Giving away an Amazon Gift card!

So in my quest to find some awesome readers, I am trying to spread the word! If you go to my Author Facebook page and give it a like, you get put in a drawing for a chance at an Amazon gift card.
If you share it with other readers, you get another chance!
Easy!!

https://www.facebook.com/rachaelarawlings/

Some books are a must read!!

Everyone has their favorite authors, and I have had many over the years. Starting with the Trixie Belden books back in elementary school (yes, I am dating myself) up through the current selections from Dean Koontz and Jennifer McMahon, I have enjoyed reading as my primary form of entertainment. In my writing, I have gone through stages as well, devouring mysteries, science/fiction fantasy, romance, horror, and even jumped on the Twilight bandwagon for a bit! However, there are a few authors that have influenced my writing, especially for my most recent Raven Mysteries. They have spurred me in the idea of finding some familiar stories and well-loved characters and turning them on their ear!

I stumbled over the very talented Stacey Rourke when prowling for a new book to read. I love stories of the headless horseman, and a good spooky read is always fun for me. I found the Legends Saga with the first book, Crane. It was wonderful, and I quickly devoured that one, and subsequently the others in the set. I continue to read her books, eagerly waiting for the next release. I liked that she was able to take a great old classic and make it new and fresh.

To check out her books, check out the Amazon link!

https://www.amazon.com/Crane-Legends-Saga-Book-1-ebook/

Or at: www.staceyrourke.com

The other author I have enjoyed reading these last several months is A. G. Howard. Her tale of a twisted Alice in Wonderland kept me looking for the next book in the series. I actually listened to the audiobook of the first novel, Splintered, the first in the Splintered series, and then had to seek out the rest. In her books, she takes the familiar characters and throws them into our reality before pulling us, the readers, into her own form of wonderland.

https://www.amazon.com/Splintered-Book-One-ebook/

Or at: https://authoraghoward.blogspot.com/

My own book, Midnight Dreary, originated through an interest in the works of Edgar Allen Poe. (In elementary school, I was learning to recite The Raven for fun). I chose some of the creepy aspects of his work, adding the characters of the raven and the names of some of my other personalities. I wanted to set the scene in an all American town, and then throw the town into crisis. My secondary character has traits that reflect a Sherlock Holmes type of investigation and intuitiveness. I wanted to contrast the two main characters to add a little tension, and yes, eventual romantic interest.

My release is tomorrow!

https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Dreary-Mystery-Rachael-Rawlings-ebook/

Or at: https://www.rachaelrawlingsauthor.com/

I encourage you to put these books on your list of 'to be reads'! You won't regret it (although you'll find it hard to put these books down!)

That book! Part 4

I know what you’re thinking. She has to be done, right?

Nope. The next part in my spare time is going back to writing the second book. I want the release to be close to the first, maybe even the preorder to start with the release of the first. That means I need to write fast.

And….I need another cover. I have chosen my title: Some Late Visitor. I am anxious to get with my cover designer to choose the image. I hope to again use the raven as part of my design.

I already have an idea for my third novel in the series, so I also will start taking notes and maybe write out the first scenes. I want the relationship to move along as well, so I will have to consider what situations to put my characters in to force them to interact on a more personal level.

And then I get to wait a little more.

But, check out the process so far!!
Here's the link for the first book: https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Dreary-Mystery-Rachael-Rawlings-ebook/dp/B079NTWX2S/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1518369720&sr=1-3&keywords=rachael+rawlings

still publishing that book, part 3

You thought we were done, right? Wrong!

So now I have my website up to date. http://rachaelrawlings.wixsite.com/rachael-rawlings

I have added the preorder, the lovely cover, and the blurb. I have a means to sign up for the newsletter to keep my readers updated too.

Newsletter, you say? You didn’t know I had that too!?

Many authors use a newsletter to send out chances to win books, to keep readers informed, to share favorite authors, and to ask opinions about future work. I’ve got some awesome people on my newsletter, and always enjoy hearing from my readers. So naturally, I want to give my newsletter folks the good news about my newest publication. Some have helped me with the writing and plotting along the way. Others will write reviews for me, which is awesome!

Reviews, you say?

Here’s the honest truth. Amazon loves reviews. We authors like them, but Amazon loves them. And if we get enough reviews, then Amazon will actually boost our books, showing it to new audiences, finding us new readers! Great, right? So here’s a favor I’ll ask. If you have read a book, any book, that you like, write a quick review on Amazon. It doesn’t have to be more than one line, but it will make the author super happy!!

