Editing and Beta Reading

The dust has settled on "Leia's" high school graduation, and a summer agenda is now in full play. For her, that mean a few weeks of break before moving in to her dorm at the University of Arkansas. For me, it means the guest house business hits its stride for the season.

When "Leia" goes in for orientation in mid-June, I'm looking forward to beginning some on-foot research for Dottie's Daring Day, which will take place on campus in Fayetteville. I already have a pretty good sense of how the story will evolve, but I want to weave in actual locations on campus and need to be sure travel times are logical. I love the ideas I have gotten from meeting with students and asking them what a dog could get into on a day of freedom. A garbage can of some sort apparently must be in the mix somewhere. Specifics never fail to come to light when my feet hit the pavement and I can get a "dog's eye" view of the city. Maybe Dottie herself can join me to show me the best stuff.

If we can get her off the sofa, that is.

Of course this summer is a bit different since we have our home and the guest house up for sale. That puts a big spin on the rest of my normal activities. I won't be doing any speaking engagements all summer long and have kept those in the fall to a very few.

You can, however, join me on Saturday for my final talk of the season to the Springfield Writers' Guild in Missouri. Here's the Facebook link to the event. I have met many of their members here and there at other events and conferences, so I'm excited to be spending the day with them.

Another change in our summer schedule is that I am taking on more freelance work as a beta reader, proofreader, and editor. This isn't really new. I contract with Pen-L Publishing and have supported self-published authors in the past. But as we work our way out of the guest house business, I will be devoting more time to helping other authors prepare their books for either self-publication or presentation to publishing houses. My time on this front is limited right now, and I'm grateful to the authors who have already been in touch with me about working on their projects. You can find out more at the page devoted to this at my website. I am also exceptionally grateful to the authors who have provided references for me based on our work together. One even referred a friend to me. There is no greater compliment!

Summer time rarely leads to much worth blogging about. We pretty much put our heads down and get to work. I doubt you want to hear about loads of laundry and cleaning bathrooms -- until I write the book about all of the craziness, that is. Hopefully, this is the last summer I have to worry about those things. The time to move on has come, and we are excited to see who will take over this magnificent property in the Ozark mountains.

This could be your backyard.

I hope each of you has a blessed and love-filled summer!!

Spring Newsletter & Updates

Follow this link to my Spring Newsletter!

And if you haven't already gotten your copy of Book 4, "Slinky Steps Out," you can pick one up at amazon.com or from my author page for autographed copies. You can even get a matching toy!

Have a fantastic weekend and a beautiful start to your April!

Reflections on a Big Plan

In 2010, I sat in a booth at Dave and Busters in Houston, Texas, while "Mindy" and a handful of friends played games and enjoyed being teenagers. Ignoring whatever sporting events were on the multiple TVs in the bar, I took pen to white legal pad and said "what if." I had a cute little early reader book about my cat Kimba, but it seemed like it could be more and bigger and better. I'd even gotten that advice from an agent at a SCBWI conference. But what would that story look like?

After several hours of making notes and letting ideas flow, I wrote down the names of what I could now see was a series of books: Why Kimba Saved The World, Vacation Hiro, Miss Fatty Cat's Revenge, and Slinky Steps Out. I wasn't even sure what Miss Fatty Cat would want revenge for, but the title was too fun to not write down.

Back in 2010, I couldn't have begun to imagine living in Arkansas, my work with Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge that gave shape to Miss Fatty Cat's book, and all the events that would lead up to self-publishing the Cats in the Mirror series. Life is a funny thing.

Today, the paperback editing proof of the final book in that pre-planned series arrived.

It was hard to imagine Slinky going off to college with "Mindy" back when I started this writing journey. Now it has been a fact of life for a couple of years. It makes me step back and take note that the goal I set six years ago has come to total fruition, with even another book about Max in there as well, not to mention At the Corner of Magnetic and Main, which was nowhere on my radar back then.

It makes me wonder where I will be six years from now. Already, big changes for our lives are on the horizon--not the least of which involves "Leia" heading off to college in August and leaving us with the first stages of being empty-nesters.

