Tuesday Takeover: TOP 10 OBSTACLES FOR AN AUTHOR by Rissa Blakeley

10. Writing a long-winded social media post, posting it, then realizing how many errors there are. You quickly try to edit it, but someone has already commented! You yell curse words you never knew would come out of your mouth. Then reality sinks in… They have read your error-filled post! Will they judge your books based on it? -head desk-

9. Finding a topic for a blog takeover. It’s always wonderful when someone extends an offer for a blog takeover, but the moment you accept, your mind starts spinning. What do I write? (Google, you are offering me zero help on this)… Will their readers enjoy it? (Scrolls through the blog hoping to get a hint at what their readers would like)… Is the topic overdone? (Sees the dead horse lurking)… Is the topic too sensitive or controversial? (No. Yes. Wait… No, but if I… YES!)…

8. Daily attire. Black yoga pants, t-shirt or tank top, hoodie. Good news! I’m always ready for the gym! But these are my retired gym clothes. I wear nicer stuff to the Mr. and Mrs. Olympia display at my local Buff Daddy Gym. Then a friend calls. “Hey, let’s do lunch.” You stare down at your clothing. Is that a coffee stain? Do I want to put on nicer clothes? So you ask, “Where do you want to go?” They respond with, “Where would you like to go?” I can’t even decide on real pants and you want me to decide on a restaurant?

7. The search history. I fully expect the NSA to show up any day now. Guns, knives, explosives, ways to kill someone… There are many more, but I have to keep a low profile. Is that someone pounding on my front door?

6. Time. It’s both friend and foe. Oh, look at the time. I have plenty of time. Just a few more minutes. Hey, look at tha- OH, MY GOD! I’M RUNNING OUT OF TIME! Promo. I have to get my manuscript out. Promo. Edits, promo, edits, promo, edits. Promo. I need a cover. Promo. Formatting! Promo. Order swag. Promo. Get ARCs out. Promo. Remind those who took ARCs to review after publishing! Promo. GAH! Publish. Promo. Blog tour! Promo. A signing event? Promo! Is it nap time yet?

5. Distraction. What was this post about again?

4. When you come clean and tell people you have published a book, the questions start rolling in. “Oh? What’s your book about?” Well, you know, it’s a story of two people. Okay, like, maybe a half-dozen people. Okay, more like a small community who meet on this epic journey and this thing that happens is just heartbreaking. But, you see, they… Oh, f*ck it.

3. Writing tools.
– A specific red pen that makes you feel like you can cut your printed manuscript up for the better.
– Highlighters in a variety of colors for timeline, editing, overused words, and to draw pretty flowers on the page.
– Lined paper? -snort- Quad in a spiral-bound book with one pocket, please. Oh, and the cover has to be plastic. No, not red. Black, thank you. No, wait. This is a three-subject book. I need only one-subject because all the rest are one-subject.
– The stacks of Post-It notes (Fun fact: the company has actually liked one of my tweets before) in several shapes, sizes, and colors. Because you never know when you’ll need a Post-it note almost the size of your wall.
– Laptop/desktop/phone/tablet decides to stop working and you begin praying that your work is saved somewhere else.
– A multitude of flash drives and external drives. It’s like playing a game to see which drive holds what. The winner is usually a lost one.
– Pens. You pick up a blue pen and no words flow. You pick up a purple pen and no words flow. You pick up a red pen… EDITING ONLY. You pick up a black pen and angels begin singing. Then you scream, “MUST…HAVE…ALL…THE…BLACK…PENS.”

2. Coffee. You make your first cup. -sip- Oh yes, thank you for this gift of coffee. I can now produce many words. You make your second cup of coffee. -sip- Then you realize you won’t have enough coffee for the day. You look down at your clothes…dingy, baggy yoga pants, coffee-stained t-shirt. You decide to leave a cryptic post on Facebook about what your favorite coffee drink is from Starbucks in the hopes someone drops one off to you.

