I’m currently working on an anthology type book with four short stories. It’s tentatively titled Let Me Love You and highlights four couples at various stages in their relationship. I’m shooting for a late August release but there is still much to be done! Here is a little unedited snippet: Sometimes the simplest things have the most profound impact on our lives. Sometimes the most innocent comments open up wounds that we thought had healed long ago. And sometimes the most random numbers appear and your past suddenly collides with your future.
Fifteen. I glanced at the clock in the upper right corner of my computer, it was fifteen minutes past five on the fifteenth day of August. At that precise moment my assistant, Christina walked in holding an envelope in her hand. She was smiling brightly as she waved the generic packet around. “Guess what I have,” she beamed pushing her thick black-framed glasses up on her nose. “A winning lotto ticket?” I laughed. She rolled her eyes. “No, you have to play to win. Besides this is bigger- better than that!” “Okay, now I’m intrigued.” I said sitting back and giving her my full attention. She walked closer to my desk and placed the opened envelope in front of me. But before I picked it up, she squealed. “It’s an invitation to your fifteen year high school reunion!” she clapped with more enthusiasm than I thought was warranted. “Open it! Oh my god, my favorite group is playing at your class reunion!” High school reunion. My heart fluttered as I pulled the cream colored card from the envelope and saw the James K. Polk High coat of arms and colors emblazoned on the front. The reunion was in one month, on September 15th in my hometown of Buffalo. “So did you know Xavier Ross?” Christina asked with an awestruck expression. My eyes widened. “Wha- how- you know Xavier Ross?” I asked confused. “Turn it over- Soul Skylight- they’re playing at the reunion. He’s the lead singer. Please tell me you’ve heard of Soul Skylight,” I tried to steady my shaking hands as I slowly turned the card over. There was a picture of a group of guys and sitting on a stool in the center, clutching a guitar, was Xavier Ross. Suddenly I found it very hard to breathe. I opened my mouth and stared up at Christina. Her face registered alarm. “Oh my god, Angela- breathe, breathe-,” she patted my back furiously. I gulped and forced air down my windpipe. “Okay! I couldn’t breathe, I’m not choking!” I exclaimed moving away from her heavy hand against my back. “Goodness, you scared me. Do you have asthma or something?” she asked concerned. “Um no- I just- I-,” my eyes darted down to the invitation. Christina’s eyes followed mine and her mouth fell open. “You and Xavier Ross?” she whispered. “No way!” I didn’t know if I should be embarrassed or insulted by her reaction. “It was just a silly high school thing, really,” I said dismissively. “Sure,” she said unconvinced. "Spill!"
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As a first time published author who chose the self publishing route, I did a TON of research before hand. I have a notebook filled with ideas, tips, advice, links, strategies, etc. all related to writing and publishing. I would recommend anyone who is considering self publishing their own work do the same. You want to make sure you have all of your proverbial ducks in a row. Make sure your work has been edited, the interior layout and cover are appealing and marketable, you find channels to help get the word out about your book and be sure to ask for feedback namely by way of Amazon reviews. I will have a webinar available online at the end of the summer discussing my self publishing journey and sharing all the resources I utilized but for now I decided to share a few of my favorites: 1. Createspace- This is the tool/distributor I used to self publish my book. It's free to sign up! You can get your ISBN through Createspace as well as have the option to sell your books on Amazon. Createspace also has templates to help you format the interior of your book as well as design your cover.
2. Grammarly- This a great tool for checking tense and placement of commas. It's free and you can copy and paste passages of text directly on to the website for instant help! Grammarly should not be a replacement for a good editor. You still need to have a professional review your final draft for errors that go beyond grammar like pacing, plot holes, etc. 3. Evernote- This is not your average note taker. . .with this app, you can set up different notebooks for each story to make notes and outlines. You can also add images for inspiration and one of my fave things you can do is dictation. If you have an idea or want to record dialogue without having to type all of it, just press the microphone icon and tell Evernote what you want to write. You can email the notes to yourself and just cut and paste them directly into your novel. Happy Writing! I don’t consider myself to be a self indulgent person but on the rare occasion that I can spend a day doing anything I want, I do have some things that make me absolutely giddy.
Here are ten things that make me happy:
What are some of the things that make you happy? Whenever I encounter problems or challenges while working on a client project or writing or doing anything really. . .I always have a process I follow. First, I scream out a few expletives then after I realize it was totally useless (felt good but didn't help) I walk away from the problem so that I can gain some clarity.
Too often we go into reactionary mode after something happens and we immediately try to fix it while being in distress about it at the same time. Usually this makes things worse or it closes off our brain from logical thinking. I find that once I get up from the computer or close the laptop and take a few minutes to breathe, I can get my creative juices flowing much better. Yes, my creative juices. I think the only way to solve problems is to come up with creative solutions. Here are some creative ways to solve problems: 1. Mind mapping- take out a sheet of paper and just start writing down ideas to overcome or fix the problem. This will allow you a visual to see a solution. It might be putting two of your ideas together or only completing one step of an idea that turns out to be the fix. 2. Work backwards- It might be as simple as undoing your last step that fixes the entire problem (I recommend saving whatever you're working on first in case that's not the answer). 3. Try changing the environment- If you're working from a laptop move to another room or go outside. If you're on a desktop then open the window or stand while working. Sometimes changing the environment can help open your mind. And if all else fails, Google it! I've Googled problems and found forums where someone had the EXACT same issue and others offered ideas to help fix the problem and ultimately a solution was found. It’s officially summer and many of us like the idea of getting away to recharge and relax. However the cost of airfare, hotel and daily expenses can become pretty pricey if you haven’t been planning and saving for your summer getaway.
But not to worry, you can still afford to relax and have fun without even leaving your own city. I suggest taking a staycation. A staycation is a vacation spent in your own hometown and involves seeing local sights and attractions. The point is to enjoy yourself and splurge a little since you’ll be saving money on airfare and other travel related expenses. Pretend your city is your travel destination and plan your itinerary accordingly. Here are some ideas of things to do on your staycation:
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Writer. Reader. Designer. Creative Spirit.
“I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide.”
—Harper Lee Book Recommendations
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