Wandering Aimlessly into 2025

 

Typically, I'd have already written and shared a post where I look back on 2024 and shared what I'd accomplished through the year. I didn't do that for 2024. Why? Because 2024 sucked big time! I'd lost two jobs that I loved, haven't been able to find a new job that works for me, I've been scammed by "jobs", and I've dealt with a host of health issues within my family. I gained back some of the weight I'd lost. My cat died. All of this has led me into a depression that I'm still struggling to get out of. 

I've lost the joy in everything--writing, editing, reading, watching TV, working out, coloring--you name it, and it's become a chore for me. I truly feel like I'm aimlessly wandering into 2025, so I've decided to fully embrace this and use it to my advantage...

Before I get into all of my non-plans for 2025, I do need to reflect a bit on 2024, because it wasn't all terrible. So, here are my highs and lows of 2024...

HIGH: I went on a cruise with my best friend, daughter, and daughter's boyfriend who proposed to her! I was so happy to witness this and be a part of such a special moment. 

LOW: I was let go from a writing job that I loved. It was very unexpected, and the loss of income hit me hard. 

HIGH: My best friends bought a new house and are settling in, which means they will not be leaving Michigan! 

LOW: The publisher I'd been working with for over a decade closed its doors, leaving me without my editing job. Again, the loss of income was difficult, but more than that, I no longer had any job. What on earth was I supposed to do with myself all day now?

HIGH: Without any job, I now have all the time in the world to devote to writing!

LOW: Without any job, I have no money to pay for all the expenses that go along with being an Indie author. 

HIGH: I've redeveloped a working relationship with a serial book app and am once again selling licensing rights to my books!

LOW: My cat, Luna, died.

HIGH: We welcomed little Miss Daisy Ray into our home and lives. She's been such a bright spot in an otherwise lackluster year. 

HIGH: I went on vacation with my girls to Georgia, which despite all the problems we encountered, it was so much fun! I loved the aquarium and the Vampire Diaries Tour. 

HIGH: I read a lot more this year than many years before, and I've discovered a new-to-me genre that I'm obsessed with: Romantasy! My complete list is below.

HIGH: I finally managed to get my husband a French bulldog, which is a breed he's wanted for so long! This is Biskit, and he's 9 weeks old. He's got the attitude of a big dog in the body that right now is literally smaller than our cats. lol. 

So, like I said, 2024 wasn't all terrible, but you'll notice that I don't have many highs that involve writing or publishing. That's because I did very little of that this past year. I used to keep track of all my daily word counts, hours I spent writing, etc. I stopped doing that mid-year, and it was one of the best things I could've done for myself. And this leads into my non-plans for 2025...

In 2025, I have only one goal: 

FIND JOY !

This is how I plan to do that:

1. I'm not going to set a bunch of goals because I know they will only stress me out. 

2. I'm not going to worry about tracking my every moment and word written because that just makes me feel bad when I have days where I can't or don't want to do anything. 

3. I'm not going to berate myself for not writing or for choosing to spend the day doing self-care. Instead, I will live in the moment. 

4. I'm not going to force my muse. I know what personally sells for me in terms of what I write and publish. What sells doesn't necessarily align with what I want to write on any given day. So, instead of making myself write what sells, I'm going to let my muse lead me. 

5. I'm not going to be a prisoner to technology. I will spend less time on social media and more time doing the things I enjoy. 

As promised, here's my complete reading list for 2024:

• The Game by Linsey Miller
• Little Monsters by Kara Thomas
• Pestilence (The Four Horsemen, #1) by Laura Thalassa
• War (The Four Horsemen, #2) by Laura Thalassa
• Famine (The Four Horsemen, #3) by Laura Thalassa
• Death (The Four Horsemen, #4) by Laura Thalassa
• Killer Content by Kiley Roache
• Lost in Michigan, Volume 3 by Mike Sonnenberg
• Kingdom of the Wicked by Keri Maniscalo
• Quarantine #1: The Loners by Lex Thomas
• Quarantine #2: The Saints by Lex Thomas
• Quarantine #3: The Burnouts by Lex Thomas
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Two Degrees by Alan Gratz
• Landry Park by Bethany Hagen
• Truth or Dare by L.L. Hunter
• Ever (The Ever Trilogy #1) by Jessa Russo
• Evade (The Ever Trilogy #2) by Jessa Russo
• Entwined (The Ever Trilogy #3) by Jessa Russo
• City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare
• No Escape by Maren Stoffels
• City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare
• Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban
• Room Service by Maren Stoffels
• Fright Night by Maren Stoffels
• The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
• The Stranded by Sarah Daniels
• The Girl Who Lived by Christopher Greyson
• Rhapsodic (Bargainer Series #1) by Laura Thalassa
• A Strange Hymn (Bargainer Series #2) by Laura Thalassa
• The Emperor of Evening Stars (Bargainer Series #3) by Laura Thalassa
• Dark Harmony (Bargainer Series #4) by Laura Thalassa
• The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
• To Kill a Shadow by Katherine Quinn
• 49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards
• Last One to Die by Cynthia Murphy
• Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are by Kathryn Foxfield

So, how was your 2024? 

And what are you goals and dreams for 2025? 

GOALS: 2024

 

Usually, I love writing this post each year. I like to have a semi-plan in place about what I want to accomplish in any given year. At the start of 2024, though, I'm a little hesitant to put anything in writing. Why? Because life seems to have other plans for me lately that don't always involve writing and publishing. And when I don't reach a certain goal I set for myself, I feel like I've failed. So this year, I've decided to be a bit more vague and go easier on myself. 

So, here's what I'm going to focus on in 2024...

1. Maintain My Health

I'm finally on a good dosage of my Fibro meds, and I've added in some new supplements that's really helping with my fatigue, so I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm also going to get back into a routine of working out. Once the weather clears up, I'd like to start taking Crowley on walks again, too. 

