Joey Paul's Blog, page 238

Finding An Editor [CC]

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The Trials Of An Indie Author - Juggling Writing & Admin

JUGGLING WRITING & ADMIN

It's been a while since I wrote on this topic, and I thought that for today's Monday post I would touch on juggling both writing and admin work. For a long time now I've been using the Sticky Notes function of windows and have been plotting out my days that way so that I have one thing that needs doing every day. It includes things like book writing, admin work, booktube videos and all the rest. Some days I have a bunch to do and others I leave empty in case I overrun another day.

It really has helped me in getting both organised and juggling the work and the admin duties of being an indie author. I've spoken before about wearing several different hats because of being indie, a piece you can find here, but it's only really been since I got organised that I realised just how much of my time is spent working.

The way I do things now is to stick to the plan. On days when the writing portion of my workday has been easier then I try and get some admin duties done. On days when I have events or other promotional stuff going on, I'll lean off the writing and focus solely on that side of my job. I can easily record a booktube video and edit it, but then on the day it's uploaded, I need to allot a period of time to add the captions before it's published. I balance the two roles pretty well in my opinion, but it can have an effect on how much writing I get done and being that the writing is the best part for me, it can be hard to motivate myself to getting the admin side done at all.

Like today, I was supposed to have a completely admin day, but it didn't work out like that. I wasn't one hundred percent yesterday so I only managed to write two pages of the chapter that was yesterday's work. Today was supposed to be a green day (I colour code, who'd have thought?!) which basically means anything that needs doing that isn't writing has to get done. I have some guest blogs that need putting up ready for when they get posted and I need to chase up a few emails and answer interview questions.

Except now it's a purple day too, so I need to find the time to do a video (done), write a blog piece (doing) and answer some interview questions and chase the emails and then I still need to find time to write those pages. It's gonna be a busy day! The plus side of it is it's not a whole chapter, and I'm pretty sure how it's going to go. My only reason for not doing it yesterday was that my pain levels were creeping up after an earlier start than planned.

People often say they wish they were as organised as I am. It's something that I've always found helpful. If I know what I'm supposed to be doing then I know when I'm done, right? It makes sense to me to work out how to juggle by making lists and a rainbow timetable because then I don't have any horrible surprises or missed deadlines. I'd put it down to being a spoonie, but to be honest I was like this before I really got sick so I think it's just part of who I am.

In the end, I find it easier to work to a list, and in keeping it nice and organised, things don't get missed and the end of the day isn't a rushed hell hole, but of course, your mileage may vary.

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Interview with Devorah Fox and Review.

I am happy to welcome Devorah Fox to my blog today for an interview. Devorah writes thrillers and fantasy books, and I'm pleased to say that I'll be including a review in this post. With any further ado, let's get down to the interview.

What kind of books do you read for pleasure?
These days I don’t choose my pleasure reading. I know so many authors and I try to respond to their need for a beta reader or someone to read their book and review it. I also belong to two book clubs and I try to keep up with the monthly selections.
What kind of writer are you: plan or not?I do start with something of a plan. I have an idea of who is going to be in the story and where it’s going. However, at some point the characters take over. Like actors in a stage play, they toss the script aside and make up their own lines. It’s all I can do to try to keep up. Some of my favorite characters began as scene-stealers.
What book/character of yours is your favourite?I like Detour’s Archie Harlanson because he was modeled after my late husband. However, I continue to be intrigued by King Bewilliam, the lead character in my literary fantasy series, The Bewildering Adventures of King Bewilliam, and by Will Mansion, the Zen Detective. Even though their stories are in different genres and set in different times and places, both King Bewilliam and Will Mansion chronicle the struggles of someone driven by circumstances to set out on an entirely new life path.
Do you prefer to type or hand write?Increasingly, I prefer longhand which is very strange because my penmanship is awful. However I recently read about a study that showed cursive fosters good left and right brain connections better than printing or keyboarding. 
Do you have a writing playlist? Or do you prefer silence?I listen to music all day long, a Pandora station of jazz fusion instrumentals. However I do make playlists for my novels and share those on social media. I like to think that they help to convey the tone of the books.
Do you have any hobbies?Sometimes I paint. Our local art center sponsors Whine, Wine, and Design workshops. We socialize, eat snacks, sip BYOBeverages, and get step-by-step instruction from an acrylics artist. I’ve made six paintings. I’m running out of wall space to display my creations.
Would you ever like to branch out to a different genre?Actually, I did. After finishing “The Redoubt,” Book Four in The Bewildering Adventures of King Bewilliam literary fantasy series, I took up writing thrillers and mysteries: “Detour,” “The Zen Detective,” and the Mystery Minis “Murder by the Book” and “One Bad Apple.” They’ve been as well received as the fantasies.
What does your writing space look like?It’s the messiest spot in the house. Stacks of folders and paper-clipped pages, PostIt notes stuck everywhere, pens of all kinds within easy reach. There’s hardly room for the little dragon figurines and the gargoyle.
It's February, 1993, and trucker Archie “Super Man” Harlanson is traveling to New York's Hudson Valley with misgivings. He's eager to see his girlfriend Debbie, but her elitist parents? Not so much. When he ends up at the family home, he figures the hardest part will be surviving the onslaught of relatives arriving to celebrate the birth of Debbie's nephew. That is until the US President announces his plans to hold a campaign event nearby and the town is caught up in the media frenzy. When Archie stumbles on a deadly plot against the nation's leader he finds himself butting heads with skeptical local law enforcement, the FBI, and the White House security team, and dodging the would-be assassins who now have him in their sights, all while trying to keep his head down in a household crazy with new-baby fever.Amazon
My Review: 5 stars
I've not read anything from this author before but was happy to pick up a copy and see what she was like, and I was not disappointed! The book starts pretty clearly with Archie reviewing a new truck for a magazine. He sees himself as something of a wannabe journalist and his hope is this review will lead to big things. His motto is: If there's a road to it, I'll find it. A motto that comes in handy throughout the story. It starts a little slow, but soon picks up when Archie spots a few things that strike him as off. Intertwined with the thriller aspect, there's the love story between Archie and Debbie - will he ask? I found the book enthralling and loved it. It was well-written, the scene set beautifully and told in a way that had me turning the pages. Great read and highly recommended!
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Be sure to check out the blog every Friday for a new interview and review from other authors.

