Back to the Normal Way of Things

The marketing & promotional machine has run out of steam.  It has been a great couple of days. The free book promotion has passed and we’re back to normal. So now my book is in quite a few people’s hands and hopefully those people will enjoy it. Thank you for taking your time out for an Indie I look forward to further interactions and to hear your thoughts and read your reviews.  I love to talk to don’t be shy.

Another thing back to normal? Blogging and being just me.

For those new to my blog will find out I ramble. Sometimes its just a bunch a words and random thoughts, sometimes its something deep and meaningful. No matter what, I try to keep up with it quite a bit. I have made plenty of friends and I think I’ve almost infiltrated a wonderful group of blogging people (and writers, artists, motivators, similar ramblers) and might be able to blend in 😉 On top of that, the interaction with people is phenomenal. I spend a lot of time staring onto notebook paper then deciphering what I have to just stare into a screen.   

I do have to admit, when I can’t seem get those words flowing in the middle of the night I end up being a bit lazy and watch Netflix movies (watched Tai Chi Zero followed by Tai Chi Hero. If you don’t mind subtitles, I highly recommend) or play horror/survival video games. I’m quite a geek you see and very proud of it. I was quite sad that I couldn’t go to DragonCon again this year, but one day this will happen, I promise you that. I grew up standing the line between Star Trek and Star Wars never choosing a side. I have been a devoted Doctor Who fan since I was a child, I love vampires and zombies unless they come with a sappy love story then I run and hide. Yeah, we won’t go into me too much, you’ll learn 🙂

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I have a horrid time with social media, although I have gotten better. I still don’t utilize what is all out there and cannot seem to find my way out of the paper sack of marketing, wishing someone would be lovely enough to do all of that for me for free 😀 since my money is being saved to take care of my sick little Ares, my adorably Miniature Pinscher. The whole time trying to keep the other furrling, River, occupied (or occupying me depending on the boredom factor).

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Maybe something amazing will happen today and I will get the right motivation to write chapter upon chapter, but I will be satisfied with a few thousand words for now. More coffee though, definitely more coffee.

Day 2 in full swing – Don’t forget your free e-copy of Rise of a Queen

Day one has been a great eye opener and a wonderful social mixer if I may add.  I’m still new at this media thing, but those who have watched me take those first baby steps into the scary world of social media, especially blogging, will tell you that I have come a long way and still have a lot to learn.

And with that, I’m giving the last day of my promotion my gift of word.  Rise of a Queen is still up on Amazon for anybody to download for free, my treat.  Just read, share with friends, please write any kind of review you want (I am not fluent in Klingon so I don’t think that would help anybody that much) whether good or bad; I got big girl britches on so I’m ready for the punches.  In a perfect world I’d live with 5 star reviews, millions of readers, author interviews lined up for the next few months……but yeah who are we kidding?  Lets go for any review, get the word out if you like what I write about and keep it going.  

You can get your copy of Rise of a Queen on Amazon

direct links to US and UK 

It seems natural to blog…..but no matter what, it started because I have a book to share

Yes, self promotion.  Obviously I haven’t been doing enough.  It is definitely something I should be doing more of.  My author page is the front of this blog and can easily be reached HERE.  

My blogging did start off as an offshoot of my baby, Rise of a Queen.  It is still my primary purpose.  There is no doubt the sequel will find its way out soon, so of course I would like for people to be interested and prepare for the progression of the characters and the storyline.  If you haven’t made your way to my main page, the author page, meander there now.  There are many surprises in store for all and you would be surprised as to how much you might find it intriguing, and its not just for the women-folk.  I don’t know how to write that kind of stuff since I veer from it as much as possible.  Things are not as shallow or placed out in front of you.  Things are more complex in Tessa’s world, everything truly has a purpose especially the darker side of things; those who have read it can back that one up.  I would hate for anyone to miss out on a opportunity to take in some of that.

All available options for e-book and even the physical one can be found HERE.

The Rise of Me through technology,and a look back at the growth

As this is Tuesday, I have realized I haven’t truly blogged in a while, and maybe this won’t be much of a blog, who knows.  Driving is quite….tiring, especially after an exciting weekend.  

