What Happened?

Here's how it goes.
You're looking forward to a book. Maybe for a day, maybe for months.
You grab your snack, beverage, a comfy spot, and teasingly open those first few pages. But before long, your cozy evening has been hijacked by a book that wildly doesn't live up to your expectations.
Throwing the book down, you storm off to find another one...But what happened?

What did that book do that broke your short lived love affair?

For me, it's a variety of reasons.

I have read many, MANY books over the years, and recently I have dived into the realm of Self, Indie, and Small Press Pubbed books.
During this time I've found books that for some reason I stopped reading. It doesn't happen often, but it has happened. Case in point: in the past two years there has been three books I've had to put down and step away from.

And no, I'm not going to spill which ones they were here. That is a different topic entirely.
What is interesting is that the main reason for putting each down was different for each one.

The first was a fantasy that I had to stop reading due to the rampant cliche's. It was terrible. From the characters, to plot holes, to even dialogue. It was riddled with tropes, and NOT in a good way. (The editing was also terrible, but that's not the main reason I had to put it down.)

The second was what I thought was an paranormal/urban fantasy. I got 30% in and realized it wasn't, it was a graphic romance novel with paranormal/UF aspects to it. Very little plot development with jumping between characters minds in mid paragraph. I wasn't prepared for the content, and on top of that it was not at all something that I enjoy as the "romance" part of it overtook the rest of the book.

To be slightly more generous, both of the above were self published. Now, self pubbers NEED to have many rounds of edits and re-writes, just like traditionally pubbed writers. Each book of mine goes through multiple rounds of edits from me, as well at least 5 other people before it is released to the world. In the above instances, these things would have been very easily found, and fixed had their editors been either honest, or they went through enough rounds.

The third was the second in a series of paranormal romances. I did enjoy the first, but this sequel was not the same, at all. The back blurb talked about one male and one female, the reader would think those are the main characters, correct? We didn't even see one of them until chapter five. Then we didn't get a chapter from one of their POV's until chapter seven.
On top of that, there were several mistakes that should have been caught as this was published from a small press, that SHOULD have had a through editing before release.

In all of this I don't begrudge the author. Writing is hard. But releasing that book into the world? Terrifyingly difficult.

The only downside I see is that I wasn't able to enjoy the writers world as they intended. And in many of the cases of books I put down, had these simple items been fixed, I wouldn't have been able to put the books down!

Anyone else have books they just had to stop reading? Why?

Reading Wide

I recently saw a discussion in one of the Writing Groups I follow on Facebook about whether or not one should write and read in multiple genres.

I didn't weigh in, because it would have taken far too many comments for me to explain my feelings about this topic.

With that, my opinion is this:

HECK YES!

Every writer should not only read widely, but I also believe they should also write widely.

At the time of writing this I am reading Polgara the Sorceress  by David Eddings, The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell, and Coiled by H.L. Burke. The first is a high fantasy, the second is a historical fiction, and the last is a retelling of the Eros and Psyche myth.

Each is different, each contains tropes from the different genres, and all of them are good in their own way. I thoroughly enjoy several different genres. Romance, all types of Fantasy, Historical, Mystery, and Retellings each have places on my book shelves.

Reading as a writer is different than just enjoying a story. In order to improve your writing, reading with an eye towards craft is an invaluable tool. One of the best pieces of advice I've stumbled across was as a writer you should read as much as you can. But not just read a lot, examine and dissect the books you read.

Instead of simply thinking "I like this character", ask yourself why? How does the writer make you care for them? What aspects to the character bleed through the writing that hooked you?

Maybe it's the plot. Does it twist and turn and keep you guessing? Or is it simple and straight forward but the setting and characters make it intriguing.

Since different genres place emphasis on different parts of writing. By reading and asking yourself questions about these, your writing will become more well rounded.
For example:
A common error that new(er) authors stumble into with fantasy is not doing enough world building. Or to spend so much time and space in the book cramming every detail about the world, and then not have enough plot or characterization to pull the readers into the story.

