Where are you headed? Not Sure?

That's a hard question sometimes. Most people have no idea where they're headed in life. They just take like as it comes and usually don't make plans for the future. Do you have a plan? Have you got your future in mind or just living in the past? Life is full of turns, curves, stop signs, yields and just plan out warning signals that go unattended. How do you plan to see it through? Do you live life by the seat of your pants, never knowing which way to go when you get to the fork in the road? Most of us stand that this fork and stare straight ahead, confused and not sure what happens next. This happens so many times with writers. You write your manuscript, but now what? Do you publish it? Do you take a chance with a traditional publisher, but then again do you take a chance self publishing it? This is a hard question to ask yourself, but if you want to become a writer, it's a question that needs an answer. What's your goal? Here's a couple of road blocks that can come along: 1: Turns: This happens after you type The End. Are you self disciplined enough to self publish? Are you patient enough to wait on a traditional publisher? 2: Curves: Well you've made the decision as to how you want to publish your work. What now? If you decide to self publish the road can have many curves and you have to be disciplined enough to take those curves and move forward carefully. If you decide to send it to a traditional publisher, then the curves can be a long time coming and then when they do can you handle the possibility of a 90 degree curve when they either accept it or reject it? 3: Stop Signs: This is when you come to a complete halt. Either your manuscript is completely rejected by a traditional publisher or you decide to self publish and you have no idea where to go from here. That happens, how do you pull away from that stop sign? 4: Yield: With self publishing you have to know when to slow down and take the next step carefully. You need to be patient and slow down before going forward. This is also a good way to handle turning over your manuscript to a traditional publisher. Have you had your manuscript edited by someone other than yourself? One of the easiest way to be rejected by either way you publish is to send in your manuscript before it's ready. Don't run straight through the yield without slowing and taking a second look. 5: Warning signs: Also follow the warning signs. Don't jump into the frying pan without being ready for the burn. If you don't handle the business as it needs to be handled you will end up getting burned, rejected and ignored in the market. Remember writing is a business and the second you decide to publish, you're a writer and that's a business. Run it with that in mind. So, where are you headed? Do you know your plan? Before you take that huge step into publishing, figure it out. Know what you want to achieve and make a plan. Don't go into it without knowing the risks. If you want to self publish and don't know where to go from the words The End, check out the publishing service that I'm a partner in, Horseshoe Publishing. We strive to help authors move forward and put out the best product they can. The link to what we do is at the top of my page. We are offering a Spring Into Action 25% off special, so check us out. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Are you using your voice?

Ok, I know that's a strange question, but hear me out. I'm talking about your author's voice. That voice that speaks to you and drives you to write. You know that voice, it's the one that wakes you in the middle of the night, the one that keeps your mind off everything around you, and it's the one that nudges you to write that next chapter before bedtime. Yeah, you know it. All writers hear it, some ignore it, but you hear it. But the question is, are you using your voice? Have you listened to others and changed to suit them, but not you? Yes, we need to listen to our critics, but if we totally change our voice aren't we denying our inner talent. When you write from your heart it shows. When you listen to that voice in your head you use your writer's voice. If you change that and don't listen to your own voice, then where does the story come from. Well, it would have to come from somewhere outside of your head, which means you're not using your voice. It's your writer's voice that makes you the writer. It's that voice that gives you the stories you write, the emotions, the complexity of characters. So, if you don't use your own voice, then what next? Did you know that your voice determines the genre you write in? If your voice leans toward romance, then you write romance, if it leans toward science fiction, then you'll write science fiction. You get the picture, right? Well, I've talked to writer's that listened to critics and other people and they changed their voice. But it wasn't a good change, it was a tragic change. Their writing went downhill. Yes, we all need to edit our voice, I mean we're not perfect in no means, but we don't need to edit our voice. I had a reviewer tell me one time that I needed to add some tequila shots to one of my books. She went on to explain that she thought it needed to have more heated love scenes. Well, I'm sorry, but that's not my voice. She liked the book, but wanted more steamy sex scenes. My writing voice leans more toward the calmer romance voice. I have no problem with steamier books, but it's just not my voice. That's why we have authors that write in that voice. I lean more toward the heart warming romance. But that's just the way I write. I have many great author friends that write steamy romance and I love their books. They in turn read mine and appreciate it also. We understand that all of us has a different voice. So, are you following your voice? Are you listening to that inner part of you that makes your writing exclusively yours? Remember to follow your heart and not follow what's popular now. You never know, you could start a new voice or popular culture. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Funny questions writer's are asked...

