Thursday, 29 April 2010

End of April...Hopefully Inpsired

Time flies when you're having fun, and drags when you're doing nothing.  True enough...but it could also be said for when you have too many things to do.  Classic example is this month.  Although, I can't quite say that it was all fun.

With the release of my very first book, scratching my head trying to figure out how best to promote it without irritating people, dealing with the extreme heat of tropical weather (not fun!) and sitting down creating said promotional material to promote the book...well, that just takes up so much time.  Did I mention about the extreme heat?  Oh, yes...sorry...my brains are semi-fried.

Ads on Facebook to blast e-mails locally...mutterings on Twitter to rude jabs to people I see.  I really do hope that all this pays off and people notice that I've a book out there that is worth reading.

And just think, even though I've advertised and promoted, I still need to keep it on-going to keep the interest alive.  Life's such a bitch, isn't it?

So, the inspiration to actually sit down and write comes and goes in waves (like the heat).  I have managed to focus, somewhat, this past week.  At least I've moved on from being stuck at Chapter 19 and nearly done with Chapter 20.  This last book is proving to be very challenging.

I am hoping that this weekend I'll find some time to write.  The husband, the immediate in-laws and I are all venturing to the east coast of the island for a nice weekend at a resort.  Hopefully, the nice cooling Atlantic Ocean breezes will waft some much needed inspiration into my heat-infested head.  Hopefully I'll find a little me time to compose that perfect chapter that flows beautifully into the next.  Hopefully the salt air won't corrode the innards of my laptop...or the shrill peels of under-4 children doesn't shatter my thoughts...hopefully.  And hopefully I won't have over-indulged from the choice restaurants at my disposal, over-cooked from trolling the beach or dodging between poolside umbrellas.

And hopefully - this is a biggie - I'll manage to actually finish book three!

Sunday, 18 April 2010

Not Even A One-Line Email...

Oh, the suspense is killing me!

It's been nearly three weeks since my book went out for the world to see...and talk about utter silence! I know people have bought it, I know they've waited patiently with me for it to be released, I know they talked about it excitedly, as I did... But you'd think they'd at least make a comment about what they thought about the book, right? Not.

Sigh... Not even a one-line email.

I feel as if I've made my first big debut and everyone was busy looking the other way and missed the whole show.

Since the release, I've diligently tried my best to market myself both locally and internationally. I hope it worked. From ads on Facebook (hey, I got a few more fans, yay!!) to blitz emails, discreet hints on Twitter to bullying friends of friends of friends - all geared to spread the joys of reading this amazing new ebook about the future. I'm starting to feel like those religious groups that come knocking at your door, knowing the occupants of the house are hiding out of sight, trying to remain as quiet as possible.

And, just when did people become so busy these days? I'm beginning to think that I'm the only idiot reading books at night. Is there something else out there that's better than reading a book? Wait, don't answer that. Of course there is. But you know what I mean. There used to be a time when people relished the evenings after a long day, to tuck in with a good book and read. Now, there are so many distractions and "things to do" that by the time you hit the bed, all you want to do is crash and muster up a good snore. My brother is a classic example...however, he works late into the night and listens to the rest of the house while they snore. He did, for a brief spell, read a few chapters before work and life interrupted.

I suppose, I will just have to do a little more waiting. After all, not everyone can read at the speed of light (I'm no exception) and not everyone likes to give a critique in fear of hurting someone's feelings. Sniff...it's okay folks, I can take some lumps. Okay, maybe not.

But a little feedback would be nice...

Thursday, 8 April 2010

Rainy Day in The Tropics

Well, I set out with the good intention to write today. Part Three - The Eternal Knot - is far from finished as I slog through it - picking out the bad parts, adding in some good ones, and changing the lay of the land to make it fit better. It's amazing, too, that after going through an editing process, you begin to see things clearer and differently. The mind can indeed learn new things when it's been shown an alternative way to see. It's like I got Windex for the brain!

It's doing a piss-up with rain today - a welcome bit of coolness as the land was so parched and dry for months! A perfect day to tuck in with your laptop and get creative with words; trying to link up half-completed sentences from half-completed thoughts. To get from point A to B, and maybe nip back to A, just to keep the reader on their toes. Try to get, at last, from Chapter 11 to 12 without jumping too great a leap cause your mind keeps wanting to get to the finish line. I'm learning that the process of writing can be a tricky process. It's all about mind control: your mind needs to be controlled, just so your typing hands can keep up.

So you tuck in and you get into the creative mood and think: write!

Then you realize what month you're in and groan: Tax Time!

Then you remember you have an actual day-job that you've neglected for months on end to push and promote your book. Sigh... And you remember how slow your day-job has been and wonder how it'll look on paper in the form of accounts and balance sheets and profit and losses. Sigh... I won't go there, but let's just say, that I really don't see the point in even filing a return this year. Enough said.

So, the coffee has gone cold, the urge to write has only manifested into this blog as that niggling thought keeps pestering me in the back on my mind: taxes, taxes, taxes... The will to concentrate has left me, that even doing this blog, I'm distracted enough to look at the pile of paperwork next to me. I hate dealing with numbers that have to balance at the end of it all.

I shall have to slog through my accounts today and put writing on the back-burner. Tomorrow, I'll get back to being creative, tomorrow I'll think up new ways to promote my book that's out there, tomorrow...

Thursday, 1 April 2010

It's Here!

Ever have those days when you wake up and think that it's going to be another long day of absolute dulldom? Well, I had such a morning until I sat in front the computer, like every morning during the week, to check my emails and surf the usual spots on the net.

Take a sip of coffee and trundle along. Click, out of sheer dulldom on your publisher's website, and simply stare blankly. Take another sip to make sure you saw it right the first time and clear the old 'collywogs' out your sleep-infested brain. Yep, it's still there! Break out into a wide grin and do the silly-jig in your chair. Then call your husband and yabber at him that your book is out! It's been released TODAY!!

The minute you hang up, you immediately think that it may just be April Fools so... Nah, that can't be! Then you do that silly jig again and keep on grinning.

So, it is finally here! The long wait is over - my creation is birthed for all the world to see. Now is the time to take a deep breath and hold it (until that first bad critique comes in...eeeeee!!). Be kind to me, this is my maiden voyage into uncharted territories.

Sigh...I feel as if a weight has been flung off my shoulders. How very liberating! No wonder I'm still grinning. I shall await your responses now. Good reading!