All writers should read widely in an effort to better their craft and give readers books they want to read, and enjoy.

While I write mainly fantasy, I have had a lot of people that wouldn't normally read fantasy, read and love my Incalescent Trilogy. Mainly because I don't just focus on the fantasy aspects, but the interpersonal relationships and emotions behind the events in the plot.

Just because you write in one genre, doesn't mean you are restricted to read ONLY that genre.
Spread out and try different stories, ask questions, and improve your own work!

Sunday Book Review

It's the second Sunday of the month, and that means it's Book Review Sunday!
For February I was feeling a bit romantic and so selected a romance book. Wine and Children completely exceeded my expectations, but before I get too far ahead of myself, some details about the book and its author Sara Dahmen.

Wine and Children comes from award-winning novelist Sara Dahmen and was the 2017 First Place Winner of Wisconsin's Romance Writers of America Write Touch Award. The synopsis from Amazon is as follows:

Single and still smarting from her divorce, Charlotte Paggo takes a sabbatical to meander through California's wine country in an attempt to rebuild herself. Her travels lead her to meet Sam, a budding garagiste wine maker and a divorcee himself. Neither of them have any illusions about what it takes to make a relationship work, and romance is complicated by Sam's pre-teen sons.

Issues surface, from ex-spouses, children and medical emergencies. Underlying everything is the battle of Charlie's insecurities that stem from her irrevocable infertility. Like so many real life couples who hope for second chances, Charlie and Sam need to work together to discover what it might take to find comfort and happiness once more.

This novel more than delivers when it comes to details about wine making, the emotional turmoil that people have to deal with after divorce, the stigma around infertility, and the process of mature love.

I never knew as many details about wine making, and I absolutely loved when Sam would explain things to Charlie. I feel like, just by reading this book I gained insight about a hobby and passion that I didn't know about before. Dahmen definitely did her homework and included the details in such a way as to not overload and bore, but rather educated and entertain the reader.

As someone who has not been divorced, but did have an engagement end rather badly. I may not have had to deal with infertility, but starting a new relationship after mourning a previous one, is a daunting task. Despite not dealing with the exact issues Charlie has, Dahmen wrote the story in such a way that I completely sympathized, and was able to place myself in her shoes. I was almost brought to tears several times. Which is saying something as I never cry when reading!

I absolutely fell in love with Sam. I thought his character was fantastic. He was not idealized like some romantic love interests. Instead he was human, he had his own flaws as well as positives. He is the perfectly flawed match to Charlie and I found their interactions realistic. I never wanted the story to end, and found myself staying up late to read when I really should have been in bed. (Whoops!)

Wine and Children is a must read for anyone that enjoys romantic stories. Period. A truly refreshing take on the romantic story line that bucks traditional tropes in favor of realistic love that pulls on the heart stings. So grab your copy today, the eBook is on sale for $2.99, and the print book is discounted as well!

Link to book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Wine-Children-Sara-Dahmen-ebook/dp/B01N2UBGCO/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Sara Dahmen's website: http://www.saradahmen.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/saradahmenbooks
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/sara_dahmen/

Cover Reveal

If you follow any of my other social media, you may have noticed that the cover for Wolf's Blood was released!

I am so excited to share not only this story, but the cover. Kaitlin at Diseuno Vida Studios designed it, and she did a fabulous job! I gave her some rough ideas for what I wanted, but she took what I had and ran with it. The Celtic circle, and howling wolf are simply genius and really give the cover more substance!

Originally I was not going to write the trilogy for some years, but two years ago Bryna just kept pestering me during NaNoWriMo. I ended up writing over half of the first draft during that time. It poured out of me onto the page in rapid succession. Below is the book blurb:

Descending from generations of Loup Garou—immortal wolf shape shifters—makes living life in the modern world a bit complicated. Bryna Whealan’s nights are spent managing her family pub, and days are consumed with keeping the wolf inside controlled. Life was utterly predictable and comfortable, and she liked it that way. At least until a rogue wolf showed up, and someone breaks into her pub, creating unease through her pack.