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photo credit: akahodag via photopin cc Ok, if you're a writer you know the questions I'm talking about. Sometimes I just have to laugh and try my best to answer the question in the best way I can as I laugh. It's funny the things that people think about writers. I had to post this picture because you know I love horses and these questions make them laugh too. Here are some of the zingers that have been asked of me: 1: My favorite is "Did you write that book from an experience you had in your own life? That's where most writers get their stories right?" Well, some of them have been from experiences but if my life was like a fairy tale, wow how would that be. Then I think of murder mystery writers and have to cringe. If all writing was strictly from personal experience the police would tail all writers obsessively! 2: Can you introduce me to your cover model? Really, you've got to be kidding me. I've never met any of my cover models. I did get a repin on Pinterest from one of them thanking me for using his picture on a couple of my covers. I was pleased, but I don't know him personally so no, I can't introduce you to my cover models. 3: You must be rich, huh? This one makes me laugh hard, really hard. Most published writers do it in their spare time and have a regular job. If not, we'd be really hungry artists. So, no, I'm not rich, not even close. I'm happy with my royalties and thankful to my wonderful fans, but I'm not quite ready to quit my day job. 4: So you can't get published for real? This one ticked me off the first couple of times I heard it, but then I realized that there are so many people who don't realize that a lot of authors do consider this a real business and take it seriously. This is a personal choice and I have been approached by publishers, but I am happy where I am for the time being. Then if it's someone I'm close to I stick my tongue out at them in a very unladylike fashion and laugh. It's become a really funny question as self publishing becomes the norm. So to me it's a funny question. 5: Can I have your autograph? Now this one stunned me. Then I laughed because I'm not famous and this seems a little crazy, but I was humbled by it too. But I did laugh because I don't think of it as being famous because I have several published books, but it's really funny when someone comes up to me in a store and says, hey you're that writer. What funny questions have people asked you? Some people might not think some of them are funny, but to a writer you'll find the humor in them. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Faith Through The Tears in final stages!

As you know I've had several works in progress. One in particular is "Faith Through The Tears" which is the 2nd book in the Lean On Him Christian Romance Series. I'm in the final stages of it and getting really excited. If things go well, I look to have it up and run this weekend. It still has a couple of nudges and tweaks, but it's going smoothly. It's amazing when you get in the groove and everything just falls into place. Since the cover has been completed for months that makes the process much smoother. Now it's down to those pesky little edits that plague every writer. But this one has been close to my heart so I look forward to the final read through before we hit publish. Let me give you a little hint of what this book is all about. It's a continuation of come of the characters from "With All My Heart". It starts with Randy and Rachel's love story and her battle with cancer. But it takes a sad turn and yes, it's a box of tissues kind of book. I cried the whole time I wrote the first half of this book. It just tore at my heart. A couple of months ago I posted the first chapter on Avon Romance's blog site and I received responses ranging from 'you made me cry' to 'I've got to know how this comes out'. It's so exciting when you can grab the reader with just an excerpt. This book has some surprises from the first book regarding Luke and Amanda. So many readers fell in love with their story of faith and love through the challenges. I've brought out some of their lives too. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with this one. It's filled with tremendous faith and the challenges that life brings when you lose your soul mate. So, I hope everyone is staying warm and safe from the world's crazy weather patterns. But for now it's time to pick up the ledgers and get back to accounting. At least I'm in a beautiful environment with the snow covered back ground behind me. But bring on Spring! As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Changing Up...

Before I published my first book I did a lot of investigating. The general comment that I saw from several well known writers was to keep writing. They said that the more you write the better your craft and the better the sales. Well, I wondered how this would pan out for my future career as a writer. Now that I'm coming up on my two year publishing anniversary I can say that this is a fact. It's funny that when I read my first published book I shake my head. I'm in the process of revising a couple of my first books. I've learned so much about the process and writing in the last two years. I changed a lot of how the process goes. Also, I've slowed down a bit. Of course that could be age, but let's get past that point. I've seen a huge difference in sales. The first 6 months after publishing my first book my sales were minimal. Every month after that I've seen a upswing. I've also learned to put a decent price on my work. Even though you might sell less in numbers, the end result if a larger profit. As for my covers I've stepped up the game. Now I put more effort in making each new cover pack a punch. I want them to stand out in the enormous crowd of other newly published books. I study other covers that I see and what the current trends are. I get a lot of response on my covers which makes me smile. One thing I've learned from multiple published books, I've added more descriptions. I've added more insight into the characters and more information on the surroundings. Some of this comes from fans writing to me. They tell me that my earlier books were good, but they wanted more from the characters. I've listened to the readers and now I write further detail into every book. Patience has been a hard thing for me to have in my writing. When you can see the end and your excited, sometimes you press it too quickly and lose the middle structure. My publishing process has become very detailed. I've slowed that process too. Now I do a little more marketing than before. As you've noticed in my blogs I'm working on several manuscripts that have been in the works for a while. I also have a couple of surprises coming up, but that's for another blog down the road. As always, good writing, and May God Bless You...

