Heather Sunseri's Blog, page 25

How Did I Know the Timing Was Right to Leave the Day Job?

Photo credit: jwombles - Creative Commons - Flickr

Since announcing that I was changing careers from CPA to a full-time Authorpreneur, many people have congratulated me and wished me well. But many have asked difficult questions, too, like, “How did you know the timing was right?”

Here’s the thing (and this is not the advice part of the blog): I did not and do not know if the timing is/was right for me to leave the comforts of a 29th floor, spacious office with a view of the city and, more impo...

Mindsurge: Who Wants a Sneak Peek into Chapter One?

HEY, MIND READERS!!!! Here’s what I’m thinking…

I know we’re getting super excited to see what happens next in Lexi’s, Jack’s, and Jonas’s lives. I’m also working very hard on the back cover blurb in order to tell you guys what MINDSURGE is even about.

Mindsurge is due out in October. I’m pretty much thinking October 1 (YAYAYAYAYAYAY). Preorder buttons will be up on Amazon and iTunes very soon! What if I send you a little something-something in the form of Chapter 1 early next week?

Yep, that’s...

You Can Quit the Day Job to Write Full-Time. I Am Proof.

Isn’t this the most depressing site? I’ve lived it. I know.

A few months ago, Passive Guy posted “Indie Authors Quitting Their Day Jobs” on his blog asking for anecdotal evidence to what Hugh Howey and Data Guy claim to be true in their Author Earnings reports: More and more Indie authors are quitting their day jobs to write full-time every day. The response to the post was incredible. The comments are filled with stories of authors who are earning enough to quit their day jobs or are planning...

MINDSURGE: Cover Reveal

Coming this October!!!

Be sure to add Mindsurge to your To Read list on Goodreads.

Letting Go of Your Manuscript Is Hard

I sent my manuscript off to my editor and two trusted readers yesterday. And instead of celebrating that I had reached amilestone in my process, I worried ALL DAY LONG.

Letting go is difficult. When I’m still in control of who sees my words and who reads Lexi’s final chapter, I’m singularly focused on the approaching deadline. But when I push send on that email that will carry my words to my next set of readers, I tend to retreat into myself.

Self-doubt starts to creep in. What if I didn’t do t...

MINDSURGE UPDATE: “The End” and Some Deep Thoughts

As I type “The End” to this trilogy from Lexi’s point of view, I already miss her a bit, but I’m also already dreaming of ways to add nuggets of her future into the novels I have planned that spin off from this trilogy−stories from other characters’ points of view. (Read about future projects here.)

It’s a strange feeling to have written in this same world and from one character’s point of view for several years now. And though I’ll have some work to do when this story comes back from myeditor...

Hey, Mind Readers! What’s Next?

I’m working like crazy to finish up MINDSURGE and get it into your hands as early in October as possible!!

While you wait, let’s talk about what’s next.

1. What’s next for theMindspeak series?

I posted on Facebook recently how MINDSURGE will most likely be the last novel in the Mindspeak series, making the trilogy from Lexi’s POV (Point of View) complete. However, there are more stories planned for the series from other characters’ POVs.

A. Kyle’s story (A Mindspeak novel, but a standalone)

I have...

Stop Reading Depressing Blog Posts

I read a blog post last night that… well… kinda depressed me. After reading the post (“How to Respond to Alarming Changes” in the publishing industry), I felt deflated, had no energy for more editing, and wondered if some of my decisions I had made recently were the wrong ones. (I’ll be making an announcement of one of those HUGE decisions in a few weeks. )

But back to the article… In it, Agent Rachelle Gardnerreacts to a couple of articles she read about falling royalties and declining advan...

Pick Heather’s Brain #10: I’m Afraid of Indoor Swimming Pools and Things To Bring To a Signing

Happy Friday! I forgot to share this week’s video blog on Wednesday, so here it is!

I’m trying to answer reader questions once a week on my YouTube Channel. The questions can be about anything: books, writing, love, food, whatever. So be sure to send me questions.

Also, I’m nearing the very VERY end of Mindsurge, then I will turn around and self-edit it before I send it off to my fabulous editor.

So, keep the questions coming, and make sure you’ve signed up for the newsletter so that you’ll know...

Pick Heather’s Brain: How long do I give a book to hook me?

Each week I answer reader questions on my YouTube Channel. You can send me questions through Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or any other way you can dream up. Or simply leave questions in the comments below.

This week, I talk about the following:

What’s my favorite recipe to make? How long do I give a book to hook me before I cast it aside from boredom? Do I have any other animals besides the cat that made an appearance in a previous video? Hint: @JennyTheGolden makes an appearance.