Kudos, Newsletters and Grandchildren

You want to know what I'm doing right now if you're reading this on Monday. MOWING the grass. Already. The warm winter and all the recent rain have turned my lawn into a tropical forest. Taxes were as terrible an experience as we expected, financially. Ouch, ouch, ouch.

I read a lot of blogs and attend writers' meeting and conferences. I'm always looking for ways to promote and market. I haven't found the one I'm looking for. The one where I don't have to do anything. Readers just magically find my books and love them. One thing I hear over and over again, is that I should have an author's newsletter. I subscribe to some newsletters that are about writing and not promoting one author's books. Like the IWSG newsletter which is always informative. Anne R. Allen write a blog post comparing the pros and cons of newsletters versus blogging. She read my mind.

A big kudos to CPRW, the local chapter of RWA. I've been a long time member of this dynamic group and am currently serving as secretary. CPRW recently won RWA's Award of Excellence for a chapter of less than 50 members. It's pretty amazing to all of us, but when we list all the things we do, it's not so surprising. Like the current 50/50 that started a week ago. With the encouragement of group cheerleading and no excuses, I wrote over 14,000 words on my new WIP in only seven days.

I had my first chance to babysit the new granddaughter this past weekend. Those Mom muscles are a bit atrophied. My biceps were actually sore from all the use of carrying around a month-old eight pound baby. Next time you see a mother carrying a child in one arm and a few packages in her other, appreciate her strength a little bit.

Don't forget to stop by the IWSG today for another great post to kick off your week.

Who helps motivate you to write even when you'd rather be out mowing the grass? Do you receive a lot of newsletters in your inbox. Have you ever wondered how mothers manage to lug around those fragile but heavy offspring hour after hour?

IWSG: April Already

I hope you're joining me for the monthly IWSG blog hop, taking place the first Wednesday of ever month and created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Share your insecurities and also your successes with our ever-growing group. You can sign up on the list found here.

A few of the new things happening at IWSG recently that you should be part of. If you haven't joined our Goodreads group, please hop over there and join.

Don't forget the upcoming IWSG Twitter pitch happening this July. Very, very excited about it. And if you'd like some practice, check out #TKA20, a pitch session happening TODAY for The Knight Agency. Practice your pitch to agents.

Today's question: Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking and publicity for your writing? What were the results?

I participated every year except the first year and this year. My intentions were all about networking. I never marketed or promoted my own books during the challenge. I think I expanded my network more the first few years I participated than the last two years. The challenge took up too much of my writing time for me to continue to participate.

The new book I started writing on Sunday for the 50/50 challenge is going well. I like my characters and they're really hating on each other at the moment. Makes for good conflict.

Almost nothing I want to watch on TV this week so I'm getting lots of evening writing done and outside work during the day. My bulbs mostly survived the late snow and I have tons of daffodils blooming and the tulips are up. They might bloom right at Easter.

We're doing our taxes this weekend. We never hurry to do them because we always owe because my husband and I are self-employed. The amount varies greatly due to the ups and downs of his business more than mine. My income lingers in the pathetic range most years.

“What is the difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector? The taxidermist takes only your skin.” –– Mark Twain

“When it comes to taxes, there are two types of people. There are those that get it done early, also known as psychopaths, and then the rest of us.” – Jimmy Kimmel

Are you ready to try a Twitter pitch today for the Knight Agency? Are you doing A to Z this year? Ready for some fun with at Goodreads group? Did you do your taxes yet? 

What's Going On?

Let me start out by saying best of luck to the A to Z Participants. I'm not in on the madness this year, but I know I'll enjoy reading a lot of great posts. And that bring me to the upcoming IWSG monthly posting which will be Wednesday, April 5th. The question is always optional.

Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking and publicity for your writing? What were the results?

So, you can answer that and still share your current insecurity.

Had a great writers' meeting on Saturday. We honored a few of our members. Andrew Grey was honored with a Centennial Award for having 100 books published. He has an amazing work ethic and still manages to be generous with his time to help other writers.

The founding member of our RWA local group, Karen Rose Smith, received all our best wishes in her latest triumph. One of Karen's book's is in production to be a TV movie. We're all so excited for her. We might have a watch party.