And now that I have my newsletter updated, I can go back to writing, right?

Um, no. I still have to put some new updates on my author Facebook page, tweet a little (which I am terrible at) maybe do an Instagram, and Pinterest. I don’t do these a lot, but I want to show off my cover, so I’ll add that on my to-do list.

And then I wait a little more.

Publishing my novel, Part 2

My novel, Midnight Dreary: A Raven Mystery, is now available for pre-order, but it’s still going through growing pains. While I have the cover designed, I need to let my cover designer know how many pages it will be to size it for print. I must wait for the formatting in order to give her those numbers. Much of publishing is a waiting game at times, but my folks are all great to work with!

While I am working on the final files, I also needed to write out my dedication, acknowledgements, and biographical information. Those were easy. I have to thank the people who helped bring the book into reality and helped me refine and correct it. My dedication was a little more personal. I recently lost my father-in-law, a wonderful man who was an important influence in our lives. I dedicated the book to him. I will always miss him.

Then came the dreaded blurb. Ask any author, and their most dreaded task is writing a blurb. You want to give the reader enough to make them intrigued by the book, but not enough to give away the mystery of it. You want to bring them into the story. You want them to read your book. It is a surprisingly tiring task.

Once my draft for my blurb was written, I posted it to an author Facebook group for feedback. This is something I have learned as I go along. Never write a blurb without help. It will be terrible.

This too needs to be sent to my wonderful cover artist to add to the back of the cover. It also needs to go up on Amazon for my pre-order. And then I’ll need to update my website too. Sigh.

Process of publishing a novel

I have done both the small press publishing and self-publishing, and plan to continue to do this. In my small press, I have some wonderful fellow authors that provide ideas, support, and commiseration as we follow our paths to becoming better writers.

But this time, I have embarked on my second self-published novel. I began writing the manuscript almost a year ago. I had already decided the main characters and how I wanted their relationship to develop. Yes, the book is a mystery, but I am just as interested in building a relationship between two very diverse characters.

I chose a small-town rebel girl, one with tattoos and an attitude, but an insatiable curiosity, and a soft heart beneath the bravado. For her partner, I chose an intriguing mystery man, wealthy and very intelligent, but socially odd. A modern-day Sherlock Holmes with a lack of social graces. From this brief outline, the characters began to grow on their own, revealing pasts that I hadn’t anticipated, skills I hadn’t chosen, and characteristics I hadn’t planned (ask any author, the characters have a way with developing on their own).

Once the main mystery was solved, and my characters were on their way to developing a reluctant respect, and dare I say affection, for each other, I had to write a second. I originally planned for a trilogy, but I think the story will have to lead me. If I need more books to complete the relationship arc, then more books will come!

After rereading and editing my finished manuscript, I also ran it through a magic program called “ProWritingAid”. It was my first step in editing. Once I had reviewed and completed the program, I printed off the document and sent it to some beta readers.

At the same time, I started looking for a cover. I had someone on Fivver I really liked who had done other covers for me (see the one for Talitha and Speak to Me, as well as the ebook Spirit Passing). While the cover artist did her magic, I started on the second book in the series, trying to crank out 1000 words a day. As of this writing, I am almost finished with the rough draft for that one!

Then it was finding a title. I knew early on that my main character, Lenore, would be a Poe fan. She has a raven named Edgar. It works for me! So I chose Midnight Dreary for my title and sent that on to the cover artist. I then went through my favorite Poe Poem and chose a few other lines that might suit the next in the series.

My edits returned to me, and I got to work reworking and answering questions that my readers presented. Once those were done, off to the formatters!

With the bulk of the work done, I am ready to start the pre-orders! The final cover, manuscript, and formatting will be complete by the release date, February 24^th.

I’ll get back to you soon with an update!!

Parrots as pets

So I've been showing off my planners in the last couple posts, but this time I'm showing off my buddy, Isaac. As the winter season is winding down, I've been stuck inside for an extended period of time, and been amazed at some of the things that I hear Isaac say. As soon as I open the door, I have heard him call for the dog, Danbury, and I swear he is throwing his voice! It sounds like he's calling outside.  He also listens in on our conversations. I call to my boys upstairs and I hear him say "what?" That's usually just before the boys respond in exactly the same voice! Then he imitates the ringing for my phone. He has exactly the same tone as my notification and my ringer. He even saves old sounds and reuses them to greet me when I come in the room.

I know that Isaac knows us. He greets us each differently. He talks more in front of my kids than me, but what I do hear always amazes me. So yes, he's a really cool companion.

