Becca C. Smith's Blog, page 2
September 29, 2017
Finishing My book and Gearing up for Nanowrimo!

I’m going to wait to do any hard core editing until December though. I decided that this year I’m going to tackle NaNoWriMo full force! I’m writing the sequel to Dream Diaries and I’m going to take the entire month of October to outline the crap out of it! That way, come November, I can sit down and crank through. I feel like it’s good luck since the only NaNoWriMo I ever won was with the first Dream Diaries.
I’m in a good head space lately, which is a nice change. I’m usually one of those ‘self-punisher’ or ‘self-guilter’ types. Like if I don’t meet a deadline (self-imposed deadline, mind you!) I feel like a total failure. But now that I finished my mash-up ahead of schedule, I’m feeling really good. (I know, it probably won’t last, but I’m going to enjoy it while I can!)
So, NaNoWriMo, I’m ready for you! Can’t wait to start my page, buy some swag and knock out another novel in November! The juices are flowing and I’m taking full advantage!
Now to go outline lol!
Published on September 29, 2017 16:06
August 30, 2017
FALL IS COMING!

My husband and I are moving again. I never thought we’d move this soon after our last move, but we came to the conclusion that we’re just not ‘house people.’ Maybe someday when we can afford multiple acres of land and not have any neighbors within eyesight, but for now, close quarters house living is not for us. There’s just too much maintenance. We’re going back to condo/apartment living!
Of course, that means we have to sell the house first lol! We’re crossing our fingers it goes quickly, but you never know in today’s market. The nice thing is our house is a wonderful little house, so if we didn’t sell we still love where we’re living. We just would prefer to free our lives of clutter and downsize. That sounds so good right now, I can’t even express it properly!
I hope we sell fast so we can be settled into our new place by winter, or even better Autumn! I can’t wait for pumpkin spice lattes and cozying up on the couch to read the new Brandon Sanderson book in November! Of course, the book will have to be my reward for when I finish NaNoWriMo! So much to look forward to!
But for now, I have to prepare my house for sale! So. Much. Work. But hopefully, it’ll all be worth it!!
Published on August 30, 2017 10:01
July 29, 2017
Writing, writing and more writing...
Sometimes writing blogs, or writing anything really, feels like writing into the ether. Does anyone ever really read any of this? Everything nowadays is about content, content, content, but what does that really mean?
For me, writing is about creating new worlds and characters that I hope will bring some enjoyment to this world, or even to one person. I’m always amazed when I get great reviews on Amazon for one of my books. It blows my mind that a complete stranger could actually find my book (I’m terrible at marketing), buy my book, read my book, then care enough to review my book. It makes it all worth it. Sure I get bad reviews, like all authors do, but I can’t fault anyone for not liking something I wrote. There are plenty of books I can’t stand. It doesn’t mean I hate the author or anything, I just didn’t like the book. Good reviews, bad reviews; it just makes a novel more rounded.
But sometimes I find myself asking: Is anyone going to care about what I’m writing next? Is this even important? Shouldn’t I be writing for the simple love of writing?
The answer is no.
Yes, I write because I love it. Yes, I write because it is the singular profession that brings me pure joy.
But I love writing because I love sharing stories with other people. It wouldn’t be the same if I wrote only for myself. The process would still be fun, but the pay-off for me is telling a story that entertains. I’m not too terribly deep in my books. Yes, my characters are complex three-dimensional beings, or at least they are to me, but I mainly try and write novels that you could eat a bag of popcorn to while reading. Fun, exciting, adventurous, horror, sci-fi, super powers, mysteries. I get to live the adventures of my characters through my laptop keyboard.
Some days are harder than others though. When I’m on a roll, it’s the easiest thing in the world, but when I’m stuck in a particular moment, it can be paralyzing. This is when I usually back away, percolate, then hit the ground running a day or two later. I try to write every day because it’s the ultimate mood stabilizer for me. Writing = good mood. My friends and family are always happy campers when I’ve had a good writing day because I’m full of smiles and laughter. Writing truly makes me a better person.
And that’s the bottom line, isn’t it? I found something in my life that, just by performing the simple act of writing, makes me truly happy. Not many people can say they found that one thing in life. I’ve been writing since I was seven and have never stopped. It’s so much of who I am, I don’t know who I’d be without it.
I’m proud to be a writer.
It’s who I am.
And I’m pretty happy about that!
For me, writing is about creating new worlds and characters that I hope will bring some enjoyment to this world, or even to one person. I’m always amazed when I get great reviews on Amazon for one of my books. It blows my mind that a complete stranger could actually find my book (I’m terrible at marketing), buy my book, read my book, then care enough to review my book. It makes it all worth it. Sure I get bad reviews, like all authors do, but I can’t fault anyone for not liking something I wrote. There are plenty of books I can’t stand. It doesn’t mean I hate the author or anything, I just didn’t like the book. Good reviews, bad reviews; it just makes a novel more rounded.
But sometimes I find myself asking: Is anyone going to care about what I’m writing next? Is this even important? Shouldn’t I be writing for the simple love of writing?
The answer is no.
Yes, I write because I love it. Yes, I write because it is the singular profession that brings me pure joy.
But I love writing because I love sharing stories with other people. It wouldn’t be the same if I wrote only for myself. The process would still be fun, but the pay-off for me is telling a story that entertains. I’m not too terribly deep in my books. Yes, my characters are complex three-dimensional beings, or at least they are to me, but I mainly try and write novels that you could eat a bag of popcorn to while reading. Fun, exciting, adventurous, horror, sci-fi, super powers, mysteries. I get to live the adventures of my characters through my laptop keyboard.
Some days are harder than others though. When I’m on a roll, it’s the easiest thing in the world, but when I’m stuck in a particular moment, it can be paralyzing. This is when I usually back away, percolate, then hit the ground running a day or two later. I try to write every day because it’s the ultimate mood stabilizer for me. Writing = good mood. My friends and family are always happy campers when I’ve had a good writing day because I’m full of smiles and laughter. Writing truly makes me a better person.
And that’s the bottom line, isn’t it? I found something in my life that, just by performing the simple act of writing, makes me truly happy. Not many people can say they found that one thing in life. I’ve been writing since I was seven and have never stopped. It’s so much of who I am, I don’t know who I’d be without it.
I’m proud to be a writer.
It’s who I am.
And I’m pretty happy about that!
Published on July 29, 2017 20:58
June 14, 2017
WHY WONDER WOMAN IS MORE THAN JUST A MOVIE...