As much as I loved Atlanta and the exciting radio opportunity; I think I thoroughly enjoyed seeing a good friend as well, or even better.  He’s been like a brother to me, and if you heard on the radio, you can catch our odd introduction to one another, when the internet was a tad less browsed and complex as it is today. How amazing things have changed since 2000, right? Yahoo groups/message boards (I saw the switch-over then finally the disappearance of Groups altogether) .  Then there was the messenger or email, only way to get involved and speak with people.  It seemed crazy back then to consider anybody met over the internet as a friend, but now it is more than acceptable.  I watched the rise and fall of Myspace, and through that more friends I found.  Facebook came around and BOOM, not only did I keep up with current friends and the ones I met online through other means, but I became reunited with friends from high school and my favorite time of my younger years when I was in Germany.  I am very grateful for the internet for my friends.  As many as I do have in real life, having lost a few and gaining a few, it seems those I keep in contact with the most are the ones I hold near and dear and it doesn’t matter how I came about doing so.  As I realize the area I live in doesn’t have as much of a place for me as it does elsewhere, staying to myself and working on my writing is a great option.  I can be by myself when I want but enjoy everything people are saying and doing.  And as my book is on the virtual shelf and in a nice little paperback that I control completely, I have learned so much.  Blogging seems to have revitalized a little bit of vigor into my life and the new people it has brought me.  I never was one for personal journalism into a nice bound book, and I have tried; just of thinking, pondering, questioning, and just speaking, and writing obviously. Isn’t it funny how that is the opposite of Tessa?

(Back to my weekend for one second) What is even more interesting was the mini-reunion I had with someone who was quite dear to me when I lived overseas thanks to the military.  Now THAT was a different time.  Until maybe a year ago finding each other on Facebook I haven’t seen him since we left Germany in ’92.  The moment we met up, we hugged and talked as if we had never parted.  It is amazing how one can pick up where one has left off.  To think I will be doing the same with quite a few more old friends in a little less than 2 months.  Amazing opportunities rise ahead of me and I take every moment I can to cross promoting my book with enjoying time with my friends.  That will be something interesting indeed.  Maybe I can get some knowledge from one of my old friends who is a bigger tech person than I can ever assume to be.  

 

Even as Social Media Eludes Me……a point was proven that it does have a positive impact

I gripe and groan and drag my knuckles through the dirt as I grumble under my breath about all the marketing that has to be done and why in this green earth does it have to be a million different social media outlets.

Mind you, I still have a love-hate relationship with it all.  Honestly, when did I stop “getting it”?  I’m a Facebook guru (not author page, thats a new one to me) and I could walk you through almost anything and explain ever bell and whistle, even the moment it arrives.  Its a quick befuddlement and then I grasp the concept and go on.  Wordpress blogging.  All I can say is WOW at how it has grown.  From the very first post where you could tell I was a tadpole in the waters to this very day.  I have grown and my relationship with other bloggers have grown along with it and I wouldn’t change it for the world.  I honestly don’t anything special to contribute but my thoughts and obviously news or information about my book(s) because, you know, I still am an author.  My website itself has grown as I add more insight into Rise of a Queen helping each and every reader get an insight into the characters and the clans, adding more each day.  I don’t do book reviews (I wish I could, its just so tough and my heart goes out to those who work so very hard to get everything they can done), I don’t do fashion, I don’t do celebrities.  I just do me.

I’m still at a standstill regarding my Facebook author page because honestly, Facebook has it where unless its constantly liked or shared or commented on it falls off everyone’s radar.  I’m working on that one.

Twitter……I’m kinda sorta maybe possibly getting the point of it, on my end that is.  I’m working more on it and I find it was a great way for me to get a surprise short term book giveaway.  It wasn’t planned, I just felt the need to show the twitter followers my love.  And I do hope the winner enjoys the book as well as I enjoyed writing it.

Don’t think I have an Instagram, do I?  I have an about.me but not sure what the use for that is except just to tell you….well about me.  That is what everything is going towards nowadays right?  Me, me, me, me, me, hey look something sparkly, something I might be interested in, me, me, me again.  It’s like going tops on the bullet train never getting a chance to really catch a glimpse of what really is going on.

WHAT THIS POST IS REALLY ABOUT.  Through all of that, through all of the confusion I deal with and pushed on all of you, I realized that it at least serves a few good purposes, yesterday being a perfect example.  Obviously I am talking about the incident in Boston.  It was amazing on how quick the information came at me.  I had twitter open and I have to say it was amazing to see who was tweeting what with updated information, the questions that came about, and yes I do follow the Writer/Director/Actor Kevin Smith and I would say he was the one that gave the best info out.  As I had twitter open, I watched site after site being posted on facebook and peoples thoughts, prayers, anger, all of that.  I streamed from a great news source that didn’t report something they didn’t understand or speculate but as it went and what info they had so no panic or assumptions.I was hearing people pouring in information on site from cell phones and tablets, which they shared with the police and everything was instant.  I would say we, as media was concerned, were more on the ball than we had ever been in the past.  

So as much as I complain, and I do have that right because I’m still hanging upside down in the tree of social media scratching my head like a monkey, I do agree there is a big need for it in the right situations.  Hopefully in the future those situations will not be devastating and we will all be Jedi’s of the web.  A girl can dream, right?

