Hello and Updates!

Hi everyone!

I know, I’ve been suuuuper inconsistant with the blog the last couple years. Well, the world got turned upside down, didn’t it? Like it has for many of you I’m sure, the last couple years have been confusing, trying, and stressful for me. Lately I’ve struggled greatly with my writing, be it the blog or my fiction projects.

Last night I did have a BURST of creative energy and wrote SEVEN pages in one evening of my Harry Potter fanfic! That’s teh biggest writing spree I’ve done in the last two years!

I guess what’s held me back from the blog in particular, is not knowing WHAT to write. I’ve been really interested in writing reviews lately, but I don’t want to leave my writing community followers hanging either (if any of you are left after my long break). So going forward, it’s probably going to be a mix: reviews of books, movies, and anything else I’m interested in, as well as writing tips so I can keep helping my fellow writers.

So It might start looking kind of random around here, but I really do want to get back to having blog posts. To get back into practice, the posts might well be about….well, just about anything. Because writing requires the brain muscles, so to speak. And typing last night (and right now) has proven that I have pretty much forgotten how to type and spell, lol!

Anyway, that’s the update. Such as it is. If you have any requests for writing-related posts, please drop me a comment! Or if you have book or movie suggestions. I have been reading, both fiction and nonfiction, so I’ll have new reviews up soon.

Thanks to everyone who have stuck with me!

New posts soon!

The Savior’s Sister Release Day!

A couple years ago, I was able to participate in the release day blitz for Jenna Moreci’s dark fantasy novel, The Savior’s Champion and today I am super excited to help her celebrate the companion novel, The Savior’s Sister!

The Savior’s Champion

The Savior’s Sister

In The Savior’s Champion, we followed the story of Tobias, an artist turned laborer who enters the Soverign’s Tournament in an effort to provide a living for his mother and sister. He doesn’t actually care to marry the Savior and he couldn’t care less about how magical everyone thinks she is; he’s simply tired of seeing his sister in pain.
Of course he knows the tournament is dangerous and only one man will come out alive…but he soon finds out that there is much more to it than he ever expected.

If for some reason you haven’t read TSC yet (it’s been out for two years, what are you doing with your life?!) check it out on Amazon, Audible, or on Jenna’s website!

The Savior’s Sister is the companion novel to TSC: it follows the events of the tournament that we didn’t see in TSC, as told from Lelia’s point of view.

SYNOPSIS:

Tobias Kaya’s journey through The Savior’s Champion was only half the story.In the thrilling companion to one of Book Depository’s Best Books of All Time, experience the peril and heart-stopping romance through Leila’s fresh perspective.

Leila Tūs Salvatíraas, Savior of Thessen and magical Queen of Her realm, is worshiped by all.

Except Her father. He wants Her dead.

The Sovereign’s Tournament—a centuries-long tradition designed to select The Savior’s husband—is days away, but Brontes’s plan to overthrow his daughter ignites, shifting the objective of the competition from marriage to murder.

With the help of Her sisters and some unexpected allies, Leila must unravel Brontes’s network and prevent Her own assassination. But as the body count rises, She learns the deception runs far deeper than She imagined.

When She finds Herself falling for one of the tournament competitors, Her father finds himself another target for murder.

Can Leila save Herself and Her beloved, or is their untimely end—and the corruption of Her realm—inevitable?

Jenna is hosting a YouTube livestream today, 6:00 pm, PST. Here is the link; there’s going to be prizes, games, and all sorts of writing community fun and a visit from Princess Buttercup is always a possibility, so make sure you’re there!

To say hi to Jenna and congratulate her on her book, or to keep up to date with the next book in the series, TSA, follow Jenna on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Patreon, and YouTube! And make sure you check out Jenna’s merch store for lots of TSC, TSS, and writerly swag!

Want to check out The Savior’s Sister? Read the first three chapters here!

Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance/Adventure

Category: Adult

TRIGGER WARNINGS: This book contains graphic violence, sexual situations, physical abuse, adult language, and references to suicide.

Meet the cast here!

See you tonight at the livestream!
And a HUGE congratulations to Jenna on another epic book!

Pros and Cons of Traditional Publishing

So last post I talking about the pros and cons of self-publishing; this time I’m going to do the same of traditional publishing, because they definitely go together. What I consider a con in traditional publishing is also what convinced me to self-publish.

