One of the best things about reading fiction is the incredible way words, together with our imaginations, become our experiences, become part of us, part of our DNA. It’s also one of the best things about being a fiction writer. Fiction, especially YA magical realism fiction, can take our hearts, minds and emotions beyond the boundaries of our regular existence.
Category: self-publishing
People make the difference
They say it takes a village to raise a book. In my case, the village had a bunch of de Jongs in it: Lisette, Daphne, Maureen Crisp (de Jong by marriage) and Maureen’s daughter Rhia. By far the biggest impact on my story Find Me was from Lisette de Jong, bestie and editor extraordinaire. Lisette… Continue reading People make the difference
Find Me
It’s been a while in the making, a while in the dreaming, and in the the editing, revising and editing again. But my first young adult novel Find Me is finished and out there in the world of Amazon book sales, finding readers. Will you be one of them? Here’s what it’s all about, the… Continue reading Find Me
Find Me, Published! Now it really starts…
I have a stunning, genre-perfect cover, and a story and text that has been refined and crafted within an inch of its life. I love my characters, sincerely. I love their journey. I think some other people out there will too. So I’ve thrown my hat into the ring, and my heart is full. Now begins the next part of my journey, closely tied to the journey Skye and Hunter, and Morgan and Ethan and all the rest must take. Mine will be crafting theirs, and alerting the world to their existence.
OMG Let’s Get Digital is Free?
Okay. I’ve got my cover, my ISBN, my much edited manuscript, my author pic. Got my table of contents (apparently an Amazon requirement: not one I object to, had a blast coming up with chapter titles). Got my dedication (made me tear up). Got my title page, got my acknowledgements. So that must mean…I’m ready to format. Eeeeep!
Publish and be Damned
If you’ve been reading my blogs, you’ll know that waiting is a lot of what I’ve done so far – and writing, editing, revising, rewriting, editing, repeat… If you’re a writer, that will sound more than familiar. Even now, so close to publishing, I’ve had more notes come back from my editor Lisette de Jong… Continue reading Publish and be Damned
A Soul Divided
The idea of living comfortably or even well from our craft is just a dream for many of us.
Traditional vs digital: letting go the dream, or making a new one real?
Some writers write for the sake of writing, never intending to share their work. I truly love writing and every part of the process. But I write to find readers as much as for love of the journey, creating something for them to read.
The long haul (are you a slow writer?)
As a writer who has taken six years from conception to completion of her first novel, I’m a little (massively) out of step with the prolific output of many of the talented writers publishing eBooks in the current marketplace. My ‘bible’ for the publishing side of this venture is Let’s Get Digital by David Gaughran.… Continue reading The long haul (are you a slow writer?)
Dreamer vs Day job
This is something many of us creatives struggle with: All I want to do is write/paint/act/sing, why can’t I do just that? Why am I trapped in a job that is NOT my dream/calling?