Janice Siew's Blog, page 4

Boastful Brian ARC

Yay! Boastful Brian ARC link is finally up!

It will be published on 9 Jan!

I have been trying to use KDP to publish both of my books. But somehow I am unable to do it for paperback for Boastful Brian. After a day of researching online, I found that I should select premium color instead of standard color! As I happily upload my PDF, there is another issue hindering my progress. Seems that the launch previewed is finding error with my nice pdf! Can't understand why the illustrations are in a mess when they are uploaded. While my ebook is fine because I used Kindle Create to generate kpf and uploaded successfully, I can't seem to do it for paperback.

What I did was to use publish drive to create my paperback. Then again, I came across problems. Something with the cover width being not at the optimal width. Sigh. Thankfully I sorted it out with the app GIMP. Finally! I am able to hit the publish button! Now waiting for the team to review it and published them!

As for kdp, I should just use it for ebook. Will update again when the publish is live!

To read and review Boastful Brian, here's the link: https://booksirens.com/book/H4FV332/F8LEPTN

The Amazon link is https://www.amazon.com/Boastful-Brian-Strength-Humility-Alphabet-ebook/dp/B0CRK3SD5W

Thanks for your support!

My Dream

You know you read a good book or an article or some posts out there that allow thinking before you drift off to sleep.

I did scroll through some posts on Facebook and Instagram last night before I left for lalaland. Before that, my brain was active for a while thinking about the things that I had just read.

And then I dream about this selfless man. He had a companion by his side. This companion was kinda fuzzy because I'm not sure if he was a boy or a man. They change during the dream.

They were running away from something. I couldn't remember exactly what. This companion was somehow fatally injured in the process. The villagers saw this and were coming to save the companion.

The selfless man might be his friend or his grandpa, who must have thought that his companion's life was precious. To save him, he gave him his blood. The villagers saw this and they all shouted 'No!'

This is where my dream ended. Like a final ending to that selfless man.

I know that some of the authors may have said that these dreams of writing a story may have been brought to them by God. To each his own, I choose to think that our brain works actively before we sleep. This is why we could dream vividly, or even remember them after we wake up.

But this dream does bring a storyline. I may need to write it down somewhere so I may make it into a story next time.

Packing for a staycation

I just finished packing for a 3-day 2-night staycation over at a hotel in the town area. It is a tradition that my family started to do since 3 years ago. Jaime's birthday is tomorrow and that Christmas is 3 days away!

Packing is always a chore and I would rather read a novel or do a book review.

Why is it that mothers are always packing for the family? Luckily for me, I leave it to my husband to do his packing.

Although it is 2 days, I seem to have endless packing to do. It is much better now that my kids are older. I used to have to cater spaces for diapers, milk bottles and whatnot. Now I have less stuff to pack. If it is for over a week, I would need a bigger suitcase.

Let me share my packing list. Well, you are welcome to copy them down.

I always have the list stored in my notes, because I will always have to pack. =(

Only mums will get it. =')

We are going with my mum and my brother. So I am sure my mother will pack extra snacks for the kids. I kinda stop packing snacks for them if my mum is around.

Jasper

Full cream Milk (3 pkts) 1 pyjama set 2 sets of clothes 1 jacket 1 Towel and 1 hand towel Water bottle

Jaime

Full cream Milk (3 pkts) 1 pyjama set 2 sets of clothes 1 jacket 1 Towel and 1 hand towel Water bottle

 

Kids essentials

2 toothbrushes, toothpaste Kids' bath cream and shampoo, Jaime's comb (Crap I forgot!) First aid kit: Mopiko (Insect relief cream), lotion, 3 fever patches, ru-yi-you (for tummyache), Vicks, suntan lotion, Mosquito patches, thermometer (portable-sized), Medicine for fever, cough and flu. Jasper’s inhaler (He has had some sensitivity issues since he was 1 year old) Portable water boiler (I did not bring this because hotels in SG do provide bottled water) 2 sets of kids' cutlery (Not needed anymore. They are old enough.) Potty (They are old enough to just use an adult toilet) Hand sanitiser + wet wipes + dry tissues (I think it's inside my bag somewhere) Extra slippers (Not going to bring) Swim sets + 2 disposable towels (It's a rainy season, but I will still pack it) Biscuits + cake + fruits (Not going to bring)

 

Parents (each. I refuse to make a lengthier note.)

Water bottle First aid kit: Nasal spray, Panadol for flu, Cough drops, Medicine for flu and cough, (For adults. It's cold. We might die.) 2 sets of clothes 1 set of pyjamas 1 jacket Charger for Phone and earphones Travel kit: shaver, shaver cream, facial wash, comb, lotion, toothbrush sets Makeup and sanitary kits Extra slippers (Not going to bring) Passports (We are not going overseas)

I have separate lists for 4D3N and 8D7N. I'm gonna need this for next year's trips. Oh yes! So excited! ='(

Considerate Charlie

Since I am in the ending phases of 'Boastful Brian', I am starting on my next book, 'Considerate Charlie'.

