fantasy

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Celebrate the Small Things!

Celebrate the Small Things is a weekly celebration created by VikLit and now hosted by Lexa Cain to celebrate the happenings of the week, however small or large. You can learn all about it and sign up for it here. CelebrateSmallThings_Badge

We’re down to one week until Christmas! Since next Friday is Christmas day, I won’t be posting then. I have two more posts lined up, and then I’ll be taking a break until January. It’ll be 2016, and who knows what possibilities the new year will hold? But for now, I’d like to celebrate:

  1. Christmas vacation coming up! My kids go to school on Monday and Tuesday and then are off for the rest of the year.
  2. Getting together with family and friends over the holidays. It’s always so much fun!
  3. Continued progress with final edits. I’m getting there!

Happy Holidays to everyone! What other celebrations are going on out there?

 

 

 

 

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2015. All rights reserved.

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Celebrate the Small Things!

Celebrate the Small Things is a weekly celebration created by VikLit and now hosted by Lexa Cain to celebrate the happenings of the week, however small or large. You can learn all about it and sign up for it here. CelebrateSmallThings_Badge

Wow, this month is flying right by. I can’t believe it’s only two weeks until Christmas. My kids have been sick this week, so I’ve been doing more of my Christmas shopping online. I’m happy to say I’ve got a lot of it done now. Celebrations this time around:

  1. My kids are feeling better after a nasty cold/flu/stomach bug thing.
  2. My Christmas shopping is almost done.
  3. Continued mild weather. It’s weird for this time of the year, but I like it.
  4. All four books that I brought to the local Kinney Drug store have sold, so I brought in four more. Yay!

What other celebrations are going on out there?

 

 

 

 

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2015. All rights reserved.

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Celebrate the Small Things! — Weekend Edition

Celebrate the Small Things is a weekly celebration created by VikLit and now hosted by Lexa Cain to celebrate the happenings of the week, however small or large. You can learn all about it and sign up for it here. CelebrateSmallThings_Badge

I took last Friday off from blogging for the Thanksgiving holiday. It was nice to have great weather for it, even though we didn’t have that far to travel. I know there were many other people who did have many miles to go. I enjoy Thanksgiving because it reminds me of how much I have to be thankful for. With all the craziness in life, it’s important to stop and be thankful and not take for granted all the blessings we have.

On that note, I’d like to celebrate:

  1. Family and friends! Where would we be without them?
  2. Simple things like getting a haircut and treating yourself to an ice cream sundae.
  3. Getting into the Christmas spirit! I was able to get some shopping done this week, so I’m not so far behind.
  4. Starting work on a book trailer for Book 2, Trouble By Any Other Name! I really enjoy doing those.

What other celebrations are going on out there?

 

 

 

 

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2015. All rights reserved.

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IWSG — My 200th Post!

Today’s the day for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group (IWSG) where, on the first Wednesday of every month, writers get together to share their insecurities and offer encouragement. The IWSG was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, and you can learn all about it and sign up for it here. IWSG_Badge

I realized today that whatever I wrote would become my 200th blog post. That stopped me for a minute. I mean, wow, for someone like me who isn’t social by nature, 200 posts is a huge accomplishment. To commemorate this milestone, I decided I’d celebrate some of the other major things I’ve accomplished this year, such as:

Self-publishing my first book! For a writer, nothing beats holding your own book in your hands, though seeing your book on a store shelf is a close second.

Organizing a blog tour! So many wonderful people offered to help by hosting me and/or getting the word out about my book. I will be eternally grateful.

Getting my book into brick-and-mortar stores and libraries! It was hard at first to walk into a bookstore cold and ask them to stock my book, but I’m glad I made the effort.

Arranging book signings! I’ve done a few now, so I’m not as nervous about them. They’re great opportunities to meet people.

Participating in craft shows! I’ve sold more books at craft shows and farmer’s markets than I have at the signings, which I found interesting. I’ll definitely be taking part in more of those next year.

Being interviewed on radio and TV! I never thought I’d ever do anything like that. I’m proud of myself for going so far beyond my comfort zone.

It’s been a pretty amazing ride so far, and I’m about to jump on the rollercoaster again with Book 2. Soon.

So for anyone out there wondering if it’s worth it to keep going with their writing projects, my answer would be a resounding YES! Don’t ever give up. If I can do it, anyone can.

 

 

 

 

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2015. All rights reserved.

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Celebrate the Small Things!

