Lorraine Reguly's Blog, page 9

November Sucked. Here’s Why. Prinnie Died.

This is a True Tales Tuesday post.

Yes, November sucked. For more reasons than I care to admit.

Here is a brief run-down of what I’ve had to endure:

On the 2nd, my father was assaulted and robbed. He’s 73. I don’t want to talk about this any further; it’s too difficult.

 

Throughout the month, I was still getting over a cold. My illness caused me to complete an important editing project approximately one week past the date I had originally set. Thankfully my client, Maxwell Ivey, understood. Max is also a friend and fellow blogger, too. Oh, and he’s blind. In fact, he’s the blind man I interviewed in March 2014. His e-book, Leading You Out of the Darkness Into the Light, is completely edited, perfectly, and is for sale! He’s also offering a coaching/e-book package, too, for those who need a little push in the right direction. Of course, there is a 30-minute freebie involved for you as well!

 

Throughout the month, I also took care of Princess (a.k.a. Prin or Prinnie), a 19-year-old cat. She has been suffering from old age and kidney failure for some time, and the last few weeks were filled with cleaning up diarrhea and vomit. Ugh. Finally, an appointment was made to put her down. I went with my sister to the vet on November 21st. We both shed a lot of tears as we bid our precious Prinnie good-bye. Sad, sad, sad. I had nursed Prinnie back to health several times throughout the past few years, including the time she had a hole in her leg. I took (and am taking) her death hard. I loved that cat!

 

A Letter from Prinnie

To cope with Prinnie’s death, I wrote my sister a letter. Well, Prinnie wrote it. (Hey, if Jake and his sisters can write, so can Prin!)

Here it is:

 

Dearest Mommy Janice:

Thank you for taking me to the vet the other day. I know it was a hard trip for you and Lorraine to make.

I really appreciated the warmed-up vehicle that took us there, even though the ride was a bit rocky at the beginning. It was nice to have such caring people with me at the end, too. I sure loved the tender strokes, although I didn’t like it when Lorraine pointed out how dirty my fur had become. However, I was glad that I didn’t have to endure another bath this past week.

You know, it wasn’t my fault that I became so sick. I was pretty old, after all, and it was too difficult to control my bladder and kidneys anymore. I hated that so much that I often puked. I know Auntie Rain didn’t like cleaning up after me, but she never yelled at me. Instead, she soothed me, and spoke softly to me in a compassionate voice.

She really loved me and took good care of me the last few years. I really enjoyed cuddling with her while she read her books in bed. She even shared her pillow with me, you know! But then, one day, my bones began to hurt and it wasn’t too comfy to be nestled in her arms anymore.

She took the hint, eventually, ‘cause I started to growl at her. I was happy when Midge and Veronica came to live with us ‘cause then Midge became her cuddle buddy. But that dumb cat always wanted me to play with her, and she drove me crazy. Good thing Lorraine looked out for me, fending Midge off on my behalf. You know me, Mom, I’m a lover, not a fighter!

Plus, Midge is too young to comprehend what old cats like me feel. She’s very playful but I just like to be left alone. Unless there’s some good, human food to eat, of course! I must admit, I was fed very well. Steak, crab, liver, lobster, pork chops, hamburger, peas, corn, tuna, salmon, and chicken were given to me willingly by everyone.

Well, chicken and turkey were cut from my diet the last year, ‘cause I used to leak poop all over. I guess that’s why I knew something was up when Lorraine let me have as much chicken as I wanted before you came for us. Plus, Lorraine had told me several times this past week how I was going to go “buh-bye,” like Pounce, Neebs, Hootie, Zorro, Swiper, Jacoby, and Blackie did. Yep, she prepared, and I was happy she did. I missed Pounce! Now I’m with him again, and we can now be together forever. Thanks, Mom; you’re the best!

You guys miss me, I know, but you’ll always remember me. I was the most laid-back cat there ever was, and I had the prettiest blue eyes, too, right? I liked to take my time with things, and was never in any rush to make a decision. Except to give someone “the paw,” of course, when I felt I was being ignored.