2. Gain More Financial Freedom

I'm still working for Anaiah Press, and I plan to keep doing so. However, I've applied for a new work-from-home job that's within the publishing industry, and I'm really optimistic that I'll get a position. This will take a lot of stress off our household finances, but it will also give me a bit more freedom in terms of funds to keep publishing and marketing my books. Ideally, within the next 3 to 5 years, I want to be making enough income from my books alone that I don't *have* to work anywhere else unless I want to. 

3. Keep Blogging

I've made some good progress with my blog this past year, and I want to keep up the momentum. Between a weekly group post I've joined (Tell Me Something Tuesday), my book thoughts, and anything else that pops into my head, I shouldn't have any issues keeping up with this. 

4. Read

I read more in 2023 than I have in years, and I've really enjoyed branching out into new genres. My total last year was 43 books. This year, I'm aiming for 50! I've even started a reading journal so I can keep better track. 

5. Write

As of right now, I don't have any set in stone plans of what I want to write. I have a couple co-authored projects I'm working on, and I'll keep moving forward with those. Beyond that, though, I'm going to try my hand at a New Adult romantasy for my new agent to send out on submission this year. I'm also going to rework some older projects to re-release, and hopefully that will snap me out of whatever writing funk I've been in. 

6. Take a Vacation

Yes, I'm going on a cruise in February, and that's a wonderful vacation, but I'm going on that for a specific reason. I can't share what that is just yet, but I promise to tell you all about it when I return home. Beyond that, though, I want to take another Mother-Daughter Vacation this summer. Our goal is to visit Covington, Georgia and take The Vampire Diaries tour, along with visiting the Atlanta Zoo and Aquarium. 

What are your goals and plans for 2024? Share in the comments!

Looking Back on 2023...

I can't believe it's been another whole year. At times, 2023 felt like it would never end, and at other times, the months were just flying by. This has been a year full of ups and downs for me personally, and professionally... well, it wasn't my best. But before I get into all that, here is a rundown of my original 2023 goals: 

1. Stay Healthy: I struggled quite a bit this year with fatigue, and as a result, I haven't slept well (oddly enough), which means I then end up in pain. As a result, I've had my Fibro meds increased twice this year, but I think I'm finally at a place where I'm good. The pain and fatigue aren't affecting my daily life as much as before. I haven't been working out like I used to, and I really want to get back into doing so. I've also been adding more carbs into my diet, slowly, and I'm managing that pretty well. 

My daughter who was diagnosed with Crohn's a couple of years ago is still doing well. We've had to increase her meds, too, but she's definitely in a much better place. 

My parents have been having quite a few health-related issues this past year, though. My mom has to have retina injections every few months. She had cataract surgery on both eyes, and she was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. My dad had extremely high blood pressure and ended up in the hospital with stroke-like symptoms. BUT -- they are both still with me and getting better each day, and I'm so incredibly thankful for that. 

2. Keep Writing and Publishing: Sadly, I didn't do so well with this. I didn't release any new books this year, but I did completely rebrand my Cursed Series, which was a much larger undertaking than I expected. I've been working on various projects, but with all the doctor's appointments and health scares, writing has been difficult. I'm close to finishing something new, though, and that's exciting. 

3. Treat My Business Like a Business: I did accomplish this! Though it took me most of the year, I have finally found various programs and tools to help me be more productive on the business end without working too hard. I've certainly seen the benefits of consistent online activity, and I'm excited to keep going into 2024. 

4. Expand My Audience: The increased online activity has certainly helped with this, but I've got some exciting things in the works, too, that will help with this. More about that below!

5. Read: I read sooo much this year, and I absolutely love it! I've even expanded into some new genres that I like a lot more than I thought I would. 

While I might not have accomplished as much on the writing and publishing front as I would have liked, I did have some pretty big wins this year...

• My very first pit bull, Nico, was staying with my daughter for the past few years, but he's now back with me. I love him so much, and he gets along with Crowley so well. I know he doesn't have many years left, so I'm enjoying every single moment with him.
  
  
• My daughter's boyfriend asked me to go on a cruise with the two of them next year, and I am super stoked for that. I'll be going with my best friend, Nicole. YAY!
  
  
• I took my second annual mother-daughter vacation. This year, we went to Missouri and visited Branson. While there, we went to the Celebrity Car Museum, and I got to SIT IN THE SUPERNATURAL CAR!!! This was definitely one of the biggest highlights of my year. 
  
  
• The husband and I, along with our best friends, went on an overnight trip for our wedding anniversary. We had so much fun!
  
  
• I made a trip to NY for a family reunion, and catching up with everyone was wonderful. While there, we drove to Buffalo so my daughter could meet her boyfriend for the first time. We visited the zoo and Niagara Falls, which was a blast. 
  
  
• I plotted and planned a new series with a co-author that we're actively working on for the new year. We've got some big plans, so stay tuned for updates.
  
  
• I stopped pressuring myself and tracking everything. In the past, I always kept a calendar where I'd track how much time I spent writing, blogging, editing, etc., and my word counts. Because of life, I haven't written much and seeing the blank spaces and the big fat 0 on my calendar was stressing me out. I felt like a failure. So I simply stopped. It's taken off a lot of pressure, and I'm unsure if I'll start tracking again or not. 
  
  
• I stepped out of my comfort zone this year and really scared myself silly with different haunted houses and spooky locations. My daughter and I would go do something scary every weekend, and it was awesome. 
  
  
• My cat Luna became very ill, and I almost lost her. But through a lot of love (and vet visits) she's healthier than ever! She continues to gain weight, and she still insists on sitting on my lap while I'm trying to work. 
  
  
• My daughter and her boyfriend got a new puppy. A pug named Loki, and I love playing with him and then sending him home. I forgot how much work a puppy is, and I'm too old for that. lol. 
  
