C.C. Snow's Blog, page 2

Too nervous to write? Eat cake.

My full-length novel, Resisting the Billionaire, came out at midnight. Yesterday, I was a nervous wreck and I couldn’t write. So, I decided to make a cake to take my mind off of things. For those of you who can’t afford therapy, baking is a wonderful substitute. All your senses are focused on measuring out ingredients and getting the consistency just right. It gives my brain time to rest.

There’s a great recipe for Triple Chocolate Mousse cake online: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/triple-chocolate-mousse-cake-recipe/.

It’s not the prettiest cake I’ve baked, but I can tell you it’s delicious!

 

 

Ick…but maybe I’m naive

Being a new writer, I’ve learned a lot. A lot. I’ve enjoyed most aspects immensely and hated others with a passion.

But yesterday, I got something in my email box in Goodreads that made me feel like I need a shower. I tried looking through the writers’ groups to see if there was a discussion topic about it, but I couldn’t find it. I will keep looking.

Basically, someone emailed me offering to help me promote my book by reviewing it, getting on blogs, etc… for a price. Of course, they start out the email by praising my writing. And of course, they say I’m not “paying” them for a review. It’s for the time they will spend on my behalf.

I hate marketing. I really hate it. It goes against everything in my nature. Don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful there are people out there who are good at it, but I’m not. Ergo I loathe it. But I don’t think this is how I want to market my work.

Am I right to feel icky about it? Or is this something that is the norm for the “business.” Am I just too sensitive?

For the time being, I’m going to stick with my strategy, which is to write good books. I welcome new readers who want ARCs in exchange for an honest review, but I don’t think I want someone to mechanically market my work because I paid them.

Yes…I am naive and idealistic. But come on, I write romantic fiction with HEAs!

Moving on…

Just submitted the final draft of to Amazon. It’s now out of my hands. Release date is June 1st. Hopefully, it’ll entertain a few readers out there.

I’m moving on to my next project.

Hero: Cael: ex-Ranger, firefighter, control freak

Heroine: Olivia: ER Nurse, emotionally scarred from bad relationship with controlling ex

(Rubbing hands together) Can’t wait to find out how these two get together.

Well…that’s the premise until the freaking alpha male morphs on me. It’s amazing how once they become three-dimensional, they start fighting me. Seriously, writers are not lying when they say the characters drive their stories. Before I became a writer, I thought this was a ridiculous claim. Shouldn’t the author be in control of everything?

Nope. Or at least in my limited experience, I haven’t been able to. My writing comes to a screeching halt when they don’t like what I’m doing. I started writing a story and got through seven chapters and then had to scrap the whole f*cking thing because the hero decided he didn’t want to play anymore. UGH!

Please don’t be an asshole, Cael!

 

 

 

Finding a Voice

I think one of the hardest things as a new writer is to find a distinctive voice. My characters all seem to demand their own unique stories, told in their own perspectives. I want to let them speak for themselves, but I also need to fight to lace my own style into the narrative.

In a lot of ways, we are like painters and sculptors, I think. We need to do a large body of work before we can claim a style. But as creative people, we also want to constantly evolve and improve.

The next couple of stories I’m working on are a little different. They’re longer and are packed with more emotion. They still offer romance and heat, but I am giving myself the luxury of developing their backgrounds more.

There are some fears of disappointing the few readers who have discovered me because the stories may not be the same. I know I’ve experienced that sense of betrayal when a beloved author changes their genre or writing style. Isn’t it amazing how vested we are in our favorite writers?

But hopefully, a good story will win the day.

Thank you NReads!

I want to send a shout out to my first reviewer, NReads!

Whoever you are, thank you for reading my book and for taking the extra step of posting a review. I can’t tell you how much this new author appreciates your feedback. Now I can stop biting my nails– well, I’ll still bite them, but I’ll stop chomping.

Seriously, you made my week!

Pros and Cons of Writing (so far)

Pros:

I get to create my own world. I am queen!
I reward myself with a chocolate break when I complete a chapter
I can do my work in my pajamas
I can eliminate a character if he/she gives me hell. If I only had that power during the holidays!
I get to help my heroine find the perfectly imperfect hero

Cons:

Every writer automatically becomes a critic (grimace); this means a badly written passage can jolt me out of the story line– very annoying
I have less time to read
Did I mention I have less time to read?
Marketing sucks!
It’s nerve wracking wondering how people will react to my story
When your main characters give you hell, you have to grin and bear it

My novella is free for two days

To help people “discover” me, I am offering my first novella, Love the Enemy, for free for the next couple of days– May 13th and 14th– on Amazon.

Happy Friday the 13th!

What I’m hoping is that readers will be motivated enough to give me some honest feedback. Living in my head all day is a strange existence and I’d love to get some critique. Praise is wonderful, but I won’t improve if all I read are good reviews.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I want you to bash my writing either! Just be honest.

 

Unable to Focus

I’ve always had problems being able to focus. Maybe I have undiagnosed ADD (definitely not making light of those out there who suffer from it!), but I’m trying to use it to my advantage by writing multiple stories at once.

I’m sure more experienced writers will tell me it’s a terrible idea because as soon as you switch stories, you are jolted out of your characters’ heads. And I have to admit, I have experienced some of that, but it’s also allowed me to rest my mind when I get stuck on something.

I find that writing about something else helps me re-energize.

That’s why, in addition to self-publishing my first novella, I’m also ready to publish my first full-length novel: Resisting the Billionaire. It’s a funny, erotic and romantic story about Cora Branton and Jake Weston.

You can find the description of the book on Amazon. It will be out by June 1st.

My Cover

It’s been a really interesting experience being a self-publisher. I actually haven’t tried to submit my work to an established publisher or tried to look for a literary agent. I’m not sure I’m making the right decision in the long run, but I wanted to try to do this on my own. Most publishers seem to make it as complicated as possible. I suppose the process weeds out a lot of hobbyists, but it also makes it very hard for someone new to get their foot in the door.

I designed my first cover! I’m sure graphic designers will scoff at my work, but I like it! Fingers crossed. I’m publishing on Amazon tomorrow!

Love the Enemy by C.C. Snow!

Happy Mother’s Day

Thank you, mothers, for being you! Kick back, pick up your favorite book or favorite movie, and enjoy today!