3 Ways Indie Authors Can Improve Self Publishing

As you know I'm a self published author. When I decided to publish my manuscripts I studied the market. I'm an Accountant and I have a strong analytical background so that pushed me to make a study into this. I looked into both the traditional market and the self publishing market. One thing I realized was that more and more traditionally published authors are going to the self publishing market. But let me tell you this, in order to do it right you've got to keep up the traditional publishing standards strictly enforced. Here are 3 of the ways Authors can improve Self Publishing: 1: Editing: This is a very important part of publishing and this is where several self published authors fail at. It's also part of why some people will not pick up a self published book because they've been burned before. You've got to read your manuscript and read it again. Also you need to either get Beta Readers or someone that will be critical and unbiased to read your work. When you read your manuscript pull yourself away. Read it as though you're a reader and are you inspired to read it again. If it falls flat, then how can you expect anyone else to get into. Have you corrected all the spelling errors, grammatical errors, and just plain out story line disasters? 2: Covers: I can't stress this enough. Covers can sell even a badly written book. This is the first thing that a reader sees. This is the first line of selling rank. If you don't spend money on anything else, please spend a little on this. There are so many talented cover designers out there. I've been so fortunate to have a awesome cover designer. I've seen some really cool covers and then some really horrible attempts. Your cover needs to tell something about what's inside. It need to pull the reader in. I've purchased so many books just from the cover. 3: Book Blurbs: I stress about this with all my books. This is the hardest part of writing to me, no kidding. Make sure you don't give away too much in the blurb. Too many authors tell the story on the back of the book. This is not good. Be very descriptive and use complimentary words that will draw in the reader. I've done a study on this with my very own books. I put out a blurb on a couple of my books that I was somewhat happy with, but I noticed a lag in sales. Then I sat down and poured over the blurbs changing some of the key words and adding some small elements. This helped the sales dramatically. Try it and see if your sales go up. It's hard to be an author, period! When I say I'm an author, people come back with yeah, I could write a book. Well, yeah, anyone can write a book, but can they write a book that will go anywhere? Do they have the drive to publish that book and do all the marketing? Being an author is not as easy as it looks and being self published is brutal at times. But let me tell you the rewards far outweigh the difficulties. The first time a fan comes up to you at the grocery store and says, "Oh my goodness you're that author." The first time this happened to me I was so embarassed and excited at the same time. When you get emails from fans excited about your work it makes you smile all day. I've gained so many new friends from all over the world that some days I'm just amazed. Yes it's a lot of work, but it's so worth it. Have I thought about traditionally publishing? Yes. I sent Ghost Lover to a traditional publisher and never heard a word. Then I decided to self publish it and it was all uphill from there. It was my introduction into the publishing world and the response to that book has been really great. I've had a couple of big publishers call me about coming on board with them, but they couldn't offer my anything different from what I do now, so not now. I do have a work in progress at the moment that it's been in my heart to send to a publisher that I contribute to as a blogger. We'll see how that goes. So, my advice to you is to go for it, but be prepared to do it right. This is your name you're putting out there, so make it shine. If you need any help with it, I'm in partnership with my editor/cover designer in a publishing service, Horseshoe Publishing. We'll help you iron out those wrinkles and make your work shine like a new penny. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Monday Morning Writing

It's Monday morning and the kids should be going back to school today, but due to the extremely cold weather and threat of snow they will not be going back until Wednesday. I've moved my office into my dining room since it's so cold. My office is hard to heat sometimes so it's just easier to work where it's warm. I do hope all my US friends are staying warm and safe in this cold and snow snap. We didn't get any snow here south of Atlanta, but North Georgia got a little bit. It's just cold and windy. As for my writing I'm first working on balancing some year end accounts and then back to the writing. I hope to have Finding the Right Time completed with the second edit tonight. The 2nd installment in three of my series are well on their way, but the holidays got in the way. Now that it's somewhat back to normal I hope to get in some quality writing time. I sat last night with my hands poised over the keys but nothing came through my fingers. Writer's block is not a fun thing when you have some time to write and nothing comes through. Of course this morning my mind is on overload with stories, but alas my accounting work needs to be done first. It does help pay the bills and as many writers know, the writing doesn't do that in most cases. I'm playing with the idea of sending Finding The Right Time to a publisher, but still not sure. I've always self published and noticed many big writers are going back to self publishing. It just makes me wonder if that's the right course. I'll have to do a list of pros and cons. Oh well, this isn't getting this account balanced. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have power and can post an update on Finding The Right Time. If you get a chance go over to Amazon and check out my writer friend from Georgia, V. Steele. She'd just released the 2nd book in her My Prodigy Trilogy. I usually don't read this kind of romance, well I do read vampire books, but hers are a little racey but well written. She just laughs at me. I guess I love her work because she uses my publishing company for editing and covers. My brilliant and talented cover designer has outdone herself lately with V's covers and the one for Finding The Right Time. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Happy New Year's Eve...

