The Downfall of Self-Publishing is...

that you have to do everything yourself. It's a lot more difficult than people realize.

A few months ago when I chose the release date for my mother's book, I thought April 3rd was perfect. After all, the book was already written. All I had to do was edit, format and figure out how to place in all the pictures I wanted to share.

No big deal, right?

Actually it is a big deal. What I didn't plan on was getting sick, having a crazy work schedule, having computer problems, having a wonderful friend helping me with editing but who is equally as busy as me, etc. The edits haven't been turned around as fast as I hoped they would. We still have one final chapter to re-work. Formatting hasn't even been touched yet, nor has the picture issue. At this point, I am starting to panic.

My release date is two weeks away.

Perhaps I jumped the gun a little, but I really thought I had more than enough time. Life didn't cooperate with me.

This week I am buckling down in the hopes of getting it finished in time. My other concern though is that I don't want to rush things. This is a book about my mother. I would hate for it to be really bad. Granted, I have done little promo and no review copies have gone out. Why? Because the book is more for my family and myself than anyone else. My romances are the things I most want to promote. I do hope that people enjoy Mom's book, but at the end of the day I wrote the book for me. That sounds selfish, I know. It is also the reason I want the book to be well written and error free.

Still I am worried, majorly worried. Please wish me luck and speed.

A Children's Book? What Am I Thinking?

You know me. I love challenges. Even if the challenge is incredibly stupid, I usually end up involved out of my need to keep up with the nerdy and crazy.

I have a friend who is a teacher. In fact, we met when we were both working for the School City of Hammond as substitute teachers. She now teaches second grade in Indianapolis. I have since moved away from teaching, but its nightmarish effects still linger. Just kidding!

We were browsing the goodies at Half Price Books last week, and she was telling me of the latest round of issues in her classroom. Those of you who have teacher friends know how interesting these stories can be. We also breached the topic of my writing and what I am working on next.

That is when she dropped the bomb on me.

"Have you thought about writing a children's book?"


After wholeheartedly laughing in her face, I realized she was serious. Me? Write a children's book? That requires drawing skills that I just don't have.

But she was insistent.

"You taught for so long. It should be easy to come up with a story kids like."


Then she dared me to write one. I, of course, dared her back.

So, now we have this crazy challenge going on where we are both going to attempt writing and illustrating a children's book. The rule is that we can only "illustrate" with crayons, markers, or colored pencils. We gave ourselves an April 10th deadline and will be putting them up on CreateSpace to print and share with her classroom. The class is also doing this challenge, and they will make books (spiral binding like the school does) to share with each other.

It's a cool challenge, which is why I took it on. Writing the story isn't the issue for me. I am good at writing words. I am NOT good at drawing pictures. I am not joking one bit when I say that all the artistic talent in the family went to my sister. She could make stick people look like a masterpiece. The kids in my friend's classroom could probably draw better than me. It's kind of sad.

But I took on the challenge. The kids are excited that their teacher and I are participating. I guess I'll have to suck it up and handle the ridicule.

I must be crazy!

Be prepared for a good laugh. I'll share the finished product with you just for fun.

Have you ever considered writing a children's book?

Bad Grammar Thursday - Let's Eat Some Chill!

I love the people I work with. They are all fantastic. No matter how stressful it gets, we have a good time with each other.

Unfortunately, there is one coworker that as sweet as they are cannot spell. Their spelling skills are atrocious, and that's ok. Everyone has something they are not good at.

It is always fun to come in and see what they have misspelled for that day.

For instance, on this day our hotel restaurant had "Chill" as their soup of the day. They also had "Chicten" something...

We don't say much. We just fix the errors when this said person leaves. It's better than making them feel bad about it.

After all, they really are a joy to work with.

Writing Memorable Characters

There are many things that make a book stand out. The plot. The setting. The way the story moves along. The one important thing that many writers don't give enough consideration is their characters. You can have a great story and terrible characters.

Your characters are the people that run your story. They determine how the reader feels, what the reader sees, and all major aspects of the story. It is important to create characters that draw the reader in and make them want to continue reading.