Let me explain:
It wasn’t just that Hilary Clinton lost. Love her or hate her, having a woman elected into the White House would have been monumental. Every girl in America would have grown up knowing that women could be President too. I felt that hope and excitement like a real and living thing leading up to the election. It was intoxicating, it was inspiring, I was so proud to live in a country where we were stepping into the future, where we were evolving into greatness, where it didn’t matter if you were a man or a woman or black or white, you could be anything you wanted to be. I lived and breathed that feeling as I cast my vote and waited to hear the news that the first female president won by a landslide.
But that didn’t happen. Yes, she won the popular vote, but that was little consolation. My next hope was that the electors would change their votes. Pipe dream, I know, but I was desperate for this wrong to be righted. When that didn’t happen and 45 became our president I was numb. Numbness soon turned to outrage, shock, anger and many more emotions as his administration tried (and keeps trying) to take down everything good about this country. Our country is moving so far backward, sometimes I don’t even recognize it anymore. We had such an opportunity to show the planet that we could be the innovators and leaders that we once were. But with every step 45 takes, it’s fifteen steps back into the past of archaic thinking and is making our country irrelevant.
So why is Wonder Woman a giant Band-Aid for everything we’ve gone through since the election?
Simple. It captured that same feeling people like me felt the day of the election and the months leading up to it, and this time we got the outcome we wanted. Watching strong Amazonian women crushing the bad guys, watching Wonder Woman take control and leading, not because she was a woman, but because she was the best person for the job. She was respected and followed by men who initially laughed that a woman was even coming along on the journey let alone taking charge and becoming their leader. It was everything I wanted to see in real life. The good guys won. They defeated their oppressors and saved the world. And all because of Wonder Woman.
All because of a woman.
Let that sink in.
More than just a bass a$$ super hero, Wonder Woman represents so much more than that. She represents the hopes and dreams every little girl feels when they’re figuring out what they want to be when they grow up. And movies like this tell them they can be anything.
Sometimes movies are just movies, and sometimes they can start a new way of thinking. They can change people’s minds. They can open people up to new possibilities. It doesn’t happen over night, but I have faith that it could happen one day.
And this movie helped move that forward. I walked out of the movie feeling the way I had imagined I’d feel after the election. Unfortunately, I didn’t get that satisfaction November 8th, but on June 2nd I got a little taste of it, and for that I will always be grateful!