I often see the joke meme passed around that says, when life hits us with big stuff we don't expect, writers should know enough to yell "plot twist" and go with it. Control freak that I am, I am really going to try, though it may come off more as mumbling while I bang my head on my desk.

My hope is that there will be Dottie's Daring Day on the horizon, featuring our granddoggie Dottie and some parallel adventures to Max's book.

Dottie is certainly deserving of her own adventure story.

There really should be a Kimba's Christmas story because every series needs a good Christmas book, but I haven't got the faintest idea what that would be about.

Kimba reminds me daily that it is still HER series.

Cheetara is quite confident that she deserves her own book, sooner rather than later. Cats are so demanding.

Chee is a character and will be easy to write about if I sit down and try.

It would be really great to take some time to put together learning guides to go with each cat book and get more involved with home schooling groups. I'm giving lots of writer talks this year, and I'd love to keep that going and kick it up a notch. But there are plot twists ahead that I am as clueless about as any main character could be. I'm just taking each day and the list that goes with it and trying not to freak out too much.

In the meantime, you will be hearing more than you could ever want to about Slinky Steps Out come April 1st. Release date is on schedule, and it's nearly time to party about Book 4 in the Cats in the Mirror series. Whoot Whoot!!

Houston Author Bash, 2016

I made it back from Houston in the wind and rain, but I was grateful to avoid tornadoes and snow along the way. February is always a dicey time to travel and plan events. I'm really grateful that my time in Houston went wonderfully well and the Houston Author Bash was well attended, even with the last-minute change of venue.

We lived in Houston for a few years, so I know there are some things I must do when travelling there. I was sure to hit one of our favorite stops on any road trip. I think it's the law in Texas. You must stop at Buc-ee's at least once.

Buc-ee's in Madisonville, TX

First and most important, in case you didn't see it on Facebook, I was apparently followed by a special agent I don't know. She was waiting for me outside my window in Houston. Those agents are tricky, but I caught her. She wandered off once she knew I'd discovered her.

The Houston Author Bash event was one I highly recommend for other authors (and readers). Moving the event a few days ahead of time must have lost some traffic, and it was no longer at a school, which was appealing to me with my middle-grade books. But there were serious book shoppers there for most of the time, and they were ready to buy. I sold 27 books and a few toys. That's a good day for me!

It's a bit blurry. My phone doesn't always cooperate.
Houston Author Bash, 2016, at The Cellar Door Winery

The Houston Writers Guild was on one side of me with lots of books to share.

The lovely Vincetta was on the other side of me with her brand-new book.

Across the room was Romance Author Row.
Their hard-working assistant is diving out of my way so I can get a photo.
I was sure to include him. 

This group from Crimson Tree Publishing had beautiful books with fantastic covers.

Author friend from the area Kathryn Lane stopped by to visit and pick up "At the Corner of Magnetic and Main."
Her new book is coming out in just a couple of weeks.
I was her editor though Pen-L, so it was fantastic to get to meet her in person.

There was a separate room for the steamier books. If you had half-naked people on the cover, you were over in the winery. I said that the cats on my covers are naked, but that's not what they meant, I think.

If it works out in my 2017 schedule, I'll do this event again. I can't imagine how great it would be if everything had gone off smoothly as planned. They brought in lots of shoppers with advertising because it wasn't in a location to just happen upon. Very impressive.

The rest of my trip to Houston was great as well. I got to spend a few days with my mom and celebrate her birthday a few days early. I also got to visit with my sister and her husband from Michigan and my brother-in-law from Houston.

Steak for everyone at Texas Roadhouse!

I even added a new friend to the pack during my annual visit to the Disney Outlet Store.
 BB-8!!

The weather while I was there was fantastic. Maybe even a bit too hot for my expectation in February.

Almost 90. Whew. Glad I packed those sweatshirts!

But the day I headed home, the weather took a sharp turn. Chilly wind and pouring rain. Not a fun drive. I was trying to beat the snow they forecasted for Arkansas, but all we got was a dusting. A very blustery dusting.