Cons:

• You still need a marketing plan. Unless you’re already considered a popular author, the odds are that no marketing company will even consider you unless you have a solid plan for marketing.
• Limited creative control. This means that the company you choose reserves the right to change things about your book: character names, book title, book cover, even the plot of the story can be changed to fit their sales agenda and you have no say in it. This is good if you have reason to trust who you’re working with. But if you have no history with them…best of luck.
• While you do get an advance check, at $5,000 – $20,000 the amount of the check may or may not balance out the amount of time you put into the book. And if you’re planning to live off what you made from the book, it’s really not good.
• When you sign with a publishing company, read the fine print! It’s possible that you’re signing on for exclusive publishing, which means that any future book must be published with them, unless you write it under a new name.

Pros:

• You don’t have to pay for everything. Proofreaders, editors, designers, and formatters are hired by and paid for, by the publishing company. They will also cover copyright costs and ISBN numbers.
• A guaranteed check. Publishing companies give their authors an advance which usually covers at least the first two years of the book’s life, with the potential for renewal if it becomes a best-seller. Typically this check ranges anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000.
• You have a team. Proofreaders, marketing, promotional graphics, editors, designers, formatters, and a representative to contact with your questions – you’ve got them.

A Writer’s Search History is a Scary Place…

Today’s post is inspired by something I saw on Pinterest plus many actual comments on Twitter about things writers have looked up for the sake of their books. This is stuff that at the very least looks weird, and at the most has made our families seriously concerned about our lives and possibly gotten us flagged by the FBI. 

Here’s my list of things that I’ve commonly (I know, it’s weird) seen other authors say they’ve researched for their books:

• Wilderness survival
• Military and police ranks
• Mob mentality
• Other cultres
• Signs of hypothermia
• What it takes for a human to die in a given situation
• Weapons
• PTSD
• How to write characters with anxiety and/or depression
• Where to hit in a fight
• How to pick a lock
• Signs of abuse
• Realistic times for travel
• How long it takes bones to heal
• Symptoms of dehydration
• Plants to forage for eating/healing
• What to keep in a bug out bag
• How to build an underground fire
• How to track someone or avoid being tracked
• Crime scene procedures
• Self defense
• Building a shelter
• Starting a fire
• DIY pepper spray
• Psychopath vs Sociopath
• Effects of drugs
• Blood splatter analysis
• Torture/physical limits
• Name meanings
• Animal symbolism
• Medical procedures

If any of these topics even mildly interested you, first off — you are definitely a writer! 
Second, I would highly recommend checking out these sites:
One Stop for Writers
Visual Dictionary Online
ThrillWriting

ThrillWriting especially is a favorite of mine because it includes all sorts of topics in crime, mystery, weapons, law, and diversity — all written by actual experts in those fields of study, all broken down into articles aimed specifically at fiction writers! So you get your facts right. 

Author Tag Ideas!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen a huge rise in author tags on Twitter in the last couple of months! Nearly every day I, or a friend, get tagged in a new post for #FollowFriday or #writerlift — these are hashtags the #writercommunity has been using to connect writers as well as readers (because how many of us writers don’t like to read, too?) I have really enjoyed making friends in the writing community and and getting these invaluable connections in my network. If you wonder why writers should want to connect with other writers instead of “just readers”, that’s the answer: your fellow writers can be your most influential recommendations. They understand the craft, they possibly write the same genre, and they are usually more than willing to help another author build excitement for your book (if you’re polite and do the same for them). 

Normally, Follow Friday just gives a shout-out to your writer friends who you list in your Tweet. 

But that’s a bit boring, eh?

So we’ve been making it more creative. Using prompts like your favorite book, movie, or author, you type out your answer like this:
J
K

R
O
W
L
L
I
N
G
Then tag a writer buddy whose name or Twitter handle starts with each letter.
Fun, right?!

So today I wanted to give you some ideas for starting your own writer lift tags. Bear in mind that it’s up to you — you can spell out your answers and tag people as I showed above. Or you can simply give your answers then tell participants to tag some friends (typically 3 or 5) This method works well with longer answers.

Favorite book or author
Book that most inspired you to write
Favorite movie
Favorite genre
Name of your MC (main character)
Your WIP (work in progress) title
Where your WIP is set
3 things about me
Favorite seasonal thing
A recent read
First 5 authors I followed on Twitter (or any platform)
Post a gif of your favorite magical creature
Post a gif of your job, writing or otherwise

Or you can go with something more creative, like scenarios where you tag the first person to come up in your list of friends when you click on “tag”. These are fun, but take care if doing it on Twitter that they are not too long, so more people will be able to re-post.
Example:
Locked in a library!
Looking up books on escape: _______
Making a book fort: _____
In a corner reading: _____
Planned the whole thing: _____
Just wants to know what we’ll eat: _____
Pretending to be head librarian: _____
Taking selfies with statues:_____

Are  there any writer tags you’ve come across recently that you really enjoyed? Share them here!