Mini Happy Planner with Stamps!

So now that I'm trying to control all of my writing goals from one book, I'm finding that the traditional cute stickers are a little harder to use. I love the look of them, and will still use them in my memory recording and my normal planning, but I think I like these stamps as well.

Let me tell you a secret. Aliexpress. Never heard of it? It's the Amazon counterpart from overseas and they have great prices on stamps and washi tape. I can't help it, I'm addicted. Because so many of the stamps on this layout were a bargain (under 2 dollars for a sheet) I got a good variety of them. My disclaimer here, some of the stamps have misspellings (they are from overseas) and they may take months to ship. However, if you don't mind the wait, you can buy tons of variety and......ta da!

My inks are mostly from Michael's, many from the bargain bin. Yeah!

So now my layouts have tags for twitter, Pinterest, editing, posting (for Facebook), and, oh, year, writing.

Oops! Now I guess I'd better get back to that!

(Notice in the corner, my little cover photo of The Cockatoo Called. Cute, huh?)

Getting it organized

Organization is NOT my strong point. I know where my keys are, where my coat and purse are, and where I might find my shoes, but none of these things are put away. As long as they are visible, I can find them. The result? Clutter crazy!
For writing, I'm a little better. I have a general outline of my plot, but then my unruly characters decide to do their own thing, behaving in some pretty unpredictable ways. I find that I need to keep notes on them: personality, appearance, beliefs, background, fashion, education, and all the other things that make a character real. I also need a timeline. I have to figure out when events happen, and one of the hardest things is to keep a calendar of this.
Then there is the act of writing. Choosing words written per day, what to edit, what to post, due dates for cover design, and deciding on which novel to chase out of my head.
So here is my newest week layout. I haven't filled it up yet, since I want to add lots of dates and notes. But I did add a new decoration! I put a little picture of my cover, The Parrot Told Me, on the page to dress it up. I like it!!
Thanks again to the same website that I got the last printable stickers, Pink Bows & Twinkle Toes.

Link of my last layout stickers!

Check out this adorable blog!!

https://pinkbowstwinkletoes.com/2016/12/01/december-functional-planner-stickers-free-printable/

Mini planner before the pen

I think that I really love the new Mini Happy Planner! I have looked for printables to make a spread, and I really think these are cheerful. I haven't actually added my plans, but so far, so cute!! (I'll add the link when I find it again so you can look it up too!!)
This one is my writing planner so I'm going to add my blog plans, my edits for the book I'm editing for my publisher, Hydra Publications, as well as my own writing!
I have plans for pages to edit, then word count to write per day. Of course, I'm also going to have to keep track of my social media too, and as I get used to the layout, I'm planning on adding that as well.

So how do you plan? I would love to get some feedback on how other writers and workers and moms plan their lives!!

Planning to Write

I d

on’t actually get writers block. I’m not bragging, I just have so many different stories swirling in my brain that if I get stuck on one, I just switch to another. This means that I am generally writing two to three novels at one time. Oh, and I’m editing one, or maybe two, during that same time. So keeping all of this straight is a challenge. For driving a novel, just getting the words on a page, I use a Nanowrimo type philosophy. For a month, I try to get fifty thousand words written. This is the goal for the National Novel Writing Month that comes around every November. I now use this every few months to get down some significant storylines for a rough draft. If I don’t reach the total word count, that’s fine because I still got a lot written. The following month is rereading the story, adding and editing, and usually writing the last few chapters.

              All this amounts to getting the book written and edited. Then it’s on to my beta readers, my editor, designing covers, and getting ready for release. Then it’s social media, this little blog that keeps slipping my mind, and tweeting and posting. That’s a lot to keep going. This is where my planner is helping. I have chosen this year to use a completely separate planner to write out my goals for each day of the week. I have plans for posting, for writing, for editing, and am also adding to my ever growing list of plot ideas. I bought a Mini Happy Planner that I am decorating with stickers, book print outs, and encouraging statements. A little cuteness is always helpful for the creative mind. Now, I just have to concentrate on not taking more time to plan than I am writing!

              The overlap will happen with events. I hope record all the events in both my writing planner and my regular family planner. That way, I can keep track of all our appointments and how they might overlap with the kids’ activities. I also plan to take the writing planner to my events. I can keep up with my titles, the ones that I sell, the people that have them signed, and add names to my email list for news and updates.

              I have already noticed that my planner is making me much more deliberate about my writing. I am thinking of ways to organize my day and use my time in a more efficient way. Only time will tell how my productivity is impacted by my new planning, but I have high hopes!