The Snickers pick me up at my favorite Choctaw travel stop in Oklahoma summed it all up.

Home is always my favorite place. Today is all about laundry and tucking in the details from the book event and settling back in. Tomorrow it's back to editing for Pen-L and getting my final proof of "Slinky Steps Out" ready to download to CreateSpace. We just need a cover, and then we are off to the races! Very exciting.

And, just to make you smile, this is what goes on daily at my house.

Max: "Let me up. Let me up."
Chee: "Let me down! Let me down!"
She hates that divider more than anything in the world.

Houston Bound

Exciting News!! The BookBub promotion for Max's Wild Night was a huge success and led to enough sales for it to hit #1 in it's category for children's dog books. Yay, Max!! You now have a best-selling book!

That promotion and the sales/ranking boost have also lead to a huge increase in the "pages read" through Kindle Unlimited and some additional sales beyond the bargain price. Definitely a promotion that was well worth the cost and covered its costs. I hope to run one for Why Kimba Saved The World when Book 4 comes out in April.

After some quick packing this evening, I head to Houston to spend some time with my mom, visit other family, and attend the Houston Authors Bash, 2016. Scott is prepared to hold down the fort (aka clean all the litter boxes) until I get back.

Wednesday will involve around 12 hours of drive time alone in the car with nothing but my iPod and the scenery to entertain me. It's a drive I've made over a dozen times from when we lived in Houston and took our daughters to camp in Missouri, not to mention the trips back and forth before we moved to Arkansas. There's not a lot to look at most of the way, so I'm glad my iPod is fully loaded. Adele, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, and an assortment of '70s and '80s bands will keep me going. I have Twizzlers and Chex Mix, so I'm ready to roll.

I really don't know what to expect from the Houston Authors Bash. I think it would have been a large and well-attended event, but the school cancelled on the group a few days ago. Organizers managed to find a new venue, but not everyone will fit and it's a totally different atmosphere -- one I wouldn't have signed up for in the first place -- at a wine bar. It's sure to be a big party for the Houston authors who are friends. How many books will sell is a totally different matter. I'll have to get back to you on how a kid's book series does at an event at a wine bar. Let's hope the parents and grandparents there like to buy gifts for the kids in their lives. Maybe At the Corner of Magnetic and Main will do better.

Houston Authors Bash, 2016

The Cellar Door Winery

Katy, TX

Saturday, February 20

10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Hope to see you there!

We did have a great time at the Cocktails for a Cause event in support of the Eureka Springs Library. I sold several sets of books, including a set to my daughter's English teacher. Her daughter is already enjoying Max's Wild Night, which includes "Leia's" illustrations.

Kimba and Hiro were quite impressed by this bottle. The mojitos were not quite that large.

There was not as much success at the Kimberling Library Author Event. It's a wonderful place, and we love supporting it, but there wasn't much traffic. It was too nice a day, I guess.

When authors get bored, light saber bookmark battling goes on.
Okay, that was more Scott than me.

Kimba and I just want someone to talk to.

Library events are often like this. The one in Kimberling is the only one I will do this year because it's just such a great, volunteer-run place. I never heard a total, but I hope they raised some money.

March is free of actual book events. Between spring break bookings at the guest house and starting back up with docent work at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, there's enough going on. But I will be at the Northwest Arkansas Writers Workshop in Fayetteville on March 19th. I also start teaching a class for the Story Circle Network about self-editing on March 14th. That's a new venture for me, so I hope I get some students signed up. I'll be talking and promoting that more once I'm back from Houston.

Besides catching up with family, I'm sure there will be a stop at Bucees (because this is the law when traveling in Texas). I also need to wrangle a stop at the Disney Store Outlet around the corner from Mom's house. My mini-plush collection is missing several Star Wars characters. That makes all the other toys sad.

Have a great week, and I hope to see you on Saturday!

Kindle Sale and Interviews

Big news for this week is that Max's Wild Night is on sale for 99 cents on kindle until Jan. 27th. He earned a BookBub ad for today (which is hard to get and very exciting).

