Kellyn Roth's Blog: Kellyn Roth, Author, page 17

Ivy Introspective Is With the Editor! Now What?

As of this Sunday, Ivy Introspective is now with her editor. It took me waaaay too long to actually finish my own edits, but I’ve finally done it – and it’s out of my hands.

Until the beginning of June, I don’t have to think about it.

Which begs the question … now what?

I obviously can’t take a break (*gasps at the thought*), so I have to choose another project. Thankfully, my publishing schedule chose one for me. (Thanks, publishing schedule. You’re all that keeps me going some days. Literally.)

At Her Fingertips (book 3) and Beyond Her Calling (book 4) are my next slotted releases, so I’ll dive right into working on the (revision) outlines. As of yet, I’ve gotten about a quarter way through my outline for At Her Fingertips!

After I finish the outlines, I’m going to gauge what to do next based on my energy levels. If I feel up to diving into a revision (with some rewrite elements, though hopefully not as many as with the other books!), I’ll pick one and get started.

If not, I’ll start writing my next next book on the roster – The Midwife’s Daughter (McAllen Brothers, Book 1). I’ve already gotten this book outlined and started, but I really need to dive into the writing.

I’m also debating whether or not to work on this, as well … but as some point, I plan on writing a little “The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy, Book 2.5” novelette/short story.

I have some ideas, though they’re not quite thought through yet. (Outlining will definitely be the next step, though due to the length, it’s more like … storyboarding? I don’t know.)

My goal with it? Give it away as a freebie to fans who wonder about the big gap between books 2 and 3, and also use it to fill in some details about the changes in Alice and Ivy in the medium. It’s as fun for you as it is for me!

Anyways, those are my next projects. I just wanted to post this little life update to let you know what I’m up to! And also to ask … what are you up to!? We need to check in with each other more often, y’all.

Until next time,

TTFN!

~Kell~

P.S.

Well … what HAVE you been up to?

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May 2020 Dares & April 2020 Wrapup

Hey everyone! Guess what!? It’s MAY!

Okay, so, everyone is now complaining that April went on forreeevvveerrr, but time is FLYING for me. I’m not ready for May. I’m barely ready for February! I still feel like it’s 2018, and honestly, it’s so weird that it’s May of 2020.

I feel like I’ve done nothing with my life so far. *facepalm*

In the moment, I always want to be ten years in the future, but that next step … and next step … and next step … is a challenge for me. You know?

Still, I’m keeping on keeping on, and April was a better month than I thought, looking back. I took way too long on Ivy Introspective edits (which I’m still working on). With the launch coming in July, I need to pick up the pace!

Still, time will pass, I will get things done, and the world won’t collapse if it’s not all as fast as I’d like. (Note to self: it is never as fast as I’d like.)

April 2020 Dares Wrapup

Get Ivy Introspective to my editor. Kinda.

Okay, I didn’t get it to her by my deadline, and I still have a bit more to go. The first 100 pages are 100% ready, so that’s good news! It’s just the 


Continue to consistently send emails to my lists. Check!

Mostly! At least, I sent quite a few more than normal, and they were usually on time.

5 Things Historical Heroines Need to STOP Doing

Hi there, everyone! This post is sort of a follow up to one I did a while back, “Excuse Me, You Got Some Feminism in My Regency Romance.“

These are just some general observations about the heroines of all historical fiction – though, again, pre-1900 is when most of this takes place.

BUT … this is not the same “attack on feminism,” per se, you got from that other article.

Would you like to join my street team?

Guess what, y’all?

With my release for Ivy Introspective coming up, I’ve decided to reformat my street team.

A street team is a group of readers who are excited to share about an author’s book in one way or another (review, sharing about it on social media, simply telling friends, etc).

Soooo … I have a form up for anyone who’s interested!

Fill out this form to apply to join Kell’s street team!

After this, the street team will be closed for an undetermined amount of time.

Street Team Members Gain:

Free access to Kell’s novels in ebook format.
Early updates on all Kell-related projects.
Viewing of book covers months in advance of launch.
Exclusive snippets & behind-the-scenes updates.
TBD prizes/giveaways/etc.
Access to the beta-reader team.
& more!

Potential Street Team Duties (flexible, may be expanded upon):

Sharing about Kell’s latest releases.
Reviewing Kell’s new releases.
Helping Kell get the word out about her latest releases.
Sharing about Kell’s promotions, giveaways, etc.
Praying for Kell’s launches.

