Tara Heavey's Blog, page 3

Blogging : Out with the old, in with the old, in with the new

Once there was a little blog.

Tiny, in fact.

It was even named after it’s size.

Tinylight.org

As in tiny light at the end of the tunnel or at the end of a long, dark night of the soul.

 

 

Tiny light was intended – as the subtitle stated – to assist people in self-helping their way out of depression.  With posts exploring humour, music, plant remedies, light and animal therapy, self-help books.  You name it.  However, the site never really “took off” as it were.  But in a way, that doesn’t matter.  Because Tiny Light taught me so much:

How to create my own website.  How to publish blog posts.  How to include links.  Respond to comments.  Insert images and photos.  How to share on social media.  So, so much.  Which I absolutely hope and expect will help me on my onward, online journey.

Because the time has come to either renew Tiny Light or lay her to rest.  Extinguish her, as it were.  So I have chosen the latter, with a sense of nostalgia and also gratitude.

And as I perused the pages for perhaps the last time, it occurred to me that a few of the posts might also be of interest to those reading an author website.

I have always been a sucker for inspirational quotes, so you will find below a link to a post extolling the virtues of Emily Dickinson’s poem “Hope”.  And another, on Walt Whitman and more.  And last but not least, an article on Poetry Therapy, a subject very close to my heart and one that I love sharing.

So I hope you find some value in these posts.

 

https://tinylight.org/inspirational-quotes-emily-dickinson-on-hope

https://tinylight.org/inspirational-quotes-for-difficult-times

https://tinylight.org/poetry-and-depression-the-beauty-and-power-of-words

 

Until the next time …

Keep on shining

 

Tara

x

 

Book Cover : The Big Reveal …

It’s the moment everyone’s been waiting for.  Well,  my cat and I are very excited anyway …

The book cover for “Flame” has finally arrived, in all its flaming glory – literally – look at the colours.  I am very happy with it and extremely grateful to the designer,  Scarlett Rugers, an Aussie Lass who has done us both proud.

I am equally delighted, as I told the good people on my email list, to have finally had some input into a book cover.  To not have to accept an image that makes me cringe.  Another distinct advantage to being an Independent (“Indie”) author.

One of the disadvantages, (or is it a challenge), is having to get to grips with all the technology by yourself.   I have always been slightly (!) technology averse and at least a couple of years behind the rest of the world when it came to newfangled phenomena such as email and mobile phones.

However

All this has changed …

Since I copped on to the opportunities available in the online world.  To writers and creative types, to those who are vaguely entrepreneurial, or to those who thrive on being their own bosses.   So I struggle on through.  Because while my attitude has changed, my aptitude sadly hasn’t!

I am wrestling my way through the formatting process at the present moment in time, with the aid of a template from bookdesigntemplate.com, the excellently helpful and informative creation of Joel Friedlander.  I have chosen this option for now.  Although I believe you can also format your books on the much lauded Scrivener.  A program called Vellum also comes highly recommended but is sadly only available to those on Apple Mac.  Drat.

But I am confident – sort of – and determined – most definitely.  Because this is what I want.   And when you really want something, you find a way climb that learning curve, no matter how steep.

So for now.

Here.  It.  Is.

The brand, spanking new cover for “Flame”, the novel.

 

I’d love to know what you think.

In the meantime, continued success in all your writing endeavours.

 

Tara

Book Cover Design: Why it matters for you and your book.

Great excitement readers!

In my own little head at least.  You see, I’ve just made a booking with a cover designer.  Totally new territory fo me.

I would love to handle the book cover design for “Flame” myself.  Of course, I would.  I’m a control freak!  At least when it comes to matters pertaining to my own writing.  But this is not writing, is it?  This is visual art – proper creative design. And although part of me would love to have a crack at it, the better part of me know that it’s probably not a good idea.

 

So, the next best thing – or the best thing entirely – is to work together with a proper designer.  A professional who knows what he or she is doing.  I’ve chosen a woman artist, in the hope and the belief that she might resonate more with my predominantly female audience.  Not to mention with my own artistic “vision”.   I won’t mention her name yet.  In case it doesn’t work out …  But I have high hopes.  Which, I always find, are the only kind of hopes worth having.

Cover Design – Why Bother?

