Heather Sunseri's Blog, page 30

Pick Heather’s Brain – Video Blog #2

I video blogged! I know, I know. I’m just as shocked as you are! But I had a couple of reader questions that I thought would be fun to answer on video. Guess what? It was fun. I’d like to do it again. I definitely think I’ll get better at it. But I need a good name for it. We could call it “Conversations with Heather” or “Ask Heather Sunseri.” Or how about “Pick Heather’s Brain”? Let me know in the comments if you have an idea of what to call my video blog series where you ask the questions....

Giveaway: $100 and Signed Copies of Mindsiege

Let’s celebrate!!!

In case you missed the Mindsiege-is-early-post yesterday, Mindsiege eBook is now available at these retailers: AMAZON◊BARNES & NOBLE◊ KOBO. I will let you know when Mindsiege is available on iTunes and in paperback.

To celebrate the launch of Mindsiege and my amazing readers whom I adore, I’m giving away a $100 gift card (Amazon or B&N, you choose) to one lucky winner, and a signed copy of Mindsiege(or Mindspeak if you wish) to two others. This giveaway is open to US residents...

Mindsiege Is Live, Mindspeak Is On Sale, and My Cat Is Acting Strange Again

Good Monday morning. Remember last January when I told you my daughter’s cat bit me first thing the same morning Mindspeak went live on Amazon?Well, this morning, the morning Mindsiege went live on Amazon, she did something else strange, though not as cruel. With my eyes still three-quarters closed, I walked into the bathroom to find Olivia (aka Kee-poo) sitting in the middle of my bathtub staring up at me. She was just sitting there like it was something she did every day (which she doesn’t)...

Self-publishing and Rejection: What Are You REALLY Afraid Of?

I am so scared… of many things, really… but the thing that scares me the most as I gear up for the launch of Mindsiege? REJECTION.

Or is that what I’m REALLY afraid of? Let’s explore.

Recently, I was compiling a list of questions I’m often asked for my brand-spanking new FAQ page when I came across the question: How many rejections did you receive before deciding to self-publish Mindspeak?

The short answer was… NONE. I chose not to query Mindspeak. I didn’t decide to self-publish because Mindspe...

What’s More Important: Talent or Hard Work?

The key to this quote is “work.” Many people have talent, some more than others, but the ones who succeed in their art or vocation are the ones who are willing to work for it and persevere through the tough times. Those who continue to succeed are ones willing to work to get better. I believe that our learning is never complete. There are always additional ways we can improve on the talent gifted to us, we just have to work for it.

What are you doing to improve on your talent today? What do yo...

Are You Ready For the Release of Mindsiege? And What’s #2 in the Mindspeak Series About Anyway?

I can tell that we are all getting a little antsy about the fast-approaching release date for Mindsiege. I’m starting to get lots of questions. When will it release? What’s it about? Are you done yet? What’s the status of your edits now? These questions excite me more than I can express in this little blog post.

More than anything, I am so excited for you to read Mindsiege. So, let’s answer some questions.

What is the official release date for MINDSIEGE?

Unfortunately, for an author who self-pub...

Art: Finding Oneself

This is often how I feel about my writing. I found a part of myself that I didn’t know existed years ago when I discovered how much I loved the act of stringing meaningful words together, creating characters and their stories, and simply producing art. At the same time, story is a beautiful place to lose oneself. Today, I’m losing myself again into another round of edits of MINDSIEGE. As difficult as this part of the process can be, I love it! I love making sure the story I’ve created for my...

Cliffhangers and Young Adult Fiction: I Know. I Totally Left You Hangin’!

Photo Credit – TimOve (Creative Commons – Flickr)

Cliffhangers are tough. For the writer, but especially for the reader. I know. I read books with cliffhangers. They sometimes make me so mad (said through gritted teeth and a really weird, angry voice). Most of the time, if done right, those endings make me crave the next book. That’s the point, right?

Kristi Cook, who wrote the Winterhaven series and released #3 of this series just this week, recently posted her thoughts (which I love and agree...

Ah, To Be Fourteen Again (A Guest Post by Wendy Miller)

I remember the first time I met Wendy Paine Miller. I got to “know” her first over at her blog Thoughts That Move.But the first time I met-met her was at the ACFW conference in the newbie session about three years ago (I think it was three years ago). I don’t think that’s exactly what they called it, but I remember thinking during that session, “I hate these types of things. I hate being labeled “new” and “inexperienced.” I’m kind of like Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda: “Don’t call me stu...

Are You LinkedIn? Should you be?

Let’s discuss LinkedIn. Do you use it? Should you? Should I?

I just don’t know.

I used to get slews of emails inviting me to sign up for LinkedIn. Not so much anymore. I don’t know if that’s because people have given up on me or if it’s because no one is using LinkedIn these days.

However, I work a corporate job in addition to my novelist career. For about five years, I’ve kept those two careers/businesses completely separate. Lately, I’ve wondered how to marry the two.

LinkedIn? It’s a start, I...