Where do I go?

Where do you write? Well I go to my most favorite place ever.



See the window?



I just moved into a new home and inside of my bedroom there is this small closet. Now the closet is suppose to be for clothes but it has a 32x28 sized window in there. My clothes would be visible and I couldn't have that.

So...I did what any clever minded individual would do.


I turned it into my own reading, writing room.
the whole little project cost me $35 dollars. Yes, can you believe it. 20 for the chair and 15 for the bookcase. Oh and do you notice that little green number? Hehehe, that's my stiletto shoe business card holder. See, it IS all about the shoes!

All of those books you see, FREE. I got them at Thrillerfest this year in New York. (see another reason to visit these conferences)and that isn't counting the other bookcase in my sitting room. Score!

So now I go into the closet and sit and create. My laptop plugs right outside of the closet, oh, excuse me; writing room. And the light is perfect. I can sit in there for hours, and I have. #dontjudgeme.

When and if I decide to come out of the closet, it's because I want something to drink. Now to figure out how to add my single cup coffee maker.

I think I got it!

Oh the joys of being an author! So tell me, where do you write?

Why vote?

Today I was going to take a little time off to vote but being an author, I couldn't let the day pass without just dropping all writers a little note.

Today is election day and everyone, who can; should go out and vote.

I have turned voting into a family tradition and no matter where my grown children are, they know that at 5pm (1pm in Vegas) we are voting.

I don't want to know who they are voting for, all I want them to do is vote. We have lively discussions about the candidates and yes, we also make some jokes about both of the candidates but in the end, we all do our American duty and vote.

They even said to me today, "mom,really are you ever not going to write about everything that you do." Gasp! Clutch the pearls!

I nearly passed out, yeah I seem to be doing that a lot lately. First around shoes and now around my children.

After I told her to hold me up, I dusted myself off and said, "nope" Yeah that was real inspirational, wasn't it.

Well I had nothing to say. I write because I can; because freedom of speech allows me to say what I want as long as I am not malicious to anyone or spreading lies. So the simple answer is, I will always write about shoes, books, or voting. This is why I vote. I vote to be able to do things that I want to do.

So I asked her...Why wouldn't I?

Tell me, what would prevent you; yes you, the one reading this, from writing and have you voted yet?

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…

Conferences...Should I go or stay home?

That is the question I used to ask myself and I used to say, I'm not going. What would I have to gain by going anyway? Besides, I could keep that money in my pocket.

Well, let me tell you. Going to conferences should be on your list of things to do. Why? Well I'm glad you asked. What, you didn't ask? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway.

Conferences not only prepare you for what you will deal with when trying to promote yourself and they also make for great networking opportunities. Yes, you need to be able to tell someone about your book in less than 15 minutes and at a conference you are asked that question hundreds of times. Great practice.

Austin Camacho plans his schedule a year in advance. He then checks the schedule of the conference he wants to attend and the panels he wants to see. It also gives him a way to get his personal copy of the novel signed by the author. "I used to go to learn about the business and to improve my writing. Now I go for the networking and the charge I get from being around great writers."

See that is what I'm talking about! He has a plan and he sticks to it. Now quiz time. How many of you have a plan to attend conferences? (hearing the birds and crickets) Well, do you see my hand waving around in the air like a flag? I plan on going to as many conferences as my purse can handle. Like, the C3 conference in Baltimore in September 2013 and Love is Murder in February and Thrillerfest in July.

So I already have three on my schedule and now I need one or two more. Hmm, should I go to Romfest in June or maybe it will be Bouchercon in October. These are just a few that I can choose from.

Which one will I see you at? Drop me a line and let me know so that I can meet up with you. I'd love to see you.

Are you doing enough?

What do I mean by that?

I mean; are you doing enough? I think it is self explanatory. Are you doing enough to market yourself; to be an author; to be published.

First let me say this, as I step up to the mic, that I had become a slacker. So to answer my own question. I used to do enough and then life got in the way and I started finding excuses.

However after seeing a friend past me in the marketing game; oh you didn't know. I'm super competitive. Anyway, after seeing him past me in his efforts to get his book seen by hundreds or thousands, I said to myself, "game on!"

Ever since then, I've been all over the place. I've been to markets, schools and conferences. I've paid my way to do these things and yes it gets to be costly but I want to been seen by hundreds and thousands too. (OK, sorry I was whining just a little bit) Anyway, I set a budget in my mind and then I make it happen. Plain and simple.