It was the only middle-grade book promo for today as well, which is outstanding. You never want to be offering up a 99 cent deal and then have another free deal on the same day. Sales are ticking up so far. Maybe he can earn best-seller status. He has to get past some big sellers so fingers crossed.

A couple of interviews ran recently. Dots Words and Whispers reviewed Why Kimba Saved The World and posted a nice interview.

I also did a really fun interview with author H. L. Burke that she calls "Random Questions" and is exactly that. It ended up involving discussions of killing off Stephen King characters with "death by house cat" and owning dragons. We both love cats and dragons, but Heidi writes more about dragons and I write more about cats -- for now. I just finished reading the first book in her The Dragon and the Scholar series, Dragon's Curse. It looks like it is on sale for 99 cents right now, so you should grab a copy. Highly recommend.

Last week didn't go exactly as planned. I was looking forward to meeting with the Fayetteville OLLI birthday group for a brief lunch talk on Thursday, but sleet and freezing rain left me stuck at home. Very disappointing. I'm hoping we can reschedule in the spring.

This week is quiet, so I'm wrapping up formatting on Slinky Steps Out. We need to pick a chapter icon, and all of the photos need to be changed to black and white for the paperback version. There's more proofreading once that is done, then it's time to move into cover design. Yay!

It already checks out in CreateSpace's formatting tools!

Many self-publishing authors work on their kindle version first, but I pay someone to format that based on my paperback. It costs to make changes, so I always want to make sure everything is perfect before I send it in. I also sell way more paperbacks than kindles, so I want that ready to go for spring events as soon as possible.

Coming up, I'll be attending the local monthly Cocktails for a Cause event that benefits the Eureka Springs Public Library on Thursday, Feb. 4th, from 5:00 - 7:00 pm. There will be lots of self-published and independent authors with their books available. Come on by the Basin Park Hotel Lucky 7 lounge and check it out. I'll also be at the Kimberling Library Author Event again this year on Feb. 6th.

Lots going on in February, so let's hope the weather swings toward spring quickly like it normally does in this neck of the woods.

If you are snowed in on the east coast, I hope you stay warm and have lots of good reading at hand. You should grab a copy of Max's Wild Night to keep you company!

Brrr...

Winter has certainly come to Arkansas with a mighty force. We rarely see temperatures get this far below freezing, and I hope it doesn't keep up for long.

Fortunately, my work doesn't require me to go out in the cold much. As long as the internet and power keep working, I'm in business. Editing projects with Pen-L keep me busy, and I'm working on final edits on my own middle-grade book, The Brave, Frail, and Delicate Princess. I need to get that one tucked in and submissions sent out before Slinky Steps Out comes back from the editor and is ready for formatting. Then it will be full speed ahead on Slinky to get it ready to publish before my spring events.

"Publish my book, already!"

On January 21st, I will be speaking about "Running With Inspiration" to the birthday luncheon group of OLLI in Fayetteville. This is a new group for me, but I have it on good authority that they are all wonderful and will be nice. Writers usually are!

On February 6th, I'll be participating in the Kimberling Library Author Event for the second time. It's not a big turnout, but those who come are very supportive and grateful we are there. Besides, all my author friends in the area will be there. It's like a big party with books!

And on February 20th, I'll be attending the Houston Authors Bash at the Harmony Science Academy in Katy, Texas. Normally, that would be a bit far for me to go for an event, but my mom and other family are still in the area. It's a chance to visit and sell some books along the way.

I'm sure I'll be blogging about these events as I go. And updates on Slinky Steps Out will be coming in the weeks ahead. Almost time to design the cover. That's when it gets real.

I should also give a shout-out to a wonderful book series I just started. After I read (and loved) Thaddeus Whiskers and the Dragon, I decided to check out her dragon series as well. Not disappointed, and you can get a copy for only 99 cents right now.

Click here to find the amazon buy page.

Try to stay warm, friends. Build a fire and enjoy a good book. Around here, at least, winter only lasts a few weeks.