Well here in the US we only have hours left in 2013, but many of my friends abroad are celebrating the New Year. For those of you that are already in 2014, Happy New Year. I wish you well in the New Year. I hope that everyone has a great New Year's Eve. It's a time to reflect on the year going out and on the possibilites of the new year. For me I am excited about the coming year. I've set many goals that are exciting and extremely positive. I'll let you in on them as they unfold, but for now I'll just keep them under wraps. I have several books in the works that will come out in 2014. That's exciting and scary. Why does it always scare me when I hit that publish button? The work will have gone through many edits and rewrites, but it's still a anxious time. Will my readers like it or will it be a huge disaster? I guess that's the art of this line of work. As you celebrate the new year remember those that were lost in 2013 and those that were born. It was a year of many changes and so many laughs. I'm honored to have been featured in three magazine articles in 2013 and I gained many new friends through my blog and writing. I want to thank all of my wonderful, adoring fans that write to me and make my work worth while. Thanks to all my colleagues who support me and give wonderful advice and sometimes even a high five when something goes right. So, celebrate and be safe on this New Year's Eve. I love you guys, you're all wonderful. See you in 2014! As always, good writing and May God Bless you...

45 Years Of Blessings...

Many people try to ignore birthdays. For me I'm so blessed with each year I'm given. The fact that I got up this morning is a blessing in itself. I have so much to be thankful for. This morning I woke to my wonderful husband and son wishing me a Happy Birthday. Then when I opened my computer my email was blowing up with Birthday wishes from family, friends and fans. It's amazing the support I've received from my family, friends and my adoring fans. The Birthday wishes have been coming in from all over and it's such a blessing. My writing has been a blessing and to be able to publish my long, hard work. It's been a dream of mine since I was a teenager and guess what, I'm a published author. This blessing has gained me so many new friends and I've met some great authors that I've been reading for years. It's been such an awesome time. So many don't realize their blessings. They leave them in a closet somewhere and refuse to acknowledge them. Blessings are meant to be acknowledged, appreciated and thankful for. But most of all they are meant to be passed on to others. It's like the Christmas Spirit should be kept in your heart 365 days a year. Celebrate life daily and be glad for every minute in our short lives. That's why all my books are .99 through Christmas. I want to give something back to my readers. Have a wonderful day and know I'm passing on my blessings and well wishes for you all. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Print books, Ebooks, and Audio books, which way do I go?

Writers have a lot of decisions to make. The process does not stop when you type ‘The End’. You have to decide how you will publish your work. Are you going to self publish or send it to a traditional publisher. Then if you decide to self publish you have to decide if it’s going to be an Ebook only or will you be doing a print book also. When you decide to do a print book it’s a process. With an Ebook you have just a front cover to design, but when you do a print book it’s a whole new design ball game. This process is a little more complex. You have to get your page count and then figure the size of the cover including front, back, and end. If you’re off very much the cover will roll to the back or front, bleeding over. Yep, been there. It’s a decision you need to make sure you’re ready for. Then of course you have to decide who you’re going to print through. I use CreateSpace powered through Amazon. They’re easy to work with and using Expanded Distribution by print books go out to larger distributors and book stores online. I’ve set up an account with Lightning Source but only have my Ebooks listed right now with them.They have a hefty setup fee that I’m having to decide if I want to do right now. Another decision is the type of cover and paper color. The first run I did was a learning experience. I did the white paper and didn’t like it as much as the cream colored paper. The white paper has a different feel. Of course all of mine are paperback, but you can do a hardback. Also you can do matte finish now on the cover. Decisions, Decisions… The publishing process is a many faceted thing. You don’t just write the book and step away. Well you can, but you’re not going anywhere if you do that. As for me I choose to go all the way. I have my books in print and Ebook. Oh and there’s another side to publishing. Audio books… I took the leap into audio books back in the summer. It’s a new type of process. I’ve enjoyed meeting the narrators of the books. It’s fun to listen to someone read your book. I use ACX with is through Amazon also. They’re easy to use. Just set up an account and download your book. Then start listening to excerpts from various narrators. When you find one you like send them a message asking them to audition for your book. Once you get a couple of auditions then pick one and go with it. You can make pretty good on audible books. So are you ready to publish that work. Sure you are. Just take the step forward and go for it. If you need any help just check out the link at the top of my site, Horseshoe Publishing. We’re here to help with the process. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. As always, good writing and May God Bless you…