So, I ordered my business cards, banners, postcards and magnets. I ordered books, starting blogging and bought some new clothes; (a perfect reason to shop) and set about doing what I could to get my name and face and books in front of people.

So; I'll ask again, are YOU doing enough? If not; what's the excuse?

I'm sorry, I can't hear you. Do you need your own mic? If so; I'm passing to you now...

What do you write in?

Rosemary, or Rosey to her closest friends, found me on LinkedIn when I sent an invitation to blog.

Today she tells us what she likes to wear when she is writing.When I blog I rest my feet in furry pink slippers on a built-in obsolescence model printer. Practically it is to save my knees and level my bottom. Metaphysically, what is it? Lowest upward – let us consider.

Obsolete printer? I have finished with cheapos bought from department stores. The days of pandering to the teaching profession with lush handouts produced spontaneously in the wee hours for belligerent students are gone. When the school door was firmly closed, I emptied the ink for a friend who shook over a forthcoming inspection then declared this object redundant. It stubbornly retained the label some months later when I repurchased ink for another purpose so now it is under my feet. Any future model will have to be laser, imperishable and funded. The old model signifies the fight for better facilities.

Pink fluffy slippers? These signify comfort, warmth and refusal to totally negate a young girl’s dream world with the harsh realities of advancing age. Slippers hug my feet with love, for my daughters supply them. They remind me to see a pretty image in the mirror even if I have to dim the light. They defy the cold and whisper to me of days in the Jamaican sun where feet never feel a chill. Slippers predict better days to come

Bottom always pressed into a hardwood chair, computer bound, several mornings a week? This signifies persistence. It is the only quality lauded by pundits as likely to succeed. Using this, I keep electronically communicable, approachable as an author, aspiring as a marketer and battling as a writer. My relief is a walking job for limited wages but my belief is in the profit that will one day flow from the balanced cheeks here firmly pressed.

Who ever said writing does not pay needed to add “yet”. We live in an age when centenarians are becoming average. In the old span of life we were ancient at seventy, now we are late middle-aged. Let us all build dreams for our extended phase.  With electronic literature, e-sales, pyramid promotions we must redress the march of time, the conformity to stereotype, the deterioration of the fiery spirit that fuelled us and find obsolescence to climb over, comfort to cling on to and visions to invest in. My seat at my computer does all these things. I’m sure yours is doing it for you too.

Thanks for sharing the positive promise of a writing life.

Thanks Rosey, I'm making myself her closest friend and for me; I like to wear...wait this isn't about me, is it?

What do you like to write in?

Let us know and while you are at it, why not stop by and check her out

http://roseythomaspalmerauthor.wordpress.com

What's your excuse?

I recently guest blogged on a friends blog. Mr. Camacho asked me to present a blog for him and of course I jumped at the chance.

After posting to it, I realized that I had every excuse, well not all of the excuses, but most of them; not to write. I thought about it and then said, well why aren't you writing. And the simple answer is; because I'm so very busy.

Ok, well not real busy but busy enough that I can't dedicate a lot of time to writing. Now if you read his blog you saw that I'm the marketing director of Intrigue Publishing; and that is a serious job. I need to make sure that I am helping all the other authors out there.

Then there are the grandbabies. Five of them and one of them is a girl. So of course I need to spend time with them and teach the boys how to protect their girl cousin and teach my granddaughter how to be a diva. (side note: she just turned one and she is a diva; all by herself)
Then there is the football season; need I say more? I mean, really? Seriously? How can I concentrate on writing when there is so much to do.

Oh look, there is another distraction. I need to wash clothes, clean the house, go shopping, do homework (did I mention that I am a FULL TIME college student).
Whew, after all of that now its time for me to check 'my status' on Facebook, and then there is the mindless 'tweeting' that needs to be done. But wait, I need to 'connect' on LinkedIn.
Ah, now here is some time that I can just chill. To sit on the porch and look aimlessly at the clouds forming.
Oooohh, look it looks like a big pillow. Will you look at the time; I need to run to Lowes to get some fall flowers before the store closes, in 4 hours!

Wait...did you hear that? It's me, pumping my brakes. Everything I just said (typed) is an excuse. I had at least two good hours to work on my novel and I decided to sit on the porch and look at the sky.
Ok, well sometimes we call it "inspiration" today I call it, an excuse.

So I am going to just do it! I'm going to sit down in this chair and start working on my novel...that is right after I re-arrange my sitting room.

Ooops, I'm doing it again; aren't I? I promise, right after writing this blog, I'm going to start working on my novel....
check back here in two days and find out what I really did with my free time.