I’m on Goodreads! Yay!

Hello once again Readers!!! Long time no talk! Except for when I’m held up in a phone booth in the wilds of Canada like I am to your left. Then it’s long time long talk…? And fine, so I wasn’t “technically” in Canada. I was at the Canada in Epcot. Close enough for me!

I digress.

It’s been a few days since I’ve even been on here…so sad *shakes head*. A lot can happen in a few days. You could be abducted by aliens, you could win the lottery and live out your dreams, you could put your author profile up on Goodreads…wait…back up a sec, what was the last thing you said? Something about Goodreads?

That’s right people! I’ve finally got off my arse and set up my author profile on Goodreads. My novel has been added and can be shelved as to-read! What!!!! I know!!!

So many exclamation points!!!

I know it’s not published yet, but this is so exciting for me! It’s one step closer to being official. And to top that, I now have over 200 followers and I was nominated for two awards! The Beautiful Blogger and the Reader Appreciation Award. I am so grateful and on cloud nine (whatever that means)!!

The only thing that could top this would be finally receiving the email from my publisher that we are ready to go live with Born in Flames. Hopefully soon (sending subliminal messages to her now…).

I know this isn’t a very helpful blog (more like a journal entry…kind of), but I just have to share it with you because I am that excited about it. Literally. I’m grinning as I type this. (I know…I’m strange.) But I can’t help it. Seeing my cover online just sends little happy chills down my spine and makes me want to do 15 cartwheels in a row!

So to make this a helpful blog, I won’t bore you with another seven interesting facts about myself, but I will however pass on these lovely awards to some blogs I’ve recently started following. Love to pass the joy around!

Matt Knox * The Pittsburgh Housewife * Tamara Morning * Million Happy Endings * English as a Foreign Language * Dan Thompson * Words on the Page

May we all stay beautiful and appreciated, Bloggers.

Now to leave you with a question: What was the happiest moment in your life?

Until next time (most likely tomorrow), Echelon out ♥

Marketing Ideas for Authors

Hello once again Readers!!! Now before I get to the good stuff-tips on marketing-I wanted to let you in on a little secret about myself. You see, I have this little problem…I get hooked on something and become obsessed with it until it bores me. This usually lasts about two to three weeks. And right now, I’m hooked on learning as much as I can about how to market myself as an author. This of course will benefit you as a reader because I will share everything I learn, thus cutting back on the time you will have to spend on research. Yay!

So today I stuck to reading about basic marketing strategies. Yesterday it was learning how to use Twitter to your advantage. Again I’m using Author Media for my research because they have so many versatile blogs that appeal to striving authors. So let us begin.

First thing’s first, the blog that will change your life-89 Book Marketing Ideas That Will Change Your Life. Like that, eh? I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot with this particular blog because there are tons of great ideas and they are all broken down into categories. I’m a sucker for organization. I digress. A few of my favorite points are:

• Create a book trailer-I have been meaning to do this! It’s a great way to show your audience what’s inside your mind.
• Create a fan page for your main character-It would give the reader something to look forward to when the story is over. I myself love to look for ways to continue my connection with a character that I fell in love with.
• Ask different newspapers and radio stations in your area to interview you-I guess branching out and rolling up your sleeves is the best way to make yourself known. Personally, I’d have to get over my shyness in order to do this.
• Find places to give book readings. Coffee shops, bookstores,videos online, libraries. Use your imagination!
• Donate! It’s called Karma!

The list goes on and on, 89 times to be exact. There are a lot of helpful ideas and some that I need to read up on because I am not that good at understanding technology. I will be bookmarking all of these for when my book is finally published. For now though, I will continue to edit my second novel and play around with my social media sites.

Tomorrow I will be blogging about blogging tips and how to gain traffic to your blog so be sure to check back in. Since I’m still new to the scene, I have a lot to learn. 

And I leave you with a question: If you are published, what way of marketing have you found the most successful? If you are a reader, what appeals to you? What catches your attention and makes you purchase a book?

Until tomorrow, Echelon out ♥

What a restless mind can do.

Hello Readers!!!

Last night I tossed and turned for hours because I couldn’t stop thinking about writing. I started out thinking about the many stories swarming through my mind and which project I should dive into next. Should I enter writing contests with them or remain focused on my second novel? Should I go back to school? Could I handle it right now with my two kids, writing, and my business I’m trying to jump-start with my bestie? The thoughts plagued my mind as tossed from left to right, opening my eyes every so often to find that another 15 minutes had passed. What was my deal?! 

Then my thoughts formed into an image.

What was it that I saw behind my closed lids? A blank page. How would this appease my restless mind? Well…so much can be done with a blank page! A new story, a sketch, a painted picture, a grocery list, a list of chores that I so need to do. The possibilities are endless! What’s my point? My point is, I love the thrill of starting fresh. I love blank pages, blank walls, a blank canvas. I love pushing myself to branch out creatively in ways that I thought I couldn’t. The unknown doesn’t scare me, it compels me. I tackle my novels with the same thinking. I have a smidgen of an idea of where I want to go with it and then I sit down behind my laptop, fingers itching to glide across the keys. It always starts out the same. One word, two words, pause, a few more words, pause, and then BOOM! An avalanche of words pour out of me as my fingers race to keep up with the sentences forming inside my head. It’s almost guaranteed that I will have spelling errors and grammatical errors due to the fact that I don’t stop until it’s all out. I don’t want to lose a good thought due to trying to be perfect. That’s what drafting is all about. Edits come after the words are spilled onto the paper.