Here are some tips to writing memorable characters:

1.) Create a backstory - Characters are supposed to resemble real people. The one sure way of making sure they do is to give them a backstory. Or in other words, give them a history. You may or may not decide to ever share their backstory with the reader. Either way, it depends on how much you feel the reader needs to know. The purpose of this is to help you better understand them. Their history creates the person they are today. For instance, someone who grew up in an orphanage will have a very different attitude about life than someone who grew up in suburbia with two loving parents. Knowing a little about their backstory helps you determine what kind of person they are today. It also makes them seem more real.


2.) Give them an enemy (antagonist) - Most people in life have the one person they can't stand. This person makes them angry, drives them nuts, and tries to make things more difficult. Giving your character an enemy does two things - it creates conflict and it gives the characters a chance to shine. Think about it! When are you at your worst or your best? When you are under attack. An enemy is also a character you can make very memorable by their horrible actions. Or maybe they change their ways and become a friend to your main character. There are so many things you can do with an enemy.


3.) Give them conflict - Conflict makes a good story. They shouldn't only have conflict with their enemy. They should have general conflict in life as well. No one has the perfect life, and neither should your fictional person. Conflict makes the story more interesting. It also gives you the opportunity to show more about your character - how they react, how they solve problems, and even how they can change because of the conflict. Without conflict and conflict resolution, your character is not very memorable.


4.) Give them a voice - Your character should be unique in the way they tell the story. Whether it be in first person point of view or not, when that character is in action, the reader should recognize them. Maybe it is in the way they speak or the way they respond to certain situations. Think about their quirks and make sure that when you write them, you are letting these things shine through.


5.) Make them relatable - A great character is someone the reader can relate to. They don't have to start off as likeable, but they should end that way. We should be able to see the progression as they grow and change. We should go away thinking "I'd like to know that person." If a character is not relatable it hurts the flow of the story. It also hinders the reader from truly finding them memorable. The goal is to have the reader remember, whether it be the character or the storyline. You never want a "throw away" story.

6.) Avoid Mary Sues and Gary Stus -  There is nothing I hate more than Mary Sues. If you don't know what a Mary Sue (or a Gary Stu) is you should definitely Google it. To sum it up, this is basically an over idealized character. They are perfect! Absolutely perfect. In fact, they are so perfect that they are one dimensional. Everyone likes them. Any and all conflicts they have are solved easily and with no hang-ups. In other words, they are boring.


7.) Don't be afraid to cut them loose - We all love our characters,  but there comes a point where you have to honestly look at them and determine whether they work with your story. It's hard to cut out a character that we have put a lot of time into. It's also hard to look at them objectively. Don't be afraid to get feedback about the people you have created. If they don't work, you may have to cut them out or change them in a way that works better. This doesn't mean you failed. It simply means they don't work for what you had in mind.

Tuesday Hunk - Shemar Moore

This week's Tuesday Hunk is Shemar Moore. 

You may recognize him from the show Criminal Minds on CBS.

Shemar was born on April 20, 1970 in Oakland, California to an African American father and a French-Canadian mother. His father was absent in his childhood. His mother, who held a degree in mathematics, taught in Bahrain and Denmark. Because of this, Shemar didn't learn English until the age of 6. They moved back to California in 1977, where he finished school. Shemar also attended Santa Clara University and majored in Communications.

In 1994, Shemar got his fist major acting gig on The Young and the Restless. He played Malcolm Winters for 8 years. After he left the soap, he appeared in several movies: Diary of a Mad Black Woman, The Seat Filler, and Motives 2: Retribution. In 2005, he was cast as Derek Morgan on the show Criminal Minds - a role he continues to play today.

In addition to acting, Shemar models. He is represented by DNA Model Management in New York City, and appeared on the cover of Men's Fitness magazine in March 2009. He also does many charity events for multiple sclerosis, as his mother was diagnosed with the disease in 1998.

Happy drooling!

 Thanks to ShemarMoore.org for the pictures!

Ah, Spring!

I am so excited that spring is almost here. It is by far my favorite season, coming second only to fall. I don't like extreme hot or cold.