In my Alphabet Series of Animals, there are animals that you don't hear very often in children's books. They are not widely used. I believe these animals are not seen in zoos so they can be hard to teach to children.

Of course, my series do have your familiar animals like bear, hippo, sheep, goat and zebra. This is because the animals, starting with their alphabets, are easier to find in a classroom setting. Likewise, I am not using a whale or a seal or any sea animal because they cannot be in a classroom!

A sneak reveal of Considerate Charlie is that Charlie is a chipmunk!

Although chipmunks can be fast, I can put them in a classroom! LOL!

I do hope that this animal series can attract kids and parents to what might be different from the rest of the picture books.

I am editing Considerate Charlie to make it more readable and fun for kids. I am also following some of the feedback that I had for Ailing Abby and Boastful Brian, which I do hope to invite more parents to get for their children!

You are invited to beta-read Considerate Charlie after I have put it up for beta-reading. For now, I am focusing on getting more ARC readers for Boastful Brian, when my book is done! Be sure to check in with my Facebook, Instagram or even this website for more updates!

Why we are not book fans anymore

I suddenly had this thought in my head. Why are there so many people reading in the US and UK and probably other countries in the world, but why are there not many reading in Singapore?

If you are in or have been to Singapore, you may have noticed that the train/bus commuters are always on their mobiles. Not many people are reading on the trains and the buses. If you are asking me, I'd say, 'Because I don't want to stop reading when I reach my stop!'

When I was younger, I would read a book while on the train riding from the east side back to home on the west side. It would take us more than half an hour, and roughly an hour, to commute from the east to the west. During my time, there was not much trend using the mobile. I could then take my time to read. And then probably miss a stop.

If you ask me now, I am using a car to commute. And I do not read in a car because I will get a headache. I do not even use my phone in the car. Is it because I am older now? Anyway, even if I were to commute longer in a train/bus now, I would not read. I would fiddle with my phone.

As technology grows with time, people's habits change. We would get more or better things to do when there was no handphone, tablets or laptops around. Kids would go to the playground, or the swimming pools, or just hang around talking with each other. We would play board games at home!

I still do not understand our culture of reading. Is the trend fading? Or would we rather play games on our mobiles? There is just no reading culture in Singapore now. I know that I would buy a few books in bookstores last time, but ever since I started working, there is no more urge to buy new books.

Maybe the cost of the books has stopped me. Maybe because I am so tired, I do not to be doing anything else.

My mum has been clearing out our bookshelves and stuff at her home. I was looking through my old books and felt like reading them. Then I thought that wouldn't be a good idea. One, my hands are sensitive towards yellow books. Two, once I started to read, I would finish it within a week. And I will not be doing anything else, other than reading. I would delay eating, showering and sleeping. These days, I cannot afford to be delaying anything. Not as a mum. Sigh. Oh! But I have time to write! *Hahahaha*

Boastful Brian

I am so elated to say that we are starting on our illustration of Boastful Brian since last week! I adore Tanja's design!

She is also fast to deliver! In a week, she has finished her sketches!

Hopefully, we can publish the book next year Jan/Feb 2024.

Some sneak previews:

But the real works start after publishing. *Sour smiles*

It has been a tedious road to marketing my first book. I believe if 2-3 of my other books in the series are out there, more people will take note of my books and me as an author.

I am disheartened by the low sales of Ailing Abby. But I think positively. Other authors had also had the same road that I am doing now before they became well-known. So, why give up now? Besides, I still have 25 more books to publish.

Lately, I found that some authors have used Kickstarter to fund their book campaigns. So I wonder how it works, and if I can succeed too. I saw one Kickstarter.sg, but few are doing publishing campaigns. And most of them have amazing stories to start their campaigns, while I have none. I guess this road is not easy either.

I am adamant about publishing my series, even if others were to tell me to stop. I wanted people to know about these cute stories, to find them educational, and to guide them to teach the children. And I do feel that they are worth publishing. Maybe I just need to make them more kid-entertaining and attractive. Time to get more beta readers and editors!

For now, even if I am on a budget, I will do my best to publish. Even if it means publishing only this 'An Alphabet Series of Animals'. Budget-wise, I will just have to find some ways to get the funds from. Kickstarter is one way. Or, get a job. Haha.

Mental health

I watched some disturbing videos yesterday on weird antics that people make. Whether it is noises they create late at night or the behaviour of some that neighbours cannot accept.

I called them disturbing videos because instead of complaining on social media, a common occurrence in Singapore, they can bring the problems to the town councils or the neighbourhood police.

What is mental health?

I quote this from the World Health Organization,

"Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community... Mental health is a basic human right. And it is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development."

Sounds about right. Probably the man or woman in question has a mental unsound issue that should raise awareness to the public. But instead of dealing with the issue at hand with authority, the people who took the videos are violating human rights.

If you are not familiar with Singapore, Singapore has high-rise residential blocks because this is to accommodate millions of people in our little country. 80% of Singaporeans, I took these stats from other videos, are living in HDBs (Housing Development Block).

And with so many people living in one neighbourhood, there are bound to be unacceptable antics or noises in the area. I am one of the sufferers so I can empathise.