  
• I started a couple new collections. Y'all know I have a huge Twilight collection beyond just the books, and now I've started a Supernatural, The X-Files, and Stranger Things collections. That might seem odd to include here, but I thrive on the hunt. I love going to thrift stores, antique stores, craft fairs, etc., and finding cool things to add. 
  
  
• My eldest daughter got a new puppy this year, too. A German Shepherd named Eden. I haven't had the chance to meet her yet, but I hope to next year. 
  
  
• I decided to start a snow globe collection, mostly because I buy one each time I go somewhere new. They make great keepsakes. My husband even bought me a new cabinet with a light to put them all in! He's really the best.
  
  
• I took a very intense 3-day online class about marketing, and I learned quite a bit. I've also made some great new connections via that class. It also prompted a new idea for a non-fiction book. 
  
  
• My long-time agent passed away very unexpectedly. (To be clear, that is NOT a win!) As a result, I've now signed on with a new agent. Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary. She's great, and I'm excited to see what we do together. She'll be starting by hopefully selling the subrights to my Cursed Series. 
  
  
• My cat, Finn, who had been with my daughter in Missouri is back with me. He wasn't getting along very well with one of her other cats, so he came back. He's getting along pretty well with my cats here, and he even likes to play with Salem on occasion. 
  
  
• I've been blogging more regularly, too, and I'm being consistent with sharing my thoughts about the books I'm reading. 
  
  

As I mentioned above, I read so much this year, and I even ventured into some new genres. Here's my complete list: 

• Charm by Tracy Wolff
• Coop Knows the Scoop by Taryn Souders
• Lost in Michigan, & Lost in Michigan Vol. 2 by Mike Sonnenberg
• Michigan Haunts and Hauntings by Marion Kuclo
• Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
• Million Dollar Outlines by David Farland
• The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade
• Fragments of the Lost by Megan Miranda
• Paranormal State by Ryan Buell
• The Unplanned Life of Josie Hale by Stephanie Eding
• Haunted America by Publications International, LTD
• The Haunted by Danielle Vega
• The Girl From Widow Hills by Megan Miranda
• Grip of Fear, Grip of Darkness, Grip of Terror, Grip of Death, Grip of Madness, Grip of Evil, Grip of Honor, & Surviving Chaos by Sam J. Fires
• Camp Murderface and Camp Murderface: Doom in the Deep by Josh Berk and Saundra Mitchell
• What Lives in the Woods by Lindsay Currie
• Daybreak on Raven Island by Fleur Bradley
• Camp Slyvania by Julie Murphy
• Hawkins Horrors by Matthew J. Gilbert
• Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond
• Darkness on the Edge of Town by Adam Christopher
• Judgment Road and Vengeance Road by Christine Feehan
• The Sorority Murder by Allison Brennan
• Someone We Know by Shari Lapena
• The Sleepover by Samantha King
• Fourth Wing and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
• A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, and A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
• The Girl in the White Van by April Henry
• Playing with Fire by April Henry

Overall, it hasn't been a terrible year considering. I definitely had a lot more personal wins than professional, but that's okay. Stay tuned for my official 2024 goals post :-) In the meantime, tell me in the comments what YOU did this year! 

Tell Me Something Tuesday: 11.21.2023 (What I'm Thankful For)

Hello and welcome to Tell Me Something Tuesday (TMST)!

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

I have a lot to be thankful for this year. First and foremost -- my family and friends. I wouldn't be able to function the way I do without them. They keep me grounded while also boosting me to reach for my dreams. 

I'm thankful for the amazing doctors at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and the entire GI team for how well they always take care of my daughter and how they genuinely care about her. 

I'm thankful for my writing and publishing friends. This is a brutal industry, and if not for every single one of you, I'd have quit by now. LOL. 

What're you thankful for?

Tuesday Tips: 5 Author Tools That Will Change Your Life

 

All authors, regardless if they are self-published or working with a traditional publisher, have to do so much more than just "write the next book." We need to engage on social media, attend book signings, cultivate a mailing list, and often times we also have to create our own promotional images and content. Naturally, all of this takes time away from what our main job is--which is writing books. 

Personally, I'm all for streamlining things and working smarter not harder. I've recently been made aware of some programs that have changed my author life and have made things so much simpler for me, which in turn frees up more of my time to write actual books. 

And so, here are my top 5 Author Tools that I think every author should check out: 

1. SmarterQueue 

This is a massive game changer in terms of social media management. You can link your profiles and schedule posts. Now, I know there a lot of programs like this out there, but this one beats them all. Why? Well, for starters, you can create variations of the same posts with different media (images, videos, etc) and then you can recycle those posts so that they will always keep going until you tell them to stop. And with the variations, you'll never have back to back posts that are the same. 

You can use the calendar feature to create a posting plan, you can create and organize your posts based on specific categories that YOU choose. You can find free images and content to post. You can import your blog and share others' blog posts. And the best part is -- this is hands-down the simplest program I have ever used! 

They offer a standard 14-day free trial, but if you use this LINK you'll get a 30-day free trial. Beyond that, they have tiered plans that can be paid monthly or yearly. 

2. Author Content Calendar

If you're like me, you probably struggle with coming up with constant, new content to share on social media -- that's not all "BUY MY BOOK! -- am I right? Well, the Author Content Calendar has you covered! This is a one-time $39.00 fee for lifetime access to the calendar that offers an entire year (over 600 posts) of social media content that you can use. They also offer Canva templates for a variety of bookish posts, and that saves you time trying to create your own!

Did I mention this has LIFETIME ACCESS? Which means once you buy it, it's yours forever. You can use it for multiple pen names, if you want. And if you purchase this multiple years, you can mix and match the content as you see fit. 

3. Canva

A lot of authors are already aware of Canva, but this list wouldn't be complete without mentioning this specific tool. 

