When I posted last week I had just begun to come to terms with my writing in this new life reality, and then life changed on us. A lot.
Last Friday, Bryan found out that his boss lost the bid for August, and with gov't cutbacks (end of fiscal year tidying up) there was no work for Bryan for August. Friday he also had lunch with a buddy from his old job and got three solid employment leads.
By the end of Sunday he had no less than 9 job leads. 9!!! When he left the job at the jail last spring he spent 5 WEEKS unemployed trying to find a driving job.
Monday (yesterday) Bryan had an appointment to see one of the employers. Before I'd even gotten out of bed that morning he had a job offer. (don't judge me, I was up by 9am) They needed to get the final approval and run his MVR but it was a cinch. Monday night while we were grocery shopping he got the official job offer. Bang. He was employed again. After essentially one weekend without work.
Just like any job, this one has it's drawbacks. The biggest one is obviously that he leaves in 2 days and will be gone about 4 months. But--that's better than what we'd heard initially about the job, that he'd be gone 8 months. That prospect was scary, honestly. Rather than getting the water hose operator job he'd applied for he was hired as a driver, which means he's making more money per hour. That's a good thing. Overtime--also a good thing. And when he comes back there will be work around OK and TX during the slow season (winter) in the oil field.
Change is kind of scary. Having him gone is not something any of us are looking forward to. But we're going to make it work. And I'm going to get a lot of writing done these next months. All in all, I'm feeling kind of blessed.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Friday, August 2, 2013
This is Me
I've probably said this before, so forgive me if you find me repetitive.
Sometimes live is a bowl of cherries. Sometimes life is just the pits.
Usually, it's a mixture of both.
Today's been kind of a pit day so far, so of course I find myself on my blog writing about well, writing.
I gotta be me. Sometimes I find myself trying to stuff a square peg in a round hole and then I step back and realize that I have to do things my way in order to be the best me I can be.
Let's get a bit less cryptic.
Take publishing my books. While I won't rule out traditional publishing in my future, I have found I really, really like self publishing. I'm not great at marketing, true, and lately it's been bugging me that my books don't get as much attention as I'd like. The real issue is--at least I think it is--that my target audience has no idea these books are out there. There are tons of great books to read and they just haven't found mine yet.
And, of course, the last thing I published was last year so I'm not on anyone's radar.
But that needs to be okay. Right now, it is what it is.
I'm working currently working on three major projects. One is the final book in my YA fantasy series. Two is a contemporary, serious novel. Three is a dystopian fantasy. There are more, but I'm focusing on these three right now. The thing is, life just threw my family a major curve ball and I think I took it right in the gut.
I'm going to take the walk. The ump said so.
So, writing my books. I still have to be me. I have to write them and publish them on my terms, in my way. It may not be the best way, but I guess I'm just one of those people who have to carve out their own niche. I'm not the fastest, even though I want to be. But setting up a bunch of expectations just leaves me disappointed and empty.
I'm still going to try to get The Lost Princess done and in print by Nov 30th. I can do that. I still have time, and I'm more than halfway done. But at the moment there's a ton of things going on in my life and most of the big ones aren't good. In fact, right now I need my writing more than I have in the recent past because it will help get me through this mess, help me focus and pour out my feelings and leave me better for it on the other side.
I did that before, back in 2002 when I miscarried Lily. Writing kept me sane then. I'm relying on it now. I did that when I finished The Tyrant King. I did it in high school when I first wrote The Peasant Queen (and other things I will never subject you to--you're welcome).
Because writing is my lifeline as well as my business, I'm focusing on the lifeline aspect of it. In a month or so I will probably be more ready to take on the business part. But not now.
Thanks for listening.
Sometimes live is a bowl of cherries. Sometimes life is just the pits.
Usually, it's a mixture of both.
Today's been kind of a pit day so far, so of course I find myself on my blog writing about well, writing.
I gotta be me. Sometimes I find myself trying to stuff a square peg in a round hole and then I step back and realize that I have to do things my way in order to be the best me I can be.
