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!!

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.

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!!

Being an author

Everyone is different. I get that. And everyone's life runs in a different path. We all wear many hats, some more than others, and I have discovered that although all of our hats are not of our choosing, some we can pick.
I chose to be a Speech Therapist. It is my job, a full time one, and something that I love. I chose to be married, to be a mother, caretaker, leaf raker, house cleaner.
I was born to be a writer.
And for all of those who don't know the journey of a writer, well, it differs from person to person. We all have the passion in common. The love of a story, the richness of the written word.
For me, writing for now is not my primary job. I have to work outside the home to help pay the bills, to have benefits for my family, and for eventual retirement. Writing for me is my dream, tucked between work and dinner, after hours and on weekends.
So I generally am writing at least two books at one time, editing one, trying to promote one or two, and trying to go to signings and author events. My writing seems to permeate every piece of my of my life. I have ideas all the time. I'm fortunate in that I have never had true writer's block. When one topic fizzles, another pops. And when I can't think of what to say in one book, I just move to another and write on it.
At night, I dream in books, during the day I think in plots. I listen to dialogue for realism, I look at beauty in words.
I'm a writer. How about you?

Christmas gifts, anyone?

I do love a good book.  The only gifts I love more than electronics, on which I can read books, are actual books (oh, and gift certificates for books)!
I think it's fair to say that every writer is a reader first.  We began reading early, then started thinking of our own stories.  We started sharing our stories with friends, and it became a necessity to write them down.
Finally we got them published.  But by then, it was just a small part of our whole reading/writing experience.  Then came the sharing.  We wanted others to read our stories, to enjoy them! 

We love a good book, a library, a bookstore, a coffee shop, a stack of magazines, anywhere that we can immerse ourselves in our favorite story.
Give a book for Christmas!  Make a writer happy!