How will this affect your daily life? It won’t, at least I don’t think it will. I try to make sure that every blog I write has some sort of meaning to writing, or at least some sort of advice or encouragement to be a better you. This one, I feel, is more of a journal entry. Something I would write in my personal journal. But last night as I laid in bed, trying so very hard to fall asleep, this was all I could think about. I almost got up, just to write this out, but stopped myself because I knew once I was up I would never fall asleep. So if I am to scrounge up any sort of advice to make this an inspiring blog, it would be to not be afraid of the unknown. If you are an artist…JUMP! Always jump for what you hesitate on because sitting back and wondering what if will drive you mad. Practice makes perfect with a side of patience (something I’m still working on.) And if you aren’t an artist, I would say to you: Why aren’t you one? Doodling is art. Painting a wall in your livingroom is art. Clipping coupons is art. Raising children is art. Art is all around us and inside of us. Once you realize that, you will be unstoppable! So rather than leaving you with a question, how about you list the things you are good at below. Share your art with me!

Okay, I’ve babbled on enough lol. Thanks for reading my ramblings.

Until next time, Echelon out ♥

Caught in the Writer’s Block’s web

Hello once again Readers!!!

I’ve crawled out from under my rock just so I could write a quick blog about my progress. I’m about 18 chapters deep into my second novel and a little over halfway done. Woohoo! I’m still working on a title for it though. Juggling (and not in the literal sense) has become a trade that I’m quite good at-which brings me to the topic I wanted to blog about…

Writer’s Block

Ugh. Those two words have the power to make me cringe as if I were watching a spider skitter along the floor in front of me. It’s as real and just as deadly as a spider and it has graced me with its presence a lot lately. I’ve come to fear it as much as I fear the creepy-crawlies, so I’m going to refer to Writer’s Block as a “spider”.

Something so tiny and practically invisible (like the web) can be strung out overnight and create a seamless barrier that you get stuck in-similar to running out of fresh ideas. As the “spider” inches toward your tangled body, things like self-doubt and hopelessness begin to appear in the growing world of your novel. You try to brush aside the fact that you are on the brink of losing it all, thinking that by denying it, it will go away. But the inevitable happens and the “spider” bites you! Now you are left wondering, what next. Or even, what was I thinking.

Not to fear! I have found the antidote for Writer’s Block!

Whenever I feel the wall or the “bite” of  Writer’s Block, I step away and vent to my bestie. I never write when I’m upset or when I’m tired. The quality just isn’t the same when your heart’s not in it. And it’s going to happen to you every now and then. Try going for a walk to clear your mind or even taking a warm, relaxing bath. Bounce ideas off a good friend, your spouse, or someone who reads often and is interested in your genre of writing. If that doesn’t work, pick up a book and get lost in someone else’s world for a bit. Let the pressure of it all go, and then maybe approach it a few days later. You will get through it!

Honestly, there are so many different perceptions in the blogging world on how Writer’s Block can be overcome and all of them offer really good advice. This blog will probably become just another one of those. The important thing is that it can be overcome, no matter how you do it.

If you have any thoughts on how to smoosh the evil “spider”, post a comment below! And share this with your friends so they can offer even more advice. I hope this has helped inspire you!

That being said-Echelon out ♥

A walk for the cure

Hello once again readers!!!

How have you been? Fantastic, I hope!

So I wanted to blog this week about something that is close to my heart-my very best friend Sonya. Her daughter Taylor, was diagnosed back in 2008 with type one diabetes. Now, the majority of people automatically assume that diabetes is all about managing the sugar intake. But its way more complicated than that. It’s a disease. Something as simple as a common cold causing the body’s white blood cells to attack the pancreas. Crazy right?

But it’s true, and it’s forever life-changing. Think about how many things you eat in a day, including soda. Everything has to be accounted for. Now think about going to the fair with your family. You see a corn dog stand and your mouth starts to water. You walk up to the stand and ask them how many carbs are in their world-famous corn dogs…but they don’t know.

But you have to know, because you have to configure how much insulin you need to help digest the carbs you are about to take in. This is what diabetics go through EVERYDAY! It’s not easy, but like every dark cloud, there is a silver lining. JDRF. They are fighting as we speak to find a cure. Things that make it easier for children to live a normal life. Things like a mechanical pancreas that can help reduce the daily shots that come with the disease.

So how can you help??? Donate to the cause! Click here ♥

Even a dollar could bring a child some relief from the round-the-clock stress of being a diabetic. The company I work for has decided to help the cause by raising money for the walk that is going down on March 3rd at UCF. Come join us! We’ve spent the last month raffling off a 50/50 pot,  gift cards, chocolates, and now we’re having a bake/art sale on Monday (2-27).

I’ve spent the weekend creating cupcakes and paintings to take in hopes that we will raise that last bit of money needed to reach our goal. I’m all frosted out lol. I really hope we have a good turn out tomorrow. Cookies, brownies, muffins, cupcakes…something has to appeal the masses. And art from Fae Tis Moor-an art business Sonya and I started up.

Here are some pieces that we’ve created. If you’re interested feel free to shoot me a message. Everything we sell up until March 3rd will be split with the JDRF fund! We also take special requests.

If you or someone you know has been touched by diabetes, please feel free to share with us! Or if you have any questions-just ask! Knowledge is power!

That being said…Echelon out ♥