With Canva, you can create just about anything you want to help build your author brand, promote your books, fun things to engage with your readers. And now, you can even create products that Canva will print and ship to you (for a fee, of course) and this is a great feature for those of us who need physical swag for giveaways and / or book signing events. 

Canva offers a free plan that's really quite useful for being free, but if you want all the added bells and whistles, you can upgrade to the pro plan, which is what I use. And I don't regret the upgrade at all! I use this daily for just about everything.

4. Buffer

This program offers a LOT of various tools, but I use it for one specifically -- the landing page that lists all of my social media accounts. I can't tell you how much of a time saver this is. When someone asks where they can find me or follow me, giving them a single link that lists everywhere else I'm on social media is so much easier! And you can create and publish your start.page for FREE! You can add images, text, links, and videos! I love this and have found it to be so incredibly easy to use. You can see mine HERE.

5. Bookfunnel

Every author should have a mailing list, as this is the best way to communicate directly with your readers / fans. But once you create a newsletter, you need subscribers -- and finding them can be difficult. This is where Bookfunnel comes in! You can list a free book, sample chapters, or whatever you want to entice readers to sign up for your newsletter. Once you have the content to give to subscribers, you can then join in on various promos hosted right on bookfunnel! They offer group promotions for both building your list and for sales. There is a little bit of a learning curve with this platform, but there are plenty of helpful articles that will walk you through it. 

I have a lot more tools that I use, but for the sake of keeping this post a reasonable length, I'm going to stop here for now. I'll do a second post soon with more helpful tools. 

If you have tools you use that you just can't live without, share them in the comments!

Thursday Thoughts: What's it Worth to You?

 

Today, I want to talk about perceived value and how this pertains to book sales and publishing. I'm sure we've all heard that saying: You get what you pay for. Right? And while I do believe this is true to an extent, I think we need to be careful about painting everyone and every situation with the same brush. 

Let's take freelance services, for example. A lot of authors are skeptical about editors or cover designers who don't charge a lot of money. Why? Because there's a fear that maybe the editor or designer isn't legitimate, or doesn't have a lot of experience. A lack of experience isn't always a bad thing, though I do warn authors to proceed cautiously. On the flip side, authors can also be skeptical of service providers who charge too much money because what qualifications do they have that warrants that price tag? 

But, if you're anything like me, you're not willing to charge someone else what you yourself aren't willing to pay. Also, as an Indie author myself, I understand how expensive this industry is and how little we make per book sale. For these reasons, I intentionally keep my editing rates low. And yes, I have experience -- a decade's worth. 

Now, let's switch our focus to actual books and the sale of them, specifically digital books. They are cheaper for authors to produce and are often sold at a cheaper price point than a print book. 

A lot of authors will offer an ebook for free or $0.99 to entice readers to start a new series or try out a new-to-them author. This is a very valid marketing strategy, and it's one I employ rather successfully. The first book in my Cursed Series is free. All the time. Across a wide range of vendors. My goal is to get people into the story with a free book and that they'll go on to purchase the other 6 books in the series. 

Some people will argue that if something is free or cheap, the quality must be terrible. And yes, this does hold true sometimes. But not always. (Which is why I always urge people to always do research and make your own determinations about things) On the flip side, some people will die on the hill that the more something costs, the better it is. I also disagree with this sentiment. 

There are a whole host of reasons someone will choose to sell something or offer a service at a reduced price (or free) -- and there's nothing wrong with that! I think the black-and-white thinking of cheap/free = bad and expensive = good is doing a disservice to everyone. 

Yet, there IS something behind that thought process. 

Recently, I started the process of rebranding my Cursed Series with new cover art, fresh edits, new content and interior formatting, etc., and I'm investing financially in doing so. Additionally, the cost of printing and shipping has gone up, so I have to take that into account as well. As a result, I reluctantly raised the prices on my ebooks. 

Books 2-7 ranged from $2.99 to $3.99, but since doing the rebrand, I've raised the prices to a consistent $4.99 across the board (except for book 1, which will always remain free). 

And you know what?? My sales have increased SO MUCH since I raised the prices! Talk about confused (and thrilled). But this leads me to believe and buy into the idea of perceived value and how a slightly higher price tag switches something in the brain that tells readers -- this book has value and is worth the money and you should buy it. I'm not sure I'll ever understand this, but it's certainly been on my mind a lot lately, and I'll be experimenting more to see if this holds true. 

At the end of the day, only you can determine what something is worth to you, or how much you're willing to pay for something. 

What're your thoughts on perceived value? Do you think cheap or free automatically means something is bad or of a lower quality? 

Thursday Thoughts: Marketing Genuis or Mad-cash Grab?

 

Recently, I read an 8-book series that started with a very short (50-ish pages) freebie prequel. As I often do, I studied this series and how the author did things in terms of the cover art, the blurbs, the style of the books, the overall marketing, etc. I mean, this is how most Indie authors learn: by watching how other authors do things. And I noticed a few things that led me down a deep rabbit hole. 

Here are my overall observations:

1. This free prequel was basically the inciting incident that would then lead the characters through the rest of the series. It ended abruptly and on a huge cliffhanger. (I find this very unique because what if I hadn't read the prequel first? What if I'd just jumped into book one? I wouldn't have seen some really important scenes / characters, because book 1 picks up exactly where the prequel ends.)

2. Each subsequent book in the series was short, too. Most came in under 150 pages each. There were 7 books in the series (not counting the prequel). 

3. Each book ended abruptly and on a cliffhanger. At the end, a direct link was given to click through and buy the next book. (This is very handy, and I think all authors should do this!)

4. The prequel was free. Book one was $0.99. Each book thereafter was $2.99.

5. Each book has essentially the same cover image with different color schemes and the corresponding titles. (Personally, this bugs me. I love an eye-catching cover, but if every single cover is different only in color and title, that easily confuses me and makes it hard to keep the books straight.)

