Blog Schedule

I post on Monday with an occasional random blog thrown in for good measure. I do my best to answer all comments via email and visit around on the days I post.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

She's Baaack! IWSG and Being Thankful



Hello, it's me! (Shades of Todd Rundgren.) Yes, I'm back and I couldn't ask for a better day to return to blogging because I'm full of insecurity.


Posting the first Wednesday of every month, The Insecure Writer's Support Groupis  the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. YOU can sign up HERE to participate.

Let's give our co-hosts  a warm welcome! 
Murees Dupe, 
Alexia Chamberlynn, 
Chemist Ken, and Heather Gardner!



To my utter amazement I got done those things I wanted to get done, despite a few storms both physical (rain, hail etc.) and emotional.

In my last post I announced I was sending off my latest novel (The Bowl and The Stone: A Haunting Tale from the Virgin Islands) to my editor (I worked with Chrys Fey and she did a fine job) for final corrections and suggestions. Got those back and have plugged them in. Plus, my fabulous cover artist, Adrienne Saldivar, is working up a cover. I was totally stumped about what to do, but Adrienne has, yet again, come through with a concept I know I'm going to love.

Something else that happened is that I was interviewed by Andrea Milam (she's a free-lance writer and editor) for St. John Tradewinds a local St. John (Virgin Island) newspaper. Couldn't have happened at a better time!

So what do I have to be insecure about? Well see, it's like this . I'm going to have to ask people to help spread the word when it's cover reveal time and when the book is released. (Because it's a ghost story I'm aiming for October.) I'm also going to have to ask people if they'd be willing to review it.  Plus there's promoting, which means being prepared to write guest posts and maybe do interviews. Oh, and I still have to write an author's note, book blurb for the back jacket, get it formatted, make sure I've got all the right ISBNs and... and... try to remember what the heck I'm supposed to do next.


Mark Twain by GH Jones, 1850
So, my quote for today is from the one and only great Mark Twain. Yes, that's him as a lad. He's holding a printer's composing stick containing the letters SAM. He looks spunky, determined, and bit mischievous to me.

To succeed in life you need two things: ignorance and confidence. 

This could easily be changed to say: To succeed in writing you need two things: ignorance and confidence.

Therefore, even though I've gone through this process twice before, I'm still ignorantly confident of what it takes.


***
Being Thankful

Today I'm still thankful for RAIN!
During the month of May, traditionally our wettest month, we had over 10 inches! 
Year to date: over 23.
The river that runs through town is finally up and has even left it's banks a couple of times
(though not seriously.)
Yes, yes, yes. 
Very thankful for the rain, 
for the lush green the likes of which we haven't seen in 5 or 6 years,
for a yard busting at the seams with flowers, 
for the aquifers being recharged, 
for wells filling, 
for the river and creeks flowing.
***
What are you thankful for? Is there anything you're ignorantly confident about? Are you forging ahead to do something even though you're scared or... insecure? Any suggestions about what I should do when it comes to promoting? 

51 comments:

  1. Glad you've had such a productive month and are moving forward with your next book. I'd be glad to shout out about it in Follower News when it releases in October. Just e-mail me closer to the date.

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  2. I'd love to have you visit during your release! Congratulations! Ignorant is easy, it's the confident part that does me in! Just email and we'll get it done!

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    1. Thanks, Yolanda! I'm getting myself organized. I'll have a form and everything for people to fill out. :D

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  3. Sounds like you have been busy. So happy things are happening for you, Bish. I'll gladly host you when you are ready. Just drop me a line. Have a fun and lovely week.

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  4. Ignorance and thankfulness indeed. Thank goodness you got done what you wanted to! I went on break and ended up with several permanent injuries that make writing...very challenging. *shrugs* I'm excited to hear more. I love ghost stories.

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    1. Permanent injuries!? Oh no, Crystal, so sorry to hear that. I'm sending you healing thoughts and prayers.

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  5. I knew Chrys was editing for you. She does a great job. I think with that saying, the words naive and excited also work.

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  6. Hello Bish, I just noticed your comment over at the Klahanie blog and realised I had not been to see you for ages.
    It sounds as though lots of exciting things are going on in your life right now, congratulations.
    I’m thankful for friends and family. What would we do without them?

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    1. Thanks Barbara! I need to stop by and see what you're up to these days.

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  7. I'm so glad you asked me to be a part of this. I still think about your story...which means you did a great job creating a lasting impression. You know I'll help you promote in any way possible. Just ask. :)

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    1. Thanks for all your help, Chrys. That the story is lingering with you means a lot to me!

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  8. Thanks for reading and reviewing Parallels so quickly. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm no expert in marketing, but I want to release some of my stories on Amazon, so I'm going to have to try just like everyone else. I guess I'll keep in touch through blogging, try guest posts on other people's sites (if they'll have me), learn how to Twitter, get onto Goodreads by reviewing more books, and then publish more stuff. It's not real sophisticated, but I'm in the learning process. I'll say yes to help others in their promotional efforts. I'm not in a rush. I'm not sure I understand the philosophy of a huge promotional effort a few weeks up to and just after the release date. I don't know if this really translates into an audience.

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    1. I hear you about the process of promoting. I like doing it over a longer period of time rather than a blast of blog blitz, keeps the story in the public eye a bit longer.

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  9. That's awesome, Bish! I'll help any way I can. It will all come together. Don't panic.

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  10. Busy lady! Like Alex said, "Don't panic".

