Okay so it looks like I fell off the planet. Promise - I'm still here. The last four years have been ... hard. There's no other word for it. Everything is fine. I'm fine, but I've been the caregiver of my mom who has Dementia. Between her needs, work, etc I seem to have lost control of my time. I am still writing and am trying hard to get back to my blog.

In case you weren't aware Phaze and HSWF which where under the Mundania Umbrella have closed. I was smart enough to get my titles back before all this happened. I'm happy to say the three books I sold to HSWF have been picked up by Melange Books and are available through their Satin Books imprint. I have even sold a new title to them called Magical Quest due out in 2022

I have also been lucky enough to find a publisher for my Vespian Way series. I'm now with Blushing Books under the name of Bethany Drake. I have five titles out with them right now and am close to submitting two more. There's Desire's Destiny, Desire's Duty and Desire's Promise. Then there is two in my werewolf series, Tears of the Queen and Legend of the Tears. I have just finished the rough draft of the third book in the series and have plans for a fourth one the moment I submit it.

I'll probably still be sporadic here on the blog. Unless I win the lottery and can hire someone to help me I can't avoid it, but know I'm still here still working hard in the background and am hoping to do better at keeping my blog alive.

Barb:)



Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Random Thoughts: Is Writing a Joy or a Curse?

I love to write.

Watching my page count get larger and larger shows my accomplishment toward the goal of finishing the book. I get lost in the words flowing from my fingers to the page. I write every day. I start at eight p.m., although I'll start earlier when I can, and work until one or two in the morning. Sometimes I might only get a page or two done, sometimes it's like my keyboard is on fire.

But I also need to have people buy my books so I can continue to write, so I need to promote. I work on that as often as I can. Sometimes every day. I'll write a blog, then do an author interview, I've done chats on loops I belong to. I check those loops for promos I can do and the circle begins again.

I also edit for one of my publishers. Right now on my laptop, which is where I do all my writing, is the book I'm writing, the book I have finished writing and am now editing to send in to my publisher, another author's manuscript that I am editing for the publisher I edit for, a submission I'm reading to see if my publisher should accept it, an interview for a new loop I just joined, and the outline I'm doing for my publisher for the latest book they purchased from me. I don't see it as a lot until I look at how many files I have open at one time.

I need to write, but don't want to ignore anything else so I don't focus on one particular thing for too long before I move onto the next one. This way each gets an equal amount of focus. But there are days where I only want to work on my stories. Feel that joy coursing through my veins. I give myself one day a week to do that, but when the need drives me I'll focus on the one thing that won't leave me alone.


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