Continuing with wonderful things happening at the meeting, we started our first 50/50 challenge of 2017. The way it works is that we all commit to writing at least 50 words for 50 days straight. And of course, most everyone who sits down to write 50 words ends up writing a lot more than that. We report our numbers to the member keeping track every few days. We're permitted to miss a day or two, but most of us try not to miss any. It's perfect timing for me because I'm starting a new novel. I outlined last week and started it yesterday. Wish me luck.

“You can only write by putting words on a paper one at a time.” 
― Sandra Brown

“Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.”
—Larry L. King, WD

You might not write well every day, but you can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page. Jodi Picoult

I'm getting some outside work done. Every year I think I'll get a jump on it. All the rain is making it difficult. Not only does it keep me inside, but it really makes the weeds grow.

I watched the series finale of Grimm last Friday. I wasn't expecting the HEA after the last two seasons have been so dark, but overall, I enjoyed the show. It was never a 'can't miss' for me, but I often caught up to it while I was on the treadmill or the exercise bike.

Do you know any writer friends who have written more books than Andrew? Do you know anyone who has had a book made into a movie? Are you doing the A to Z challenge? Are you an every day writer?

We Are the World

Today is the first ever post for the We Are the World Blogfest. A group of bloggers will share links to stories telling the positive tales of human behavior that are so often ignored or overlooked. It's easy to hear lots of bad news and wonder how our species has managed to survive. Today is a feel-good day.

If you're been a frequent visitor to my blog, you know I am a long time supporter of Penn State Thon. This 46 hour dance-a-thon is the largest Student-Run Philanthropy in the world. They not only raise money on Thon weekend every year, but all year long. Dozens of local high school have joined them and have their own Thon fundraisers that run for 12 hours.

What does Thon do with the money they raise? They work in cooperation with Hershey Medical Center's pediatric cancer center. Thon guarantees that parents will incur no expenses while their child is receiving medical treatment at the Hershey Medical Center. They pay for any medicine, hospital stay, and any medical expense until treatment is concluded. We all know someone who has fought cancer. The price of care is staggering. Thon makes sure the one thing parents and their sick child do not have to worry about is the cost of medicine.

The students do everything for Thon. They put so much heart into this event and this fundraiser. Ask a Penn State alumni about Thon, and you will get a taste of how it has touched their lives. And they've been doing this for 40 years.

Lots of people have heard of Penn State's recent infamy because of the child abuse scandal connected to football coaches. But Thon is what people should think of when they think of Penn State. In 2017, they raised $10,045,478.44 to pay for cancer treatments. Go, Nittany Lions.

Picking a Title and Guesting

I hope you'll join me today over at Kathleen Watson's blog where I'm talking about space opera science fiction and why it's so popular. I accidentally linked to it last week but I was seven days too early. Please stop by.

I finished my WIP and am still working on a title. I'm not enthusiastic about the one I came up with. My publisher has helped me in the past when I can't settle on something. There is a lot of advice out there for picking a title for your book. Over at Writer's Digest, Chuck Sambuchino has these five bits of advice.  Anne R. Allen has ten tips for choosing a title. Maybe I can figure out a good one.

My daughter and I had a recent discussion about books, movies and TV shows that have made us cry. We had no trouble agreeing on a book. My daughter convinced me to read Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Hein a while ago. Most heartbreaking fiction book EVER. I will never re-read it. On TV, we both agreed that the GoT episode, Hodor, led to loud, ugly sobbing. I'm bracing myself for the last episode of Grimm this Friday. I've been a steady if not always enthusiastic fan of the show from the start and it all ends this week. I'm not expecting happiness.

I went to the cafe at the local BAM a few days ago so I could concentrate on some rewrites since our house was rather noisy with March Madness cheers and groans. To my disappointment, the cafe was loud and very distracting. Now I don't expect a bookstore to be a library, but it's usually pretty calm. To make matters worse, the people being loud and distracting were the workers. Irritation happened but I did get something done.

This Friday is the last of the month and the start of a new monthly blog hop. We Are the World members will blog the last Friday of every month and share positive stories and thoughts with the world. Every little bit helps.

I went with my daughter last week to see Beauty and the Beast. It was very nice and we had a good time. It closely followed the original animated version but I didn't mind. Great special effects for the talking household items and on the Beast.