**Note: no duty will be required, but after a period of unexplained inactivity, a street team member may be removed. The street team member may choose to leave the group at any time.**

Sound interesting?

JOIN!

And that’s it! The launch is coming up pretty soon, and I’m super excited to share it with you! Ivy Introspective is a sweet story, and I can’t wait to hear what you think.

TTFN!

~Kell~

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My Ever-Changing Camp NaNo Project

Halfway through the month, and I still feel like I’ve done nothing, but that isn’t exactly true.

April 2020 Dares & March 2020 Wrapup

Hey, only a week or so into April, and I’m already here! I’m getting better. Well, a little better.

You know how tough it is to be on time when you’re busy … and stressed … and hiking way more than you ever have before …

Everyone is going crazy, but I’ve chosen to stay calm and go about my life – and hopefully get more stuff done!

Also, I think caution tape indicates more of a suggestion than an actual rule … right?

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I won’t speak on this nonsense any more except to say that I’m sorry for those of you who are struggling financially, who have had important life events cancelled or made almost nonexistent by our crazy government, who are getting less than what they paid for as far as schooling goes, and who are struggling with fear and anxiety.

God is bigger than this, and your life is bigger than one event. Maybe this will be a wake up call for America – maybe we will realize that we need to fight for the freedoms we have always enjoyed as citizens once again.

Whatever the conclusion, don’t stress it. It’ll be okay.

March 2020 Dares {& Other Stuff} Wrapup

Finish Ivy Introspective.

Check!


Get Ivy Introspective to my beta-readers.

Check!


Update categories & keywords for all my published books.

Failed. I didn’t get to all of them!


Ask my designer about the feasibility of editing paperback covers.

Failed. I need money. Money, I do not have.


Continue keeping ahead of the game on the writing emails.

Check! Ehhh … mostly? I think it’s okay.


Relaunch Reveries Co.

Check! I didn’t have a blog tour or anything, but I did my best.


Organize a splendiferous blog tour for Love Lifted Me by Faith Blum.

Check! At least, I hope it was splendiferous.



Random Stuff That Happened

Of course all this Covid-19 stuff!

One of my jobs is cancelled for who knows how long – I’ll probably get it back whenever the gymnastics academy opens, but I don’t know when that will be.
I’m considered an essential employee as a PSW. Which I think is a good thing because my little guy’s dad has a weird schedule because he’s a surgeon.
ALSO, now is the time to go hiking, y’all! Or to fast food. You get your food faster, the trails aren’t packed even on nice Saturday afternoons … SWEET.
Also, I get more of Bailey. And Ian is home! I want to be more frustrated than I am. There are some things that drive me crazy, but it’s more online than in reality.


Differing work schedules were interesting!

Yay?


I’ve gotten legitimately nothing done.

Whoops.


Paisley is not a complete wreck on a leash.

Sometimes I wonder, but once you get a leash on her (it takes some coaxing), she’s half-decent. If a bit confused. She’s very used to being a free dog.


Honestly, not that much happened.

It’s just … life. Life goes on, y’all.



April 2020 Dares

Get Ivy Introspective to my editor.

Yay! I’m so close! This book feels like a hot mess right about now, but I’m getting there, little by little.


Continue to consistently send emails to my lists.

I’m … at least caught up with my writing email list? I keep getting behind on the other ones, but then, I don’t have such a clear idea of what I want to send to them? Which I really need to sit down and outline out, but you know. Busy, busy.


Keep working on Reveries Co.’s blog.

I need to consistently post every Monday, which is somewhat of a struggle. I did get up a post this Monday, though – 15 Amateur Mistakes Indie Authors Regularly Make.


Actually exercise with some frequency.

Ehhhhh … I mean, I’ve gone hiking a couple times? And I played basketball with Dad, Bailey, my brothers, and her brothers? Once? So … we’ll see how this goes. I wrote down a routine and everything, but I haven’t gotten much further.


Read through the New Testament.

Yup! I’m pretty excited that I haven’t fallen super behind yet! I keep picking away at it. Hopefully I’ll keep it up!


Read three (3) books.

I feel like I’m in an eternal reading slump, but I need to fight it!


Practice my instruments at least a few times.

