Deep Breath

I did it!  I received all edits back, made corrections and uploaded the files.  I was excited and proud.

Another book on the shelf.

But then… when my proof copy of the paperback came in, I nearly puked.  I uploaded the wrong file.  Not once, not twice but three times.  The Kindle file, the Nook file and the paperback file were – THE UNEDITED VERSIONS.  Much to my dismay, two copies of the eBooks were already sold.

Can I puke now?

I raced to take the eBooks off sale on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  But then, (oh yes, it gets better) Comcast isn’t so Comcastic and my damned internet service went down.  Can you believe it?

An authors reputation is tenuous at best.  A beginning author can’t really afford to put unedited crap out there with their name on it.  It’s not that I’m big time and anyone really knows who the hell I am yet, but seriously. . . huge enormous faux pas.

The correct file has replaced the rough draft (yes, it was a rough draft that went out.)  :(

There are already a group of people posting on the Kindle Forums on how to avoid Indie Authors.  Some of their complaints are founded.  I’ve bought books from other Indies and wanted to scream.  They worked very hard on their book blurb and I was convinced to purchase.  I wished that they’d have spent a fraction of the time on the book as they did the description.

I’ve beta read numerous WIPs and recall the worst ever being an erotica that had to be written by a fourteen year old virgin.  It was so bad that people were moaning in extasy (yes, that’s how it was spelled through the whole novel) from having their belly kissed.  It was difficult for me not to instruct the writer to have sex before writing erotica.

But now, two people may have the same opinion of me.

So I took a deep breath.  There’s nothing to do now but continue writing and to learn my lesson.

A huge mistake I pray I never make!

It should be no secret that writers love to read.  As a point in fact, it’s part of keeping your skills sharp.

So when I discovered that my favorite author ripped off a movie… I nearly puked.  Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic.  I find myself disappointed however.

One of my all-time-favorite authors is David Baldacci.  I love, love, love his books and have a hard cover of Divine Justice sitting right in front of me.  While stalking viewing his webpage I saw he released another book.  I have to tell you, reading the description, my heart sank because it matches, very closely I might add, The Professional, a movie from 1994.

I use google alerts and if Mr. Baldacci finds this post, I want to say that I’m sorry.  I do admire you very much.  I love your work… but this… How did your “people” not catch this?

Coming up with new ideas is a challenge.  This much I know, and I’ve only been doing this a fraction of the time that David Baldacci has.  With that being said, I pray I never do this.  I spotted it while reading the blurb from the back of the book almost immediately.  And how embarrassing for this wonderful author.

I could be wrong… click the links.  Decide for yourself.  If you like suspense, intrigue, crime fiction and the like, I encourage you to read his books.  If you read the King/Maxwell series, you get a touch of sexual tension / romance.  He’s a great writer and I do not wish to degrade him at all.  I recommend his books all the time.  This has just blown me totally away.

Marketing 101

The last 48 hours I’ve literally spent nearly every waking moment all my spare time on marketing.  Not only am I marketing my three books, I’m also marketing my small business.

Full disclosure:  I totally suck at marketing.  I’ve worked in sales and took tons of business classes for my bachelors degree, but still… marketing is changing.

So what have I done?  Well, for my small business, I needed to think locally.  I ran an advertisement in a publication (and did not receive one telephone call or email.)  I went old-school and printed up a flyer with pull tabs at the bottom.  BINGO.  The freaking grocery store… that’s where my customers are coming from.  Great, I can work with that.  Time to hit the other grocery stores.  The flyer is blank (I noticed today while buying some tonic water  So tomorrow, I’ll be pinning up a brand new flyer.

For my books, I’ve made two trailers.  Granted, I am an amateur at best, but what the hell.  They’re getting hits, people are seeing them and I’ve noticed a small spike in book sales… mainly because I’ve put those damned trailers up everywhere I can think of.  My local paper refuses to run press releases, so I’m getting  a copy of my three books and mailing them to the paper.  If that doesn’t work, I’m going to take a naked photo of my best endowed female friend and send that in with three more books.  I considered a bomb threat, but jumpsuit orange isn’t in my color wheel.

