Meka James's Blog, page 7

IWSG - Treading Water

Photo by Li Yang on UnsplashHappy May! The end of the school year is upon me. The Teen reminded me they have only seventeen more days. My lack of focus is about to get some louder distractions.

But we're not here for that. Nope it's the first Wednesday of the month and that means IWSG blog hop day. For the last two months my posts have been rather doom and gloom. I’m sadly in the same head space and thought about skipping this month’s post because I didn’t want another month of the Debbie Downer talk. But this group is about the support for the ups and the downs, so here I am.

Treading water. 
As the title of the post states. I do a weekly segment called Music Monday. Last year one of the songs features was “Head Above Water” by Avril Lavigne. That is how I’m feeling. One step forward about ten back and just trying to say ahead of the game. Some days are better than others. I mean that’s the way life goes right? 
I had a heart-to-heart with the ladies of my Squad after a series of bad days. I was (maybe still am) ready to throw in the towel. Everything felt like an uphill battle and I was tired of climbing. My Squad threw down a rope so I’m still hanging on. Moving forward. Or trying to. 
So, I’m switching my focus. Marketing continues to be a struggle for me. I’m emotional writer, if my head space is cloudy the words don’t come. In the interim I’m working on learning all I can to become better at marketing my books. I write standalones, which as I was told, is harder to market. :( Apparently readers like series, to be able to sink into a set of characters for the long haul. But I have to let people know I have books out some way right? 
To get started, I needed a plan of sorts. I have five books out, two of which are novellas. Trying to focus on all of them all of the time won’t work, so I’ve decided one book per month. There are so many options out there for advertising so trying to figure out the best way to go isn’t easy. This will be a lot of trial, with even more error. I’m aware of this. Therefore it’ll be a mix of paid advertising and looking for free options. One of the free options is learning how to do better graphics to post on my social media. 
I’m not a techy person, so sorta figuring how video clips was a huge undertaking, but not bad for my first time right?
Anyway, I’m hoping after trying different things over the next few months as I promote my books, I’ll find one or two things that work and I can narrow down the focus on getting better at those and improving the sales outlook across the board. 
Do you enjoy the marketing aspect? Have a go-to thing that really shows results? I’m open to trying things so feel free to let me know your best suggestions.
Until next time~Meka

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is a home for writers in all stages; from unpublished to bestsellers. Our goal is to offer assistance and guidance. We want to help writers overcome their insecurities, and by offering encouragement we are creating a community of support.

The awesome co-hosts for the May 1 posting of the IWSG are Lee Lowery, Juneta Key, Yvonne Ventresca, and T. Powell Coltrin! 

Music Monday - Goddess

Good morning and happy Monday. So...were you one of the many that saw Avengers over the weekend? Have you recouped? Still reeling? If you went, I hope you enjoyed it. I was not one of the many.

But we're here for music, not movies. I've said it before, music often is my inspiration. Whether it's a mood, scene, hell even the title, when I hear certain songs they will stick with me. That's what this week's selection did.

At home I mostly use YouTube for m listening. I know how to work it for making playlists and it generally has a good mix. However it is NOT good for being on my phone. If I should leave the "page" to text, or email, the music stops. So instead I use Spotify when I'm out and about.

"Goddess" came up on the Relax and Chill station. I'd never heard the song before but the moment it played I was like YES! This fits perfectly with a story that is way, way, way down the pipeline. I often get random story ideas, some call them plot bunnies. When I do, I typically have to write out the first chapter or two just so I don't forget. #TeamBadMemory

When I first wrote Fiendish, my plan (the word is used super loosely) was to write a set of Twisted Fairytales. And I still want to, but it's just taken longer since I'm easily distracted. However one of my bunnies was for a new Twisted Fairytale, a Red Riding Hood inspiration. This song plays directly into the loose idea I have surrounding the plot and it makes me giddy to have a start.

Creating the playlist is what cements that the bunny will become a book. I have story ideas lined up in my head and this one now has an official place.

I hope you have an excellent week and enjoy the song.

Until next time
~Meka

"Goddess" by Cobi

Music Monday - Dinner and Diatribes

It's that day of the week again. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and Easter if you celebrate. My Marine nephew was here for a visit before his first deployment so that meant a lot of late nights hanging out.


This week's selection hasn't made it into a playlist, yet, but it could. I enjoy the artist, Hozier, he produces a wide variety of music. He isn't just ballads, or pop, or rock, etc. And when you listen to his lyrics you find they have a deeper hidden meaning. Which, of course, is subjective to the listener.