Published on June 14, 2017 14:35
June 8, 2017
starting over at 44... (warning! Trump fans will not like what I have to say!)
Forty-Four! That age! I can’t believe I’m that age! It’s not even that old, but I still feel like I’m 20-something, or at least 30-something. But I’m not. And I’m okay with that. I’m more than okay with that… I’m proud of that. I’ve done a lot in my life so far: I have the best friends and family ever, I’ve written 14 books, 42 screenplays and 25 teleplays, I’ve traveled the world (and plan to travel a lot more!), and I founded my own publishing company with my mother-in-law called Red Frog Publishing.
So, I’ve done all those things, and I’m really proud of that fact, but I still feel like I’m meant for something more.
Warning! If you’re a Trump supporter you will not like what I’m about to write next, so I suggest you stop now before you get too angry.
The presidential election threw me for a loop. Wait, I take that back: it devastated me. Devastated me because unlike the movies: the bad guys won. The bully won. The racists won. The sexists won. The Nazis won. The nutjobs who twist the Bible to fit their own hate won. And the biggest bully of them all is now sitting in the White House.
And from the moment he was sworn in he has tried to move forward with his hate-filled policies and ridiculous tweets. It’s no joke when I call him a buffoon. He is. And he’s running our country. It’s terrifying. I now know how England felt when George III was their king. Our president isn’t mentally stable. It’s obvious to anyone who has eyes. I can’t even fathom how his supporters don’t see it and continue to follow him down the rabbit hole of insanity.
As I witnessed this all from the safety of my own laptop, I felt a helplessness I’ve never felt before. I thought it was bad when Bush was president, but I’d beg on my knees to have him back! And trust me, that’s saying something, because I really despised the guy when he was president. Now, I see him as a charming, intelligent man who made some truly horrible choices, but at least seems to have learned from them. Our current president, doesn’t learn from anything. He takes accountability for nothing.
So what did I do? Anything I could. I called my representatives, I went to marches, I voted, I spoke out… but it never felt like enough.
Then 45 pulled out of the Paris Accords. I mean, really?! Was this actually happening? This was the breaking point for me. I couldn’t believe we were living in a world where people could outright defy science. Science! Facts, proven facts! And what do his supporters call it? Fake news. Science and facts are ‘fake news.’ We’re even having a resurgence of people claiming the earth is flat! Someone please send them up in a space shuttle or even one of those Richard Branson planes!
I’ve always had a passion for science. There were only ever two things I wanted to be when I grew up: a writer or an astronaut. Unfortunately, my sophomore year in high school, my chemistry teacher told us that ninety percent of our grade would be the final and that the final would be memorizing the periodical chart and all its equations. Needless to say the entire class failed except for two people: me and another guy in my class. We both received Ds. The teacher was fired after he taught my class and our grades were changed, but the damage was done. My confidence was gone. I didn’t think I was smart enough to be an astronaut or study any kind of science. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself the guy was in idiot and just didn’t want to teach anymore so he was taking it out on his students, but I wouldn’t have listened. Teenagers are stubborn that way.
Teachers have so much more power and influence than people give them credit for. That teacher made me feel stupid and unworthy. I could have defied him and continued forward with my passion for science, but I was fifteen and filled with the pride of a teenager. I didn’t want to look stupid again, so I stayed away from science classes altogether. Luckily, my father was a huge science nerd so I had a library of books I could read. But I read them at home where I wouldn’t be told I wasn’t good enough to understand them. I’ve been reading science books ever since, always referring to them as a ‘hobby,’ but never something I pursued as a career.
I, instead, wrote science fiction to express my love of science. All my books have some kind of pseudo science in them and I love creating worlds where science and magic coincide or are even pitted against each other.
But the older I get, I find that I need more. I want to do more. I want to be on the front lines of discovery. I want to make a change in this world and the only way I can see how to do that is to go back to school and study the sciences. I’m not sure which field I want to focus on so I’ll be taking a variety of classes. Most likely it’ll either be in environmental science or biochemistry (if you’ve ever read my book, Riser, you’ll know why both those subjects are close to my heart!)
But I’m ready. At 44 years old I’m starting anew. It’s a bit of a mid-life crises if you will. Most people try to recreate their teenage years by partying and buying sports cars, but I plan on pursuing the part of me that didn’t think I was smart enough to be a scientist. I plan on showing her that I can achieve anything I put my mind to.
I’m set for the fall at a community college and I plan to transfer to a four year university as soon as I can. So this is it. I’m going to make a difference in this world and my journey begins now…
So, I’ve done all those things, and I’m really proud of that fact, but I still feel like I’m meant for something more.
Warning! If you’re a Trump supporter you will not like what I’m about to write next, so I suggest you stop now before you get too angry.
The presidential election threw me for a loop. Wait, I take that back: it devastated me. Devastated me because unlike the movies: the bad guys won. The bully won. The racists won. The sexists won. The Nazis won. The nutjobs who twist the Bible to fit their own hate won. And the biggest bully of them all is now sitting in the White House.

