INDIE AUTHORS AND WHY I LOVE THEM

Indie published authors have come a long way from the horrible book size to the large print and the formatting that looked like a child did it.

Being an indie author now means you can produce a novel that looks just as good as any NY Times best seller on the shelves. Have you tried reading some good Indie Authors? You haven't, well let me give you five that you should start with.

1. +Cerece Rennie Murphy is an Indie Author with Lion Sky Publishing. She is an SciFi author and a children's book author and the most gracious woman you will ever meet. The Order of the Seers Trilogy will keep you entertained and guessing. She is an African American author doing big things in the Sci-Fi world mostly dominated by men. Take a look at her website if you don't believe me.

2. +Dee Lawrence proves that lawyers do have a sense of humor and that they can weave a good story OUT of the courtroom and her novel, Gotta Let It Go proves that. This novel takes you on a journey with a woman who; can't let go of her busy body ways or her stubborn attitude as she tries to find out who murdered her friend. Check out her website 

3. +Ayesha Shoulders is new to the indie world and she is making a big splash with her latest novel, When Loves Knot Enough. Sometimes women change their minds and that is just want happens in this love story. Can Mariah give love one more try before she throws in the towel? If you haven't read this novel, you need to pick it up today. Check out her website

4. Frances Frost is Just Piddlin and she does it while being a mom of 4! She wrote the novel; Life In Spades and it gives me hope that four women can be friends while being the voice of reason and the one you call on in your time of need. Check out her blog

5. +K. R. Raye is a friend and Diva that goes on tour with me and Dee Lawrence. Her novels takes you into the lives of four friends and shows you what it takes to screw up a friendship. This ride will force you to take a look at your own friendships and what you would do if one were in trouble. Check out her novels here: Amazon Page

So today I am giving you a glimpse of just five of my most favorite #IndieRoar #IndieAuthors and I hope you give them a try today.

Looking good means writing well.

You look good, you feel good….

That was my son’s motto while he played football. He had to be one of the best dressed athletes on the field but it showed in his level of play.

I take that to heart every day. I dress the way I want to feel.

You may be asking: well what does that have to do with writing. Well, I showed you, a couple of months ago, a picture of my writing room and that is where “I feel good.”  So if I feel good, I write well.

Some authors have shared their office space photos with me and some of shared their writing space photos with me and sometimes I look and then I totally understand why ‘they aren’t inspired.”

Maybe it has to do with the hundreds of pieces of paper cluttering your desk. Or the post-it notes that are stuck on everything. Maybe it has to do with the dim light over your computer or maybe it’s because your space is cluttered and the more you sit at your desk; the more your mind wanders to “I should straighten my desk”, or “I need to throw those papers away that are on the floor.” Either way, you mind is too cluttered with cleaning and can’t focus on writing.

Is this to say that I’m always neat and tidy? Heck no! To the contrary, but what I do is; every time I sit down to write; it’s with a clean desk and everything is neat and orderly. By the time I get up; yes, I have post-it notes and paper thrown everywhere BUT I don’t leave it like that. I finish up; then I clean up. So that when I come back, my space is neat and clean and I can get right to writing.

So, the saying; you look good; you feel good; you feel good; you play good.

Holds true for me.

My desk looks good, so I write well.

Simple, right? Now, to clean up this mess before I get my lunch.

Boot season is here!

I am so giddy; I can barely sit here to type this. I have found a new shoe/clothing store. I haven’t bought any clothes out of there but I have found the best shoes.

It a place called Citi Trends in Maryland. When I tell you that I have found heaven on earth, I’m not lying.

I walked in there a couple of weeks ago and fell in love with a purse and wouldn’t you know, they had grey boots to match. I mean c’mon, really? How could I pass that up? So I bought the one pair of boots and they are the cutest things EVER! But then I saw these! Of course I had to have the brown bootie boots with the buckle; I mean, really? And yes, I HAD to have the bracelet and earrings! #dontjudgeme

Then I had a few extra minutes about a week ago and walked in there and found a black pair of thigh high boots. Oh my gosh! I had to have them because what woman doesn’t need a black pair of 5 ½ inch thigh high boots. Then I saw these brown studded low boots and I had to have those too. I mean, I already had some thigh high brown boots but didn’t have any low boots to wear with my pants. Besides, I didn’t have a 5 inch pair.  Wait…wait…what… is…this… Gasp! I…

OK, I fainted from sensory overload and when I came to; these purple studded boots were in my closet. I don’t know how that happened. I wasn’t going to buy any more boots. I was on my way to the register and then all of a sudden, these purple boots attacked me!

Yeah, that’s it. The attack of the purple studded boots! Call News Channel 4 and get Jim Vance over here. No, wait. I need Pat Collins from WJLA 7 news…yeah, somebody needs to document this. Those purple boots attacked me!

That’s the story, I’m sticking to and you can’t make me change it!

So, in two weeks, I bought four pairs of boots and two purses, oh and a grey coat. Yes, a coat because I need something to wear with my new gray boots and my new gray purse. But you know…now that I have brown boots, I think I need a brown purse and I can’t have a brown purse without having a brown coat. I mean can you imagine the horrors of trying to force a black coat on me when clearly the black coat goes with the black boots and black purse.