1. ANXIETY.

—————————

12553014_445580098975636_7704215590528845850_n

BIO:

Rissa Blakeley is the author of the paranormal series, Corvidae Guard, and the post-apocalypse saga, Shattered Lives, which features a paranormal twist. Her short story, A Little Taste of Naughty, was part of the best-selling anthology, Just Desserts.

As a native New Yorker, Rissa is now a Georgia transplant, who is completely addicted to black coffee, La Croix and obsessively listens to songs on repeat. Her days are full of characters screaming for more scenes, cats living up to their Harry Potter namesakes, a lazy dog, a teenage daughter bringing Emo back, and a Viking husband, who finds her puns less than funny. When Rissa isn’t writing, she can be found procrastinating on social media.

LINKS:

Website ~ Newsletter ~ Amazon Author Page ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads ~ Email

 

 

Jul 12, 2016 | Posted by in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Tuesday Takeover: TOP 10 OBSTACLES FOR AN AUTHOR by Rissa Blakeley

Tuesday Takeover: Writing a book is just like having a baby by Sarah Negovetich

I’ve just released my third book, and I have to tell you, every release is a bit different, but the first one is the doozy that will make you or break you. I was ruminating back on that first release when I realized just how much it had in common with having my first baby. Here’s what I’m talking about.

Information Overload

New Baby: You read every book in the library and spent countless hours combing internet articles that are one half comforting and the other half terrifying. When you manage to pull yourself away from the computer, you gorge yourself on episode of A Baby Story on TLC.

New Book: In preparation for your new bundle of joy, you read everything you can about the craft. Do you want to publish your book with a trusted professional or are you the more DIY, hands on kind of author? There are dream stories about people who sell their first book for millions and then there are those who labor for years before they birth words into the world. You take it all in: books, podcasts, conferences, webinars. And in the end you still have no idea what’s going on.

Unsolicited Advice

New Baby: Everyone who has ever had a baby, knows someone who has a baby, or has thought about having a baby will provide you with all the random advice you never wanted to know. Perfect strangers will begin talking about the most intimate parts of your body as if you were a side-show at a discount carnival.

New Book: Be prepared for Aunt Elanor who hasn’t read a book released in the last three decades to tell you exactly how to write a good book. You will graciously ignore that her last birthday card contained no less than five grammar errors. Even though you didn’t know a single author before you started writing, now that you’re doing it, everyone you know is going to write a novel…some day…you know, when they have the time.

New Obsession

New Baby: This little angel will consume all your waking and sleeping thoughts. Before hand you’ll wax poetic to the lady at the super market about the little flutter kicks tickling your belly and share baby name thoughts with your waiter. People will avoid riding in elevators with you, so they don’t have to hear about your nursery colors one more time. Only other expecting moms will share your joy obsession.

New Book: Your project is all you ever want to talk about. It finds a way into every conversation you have. Your spouse knows more about the intimate details in your head than is advisable. Other writers will gladly join you in your obsession. Plus, there are plenty of online chatrooms and Twitter #wordsprints to keep you happily engaged. Non-writer friends don’t fully understand what you’re doing. You may find that some can’t take it and slowly drift away. Your best friends still don’t get it, but will quietly listen to you talk about your writer’s block for the fifth time this week.

Loss of Sleep

New Baby: Even before the baby gets here, you’ll lose sleep thinking, dreaming and worrying about your precious arrival. Not to mention the frequent trips to the bathroom . After the baby arrives, forget it. You’re up every few hours for diapers and feedings. And if your angel is sleeping, you’re probably up starting at him to make sure he’s still breathing.

New Book:  As a new writer, time is precious. If inspiration hits at 4am, who are you to deny the muse. The deeper you go and the closer you come to publication, the worse it gets. You spend most of your daytime hours wondering around in a plot hole induced faze muttering about second act reversals and character motivation. Personal hygiene will become less important the longer your first draft takes to write. Some people close to you may stage an intervention by taking away your computer and insisting you shower and go outside.