Now, I'm not slamming or shaming this author at all! I fully support all artists being paid for their hard work. In fact, I really enjoyed the series, but the more I think about this, the more I'm left wondering: 

Do readers prefer books like this? 

Short continuous stories that feel more like serials than full novels?

I paid just shy of $16 for this series, which isn't bad when you think about it. I got 8 books in total (including the free prequel), but if you take time to think about the numbers (which I did), I'm not sure I got my money's worth. The author could have very easily combined all of these into 3 or 4 books, and at the end, as a consumer, I probably would've paid less overall. 

My Cursed Series is 7 books long, and they do end on cliffhangers, but each book is well over 300 pages / 100k words. So I don't necessarily feel "bad" about asking readers to pay $2.99 or even $4.99 for my books. I honestly feel like they're getting their money's worth. 

So my question to readers is this: Do you prefer a lot of shorter books all priced the same that also look the same, or a series of longer books all priced the same with all different cover art?

At the end of the day, the blurb is what ultimately sold me on this series, and I didn't pay much attention to the covers and pricing scheme until after I'd already finished buying and reading all of them. Am I mad that this type of marketing worked on me? A little, but I'm much more intrigued by this method, and that rabbit hole I fell down -- yeah, a LOT of indie authors are employing this publishing method. And a lot of them seem to have high rankings and stellar reviews. Maybe they're on to something here... 

 

Thursday Thoughts: Social Time Suck

 

As authors, we're often told by our fellow authors, industry professionals, marketers, promoters, bloggers, readers and a host of other people that we have to be on social media. That we need to have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Goodreads, and whatever new site pops up every so often. We need to post multiple times a day. We need to stay on top of all the new trends while being "real" and honest and commenting on large world events -- or even smaller conflicts within our community. 

Well, I'm here to ask WHY? Why do I need to do all of that stuff? I'm an author. My job is to write, isn't it? Shouldn't my focus be on writing books for people to read? Yeah, but... how will people know about your books if you're not on social media? 

Let me be clear that I'm not against social media. Just the opposite. I actually enjoy it when I'm using it organically and for fun. But when I'm actively trying to engage with readers or create content with the goal of garnering engagement, I find myself hating it. I come to loathe logging into my accounts. And spending so much time creating content, posting content, and then monitoring engagement takes valuable time away from the three things that are way more important: 

1. My family

2. My health

3. My writing

So, again, I find myself asking WHY? Why do I need to do all of this extra stuff? And the answer is: I don't! Do you know how freeing that is?? I don't have to spend hours every week scheduling engagement posts across all my social media platforms. I don't have to create content for my readers. And you want to know why? Because my books are my content. 

I write and publish books to entertain readers and engage with them on a deeper level. Does this mean I'm going to quit social media all together? Of course not. But instead of focusing on all the various platforms, I'm going to focus more of my time and effort on this blog, my newsletter, and writing my books. I'll share my blog posts to my social media profiles, and I'll post when I have something fun to share, but I'm no longer posting daily / weekly memes or questions. And you will never see me dancing on TikTok!

Goodbye social media time suck!

Got thoughts about this topic? 

Share them in the comments below.

YELLOWFACE by R.F. Kuang: Worth the Hype?

Thanks for checking out my new blog feature, Worth the Hype? I'm hoping to have a new post every Wednesday where I'll discuss and sorta review books I'm reading. Up first...

YELLOWFACE 

by 

R.F. Kuang

This is very far out of my normal reading realm. I'm a hardcore YA reader, mostly paranormal, dystopian, and thrillers. On the adult spectrum, I tend to read a lot of horror and romantic suspense. So, for anyone who knows anything about YELLOWFACE, you know this doesn't tick any of those genre boxes. LOL. 

But, I've heard so much about this book on Twitter. Authors I love were tweeting about how amazing this book was and how, if you're in the publishing sphere, you must read this book. In fact, a thread by author Diana Urban, which can be found HERE is what ultimately made me go buy this book. 

When I tell you I was hooked from page one... this book takes you on one hell of a rollercoaster ride through publishing, social media, "cancel culture," representation, author jealousy, and the loneliness that is writing. So many times while reading, I was simultaneously nodding along and cringing. I laughed and gasped and for each new "thing" the protagonist faced, I was easily reminded of an actual Twitter dust-ups that've happened. The reality in this fictional tale is mind-blowing. 

So, is this book worth the hype?

I did feel like the pacing near the middle sagged a bit, but that didn't really alter my enjoyment of this book. I was too invested by that point, and I had to know what would happen. And I really did NOT see that ending coming! I'm left with quite a few questions, which usually bugs me in fiction, but I'm oddly okay with that this time. I know this is a book that will stay with me, and I'll think about for several days. I really hope there might be a sequel. *fingers crossed*  I'm going to be recommending this book to everyone I know, too. 

Have you read YELLOWFACE? If so, what did you think of it? If not, do you plan to? Share your thoughts in the comments :) 

Spill the Tea Tuesday: How Far is Too Far?

If you're at all involved in the book community, then I'm sure you've heard the story circulating about the author who faked her death, only to come back 2 years later and be like, "Oops, just kidding!" If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go read THIS POST. Go on. I'll wait...

Is your mind blown? Your jaw on the floor? Can't fully wrap your mind around what you just read? Yeah, me too. I've been following this story and all the bizarre updates as they happen, and all I can say is WOW! 

First, and I'm sure I don't need to say this, but... my fellow authors, don't ever do anything like this. Please. This is beyond horrific. Second, a lot of people are speculating that this entire "death" was nothing more than a long con to sell books. I mean, no publicity is bad publicity, right? For the record, I wholeheartedly disagree with that statement. More on that in a bit, though.

