metal artwork, and sells in over on the mainland. My goal is to be Thomas Hudson, minus the complicated family issues and the raging war and metal sculptures. But to live on a tropical island and spend the days dedicated to writing. Maybe travel a bit. That's what I want. And that's what I'm determined to get.

So now that I've told you my dream, I hope you'll stay tuned for the journey. What I believe is that with persistence, you can live the life you always dreamed of. And I hope that I can be an example of that here.

So here I go. On the open road of the blogosphere. I hope we'll pass each other sometime. Thanks for stopping by, and hope to see you often!