Nicole Helm's Blog, page 15
May 21, 2012
5 Things
I’m a little bit of an oddball sometimes. My likes and dislikes don’t fit in with the mainstream quite often. More often than not I find my twitter feed full of things I am not on board with. Here’s a list.
1. I have never gone to Starbucks. (I am not opposed, just don’t like coffee so have never had a reason to go).
2. I do not find Robert Downy Jr. attractive or charming.
3. Harry Potter does not interest me.
4. I fell asleep the first time I tried to watch Star Wars (and not because I was tired).
5. I didn’t like Steven King’s On Writing.
Am I alone in any of these things?
Filed under: life
May 18, 2012
What I’m Reading
I haven’t had the best week, and instead of letting myself whine about it (too much) I forced myself to read whenever I was feeling whiny. Which means I read 2 books in 2 days. Reading is one of those things I can do while I’m feeding the baby, so unlike writing, I’m getting a lot of it done.
This week I saw Nora Roberts’ Mackade books were on sale. I used to have a copy of The Fall of Shane Mackade, but I lent it to a friend who never gave it back. (Ah, the beauty of ebooks). I remember liking his story, partially because he’s a farmer, partially because while I don’t like ghosts as a rule, the way Nora combines them with history almost always works for me. So, bought the ebook and read it in a day. It’s still good, though maybe not *quite* as good as I remember.
Then, I downloaded The Bro Magnet because it was free on Amazon and I’d heard quite a bit about it. I do not like first person point of view. I’ve tried, but I just don’t ever make it past the first chapter. I read this whole book… in one day. It’s funny, very odd, but a unique different read. There were some points I didn’t like, but overall it was an interesting read.
Filed under: Friday Reads
May 16, 2012
Wednesday What I’m Up To
I’ve been redoing my Pinterest inspiration board a little bit because I should be hearing back on two subs soon. Both subs will require writing if they are accepted/requested, so I’ve had a hard time jumping into one project. Instead, I’m fiddling with this that and the other.
They always say the best cure for waiting is to be writing, and I tried that for a while, but I have so many little projects here and there, I just haven’t been able to focus on one thing. Especially knowing an acceptance will immediately change my course.
Over the past four months I’ve been on submission (should be hearing back this week, of course I’ve been saying that for weeks now) I’ve worked the four different projects.
1. If you read All’s Fair you’re probably not surprised to hear I have plans for Doug’s sisters. In fact, I’ve already written Georgia’s story a few times (originally her story came before Doug’s, but I scrapped that idea). In the end though, I just didn’t have e grasp on the conflict I wanted, and as it was set away from the Kapshaw farm, it just didn’t have what I wanted. I decided to put her aside until I know how to bring her story to Iowa.
2. I then started working on what I hope will be a single title series. I actually really like it, but it’s been hard to concentrate on with other things demanding my attention and a conflict that keeps getting neutered too soon.
3. Harlequin Romance had a Fastrack in April and I had a good idea, so I worked on a chapter for a possible story idea and sent it off.
4. The sub I’ve had out for a few months is the first in a series, so off and on I’ve been poking at the second story, trying to make sure I’ve got the motivation and conflict right.
I don’t like splitting my focus like this because, as you can see, nothing really gets finished.
Once I hear back on my main submission, I’ll be able to pick one direction to focus on.
Filed under: writing
May 14, 2012
Links Galore
Here’s a roundup of where you can find my books, what people are saying about my book, and a few little extras.
Reviews
Extras
Kindlegraph, where I can virtually sign your ebook.
Where to Buy
The Wild Rose Press
Filed under: All's Fair in Love and Politics, publishing, The Wild Rose Press
May 9, 2012
How To Buy My Book
I know that some friends and family members who want to buy my book may not be familiar with the different ways to read an ebook. You don’t need a dedicated ereader to do it! Hopefully this post will give you an idea of how to buy my book and the different places you can buy it and different ways you can read it.
If you have an ereader (Kindle, Nook, etc): If you have a dedicated ereader, you probably already know how to buy & read ebooks. As of Wednesday evening, the book is up on Amazon, but not on BN. I’ll update my Facebookauthor page with a link once it’s up on BN.
(Special Note: If you have a Kindle, I will be able to virtually autograph your book soon! I just have to set up a few things.)
If you have a smart phone/tablet: Most smart phones have a Kindle or Nook app that you can download. You do not have to have Kindle or Nook to read the book, you just have to open an account with Amazon or Barnes & Noble if you don’t already have one. The app should take you through the steps of how to buy & read any ebook.
If you have an i-thing: You likely have an iBooks app already on it. It’s not available through iBooks yet, but I’ll update Facebook when it is.
If you have a computer: Even if you don’t have an ereader or smart phone, you can go to this site and buy the .pdf version of my book and you can read it on your computer. Almost all computers have some program that can read a .pdf file.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Filed under: publishing
Happy Release Day!
It’s finally here! All’s Fair in Love & Politics has released! You can buy it at The Wild Rose Press or Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
Cover, blurb, and excerpt here.
I thought I’d share some of the things that inspired me during writing & editing the book.
Here’s my Kapshaw Pinterest board. It includes pictures of what the characters kind of look like, the inspiration of the different places, and even a song I listened to while writing.
Fun Facts: In All’s Fair you meet Doug’s parents, Gabe and Laney. They are the hero & heroine of the first book I ever wrote and finished. It’s a manuscript that will never see the light of day! (it’s that bad).
I do have stories planned for the rest of the Kapshaw siblings, but they’re on hold right now while I work on some other projects.
Lilac Grove was the first fictional town I created back in middle school when I was writing historicals. I totally thought Grove was spelled Groove until some kind soul on writing.com pointed out my mistake. Lilac Groove would be a totally different kind of town.
I hope if anything here piques your interest you’ll consider buying All’s Fair and leaving a review somewhere!
Filed under: All's Fair in Love and Politics, publishing, romance