This has … not been happening as much as it should?
As in since our band practices got cancelled, I have not practiced. At all.
I mean, not that I was practicing a ton before (if at all), but now it’s nada. And that needs to change. At least a bit.


Write at least 30k.

I’m so behind, y’all! I’m worried I’ll never catch up, but I haven’t felt like writing, and I haven’t had time, and I just … ugh.
Lately I’ve been worried I’ve lost a bit of my touch, and that’s almost proving to be true, and it’s spooky!

Well, that’s the gist of it. As of late, I’ve been very tired and worn out, and it’s hard for me to focus. I’ve also had an inordinate amount of physical (and sometimes emotional) pain.

That said, I’m getting through it, keeping on, and doing my best to not let any of the above get me down!

TTFN!

~Kell~

p.s.

What did you do in March? How’s your April going? Any goals/plans/etc.? What’s one thing you’ve had more time to do recently? And are you actually doing it?

Love Lifted Me By Faith Blum: Blog Tour Wrapup

Today I’m wrapping up the blog tour for Faith Blum’s Love Lifted Me! Thanks so much for everyone to participated and shared about the book.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Elaheh’s brothers are lazy and controlling …

When Elaheh’s parents die, she is devastated, especially when her brothers seem to not care at all. They slowly make her help them more and more in the vineyard until she is finally forced to do all of the work plus keeping the house clean and food ready.

When Prince Solomon comes to town to hear from the people, Elaheh talks to him to see if there is anything they can do. Solomon feels bad for Elaheh and searches for weeks to find something, but can’t. So he comes up with a plan.

Will Solomon be able to rescue Elaheh from her lazy brothers? Will Elaheh survive all the work she is forced to do? Can true love come to humble foreigner like Elaheh?

Inspired by Cinderella and Song of Solomon

Buy on Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Faith Blum is a small-town Wisconsin girl who lives in the center of the state with her husband and baby boy. She loves writing, reading, crafting, and her cat, Smokey. She writes primarily Historical Fiction with an emphasis on Christian Westerns. Find out more about Faith on her website, https://faithblum.com/

SCHEDULE

Thursday, March 26th

Intro // Kellyn Roth @ Blog

Book Spotlight // Rachel Rossano @ Blog, Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter

Friday, March 27th

Review // Averey Nicolle Fitzgerald @ The Provincial Blogger

Review // Amanda Silvey @ Blooming with Grace

Saturday, March 28th

Book Spotlight // Emily Yager @ Instagram & Twitter

Monday, March 30th

Review // Maya Joelle

Spotlight // Reveries Co. @ Blog, Instagram, & Facebook

Tuesday, March 31st

Review // Abigail Harris @ Read Review Rejoice & Instagram

Tuesday, April 2nd

Wrapup // Kellyn Roth @ Blog, Instagram, & Facebook (you are here)

And that’s about it! The giveaway will run for the rest of today, so you can enter here if you haven’t already. I’ll be contacting the winner Friday afternoon!

TTFN!

~Kellyn Roth~

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Declutter Your Command Center: The Cure for Chronic Writer’s Block {Guest Post by Leya Delray)

Today I’ve got an article I’m pretty excited about … a guest post by Leya Delray, author of Where Daffodils Bloom, which has always been a favorite of mine.

I love this post for two reasons:

It indicates that Leya is WRITING, which means some day she might release another book. Yay!
It’s very true!

So enjoy this post on chronic writer’s block & overcoming it!

Do you suffer from Chronic Writer’s Block? Did your head once overflow with explosive, fascinating story ideas that you couldn’t wait to get on paper, but now you struggle to get anything more than a faint glimmer of inspiration?

I know how it feels.

For years I wrote stories constantly, had more than I knew what to do with, and looked forward to the day I would eventually be a published author. Then I became one. 

And the stories stopped coming.

In autumn of 2018, I released my first book, Where Daffodils Bloom. It was a project that had taken over three years of intensive research, writing, and rewriting. And the final year, particularly, was crazy intense. But I was passionate about the story (which was based on the real life of a WWII war bride) and thrilled to finally see it go out to the world so that I could sit down and rest and watch it go.

But as it turns out, publishing is NOT the end of the process. I quickly discovered there was a whole new slew of tasks to learn and manage. Keeping track of sales, doing book promotions, speaking engagements, taxes (bleh). But at least it worked.