In addition to this scandal, there are a handful of authors behaving very badly on Twitter -- namely, they are attacking reviewers, bloggers, booktubers, etc. And I don't just mean authors upset and voicing that online about a bad review. I'm talking personal attacks, threats, name calling, reporting the reviewers videos / reviews / profiles, etc. 

All of this has led me to ask two very important questions: 

WHY? 

How far is too far when it comes to selling books and getting your name out there?

Do the authors behaving this way truly feel like this behavior is gaining them any favor? I can't tell you how many times I've seen readers say they won't ever buy or read a certain author because of how they've acted online. Which leads me to circle back to that advice above:

No publicity is bad publicity!

WRONG! 

Sorry, but when you're acting like a fool online, when you're throwing fits and attacking others in the community, when you're lying and scamming and emotionally harming others, that's not good. I don't see anyway that sort of behavior can be spun into something positive. 

Are people talking about the "author who faked her death?" You betcha! Are they flocking to buy her books? Nope! 

Are people talking about the author(s) attacking reviewers? Absolutely! Are they flocking to buy their books? I doubt it! (Unless, of course, they are buying to read and review with the sole intent of rating low / negatively, but that's a different post for a different day.) 

Now, let me be clear that I have never spoken to the "dead" author, and I've never read her books. Nor have I ever attacked or otherwise interacted with a reader / reviewer who didn't like my books. I do, however, know how hard it is to get noticed in a very crowded industry, and I know that the desperation to stand out can be strong. But just how far is too far? 

So, what say you, readers? Where's the line in terms of getting your name out there and selling books? What behaviors will you absolutely not forgive and cause you to stop reading / supporting an author? 

Spill the Tea Tuesday: Judging a Book by its Cover

Don't judge a book by its cover! We've all heard that, and I'm sure a lot of us have said this at some point, too, but personally, I think this is terrible advice. I mean, let's be honest, we all judge books by their covers. How can we not? The cover is often the very first thing we see. If a cover is ugly or amateurish or confusing or hard to read, I'll keep scrolling (or strolling the aisles if I'm in an actual bookstore). Do I miss some good books because of this? Probably. But on the flip side, I've seen some absolutely gorgeous covers that make me stop and take notice. Then the blurb doesn't entice me or the story itself is just bad. 

Now, I realize this means I should take the above advice--don't judge a book by its cover--right? But again, no. Why? Because as an author, especially an Indie author, it's your job (my job) to create a cover that will grab a potential reader's attention. But my work doesn't stop there. I also need to ensure the blurb and the contents of the book are just as stellar. If my cover snags attention, I then need to guarantee my blurb will make that reader open to page one. And then I need to hook them enough to want to keep reading. 

So, while I agree we shouldn't judge the contents of a book by its cover, we absolutely need to use the cover as a tool to decide if it's something we want to invest our time and money in--two things a majority of people are in short supply of lately. 

You're probably wondering what prompted this post, so let me explain...

When I published my YA paranormal books (The Cursed Series), I hired a professional cover artist who I'd worked with before in various other capacities, and I truly adored her work. I gave her ideas of what I wanted, and she exceeded my expectations. 

I absolutely LOVE my covers, and when I'm at a book signing and have the entire series lined up on my table, I get so many compliments on the covers and how stunning they are--and how perfectly they all fit together from a series branding standpoint. And people really tend to love the colors, too.

But then I paid for a consultation from a successful author who reviewed my catalog and offered insight into how I could better brand and market my series in an effort to increase sales. Now, I learned a lot from this author, and I'm so glad I did the consult--it was definitely money well spent. However, one of her biggest "issues" was with my covers. She felt they didn't fit within the current market trends, didn't properly portray my genre and age category, and that, because the last book had an object as opposed to people, it didn't fit well with the rest of the series. 

I disagreed. Vehemently. 

And I refused to change my covers. 

Yes, a big part of this was sheer stubbornness on my part, but an equally big part was the cost of doing a total cover re-brand on seven books. I just didn't have the funds. Yet, I couldn't seem to shake her advice. Was she right? Did I need to re-do my covers? So, I do what I always do in this situation... I reached out to my trusted circle of friends and asked for their opinions. They all agreed that my covers were fine, and sales were steady. I let the advice go and kept going as I had been.

Recently, though, sales have stagnated. Not stopped, mind you, but I haven't really seen any increases, either. Can you guess where this is going?? LOL. 

For those of you who haven't seen today's social media posts, I'm finally taking the plunge and rebranding my Cursed Series. But not just the covers--the interior formatting, the editing, and the blurbs. Will this help boost sales? No idea, but it's worth a shot, right? 

My question for all of you readers: Do you judge books by their covers? How do you feel about authors switching out book covers like this--love it? Hate it? Don't really care? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let's spill some tea. 

GOALS: 2023

It's once again my favorite time of year -- GOALS!! I absolutely love setting goals for myself and seeing just how much I can accomplish in a year. And after the (surprisingly) productive 2022 I had, I'm more excited than ever to see what 2023 has in store. So, let's do this!

STAY HEALTHY!

Yes, this is absolutely the first thing on my goals for 2023. I'm finally in a good place with my Fibro and all my meds, and I want to maintain this. I'm no longer actively trying to lose weight, but I will continue to eat healthy and stay active. Encompassed within this goal is to keep my family as healthy as possible, too. Thankfully, my daughter seems to be adjusting to her disease and the recent medication change very well, and I pray that she continues to improve and do well. 

KEEP ON WRITING & PUBLISHING!

Obviously! I mean, this is what I do after all. Unlike previous years, though, I don't have any firm plans in mind of what I want to write and publish--and admittedly, I was freaking out about this for a while, but then I realized it doesn't matter. I don't need to have my writing planned out for the entire year. That's the best part of being an Indie author: I can write whatever I want, whenever I want. So rather than list out all the projects I think I might want to work on (and let's face it, I *always* veer away from my list anyway), I'm going to aim to write and publish another 5 books this year. I'm going to make this a mix of YA and adult. 