The Fear Of Failure

Who's ever had a fear? Come on, you know you've had some kind of fear in your lifetime. We all do, but how do you handle that fear. When I started writing many, many years ago, the biggest problem was I had a fear of publishing. Why? Well, think about it, it's putting yourself out there. You're putting your name out there, your reputation and sometimes your creativity. Ok, so I have fears. I've had so many writers message me about this. They've written one or more manuscripts, but they fear publishing it. I always tell them to go with their heart. If they get some people to read their work and they like it, then go for it. Here's a list of reasons I feared publishing and sometimes still have a couple: 1. I feared what others would think. (I've gotten over that. Now I just don't worry about it as much. I've learned to just write what I love and put it out there.) 2. I feared putting my name on something that would go all over the world. Actually it's been a blast. Have only had a couple of weird encounters, but mostly have gotten over this one. 3. Crazily enough, a fear I still have every time I hit publish is that I've accidently downloaded the wrong file and it will be the character list or outline and not the manuscript. I did actually put the wrong cover on CreateSpace one time, but when I did the file check I discovered it and made the correction. That was a close one. 4. Reviews. You may think this is the same as #1, but it's not. This is the fear of the dreaded bad review that just makes you feel so deflated. But I've learned to deal with those also. I've only had a couple of bad reviews and fortunately if anyone reads the review they'll realize that in some instances the person didn't read the book to begin with. One bad review was because the characters names were the same as one of my older books. Really! One fan said a negative review of one of my books actually caused her to get the book and she loved it. Funny how things work out. 5. The fear of complete failure. It's so real in every author's mind when they publish their work. What if nobody buys my book? I had that fear at first, but as the sales went up I realized that maybe that wasn't a fear worth having. I'm not a bestselling author, but I'm pleased with the sales I've had. Since I've only been publishing for a little over a year, I can't complain. Well, what's your fear when publishing, writing or even blogging? As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Vibrant Colors

On Wednesday my son does not have to be at school until 9:05 and that’s wonderful. We can sleep in a little longer. As I drove home I enjoyed the beautiful scenery. I love my hometown. It’s so beautiful any time of the year, but at Fall time it really shows out. The trees almost glowed in oranges, yellows, reds and some a little touch of brown. Simply breathtaking.

It’s the same with book covers. If you don’t step out and go beyond the box on your cover, then you just as well to box it up and close the shop. When shopping for a book in this world of millions of books to choose from, you’ve got to stand out. Don’t go so flashy that you get gawdy, but a splash of vibrant color will catch the eye.

As the bright orange or yellow tree will catch your eye among the green tree tops, so will the splash of color on your cover. To me the cover and the blurb are very important. Make sure you put extra care in both of these areas. One of my books was lagging in sales and I changed the blurb a little. Amazingly enough the book started to take off. Crazy but true.

Check out the link at the top of this post to the publishing service I started with my assistant. We go beyond the box with covers and help you make your book stand out in the crowd.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Call All Authors...

This post is about a newsletter that I’ve started.

It’s going to be called “Fresh From The Book” and is sponsored by my publishing service company Horseshoe Publishing. The newsletter will consist of a author interview. With the interview the author can showcase one book and a synopsis. Then we will be showcasing 3 books from different authors. They can be in any genre. Also in the newsletter I will be choosing different writing oriented subjects to weigh in on. May throw in some polls on subjects that you my followers and friends can weigh in on.

I’m hoping to start this in August, but I need your help. I need authors to interview and authors for the book showcase. If you’re interested in participating and/or receiving the email through email, please message me with your email address. Some of you I have the email address, but I want to make sure. 

I think it will be an exciting way to spread the word about other authors and also to have a voice in this crazy world of writing. I’m really excited about this project. At the moment the newsletter will be once a month, but if I get a good response I will up it to either every other week or even every week.

But the choice is yours. It’s free advertisement at it’s best. Come on over and join us for some fun.

Email me at stephaniehurt4@gmail.com or horseshoepublishing@gmail.com with your email address and to let me know if you want to be featured.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…