Constance Williams's Blog: Absolutely Me, page 4

Bad days better

Anyone who says self-publishing is easy is doing it wrong.

The easiest thing about writing a book is, well - writing a book. It’s all uphill from there. Revisions and editing are work. Then you finish and you think, “Finally! We can publish!”

Then the real work begins…

I am not going to even attempt to comment on what’s next when you work with a publisher. I’ve read other people’s advice, opinions and anecdotes and my intention here is not to knock people who publish in the ‘traditional’ way at all. I can only comment on our own experiences.

Over lunch today, my husband turned to me and asked whether, after we have published our second novel, we intend to look for some kind of publishing deal. I didn’t have an answer for him, as it’s not actually something I had ever really thought about in that great detail. I don’t know if it would be something Lillian and I would want.

I do, however, know why he asked the question. He is very aware of all the hours and days Lillian and I put into marketing and promotion. The research, the strategy meetings, the - let’s admit it - trial and error tactics. Neither of us have any marketing experience, and our budget is woefully small. I can understand why he would look at the idea of having professionals to take care of that as a plan with merit.

Trial and error is frustrating. Not knowing what exactly will garner the results you want - and what will just be throwing money away. Even when it’s not about money, what is simply a waste of time which could be better spent on writing and editing.

Then, just as you’re having a bad day. Just as it all seems like you’re screaming in the middle of a hurricane and nobody is listening anyway…

Just at that moment, you get another 5 star review. You get another comment saying that someone can’t wait for the next book to come out.

And, suddenly - it all seems worthwhile.

There is nothing in life more beautiful than a review. Bless you, people who leave them.

What am I talking about? Find out more at our website!

Time

I've been suffering from withdrawal this week, given that I left my Nook at my parent's house when I visited last weekend. I wouldn't mind, but I was half way through a book which I don't own in paperback.

It's made me realise something about time management though. Basically, that I suck at it. When I have a book, I feel like I have no time to read it. Writing takes precedence and when I'm writing, the last thing I want to do is read. I get word overload, I guess.

Yet this week, when I've had to take a forced hiatus from reading, I seem to have so much time that I'm not filling with anything else. Which, to me, says there's something missing. What is it when, when I have a book I want to read, I don't seem to have the time to get to it. Yet, when I am stopped from reading a book, I seem to have eons of time to kill.

Is time playing silly buggers with me again, or is something else going on?

Road Trip

I went home to Manchester this weekend gone. Now, I don't get up north that much any more. I moved away some *cough*longtimeago*cough*. Suffice to say, I moved out of home to leave for university and since then I've managed two undergrad degrees and a post grad and a good few handful of years actually working a job under my belt.

I go home to visit my parents. When they're there, that is - since they spend half the year living in the USA. There's a reason that I'm a Brit who feels vastly comfortable writing books set in the US with an American - I've been bouncing back and forth between the two countries for as long as I can count. Seriously, I've visited more states than most US citizens (20+ at the last count, and I stopped counting nearly 20 years ago...).

That aside, I was in Manchester yesterday . The UK Manchester - the one of the football team and the music scene.

I love the city, I always have. I may have moved away. I doubt I'll ever live there again. Yet, I still love it. I love the atmosphere, the people, the whole thing.

The only thing I don't love is the M5/M6 trip to get there heading through Birmingham. That said, the trip up was made so much more bearable by the fact that we'd downloaded the unabridged reading of World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War from audible.com

I'm a fan. Possibly an understatement. I've read the book countless times. I have the abridged audiobook (I love audiobooks for long car journies, btw - they make life less stressful. Personal favourites, WWZ and anything James Marsters narrated of The Dresden Files).

Listening to WWZ I realised that you take different things from audiobooks than you do from text. If you'd asked me beforehand, I would have said that I could quote that book, beginning to end. Yet, for the stories which didn't make the abridged versions, myself and hubby were catching things that we'd totally overlooked in the written text. It was wonderful. Exactly the same words, yet having them read to you, without the ability of putting your own emphasis on them (though in parts I was itching to do that and wanted to crawl in through the speakers where I thought the narrator had 'done it wrong'...) is a gift.

...I wish I could say the same for the film. Which, okay, I still haven't seen. But still...

Tangible Proofs

There really is something about a real, paper book, isn't there? Something tangible, that you can hold in your hands. Turn the pages of. That given time will become worn and aged, despite how carefully you treat it.