As I witnessed this all from the safety of my own laptop, I felt a helplessness I’ve never felt before. I thought it was bad when Bush was president, but I’d beg on my knees to have him back! And trust me, that’s saying something, because I really despised the guy when he was president. Now, I see him as a charming, intelligent man who made some truly horrible choices, but at least seems to have learned from them. Our current president, doesn’t learn from anything. He takes accountability for nothing.
So what did I do? Anything I could. I called my representatives, I went to marches, I voted, I spoke out… but it never felt like enough.
Then 45 pulled out of the Paris Accords. I mean, really?! Was this actually happening? This was the breaking point for me. I couldn’t believe we were living in a world where people could outright defy science. Science! Facts, proven facts! And what do his supporters call it? Fake news. Science and facts are ‘fake news.’ We’re even having a resurgence of people claiming the earth is flat! Someone please send them up in a space shuttle or even one of those Richard Branson planes!
I’ve always had a passion for science. There were only ever two things I wanted to be when I grew up: a writer or an astronaut. Unfortunately, my sophomore year in high school, my chemistry teacher told us that ninety percent of our grade would be the final and that the final would be memorizing the periodical chart and all its equations. Needless to say the entire class failed except for two people: me and another guy in my class. We both received Ds. The teacher was fired after he taught my class and our grades were changed, but the damage was done. My confidence was gone. I didn’t think I was smart enough to be an astronaut or study any kind of science. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself the guy was in idiot and just didn’t want to teach anymore so he was taking it out on his students, but I wouldn’t have listened. Teenagers are stubborn that way.
Teachers have so much more power and influence than people give them credit for. That teacher made me feel stupid and unworthy. I could have defied him and continued forward with my passion for science, but I was fifteen and filled with the pride of a teenager. I didn’t want to look stupid again, so I stayed away from science classes altogether. Luckily, my father was a huge science nerd so I had a library of books I could read. But I read them at home where I wouldn’t be told I wasn’t good enough to understand them. I’ve been reading science books ever since, always referring to them as a ‘hobby,’ but never something I pursued as a career.
I, instead, wrote science fiction to express my love of science. All my books have some kind of pseudo science in them and I love creating worlds where science and magic coincide or are even pitted against each other.
But the older I get, I find that I need more. I want to do more. I want to be on the front lines of discovery. I want to make a change in this world and the only way I can see how to do that is to go back to school and study the sciences. I’m not sure which field I want to focus on so I’ll be taking a variety of classes. Most likely it’ll either be in environmental science or biochemistry (if you’ve ever read my book, Riser, you’ll know why both those subjects are close to my heart!)
But I’m ready. At 44 years old I’m starting anew. It’s a bit of a mid-life crises if you will. Most people try to recreate their teenage years by partying and buying sports cars, but I plan on pursuing the part of me that didn’t think I was smart enough to be a scientist. I plan on showing her that I can achieve anything I put my mind to.
I’m set for the fall at a community college and I plan to transfer to a four year university as soon as I can. So this is it. I’m going to make a difference in this world and my journey begins now…
Published on June 08, 2017 14:13
May 31, 2017
top 3 teen/paranormal book series