Oh no; I feel another trip to Citi Trends coming on. Stay tuned for more…

Royalty should have it's perks, right?

Today I turn my blog over to royalty. I was approched by this young lady after she had endured a horrific ordeal. Her family was moving into a brand new castle and she had to leave the only castle she has known She has lots to say about it. Please leave a comment to show her your support. Either way, let her know that you read her post.

It all started in October when they decided that they needed a bigger castle. Now, the previous castle was just fine by me. I had the run of the place and I had the best hiding places ever. I had toys, although I found more fun in tormenting them, than actually playing with those stupid things that they unsuccessfully bought time and time again in an attempt to placate me. I didn't want for anything and I was the Princess in my castle. Of course my mother was the Queen and sometimes she would turn over her reign to me when she invited people over. Slowly, I started seeing things leave the castle and never come back. Then came the day when the castle was over-run by those fur-less beings. Two days later, it happened. The Queen cornered me in the room with the water in the bowl and the massive cold bed. I thought she wanted to keep me company as I prepared for my nap and then it started. She tried putting me, ME, in a box! What was happening! Why was she doing this. I fought a valant fight but alas, she won; she wore me down, but not before she bore some severe battle scars. (yes, she had to find some of the stuff and rub it on her arms.) I digress. She puts me in the box and then we are going outside! OUTSIDE! I am not an outsider, I need the comfort of that cool air that blows from the ceiling and I need the comfort of my space with those two big boxes that swish water but I can never see it. She puts me in the bigger box with black things that make it move (momma said to stay away from those things, they are dangerous)and then we start to move. I see my castle fading away and then it's gone. GONE I tell ya!. Where are we going...what is she going to do with me! Now, I've heard stories. Nothing prepared me for what happened next.

We arrive at a smaller castle, one with a fluffy in the common area; where I don't have any privacy, for you know....my own needs. Well if she expects me to get out of this box, she has another thing coming. That night, I finally come out and wander around for a bit but this place is not my kind of place, so I retreat, to the dark space under the fluffy. I refuse to eat until I am put back in the place fit for a princess and the queen better recognize this! I...I..I'm sorry but the inhumanity of it all....

Sorry folks, the princess is having a moment and after she composes herself, she will continue...check back tomorrow for the rest of the story.

Just Part of the Family

Today I've turned my blog over to Sandy Humphrey. She makes us feel what it is like to have our characters as part of the family.

I’ve been working on a young adult novel that takes place at a summer camp for girls with emotional problems in northern Minnesota, and I find it more than a little disconcerting that some of my characters have recently moved in with me.

This morning I found the camp director, Mrs. A, at my breakfast table shoveling sugar into her herbal tea, and last night I found her rummaging through my fridge, looking for avocados for her guacamole dip.

           

And it’s not just Mrs. A who has moved in. Leslie (my Protagonist) and some of her camper friends are also showing up unexpectedly. I found Trisha (a young black girl who longs to have her own garden amidst the chaos of the inner city) wandering around my backyard last week. She wasn’t being a nuisance or anything. She was just out there smelling the flowers.

Then there’s anorexic Jennifer. She hasn’t actually moved in yet, but I see her in some of the young girls I mentor at our church. They talk about their control issues at home and how food is the only thing in their lives that they feel they have any control over. Jennifer doesn’t say anything at these meetings, she just nods in agreement.

And, of course, there’s Rachel, “the cutter.” There were so many Rachels at the state mental hospital who insisted that they had to cut “to feel better.” They shared with me how they could deal more easily with their physical pain than with their psychological pain, and how the physical pain gave them a temporary respite from their psychological pain.

I’ve even run into Cynthia Winston, the villain of the piece, right in my own bathroom—-usurping the bathroom mirror while she apples her makeup. Actually, Cynthia has pretty much taken over all my mirrors. She’s always there, preening and giving me her little Mona Lisa half-smile.

Although I have never invited any of my characters to move into my home and take over so much of my life, I find I’m becoming used to having them around. And I might even miss them if they were to move out.

I think what I’ve concluded from all this is that to make our characters real to our readers—-characters whom they really care about-—we must care about them first. They must be so real to us that we see them everywhere we go and in everything we do, and sometimes we may even find them in the most unexpected places!

Sandra McLeod Humphrey is a retired clinical psychologist, a character education consultant, and an award-winning author of eight middle-grade and young adult books.  She's also the recipient of the National Character Education Center's Award for Exemplary Leadership in Ethics Education (2000) and the 2005 Helen Keating Ott Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children's Literature.

You can learn more about her books by visiting her Web site  at www.kidscandoit.com and her blog at www.kidscandoit.com/blog/

Getting the Adventures Started in the life of Marge McGugan

Rule # 20 – Draw inspiration from anything and everything.

<Scene Summary>

I met B. at the Bay to Ocean Writer’s Conference in late February. We sat next to each other in one of the many fantastic sessions. We got to talking about our work and exchanged blog information. She asked me to guest on her blog and discuss some of my Adventures of an Author writings and how I work.