Celebrate the Small Things is a weekly celebration created by VikLit and now hosted by Lexa Cain to celebrate the happenings of the week, however small or large. You can learn all about it and sign up for it here. CelebrateSmallThings_Badge

What a lovely day it is here today — lots of sunshine and blue sky. This week I’m celebrating:

  1. Report cards with straight A’s! I’m so proud of my kids!
  2. Thanksgiving Vacation! My kids have been counting down the days.
  3. I sold seven more books at a craft show last Saturday!
  4. Hoping for more book sales this weekend at the Milton Artists’ Guild fundraiser at Barnes & Noble! B & N ordered more of my books to have on hand, so I’m hoping for a strong showing to convince them to keep stocking my book. Wish me luck!

What other celebrations are going on out there?

 

 

 

 

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2015. All rights reserved.

by

Celebrate the Small Things!

Celebrate the Small Things is a weekly celebration created by VikLit and now hosted by Lexa Cain to celebrate the happenings of the week, however small or large. You can learn all about it and sign up for it here. CelebrateSmallThings_Badge

My internet connection was giving me problems this morning, but it seems to be working now. This week has been pretty quiet, which is a good thing. My celebrations:

  1. I sold a half-dozen books at the Milton Artists’ Guild’s Holiday Art Show and Sale last Saturday!
  2. Got more winterizing work done on my house.
  3. Made some editing progress.
  4. Looking forward to participating in another craft show this weekend!

What other celebrations are going on out there?

 

 

 

 

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2015. All rights reserved.

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IWSG — Back Cover Blurb Blues

Today’s the day for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group (IWSG) where, on the first Wednesday of every month, writers get together to share their insecurities and offer encouragement. The IWSG was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, and you can learn all about it and sign up for it here. IWSG_Badge

I’ve been working on the back cover blurb for Book 2: Trouble By Any Other Name. The problem is that there are so many important elements to the story — how do you include them all and still keep it short, yet interesting enough to entice readers to take a chance on the book? Obviously, some of the elements have to be left out, because there’s just not room enough on the back of the book. Therein, lies my frustration.

I craft a blurb and think, wow, this is great. Then something else occurs to me that really should be included. Back to the drawing board. Okay, now I’ve got it… but, wait, I need to include this other detail. Back to the drawing board. Okay, this one is really good… oh, wait… You get the idea.

Trying to condense a complex 600-page book into a couple of paragraphs is an exercise in hair pulling and teeth gnashing. But if it’s not right, no one will buy the book, even though it might be something they’d like.

I know every writer goes through this, but man, it can sure drive you nuts. Oh, well. Back to the drawing board…

 

 

 

 

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2015. All rights reserved.

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Celebrate the Small Things!

Celebrate the Small Things is a weekly celebration created by VikLit and now hosted by Lexa Cain to celebrate the happenings of the week, however small or large. You can learn all about it and sign up for it here. CelebrateSmallThings_Badge

I can’t believe October is half over already. Where did it go? Things to celebrate this week:

  1. The interview I did on the local cable TV channel (LCATV) is on the air now. I noticed I talk with my hands quite a bit, not that that’s bad or anything. Here’s the link for anyone who’d like to see it: http://lcatv.org/node/196156. It’s Vermont Treasures #31.
  2. I got all my materials sent to the Independent Publishers of New England, so that my book can be represented and sold at their tables at the Boston Book Festival and the New England Library Association Conference. I won’t be at the events in person, so it will be interesting to see how this works in terms of sales.
  3. We made our traditional fun trek through the corn maze, then went on the hayride down through the “gauntlet of horrors” to the pumpkin patch and my kids picked out pumpkins.
  4. I got some more yard work done. Yay!

What other celebrations are going on out there?

 

 

 

 

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2015. All rights reserved.

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Monday Morning Sneak Peek!

9781942015000-Perfect-lady-thy-name-is-trouble_EbookCover

Stop by Jessica Therrien’s site today for a Sneak Peek at the

first five pages of my fantasy adventure novel,

LADY, THY NAME IS TROUBLE!

Hope to see you there!

 

 

 

 

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2015. All rights reserved.

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IWSG — How Do You Get a Bestselling Author to Review Your Self-Published Book?

Today’s the day for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group (IWSG) where, on the first Wednesday of every month, writers get together to share their insecurities and offer encouragement. The IWSG was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, and you can learn all about it and sign up for it here. IWSG_Badge

Recently, I was looking through the listings of newly published fantasy books. One in particular caught my eye. It was written by a new author, and what got my attention was the review quote posted along with the blurb — or rather, not so much the quote itself, but the fact that it was from a NYT bestselling author. I didn’t look to see if both were published by the same house, but I did wonder who secured the bestselling author’s review. The new author’s agent? Editor? Publisher?

Then I wondered how a self-published author would go about getting a prominent author to review his/her book? Do you go to their website or wherever, find contact info, and just ask?

Has anyone who has self-published done this? If you did, what kind of response did you get? Were you taken seriously, or were you shot down because of the stigma associated with self-publishing? I’d love to hear about anyone’s experiences with this!

 

 

 

 

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2015. All rights reserved.