TREAT MY BUSINESS LIKE A BUSINESS!

I realize this might sound a little bit odd, and I do treat the act of writing and publishing like a business, but it's all the other stuff that goes with it that's lacking. I need to become better organized with my marketing, expenditures, and time management. I'm confident that doing so will also help me in the long term with my output and overall creativity.

EXPAND MY AUDIENCE!

Back in 2021, I'd sold licensing rights to my series to a couple of serial reading apps. I have a list of others that I want to explore and potentially contract with so that I can continue to expand my audience. I'll also be looking for new fun ways to help spread the word about my books. 

READ!

I'd like to aim for 1-2 books per month again, not including any submissions I have to read for Anaiah. I read quite a bit in 2022, and I'd forgotten how much I love to get sucked into a story. I will attempt to read every night before bed.

BALANCE: SLOW DOWN & LOOK AROUND

I'm forever making lists of things I need to do, setting deadlines, and basically working as much as I possibly can. This past year, though, I'd taken a Mother-Daughter vacation (which is going to become an annual thing), and I can't tell you how much fun I had exploring, spending time with my girls, and laughing. I want to do more of that in 2023 -- So, I'm hereby giving myself permission to slow down, look around, and just enjoy life. I'm not getting any younger, my kids are starting to spread themselves farther apart, and I'm to the point in my life where I feel like I've earned the right to really start enjoying all that I have. While I will always keep writing, publishing, and editing, this is the year I find a better balance between my professional and personal life. 

What will you do in 2023?

Looking Back on 2022...

I read somewhere once that whatever you're doing at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve is indicative of how the new year will be for you. Well, at the stroke of midnight on December 31, 2021, I was in the children's hospital with my daughter, and to say that 2022 has been a year of ups and downs for her health, my health, and others in my family would be a massive understatement. While my main focus this year has been keeping my loved ones as healthy as possible, I still managed to do some publishing stuff. So, let's take a look back on the year to see what I accomplished, what I didn't, and what big changes I faced in 2022.

My original 2022 goals included: 

(1) FINISH WARS OF THE HEART SERIES

GOAL ACHIEVED! I wasn't sure I'd actually finish this series, as I was really struggling with the final book, but I managed to write, edit, and publish the entire trilogy, and now all three books are available. So, if Jax is your favorite, go grab these books and find out what happens :) 

(2) FINISH VAMPIRE WARS SERIES

As previously noted, I'd written and released a short YA vampire story called The Culling that was part of a multi-author collection. While that collection is no longer available and I have all rights back to my story, I had hoped to add more and republish it, but because of how much I struggled with Jax's series--and the numerous health issues--I didn't get this done. Maybe next year. 

(3) CO-WRITE BOOK 2 of EON SAGA

Hahaha. NOPE! Though, I'm not the only one responsible for this, and my co-author and I just couldn't seem to coordinate our schedules enough to get the second book written. But, we do have a solid plan for the first book in this series, so stay tuned for updates about that. 

(4) RELAUNCH WARPED REMAINS

Yeah, I'm going to be honest... this has been at very bottom on my list of priorities. Though I'm hoping to revisit this next year. We'll see. 

(5) BRANCH INTO MIDDLE GRADE

Sadly, I didn't get the opportunity to actually write a middle grade story, but I've been thinking about one a lot, and it's starting to take shape in my mind. Fingers crossed!

(6) SELF-PUBLISH ADULT ROMANCE

I'm proud to say I did do this! I wrote and published 2 books under the pen name Lexi Lawton--Obligation and Obsession. I have two more books planned within this world, so be on the lookout for those.  

While I did okay with my goals this past year, (though not nearly as good as I would have liked) so much more has happened that I never expected or planned for, so here's the quick rundown: 

Professionally: 

• I wrote a total of 370,324 words. That's actually 9,201 words MORE than last year, which I have no idea how I managed that, but I'll take it!
• I blogged a total of 12,632 words.
• I rebranded my author logo, and I'm so in love with it. (Thanks again, Courtney!)
• I released 5 books: Bound, Beholden, and Banished, all written as Kara. And two new adult romances--Obligation and Obsession--written as Lexi Lawton.
• I wrote book 1 of a brand new series that will eventually be published as Lexi Lawton. It's a motorcycle club romance, and a new genre for me, but I love this book and can't wait to share it!
• I dabbled in a bit of ghostwriting again--mostly story creation and outlines. 
• I wrote a rom-com proposal for my agent, and she sent me some notes, so I'll be reworking that a bit.
• I attended two book signings and had a blast at both of them! 
• I finally got to meet some of my amazing book people--Kris Riley and Andy Garcia-Ruse. This was a real highlight of my year. 
• I've booked multiple signings for next year, too. 
• I reconnected with my CP, Courtney, and we've been so much better about keeping each other accountable and trading our work for feedback.
• For Anaiah, I edited 7 full length novels and 5 novellas. 
• I freelance edited 6 manuscripts.

