Sure, I May Look Calm and Collected, but...

Don't look at me like that. 

I know I've been neglecting my blog. 

My fingers have been busy on the keyboard elsewhere. Lots to do with a book coming out in just a couple of weeks...


It's still so amazing to hear that: "I have a book coming out in two weeks." :-D


With the second round of edits finished, I promptly moved on to concocting a book trailer video to post on youtube and my website. With the help of Windows Movie Maker I put together my masterpiece. I call it that, because it took twelve days and a good chunk of my sanity to make it. The finished product is exactly what I pictured when I began, and I've never been more proud.


No, I can't post it yet. The book's not out yet. I can't have people going to Amazon to buy a copy of a book that's not there. But I will post it soon.


With the book trailer done, I now have to focus on a marketing strategy. *Sigh* That's the tough part for me. I don't know where to begin. I'm already a befuddled mess. But because I'm an organized person, I think I'll start by laying out a schedule of sights to visit each week. I'll leave my fingerprint behind and move on to the next target. 


I sure would appreciate some input from my friends and followers in this department. Have you marketed a book in the past? Found a site that did wonders for you? Please leave a comment and share it with me. I could use all the help I can get. :-\

Grain of Salt or Complete Overhaul?

I've recently had my work critiqued and annihilated twice. I've been eager to find a critique partner who writes the same genre as I do. I need someone to read my work with fresh eyes and give me an honest opinion. Unfortunately, I'm getting a little too much honesty. People can be downright cruel.
I try to take their advice under serious consideration; look at it with an open mind you might say, but when I go back and read my work, I fall in love all over again. I just don't see what is so awful. I love my writing. I think it flows nicely. I love the dialog (this is my strong point and I've never heard anything to the contrary.) I read it over and over and I simply cannot see anything that would constitute a public flogging.
Yes, I want to improve my writing.
Yes, I want other writer's opinions of my work.
Yes, I have every intention of taking their advice to heart and making the necessary changes to make my novels appealing to the masses.
But I have to admit, folks: I'm in love with my stories and my characters and as we all know, love is blind.
What's a writer to do when they can't see past the end of their keyboard?