              If you are interested in any more information, about Nanowrimo, about writing a novel, about my books, or getting on my email list, let me know!!

Dropped off the face of the earth!

It seems that just when I settle in for the cozy holiday season, the world takes a quick spin and suddenly I am so busy I'm catching sight of my own behind as I rush out the door. Sigh. I have great intentions of what I plan to do while I have those precious two weeks off school for Christmas Break, but the time sneaks away, and I'm left holding a list full of unchecked intentions.
So now I'm back!
I'm going to pretend that I was never overtaken by the rush of the holidays and give you a peek into what I'm doing to get back on track.
Planners!
Yes, again!
This time, I have an assortment of fancy fabulous planners that I hope to hang my dreams on. There's the Big Happy Planner, which should be spelled in all caps, it's so big. It holds all of my memories, the bits that I have printed off on my zink printer, the greeting cards, movie tickets, and business cards that spark my memory of a day well spent.
Then there is the regular sized Happy Planner, a gift from my bestie, Angela. It holds my plans for the week, the appointments, work hours, band practice, archery practice, and all the detritis that goes along with motherhood and family life.
Finally, there's my mini happy planner, small and sweet, that holds my plans for my writing. That's the one that the blog will emerge from.
So you can thank Me and My Big Ideas for my next few posts. I may even add a photo or two!!

Fall is here!

Finally!
The air is cooling, the leaves slowly turning and falling in fluttering waves, and the days are getting shorter. All this means some of my favorite Holidays to look forward to. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and then Christmas are all around the corner.
But in the meantime, I'm trying something different, and I'll let you know about my adventure. This coming weekend, the 8th and 9th of October, I'm going to the Nashville Exotic Pet Expo in Tennessee. I've never been to one of these, and I can't wait! I love all kinds of animals, and I'm fascinated by some, even if I wouldn't want to meet them face to face (ie snakes and biting/stinging insects). My daughter insists that there is charm in the odd serpent, there is personality in the amphibian. So for this adventure, I'm going to take her word for it!
So if you plan on attending, stop by and visit me! I'll be the one with the books!

Planners Gotta Plan

This summer, my sister introduced me to something new (at least new to me). My first venture into the planner phrase was The Happy Planner by MAMBI (Me and My Big Ideas). I had decided that I wanted something that I could use daily to keep up with my schedule, both at school where I work as a Speech Language Pathologist, and at home. I also needed somewhere to keep up with my side career as an author, to help track deadlines, signings, and events.
At first sight, I loved the planner. The pages were sturdy and could take pens, pencils, and markers. They had nice rich colors, attractive designs and patterns, and sayings. There was a summary page at the beginning of each month that outlined things like birthdays, special events, and goals for the month. Each month was laid out on the next two pages before the weekly pages started. And best of all, it was designed on the disk system. This system, like other ARC planners, is comprised of removable pages that hang on disks, sandwiched between interchangeable covers.
You could also buy others packs to go in the planner which included a household piece for daily cleaning chores, a meal planner, and a budget planner. Extended pages, spare pockets, additional tabbed dividers, post it notes, and stickers were all available. I quickly snatched up most of the extra items as well. And the planner is simply awesome for the day to day planning and, better yet, memory book. I was able to add tickets and bookmarks, business cards and receipts. The system allows for popping holes in almost anything and adding it to the planner. Eventually, I had to give up and buy the hole punch as well from the ARC system. (They have since released a hole punch for the Happy Planner specifically, which is cuter and less expensive than the ARC one!)
And when the planner got too thick, I simply used some of the additional covers that I had purchased, bought another set of rings for a couple bucks, and separated out the parts of the planner that I had completed. July through September went in their own book, where I would eventually add more months as my main book filled out. (The planner came with 18 months, so plenty of time to spread out between the two books.)
After some amount of time, with the addition of cute washi tape, stickers, some scrapbook paper, I was thrilled with the look of my planner. My only problem with this particular planner is that I didn't have enough space for work information.
So that began my search for a daily planner for more practical day to day life.
My Happy Planner continues to grow. It holds all the pictures, spare papers, newsletters, cards, and other memorabilia that I love so well.
So how do you plan, and how do you remember? Do you use different books for different things? The planner plot continues!

