I have been getting positive feedback from people who have read my book. Everyone says that they can't put in down, which is really good news for me. Now the pressure is on to write a sequel that is as good or better than the first one. Right now I am stuck halfway through the sequel as to where I am going with the plot. Writing the first book taught me that when I get stuck, it helps to let it sit for a few days so I can sort the ideas out in my head. That means I will be walking around in a daze with all of these thoughts floating around in my head. So if I am seen staring off into space at the grocery store, that's why. I have to be especially careful when I drive because I have been known to forget where I am going. Writing can be dangerous!

Another review site

I have been surfing the web looking for more sites to review my book. Some sites will only review certain publishers and I figure they aren't right for me anyway. If you believe in yourself things will happen. I did everything I could to make this a good book-I had it edited and I had an awesome cover designed that makes my book stand out in a crowd of books. These two things are very important to self-publishing. Too many self-published books have not been edited and the writing quality is very poor. Even the most accomplished authors have their manuscripts edited.

I wasn't able to get much writing done today, but last night I was able to work out some bugs in the plot. To get my train of thought going I wrote any ideas that came to mind down in a notebook. This helps me to think about the story without having to force the ideas out, which never works for me. Writing this way also helps to break the dreaded writer's block by letting the ideas flow naturally. There are still a few bugs I need to work out, but I am on the right track now.

I am working on creating characters for my next book. For me the best way to do this is to write a profile for each character, which includes name, physical characteristics, hobbies, occupation, personality, habits and mannerisms that set them apart from everyone else. The characters I am working on today are otherworldly beings, but I like to give them human qualities. For instance, one of my characters likes to hum to herself a lot. Sometimes assigning an astrological sun sign to a character helps mold his or her personality. I think character development is very important to writing a story because well-defined characters bring the story to life. Gotta go and work on this now.

An e-book site that publishes women

I have decided to submit my work to an e-book site that only publishes women. Currently my book is only available as a trade paperback and it might help to give people more than one choice. I have spent all morning writing a query letter and a bio. There are so many different formats for query letters, but I think that simple is the best way to go. Don't add insignificant information that has nothing to do with the manuscript and always follow the guidelines for submissions. I figure if this e-publisher rejects me then it wasn't meant to be and I will submit to another one. Dealing with rejection is a huge part of writing and I try not to let it get me down because I believe in myself. Gotta go organize my office. What a mess!

Writing, writing, writing...

I finally got some writing done. Afternoon and early evening seems to be the right time for me to write. I think because my mind is free of all the clutter from the day's chores. Yes, I have household chores that need to be done. In exchange for me staying home and writing, I made a deal with my husband that I would do all the cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and meals-chores that we shared when I was also working full time. I found another good site yesterday called onlineforbooks.com where you can list your website and book description for free! Well, I'm off to check out some more sites!

Site that will review my book

It is 12:28 pm and I still haven't worked on my new book, the sequel to Of Water and Dragons, which I was supposed to do today. I keep getting side tracked on the internet-setting up this blog is the reason I haven't written one word today. Does this blog count? I will say "yes" and feel good that I am at least writing something today. The good news is I am finding more sites that will review my book, the most recent at www.midwestbookreview.com. Today I sent off one of my books to New Zealand for review on www.loveromances.com. I feel good that I have accomplished something besides the grocery shopping.