But, hey, I usually got what I wanted so it’s all good. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you – Pounce says “Hi.” He misses you, but he wants you to know he’s happier now. He’s been waiting for me, Mom, and he’s pleased that the person who found him was there with me at the end. I liked that Auntie encouraged me to go see Pounce, too, and that you both petted me and ME relaxed enough – that you got me into the “zone.” I did that lots of times for Auntie, you know, when she wanted to go to sleep.

The best part was that you two didn’t leave me just as I drifted off. I used to do that to Auntie Rain. I know you’re thinking that I couldn’t wait to get away from her! But that’s just not true. I just wanted to have my own space.

I love that you both cared about me enough to give me a proper send-off. I tried showing you my appreciation by purring so much – and not ceasing to purr – until the very last possible second. The only thing that would have made things better is if you guys weren’t so full of tears. But I know the crying was to be expected… you guys love me and it’s just something you humans do when you’re sad. But you don’t have to feel sad, Mommy Jan, because, like I said, I’m with Pouncie now, again.

And I’ll sure appreciate being remembered again in the spring when you bury my ashes in the same spot Pounce’s body was buried. But, honestly, Mom, we’re already together in kitty heaven, and it’s great!

You should see all the stuff we get to do here! We have tons of mice to chase, play with, and eat, lots of treats at our disposal, excellent meals, warmth, no pain, comfy furniture, blankets, and pillows, and all our friends are here too. Plus, we have new friends, and everyone’s happy, happy, happy. Lots of purring going on, Mom! And as much privacy as we want. Heaven is great!

So I just wanted to write this note to you to let you know you did the right thing – scratch that – ALL the right things. I couldn’t have asked for a better send-off. Yeah, I’ll miss you and Taryn… and everyone else… but I have my memories, too.

Let everyone know I’m OK. And tell everyone I love them and will remember them too.

Okay, Mommy Jan, I gotta go now. Pounce is calling! Something about a purr-fect family reunion feast…

Love you so much!

Your baby,

Prin

(Princess Jasmine)

Xxoo

*paw print*

Meow!

I often do something creative when it comes to pets. I put together a post about Midge (my tilted kitty), I made a cat collage for my Dad for Father’s Day, and I just finished assembling this Slideshare presentation for my sister. Prinnie and Pounce were her first two cats. Pounce passed away many years ago, but Prinnie hung on for many more.

 

In addition to dealing with death, I’ve been dealing with some personal female heath problems. I could elaborate, but, trust me, you don’t want me to.


The final reason November sucked is because I was not able to make much progress on Letters to Julian. I now have no idea of when it’ll be published… if ever…

Sigh.

But they say life goes on, and so I’m now trying to put all of the pieces of my life back together again.

 

The post November Sucked. Here’s Why. Prinnie Died. appeared first on Laying It Out There.

Build YOUR Blog Community (while feeling sad?)

 

It’s every blogger’s dream to have high-ranking posts. It’s every writer’s dream to have a ton of fans. Right?

What if I told you that a shortcut existed to building a blog community?

Would you want to know more?

Build YOUR Blog Community

When I wrote my guest post about blogger-sharks on Aha!Now, 8 Action Tips For Guppy-Bloggers In An Ocean Of Sharks, I followed it up with a post about 30+ Blogger-Sharks Spouting Oceans of Knowledge.

Adrienne is THE Engagement Superstar… in case you didn’t know!

I mentioned many bloggers in that post, but one in particular has something she wants to share with you. Her name? Adrienne Smith. Her product? A cool e-course that teaches you how to use the proven steps, strategies, and secrets that “big” bloggers use to grow their community. It works for authors and freelancers, too.

Trust me on this.

I’ve used the same tactics to grow mine on Wording Well.

In fact, I’ve just published an awesome post on that site, Secrets to Building a Big Blog Community (REVEALED!).

Please check it out.

Then decide for yourself on whether you need it or not.

The great thing is that Build a Blog Community  is not even expensive.