Let's get a bit less cryptic.
Take publishing my books. While I won't rule out traditional publishing in my future, I have found I really, really like self publishing. I'm not great at marketing, true, and lately it's been bugging me that my books don't get as much attention as I'd like. The real issue is--at least I think it is--that my target audience has no idea these books are out there. There are tons of great books to read and they just haven't found mine yet.
And, of course, the last thing I published was last year so I'm not on anyone's radar.
But that needs to be okay. Right now, it is what it is.
I'm working currently working on three major projects. One is the final book in my YA fantasy series. Two is a contemporary, serious novel. Three is a dystopian fantasy. There are more, but I'm focusing on these three right now. The thing is, life just threw my family a major curve ball and I think I took it right in the gut.
I'm going to take the walk. The ump said so.
So, writing my books. I still have to be me. I have to write them and publish them on my terms, in my way. It may not be the best way, but I guess I'm just one of those people who have to carve out their own niche. I'm not the fastest, even though I want to be. But setting up a bunch of expectations just leaves me disappointed and empty.
I'm still going to try to get The Lost Princess done and in print by Nov 30th. I can do that. I still have time, and I'm more than halfway done. But at the moment there's a ton of things going on in my life and most of the big ones aren't good. In fact, right now I need my writing more than I have in the recent past because it will help get me through this mess, help me focus and pour out my feelings and leave me better for it on the other side.
I did that before, back in 2002 when I miscarried Lily. Writing kept me sane then. I'm relying on it now. I did that when I finished The Tyrant King. I did it in high school when I first wrote The Peasant Queen (and other things I will never subject you to--you're welcome).
Because writing is my lifeline as well as my business, I'm focusing on the lifeline aspect of it. In a month or so I will probably be more ready to take on the business part. But not now.
Thanks for listening.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Lost Princess Name Contest Winner
Last week I posted a naming contest for a character in The Lost Princess. It's funny because I posted the contest on Facebook, and in my post I mentioned having done these types of contests on FB before, and it turns out the winner posted on my FB link to the contest.
The winning name is: Lessa. I was able to narrow it down to the 5 names and then did two drawings where I eliminated all but one name. Lessa won out!
Because I'm busy writing this week I'm going to make this post short and simply cut to the chase.
And the winner is
The winning name is: Lessa. I was able to narrow it down to the 5 names and then did two drawings where I eliminated all but one name. Lessa won out!
Because I'm busy writing this week I'm going to make this post short and simply cut to the chase.
And the winner is
Debbie Korous!!
Congratulations, Debbie! Email me at Cheriwrites (at) yahoo (dot) com and get me your address. You will receive one of the first copies of The Lost Princess just as soon as I get the shipment (no later than November 30, 2013)!
Thank you to everyone who submitted!
Monday, July 15, 2013
You are Invited: The Lost Princess Contest!
This fall, I hope to (finally) release The Lost Princess in ebook and print, and have a lovely blog tour and offer free copies of The Tyrant King to keep everyone updated with the story. If you've forgotten, The Lost Princess picks up where The Tyrant King left off, and will complete the series, with the possible exception of a few novellas to round out the story.
So, what about this contest? I have discovered through writing the story that I have a character in need of a name. You've seen authors do this before, they'll ask for a name and then offer some sort of reward for the name chosen.
Usually this happens on Facebook. The last time I did it, I needed a name for a a witch in The Tyrant King and offered to use the name of the person who submitted the winning witch's name in The Lost Princess as a character. That winner was Tawnya, and her character in The Lost Princess is someone of note.
This time, I'm using my blog as the setting for my contest so I can go into more detail. Also, the offered prize is a signed print copy of The Lost Princess when the book is released! So, you get to win now but you will have to be patient for your prize. I hope you don't mind.
Here's what I need: A female name for a woman (thankfully), a peasant who lives in one of the villages on the outer borders of Fayterra. Her village was attacked by the evil king's army during the course of The Tyrant King, most of her people killed, and she herself was wounded. Most importantly, she was separated from her 9 year old daughter, Rianne.