This is the reason why there are neighbourhood police, to enforce law and order. As I mentioned earlier, instead of going to the authorities, it is not a solution to posting such videos on the media. Maybe it does help with your views. But I hope someone can help them solve these problems.

Just venting.

Back to social media. =|

Being a children's writer and a mom

My kids are giving me toddler's problem: Not listening + whining.

For your information, they are going to be 3 and 5 years old.

Lately, Jasper has been bullying Jaime. Maybe it is out of pure fun. And Jaime has been whining so much that none of us can take it. This whining includes Jasper's bullying: "Gorgor (Older brother in Mandarin) takes my toy! Gorgor takes my blanket! Mummy, gorgor.. gorgor.." She whines so much that I raise my voice at them, well, most of the time.

So much for being a children's writer, and writing educational books. My next book is about Mischievous Marley, and I got that 'inspiration' from Jasper. He is the Marley.

But I stop halfway, with no idea how to carry on, given that I have no idea how to educate. I need to research more about parenting. This is giving me a headache.

I wonder how other children's writers succeed in writing an educational book. Doing research and interviews? Which gives me another idea to do interviews. Hmm, maybe for next time.

I realised I am spending a lot of time and money on these children's books. And being sick now makes me unable to spend time with my children, or reading for them at least.

Have been reading to them before bedtime now that Jasper has taken a reading interest, and Jaime just wants to follow. I would get my husband to read to them, or Jasper to read to Jaime, or read by himself. Hopefully, this establishes a bedtime routine, because they are refusing sleep. =(

Refusing sleep is one thing, the other thing is wanting to sleep with us. As long as they are separate, they can fall asleep quite fast. If not, it is just chaos. This helps with my cough. *sarcasm* I cough more when I have to scold them. My husband can't help because they don't want to sleep with him. Me and the kids are in the master room, while my husband sleeps in the kids' room. This happened because I was so frustrated with them that I went back to my room to sleep, and obviously, they followed. And from that day on, the master room became my (and the kids) room.

And with them, I fell asleep fast but woke up again in the middle of the night. I cannot sleep for 2 hours. So I might as well check my email and social media. Luckily their grandmas come to help in the morning to send them to school. Or I will be too sleepy in the morning. I am grateful for my mums so that I can focus on my work.

Well, see you next time...

Random thoughts: Book Reviews

I have read ARC books, that were published recently. They are awesome books!

Here is my link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/170956460

I just joined Goodreads. So I have yet to read a lot. I used to read, but my interest waned. Probably I thought that they were expensive. Although I thought of writing in the past, I didn't think much about it.

Although you think that I only write children's books. But writing books for young kids could mean a lot more thinking. You have to think about what kind of children's book you wish to write.

For which age am I writing? Is it supposed to be fun? Is it educational? Is it non-fictional? What kind of illustrations do I want to captivate readers? Do I want to include rhymes? Do I sound fun or boring? Will the children like it? How will they like it? What kind of words should I use? Are they supposed to be hard for older kids? Or should they be simplified for younger kids? Or is it mixed so that younger kids can learn harder words?

Then I read one middle-grade age book. It was such a nice chapter. And of course, I am waiting for the author to update with more chapters. Then I thought that maybe writing for older kids sounds good too. Only that I do not have an extensive vocabulary. And because of that, I thought that writing children's books would be easier 'cos they don't require fanciful words.

Being a writer means that you have to read more, to gain more insides into the world of authors, illustrators, editors and publishers. Well, the writing world.

I will read more books, or ARC Books, for that matter. And since I have a limited vocabulary and I do not read enough, I can only do ARC reviews. Not beta reading reviews.

Since I have beta readers reading my 2nd book, I feel that beta readers are important but they are hard to be. You have to know what kind of story/plot you are reading to give opinions and improvements.

I am trying to edit my manuscript for my 2nd book because I do agree that improvements are needed. Until then, I will get my illustrator to do the first sketch.

Can't wait to publish my 2nd book!

Beta Reading

Have created a beta reader account to gather some beta readers.

Beta reading is for authors who have yet to publish their books. To get honest feedback and opinions of their stories, I know that beta reading is essential for authors.

I just didn't know that is called beta reading until I came across an article about self-publishing.

I had published my first book before I had a beta reading done. The article I came across was after I had published my book. Well, I still hope it works to gain some insights and reviews about the book.

Here is a link that I have for beta reading:

https://app.betareader.io/signup?invi...

Do help me to beta read 'Ailing Abby' and 'Boastful Brian'!

I would appreciate it if you decided to give some feedback about these books!

Through betareader.io, I got to learn of one reader who likes my story. I am so thankful towards her.

I hope I do get more reviews about Ailing Abby!

Whenever I googled Ailing Abby, I saw it listed in a few book sites. But of course, those sites are my published-to sites. But those sites have no review yet. I am just wondering if my books are doing well.

Because of all the promotion and marketing I have spent, I have yet to start on my latest book in the series. I have written until 'M'. That is when my head got stuck! I hope to write again soon.