Why is blogging so important? Beats me

The question keeps going through my mind, over and over again, why is blogging so important?  Do people really want to hear what I have to say? I would have to honestly say, if it were about my boring humdrum life working tooth and nail having one anxiety attack after another hoping, dreaming, wishing on that little star up in the sky hoping that its not just those magical unicorns lighting up the sky with their bleeps of….well bleeps.

And tweets?  Who to tweet with what and with whom…….To even get started?  As a regular person (ha at that one) I didn’t really fare too well with it except for the nice funny excerpts from a few celebrities or comedians that tickled my fancy, and even had a bad buddha telling his puns daily.

and the ever loving Facebook.  I have a love affair with Facebook.  I know, I know, its the devil. Facebook had everything they need to know about me down to the color of my underwear or if I decided to chance it with a hair-brush optional kind of day.  I remember going kicking and screaming from Myspace toward Facebook not understanding the mechanisms of it all because it was foreign.  Maybe it was foretelling that my technological insights were beginning to falter.  I check Myspace …..once a year to see if they finally shut me down.  I love it.  I love being able to interact with all the people I lost contact with so long ago.  It was much easier to find and the networking was there.  I found one friend then another, and another and didn’t have to worry about what they went by, as long as they allowed us to connect.  I don’t think I can give it up so freely, although there was a time when I was part of the angry mob trying to give Google + the benefit of the doubt because they had our best interests at heart and supposedly an interface that was much easier to handle.  All i can say is…..that didn’t last long.  Nobody came over and I wasn’t willing to lose touch with my friends to do so.  All I get now is spam “friend requests”.

And Vlogging? is this really necessary?  I mean I could but what would be the point? Who watches that?

Back to the question on why blogging is important.  I suppose it in itself isn’t to me.  I don’t have that many followers now, I do hope that changes once my book hits the e-shelf.  The answer to the question is the age of having everything at the fingertips quickly, to get as much knowledge about a person as they can and be reminded, constantly through tweets, FB messages, Blog posts, and all those other things (yes I do indulge in Pinterest. But I can’t get away from the humor and geek. It runs strong in me) or they seem to move onto the next thing. So to do all this is to put yourself out there among hundreds maybe millions of people hoping for one acknowledgement that you do in fact live and breath.

I’m aging, I admit it.  I’m not old, I don’t think. Oh gosh, now I’m going to have a lovely day of age anxiety that can be helped with a bottle of Mostcoto, I prefer Barefoot Moscoto, pink if you’re feeling the fall/winter sweet.  I can’t even say that I ever too blogging as something I would be interested to do.  Sure I love writing, It is what I have doing for ages, I really wrote my first story when I was in the 6th grade. I’m sure you imagine the squishyness if it all.  Budding romance and such…..screech…..not so fast there.  I wasn’t that kind of chick.  I hung out with the guys and told them they were my boyfriend and I can honestly say I was never the most popular girl in school.  No ugly duckling, just different.  I made it my own and I made it shine.

So why the problem with blogging?  Once again, who cares? Seriously who cares?  My interests have been noted, I can go into extensive detail among those things.  My interest is writing the story. A real story. I have so much out there that I could offer that I have worked my derier off *looks back* okay that one is figuratively.  I’ve worked so far to get this close always a setback.  I just want my book out there to the masses. I want my name know.  I most definitely know without a doubt I could never be a top selling off but I believe that I do have enough to draw people in.  I at least can guarantee it is not jut a one shot deal being its a trilogy, the 2nd almost in the middle, with a possibility of a prequal.  Another idea floating around for another book .I don’t plan on going anywhere.  maybe this is where blogging comes in.  You want to know that I am human.  That I am for sure.   And I will keep attempting to blog no matter how akard it might be because I am in deep hopes that networking will be the key. I scratch your back, you scratch mine.

If you are interested in the random Please oh Please visit my twitter, I’m over there and LIKE on my author page. I’m not begging, just soundly pushing in that diection.   Of course i can fill it up with character comment, discussions on thoughts, if this truly stays interactive. But lets work together.  For the sake of humanity. j/k on that last part. Validity would be nice.  NOW to show the awkwardness(self-marketing YAY) I am willing to put up here to maybe get someone to head over to my other site and even comment on this I am going to find something that would be of interest.  I like the thumbs up.  Don’t ask me why but I need to know there will be a true interest in what I have been working towards my whole life.  It may come down to I will remember who doesn’t support.  (catty eh?  Claws can get sharp)

How about a topic?

Bring me a topic, a question   I am willing to answer everything from what I take in my coffee to information about the character to give it away only to entice a person much more.

I am going to post a completely irrelevant picture to lighten the mood.  Yes I have furrlings….Ares (the dog and River the cat that we thought was a girl until the thermometer dropped a surprise, so River Song turned into River Phoenix quickly).

I have animals, so what

Are And River rinally getting along

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