In The Lost Princess, this mother has recovered enough from her wounds and trauma to travel in search of her daughter. Mind you, she's not fully recovered, but she has recovered enough--which to me means she still has weak spells but hasn't let that deter her from searching for her little girl.
This mother needs a name. She's going to meet Krystal and poor Krystal needs something to call her other than "you there" or "woman."
That's where you come in. This week and this week only (July 15th through 20th) I need you to submit names. I will pick 5 favorites and then one will be randomly selected as the winning name. The person who submits the winning name will receive a free, signed copy of The Lost Princess NO LATER than November 30, 2013.
I will post the winner next Monday, July 22, 2013.
Get submitting! :)
So, what about this contest? I have discovered through writing the story that I have a character in need of a name. You've seen authors do this before, they'll ask for a name and then offer some sort of reward for the name chosen.
Usually this happens on Facebook. The last time I did it, I needed a name for a a witch in The Tyrant King and offered to use the name of the person who submitted the winning witch's name in The Lost Princess as a character. That winner was Tawnya, and her character in The Lost Princess is someone of note.
This time, I'm using my blog as the setting for my contest so I can go into more detail. Also, the offered prize is a signed print copy of The Lost Princess when the book is released! So, you get to win now but you will have to be patient for your prize. I hope you don't mind.
Here's what I need: A female name for a woman (thankfully), a peasant who lives in one of the villages on the outer borders of Fayterra. Her village was attacked by the evil king's army during the course of The Tyrant King, most of her people killed, and she herself was wounded. Most importantly, she was separated from her 9 year old daughter, Rianne.
In The Lost Princess, this mother has recovered enough from her wounds and trauma to travel in search of her daughter. Mind you, she's not fully recovered, but she has recovered enough--which to me means she still has weak spells but hasn't let that deter her from searching for her little girl.
This mother needs a name. She's going to meet Krystal and poor Krystal needs something to call her other than "you there" or "woman."
That's where you come in. This week and this week only (July 15th through 20th) I need you to submit names. I will pick 5 favorites and then one will be randomly selected as the winning name. The person who submits the winning name will receive a free, signed copy of The Lost Princess NO LATER than November 30, 2013.
I will post the winner next Monday, July 22, 2013.
Get submitting! :)
Friday, July 12, 2013
We Have a Winner!
As promised, I will be releasing the name of the winner of my Blog Hop Contest!
Just to recap, the prizes were as follows:
Signed copies of each of my 3 books, The Peasant Queen, The Wild Queen, and The Tyrant King, along with bookmarks, a $25 Amazon gift card, and a previously unpublished SNEAK PEEK into my next novel, The Lost Princess.
I decided to have some fun with the winner selection, so rather than using RaffleCopter or any of those types of programs I opted for a more old-school approach.
I made a list of everyone who participated, assigning each a number and making note of how many entries in the contest they'd earned.
I took the numbers corresponding to each person's name and wrote them down on pieces of paper one time for each entry. For example, This person, number 6, had 3 entries, so I wrote the number 6 down on 3 pieces of paper.
Each numbered piece of paper was then folded and placed in a box. *Note, I will not be using a box next time as some of the papers got caught under the folded ends and I had to fish them out after shaking the box every time.
Because there were then so MANY pieces of paper, I went to my 5 kids and had them each pick out two. Then I threw the rest away and had them each put their 2 entries back in the box so I could shake it up again. From those 10 entries I had them select 5 (one each) and then threw the 5 non selected slips away. And then I used just 3 kids to narrow the choices down once again.
Lastly, I had my almost 12 yr old daughter draw the winning slip from the remaining 3. And she chose NUMBER 18.
Which means nothing to you. Or to me at that point.