<Present time>

Inspiration is having a hard time settling in my brain. There’s a lot going on around the house – recent trip to Jersey, great spring weather giving me the fever, 18 year old hound going downhill at a more rapid rate. Focus is not one of my current virtues. A big problem that I share with my hubby is that we are both hopelessly addicted to NCIS -the original, not the Los Angeles version (although some LL Cool drooling is always good). Hmmmm…..

<Bolts to computer and starts typing furiously… faster than in high school typing class on those old Royal typewriters>

I start my own Leroy Jethro Gibbs rules. These are rules for writing right. The blog can focus on a different rule where appropriate. GENIUS!!! Ok, stolen idea but still genius!

<Applies Gibbs-style head slap to self> <not too hard!>

You see, when I started writing about 2 years ago, it was because I needed something other than retirement in my life. I quit my job as a middle school Family and Consumer Sciences. It’s a job I did for almost 20 years and, yes, there was a true burnout element to the job change. I started writing by taking some online writing courses and found out something really surprising about myself – I was always a writer. In my job, I wrote lesson plans and curriculum guides. I’ve also done curriculum work for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. I’ve done the content and layout editing for my church newsletter. So this writing gig is nothing new.

So here sits a budding children’s book writer at her trusty Cyclops (computer) pounding the keys like a jazz pianist in love with his instrument. And it’s fun!! I can be other people through my characters when I write (Rule #30 – all behavior has a purpose). I can get into a child’s mind when I search for a 3-year old’s way of talking about dogs and the way to behave around them. I can pretend to be a Philadelphia rabbit chef at a soul food restaurant who is moving to Canada to be with family. At this point, many of you would recommend the name of a good psychiatrist to me right about now. It’s cool – writers can unleash their inner crazy (Rule # 25). WHOOO HOOOO! I am no longer bound by Maryland State Assessment instructional criteria!!! I’m free! (ok, sort of… the language does have rules I need to follow).

<Insert solitary hand clap and whoopee index finger twirl>

I can write about my travels… what will I see? How can I make the places I go into children’s books? How can I follow my passions (Rule #1) and make the stories readable for little kids?

<Insert deep worry music here>

It’s all a learning process. Just like life. And it’s all a fantastic journey. Check it out at Adventures of an Author, brought to you by Blogspot.com.

<You knew there had to be a commercial somewhere>

And as for this crazy format???  I used Rule #24 – Practice all types of writing. So much for the screenplay….

<Smiling while typing> <wrap scene><pour another glass of wine and celebrate>

Books-Kindle or Print?

Today I pose the question: Which do you prefer, Kindle or Print?

Now remember, this is only my opinion and just like everyone; I’m entitled to mine.

Kindle seems to be the instant answer to many of our ‘reading dilemmas”. In a world of instant gratification, the Kindle, Nook, and E-Reader has made life much more instantaneous for a lot of people. If they hear of a book that someone says, “they must have” they can pull out their Kindle and download it and read it within a matter of minutes.

Now, let’s look at the same scenario with a ‘print’ novel. Someone asks you if you have picked up the latest novel from Austin Camacho, The Piranha Assignment, and you say, no but you will as ‘soon as you get home and log into your computer and go to the Amazon.com website and type in his name and then check out all of his books”. It’s not as instant as the Kindle conversation that goes like this, “I’ll pick up the latest by Austin Camacho in five, four, three, two, got it. Wow and on Kindle it’s only $.99 versus the “print” copy of $11.66. Or maybe you just saw Karen Minors, author of It is What It Is and you want to read all about Miya and Milan; you will either go to Amazon.com and download a version for $7.69 or you will buy it and wait for it to ship in a couple of days for $19.95.

See for me, I like the ‘hard’ version in my hands. I like to hold the book, flip the pages, and dog ear them as I pour over the scenes. In a kindle, not so much. Plus, they haven’t found a way for you to get your book ‘autographed’ through Kindle; well they sort of have, but it involves buying software to download to your Kindle and then you have to ‘find’ the author again.

Now, don’t get your Kindle all in an electronic huff; I’m merely saying that for some of us, we like to slow down, sit with a nice cup of Chai Tea or Dunkin Donuts coffee, curl up in our pink Snuggie and read until we fall asleep and the book makes that familiar thunk when it hits the floor. If your Kindle hits the floor, you better be on carpet or be prepared to look at a possible crack on your screen or worse yet; a black one, because it has gone on to electronic heaven (with my beloved GRACIE—the laptop that I wrote about previously, but I digress)

All this to say  what? Whether you are a Kindle reader or Print (book –in-hand) reader; whichever one you chose, stay true to yourself and don’t fall for the fads. Sure Kindle will be around for a while, or Nook or whatever E-reader you choose, but so will books, because let’s face it; until there is a HUGE bonfire somewhere, there will also be Mom and Pop bookstores out there where the rest of us NON E-reader owners can go and get our fix.

Will you join me? (wait…I still want a Kindle; but I don’t NEED a Kindle) don’t judge me! (smile)

Happy Writing!