It is also the time when I feel most creative. For some reason, I write like a fiend during the spring. Maybe it's because I am usually outside somewhere enjoying the fresh air. Or perhaps all that sunshine just gets my mind going.

I am looking forward to peaceful walks, bike rides around town, and seeing all the flowers bloom. I often focus my stories on spring time as well, although I am working on getting away from that habit.

What is your favorite season?

Top Ten Favorite Book Covers

I saw a great post over at The Broke and the Bookish the other day. Their Top Ten Tuesday meme focused on the Top Ten Covers of 2012. 

Those of you who read my blog know that I love book covers. I had a Cover Snark Sunday meme for quite a while. I even did a post a few years ago where I shared my top five types of covers. Yes, I am one of those people who will judge a book by its cover. To me, they can be a great way of portraying what your book is about. They can also be a downfall if your cover is ugly or poorly designed. I love seeing what covers people come up with.

So, I am jumping on the Top Ten Covers bandwagon. They are not just 2012 covers. It is a listing of all my favorite covers in general.

Here they are, in no particular order.

I love this cover for its intricacy. The dress is beautiful. The trees and forest in the background are lovely and give the cover a whimsical feel. I also love the flowers and leaves that have been placed around the edges. Whoever designed this cover excelled at giving it that romantic feel. I've never read the book (Yet!), but the cover definitely makes me want to buy it.

This cover is great because it looks so elegant. The dress is gorgeous. The purple writing stands out against the background. I am a big believer of less is more, and this cover really embraces that idea. In fact, this whole series by Lisa Kleypas has these type of covers. They remain my favorites for sure.

The first time I saw this cover it blew me away. Not only is the man seriously built (Major plus!), but he looks so mysterious. I love the way the air, energy, whatever is swirling around his body. The tattoos looks great also. They are barely noticeable, but noticeable. If that makes any sense. The colors are muted, but somehow it works.

Whoever designed this cover payed close attention to the story. I have read this book many times, and no cover has better represented the main character of a book. When you read the description of Ivory, the main character, and you look at this cover, it matches her exactly. They got her right from the buttons on her vest, to the weapons on her back, to the wolves surrounding her. Even her hair and belt are described to perfection. I couldn't believe the lengths that were gone to for this cover. I am still amazed every time I see it.

Susan Mallery has a lot of great covers. They always tend to have bright colors and are very inviting. I had a hard time narrowing it down to one, but I went with this one because I love the background. The colors are beautiful. I love the relaxed pose of the couple on the front. It is light and carefree - which is exactly what Susan's romances tend to be. She has a fantastic cover deisgner.

Self-published authors are unfortunately known for having crappy covers. Let's face it, when you are doing all the work the ball tends to get dropped somewhere. Most of the time it's the cover. Darian Wilk beat the odds. Her cover for Love Unfinished is wonderful. It's another one of those less is more concepts. It also really captures the title. The flowers can stand for a love interest. The closed door means it isn't quite finished yet. At least that is my interpretation. This is one of my favorite recent covers.

I love J.R. Ward, and her covers are usually very nice. This cover was great. The man on the cover is exactly what I pictured Rhevenge to look like. He had the bad-ass look, the tattoo, and they made his eyes purple just like in the book. Very rarely does the cover model ever match what I have envisioned in my head. This one did.

I hate black and white covers. To me, they are boring and dull. When I first saw this cover, it surprised me how good it was. Yes, it is black and white, but somehow they have managed to make it interesting. The pale yellow adds a little pop of color. The couple is interesting and eye-catching. It is very well done. 

So, I may not be the biggest fan of the Twilight series in book form, although I love the movies. I do have to admit that Stephenie Meyer had amazing book covers. I love how she has the black and red colors. They are so dramatic. Each of the items on the cover stand for some sort of symbolism, and because of the black back-drop they pop in your face. I love them and think they make quite a statement. 

I discovered Sandy James during a NaNoWriMo event at my local library. She did a little workshop for us, and I became a quick fan. When she shared the cover for her latest release, I instantly fell in love. I adore the  bright blue on the cover. The couple is adorable. I love the way they are looking at one another. It is so romantic and light-hearted. I am anxious to read this book, and the great cover only makes it better.

What are some of your favorite covers?