Are you a fan of space opera? What book, movie or show has made you cry recently? Do you have trouble picking titles for your work? Do you like your bookstores quiet?

Spring for Real and DR Grady

I hope you'll hop over the Insecure Writer's Support Group blog where I'm talking about attending a conference. Please feel free to add your own advice and experiences in the comments. I'm very excited to be attending the 30th annual Pennwriter's Conference in May.

D.R. Grady is a fellow member of my local RWA chapter and a prolific author. Her latest release, The Trouble with Nerds, is now available on Amazon.

Odd things keep happening to Dr. Sara Newton. She’s a soon-to-be-unemployed pediatrician with an alleged stalker, a hot cop on her heels breathing dire warnings, and way too much student debt.

It doesn’t help that the hot cop is Clay Morrison, her best friend’s older brother. The man has made her heart pound and her palms sweaty since puberty. The trouble is, he only interacts with her when he’s expounding on new security measures. He sees threats everywhere.

Clay Morrison is frustrated. He hates his new job, misses his Army Ranger days, loves his well-meaning, pushy family—and when did sweet Sara Newton grow up? She won't admit she has a stalker, and she won't keep out of his thoughts. He can only protect someone in denial for so long. No matter how attractive she is...

Clay and Sara are circling each other, trying to meet in the middle. Then a brand new threat sends them in a completely different direction.

Find D.R. Grady at her Website, Facebook and Twitter.
You can also find all her books on her Amazon Author page.

Despite the 15 inches of snow we had last week, spring is determined to show up today. The snow is melting really fast and hopefully all my spring flowers have survived beneath it. The thing I like best about spring is that it's that much closer to summer. Bring the heat, Mother Nature.

“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.” 
― Pablo Neruda

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. -Proverb

Happy Spring, to the Northern Hemisphere. I've been waiting for you.

Are you ready for spring? Do you know DR Grady of Kathleen Watson? Did you get that big snow storm last week?

Goodreads, GoT, and Hoedown Showdown

Lots of news to share today as PA and most of the northeast USA braces for a snowstorm. Lots of us had a 'oh no' moment last week when HBO announced Game of Thrones would not return until July 16th for season 7. Do they know how many times I've already watched season 6? I can't wait that long!

In more excitement of things to come from IWSG, we're forming a book club on Goodreads. Please join us and invite your friends.

Not on Goodreads?

The IWSG book club is a good reason to join.

 Don’t do much on Goodreads?

This is an excellent way to dip your toes in a little more.

 Not enough time in your day?

We read one book every two months.

 

OUR GOAL: The Insecure Writer's Support Group (Book Club) is for writers to read/learn about the writing craft. In this book club, we will swap back and forth between non-fiction writing books and fiction books that demonstrate how to do certain aspects of storytelling. 

No promo. No review or beta reader requests. Just writers reading books and discussing those books with other writers.

 

**The first book will be announced on April 1st.**

**The discussion will start on May 17th.**

 

For more details and to join: Book Club

Don't forget to work on that Twitter pitch sponsored by IWSG coming in July. Being in the right place at the right time is how many authors find their agent or publisher.

I met a woman last week who arranges the books on her shelves by color. ???? What? There are people who don't arrange their books by author and subject matter? Am I the only one who thinks arranging by color is very strange. How do you find what you're looking for? Do you say to yourself, 'I think I'll read a blue book today?'

I have the pleasure of sharing news from a friend of mine. Misty Simon writes romance and mysteries. Her heroine, Ivy Morris, is fun and smart as are the amusing characters who live in her small town.

 

Hoedown Showdown, Ivy Morris Mysteries by Misty Simon

With the Tasty Tomato Tournament just days away, the small town of Martha’s Point is all abuzz. This is the first year without a sure winner, and the competition is fierce to gain the judges’ approval, even before the tournament starts.

But when Ivy finds one of those judges dead in a shed across the street, things go from bad to worse. All she wanted was seven glorious, kid-free days of messing around with her husband. Instead, she’s going to be tracking down a killer, staying out of the way of a pickle-obsessed farmer, and dodging the new cop who seems out for her blood.

Find Misty on Twitter, Facebook, and her website.

Are you anxious for Game of Thrones to come back on? How do you arrange books on your shelves? Are you a member of Goodreads and ready to join a new group? Are you in the path of the oncoming storm?