So this song, what does it say to me? Well, being a romance writer I feel like the song is looking for that deep, all encompassing type of love. The intense, all consuming kind that you want to fight, but in the end know it's a lost cause and you give yourself over to it.

The video for "Dinner and Diatribes" feeds into my interpretation. And can we talk about the video for a second...man it's great. It's what videos used to be back in my day (LOL yeah I pulled that one). Where the video told a story to go along with the song. I've always loved those type of videos. When the release of the video was an event, back when MTV played actual music not realty shows.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the song and the video! And tell me, what you think the deeper meaning is.

Until next time
~Meka
" Dinner and Diatribes" by Hozier

Adventures In KU - Month Two

Happy Friday! And welcome back to my adventures in KU. Last month we kicked off with a little backstory detailing my start and my general stance on the kindle unlimited program. No need to rehash, you can check out that post HERE. So, how did month two in this experiment go? Let’s find out.This month I attempted to tackle the great and mysterious AMS ads. Now if you’re around the “water-cooler” at all, you know there are varying opinions on these ads, mostly surrounding their ease of use. Or lack thereof. Because I’m experimenting I didn’t want to sink in a bunch of money. Did that hurt or help? The world my never know. What is known is my utter failure at AMS ads! UTTER. FAILURE.
Here’s the breakdown. My overall budget was $40 and I set them to run for a week. This was my first attempt at them, and I had the wonderful Coralie Moss holding my hand trying to help me with the process. It’s all trial and error.
Why do I call it a failure? Well, see for yourself.


That’s right folks, of the $40 I set aside to spend, only $5 of it was used and I made ZERO sales. Not a single one. That’s rather dismal. I was told a few things though.
1) I needed to let them run longer. Apparently it can take some time for the ads to “kick in” so to speak.
2) I need a bigger budget. Eh, I mean I kind of figured, but I’m cautious with my limited marketing dollars.
The third piece of information I was told was that if I didn’t have a series I was basically wasting my money on advertising. That last one is too much to unpack right now. Maybe for one of my IWSG posts.
Moving on. Other than the ads, and some bare minimum teaser type social media posts I didn’t advertise much. I did play around with the keywords to see if that would help. So far, not so much. I also temporarily changed up the cover for The Lists. 

I love the cover Avery Kingston made for me (the jar one). She gave me exactly what I asked for. The issue however, is it doesn’t fit the genre. I knew this when I picked the design. I wanted a reflection of the story, not so much a “sex sells” approach. If my sales ranking is any indication, the cover change hasn’t had any more impact than the keyword adjustments. I will leave this cover up for the remaining time in KU and reassess once my time is up.Lastly, the cold, hard facts.
Sales. They went up from last month (9) so yay on that. Fiendish was still my top seller with 7 total for this round, one even being paperback! And somehow I managed to sale two copies of The Lists. Not ready for a fancy dinner at Ruth Chris, but it’s an improvement so I’ll take it.


Page reads. Those went the other direction from last month (2,672) I didn't participate in any takeover events like I had last month. Not sure if that had any impact on the page reads or not. I'm not planning any for next month.

Okay that’s it for this update. My plan for next month is to attempt the last promotional option which is the Kindle Countdown option. After that I’ll decide on the fate of my books in KU.
Have you experimented with kindle unlimited? How’s it working for you?
Until next time~Meka

#AuthorToolBoxBlogHop - So You Want To Diversify

Photo credit: PixabyBack again. Third month in a row y’all. It’s April, spring break for my kids have come and gone and we are quickly barreling towards the end of the school year. But until then, it’s time for another #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop post.
So, if you read my title and thought this would be some odd post on financial portfolios you would be mistaken. First you do NOT want me giving financial advice. LOL Numbers seriously make my head hurt. Secondly, this is a writing hop, so you probably know where this is heading.
Have you ever thought about adding some diversity to your writing, but then didn’t because you were “scared to get it wrong?” You wouldn’t be the first person. I’ve had writer friends close to me say the exact same thing, and my general thought is, “it’s really not that hard” and here’s why:
They (we) are people same as you.Seriously, that’s the golden rule. Photo credit: Pixaby
If you can have Betty, Frank, and Jo all be characters of the same racial background but lead different lives so can your non-white characters.
Photo credit: Pixaby



Betty is a salon owner, comes from a loving home with four siblings and married her high school sweetheart. She and hubby live in a nice three bedroom home with an expansive backyard and even has a picket fence. They are a comfortable middle class family.








Photo credit: Pixaby 


Frank is a fireman, has a vast network of friends to make up for the family he maybe lost at an early age. He volunteers at the local Boys & Girl’s club. He lives in a nice two bedroom townhome and is part of the HOA board.