Because it is arguably your most important marketing tool, that’s why.  Whether you’re talking e-book or traditional print book, the premise is entirely the same. People are still going to scroll down the listings of Amazon, Kobo and the like and judge your book by its cover.  This may or may not be fair, but why not just embrace the fact and give your cover your all.  There’s no reason why it can’t be a wholly thrilling experience.

Early attempts

As a traditionally published author, you have no say as to the cover of your book.  Prior to my first title, “A Brush With Love” coming out, I was blissfully ignorant of this state of affairs.  My editor at the time made the polite comment that if I had any cover ideas I could let them know.  In a rush of youthful enthusiasm, I duly sent her a sketch of a set of matchstick figures in my imagined format.  I can only imagine, with flushed cheeks, the hilarity that ensued in the office upon the arrival of my “design”!

Book Covers of My Past: Old Flames Revisited

You can see some of these if you click on the “Books” tab of this website.  A motley crew.  Some I liked more than others. Some I was downright embarrassed by.  I won’t say which ones but suffice to say, I don’t go for pink or ultra girly.  I dislike women’s fiction to be depicted in such a way, especially when the words inside contain more grit and depth.

I preferred my foreign covers, by and large, each country possessing its own unique flavour.  I guess when it comes down to it, it’s merely a matter of taste.  Everyone is not going to like everything.  Of course, they are not.  But we can still try our best to do our books justice, with the help of a designer we love.

Here’s hoping …

 

Tara

 

Self-Publishing a Book : My adventure has begun ….

My adventures in self-publishing a book have begun.  I am telling you this for two reasons:  so that you can hold me accountable.  And so that I can hold myself accountable.

It is not entirely comfortable for me to do this.  I value my privacy so much.  One of the reasons that I, London born and brought up in various suburban jungles, chose to live in the backend of nowhere, much to the consternation of various family members and friends.

But sometimes the observer has to become the observed ….

I’ve learned a lot about comfort zones recently.  About moving out of them and into your own space.  How it’s the only way that true growth can occur.  I love the quote by Lisa Nichols, a heroine of mine and motivational speaker extraordinaire:

“Your comfort and your conviction don’t live on the same block”.

She goes on to say that they may not even reside in the same zip code.  It might have been her grandmother who said it.  Wise woman …  I hope to be such a wise woman one day.  Until then, I remain middle-aged and confused. Trying to find my way in an uncertain world.  But I’ve come to learn that the path to take is the one of your own choosing. The one that resonates with the quiet but insistent voice within.  The one that we often ignore at our own peril, as it’s drowned out by the many shrill and discordant voices in the world.

But get still.  Go within.  And listen to it at last.  Because it knows.

This (hopefully) wise woman within is telling me to build this website.  To communicate to the world in the way that comes most naturally to me – through my writing.   To release my book out into the ether, entirely on my own terms. Will it stumble along in the wilderness?  Or into the hearts of many.  Find a home.  Take root.  It remains to be seen.

So what next?

Work with an expert to create a beautiful cover.  One that I don’t mind myself or my book being judged by.  Join me here for the next exciting installment!

Much happiness

 

Tara

The Urge to Write is Urgent

The urge to write is urgent. I guess that’s where the word comes from. Urge-ent. Never thought of it before. That came to me while I was writing, as my best thoughts often do. It’s like my pen is a conduit — the lightening bolt of ideas travel down into my fingers, onto the page, out to the world.

Is that the appeal? The clarity it brings. The sifting of thoughts from the swirling mass of the mind, to bring forth the ones that want to get out.

My pen is like a snout, digging the earth, looking for sustenance. Tugging at the roots of my past, bringing the muck with it. Muck that has to be raked through.

The soil of my soul needs to be tilled, to let the air in, to make ready for new life. The old debris removed, the new seeds planted. The old thoughts discarded, the new thoughts poking through, giving hope and new possibilities.

My pen finds them for me, as the wandering mind sometimes cannot. It’s a willing servant, a constant friend, always there for me when I need it. I write for you, I write for me, I write to explore and expand and my expansion spills out into the world and I add to it.

This constant source of ideas, in through the top of my head and out through the tip of my pen, giving birth to new concepts. Creating.

Everyday magic available to all of us who hold the pen.

Who Said Sample Blog Posts Had To Be Boring?