We're very excited here today, because we've just put in our order for proofs of the paperback version of The Dreamwalker. They'll take a little while to arrive but, in the meantime, what do you think of the cover?

Smashwords

We are pleased to be able to announce that The Dreamwalker has now been published on Smashwords. You can find it here.

For those of you who are currently looking at your screen going 'what's Smashwords' - Smashwords is a major e-publishing outlet. They also handle publishing for outlets such as Apple, Barnes & Noble (they of the Nook), Sony etc, Publishing through them means that, in the very near future, The Dreamwalker will be available at those outlets and more.

It also means that The Dreamwalker is now available in epub format (which is compatible with Nook, Kobo etc). So, for those of you who have wanted to read The Dreamwalker, but who have been unable to purchase it in the right format, it is now available. We'll let you know when it's available in various online stores, but you can get it right now by going to Smashwords!

Name that Team!

Okay guys! We're throwing a little competition!

What do you think Witch Lake Highschool's team name/mascot should be?

If you've got a suggestion, post it to our facebook page here! Don't forget to 'Like' your favorite! The best suggestion will actually be used in The Protectors!

Writing Style

This is to all the authors, writers, bloggers and people who just put words together for one reason or another - be it professionally, for pleasure, or because you have yet another assignment due for school. In other words, pretty much everyone.

How do you write?

I don't mean style, pacing, tense or anything like that. I mean - when you write, what kind of an environment do you hold as key.

I ask this out of curiosity, and because, right now, it's fresh in my mind.

I've always been aware that I write best when I can sequester myself away with peace and quiet. I don't do well with distractions when crafting something. I didn't realise quite how much I needed that until today though.

At the moment, I'm on vacation. Some much needed time off from my day job. I have, however, brought 'work' with me - or what passes for work. I'm intending to work on The Protectors, of course - but I have also got an article to write for a news website. Okay, I had intended to get it done last week, but I wrote it twice and, quite frankly, the results were less than impressive. Not something I would be happy to release to the public.

'Not a problem,' thought I. 'I'll take it on holiday with me and write it at the beach. Won't take me that long and I'll be nice and relaxed.'

Actually, that part of the plan worked. I lay in bed last night, inspiration hit, and I knew exactly what I was going to write. How I would spin the article to put a new twist on what can be quite a dull topic.

I sat down to write it today, and I got the first two paragraphs written, words flowing out of the ends of my fingers like water. It was great, it would be done in no time, I was a genius!

Then the problem struck. I'm not alone on holiday. I'm away with family. Family who had said that they were going out for a walk, leaving me to get on with my writing in glorious solitude. Only they didn't go. They wandered back and forth. Looking at maps. Shouting from one end of the house to the other, wanting to know where hats, and keys, and sunglasses were. Coming up to ask me if I wanted a cold drink (no). Or a cup of tea (no...). Was I sure I didn't want anything (Yes. I'm sure. No - I want something - I want you to leave me alone.). Was I sure that I didn't want to come with (YES - PLEASE GO AWAY.)

So, instead, I'm here, writing this blog post, waiting for everything to settle. And then maybe, just maybe, I can finish the article, send it off to the editor, and at last be able to relax into my vacation.

Before that promised work on the book begins, of course...

Interviews and a Giveaway!

It's been a busy week this week! Not only have we been really pushing on with both writing and editing The Protectors, but I was also named as 'featured author' over at Paranormal, Fatasy, Dystopia and Romance Readers, Writers and Reviewers. If you haven't checked out that Goodreads group already, go do so. They have a great thing going, plus a website and Facebook, all of which are just amazing and I'm so happy to be apart of it all.

Anyhow, being a featured author means a whole lot of interviews and discussions, which I, of course, dragged Lillian Bishop into. If you want to check out the results, go look at our website, or our facebook (don't forget to like us!).

To finish off this week, we're having a celebratory giveaway of 5 copies of The Dreamwalker - if you want to take part in this, you can do so Between the Pages.

UPDATE - Thanks to everyone who took part in the giveaway, the winners have all now been contacted.

Spotlight Interview at "Writing Dreams"

We're getting out and about again! This time with James DiBenedetto at his site Writing Dreams. We talked to him about us, our books, our writing style and our influences!

Read the interview here!

Featured Authors

There are so many great authors out there, and we'd like to help and support them. As such, we've added a new page to our site! Please go and check out our featured authors page. If you like what you see, remember to like, support and buy their books!