(And the spin offs: The Infernal Devices & The Dark Artifices!)
This is my number one pick for this genre. Every time one of her books comes out I consume them in a day or two no matter what the length. It’s a testament to her writing style and ability to keep the reader engaged.
The Mortal Instruments is my favorite of the Shadowhunter world, but Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices are a close second and third.
What makes these books so great is the world building Cassandra Clare has created. She makes you want to be a Shadowhunter! She has strong female leads that can take care of themselves. Sure, there’s a bit of the “help, save me, boyfriend” syndrome, but mostly, the female characters are the ones doing the saving, and that’s something I can get behind.
Freeform airs the TV show version and it’s going into its third season. Personally, I feel like the show went off the rails a bit. It helps to think of it as an alternate universe, not as good, but good enough. The actors are great, anyway!
But I definitely recommend the books!

Yes, I know Bloodlines is the spin-off of the Vampire Academy series, but I like it better. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Vampire Academy books! Rose is one of the best and baddest characters in the teen/paranormal genre, but Sydney is my girl. And don’t get me started on Adrian! (Though to be fair, his self-loathing can get on my nerves a bit, especially when it endangers other characters!) But I love the guy, I can’t help it. Spirit users have a harder life, right?!
Another amazing world builder, Richelle Mead creates a whole new spin on vampires. Throw in some good teen drama and you have a recipe for a nail-biting-love-story-crazy-ride. I plowed through these books very quickly as well.
The reason I love Bloodlines more than Vampire Academy is that I find the Alchemists so interesting, especially at how they fit into the vampire world. It’s a fascinating dynamic that the Alchemists clean up vampire’s messes, yet they hate all vampires, even the good ones. I’d go into the differences of vampires in this series, but it would take too long. To sum it up briefly: Moroi vampire = good, Strigoi vampire = bad. One has a soul and the other doesn’t. Moroi are mortal and Strigoi are immortal.
I love the fact that Sydney learns magic as well. I’m always a sucker for girls with superpowers and magic is my favorite power. (Willow all the way!)
I highly recommend reading both Vampire Academy and Bloodlines. In fact, Bloodlines wouldn’t be as good if I hadn’t read the Vampire Academy books first, so if you’re going in, you should probably start with the first series. You won’t be disappointed and you can look forward to reading Bloodlines later on.

