D.M. Lukman's Blog
April 9, 2019
It’s Been a While!
So much time has passed since I last posted on my blog. A million and one things have happened since I last posted, so I figured this would be a great time to catch you up on what I’ve been up to.
My son is currently finishing up the 6th grade. I recently graduated from FHSU with a Master of Science in Education – ESOL degree, with a 4.0 Suma Cum Laude (high honors) attached to my name. I have been dabbling in creating cool and catchy T-shirt slogans and designs while I am waiting to find suitable employment in the education field. I also gave birth to my daughter, last year. So, we’re currently a family of 4! And surprise, I’m pregnant with another baby, which will make us a family of 5 (God willing).
There have been so many changes, talks about moving somewhere else on the globe, applying for jobs throughout the world, homeschooling my son, managing my social media accounts, starting up this new graphic design endeavor, and of course – cooking a baby! So, yah. I’ve been busy.
After completing the 6th and final book in the Morelle Code Detectives series, I took a little break to focus on all the things I mentioned, above. Of course putting everything else first, put my writing last. But, that’s par for the course when one is juggling so much.
I’ve been mulling over ideas of possible new storylines to write in the future, so for now, we’ve all got to be pretty patient!
April 5, 2019
August 7, 2017
Fleeting Summer – Update
As I got up before the crack of dawn this morning, I had my daily coffee fix while I sat contemplating life. I often do this in complete silence, before the busyness of the day takes over. I realized how quickly the summer break has gone. It was like yesterday that my son finished the school year, and I started summer semester (in grad school). The weeks zoomed by, and now the semester is already over. I’m due to start Fall semester, shortly, so it’s time to order my textbooks, already. Time is just zooming by.
I’ve been working on formatting my ebooks for paperback, all summer. I guess, I often times find that in the summer, it’s “catch up time”. I get to do many of the things I’ve been putting off, during the busy school year.
As I scan social media, I can see friends/readers posting photos of their kids dressed up and ready for going back to school. It only magnifies the reality that my time with young son is fleeting, because he’s not that “little” anymore. He’s 9, and he’s entering the 5th grade. Where did the last 9 years go?
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#Author #Teacher #Chef #Wife #Mom #USA #AskAuthor #KindleEbook#AmazonPaperback
#CreatespacePaperback#BarnesAndNoblePaperback #IndieAuthors #WritersLife#IndieBooksBeSeen
#IndiePub #SelfPublishing #WIP #StoryCraft #Fiction #Novelette #AmWriting #MGlit #Books
#ReadingClubs #BestRead #MorelleCodeDetectives_SeriesForKids➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
(If you are interested in purchasing any ebooks/books in the Morelle Code Detectives series, please go to: www.DMLukman.com to purchase.)
August 1, 2017
#TuesdayAffirmation
#TuesdayAffirmation – When life gets us down, we have to maintain HOPE! There is always the chance that things will turn around. Often times, we are juggling so much in our personal and professional lives, so it’s hard to stay focused on our goals and/or to look back at our accomplishments. There’s always room for improvement, but even if you’re going through a rough patch, there’s always the possibility for change! Don’t give up on yourself or your goals. You CAN do it, if you want it badly enough…
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#Author #Teacher #Chef #Wife #Mom #USA #AskAuthor #KindleEbook#AmazonPaperback
#CreatespacePaperback#BarnesAndNoblePaperback #IndieAuthors #WritersLife#IndieBooksBeSeen
#IndiePub #SelfPublishing #WIP #StoryCraft #Fiction #Novelette #AmWriting #MGlit #Books
#ReadingClubs #BestRead #MorelleCodeDetectives_SeriesForKids➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
July 15, 2017
Blog: July 15, 2017
When I first published my children’s series (the Morelle Code Detectives) in eBook format, my fans begged for paperback copies too. So, due to popular demand, I worked on formatting my first book and recently published it via Amazon, Createspace, and Barnes & Noble. Now, I’m working on formatting book number 2 in the series! So, patience, my readers. Patience. STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES! 
July 11, 2017
June 19, 2017
June 6, 2017
Morelle Code Detectives (Case #1) is now available via PAPERBACK!
Dearest Readers,
I am ecstatic to announce that besides having 6 ebooks published via Amazon Kindle, I now have published a paperback version of book #1 in the Morelle Code Detectives series! This was a learning process that was fun and enjoyable, but it also required a lot of tedious work. But, I’m truly glad that I had the opportunity to do it. I look forward to also printing the other Morelle Code Detectives books in my series via Createspace, where you can have each book PRINTED ON DEMAND and sent directly to you. If you are interested in ordering my VERY FIRST PAPERBACK book, please click the link below!
I look forward to also printing the other Morelle Code Detectives books (in my 6 part series) via Createspace, where books can be PRINTED ON DEMAND, and sent directly to the customer/reader. If you are interested in ordering my VERY FIRST PAPERBACK book, please click the link below!
https://www.createspace.com/7219857?ref=1147694&utm_id=6026
As always, your support is MUCH appreciated!
Sincerely,
D. M. Lukman
December 9, 2016
Updates!
You may have noticed that I haven’t been blogging very much in the last few months. It’s understandable due to all of the jobs that I juggle at the same time. I’ve been busy doing 1,001 things, including FT teaching, raising a family, managing a household, finishing up the semester at grad school, and writing/editing on the side.