A fateful meeting brings Ethan Donnelly into Bryna’s life, forcing her to make decisions based on their immediately undeniable bond. But due to his studies of supernatural creatures as a professor of Occult Anthropology, Ethan is a dangerous match. Bryna risks her entire pack’s safety simply by talking to him.

When her ex-fiancé rolls into town, and mysterious wolves infringe upon her pack’s territory, how will Bryna balance keeping her secret and Ethan safe? 

The book will go on pre-sale soon! I will be sure to update my social media when it does so. :) 

AND as a bonus Kaitlin is giving potential clients a 20% discount if they mention me as a referral! So be sure to mention me when contacting this fantastic artist for your own works. 

https://disuenovida.wordpress.com/

New Years Resolutions Pt 3 - My Goals for 2018

How has your January gone? Well? Any resouti—Goals that have been met yet? Have you laid the mini-goals and map out of how you're going to attain those goals for 2018?
This blog is Part Three in setting goals.

I've had years where I concentrated on writing my fingers off, publishing multiple books, and losing weight/eating better.

This year?

This year, 2018, is going to be the year of Balance. That is going to be my word for the year.

Seeking the balance between writing, marketing, social media, and being a parent.
Within that search for balance, I do have some professional goals that I would like to share here.

1. Reach 550 followers on Twitter, and 400 on Instagram. A bit of arbitrary numbers, but I've been stuck at gaining and then loosing the same 20 or so people on Twitter, and 10 people on Instagram. (Clearly not the same exact people, but number wise.) It would be awesome to hit those numbers, and then maintain it through 2018.

To make strides for this goal that I plan on posting every day, being active and responsive to other posts, being a participant in Joshua Robertson's #author365 (https://www.instagram.com/robertsonwrites/)for the entire year on Instagram. Considering I've never completed even a month long hashtag challenge, this will be interesting.
On Twitter I will be participating in #1lineWed weekly, and be sure to check in and interact with others daily. I always mean to, but the Twitter feed just doesn't hold my attention the way Instagram does. I just enjoy seeing everyone's pictures more!


2. Finish An Irish Christmas, book two in my Emerald Isle trilogy, and publish early November 2018.

I would have preferred to have it released this summer, but that is just not feasible with the responsibilities I have around the house as well as raising my son. The time just isn't there, but I am doing my best to work on the story when I have the time. I don't want to either rush the book and have it not be as good as it could be, nor do I want to work myself so much that I run on three hours of sleep a night while taking care of a more and more mobile (I swear almost toddler!) boy.

To reach this goal, once a month my mom will take Liam for a Saturday morning, giving me 4-5 hours of completely baby free time at home. YAY! Also, once a month I am going to get out of the house and plop myself at a local coffee place for an hour or two while Hubby and Liam get some "guy time". I have noticed that I am able to concentrate more and get more work done when I am in public place where I only have work to do.


3. Have blogs come out at least twice a month on Wednesdays, as well as a once monthly book review of a small press/self published book.

So far I have several books lined up, and the first few books read, and the reviews written. I am going to work ahead, so that I have the posts completed, scheduled a month a head of time. By doing this I won't panic thinking I have nothing to go out, as well as giving me time to set up blog series, and collaborate with other authors.



So there you have it. My three professional goals for 2018. Balance. Breath in, Breath out. Then I'm going to snuggle my baby boy before getting to work.

New Years Resolutions Pt 2- Set Yourself Up for Success

Welcome back to my three part series on New Years Res—I mean Goals.
Which as we covered last week can start really at any time you want. ANY TIME. Not just at the beginning of the "New Year, New Me" phase. (Seriously, does anyone else loathe that statement as much as me?! I digress...)

This time I want to share some tips that helped me to achieve the goals that I set.

Want to know the first thing to do if you want to fail at your goals?
Make them big, with no plan on how to get there.

That is honestly the first failing of a lot of goal setters. I saw it every year in the gym. That first month back is PACKED to the gills, but as the month wanes, people start to drop off. Then by March maybe a handful have stuck around.