I know, I know. I get such a hard time for liking the Twilight series! But as much criticism as they get, they’re highly entertaining books! And if you love this genre, chances are pretty high that you’ll love these books too.
Like the others, I read these really fast. In the first couple of books, Bella, definitely gets rescued a lot from the men in her life, but by the fourth book, she kicks some butt. To be fair, in the earlier books she's a human against vampires, and there's not much a normal teenage girl can do to fight a super-being (unless you have superpowers yourself!). But as a vampire, her powers end up saving them all, so it evens out.
Another reason the Twilight Series is in my top three is because this was the first time I had ever read books from this genre before. I was mainly a fantasy/sci-fi kind of girl, but the series was recommended to me by one of my favorite people in the whole world (I’m looking at you, Ruby!), so I gave it a shot. I wasn’t disappointed and the books actually inspired me to write my own series, The Riser Saga. Basically, the Riser books would most likely not exist if I hadn’t read Twilight, so I’m grateful for that!
Published on May 31, 2017 16:30
May 28, 2017
Writing ruts! 3 ways to get out of them!

Sometimes, there’s nothing you can do but accept the fact that you’re just not going to write that day. Most of the time, though, you can get back on track and live a guilt-free rest of your day. Not that you should feel guilty for not writing. I, personally, can’t seem to escape that gnawing sensation of self-doubt and massive guilt whenever I’m at a standstill with my writing, but you shouldn’t. I probably beat myself up way more than actual writing time lol.
But let me set the record straight: self-punishment and self-induced anxiety is a complete and total waste of valuable writing time. This I know. I’m actively trying to stop myself of going down the rabbit hole of guilt mongering every day.
So whenever I get in a rut, here are a few of the things that work for me.
1. Stand up and walk away from the computer.

By simply standing up and walking away from my computer, prevents me from spending wasted hours of valuable creating time. What do I do when I walk away you ask? Not chores or errands! Don’t get lost in that procrastination method! No. I walk outside, or a balcony if you have it, or across the living room floor. Doesn’t matter. Just get yourself away from the computer.
Sometimes, this is enough for me, sometimes it’s not even close. When it’s a “not even close” moment, I use one of my many meditation apps I have on my phone. I kid you not, these work! There are seven minute meditations that are geared specifically for motivation. “Take a Break” is a good one, they have a mediation called “Work Break” that’s seven minutes long. It gets me energized and ready to get back into work mode. “ThinkUp” is good also. This is an app where you record your own voice. It seems cheesy, but it actually helps hearing my own voice telling me to stay motivated.
2. Read for an hour.

For me, it helps if I read a book similar in genre and feel to the one I’m writing. So if I’m working on one of my Teen/Paranormal books, I’ll read something in that genre. It helps me get into that frame of mind and usually inspires me to jump out of my chair and get going again.
3. Get up and exercise.