Resource Drain

New Baby: First there’s the doctor’s bill which hits you on the side of the head when you’re least expecting it. And that’s before the baby is even born. Then you have all the gear you’ll need like a crib, car seat, five-in-one super magic sleep, bounce, rocker (it had great reviews). After the baby comes you’ll have more doctor bills and it will be time to get all the supplies you really need, like industrial strength rubber gloves and a giant bottle of Dreft. Your time also seems to disappear, and close friends will assume you have fallen down a hole lined with burp clothes and pacifiers.

New Book: In addition to all the time you’ll dedicate to the perfection of the world’s best manuscript (you have the stained t-shirt to prove it), you may find that writing a book puts a strain on other valuable resources. Conferences aren’t free and a writer can never own too many leather bound journals that you’ll never actually use because they are way too nice for notes. Cute products proclaiming your new “writer” status will quickly replace food in your basic needs list (though to be clear, chocolate and coffee are non-negotiable). You may also find that other relationships may suffer, but don’t let that get you down. You’ll always have your characters to love you.

Can you handle it?

At the end of the day, writing a novel  is not for the weak at heart or the lover of sleep. But once you hold your book in your hand for the first time and gaze onto its shiny bound cover, you’ll quickly forget all the pain and torture. You’ll watch your little book grow into the marketplace and maybe shed a tear for your first review. When that happens, you know you’re ready for book two.

SarahN

Sarah’s Bio:

Sarah Negovetich knows you don’t know how to pronounce her name and she’s okay with that.

Her first love is Young Adult novels, because at seventeen the world is your oyster. Only oysters are slimy and more than a little salty; it’s accurate if not exactly motivational. We should come up with a better cliché.

Sarah divides her time between writing YA books that her husband won’t read and working with amazing authors as an agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency. Her life’s goal is to be only a mildly embarrassing mom when her kids hit their teens.

You can learn more about Sarah and her books at www.SarahNegovetich.com or follow her antics on Twitter @SarahNego.

Rite of Redemption Blurb:

Rebecca escaped the PIT, found a family among the Freemen…and watched too many loved ones die. All she wants is the Cardinal to leave her in peace, but he’s made it clear that’s never going to happen.

When the Cardinal attacks other Freemen villages, she finally understands that no one is safe from his wrath. As the only one who’s stood up to the evil that is the Cardinal, it’s up to her to convince the others that they can’t hide forever. It’s time to fight.

The Machine predicted Rebecca would become the Cardinal’s enemy. It may have gotten that one right.

In the conclusion to the Acceptance series, enemies become allies and old friends emerge, but in the end, sacrifice may be the price of freedom.

Book Links:

Rite of Redemption Amazon order link: https://www.amazon.com/Rite-Redemption-Acceptance-Book-3-ebook/dp/B01F50EZ3C

Rite of Redemption Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30166592-rite-of-redemption

Rite of Rejection link (free from Jun 2nd to 6th): https://www.amazon.com/Rite-Rejection-Acceptance-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00P26DB08

Rafflecopter: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/NDJiNzM3Y2E1YzRlMDgzY2E2ZDg0Y2E3YWFjOTM4OjY=/?

Rafflecopter HTML:

<a class=”rcptr” href=”http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/42b737ca6/” rel=”nofollow” data-raflid=”42b737ca6″ data-theme=”classic” data-template=”” id=”rcwidget_7gceje4r”>a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>

<script src=”https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js”></script>

My social media links:

Website: www.SarahNegovetich.com

Amazon author page: amazon.com/author/sarahnegovetich

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SarahDNegovetich/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/SarahNego

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahnego/

Jun 28, 2016 | Posted by in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Tuesday Takeover: Writing a book is just like having a baby by Sarah Negovetich

Ren: God’s Little Monster – Release Day!

ren2

Today is the official release day for Ren: God’s Little Monster, the second book in this series. Here’s an inside secret: this wasn’t supposed to be a series. Ren: The Man Behind the Monster was just a small novel I wrote because readers asked me to. They wanted to know more about this mysterious man who constantly pops up in my novels. And so I wrote the first book. And then the strangest thing happened. I realized I had more to say about Ren. In my head I saw more events that happened to him. That was when I realized that I wasn’t done with Ren Lewis. This is book two out of three for the Ren series. The final book, The Monster Inside the Monster will be released this summer in mid July or August. And then I honestly don’t know what will happen. Will Ren pop up in another series? I can’t say. Honestly, I never planned for this character to follow my books around. It just kind of happened. Maybe it’s that unknowing that makes his appearances so real. Hell, half the time the things he says surprise even me. I guess if that’s the case then he’ll for sure surprise readers.

