I sometimes fixate on numbers that are not constructive to my writing. Rankings and ratings, views and followers.
This data can be helpful. It can give me valuable insight into how best to connect with my readers. Marketing is all about connecting books with the right people. But ultimately, I can’t control any of those numbers. Continue reading “The Numbers Game”
This week has been so busy with release activities, I almost forgot today’s blog post! But never fear, here it is 🙂 Short and sweet, I want to use this post to simply say, “Thank you.”
Thank you to the readers who check out my blog every week, to those inquiring people who follow the ramblings of my Twitter feed, to the Facebook friends and Pinterest…pinners 🙂 To the G+ people doing their G+ thing (I haven’t quite figured that space out yet, but I’m still trying!). Thank you to the friends I’ve made and the friends I’ve yet to make on this exciting writing journey.
And most of all, thank you to my lovely readers who buy and read my books. Thank you for the words of encouragement, for the feedback and reviews. It helps in more ways than you know. Continue reading “A Heartfelt Thanks”
Here’s a quick little post about the Universe once again giving me some feedback 🙂
Last night, I gave myself a bit of a break and played some video games in front of the TV (decadent!). I have so many projects in the works right now, with edits for the spider-headed zombie romance underway, the next book already unfolding in my mind, and a launch coming up on Monday (seriously?? already??), but I really needed to rest and unwind. Continue reading “Messages from the Universe”
I spent hours trying to write a blog post about family for this week. Hours. And in the end, I realized that the question is too important to me to try to fit all of my thoughts into one blog post. I don’t just have words on the topic of family—I have worlds on it. So that’s what I’m going to talk about here.
When you focus on your characters enough—on not just who they are in the events of the story, but who they were before and who they will be afterwards—they come alive in you. You remember family barbecues that never happened, with people who don’t exist having arguments that left you feeling vulnerable, and rivalries between siblings who were born only in your subconscious.
A while back, I blogged about watching the first space shuttle launch while standing in a small patch of trees lining the water across from Cape Canaveral. I had no idea what my dad was so excited about or why he kept making us look at the island across the way so we didn’t miss anything. When the shuttle launched and we watched it with our own eyes—striving for the sky, reaching for space in a way no one had ever reached before—I understood. It was an amazing experience, and one I’m extremely grateful for.
I was also living in Florida when we lost Challenger. Continue reading “Remembering Challenger”
I make it no secret that I am friends with A.E. Ash. I’ve already mentioned her once here in this space. We share our writing journeys with each other as well as the day-to-day realities of our existence. Having a writing buddy has been invaluable—someone to share challenges, epiphanies, doubts, and achievements.
She’s been doing some great stuff, like the amazing poem she published with Strange Horizons late last year. It is one of my favorites that she’s shared with me (yes, I sometimes get sneak peeks of poems! 😀 ). You can imagine how incredibly happy I am to see her latest published piece, Luminous, doing so well! It’s a short story published by Book Smugglers Publishing.
Luminous is a scifi romance about a fallen star at the end of his existence taking on human form and a woman who’s been marooned on a planet that was being terraformed just as a war broke out. She’s been doing her job every day, gathering samples and sending in reports, but hasn’t heard back from anyone in nine years. Whenever I think about this, her isolation hits me hard every. single. time.
The prose is of course rich with poetic descriptions, the setting is the perfect backdrop for the characters and story, and the themes are powerful and moving. I was reminded at times of my favorite Greek myth, Bacchus and Philemon. Luminous has that kind of enduring feel to me. I love how the story reminds readers that growing old does not mean becoming obsolete, and that comfort and companionship can come from the most unexpected of places.
As I understand it, Luminous will be available for free on The Book Smugglers’ site on July 21, but you can buy it now on Amazon if you can’t wait.
Writing can be a lonely journey, and I am triply blessed not to be on this path alone. Having A.E. to talk to has helped make the dark times more bearable and the bright times more luminous 😀 I wish all of my writer friends continued success at all their various stages of development, and hope that our readers find lovely gems like this one to enjoy!