Why?

Because they go all out for a few weeks, completely changing their schedule and focusing on this huge momentous goal. Never thinking of making small steps, and smaller goals, on the road to their bigger one.

Their goal may have been to lose 40 pounds, run a 5K, or lift to a certain amount. But without those smaller goals after some time, that bigger goal seems out of reach, and they lose momentum.

I have done this, I will be the first to admit it. Setting goals is easy, working towards them is not. We are only human after all.

So the best way to actually reach your goals are to split them up into bite sized pieces. Every time you hit one of these mini goals you celebrate. It means you're moving forward toward your larger goal, but you are also celebrating how far you have come.

If your goal is to run a 5K, I do not recommend getting on a treadmill (I live in SE WI, so I don't suggest hitting the pavement in below freezing weather) and sprinting the full 5K. I don't think many people could do that without training.

Instead of punishing yourself and falling short of your goal, try running for a set amount of time. Say 1 minute straight to start with walking periods in between. Repeat that a few times over the course of 30 minutes for example. Do that for a week. Then the next week, increase one of the minutes of running to two. And so on until you are running straight for the full 30 min. Then work on distance.

You are not only working toward your goal, but you are changing your habits as well. That is the difficult part of goals. Humans like our habits, it's in our nature. And change, even welcome, wanted change, is difficult. BUT if you can push past the discomfort and start with small changes, you will find that you can achieve even the biggest of goals in time.

Another equally important aspect to reaching your goals is finding someone to cheer you on. Everyone needs encouragement every now and then. So find your cheering section! This can be done with personal friends or family who may have the same goal as you, or someone who just wants to see you succeed and can hold you accountable to show up and work to your goal.

In the writing community there are some lovely people that can be found on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook writing groups, and the NaNoWriMo website. If you do a quick search of #amwriting on Twitter or Instagram, you will find these wonderful people. Even one writing buddy can make the difference, so reach out.
(Feel free to add me, I love cheering people on! Twitter/Insta: @MalindaWrites )

Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Our goals shouldn't be sprints either.

I like to set up both long term and short term goals. Next week I'll share a few of my goals for the New Year; long term, short term, and how I plan to get there.

Has anyone set goals for this year? Writing related? Health related? Work or personal life related? Drop a comment below, I'd love to cheer you on! :)

New Years Resolutions Pt 1 - Why Make Them At All?

If I am completely honest here, and I will be since it is—after all—my blog, I HATE New Years Resolutions.

I mean it's fantastic that people want to better themselves by quitting smoking, eating healthier, going to the gym, doing daily brain teasers, or hitting personal milestones.

But the darn guilt of feeling you HAVE to have something to work on at the beginning of the year is crippling,

Am I right? Or am I RIGHT?!?

Before you click away thinking this is just another "New Year, New You" pile of-you-know-what....just hear me out. It won't take long! ;)

Despite my feelings about New Years Resolutions, I do agree that even writers should have resolutions. How about instead of calling them resolutions, we call them goals?
And instead of just having them at the new year, let's start them whenever we need to. Be it a Tuesday, Friday, or even the second half of the day after sitting around and being a bum and feeling sorry for yourself. Just me? Okay, moving on...

Any time is a good time to set a goal!

Goals are fantastic. They give us something to strive for. A finish line for those of us feeling like we're slaving away for naught. A goal can be as small or as large as you want or need it to be.
They help to keep us motivated to make the changes we feel we need to make. Whether they be a personal or professional goal. Even something silly such as remembering to always put your keys in the same spot, is a good goal.

As long as the goal is something that you feel will better yourself, set it!

Sadly though, setting a goal is an entirely different animal than achieving that goal. This is not like those "Set it and Forget it" meals your mom made back in the day.
Getting to that goal is going to take some work.

In next weeks post I'll talk about how to set goals in a manageable way, and how to motivate yourself to hit those puppies.

Until then why don't you, dear reader, think of something you would like to change in your life.
No matter how small, large, serious, or silly, and I will do the same!