I’ve considered giveaways, but I need to face the fact that funds are limited.  Since old school worked for my small business, I’m moving on with that theme for my books.  No, I’m not hopping off the net, quitting blogging and writing my manuscripts with pen and paper.  But as money becomes available, I’m going to order books and “autographed copy” stickers and throw myself out there for book signings.

I’m all up for advice.  What’s worked for you?  Any marketing campaigns been effective for you?  I’m all ears (and eyes, and fingers and toes…)

Geek Mode

Ok, so I’m less than a computer whiz.  I do halfway decent, but I put on my geek cap and went to work.

I made my first two book trailers.  Here they are!

 

Getting a Reaction

I recently joined a discussion where a local personality posted something that got a rise out of a lot of people.  She said that men had no right to comment on this subject.

She further frustrated / angered the men by telling them to get to work fixing something or mowing the lawn.  Now, I “got” what she was saying.  She was treating men the way women have been treated for a very long time.  I also understand  that a decision to breast feed is a personal one.  I did it for my children.  The online discussion was that boobs are for babies and not the property of men.

But come on… seriously.  I mean… seriously?

If you do something absurd or shocking you’re going to get a reaction, which is exactly why Time published this article and put this photo on the front.   You have the right to feel however you feel about this topic or the subjugation of this child for the sake of selling magazines.  My personal feelings?  Someone needs to beat the crap out of this mother.  By the way, this woman is a blogger in DESPERATE need of attention, obviously.

Now, onto the facts, “attachment parenting” is a relatively new idea and as far as I’m concerned there are already too many men who need to cut the strings.  But if a child can use a fork and spoon and eat solids, and can CLIMB ON A CHAIR to get at the tit… you’ve gone too far.    Personally, as soon as the little bastards started biting me, they got the bottle.  But that’s me.  However, even mammals in the wild understand what a reasonable time is to wean the babies.

Yes, boobs are for babies.  Yes, the US has turned them into something entirely different.  I’ve traveled abroad and let me tell you, there are bare breasts all across the world being exposed and the earth doesn’t crack in half and the beaches aren’t full of dudes with wood.  I also understand the appeal of a nice rack and if I ever get the funds, I’ll procure a nice pair of my own.

But Time, and this mother, got what they were looking for… attention.  They got people emotionally invested in the discussion, in the article and some people are even trying to push to get Child Protective Services involved.

That reaction is what all writers strive for.  We want our readers emotionally invested in our books so that they keep reading, and buying.  With few exceptions, writers live by modest means.  We don’t make a ton of money at this profession, but it is a “for profit” situation.

And emotionally involved, interested readers create a for profit situation for the author.  If an author can tap into your prefrontal cortex with their writing, they’ve hooked you.  I’ve been that reader, so tired my eyes are bouncing but I can’t put the book down.  That’s good writing.  That’s talent and what we writers strive to achieve.

So as I get feedback from my betas, I realize I’m beginning to get a lot better at tapping into that little nugget.  My readers (even though the group is small) are getting emotionally involved with my characters.  So while I’m an abusive author who has turned my main character of Taking Control and Losing Control into a woman who is nuttier than rat shit in a pistachio factory, her demise and / or success is something my fan base has come to care about.

I count that as success.

 

Priorities

Once I finished Losing Control, and the cover art, I found myself diving into another book almost instantly.  This has never happened to me before.  Generally, I’m so exhausted and cross-eyed from the numerous edits, I don’t feel like writing for awhile.

Truthfully, I am waiting on final feedback on Losing Control before finally publishing it.  No one wants to publish garbage and I think it’s something that all serious writers face.  No matter how many top-starred reviews I receive, I always look for that validation.  I’m not sure what validation is – for me, at least.  Positive reviews have kept my fire burning, however.