In fact, it’s about the price of a dinner, if you were to treat me to one.

I wouldn’t even order the steak and lobster (as much as I love surf’n’turf).

Sigh. I’m getting off topic.

Sorry. I’m having some personal issues right now. Princess, who is about 19 years old now, is being “put down” this morning.

For those of you who followed me here from Wording Well, you might recall Prinnie (Princess) is the cat who had a hole in her leg a while back. Although she healed from it, her health has been deteriorating the last few months. I’m not sure if it’s her old age, or because Midge and Veronica came to live with her.

Anyway, it’s time.

Time to let her go. Time to move on. Time to remember.

Ugh.

I’m not looking forward to missing her.

I will have to fill the void somehow.

Likely, it’ll be with work, with writing, with blogging.

Maybe, just maybe, I’ll start applying myself again and grow my community over here, on this blog!

Oh, yeah, that’s what I wanted to mention.

Adrienne’s product, which has been a long time in the making, and is finally available to you!

While I’d appreciate some kind words of comfort, I also want to let you know about this cool offer, because I think it’s time-sensitive…

If you act today, you can save yourself some money.

Maybe to pay to have your old pet put down. Or to take me to dinner one day.

Or to buy yourself that extra-special gift you’ve been wanting.

Whatever.

The point is this: Read my post on my other blog. It’s chock-full of info, and is NOTHING like the ramblings you are currently reading here.

Or simply skip to the link below.

Your choice.

See you soon, in the comments.

 Kick-start your blog’s growth with super-cool e-course Build a Blog Community!

The post Build YOUR Blog Community (while feeling sad?) appeared first on Laying It Out There.

Who I Am + How I Became a Self-Published Author (and a question for you)

This post is about who I am.

My name is Lorraine Reguly and I am an author, a teacher, an editor, and a blogger. I’ve always been encouraged is to pursue a career in the writing field, and I finally am doing just that. In this post, you’re going to learn about Lorraine the writer.

I’m also a freelancer for hire.

A Brief Rundown of My Writing Experience

I’ve always enjoyed writing. I have written a plethora of different things over the years, including diaries/journals, essays, short stories, speeches, articles, poetry, songs, letters-to-the-editor of local daily and monthly newspapers, plus more. When I finally purchased a laptop that worked (as opposed to owning a computer from the dinosaur ages), I began blogging, creating more works of writing.

Blogging changed my life.

It gave me the confidence I previously lacked. (My issues with depression and suicide spilled over to affect other areas of my life.)

Blogging allowed me to connect with others and be part of a community I love.

It taught me that non-techies such as myself can survive in a technological world. (I fought it for as long as I could… but as the saying goes, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.“)

Most importantly, it provided me with an opportunity to begin a second career and start a business.

Using the talents and some of the knowledge from my first one – teaching – I am now a freelance writer and editor. As of June 28th – or July 1st – depending on how you look at it, I’m also a self-published author.

How Did I Become A Self-Published Author?

First of all, I learned what self-publishing was all about. I interviewed Melissa Bowersock in a tell-all interview (a tell-all about self-publishing, not about the author herself) and read just about every blog post and article I could on the subject of self-publishing. Secondly, I contacted other authors, sought guidance from them, listened to their advice, and discovered that I really, really liked the whole idea of becoming an indie author because of the freedoms it offers.

Once I had a plan to publish my book on Amazon and then on Smashwords (which I still haven’t done yet), I then began typing my stories into my computer.

I knew I’d need feedback before they were ready for the world to see, so I found four excellent beta readers to critique my work.

When I received feedback, the editing began.

I edited my stories, incorporating the suggestions I received. When I thought my manuscript was world-ready, I printed out a copy for my parents to read. My father found one thing that needed changing and my mother found another two. Grr. To make things worse, I decided to change a few more sentences of the first story, and a few more in the next.

Finding A Cover Designer

If you have money to spend, finding a cover designer is easy. If you are on a budget, it’s a lot tougher!

I was on a budget and so attempted to get a cover designed for free.

