I’m the worst at keeping up with blogging, but I think I’ll get better now that the semester is pretty much over. I’m not promising (again) that I’ll write every week because I clearly haven’t made it a habit.
Anywho, the latest news on Miranda the Universe Traveller Series-
Miranda’s Extraordinary Life: The Affliction of Mind Control, Part 1 is off being formatted. Look for a release date mid-May-ish. Once the cover is done, I’ll put the pre-order up on the books page.
I’ve got a signing with another author and friend, Bob Dixon, that I’m not entirely sure is open to the public BUT we have another signing at my favorite book store May 25th, 2017 for Towel Day. You can check that event out here. If you’re local, stop by in your best robe! I know I’ll be wearing one!
If you’re even a slight fan, feel free to join my group, too! There haven’t been any spoilers yet, so know that there could be. That’s also where I’ll be holding live chats. I may even get into Twitter chats? Is that something you’d be interested in? Oh, and I can’t leave out the Instagram! That’s my most fun form of social media!
I have to tell you how rough writing The Affliction of Mind Control was for me. I had deadlines set and just could not, for any energy I had, write. I hit such a block and I had a really hard time fighting my way through it. Then, the week before my self-imposed deadline for having it sent out for formatting, boom! That’s when all the writing took place. Maybe it helped a bit that I stopped drinking so much caffeine and then did actually have 2 Monster Energy drinks that fueled my writing rage (as I sit here and laugh at myself but am starting to believe it may actually help…or not…excuse the internally yet out loud monologue).
Then came the decision to end it where I did. I have to admit it’s rather odd and I don’t think it’s something other authors have really even considered before and I sit here mentally berating myself, why didn’t you just keep writing then? Because I simply wanted one hell of a cliff-hanger and that’s the way it ends, hence the “Part 1”.
I’ll be working on Part 2 starting in about a week or so.
I’ve got other things going on too, which is pretty stupid, now that I think of it because I feel like I should be constantly writing or reading. But I have a love of crafting, so I decided to open an Etsy shop again making book accessories like bookmarks, and soon book covers, and tabletop gaming (think Dungeons & Dragons) tokens. I honestly don’t even know why I just told you that, but there. It’s out now, more so than it was, I guess.
I think the things that stress me out most about being a writer are self-promotion and the friends/family who keep insisting they’re going to order the books and never do. Then there’s the issue of reviews. I cannot stress enough how important reviews are for authors like me. I really want to be able to make a living from my stories while in school and beyond and without reviews, it makes me feel like I’m not getting anywhere. I know I can’t force people to leave a review, but I wonder if that’s just good “manners”. Is it? Even small shoppes need reviews and word of mouth or they’re going to sink. I refuse to sink. So I’m going to keep writing until I can’t anymore. Why am I telling you this?! No, I don’t want you to feel bad. I just feel like not enough people know how much being a writer takes. Hell, even guys like Salvatore have to self-promote. Luckily, he already has a huge following, me included.
There are so many ways to help support writers like me that take way less time for you than me. Here’s a few infographics to help you understand what I mean – and yes, I am truly grateful for all of my readers, I really am, but the additional “support” helps more than you’ll ever know (unless you, too, are an indie author):
There are plenty other ways to show your support, but these are the most effective.
Sorry for what comes off as a rant; I’m not intending it to be. More educational and hoping you’ll spread the awareness, too.
Thank you for your continued support and love!
Amanda
Wanna chat? Use the contact form below, join the group, follow me on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook, or email me amanda@amanda-byrd.com
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