My favorite Mondays, and I start with my favorite mystery character

Several years ago I stumbled upon a novel by Preston and Child, Relic. I had actually read the book once before, but I had noticed at the bookstore that there were several in the series. I decided that I was going to reread the first book so that I could go on to read others of the series. And I was very glad that I did. Relic is followed by Reliquary, and next is The Cabinet of Curiosities, which is my current favorite from these talented authors.. At the moment, I am reading Blue Labyrinth, the 14th in the series.
But here is the truth. The reason that I really love this series is the characters, a mixture of very different personalities centered around the genius, sophisticated, and mysterious Pendergast. Pendergast is an agent with the FBI, but is only loosely affiliated with the government in most stories. He seems to successfully work alone, skirting the law, but always successfully getting his man, er, monster.
I love the cool Pendergast. He has the ageless feeling of  Sherlock Holmes, with the quick and accurate observations and thought processes that seem to race far ahead of everyone else that he encounters.
The rest of the characters are delightfully well rounded. We see a little of their inner thoughts, and their motivations make sense with the context of the story. They also bring in a nice range of backgrounds, personalities, and viewpoints. It has made me realize that the reason that I enjoy these books, while I like the spooky topics, complicated plots, and action scenes, is really because I like the people in the novels. I care about them. I want to find out what happens to them. And most of all, I will continue to read these intricate mysteries to see what happens next.
So I eagerly await the next few novels to see what adventures Pendergast will take me to, and how he will eventually save the day!

Organizing? An attempt at blog organization

Better late than never, I figure, so I'm trying out a New Year's Resolution, um, a month late. I am not terribly organized. I work at it, enjoy planners, calendars, organization apps, and making lists. But I still struggle to get everything done in a timely manner.
So my blog reflects that. I post sporadically and my ideas are all over the place, skimming over my interests in no particular order.
No More!
My plan looks a little like this:
My Favs Monday: a chance to discuss my favorite books, movies, etc with hopes that I get a few suggestions from readers as well!
We Plan Wednesday: a quick review of what I am trying to use, what I'd like to try, what I've researched and find interesting, and hopefully some opinions from other planners!
Tech Thursdays: a discussion of some of my tech, some things that are cool, up and coming, and may just be a must buy for you all!

So my newest post will come out tomorrow, hopefully with a little more organization, and perhaps some new information and suggestions for you all!

The Cockatoo Called has finally landed!

Check out this item in my Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/listing/266790502/the-cockatoo-called-author-signed-and

Grandma's Technology

My mother is the grandmother of teenagers. Makes sense. I have teenagers, as do my brother and sister. And my mother is an awesome grandma! The other great thing about my mom, besides her infinite patience, is her enjoyment of technology. With a little help, she has adopted an iPad, a Kindle, an android cell phone, and most recently, a smart watch.
Let me explain. My mother has a mild hearing impairment which causes her to occasionally miss phone calls unless she is carrying her cell phone in her pocket. Like a lot of ladies, she does not always choose to do this. She would rather have it tucked in her purse, or on a desk charging when need be.
As you can tell from my past posts, not only am I a planner addict, I love technology. I have adopted smart watches since the first Galaxy Gear which came with my Samsung Note. I then upgraded to the Gear Live from Samsung, an Android Wear device, a Gear S, and have since upgraded again to a Gear S2.
My other watches were sold to help finance my new purchases, but the Gear Live was still in my possession when I had an idea. I asked my mother if she would like to use the watch.
Granted, it is large and a little clumsy, a few generations from the sleek Apple Watch or the lovely Moto 360 2nd generation. But it's a great watch for an initial trial at the smartwatch world. It works well, has decent battery life, a nice bright display, and works with any Android phone.
And she likes it! When she gets a call or text, the vibration on her wrist alerts her. It also has some useful notifications for traffic and weather as well, making it a handy device to help keep her informed.
The beauty of the device is the fact that the vibration helps those who can't hear their phone. And the notification is nice and clear, even for those of us, myself included, who need glasses.
I write this as a recommendation. It doesn't matter your age. It doesn't matter that you might not be the most technologically adept person. This is a little tool that can help you stay informed and stay connected. And a second hand, early generation of these gadgets are fairly cheap and getting cheaper.
Let me know what you think!!

Planner doodles!

So I've decided that organization is my new passion. I need to figure out how to efficiently handle my life, my job, writing, family, and blog. As a delightful side benefit, I now have a real reason to doodle, to play with markers, stickers, fancy tape, and glittery things!!

It is important to divide out my days into manageable bits so that I don't get overwhelmed, and I don't forget anything. I have sectioned things out into work information, writing for novels and blog, and for normal home and family. These snow days at home have given me a little more time to refine my ideas.

So I'm still using the KITlife planner, a daily program with nice big pages and lots of room. I have added some cute little drawings to my planner as well.

See my pictures added here!