I found one designer who made about ten different covers for me. I then had an offer from another designer who made a sample cover, as a result of my mass emailing catastrophe.

I have a graphic designer who is doing my ebook cover. Actually, in a weird turn of events, I now have TWO! (This resulted from the catastrophe I had with my experience with mass emailing. One person on my email list is a designer, and she did a quick mock-up of a cover for me, to illustrate HER talents.

All of them can be seen in the post Meet My Ebook Team, Learn About Publishing, and Vote on My Ebook Cover!

The final three covers were these ones:

I decided to go with the last one, but when I contacted the designer, she had changed her mind!

UGH!

I was back at “square one.”

Here is what happened next: I tried designing one myself! When I asked for some feedback from my Facebook friends, I then had another lady offer to help me (for a small fee). And another (for a slightly larger fee).

Finally, I wrote another blog post – A Sneak Peek: Which Ebook Cover Is the Best? - and asked for my readers’ opinions.

The response was overwhelming. Everyone voted for this one!

Finding A Formatter

When I was positive my document was perfect, I tried to format it, using the guidelines Amazon provides. What a headache I got! I’m a self-proclaimed non-techie, so this was frustrating. Then I remembered I had joined a Facebook group for indie authors, so I visited the group and asked a question about formatting, having forgotten to whom I was referred months before.

Trusting someone you don’t know is tough, too, and when several different names were bandied about (one from a guy who told me to email him my book, who, minutes later, informed me he would have limited internet access the next few days), I finally received an offer from Rich Meyer himself. When he sent me to his formatting site, I knew immediately that he was the guy to use, as Rich was the man who was recommended to me earlier in the year! (Rich is pretty well-known in the indie world. He also accepts book review requests.)

With Rich’s help, I was able to get my book up on Amazon rather quickly, and published my first edition on June 28th, 2014. I then decided to make my poem part of the “Note from the Author,” and so decided to add the text instead of having just a link to the poem. I wanted to make sure this poem was accessible to everyone. However, because I made this change, I had to re-publish it with a new ISBN. That is why there is a second edition of Risky Issues, published on July 1, 2014.

Although I’ve outlined each individual step in Steps I Took To Self-Publish My Book, I wanted to mention them again here to remind myself (and you) of the amount of work there is to self-publishing. I’m still not finished with this first venture, as I’m currently in the process of getting an ITIN so that I can print my book using CreateSpace – and not be taxed to the max. (See CreateSpace and Taxation Information for more info.) It’s mandatory for Canadians to follow Legal Deposit procedures, so that’s one of the reasons why I need a printed version.

…because I’m a Canadian author, I have to submit my book to the Library and Archives Canada.

Apparently it’s against the law if I don’t!

They call it Legal Deposit.

I mentioned this already, but it bears repeating.

The other reason I need a print book is because Goodreads requires one in order to hold a giveaway. I mentioned this in a guest post on Indies Unlimited, The Good and the Bad of Being a First-Time Self-Published Author.

Repeating the Publishing Process

Now that I’ve gone through this process once, I know the steps to take for my next book, Letters to Julian, which is scheduled to come out in December of this year. (*fingers crossed*)

Letters to Julian is a series of letters I’ve written to my son throughout his lifetime.

Hopefully my publishing process will go a bit more smoothly this time!

I’m Seeking Beta Readers!

I’m looking for beta readers for this book. If you would like to be one, let me know! It’ll take me a couple of months to get it all together, but I’m asking now…

Are you interested?

Chime In!

Are you in the middle of publishing your first book?

What problems did you encounter when publishing your books?

Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

I’d love to hear from you!

Some Fun Stuff for YOU

FYI, here is a cool site to help motivate you to write. https://750words.com/

You might also like some fun word games to take your mind off writing…

Enjoy your writing process, and your day!

And… don’t forget about my offer to get some free editing from me !

The post Who I Am + How I Became a Self-Published Author (and a question for you) appeared first on Laying It Out There.