I’m excited to share this second installment with you all. It’s dark, funny and at times offensive. If that’s your thing, then you’re going to love book three which is all of those things times 10. Thanks for the awesome support. Grab book two here.

May 14, 2016 | Posted by in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Ren: God’s Little Monster – Release Day!

This Is Why I Wasted Money On Vitamins

bannerI’m sitting here contemplating the last two years as a writer. Can I take you back to when it all began? Of course I can. I am writing this damn blog. Anyway, when I started writing my first novel, Awoken, it was like I was picked up by a spaceship. I was worried, and then again not at all, that something had happened to me. I was infected. All I wanted to do was write about these characters in my head. They were a part of me suddenly. And it was like overnight I’d been changed. It was beautiful…and bewildering. And I was worried. I was absolutely terrified that whatever had happened to me was going to stop. That the writing monster would vacate my system suddenly. That I’d be abandoned halfway through this book with no creative inspiration.

So I kept up the regimen. I kept taking the vitamin B complex. I drank lots of water. I exercised. I meditated. I did whatever it took so that the creative juices kept flowing. Here’s what I’m telling you for the first time. I thought I’d been given a secret location. Like writing is a place where you’re invited to and can also be banished from by little gnomes.

And now I’ll tell you what I know to be true. Writing is a place where you invite yourself. You’re only there as long as you wish to be. And  you, the writer, are the biggest distractor.

I’ve quit the vitamins since. I don’t sleep…not really. I exercise, but that’s a totally different blog post. And I drink water, because that’s life sustaining. But I know now that the stories that come through me are a part of something that I’ve allowed, not something that’s suddenly happened to me.

So plug in people, there’s a story in you.

Jan 28, 2016 | Posted by in Uncategorized | Comments Off on This Is Why I Wasted Money On Vitamins

Yes, I Lived a Double Life

Most people were pretty surprised recently when I came out of the writer’s closet.

“Why keep it a secret?” “What else are you hiding?” “Now I’m not sure who you are anymore.”

These are some of the comments I’ve gotten. Ninety-nine percent of the people in my life had no idea that I declined social invites and perfected a hermit lifestyle because I’m a writer. And so when I dropped the news with also the details that I’d finished a three book series during this stint, I surprised a lot of folks.

Here’s the first reason for my secrecy: First of all, saying you’re writing a book is like saying you’re going to New York to get a job on Broadway. Most people smile politely and then shake their head and say “good for you.” However, when you come out of the writer’s closet after the books are completed, people are impressed. You’re not aspiring to write anymore, you’ve written. Secondly, I love my friends and family, but writing is a very personal and intimate affair. Instinctively I knew I had to keep people out of my head. The first question people have when you say you’re writing is, “What’s it about?” And then people have suggestions or comments and then you’re no longer alone writing this book. Aunt Mary tells you to put a character in your book who resembles Grandpa Bob. Tell people after the books are done and they only have encouragement to offer (I’ve found), no input or advice on settings and plot line.

So that’s why I lived this secret life. Just suited me better. And while I’m at it, divulging secrets, I’ll tell you that I also had a fairly successful blog for a few years. It was under a pseudonym. Again me with the secrets. The reason this time is it was a memoir and I didn’t want to publicly air all the family secrets. But I’ve got a story or two from that blog that would fit perfect here (paranormal stuff), so be on the lookout.

 

Oct 15, 2014 | Posted by in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Yes, I Lived a Double Life