I’ve gone through three edits of my current WIP (work in progress), and I’m on my fourth edit. I originally wanted this psychological thriller in a series to be written in the first person, but after three edits, something didn’t feel quite right. I decided to switch it to the third person. So, this last edit has been quite tedious. It’ll be well worth it in the end, but for now, it’s been a lot of extra work. I had assumed that I’d already have published this piece by now, but I just had too much going on and I realized I needed to slow my roll.
The important thing is that I want this book to be the best book I’ve ever written, and if that means it’ll take me a little longer than I wanted it to take, so be it!
October 11, 2016
How I Became an Indie Author
I often get asked how I became an Independent Author/Indie Author, and why I chose to pursue self-publishing instead of going the traditional publishing route. My answer is, there is no exact Science to it all, but I decided long ago that I wanted to be in the driver’s seat in my writing career. I didn’t want a publisher to tell me when, why, and how I could publish my work. I wanted creative expression, and I didn’t want to be muzzled to suit any “big wigs”. I didn’t want to be signed up for interviews or talk shows that I didn’t approve of. I wanted the freedom to pick and choose where I wanted to be, and how I wanted to be viewed by the public.
Although creative freedom may sound awesome to you at the moment, it does come at a price. It typically generates much less money than the noted authors that sell at big box stores do. But, it is what works for me and my lifestyle. By no means does that mean that you have to follow what I’ve done. It’s your choice and it’s entirely up to you.
I often hear other writers complaining that they can’t get an agent because the agent wants the writer to already be published, and then I hear publishers won’t hire someone because they’re not already represented by agents! WHAT? That’s a double edge sword, in my opinion. It’s a “Which came first–?” type of situation. In the end, what matters is that the work is released to readers. The song and dance of traditional publishing is just not something I wanted to pursue, so I didn’t. I am also curious and independent by nature. I love to learn new things and figure out how to do nearly everything on my own.
The truth is, I’m still a small fish in a sea of other writers, but I’m working hard to get my name out there. I’m slowly, but surely, getting more attention and becoming somewhat recognized on social media.
I had been writing for several years on the side, as well as teaching, being a student, raising a family, and so much more. I didn’t really have much time to invest in writing, but I picked it up as often as I could. Along the way, I saw an opportunity to change things in the lives of my family members, so I decided to refocus myself and spend more time on writing to pursue publishing. My first piece was published via Conceit Magazine (out of California), in 2010. I had written a horror short story that was featured in the magazine. I received no money for this, but I was excited to be featured in a notable magazine. This small magazine allowed me to make the giant leap from aimless writer to published writer, and I was stoked!
A little while after that, I began mulling over ideas about publishing books for kids. I knew that my 10+ years of experience as a teacher in elementary schools would make it possible to get into the mindset of writing for 8-12 year olds. I started researching, quite often. I created Author social media pages all over the internet, I joined writing groups, I spoke with everyone I could, and I even private messaged some well known authors for feedback. I stuck my neck out and ignored the people who discouraged the attempt. What I had gathered from my research was that in order for people to find me and my books, I needed to be everywhere. There’s nothing worse than reading a book you like, and searching for the author on social media, but finding them nowhere. It tells the reader that the author didn’t invest enough time or effort into their brand, so maybe they were just a one-hit-wonder and aren’t worth following. NO! I didn’t want that!
My husband volunteered his expertise and knowledge by developing my website and using special software to make my book covers (with some input from me, of course). Once all of those details were in place, and I felt like I was ready to go, I published my first ebook. The kids’ mystery series is called the Morelle Code Detectives (available via Amazon Kindle). I wrote 6 books in that kid series, in a relatively short amount of time. All 6 books were published at the tail end of 2015 and periodically throughout 2016. It was very important to me to have my work speak for itself, so after several self-edits and self-revisions, I always passed it along to a professional editor. My editor has worked with me on each book, and he’s excellent at what he does. I can rely on him to catch the mistakes that I skipped over and haven’t even noticed (even though I’ve had many years of experience editing work for students). For some odd reason, most people don’t recognize their own mistakes (in writing), but they can for others. Such an interesting phenomenon!
I currently have over 2,000 followers on social media, that I have gained within the last few months by only self-marketing. I have not spent a penny on promotions through any service. This may change at some point, but for now, I feel like I am chiseling out a marble pedestal for myself, with strong footings. Overall, I’m very proud of my work.
I’m most excited about my newest book series. This series will be completely unlike the other 6 books (in a series) that I have published. WHY, you ask? Because these books are geared for an older age group, adults. I feel “ready” to write for adults again, and my newest series will fulfill that wish. I am in the final editing stages of my latest book, after several previous edits. I will be passing along my book to the editor, shortly. I have plans to publish this book via Amazon Kindle and to also hopefully publish it via paperback, for all of those people who still prefer owning a paperback book.
To the writers out there hoping to make it, I suggest: write, write, write, and focus on finishing your work. Then, go back to edit multiple times before passing it along to a good editor. Simultaneously, promote your current work in progress (WIP) and let it be known that a masterpiece is about to be birthed into the world. You’ll create a buzz before the book is even published.
And as always, best wishes!