Some Interesting News

In 2013, when I was an aspiring author, I was told to follow certain blogs, including the one belonging to Passive Guy.

I’m not a huge news addict, but I do scan the emails I get. Often something piques my interest, and Publishing industry reels after nine million fewer books are given as gifts in 2013 was no exception.

What I found interesting are the following:

The survey found that digital e-books now account for 25 per cent of all book purchases (up from 20 per cent in 2012) and that their growth is at the expense of paperbacks (down to 50 per cent from 55 per cent) but not of hardbacks (steady at 21 per cent).

and

Erotic fiction – which dropped from 16 per cent of the market in 2012 to five per cent in 2013 – has tumbled from second most popular genre in paperbacks and e-books in 2012 to seventh place in both categories in 2013.

I found the last one especially interesting because I was thinking about writing erotica.

Hmm.

I guess I’ll just have to go where my muse takes me.

For now, I’m working on Letters To Julian. It’s going slowly, as I’ve been dealing with some personal issues as well as some health issues. I will be looking for beta readers, though, when I’m done.

If you want to be one, please let me know, and I’ll add your name to my list!

Thanks.

 

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True Tale Tuesday: October’s Activities and Beta Reader Seeking

I’ve been busy lately, and I’ve been sick with a cold, too.

In the month of October, I’ve been doing many different things. I was going to write a super-long post here, but I decided that, since Google hates duplicate content, to simply write a journal entry on Wording Well.

Please read it, as I’m also seeking beta readers for my upcoming book, Letters to Julian.

 

The post True Tale Tuesday: October’s Activities and Beta Reader Seeking appeared first on Laying It Out There.

All About BookVetter: A Site for #authors, #writers, and #bookreview #bloggers

 

BookVetter is a fairly new site for authors, aspiring writers, and book review bloggers, and I learned about this site through one of my LinkedIn connections, Marc Brackett. He’s the owner of BookVetter.

 

According to Marc Brackett:

Bookvetter is a filter that enables a connection between authors and book review bloggers. With so many books on the market and our time being limited yet, we need a credible means of sorting books for quality and then making the right audience aware of these books.

As an author when you submit a book for review on Bookvetter (this links to the infographic of the process), you receive honest and unbiased feedback. There’s no threat of review trading or review reprisals, it’s the content of your book that is being measured not your connections. At the same time the objective is to also develop authors and help them write better books versus shaming them.

As a book review blogger you receive access to books that have survived anonymous author peer review. The number of books that survive this process are exceptional and worthy of a large audience. In addition Bookvetter also provides a review request form that can be added to blogs and websites that will filter review requests and help automate the process for reviewers so they spend less time dealing with paperwork. This infographic might help you understand the Bookvetter Reviewer Process better.

For the time being Bookvetter is free. We are still testing the theory that authors can accurately filter the content being reviewed and that book review bloggers are the most effective means of reaching a larger audience that will be willing to pay for these books. Our end objective is to create a community that reduces the amount of time authors have to spend on self-promotion and provides a better connection with readers who will appreciate the books being written.

We are currently still building all the needed features and using member feedback to create a community that fits the needs of all the parties involved. If our theory is proven correct and provides value to authors, at some point in the future we will need to charge a small fee when an author goes to submit a book for review. As the work is provided by a community this fee can be very small, somewhere between $5-20 per book. Book review bloggers, book clubs, or libraries will never be charged anything, only authors who are seeking a financial return on their work.

We are new, still learning, and needing members who are willing to grow with us and create something of lasting value.

 

I’m also pleased to announce that I am one of the editors listed on BookVetter!

Please read My Editing Recommendations from BookVetter for more information.

Other BookVetter Endorsements

Indies Unlimted also wrote about BookVetter. If they write about something, you know it’s gotta be good.

Just sayin’.

 

Don’t forget about my offer to get some free editing from me ! I’d appreciate it if you shared this post, too.

The post All About BookVetter: A Site for #authors, #writers, and #bookreview #bloggers appeared first on Laying It Out There.

Help Raani Spread the Word about Dragonbride (her NEW Book)!