Hell, there’s even a support group.  It’s true.  It’s for insecure writers.  My fellow writer/blogger Rusty Webb posts about it frequently.

I’ve also realized through another fellow writer, that it’s time to start thinking about me – my health I mean.  CJ West recently made a cheeky post about Man Boobs (yes, my dear daughter, I know they’re called “Moobs”,).  He’s getting poised to pose shirtless for another fellow blogger.  It’s launched him into a fitness routine

I’m 35 and it’s time I get back to it.  I used to be on the treadmill a minimum of an hour a day.  I spend so much time actually trying to earn money, to write, be a mother and take care of everyone else and my home, that I stopped taking care of myself.  Today I say no more.  Today, I’m back to putting my health first.  After all, things are wiggling and jiggling where I don’t want them to. . . you don’t have to be obese to make a dramatic change.

Anyone with me?

A Dedication

Last Wednesday was a devastating day for us in the Mullican house.  I’d received a phone call that my great-grandmother had passed away.  Our American Bulldog’s stitches were not healing and when my husband took her to the vet, we got the horrible news that she has cancer, and it’s pretty invasive.  My husband sat down and logged onto Facebook to catch up with a few friends only to receive a message that his uncle died.

We were ready to climb back into bed and hide.

Tara, our American Bulldog, is our daughter.  You may not agree, or understand, but our animals are our family.  So this news was just heartbreaking.

But my grandmother, she was 96.  I should not be so upset.  She told me years ago, at a funeral none-the-less, that she was “ready for the good Lord to take (her) when he saw fit.”  She was a hellova lady at 4 foot nothing she was a force to be reckoned with.  She had 10 children, 27 grandchildren; 61 great-grandchildren and 25 great-great grandchildren.  She outlived two husbands.  Up until about a fifteen years ago, she still made baby blankets for almost each of us at birth.  I had mine until I was about 17 years old when my mother finally made me get rid of it.  It was a full size quilt, hand stitched and I was always wrapped up in that thing.

Grandma always had Orange Sherbert and pink peppermints.  But most of all, she always had a smile.  My grandmother looks the most like her out of all of her children and boy-oh-boy is she a lot like her.  They say you have to watch out for the quiet ones.  These women are no exception.  As elderly as they are/were there is nothing they would not do for their loved ones.  They both don smiles that are just infectious.  So many wonderful things were said today about my great-grandmother, but I also learned something.  She was a pistol.  She had a knack for being a joker, something that I never got to see.  She, at one point, sewed her son-in-laws sleeves shut so he’d discover it when he tried to put it on.

Most of all, today I heard confirmation of my own view of this fantastic woman.  She never – and I mean EVER – had a negative word to say about anyone.  She was a rare and fantastic creature… a true Christian woman.  Many may call themselves a Christian, but being “Christ-Like” is quite a charge and you’d better not use those words unless you’re willing to live up to them.  She was never idle and accepted everyone.

I’ve inherited the woman’s propensity for smiles and I am always cracking jokes and finding any reason at all to smile.  My family (and yes, it’s quite large) always like to gather around a table, eat and laugh.  The laughter is the best part of the meal.  We’re jokesters, a little nutty but most of all, you can feel the love.  We take in strays all the time and that’s the first thing they notice.

She is where she’s wanted to be for a long time.  Mother’s Day recently passed and while I didn’t do a Mother’s Day post, I did enjoy the day and remembered why I’m here.  If it weren’t for Ada Lee Crane, I wouldn’t be here.  She was a mother, a grandmother, great-grandmother and even a great-great grandmother and a phenomenal example for us all.

So I dedicate this post to the most fantastic women I’ve been blessed to know, and to be a decedent of.

As for Tara, she’s quite cozy with our 5 month old English Mastiff.  He’s given her new life and a reason to play out the rest of her days.