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  11. Your book sounds wonderful! But I'm partial to ghost stories myself ;-) You can count on me to help if you need me! You must be so excited.
    I love rain too and we could sure use some, here in Arizona. But I am ever grateful for sunshine, its what gets me out of bed every morning - besides coffee ;-)

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    1. Thanks, Diedre! Any help will be wonderful and most welcomed.

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  12. I'm with you, Bish. I'm grateful for rain. We've had horrible forest fires that displaced 80K people. Not near here, but close enough. I'm grateful for Chrys, too, because she's going to copy editor for my next book. I'm also very grateful for IWSG, because without it I wouldn't have met all you terrific bloggers. Congratulations on you new book. I'm thrilled for you!

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    1. We went through so many years of no rain that we're still happy for the rain. I feel bad for people in other parts of the state who are suffering from it. Our turn may come yet, but even so, I've been through floods here before and we'll probably be okay.

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  13. You know I would if we could. Some parts of Texas are just being hammered. So far we're okay, but it could get dicey.

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  14. Bring on the rain, please. We're back in a hot cycle and that's always dicey here in the forest.

    Congrats on making all the things come together for your next book. Looking forward to it! I don't do the Hats Of Corner anymore, but you're on my Email Connect, so we should be able to work out a good promo for your launch in October.

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    1. Where my breath strong enough I'd blow some of this rain your way. As wonderful as it is, we are getting a bit weighted down by the overcast days (weeks!) and humidity.

      Thanks for offering to help launch my book! You'll be hearing from me.

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  15. Awesome on setting up everything for your next book. All the best!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Olivia. (Olivia, one of my favorite names, so melodic.)

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  16. Congratulations and good luck with your book release. People seem to be happy to help, so that part shouldn't be too bad. We're getting a lot of moisture here, too, which is helping with our long standing drought.

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    1. I know they are, and I'm grateful. Thanks for stopping by!

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  17. Don't be insecure about asking for help - you'll find lots of help from writer friends! All you have to do is ask :)

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    1. I know I shouldn't be, but it still sometimes feels like an imposition. I'll get over it!

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  18. Hi Bish - that's great ... ignorantly confident seems to be doing you proud! Love those two words - so appropriate ...

    Rain rain - I'd quite like it if our cold would go - still the other half of the country is having some good weather for a change ...and that's good - I always feel guilty sitting in the south-east where our weather is generally better!

    Cheers and enjoy all the things happening ... Hilary

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    1. We could use some sunshine about now to help dry up things. But it looks like we're in for more of the wet stuff for the rest of this week... The ground's pretty saturated.

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  19. When you're ready for the cover reveal, give me a shout. dmburton72@gmail.com Always enjoy helping another IWSG member with a guest spot on my blog.

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    1. Thanks, Diane! I'm making a list and checking it twice!

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  20. Welcome back. Glad things are going so well for you.

    Never seen that picture of Mark Twain before.

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  21. Hi, Bish - good to hear you're going great guns with your book. To answer your questions: I love my life and I'm thankful for so many things... I'm ignorantly confident that I'll achieve everything I set out to achieve... I'm forging ahead with my first draft of my book about the years I lived in Fiji - and totally insecure about whether I'm approaching it the right way, having only written articles and short fiction before! And that means, I'm afraid I can't offer you any advice regarding promotion of your book. :(

    Susan at
    Travel, Fiction and Photos

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    1. Fiji! Now there's an exotic setting. Remember first drafts are first drafts. Though revision and rewriting are difficult for me, it pays to take the time. This current effort of mine has seen more changes than I care to contemplate. POV changes, opening and ending changes, tense changes... So go easy on yourself.

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  22. Hey Bish,

    Yay and gosh, I'm actually here. Well, here as in typing from this side of the screen.

    You've got things done you wanted to get done. How good is that! No procrastination for you! You have a lot of fine folks working with you. Did I mention that Chrys Fey is my latest, adoring fan?

    Ah rain, we've had so much.

    All the best with your cover reveal. I would help but I'm sorry to inform you that my exhaustion has made it very difficult to even blog, let alone attempt to leave some semblance of a comment. What I will do for you, just like I just did, is share your posts via the various social networks.

    I'm grateful that I'm not in the least bit insecure when it comes to writing. That would be because it's only a bit of therapy for me.

    Take care, Bish.

    Gary :)

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    1. I appreciate everything you do, Gary and sharing my posts is always helpful. Thanks! Hugs to you and Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet star.

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  23. Welcome back Dish! Great to see you again. Wow. That's a side of Mark twain I've never seen.

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    1. LOL. Well, that typo put a smile on my face!

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  24. To be very honest, I am thankful for IWSG and Welcome back. I see myself as confidently ignorant about most things and go about the task of learning how to do them.

    Also, I am willing to twitter your release, reveal your book cover and also do a book review.

    All the best. You can do it, so stay ignorant and confident, that's the way to learn.

    Shalom aleichem,
    Patricia

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    1. Thanks, Pat, for offering to help when the time comes!

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  25. I've got tons of confidence and I live in a state of bliss, and they say ignorance is bliss, therefore, I must have all I need to be a writer! :) Sounds like you've had a good month. Hope June is great as well!

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  26. I have a lot of ignorance with writing, but I'm working on the confidence part. I hope your promotions go well! I am thankful for the rain also. I enjoy a nice, cool, rainy day.

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  27. The rain is amazing!

    Sounds like you are doing great and getting a lot done. There is always work to do, but you have made a huge dent getting the edits completed. I am happy to help with promotion and cover reveals! Let me know what you need! :)
    ~Jess

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Your Random Thoughts are most welcome!