Today I have a special guest… Raani York. She’s the writer behind the Cat Prince posts on her blog. Raani allowed me to guest post on her blog, too. Read How Cats and Social Media Brought Me Together With Other Writers for more information about that…

…but for now, check out Raani’s latest news about her book release of Dragonbride!

Dragonbride

(The Dragon Chronicles, Book #1)

Shalima, “Daughter of the Light”, was born under special circumstances. She was raised by her aunts instead of her mother because she needed to be prepared to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Scriptures, which told that she was the only Magician on Earth.

Her aunts carefully prepared her for her obligations and her sacred duty. She will have to get married to the Holy Golden Dragon, the King of the Dragons, a huge Earth Dragon with magical talents. She cannot believe that she is the “Chosen One”, who has to protect the Dragon Species, all of Nature and finally the Earth. But when she turned into a teenager it seemed that the Old Scriptures were right.

 

Teaser for Dragonbride:

The mountains possessed a dark but seductive beauty, and they lay in wait for the ones wo came through the Fire Hell. The powdered white peaks of the sparkling black mountain-world watched for them with longing.

The Diamond Mountains gave the illusion of being much closer than they really were, and many a pilgrim had been lured to his death by the promise of riches hidden on their slopes. These mountains were so named because of the rough gems strewn about the black volcanic soil. When the sun shone overhead the gems made the mountains sparkle and shimmer brightly, and at night they made the moonlit mountains glow with a soft silver light.

People, blinded by both their greed and the tantalizing glittering of the sunlit earth, imagined that there was immeasurable wealth lying there on the ground, just waiting to be picked. However, the mountains never betrayed the secrets they held. None who had ever walked those slopes could find the diamonds hidden within the black soil, for the mountains protected themselves.

Although healthy forest still grew in the foothills, the undergrowth became sparser just a few hundred feet up, and then the treeline ended. Where stunted trees would normally grow the forest just stopped, as if some unseen hand had cut it short. All that remained were dangerously sharp, dry rocks. Just below the snowline, the rocks disappeared, and the glittering black soil took their place.

Moreover, at the summit it seemed as if the Creator of All Things had dusted the peaks of the fissured mountain range with powdered sugar, for they were covered with a deceptively soft-looking, yet extremely sharp-edged eternal snow.

The mountains never betrayed their secrets…

And if a wanderer were to climb those peaks, going up to the Fire Hell and searching to quench his thirst at a splashing mountain spring, he would find no cool, refreshing water. Instead, these living mountains would seek to frighten him by shrouding the ground with a mysterious fog that made it impossible to see where he was putting his feet. Pilgrims sometimes drowned in the sulfurous pools of water hidden within the hellish rocks when the fog appeared, and if they left the main trails, they would know true fear, for they would be led down treacherous sidepaths that seemed to take them somewhere, yet actually led them nowhere but to their doom.

The mountains never betrayed their secrets…

Though many thought they would find the cool relief of the shadows by early evening, the ascent would continue for another three torturous days. During those three days, their throats would scream for water, and their eyes would tear up in the swirling sand. Blown up by the hot desert winds, the sand burned as it fell upon a traveler’s face and skin. Eventually their limbs would become heavy, and they would barely be able to move; thus, the wanderers would be forced to crawl on, farther and farther, until sheer luck eventually brought them to civilization… to people.

In a canyon between two hills below the mountain range there was a village. It had no official name, but the people living there called it Alpcateçu, which meant Oasis of the Mountains. Anyone who wanted to climb the mountains had to pass through the village. A few taverns and inns surrounded the village fountain, where a market was sometimes held.

Some houses and huts had been built in the wide hills and even at the edge of the forest… and in one such place, hidden within the woods, almost four hundred feet past the deepest thicket and connected to the village only by a sidepath lay the place in which I had been born.

 

Author Bio

Raani York has been a high volume writer for years. She has published articles, letters, short stories, poems, continuation stories and descriptions of all kind. She also writes novels, some of which can found on her website.