Personally:

• My husband surprised me with a new kitten! His name is Salem, and he's all black. He's a jerk most of the time... except in the middle of the night when I'm trying to sleep. Then he wants to purr--LOUDLY--and snuggle into my neck. I love him though. 
• My neighbor and best friend who moved away has moved back, and she's once again right across the street from me. I couldn't be happier about this. 
• My other close friend has moved out of state and informed me recently that she's not coming back to Michigan, which makes me sad, but I'm truly happy that she's happy. 
• The weight I'd gained back in 2021 is now gone again. I haven't really been dieting per se, but I have been way more stressed and active this year, so I'm sure that's a big part of the loss. Totally not complaining!
• I made a trip to NY to attend my aunt's wedding. Being a part of that and catching up with the family was great.
• My favorite aunt moved to Michigan! Now her and my uncle are here, and I love that. They also have a litter of puppies, and I probably spend a tad too much time at their house now. #SorryNotSorry
• The house my husband and I had purchased as joint office space has now been converted back into an actual house that we live in with our youngest daughter. My son and other daughter now live together (along with some friends) in our old house. I still have a dedicated room for my office, though, so it's all good. 
• I, along with 3 of my 4 daughters, took our first annual Mother-Daughter Vacation. We were supposed to take a cruise, but for obvious health reasons, that didn't work out. Instead, we explored Michigan and visited Mackinac Island. (Which is totally gorgeous!) We're already planning next year's trip. 
• During a signing I attended in Missouri, I took a day to drive into Lawrence, Kansas and take a picture in front of the sign. For those who don't know, Lawrence is a big part of the show, Supernatural. 
• My husband, son, and I are in the early stages of launching a new business. More about this soon!

I even managed to read more this year: 

• Dead Wednesday by Jerry Spinelli
• Hush-a-Bye by Jody Lee Mott
• One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
• The Kill Jar by J. Reuben Appelman
• Raine's Fall by Erin Osborne
• Knight's Rising by Bella Jewel
• Savage Protector by E.M. Gayle
• Sinner by Lexi Timms
• All the Missing Girls by Meghan Miranda
• Fallen, Torment, Passion, Rapture, Unforgiven, and Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate
• Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
• I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll
• Outbreak by Davis Bunn
• Creepers and Scavenger by David Morrell
• Peeps and The Last Days by Scott Westerfield
• Little Creeping Things by Chelsea Ichaso
• The Project by Courtney Summers
• Chain Letter and An Ancient Evil by Christopher Pike
• The Ash House by Angharad Walker

Overall, it's been a decent year for me, and I'm excited to see what I can accomplish in 2023. Stay tuned for my official goals post :-) In the meantime, tell me in the comments what YOU did this year! 

Spill the Tea Tuesday: F*ck That and Other Profanity in Novels

Today, author Katie O'Connor is here to spill the tea...

First off, thanks to Kara Leigh for having me here today. I love chatting with readers. Not just romance readers, but readers of any genre. This makes me super excited to be here with you. I always want to know what readers think about things because without readers, an author is nothing.

What I’d like to talk about today is profanity.

Let’s begin with a truth bomb, or in Kara’s words, spilling the tea. It’s no secret to anyone who’s ever met me that I love swearing. I find it satisfying. It helps me express my feelings, and sometimes it is just plain fun. My dad could out-cuss anyone on the planet. He made up combinations that nobody else could even think of. Maybe that’s where my love of profanity originated. Like father like daughter.

Recently, I’ve had two discussions on the use of profanity in fiction. One online, the other in person at a reader’s tea held for me by a fan. The readers attending this tea were all sweet romance readers, some read exclusively sweet. Their consensus was no F-bombs, but an occasional cuss word for emphasis was acceptable, just keep them few and far between. I can handle that, though it isn’t always easy. Sometimes, I write my first draft with the profanity in it and edit it afterward. Thank heaven for a good editor who catches the ones I miss.

The online profanity discussion was another animal entirely. As was strolling through social media, as most of us do, and this person comes onto a writer’s group and makes a post which flat-out stated that if you include ANY profanity in your book, you drive away most of your readers. It was, in their opinion, paramount that swearing was banished from all books.

I know nothing about the original poster’s life or beliefs, but to me, it seemed a rather bold and combative stance, like they were picking a fight. Or maybe just full of righteous superiority. Either way, it got my hackles up.

Of course, me being me, I had to disagree. An argument ensued. It was pretty tame, but at the same time, a bit heated. Dozens of people chimed in, each with their own opinion. Most of the combatants believed that some profanity was acceptable. They agreed that unless you were writing erotica of some fashion, cussing should be used sparingly. One author who wrote dark detective stories, claimed their readers LOVE the swearing. Eventually, the original poster went silent though the discussion continued without them. I don’t know who won the argument as there were fighters on both sides of the issue.

As you might have guessed, I don’t have an issue with profanity in books. Primarily, I read sweeter romances with closed door sex and a bit of heat. Some swearing doesn’t bother me, often it passes by unremarked and barely noticed. I picked up a title last week. It was listed as a sweet romance. Partially true. Some kissing, no sex. But lord love a duck, there were enough curses that it bothered even me. When I popped back onto the web, I found that the book had a few five-star reviews, but most were one and two-star. All the reviews mentioned the excessive profanity. This leads me to believe that for most readers profanity is okay, within limits.

This brings me around to you. What do you read and where do you stand in regards to “bad” language in a book? Are there words you NEVER want to see? Does it matter to you one way or the other? 

Come on, readers, it’s time to spill your tea and share your reader opinions. Can’t wait to hear from you.

Katie O’Connor lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She married her high school sweetheart and is living her happily ever after. 

She’s dabbled in writing since high school because something drives her to create stories. She swears that it’s impossible for her NOT to write. Unsatisfied with one genre, Katie writes contemporary romance, erotic romance and erotica. Recently, she’s crafted her first cozy mystery with the intention of publishing a cozy mystery series.

She believes in all things magical; including dragons, fairies, UFOs, ghosts, and house pixies. But most of all she believes in love, romance and hope.

Katie likes to make it up as she goes along and dreams of publishing a mixed genre novel. It is going to be an erotic, shape shifter, vampire, steampunk, sci-fi, murder mystery, adventure, romantic, western, historical, thriller. It will be her biography. 

She lives life with humor, hope and copious quantities of caffeine. You can find more about Katie on her website, newsletter, Facebook, BookBub, Instagram, Goodreads, and her readers' group. 

The tea has been spilled! Who's gonna clean it up? 

Drop your thoughts in the comments!