Photo credit: Pixaby





Jo is a banker trying to climb the corporate ladder. He is focused on his career and only makes connections on a surface level. He is all about looks and loves to host lavish parties at his penthouse which overlooks the city.




They are varied. The rest should be as well. This applies to more than just the racial make up of the character. If you want to venture into adding LGBTQ characters, the same would still apply.
So let’s add Diversa to the cast with Betty, Frank, and Jo.
Photo credit: PixabyShe’s from a broken home, maybe lived on the streets because her mom was a druggie and the dad is unknown. Now she lives in some rundown place on the other side of town. Everyone knows her, because Betty, Frank, and Jo all have breakfast at the small diner where Diversa works because she dropped out of high school and this less than minimum wage job is all she can get.
Diversa is a stereotype. Don’t rely on stereotypes. And if you go there first, ask yourself why? Why must this character stand out so differently from the rest?
The character’s ethnic make up and/or sexual identity is only part of them. It shouldn’t be the sole focus. Their entire purpose in your story should not be to gain diversity points.
Another question, is Diversa alone? And what I mean by that is she the sprinkle of different in town? If so, why? Did you add her because diversity is the new buzz word? Is her purpose solely to be a learning/growing opportunity for Betty, Frank, and Jo so they can later feel better about themselves?
When looking to possibly add more diversity in your stories, don’t make your diverse character the only one in the book. And please PLEASE don’t make them the only and the VILLAIN. It’s seriously not a good look.
Also ask yourself how have you described your cast? Have you left Betty, Frank, and Jo vague? Not gone on and on about their skin tone or hair, but went out of your way to let the world know that Diversa has skin as rich as mahogany. Talked about her Afro-centric hair, probably in braids or some sort. In doing so, you’re drawing more attention to her for being different, a token, and less of a person as stated in the “golden rule.”  
Writing about people that are different from you doesn’t have to be hard or scary. If you are still nervous about the representation, find a sensitivity reader. I have played this role for some and while I don’t speak for all Black people, I can point out issues that could be perceived as negative to help the writer.
And while adding diversity to your story, if that’s something you want, can be a good thing, keep in mind to not “tell their story.” What I mean by this is, I recently wrote my first f/f romance, but I’m a straight woman. I wrote a story about this couple, but it was focused on them falling in love and not the hardships and struggles of being a lesbian. That story is not mine to tell. There’s a difference.
Just remember, everyone is a person. 
Look at your characters as a whole and that’ll be the first step in adding some positive representation into your stories.
Until next time~Meka

Music Monday - Don't Give Up On Me

It's Monday again folks. I don't know why this day keeps coming around, but it does. However, I'm here to hopefully make it a little brighter.


At the time, I got the basic first chapter or two whipped up as I needed to get the beginning down so I could get back to the main story I was working on. Dorian I had her mostly figured out, at least her starting personality because she was in Fiendish and Not Broken. She had growth already established from one book to the next. I have something I can build on with her. Gerald, well, not so much him. Like the struggles I have with Malcolm, I foresee having the same with this new leading man.

When I'm building playlists, sometimes I go looking for songs that fit a theme I'm after, but not always. Sometimes I hear something on the radio and it speaks to me. That's the case with this week's selection.

"Don't Give Up On Me" spoke to me because this will be an opposites attract story and that presents a certain set of struggles. Dorian is not the easiest person to get along with, that is established in the previous books. Being with her will take some effort, and will take a person seeing beyond the surface to get to the 'real' person underneath the mask. In my head, Gerald will also have his own set of struggles. Not 100% on what those will be, but it will have to do with the tiny backstory I gave him in Not Broken possibly.

Either way both will need someone to stick with them and see them as worthy. As someone they want to fight for and be fought for. I heard the song on the radio a few times over the weekend, and each time I did, I thought about Dorian and Gerald. The loose theme for them is the best things in life are worth fighting for, even if it's something you didn't know you needed.

I hope you all have a great week.

Until next time,
~Meka

"Don't Give Up On Me" by Andy Grammer

Cover Reveal: Beauregard and the Beast by Evie Drae

Hey everyone! I'm excited today as I get to be a part of Evie Drae's debut novel's cover reveal!!!

Why am I so happy? Well, Evie is one of my Squad members and a most wonderful human being! She had a kick ass 2018 that included several RWA (Romance Writers of America) contest wins which resulted in her not only landing an agent but also a contract for this book. Gah! Happiness abounds!

