Two sides of Being a Writer by Paty Jager

Seattle Ferris Wheel

Here is a glimpse for readers into what it's like to be a writer.

We wish we could just sit around in pajamas and write our books and someone would snatch them up, love them, and publish them. But that only happens for a handful of authors.

The real life of a writer is carving out time in our lives, whether we have a day job or a family to care for, writing the best story we can, sending it off to critique partners to help make sure it's a good story, then off to an editor to make sure all the grammar is correct and the story doesn't wander, then it's one more edit and the harder work, if you're an author who does your own formatting. Some opt to pay others to format for ebook and print books. After the formatting there's uploading it to all the ebook vendors and then uploading to the print on demand business. And just when you think you can breathe, you have to also be promoting the book to make sure your fans and other readers of your genre see the book. This is ongoing for the life of the book.

Seattle harbor photo

BUT, there is another side to being a writer, the one I'm trying to build up this weekend at what we call an Indie Uncon.  It's a small, 45 authors, conference of self-published authors who gather once a year to discuss the business side of writing. It's called an uncon because we all meet in one room all day long and discuss things like what aggregators are better, what software or programs are working best to track sales, what works best for advertising, how do you get the better advertising, what's the best way to grab and keep newsletter members, what do you do with a Street Team, Who has had luck???

This is a whole different side to writing than actually diving into our fictional worlds and playing with our fictional characters. This is a side that I struggle with and have been trying harder and harder to become more business minded. I wish that I could just write a book and upload it and go on to the next book. But I want to make a living at writing and until I grasp the business side of it, it's not going to happen.

This is the third uncon I've attended, and each one I feel a little more savvy about choices I make and things I attempt to put to work that I hope will help me become more astute and business savvy.

So, if you ever wonder what is taking so long for a writer to put out a book. Think about your own life and how sometimes family gets in the way of things you have planned or how much time you have to put into planning for your family or a business/money decision. Writers not only do that for their lives but for their writing as well.

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 32 novels, 6 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery, western romance, and action adventure. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. This is what Mysteries Etc says about her Shandra Higheagle mystery series: “Mystery, romance, small town, and Native American heritage combine to make a compelling read.”


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Photo source: Paty Jager

Writer's Life as a "Mom" or is it "Mom's" Life as a Writer? By Carolyn Hector

I am going to be real late on updating this blog today.

It’s NANOWRIMO and I’m trying to keep on task on top of trying to writing while trying to be the guardian to 4 boys who clearly do not give a crap about the rules or the way they treat my house. Every time I turn around I have to find something broken…then I have to have a discussion on what happened.

True story-

Me: how did the standing fan break?
JT: it fell over.
Me: how did it fall over?
JT : it got bumped.
Me: and how did it get bumped?
JT: well me and "T" bumped it by accident.
Me: How?
JT: Well we were wrestling.
Me: What is my number one rule?
JT: rough housing. 
His answer is followed by a blank stare as if *I* am the one asking crazy questions. 

I had another child who was on the swim team. We rearranged our schedules to pick him up for six weeks.. only to find out he was lying to us and the coach (I may have mentioned that last time). So his punishment had been to 1-go to the after school program and 2-has to stay inside for 4 days a week to mimic the same "swim schedule" he had us following. 

So 9th grade kid has been acting up in school (being silly, talking etc).. to follow up with his behavior I contact the after school director and while still talking, I casually ask how my oldest is doing. She was like.... who? So I head off to the school (not getting any writing done) and get the oldest to meet me at the front office. As we sit and wait for the director to come over, he leans over to me and says..."I hear JT isn't behaving well in class." <and then he sighs> "What are we going to do about that kid?" 

Anyway, the oldest tried to lie to the end... saying he just didn't sign in... and the director was like.. "I've never seen you in my cafeteria before in my life. So oldest says... "I-I've been in the computer lab." The director gets the computer lab person to come over who also says... she's never seen him before in her life. *le sigh*

Take my title away because I am totally failing my nephews. 

My husband says we need to be on a sitcom---we can't make this shit up! 

My son turned 15 on Sunday. Saturday I took him to the fair and got some writing done on my AlphaSmart.In the scene in my story...my heroine is explaining to the hero just how safe the roller coasters are and I kid you not....IRL  a girl at the fair fell out of the ride. 

   

A Tiara Under the Tree made it to Barnes & Noble's B&N Reads Romance Roundup

In Romance in Color here's a review that me blushing. 

  

You have GOT to check out the heat between Zoe and Carver in Cheris Hodges' latest book, Deadly Rumors

And my other recommendation is Deborah Fletcher Mello's book, Arch (A One Love Short Story) 

Okay that's all for now. 

Happy Reading! Happy Writing!

Carolyn

Author of the Once Upon a Tiara Series

Will Rogers Medallion Awards and OKRWA IDA @CarolinClemmons @JacquieRogers

A Tale of Two Winners
by Jacquie Rogers

Honey Beaulieu must have taken exception to something Will Rogers said!

There's nothing like going to Texas this time of year.  It's snowing back home in Seattle but today it was 93 degrees in Flower Mound, TX.  Guess which I prefer!  Of course, another draw to Texas was that we have wonderful friends and family here.

The instigating factor for coming to Texas, though, was the Will Rogers Medallion Award banquet.  The first two books in the Honey Beaulieu - Man Hunter series, Hot Work in Fry Pan Gulch and Sidetracked in Silver City, finaled in the Western Humor category.  Woohoo!  The committee chose four finalists and my books were two of them, so I figured I had a lock on the bronze.  

However, the probability of a bronze medal wasn't the reason I wanted to attend.   I could hardly wait to meet the head honcho and the founder of the awards, Charles Williams.  We did meet and I can assure you that he's just as kind and friendly as I thought, and he has a great sense of humor.  

Charles Williams, founder of the Will Rogers Medallion Awards
with me, Sassy, and Honey.  Honey too quite a liking to him.

The first day, at the Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering booksigning, I met Gene Helmick-Richardson.  So did Honey.  They seemed to get off to a bit of a rocky start but by the end of the doin's, they were best of friends.

Gene Helmick-Richardson knows when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.

Did I mention our Texas hosts?  We were lucky enough to stay with one of my best friends who, unbeknownst to her, started off as one of my mentors.  I studied her books to figure out this writing gig, and I was beyond thrilled when she contacted me that first time.  Yes, I was her fangirl!  That would be the awesome and talented Caroline Clemmons.  At this point, you might say we're a mutual admiration society. LOL  

Our Halloween photo courtesy of Snapchat.

So good people and good fun.  What could be better?  Um, well, winning.  Imagine my surprise when both my books won gold medallions!  And also Camp Rogers Press won two!  To be honest, Mr R should've picked up the Camp Rogers Press medals, but I was all too happy to cart them back to the table myself. 

Mr R recorded it on my phone.  It was his first time ever recording anything on a smartphone so all in all, the video turned out pretty well.

Caroline and Hero, Mr R and I were all flying high that night.  We had a delicious steak dinner and met some really nice people.  What a grand time!

The four of us went back to Caroline's house, yammered half the night, and went to bed.  The next morning, we found out that Caroline's book Grant Me the Moon had won the International Digital Award (sponsored by the Oklahoma RWA) for Short Contemporary Romance!  That was so wonderful--two winners in the house.  Our husbands didn't quite know what to do with us. LOL.  We were yipping and dancing through the living room.  It must have been quite a sight.

But we did slow down long enough to get our photo together.

Let me tell you, that sure went well with our bacon and eggs.

Mr R and I will be headed back to Seattle in a few days.  I can't tell you how much I'll miss Caroline.  I really would like to stash her in the car and take her with me.  Then again, if it keeps snowing up north...  

If you're on Snapchat, friend me!  My handle is jacquierogers.  You can get videos of Sassy's latest updates there.  And goofy pictures of her scribe.

Keep up with Jacquie Rogers' latest news at the

Pickle Barrel Gazette!
Honey Beaulieu - Man Hunter series

Hearts of Owyhee series

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