Final Tally for #JoWriMoGo January 2017

I managed 100 pages, 55,351 words and 24 chapters in the first month of 2017! New record and very happy with myself!

The Trials Of A Crime Writer - Seeing Crime Everywhere

SEEING CRIME EVERYWHERE

One of the things that you pick up on when you write about crime all day is that it is everywhere! I don't just mean in your work or your plots, but all around you and always ongoing. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish whether you're just seeing crime because of your day job, or whether there actually is crime rampant around your daily life.

I say this because as someone who has been writing crime for over fifteen years, I've started to see that I see it all. the. time! I mean, I look out my office window and I see someone walking past my car and I think: Are they about to break in? Are they on the run? Do they have a body in their backpack? Okay the last is unlikely but maybe they have a head in there, those backpacks can be roomy!

I don't do anything about it of course, because that would be ridiculous! It still plays in my mind though. There's been a new school opened up down the road from us and so there's a lot of foot traffic from students. Now, as you all know, I've a pro-nap author and occasionally I'll find myself napping just as they're headed home for the day and guess what? That crime author brain pings up again.

Is there a bomb scare? Is that what all the noise is about? It can't be home time already? Are they skipping school? Oh, what if they're off to...and usually at that point my brain remembers the school and the foot traffic and I'm able to drift off and dream of fighting some monster while writing a book. (I never said my dreams were normal!)

My point is that it can't be natural to see crime everywhere, and it's probably not, but at the same time it's a side effect of having been doing what I do for so long. I do the same when I'm people watching and thinking up characters. Sometimes it so happens that a random person walking by my office window becomes a character or at least their body type and face does, in my latest work in progress. It all depends on where I am and whether or not I'm thinking characters or crime.

It does feel like my brain only has a few switches. If I'm not writing, then I'm doing admin work, reading or sleeping, or all four, though I'm not sure how I manage that. But seeing crime everywhere feels to me as a natural side effect of writing crime day in and day out. I'm sure police officers and the like have the same problem, though for them it's hard work and a clever eye to spot the ones that aren't as innocent as they seem.

So what's my advice to you? If you're a crime writer and you find yourself plotting nefarious activities onto some passer-by, maybe take a step back and get writing on your novel. At least then you can use some of the inspiration to move your work forward (or plot a whole new book) but for this crime writer, I'm happy to people watch and keep my nefarious plotting to myself!

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Starting A Series [CC]

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Interview with Author Lucinda E Clarke & Review.

I want to welcome Lucinda E Clake to my blog today for an interview and a review. Lucinda writes both comedy and action\adventure books. I've read all of her books and have included a review for the latest in the Amie series below. Now onto the interview.

What made you want to be a writer? Pure escapism as I was a very unhappy, abused child. I read dozens of books and was once thrown out of our local library for taking too many books, they didn't believe I had read them all.
 What kind of books do you read for pleasure? Adventure (the kind I write), historical novels, spy books and crime.
What kind of writer are you: plan or not? A vague storyline in my head and then the characters take over.
How does your average writing time go? In theory I try to write at least 2,000 words a day and then the dreaded marketing. In fact it doesn't always work out that way. But I'm on the laptop 24/7, which makes sleeping quite uncomfortable.
What book/character of yours is your favourite?  I have to say Amie as I created her, but now she has taken over and tells me what to write. I have no control over her whatsoever.
If you had the chance to write anywhere, where would you choose?On the rear deck of my mega yacht, in complete silence under the blazing sun of the Caribbean.
Do you prefer to type or hand write?On the laptop always, if I tried pen and paper there would be too many scratchings out! Though when I first started writing for a living it was - wait for it - on a typewriter (the letter 'n' was missing, so those had to go in by hand).
Do you have a writing playlist? Or do you prefer silence? Silence, though I don't mind a few birds chirping in the trees outside.
Amie returns to her beloved Africa and a settled life, but her enemies have neither forgiven nor forgotten her. They are determined to take their revenge and reclaim their honour. The events of one night change everything, leaving her with no home, no friends and no name; no future. Suddenly she no longer exists and those controlling her make it clear; she either obeys or she dies.Amazon 
My review: 5 stars. I have read all of this authors books, and loved the first two in this series. When I discovered that there had been a third released I was happy to grab it and see what came next in Amie's story of Africa. The book delivers on its promise of being beautifully written and a story that has many twists and turns, allowing you to jump from one page to next desperate to find out who is who they say they are and who is after one thing only: Amie's silence. Fast paced and filled to the brim of excellent story telling, this is a book I could not get enough of and a story that is so wonderfully told. Highly recommended to all who love a good action packed book with added adventure!
Be sure to subscribe to the blog as Joey will have a guest interview every Friday and a writing piece every Monday.

Genre Woes [CC]

Life Of Joey - January 2017 [CC]

Dealing With Self-Doubt [CC]