Raani has been educated in Switzerland and in the U.S. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. She also obtained diplomas in Graphic Design, Color Studies and won a prize as a Logo Designer. She speaks four languages and several dialects.

Raani York works and lives in Switzerland and the U.S. and travels often.

  Next to her writing and her cats, Raani likes reading, blogging, Martial Arts, skiing, horseback riding, sky diving and enjoys playing the classical piano.

 

 

Contact:

Website 

Blog

Email: raaniyorkca@aol.com

Google+

Facebook

FB Author Page

Twitter

LinkedIn

Myspace

Goodreads

Microcerpt

Pinterest

 Buy the Book

on Smashwords: https://smashwords.com/books/view/479647
as an Ebook for following formats: epub, mobi, pd,f rtf, lrf ,pdb, txt, html

The Paperback version on Amazon will be released very soon! More buyer’s links will be available within the next week.

Follow Raani’s blog for more information!

 

Good luck, Raani!

Stop by and visit Raani’s supporters:

Juneta Key

 

Tammy Shanks 

Laurie Smith

Scarlett Flame

Shirley McLain 

Kelly Heckart 

Lexie Conyngham

Darian Wilk

Linda W. Yezak

Jeanette Andersen

Marla Todd

West Coast Review

Renee Scattergood

Rebecca Draco

Kirstin Puliof

 

Elle Lisa Klaes

A. G. Moye

Megan Cyrulewski 

Allan Krummenacker

Christopher Lakin

Please share this post with others and help Raani make some sales!

Thanks!

 

The post Help Raani Spread the Word about Dragonbride (her NEW Book)! appeared first on Laying It Out There.

Why Do You Write?

Like most writers, I write for the joy I get from writing.

With the ability to self-publish nowadays, though, money is one of the reasons a person decides to author a book.

Forget the fame. Forget the feelings of euphoria you get when you see your name in print, on the cover of a book. Forget interacting with fans.

Those writers do it for the money. That’s it.

It’s pretty sad, really.

What’s sadder is when an author hopes to make money from his/her book… and doesn’t.

Like me, for instance. I make more money through freelancing and by having Adsense in place on Wording Well.

Of course, I don’t write to make money. Well, not solely to make money.

I write for the sheer joy I get from writing.

I think most writers do.

When I Write

Here is a poem I wrote (originally published on Poetry Perfected):

When I write, I love myself

I lose track of time

I forget about watching TV

I love me.

When I write, I feel better

My self-worth is raised

My heart becomes full

I am inspired.

When I write, I achieve greatness

I change peoples’ lives

I elevate their souls

I help you.

When I write, I experience joy

I feel the warmth flow in my veins

To the paper – or the screen

I am exported to another world only other writers understand

But I provide another world to readers

when I write.

Why do you write?

Tell me. I’d like to know.

FYI, whomever leaves a comment on this post will get his/her name entered into the “well” for a chance to win some free editing from yours truly. Read this for more information on how you can earn entries into the “well,” including how you can earn 10 entries!

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Need An Online Assistant? Use Angela Shirley!

 

A while back, I decided to try out the services of Angela Shirley, who, when I met her, worked strictly for authors. She has since changed her title to a Virtual & Author’s Assistant. (Way to go, Angela!)

What appealed to me most about her is that she does not charge authors anything! Instead, she relies on donations.

For a new author such as myself, I decided to “hire” Angela to help me promote my book. I’m not fond of marketing, but it’s a necessary part of being self-published. Even though I have received a few great reviews on my book, Risky Issues, and have made appearances on several sites, I know my efforts need to be doubled, then quadrupled, then multiplied by about zillion. *sigh*

I bet you can relate!

Angela proved to be a godsend.

What Angela Did For Me

I asked Angela to create a press release for me. This was the easy part, admittedly, as I sent her the information. However, what she did next was email it to newspapers in both Canada and the United States. She also provided me with proof of what she did, and saved me a ton of time.