But, I swear, it really does work. I have an elliptical and I’ve come up with some of my best ideas while running on that thing. Yoga is an excellent form of exercise as well and like meditation it can clear your mind to help you focus better on your writing.
You’ll not only feel physically better, but mentally as well. And hey, if you’re not going to write, you might as well do something that improves your life, even if it’s small.
Now, sometimes ruts overtake your day and you end up writing nothing. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Like I said earlier, I do that way too much and I have the tummy problems to prove it, but I’m trying every day to eliminate self-punishment from my life! So when I’m in a rut these three things work wonders for me!
Published on May 28, 2017 10:57
May 26, 2017
My top 3 book listing sites
There are hundreds of book listing sites out there, and I’ve tried a couple dozen of them, but these are the three that generated the most bang for my buck.
For those of you who don’t know what a book listing site is: it’s a service that will send out an email to all their book subscribers telling them about your free book day. If you’re signed up with KDP then making your book free for a day is really easy. Every ninety days, KDP gives you five days of your choice to make your book free. I usually sign up with the book listing site first since a lot of their days are sold out. That way, once the listing site gives me the date I can then go onto KDP and schedule the free day.
All three of the book listing sites I like the most are paid sites though. There are dozens of sites that will list your book for free, but I’ve never had much luck with those. Too good to be true in my case, but I do know authors that have had great experiences with some of them, so it’s worth a shot!
With that being said, here’s my list:
1. BookBub.
https://www.bookbub.com/home/
This site gave me the best numbers by far. I’ve listed five of my books with them and each time I reached 20,000 to 30,000 downloads on the first day! Their downside is that they’re expensive and very picky about which books they choose. Don’t be discouraged by the ‘being picky’ part though. I submitted my books every month per their requirements and eventually they were picked. Sometimes, they have too many books of your same genre in a given month, so just keep submitting!
As for expenses, I always make my money back and then some. Using them is great for exposure, but it can make you a few bucks as well.
Plus, with BookBub, it’s a great feeling watching your book climb the charts on Amazon. Being in the top ten of the entire book store is pretty awesome :-)
2. FreeBooksy.
https://www.freebooksy.com/email-signup/
I didn’t get the same numbers as BookBub, but FreeBooksy also isn’t as picky or expensive either. My average download count was about 1,000 to 2,000. So far less than BookBub, but still decent numbers.
3. BookGorilla.
http://bookgorilla.com/
And lastly, BookGorilla. They’re the least expensive of the three, but also the lowest number of downloads. The reason why they’re number three for me is because even with the lower numbers, it was still better than any other listing site I’ve used. My average was about 500 to 1,000 downloads.
I would love to know about any of your experiences with listing sites! If you have any suggestions, I’m always up for trying a new site! Just comment below and let me know! Thanks!
For those of you who don’t know what a book listing site is: it’s a service that will send out an email to all their book subscribers telling them about your free book day. If you’re signed up with KDP then making your book free for a day is really easy. Every ninety days, KDP gives you five days of your choice to make your book free. I usually sign up with the book listing site first since a lot of their days are sold out. That way, once the listing site gives me the date I can then go onto KDP and schedule the free day.
All three of the book listing sites I like the most are paid sites though. There are dozens of sites that will list your book for free, but I’ve never had much luck with those. Too good to be true in my case, but I do know authors that have had great experiences with some of them, so it’s worth a shot!
With that being said, here’s my list:
1. BookBub.
https://www.bookbub.com/home/
This site gave me the best numbers by far. I’ve listed five of my books with them and each time I reached 20,000 to 30,000 downloads on the first day! Their downside is that they’re expensive and very picky about which books they choose. Don’t be discouraged by the ‘being picky’ part though. I submitted my books every month per their requirements and eventually they were picked. Sometimes, they have too many books of your same genre in a given month, so just keep submitting!
As for expenses, I always make my money back and then some. Using them is great for exposure, but it can make you a few bucks as well.
Plus, with BookBub, it’s a great feeling watching your book climb the charts on Amazon. Being in the top ten of the entire book store is pretty awesome :-)
2. FreeBooksy.
https://www.freebooksy.com/email-signup/
I didn’t get the same numbers as BookBub, but FreeBooksy also isn’t as picky or expensive either. My average download count was about 1,000 to 2,000. So far less than BookBub, but still decent numbers.
3. BookGorilla.
http://bookgorilla.com/
And lastly, BookGorilla. They’re the least expensive of the three, but also the lowest number of downloads. The reason why they’re number three for me is because even with the lower numbers, it was still better than any other listing site I’ve used. My average was about 500 to 1,000 downloads.
I would love to know about any of your experiences with listing sites! If you have any suggestions, I’m always up for trying a new site! Just comment below and let me know! Thanks!
Published on May 26, 2017 18:05
May 21, 2017
finding inspiration in sewing!

Sewing is how I keep my inspiration going, whether it’s clothing or making one of my bags, it’s nice having something tangible that I’ve created. With books, even when you’re finished with the first draft, you’re still far from finished, but with sewing I can design and create something in less than a day.
My recent obsession has been making my dragon bags, probably because there seems to be an array of crocodile patterned vinyl in fabric stores and in the Los Angeles fabric district as of late. I pretty much have a different dragon bag for each day of the week at this point lol!

In the meantime, I’m creating to give myself the inspiration I need to finish my final Riser/Atlas book mash-up! Surrounding myself with all my magical creature bags helps me keep my focus and inspires me to keep writing!
Published on May 21, 2017 11:23