Anyway, you're not here to hear me gush, you want the good stuff so without further ado...


Title: Beauregard and the BeastBy: Evie DraeRelease Date: August 20, 2019Publisher: Dreamspinner PressGenre: Contemporary MM Romance
Blurb:
His greatest prize can’t be won in the octagon.
Champion MMA fighter Adam Littrell needs no distractions as he approaches the fight that will determine whether he retires. But when he opens the door of his swanky Las Vegas home to his new personal assistant, Bo Wilkins, staying focused becomes a struggle.
Aware of Adam’s surly reputation, Bo doesn't expect to like his new employer, let alone fall for him. But the man surprises him. A shared love of books leads them to study for their GEDs together and plan for a life after their current careers. Adam won't be able to fight forever, and Bo wants a relationship on equal footing.
But just as that relationship is getting off the ground, the sister Bo raised needs his help, and he drops everything. With Adam’s final match looming and Bo in a different city, reuniting will be the real challenge.
Excerpt:
The smell of fresh laundry mixed with strong cleaning chemicals assaulted Adam’s senses the moment he walked through the garage door after his morning training. He scrunched his nose in protest. The clean linen smell was pleasant, but what the hell kind of biochemical warfare was Bo waging on his home? The pungent scent of corrosive bleach and all manner of other caustic solutions burned his nostrils and left his head spinning.
He headed for the laundry room to drop off his gym bag and found Bo on his hands and knees in the hallway, scrubbing at the stone tile flooring.
“Fuckin’ hell, Bo, you’re gonna asphyxiate from all these fumes.” Adam tossed his bag down the hall in the general direction of the laundry room. “Why don’t you take a break? We can grab lunch somewhere and hit the grocery while we’re out.”
Bo sat back on his haunches and swiped a wrist over his brow. “I’m almost done here any—” His eyes bugged, and he scurried to his feet, the sponge dropping from his hand. “Holy crap on a cracker, what the heck happened to you?”
Adam froze when Bo’s soapy fingertips grazed his jaw. A jolt of electricity fired under his skin at the connection. He followed the tingling path of Bo’s touch with his own fingers, marveling at the intensity of the impression that brief contact left behind.
“Did you get jumped?” Bo’s brows pinched, his lips turning down at the corners. “Did you call the police? Are you hurt anywhere else?”
A laugh bubbled up Adam’s throat at the unexpected barrage of questions and the look of genuine concern twisting Bo’s face. When was the last time anyone cared he’d been hurt? Hell, unless they bordered on life-threatening, even he failed to notice his injuries more often than not. So was the life of a mixed martial arts fighter. Sparring was the best way to train, and sparring equaled wounds. Rarely as intense as those suffered at an official fight, but colorful and bloody nonetheless.
“I’m fine. Just a few scratches.” Adam tried to grin, but the act tugged at his already split lip and fresh blood trickled down his chin.
Bo gasped and clamped a hand over Adam’s wrist. “That’s more than a scratch. Where’s your first aid kit?”
“First aid kit?” Adam cocked a brow. He didn’t keep anything like that at home. If his injuries required mending, Eddie, his coach, would tend to him after he hit the showers. Today, the damage was minimal, so he’d left without patching up.
Gaping, Bo shook his head. “Don’t tell me you get beat up for a living and don’t keep basic first aid supplies around the house.”
Adam knuckled the blood off his chin and shrugged. “It’s a split lip. I’ll be fine.”
“A split lip, a black eye, and a gashed eyebrow. That is not fine.” Bo scowled and dropped Adam’s wrist with an adorable little huff. “I’m adding medical supplies to the grocery list. If you’re going to come home looking like roadkill on a regular basis, I’m going to need some necessities. In the meantime, will you at least let me put some ice on that eye?”
***
Want it now? Be sure to follow Evie on Amazon so you'll be alerted with her updates
But don't stop there, keep up with her on:
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Until next time,~Meka

Music Monday - Opposites Attract

Good morning and happy Monday. Spring break is over for my kids and the house is quiet again. Yay! Hopefully I'll be a little more productive this week.

Last week I picked a song to celebrate finishing my long over due novella. Like way too long over due. But it was done and I'm not in the editing phase and SHOCKER I'm not totally hating the process this time. I know, the apocalypse may be upon us.

However, having a first draft complete (well second at this point) means I need to start thinking about the next book once this one is off to the editor. But which one? I have at this moment four WIP ideas, and all of them have at least a paragraph or two written. When an idea strikes, I have to get down the basics because I have a terrible memory and I'm likely to forget.

