Category: general updates

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The “great newsletter experiment” commences

Okay, so that title might be a bit tongue-in-cheek.

Why? Because I’m not sending newsletters at this time. It’s a deliberate choice.

I’ve had a newsletter provider for years, but I’m not happy with some of their practices. Other authors who also use them have problems, which makes me want to get away before I have similar issues when I’m ready to scale up.

So I’m testing a provider I’ve never used. We’ll see how it goes. Their platform is different, and they don’t offer a lot of design bells and whistles. That’s okay. For now, simpler is better. Once I get more familiar with how they do things, maybe it’ll become an issue. Or not.

image of a newsletter key on a keyboard replacing the Enter key

What you’ll (eventually) get from the new platform: Announcements and updates about my stories and author-related happenings.

What you won’t get: Anything to do with editing tips and tricks, general life updates, and the like. Those will stay here or on social media, respectively.

Yes, I’m playing the long game with newsletters. No, you don’t have to sign up right now. Or at all. But if you’re curious… Two sets of characters are getting mighty talkative, which means the word counts in two WIPs are climbing.

Yes, two. In unrelated genres and worlds, at that.

Was working on two books simultaneously planned? *snorts* Not in the least. I was happily working on one.

Characters, I tell ya. They’re responsible for that dustup. When they get going, I can’t keep up with filling out their incident reports.

Good thing they make it fun. 🙂

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Wait… What? It’s mid-September already?

image of fall leaves surrounding Welcome September text

I swear it was the beginning of the year only a few months ago…

Guess that’s what happens when you’re a few <mumble, mumble> okay, fine, a few million-plus edited words into the year. Not counting your personal projects.

And that’s at a much slower pace than last year.

Yes, you read that last sentence right.

Ms. Nose to the Grindstone is attempting to balance work life and personal life. I say “attempting” because so far this year, I’ve managed to be either all on or all off. That’s not ideal for me, although I got some much-needed downtime. On the bright side, I’m not putting in 120-plus-hour weeks every week these days. In addition, I’m working on backend methods and processes to prevent that from reoccurring.

I’ve also been largely quiet on social media as part of regaining time and attention for myself. Although I admit I’m not a fan of trying to clear all my notifications after I’ve been offline for a couple of days. <grimaces>

What’s next in the balancing act?

Looking ahead to the rest of the year, I have some exciting things scheduled. A couple of trips that combine work and fun, including going to 20Books Vegas.

I’ve continued the editing boot camp sessions I started with my coeditors last year. Working one-on-one with some of my in-house authors has been a joy. Seeing their eyes light up when something clicks for them is one of the best rewards. Having it translate to cleaner manuscripts makes my entire editing team happy. It’s a big win for everyone!

Speaking of sharing tips with authors

One of the biggest author communities to learn from is 20Booksto50k®. If you haven’t been to one of the Las Vegas conferences, joined the Facebook group, or watched the videos made available on YouTube, you’re missing out on some great information. Craft, ads, marketing, the best distribution strategies for your goals…fellow authors touch on all of it by sharing things they’ve learned in their publishing journeys. There’s something for everyone whether you’re a beginner or a six-figure author trying to hit the seven-figure ranks.

While I don’t have a formal editing presentation scheduled at the 20Books Vegas conference this year, I plan to share editing tips and tricks with attendees via an informal meetup or three. These will be for individuals and/or small groups since the focus is on reviewing part of each author’s WIP and identifying areas where they can improve their prose.

Regaining the creative spark

I’m enjoying being able to grab some free minutes to write again. Better still, I’m not so exhausted that my creativity has flatlined. A hard lesson learned is that your creativity suffers when you don’t nourish it by giving yourself some downtime. The effects might not show up right away, but they’re cumulative—and can be devastating when they hit en masse. I’m not where I used to be with a torrent of words spilling into my WIP (work in progress) or running amok in my head, but the spark is in recovery. After not feeling it for so long, it’s a blessed relief.

On that note, it’s time for me to get back to doing what I do best—wrangling words and polishing stories so they do their authors proud. Without courting burnout from forgetting my lessons learned.

Take care of yourself, wherever you are in the world.

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2022 in review—the view from the catbird’s seat

Whew, 2022 was quite a year. I didn’t think twelve months could pass in such a blur. Guess that’s what happens when life throws curveballs…

I still miss Judah. She was a friend, a “found” family member, a fellow editor, and a cornerstone on my editing team. Losing her to health complications back at the beginning of April was a huge blow. In true Judah fashion, I felt more than one ghostly thwap! during the rest of the year when I needed a reminder to “Keep $#!*^# going.” <laughs> I wasn’t the only one who received them, either.

I also miss Micky. She was another friend and team member taken far too soon. Losing her this past fall was another major loss. While not an editor, Micky’s contributions to my team and the indie author community in general were far greater than she ever realized or would take credit for. If you went to any 20Booksto50k® conferences prior to 20Books Vegas 2022, you probably saw her at the registration check-in table.

Godspeed, ladies—gone but never forgotten.

Celebrating the wins

Amid the sadness were victories. Some were small. Some were large. I celebrated all of them, no matter how exhausted I was from keeping my nose to the grindstone. Working a hundred and twenty-plus hours per week, exhaustion was a constant. I don’t recommend it, but as the old saying goes, “Needs must when the devil drives.” It made the victories that much sweeter.

I’m happy that several projects I initiated are bearing fruit, thanks to my fantastic team getting behind them from the get-go and working with me to launch them. It takes a village to do what we do, not least because things move quickly at high volume and we insist on high quality standards. Sharing our best practices for working smarter contributes to this.