Some Heading

T-bone ham hamburger bacon kielbasa. Corned beef biltong drumstick sausage pastrami ham short ribs pork chop. Capicola sausage hamburger, tongue tail fatback spare ribs tri-tip pork loin pastrami. Cupim pastrami spare ribs jerky rump short loin corned beef tenderloin fatback picanha hamburger tongue ground round venison cow.

Chicken porchetta flank spare ribs doner jerky tongue shank ground round pork chop. Kielbasa bacon porchetta pastrami salami.

Doner andouille spare ribs shoulder ground round landjaeger tenderloin picanha tail boudin pastrami strip steak chicken jowl. Flank corned beef turkey, pork burgdoggen cow landjaeger strip steak biltong beef pancetta.

Pork chop ball tip salami prosciutto capicola boudin tail meatball. Kevin ball tip doner sausage tail, brisket hamburger rump short ribs frankfurter fatback.

Bacon cow shank, pastrami biltong flank chicken rump doner ribeye swine strip steak.

Swine turkey ham short ribs, corned beef cow sirloin short loin prosciutto chicken pig kevin ground round capicola bacon.

T-bone ham hamburger bacon kielbasa. Corned beef biltong drumstick sausage pastrami ham short ribs pork chop. Capicola sausage hamburger, tongue tail fatback spare ribs tri-tip pork loin pastrami. Cupim pastrami spare ribs jerky rump short loin corned beef tenderloin fatback picanha hamburger tongue ground round venison cow.

Chicken porchetta flank spare ribs doner jerky tongue shank ground round pork chop. Kielbasa bacon porchetta pastrami salami.  Sausage swine pork loin fatback, pork belly meatball salami brisket flank venison andouille burgdoggen.

How to Start a Day

So what if today was different?

What if today you chose a higher path? To boldly go where you’ve never gone before.

Admit that you are wrong. Do something about it. Be the one to heal the pain and not the one to cause it. To start the conversation that needs to be started, instead of burying your deepest needs, so deeply that they fester.

This is what we don’t want.

What we want is to soar

To strap on those wings that have been folded up in the back of the closet for far too long. Strap them on tight. Get ready for a wild ride. Because now you’re moving in truth, integrity your by-word. You’re ready to pour out the poison, to let it sink harmlessly into the Earth. Never more to touch your lips or that of a loved one’s.

Set your intention to good: good food, good thoughts, good faith, good deeds, good vibrations.

Especially vibrations.

Let them radiate through you. Then outward to the rest of the world. As it lies in wait for your intention.

Your contribution.

Your treasure.

Your music.

Your grace.

Don’t let it die inside you. Do not squander. Spend it and it will grow. Increase, prosper, multiply.

Be the change you want to see.

Be the one that matters.

In your own life.

Gooood Sample Blog Post.

Sample Heading 3

T-bone ham hamburger bacon kielbasa. Corned beef biltong drumstick sausage pastrami ham short ribs pork chop. Capicola sausage hamburger, tongue tail fatback spare ribs tri-tip pork loin pastrami. Cupim pastrami spare ribs jerky rump short loin corned beef tenderloin fatback picanha hamburger tongue ground round venison cow.

Chicken porchetta flank spare ribs doner jerky tongue shank ground round pork chop. Kielbasa bacon porchetta pastrami salami.

Doner andouille spare ribs shoulder ground round landjaeger tenderloin picanha tail boudin pastrami strip steak chicken jowl. Flank corned beef turkey, pork burgdoggen cow landjaeger strip steak biltong beef pancetta.

Pork chop ball tip salami prosciutto capicola boudin tail meatball. Kevin ball tip doner sausage tail, brisket hamburger rump short ribs frankfurter fatback.

Bacon cow shank, pastrami biltong flank chicken rump doner ribeye swine strip steak.

Swine turkey ham short ribs, corned beef cow sirloin short loin prosciutto chicken pig kevin ground round capicola bacon.

T-bone ham hamburger bacon kielbasa. Corned beef biltong drumstick sausage pastrami ham short ribs pork chop. Capicola sausage hamburger, tongue tail fatback spare ribs tri-tip pork loin pastrami. Cupim pastrami spare ribs jerky rump short loin corned beef tenderloin fatback picanha hamburger tongue ground round venison cow.

Chicken porchetta flank spare ribs doner jerky tongue shank ground round pork chop. Kielbasa bacon porchetta pastrami salami.  Sausage swine pork loin fatback, pork belly meatball salami brisket flank venison andouille burgdoggen.