I was successful. The book made money, and even became a bestseller in one of Amazon’s ten bazillion sub-categories (heh). I got lots of reviews. People loved the book (yay!). Readers who personally knew the main characters said I had captured the them perfectly (yay!). Dozens of strangers lined up waiting for me sign copies (yay!). And then they asked me what I was writing next. 

Ugh.

At first I told myself I was just tired, and needed time to recover from this huge project before I tackled another one. But the weeks and months kept going by, and nothing changed. The storyteller inside had gone silent.

Oh, I had inklings, scraps of ideas, even full-blown stories left-over from before I started work on Where Daffodils Bloom. But nothing big and new and brilliant. The old ideas sat around, looking neglected, and the new ones were only faint whispers that never fully materialized. 

After almost a year and a half, I knew I couldn’t blame it on being tired from the first book. I was suffering from a serious case of Chronic Writer’s Block, and I had no idea how to fix it. 

Then came COVID-19. And I had my epiphany. 

They say that if you want to be creative, you have to declutter your workspace. You’re not going to feel like quilting if you can’t find your ruler and rotary cutter under all the mounds of fabric; you won’t want to scrapbook if you’ve lost your scissors under piles of mutilated paper and photos; and surely no painter gets excited about painting if he has to kick his way through a pile of discarded canvases and empty paint tubes to get to the easel. So it stands to reason that if you want to be excited about writing, you need to declutter your writing space too. 

And no, I don’t mean your desk. 

That’s where I got it wrong. I didn’t know clutter was my problem, because I didn’t HAVE a cluttered desk. I’m a rabid organizer. I despise clutter. My whole house is (usually) so intensely organized that I can find almost any item it in under a minute. So surely I, of all people, wasn’t dealing with a clutter problem, right?

Wrong. 

My mistake was in thinking that a writer’s work-space was their desk. But let’s be honest. If you’re anything like me, you don’t just write in one specific place. You might write on the couch, or in bed, or at the kitchen table, or out on the porch. You basically just need your laptop and your brain to have your writing space. And unless you have a habit of leaving post-it notes and empty mugs literally sitting on top of your keyboard, it’s pretty unlikely that your laptop is cluttered. So what does that leave? 

Your brain.

Think about it. Your brain is like the command center for everything you have to do and keep up with. Your commitments, your social life, your jobs, your relationships, your hobbies and interests, they are all constantly being filed, organized, and dealt with in your brain.

Now imagine your inner self standing in the middle of that command center, dealing with all the flashing screens and paperwork and red-alert sirens when something important is overdue, and everything. All at once. If the command center is constantly running at max capacity, with multiple red lights blinking and paperwork piling up on every desk, are you going to have the time and space to think about stories? Obviously not.

My inner storyteller wasn’t just silent. She was swamped. In the year and half since I published the book, I got engaged, planned a wedding, took on several massive costume-design projects, made my own wedding dress, got married, moved an hour away from everything I was used to, found a new church, and in the midst of all that, tried to figure out how to navigate the book marketing world for the first time. I was so busy running around frantically keeping up with everything, that I didn’t even have time to identify what the problem was. 

Then came a world-wide pandemic. And normal life suddenly slammed to a halt. Social commitments were canceled, costume deadlines were postponed, everybody started self-quarantining, and I got a chance to stand still and breathe again. 

Turns out, that’s what I needed all along. My problem was a cluttered brain. Kind of sad it took a virus running rampant around the country to make me stop long enough to see it. 

Now I want to make it clear that my deepest sympathies go out to all those whose lives have been negatively affected by this virus. I do not in any way mean to make light of anyone’s illness, shortages, or financial difficulties. But for myself, this quarantine has created a forced break in normal life has been a blessing in disguise.

It’s given me the chance to realize that my real writing space, the secret, creative space inside my head, can’t function properly if I never stand still. If the main, organizational part of my brain is like a busy command center with doors leading to all the different zones of responsibility and activity, then the creative part is like a secret garden outside, where ideas and stories germinate and grow as I wander through the trees. But if I don’t have time to wander, I won’t ever find them.

So if you are dealing with Chronic Writer’s Block, take a moment to check and see if you need to declutter your brain. When was the last time you actually had the time, inside your head, to sign off on all the paperwork and wander out of the Command Center and into that secret garden where the stories grow? Have you been there at all recently? Or did you accidentally pave over it to expand the Social Media Response Station and the Imminent Deadline Management Center? 