My only regret was that I could not donate more to her! However, I will use her services again, as I found out that she also does transcriptionist work… so.. win-win! (I tested out her skills myself by sending her a recording. She is a faster typist than I am and so I will be recording things via Vocaroo and sending her the link so she can transcribe my words.)

Contact Angela

Angela can be contacted via Whatever Needs To Be Done, Inc.

You can find references on her LinkedIn profile.

She has 32 of them… so far.

That’s pretty darn fantastic, if you ask me!

She truly does whatever needs to be done!

The post Need An Online Assistant? Use Angela Shirley! appeared first on Laying It Out There.

The New Book Journal (and other places to promote your book)

The website called New Book Journal is a place where authors can submit press releases about their books, and I’m pleased to announce that they featured my book on Sunday, September 14, 2014.

About New Book Journal

New Book Journal is run by R. K. Alan, an architect by education, real estate developer by profession and closet writer for much of his life. (His words, not mine.) He can be found on Google+ as Raymond A Klesc. He likes to be called Ray.

Ray is also an author. He blogs about his book trilogy, Return to Earth, on his blog, Return to Earth Journal.

Here’s his book trailer:



Risky Issues (my book) is currently being featured in the sidebar of  the New Book Journal website, too. The books that are featured there are the last few books promoted on the site, and also on the Pinterest board called Outstanding New Books.

 

Clicking on the name of the board will bring you to it, but clicking on my book will bring you to the pin of my book on this board, which you can pin to any of your boards!

Another Indie Promoter: Owen Thomas

I recently discovered another promotional site for indie authors: Owen Thomas Fiction. This indie helps emerging Indie fiction Authors by doing several different things, including author interviews.

He published a mention of my book on his Emerging Indie Authors page, which links to a press release for Risky Issues.

According to Owen:

Selected authors must subscribe to this site and include a reciprocal link on their author website. If your application is approved, I will post the following information: your name, the name of your book, available formats, a 100-word summary, a link to your website, and the place or places your book can be found. Postings will be made 1-3 times per week on a first-come, first-serve basis.

 

Indies Unlimted

Indies Unlimited is a great place to connect with other Indie authors. It’s written by Indies, for Indies. Need I say more?

Check out their FAQ page to learn more.

My Most Recent Book Review

You meet people of all ages when blogging, and a while back I had the fortune of meeting and interacting with a teenage girl. She bought my book, and wrote me a review. She blogged her review of Risky Issues on her site, The Confetti Girl, too.

Below are a couple of things she said, about each story:

The Secrets of the Study – This story deals with the idea of adoption and made me feel and understand every thought and feeling of the character as she weighs all positive and negative thoughts while tension increases and builds to the climax.

Pamela in the Park- The ever changing balance between actions and decisions is something we teenagers face everyday as we learn to make decisions, form opinions and accept mistakes that we make and it is brought out beautifully and realistically by Reguly in the second story.

The Day Adam Saw Red – This story brings out the many layers of complexities and bundled emotions that a young victim experiences and these are effectively portrayed by Reguly in a fashion that makes you feel that the characters could be anyone in the world around you, making you sensitive to the issue and more aware.

My Best Friend – Personally, this story affected me deeply and is one of my favorites in this book because it made me realize how true friends are the ones that cannot be replaced no matter what.

I simply love what she has said in her recommendation, too, as it proves that one of my goals about raising awareness and communication have been met:

I highly recommend this book to every young adult and adult even though this book focuses on teenagers. This is because along with expressing and exploring teenagers, Reguly also explores the adults in the lives of these teenagers which can bring to you a fresh perspective in your understanding of teenagers. Though a little short and elaborate in the dealing of complex issues and ideas, this book is a lifeline to teenagers in such issues and a torch to others who become more sensitive and aware after reading it.

You can purchase Risky issues here. (Indian citizens)

And here (For US citizens)

YOUR TURN:

Do you help promote Indie authors?

What promotion services have you found to be useful?

Share in the comments, please, and help others discover new ways to  promote their books!

The post The New Book Journal (and other places to promote your book) appeared first on Laying It Out There.