So I consulted my master list and found that NUMBER 18 belongs to none other than
Just to recap, the prizes were as follows:
Signed copies of each of my 3 books, The Peasant Queen, The Wild Queen, and The Tyrant King, along with bookmarks, a $25 Amazon gift card, and a previously unpublished SNEAK PEEK into my next novel, The Lost Princess.
I decided to have some fun with the winner selection, so rather than using RaffleCopter or any of those types of programs I opted for a more old-school approach.
I made a list of everyone who participated, assigning each a number and making note of how many entries in the contest they'd earned.
I took the numbers corresponding to each person's name and wrote them down on pieces of paper one time for each entry. For example, This person, number 6, had 3 entries, so I wrote the number 6 down on 3 pieces of paper.
Each numbered piece of paper was then folded and placed in a box. *Note, I will not be using a box next time as some of the papers got caught under the folded ends and I had to fish them out after shaking the box every time.
Because there were then so MANY pieces of paper, I went to my 5 kids and had them each pick out two. Then I threw the rest away and had them each put their 2 entries back in the box so I could shake it up again. From those 10 entries I had them select 5 (one each) and then threw the 5 non selected slips away. And then I used just 3 kids to narrow the choices down once again.
Lastly, I had my almost 12 yr old daughter draw the winning slip from the remaining 3. And she chose NUMBER 18.
Which means nothing to you. Or to me at that point.
So I consulted my master list and found that NUMBER 18 belongs to none other than
Helena Ferrell!!!!
A hearty congratulations to Helena! I will be contacting her so we can coordinate prizes.
This author blog hop was so much fun I can't wait to do it again! Thanks to everyone who participated and commented on my blog. I really got some nice messages and I loved how willing you were to play.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Thank you all
THE BLOG HOP CONTEST IS CLOSED. A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED. I'LL POST THE WINNER TOMORROW (FRIDAY) JULY 12TH!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Authors Blog Hop!
Since this Hop falls at the end of my multi-book blog tour, I wanted to be certain you had the link to the kick off that has all the participating blogs listed so you can keep up with the rest of the tour. CLICK HERE to see all the awesomeness.
If you haven't had a chance to look at all the incredible participants for this Authors Hop, you can find the list at the bottom of this post. Lady Amber has really outdone herself. 130 participants and counting! Be sure you check out the other blogs and get in on their giveaways as well as mine!
I'm glad you asked. ;) First of all, Lady Amber has been awesome with helping me get a little more book attention lately, and I really appreciate all she's done. She brought my author page on Facebook up over 400 likes, which was so wonderful since I'd been stuck just under 400 forever. But I think there's room for a little more, so we're going to start there.
CLICK on over to my Facebook page and "like" it for One contest entry.
FOLLOW me on Twitter for One contest entry.
Leave a comment on my blog for One contest entry.
***For a 5 entry bonus (meaning you will get 5 bonus contest entries for a possible total of 8 entries), go to FIVE of the other authors participating in this contest and tell me something about their work. Do they write fantasy? Horror? Children's books? Share with me. You may want to enter their contests while you're visiting. :)
Isn't that wonderful? A single person can have up to 8 entries into my contest just by sharing a little bloggy love with my fellow authors. And with 8 entries your chances of winning the prize increases dramatically.
So, what is the prize? Signed copies of each of my 3 books, The Peasant Queen, The Wild Queen, and The Tyrant King, along with bookmarks, a $25 Amazon gift card, and a previously unpublished SNEAK PEEK into my next novel, The Lost Princess.
Excited yet? You'll get a chance to read something no one has read before. Well, except me of course. This isn't going to be the first chapter of The Lost Princess that I included at the end of The Tyrant King. This is something entirely different, something from deep within the story itself. And you're going to love it.
So what you waiting for? Start clicking, and be sure to leave a comment on this blog (which, incidentally, is good for ONE contest entry all by itself) telling me everything you've done and how many contest entries your efforts have earned you.
The contest ends 11:59 PM WEDNESDAY, JULY 10TH, so don't delay. I will be posting the winner on Friday, July 12th!
See you on the flip side.
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