I know that for me this has been a wake-up call. However long the quarantine lasts, I know it won’t be forever. Life will go back to normal eventually, and at some point, I’m going to need to make decisions about what “normal” is going to be. I am going to have to choose to make time for dreaming. Choose to not fill up every available space in my schedule with jobs and deadlines and social obligations. I am going to have to keep the Command Center running at non-emergency levels more often, so that I can take a break and step out into the garden now and then.

Because that’s where the stories grow.

About the Author

Leya Delray is an author, researcher, and costume designer with a deep love of storytelling. She has also been a historical reenactor for most of her life, portraying time periods that stretch from 1700’s to WWII.

After earning a B.A. in English from Thomas Edison State University, she channeled her passion for research, history, and storytelling into a biographical novel, Where Daffodils Bloom, based on the true story of a WWII war bride.

Delray lives with her husband in the beautiful foothills of the Appalachian mountains, surrounded by trees, history, and a yard full of daffodils. You can find out more about her on her blog: www.leyadelray.com or follow her on Facebook: facebook.com/leyadelray.author or Instagram: @leyadelray.

TTFN!

~Kellyn Roth~

P.S.

Do you agree with the author? Has this crazy time of freak-outs & overreactions made your life a bit easier, even in little ways? (It certainly has mine!) How do you deal with writer’s block?

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Kell’s Characters vs. Covid-19: a definitive guide

With all the craziness of Covid-19, etc., I decided to replace my regularly-scheduled post (that will instead be coming out this Monday) with something a little more light-hearted … though still relevant, of course!

Love Lifted Me by Faith Blum: Blog Tour & Giveaway

Welcome to the blog tour for Faith Blum’s historical retelling novella, Love Lifted Me. This novel was inspired by both Cinderella and The Song of Solomon, and the tour is being hosted by Reveries Co.

As you can see, I’m posting off-the-schedule so I can hit you right on release day – yes, the book is available on Amazon NOW!

There’s a giveaway involved, so let’s not beat around the bush: you’ll want to hurry up, enter the giveaway, and then check out this book/author!

About the Book

Elaheh’s brothers are lazy and controlling …

When Elaheh’s parents die, she is devastated, especially when her brothers seem to not care at all. They slowly make her help them more and more in the vineyard until she is finally forced to do all of the work plus keeping the house clean and food ready.

When Prince Solomon comes to town to hear from the people, Elaheh talks to him to see if there is anything they can do. Solomon feels bad for Elaheh and searches for weeks to find something, but can’t. So he comes up with a plan.

Will Solomon be able to rescue Elaheh from her lazy brothers? Will Elaheh survive all the work she is forced to do? Can true love come to humble foreigner like Elaheh?

Inspired by Cinderella and Song of Solomon

Buy on Amazon

About the Author

Faith Blum is a small-town Wisconsin girl who lives in the center of the state with her husband and baby boy. She loves writing, reading, crafting, and her cat, Smokey. She writes primarily Historical Fiction with an emphasis on Christian Westerns. Find out more about Faith on her website, https://faithblum.com/

Schedule

Thursday, March 26th

Intro // Kellyn Roth @ Blog, Instagram, & Facebook

Book Spotlight // Rachel Rossano @ Blog, Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter

Friday, March 27th

Book Spotlight // Joshua Reid @ The Wandering Scribe & Instagram

Review // Averey Nicolle Fitzgerald @ The Provincial Blogger

Review // Amanda Silvey @ Blooming with Grace

Saturday, March 28th

Book Spotlight // Emily Yager @ Instagram & Twitter

Monday, March 30th

Review // Maya Joelle

Spotlight // Reveries Co. @ Blog, Instagram, & Facebook

Tuesday, March 31st

Review // Abigail Harris @ Read Review Rejoice & Instagram

Wednesday, April 1st

Review // Kaitlyn S. @ Maidens for Modesty

Tuesday, April 2nd

Book Spotlight // Angela R. Watts

Wrapup // Kellyn Roth @ Blog, Instagram, & Facebook

Enter the Giveaway

Enter the giveaway to win a paperback copy of Love Lifted Me, a doily, and a bookmark.

CLICK TO ENTER GIVEAWAY

Want to support Faith?

Here are some fun graphics to share:

TTFN!

~Kellyn Roth~

P.S.

Did you enter the giveaway? Do you know Faith Blum? You should definitely check her out.

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