Now, if you've been around my blog for a while you know that my first three books turned into an accidental series. If you haven't been around, I'll explain really quick. Basically when I wrote Fiendish I expected it to be a one and done, but then Malcolm decided the story wasn't over (yes my characters are pushy) so Not Broken was born and from there thanks to Malcolm's biggest fan, The Lists came about. None of the stories were planned and at the end of each, I thought I was done with the characters.

Where am I going with all of this? Well, because two of my Squad members put a bug in my ear about Dorian, Calida's sister. I would have never EVER never thought about giving Dorian her own story, let alone pair her with Gerald, Malcolm's friend who appears for one chapter of Not Broken.

Dorian is rather, shall we say uptight. LOL She's a bit particular and status/public appearance matters to her. Gerald is extremely laid back. He likes to have a good time and enjoy life. Total Opposites.

Their story is my next project. So, that means it's time to start building a playlist and hope they are cooperative when I really start to focus on getting the story created.

First song on the list, an oldie, but goodie, and fits the general theme of the book to a T. And the video is fun. So bonus!

Here's a peek at the photo inspiration for Dorian and Gerald. Not only is it an opposites attract story, it will also be a May/December story since Dorian is about 9-10ish years older than G.


Hope you have a great week.

Until next time
~Meka

"Opposites Attract" by Paula Abdul

IWSG - When To Let Go?

Photo courtesy of PIXABY
Howdy. New month means it's once again time for the IWSG monthly blog hop. You know, that event that takes place the first Wednesday of each month where authors from all levels open up about the ups and/or downs they are currently facing.


I did manage to get my long overdue WIP completed last week, so I was happy about that. And I'd made the decision in February to put two of my indie titles in Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program. Because my time in KU is an experiment, I have to do something I haven't done before which is track my sales.

It's a rather sad state of affairs to watch my numbers or lack there of.

The two indie books I have in KU are Not Broken and it's companion The Lists.

Not Broken has been my problem child for some reason. Overall, it's the one I've probably put the most effort into marketing and it's yielded me like next to nothing in return.

Malcolm and Calida's story seems to be unloved.

Now don't think I'm producing large numbers for my other books, because I'm not. But this is the worst...well I guess technically The Lists performs worse by default of it being a companion of a book no one wants to read in the first place.

And when I say no one wants to read, I'm not exaggerating. A few months back I did a second blog tour for it with a different company because the first one I used was very lack luster and I know for a fact they didn't promote it like they promote other books.

So I tried something new with a new company and the company owner basically told me no one signed up for it.

Let that sink in. 
I paid a tour company to organize something for this book and got next to no interest in it. Talk about heart shattering. The owner was very nice, she called me, and we talked through options, but it was still very disheartening.

I've done sales, Facebook takeovers, promos, ads all for very little return. The latest, trying my hand at AMS ads in conjunction with the KU experiment. I admittedly have a low budget compared to most I'm sure, but still didn't expect it to be as big of a trending flop that it's turning out to be. For a little context on that, I have a $5 per day budget, ads started running on Friday, and at the time of me writing this post I've only had enough interest in said ads to spend $2.70. Over the course of FOUR days.

So this brings me to the question that is the title for this post. At what point do I cut my losses with this book and it's companion and stop trying to find readers that will hopefully enjoy the story? When is enough, enough and I have to face reality that for whatever mysterious reason, this story doesn't interest people.

That's where I'm at now. The writing advice people say about selling more books is to write more books so you build your backlist, but when that logic isn't working out even remotely in your favor, then what?

That's it for me.

Until next time
~Meka


The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is a home for writers in all stages; from unpublished to bestsellers. Our goal is to offer assistance and guidance. We want to help writers overcome their insecurities, and by offering encouragement we are creating a community of support.

The awesome co-hosts for the April 3 posting of the IWSG are: J.H. Moncrieff, Natalie Aguirre, Patsy Collins, and Chemist Ken!

Music Monday - Girls Like Girls

Happy Monday and first day of April! I do hope your weather is better than the cold spell we're getting in Georgia. My kids are home on spring break so my schedule is a little out of whack. Seriously you'd think by now I'd know how to manage this.

For those of you that didn't click the link, I started the novella back in September 2018. I JUST finished that project last week. Seven-ish months for 17k-ish words. I don't call myself a #turtlewriter for nothing.

But it's done! The story is now in the hands of my critique partners to get it all shiny and prepared for submission. And in celebration of it being completed, this week's song is from the Being Hospitable playlist.

Have a wonderful week. Hope the pollen doesn't bother you. And you get lots of sunshine.

Until next time
~Meka

Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko