It’s More Than Finding the Words by Paty Jager

I’m a self-publish or Indie author. It means I make my own deadlines. I almost did myself in, with a heavy schedule to get three books published the first three months of 2019. When I set the deadline, I didn’t realize how much family was going to play into taking time away from my writing.

Thankfully, I was able to get a couple of week-long retreats at the beach which allowed me to finish a book and get another one well started. I’m happy to say, my deadline will soon be over and I do believe, barring any complications, book 3 will publish on time.

But as I stressed and worried over making my deadline, I also realized that while I can work on a hard deadline and produce a good book, I don’t like doing it. The rest of my year, I have loose deadlines. I know how many books I want to finish by December 31^st, 2019, but I’m not putting out definite dates, knowing that this will be another transitional year for my family and I’ll not have as many days of writing as I’d like.

While I have ideas and characters all lined out for 3 more novellas, 4-5 more books in the Silver Dollar Saloon series, and 2 more Shandra Higheagle books and 3 more Gabriel Hawke books, with more ideas coming at me. I know I’ll be lucky to get one more of each out this year. Even though before all the changes in our family, I’d planned to get more than those 4 projects written.

Right now, I’m focusing on writing the best book I can. I’m digging into the research, sifting through, looking for some wonderful nuggets that will enhance the next book I write and coming up with characters that will make the reader glad they read the book and look for the next one.

I had 2 book signings over the weekend and at each, readers asked how I come up with the ideas. The ideas are easy. It’s finding the time to put those ideas into an entertaining story that is the hard part. From the first draft, to the finished product it takes commitment and staying in the story to bring it to completion. When I’m pulled out of the story for several days it’s harder to keep the flow. I’m hoping to get projects accomplished in between other responsibilities and stay focused.

And that’s why writing is more than the words.

  

 https://patyjager.net

https://writingintothesunset

We're Thinking SPRING & Daylight Savings!

Hello my lovelies who follow Smart Girls Read Romance. Welcome!

Today is Daylight Savings and with that, we're all thinking spring.

Did you know....

Spring

September 22 marked the autumnal equinox and the first day of fall, which got us wondering: Why do we call the seasons Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter?

Before Spring was called Spring, it was called Lent in Old English. Starting in the 14th century, that time of year was called “springing time”—a reference to plants “springing” from the ground. In the 15th century this got shortened to “spring-time,” and then further shortened in the 16th century to just “spring.”


What About Daylight Savings?

The idea of daylight saving was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin (portrait at right) during his sojourn as an American delegate in Paris in 1784, in an essay, "An Economical Project." Read more about Franklin's essay.

Some of Franklin's friends, inventors of a new kind of oil lamp, were so taken by the scheme that they continued corresponding with Franklin even after he returned to America.

The main purpose of Daylight Saving Time (called "Summer Time" in many places in the world) is to make better use of daylight. We change our clocks during the summer months to move an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. Countries have different change dates.

Some say the primary reason that Daylight Saving Time is a part of many societies is simply because people like to enjoy long summer evenings, and that reasons such as energy conservation are merely rationalizations.

Personally, I'm going with enjoying longer evening activities rather saving energy.

"Everyone appreciates the long, light evenings. Everyone laments their shortage as Autumn approaches; and everyone has given utterance to regret that the clear, bright light of an early morning during Spring and Summer months is so seldom seen or used."

From London builder William Willett (1857-1915)
in the pamphlet, "Waste of Daylight" (1907)

Don't forget to set your clocks ahead today (technically last night at midnight). I hope you all have a wonderful spring and are able to spend time outside reading some wonderful novels!

Here's one of my #ghost novels you might enjoy!

Read the new Review snippet!

 A GHOST TO DIE FOR

Contemporary Romance/Paranormal

Do you believe in ghosts? Rooney Fontaine doesn't—or didn't until one named Stuart Granger shows up in her hotel room. Now the humorous, yet desperate, apparition is begging her to find the men who murdered him before his brother becomes their next victim.

After serving three tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq, Stephan Granger is no -stranger to risk and peril. When a woman shows up at his house rambling about ghosts, murder and assassins, his first inclination is to deem her wrong in the head and send her packing. But how does she know things that happened to him and his dear departed brother in their childhoods, secrets they never shared with anyone?

Soon after he invites her in to hear more about what really happened to Stuart, gunfire splits the air and shatters all the windows in the house. Someone is trying to kill them. Now they're on the run from assassins while trying to find out who killed his brother and why they want him dead too.

Even amid murder and mayhem, sometimes you find love.

Recent Review Snippet

★★★★★


"Diablo has written a fully-rounded story, with a strong and exciting plot, and characters to die for! Even with the paranormal, ghostly twist, the issues and emotions these characters were forced to cope with felt very real. They had me rooting for them all the way through to the very last page. An entertaining, heartfelt story, packed with action, nail-biting suspense, and romance!"

99 Cents On all Venues

Roadmap for 2019

What? I know it's already March... shhhh!  But I've finally finalized my schedule for 2019.
Okay, so maybe finalized might not be the exact word I'm looking for, but this year is my year!

What? How do I know this? All last year I was anticipating 2019 because my birthday is February 19 - so 02/19  and the year is 2019 - making it 02 19 20 19 not exact, but come on... it's cool, right?

So it's all just a think I'm using to psyche myself up... but I'm going to make the most of it!

If I could write all of the books I want to, there would be thirty or more out this year. Now, if I could put a USB plug into my brain and download things that would be great! Save me a lot of stress and strain.

In 2019, I'm doing a bunch of things different from the few years before when I started self publishing in Romance.
1) I'm doing more to keep my series bibles up to date.

What's that? Series Bible is a bunch of information kept together so that mistakes are kept to a minimum in character portrayals and other specific information in a series. So the names of secondary characters. Locations in the stories. Eye color... and other things. Having it in one place means I don't have to 'search' through word files for the information as I write.

2) More attention to the length of the books. I'm finding that certain sub-genres fall into different story lengths for me. Some sub-genres lend themselves to Novellas and some to Novels. (not for everyone, but for me that's how it works)

3) Sticking some pins in place - Some of my books are tied to release dates set up by others. I'm a hybrid author so not all of my release dates are 'my' dates. I'm not complaining. Just stating the deal.  And some of those deadlines make demands on my schedule that determines what else I can fit in.

4) Working on distractions - I have tinnitus (a perception of noise in my ears). It was likely caused by the bout of Bell's palsy that I had a few years ago and I had some inner ear damage that made me really dizzy and off balance a lot. So I can't sit in silence to write. When I've tried, after a while I feel like there's this low-grade incessant humming that can trigger some crazy bad headaches. so I have to learn to have just enough noise to ease up the humming, but not too much noise that I allow myself to be distracted.

So where do I stand so far?

January - Imogene's Ingenuity (Sweet Historical Western Novella) as part of the ABC Mail Order Bride series...

February - lots of writing and a serious celebration!!

March - Rescuing Hi'ilani (Contemporary Military Heat Novel) as part of Susan Stoker's Special Forces World

April - The Sailor & The Siren (Sweet Historical Western Novella) as an extension of the ABC Mail Order Brides Series
- and maybe one more!

May - a book for Susan Stoker's Badge of Honor world

June - I'll be in Deadwood, SD for an author reader event! As a woman who loooooves Western History... it'll be like HEAVEN!

July - A Sweet Contemporary Novella

August - Starting a series of my own set in my town 'Center City'

September - another book for one of Susan Stoker's worlds

October - a Paranormal Novella for Halloween

November.. a breather?

December - A Sweet Contemporary Novella (a modern day book connected to my Three Rivers Station Series)
AND - one more... we'll see what pops up!

And I'm leaving room to veer off the path... we'll see what else pops up and how my schedule might need to adjust - are you coming with me?

I hope so.

www.reinatorres.com

Hectic by Carolyn Hector

Hectic... My hectic life as gif'd & meme'd by Luke Perry. 

by 

Carolyn Hector

It has just been one of those weeks... months.. and it's only March! First.. Let's take a moment and bow our heads for Luke Perry ... May he rest in peace.I loved him as Dylan. Having not gone to a traditional high school... I thought school was like 90210. He had me crying in 8 Seconds.... creeped me out on that one episode of Criminal Minds where he was a cult leader. And more recently, shocker... he was the reason I watched Riverdale (aka the Hot Dad Show) 

 RIP

My life as a guardian/parent is like in total failure mode right now. My oldest nephew is about to graduate. I don't think he listens to me at all. 

So I feel like I'm wasting my breath even trying to get him to be a responsible adult if he is still lying. My youngest nephew does not share my love of books.

As a matter of fact, he's had the same book since December 25th. And has yet to finish it. He'll sit at the table.. alone.. and won't read. I've put off my own work to sit with him and listen to him read... and when I leave him alone...he won't read. As a matter of fact.. he ripped the cover off and slowly started tearing out the pages. I guess it's less pages to read? IDK.







Work has me busy from 8-5... I'll look up and the day is over. Then I come home to deal with kids who think I'm mean because I make them do their chores or school work before video games. I'm so tired.

I've got HUGE deadlines coming up. I'm watching folks get book deals after book deals.

And y'all know me. I can love you, adore you, and still be jealous.. I'm big enough to admit it and promote them 'cause they're faaaaaaabulous! Check out Denny Brice, Kaia Danielle  and Dana Nussio








I can't complain too much about NOT moving forward with my career as a writer. I need to get through these deadlines and then I've got like 10K different ideas in my head ... a 1940's themed story, Search and Rescue Romance, a medical romance. They're all knocking around in my head.

When I do things like make it  1/2 way through a proposal and
change my heroine's name.. ehh, it's kinda my own fault that I'm not getting anything done. But it was the proposal... I CAN CHANGE MY MIND!

I didn't bake anything for our Mardi Gras dessert lunch at work today. I cheated and bought a King Cake from the store! But I had to... This is how it's going to be for a while.

Until my deadlines pass... 

That being said, this post is going to be short. Hopefully I'll have more to tell you next month.

XOXO
Carolyn
aka
#TeamBrenda (yeah, I'm still not over it lol)

Out now! Her Mistletoe Bachelor

Don't forget, you can pre-order Southern Seduction

It's a Duet with Pamela Yaye   love-love-love her!