Looking ahead

We’re eight days into the new year as I write this post, and I see a lot of big things ahead. Some are personal goals. Others are company goals. A few are lofty…very lofty. All are attainable, although the timeframes and paths to reach them are fluid. There’s more than one way up the mountain.

Here’s to 2023 and to conquering its challenges and celebrating its victories. On that note, I’m off to continue enjoying the first real break I’ve had in over a year. I’m calling that a major win!

snowflake close-up
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Blog platforms—which do I use?

notebooks, coffee, and tablet on a table

Howdy! A few people recently asked which blog platform I use and how I got this layout. I could say it’s magic, but truthfully, it’s not. 😉

This is a WordPress blog since that’s the framework my site is built on. Nor is it a custom design, although I did tweak a few of the settings options in my theme and page layouts.

That brings up the inevitable next question of “Why WordPress? And why go with an existing theme rather than creating a custom one?”

Those answers are simple as well. I use WordPress because I’m familiar with it and like the different things I can do within its framework. My site and blog needs are minimal, so I went the DIY route and used available assets to achieve the layout and effects I wanted. It was a little more time-intensive initially, but more cost-effective over the short- and long-term. Certainly a better return on time and cost than if I’d tried to build a similar one from scratch, or hired someone to build it for me. That’s my situation. Your mileage may vary.

Note: I’m not a web designer or programmer by trade. I understand a lot of how to get from that side of things to the end-user side thanks to my previous career. However, don’t ask me to do anything beyond some basics when it comes to coding. That’s not my cuppa, and not how my brain is wired. 😉

Another person mentioned Drupal, wondering if it was a better choice for building a unique blog layout.

The short answer is, it depends on you as the end-user.

Drupal is another solid content management framework and is used to build many websites and blogs. I’m less familiar with it on the end-user side since none of my former clients had websites based on it. However, it’s been around for years and is the top choice for many devs. Some people I’ve talked with prefer it, on personal and professional fronts.

As with all systems, there are pros and cons no matter which you choose. WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and others all have some great features. Some have steeper learning curves than their brethren. The requirements I specified from the outset—existing familiarity to minimize time sinks, ease of installing and adapting themes, page blocks for layout customization, and several other features—might not be an issue for you.

Bottom line:

When it comes to your website and blog, a balance between your desired look and ease of use/maintenance is usually the path most traveled. It should reflect your business or brand, but also be easy for you to use. Otherwise, it’s a time and energy sink, and possibly a financial one as well.

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Stories of Love and Joy During the Holidays

When did the holidays arrive, and where’s my Christmas spirit? AWOL again? Sheesh. Time to go on a “seek and find” mission, 2020 edition. Might have to wrap that troublemaker in toilet paper this year after I find it. You know, for safekeeping. *grin*

I’m currently engaged in my annual debate about putting up my mini tree: Will? Won’t I? Maybe this year I’ll decide before Christmas Eve. Yeah, I know. Bad elf. *slaps wrist* However, I appreciate the holidays in other ways even without the physical trappings.

Since more holiday cheer is always in style, here’s an offering from some writer elves who want to help make the holidays brighter. I’ve already snagged my copy for some cozy reading breaks over the next few weeks.

The Heart of the Season - An ATA Holiday Anthology | book cover image

The Heart of the Season – An ATA Anthology

THE HEART OF THE SEASON is a jolt of joy you cannot wait to unwrap for the holidays. Let your heart be merry and bright as you dive into this multi-genre collection of short stories centered on the themes of love and joy during the holidays.

Explore a foreign café, wild mountain ranges, big city lights, and homey firesides. Keep turning the pages to read the stories of love, redemption, sacrifice, and kindness reminding you that THE HEART OF THE SEASON lives within us all!

Available now on Amazon in ebook and print editions, and on Lulu in ebook (print coming soon).

May your holidays shine bright with the love of family and friends from near and far, and your troubles never outweigh your ability to bear them.

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Countdown to End of An Era

July 2020 has been a month of craziness and nerves.

  • Pandemic overload? Check.
  • Screwed up sleep and work schedules? Check, and check.
  • Multiple instances of solidifying the knowledge that working from home is my dream? Check.
  • Realizing that you can attain this dream? Gulp. Check.
  • Pulling the trigger and giving notice to the day job of nineteen years? Gulp. HolyshizznitdidIdothat? CHECK.

Yep, I did. I gave my notice at the beginning of the month, and have been wrapping up the mountain of details that accompanies such an event ever since. Oh, man, are there a lot of loose ends when you wear as many hats as I do!

It’s been quite a run over the past almost two decades. I’ve met several great people and learned a lot. I’ve also shared much of that knowledge with others in widely diverse fields and walks of life. I’m good with that. Grateful, even. If it’s helped one person make sense of something, or move forward in their chosen life, I’ve given back as intended.

Now it’s time to take the next steps in my adventure as an editor and writer. I look forward to seeing what lies between the pages of the next chapters, and the marvelous new worlds, characters, and people who await me.

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A Work In Progress

New website, new blog…so much conversion to do, so little time to do it.

The word Everything on a To-Do list on a dry erase board to remind you of your tasks, priorities, goals and objectives

But! Progress has been made over the last few days, and eventually, this will be home for my future works of fiction, and probably some “tales from the trenches” posts as well. After all, I live in both worlds—editor and writer. It’s difficult not to come up with anecdotes. *wink*

Uh-oh… I hear deadlines yelling at me.

Looks like that’s the news that’s fit to print. The rest has been heavily edited. *grin*

Until later!