The ever changing writing world by Paty Jager

           

I’ll admit here and now I have never been a person to delve into politics, business, religion or anything that I felt didn’t have a close correlation to my life. I let those that are zealous about things duke it out and keep to myself only taking in what I feel pertains to my well-being.

But I’m finding that being a self-published author, I can’t have a lackadaisical attitude. I have to pay more attention to the business end of writing, the publishing end of writing, and the marketing end of writing. All elements I would rather leave to someone else, but if I want to succeed, I have to buck up and pay attention and learn what I need to learn.

The days of a writer sitting down in the chair and writing by long-hand, then typewriter and sending it off and forgetting anything other than writing the next story is gone.

Now, you write the story, while doing publicity for it and the one before and the other books. You have to keep up with all the self-pub venues, learn the different formats they each take and how to size the cover after you’ve found a cover artist you can work with or taken time from your writing to design your own cover.

After the product is uploaded there’s finding ways to keep putting it in front of readers and pushing your sales up. Begging for reviews, asking around to fellow self-pub authors what they do, how that worked for them. And realizing you’ve spent most of your writing time with the business side of writing and you still have to hit your goal of 3000 words today.

Do I sound like I’m not having fun?

I am having fun helping design my covers, having the ability to write what I want to write, and meeting great people. But I would have more fun if I could use all my brain for writing and not have to worry about the areas, I blissfully ignored when I first started writing.

If you are a published writer what is the most daunting thing about your career? The most fun?

As a pre-published writer, what are you dreading and looking forward to when you get published? 

Author Co-op

I recently had a post up on the Savvy Blog about the author co-op I joined.  In case you didn't get over there, here it is again.

An Author's cooperative is a group of like-minded Indie authors who work together to promote, market, and invest in one another’s future. 

A Co-op concept is that all authors share the burden of the work, lending the skills they have to others, and sharing the costs. As one who likes to help other writers and join forces to learn how we can each improve our writing and our sales, it was a logical move for me.

As a cooperative, we all add our collective talents to the pot when discussing the above mentioned goals. And to reach those goals, Melissa Yuan-Innes and I hopped on Maggie Jaimeson’s tail and joined her dba Windtree Press. This is a website where we, the Coop authors of Windtree Press, sell our books and add the Windtree Press logo and information to our books when we format them. It’s one small step at making our Indie book look more legitimate in the eyes of the self-publish biased reader. 
By having a place that people can find our books to purchase in the most popular formats; mobi, epub, pdf, and print, we bring the masses to our respective books and draw on the reader data we receive to market our books to the people who are reading the same genre. 

We all have a say in what happens at Windtree Press, and we all pay the expenses of monthly hosting which pays for the database backend processing of the e-commerce site, including book selling, credit card processing, PayPal merchant integration, customer management, and marketing. As a new member joins, the cost will be divided again equally. If we decide to hire a part-time digital assistant, a marketing person, or a technical programmer the cost will be shared by all members. The costs are paid upfront each month whether we sell or not. 
Bringing in new members has to be agreed upon by all the current members. A new member has to have the quality of writing and presentation that fits with the quality already at the Co-op. They also have to participate fully in running the press and making decisions. To make the Co-op work and be cohesive the current members have to trust that the person who comes to the group has a well-edited book with a quality story and presentation. Every book can’t be quality checked by every member. Once a member is in the Co-op, it is up to them to keep the quality up in their work. The new member also shouldn’t need to be reminded they are to participate in quarterly meetings or do their fair share of work. This is a coop, and all members must be involved in all decisions. 

Which brings the question: Does everyone in the Co-op have to be a friend? No. I knew Maggie from our local RWA chapter, and we are fans of each other’s writing. But I had never met Melissa until our first Co-op phone conference. During that meeting, we learned we are all on the same page as to how to get our books out to the public and that we all want to have as much say in our careers as we can. 
While the Co-op is a collective of ideas and work, each author is responsible for writing, editing, cover designs, formatting, and the uploading to vendors (i.e., Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iBooks etc.) outside of Windtree Press on their own. The Press does NOT offer any of these services, and all book development costs are paid by the individual author. 

With direct marketing, I have control over the metadata that is indexed and put on the web. This increases my books being discovered. The press website provides metadata for my book and its relationship to other books on the Windtree Press website. 
The benefits I saw in being part of a Cooperative were; giving more legitimacy to my work by putting a logo and press on my books to make the reader take them more serious when browsing the millions of possible books to purchase, and by having a website where my books can be purchased and I can gather information on who is purchasing my books, I have the chance to garner more readers by using that information for marketing. Another bonus to having our own e-commerce website is getting paid full value for our books rather than give a third party a part of the money. 

As stated above, when I was approached to join the Windtree Press Co-op I had to first say, “What is that?” After visiting with Maggie and Melissa about the Co-op and then reading more articles online about other successful Co-ops, I didn’t hesitate to jump on what appears to be the new wave of Indie publishing. Just like the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child”, I believe it takes a group effort for Indie authors to lift their books to the cream of the book industry. 
I hope you will stop by and take a look at http://windtreepress.com .

More Ideas than Time

I'm a writer who has more ideas and characters than time to write them. I can get a great story idea at least once a day, I mull it over and if it won't go away or becomes even more ingrained in my thoughts, I jot it down either in one of my computer folders or an actual folder of ideas I have in my file cabinet.

The same goes for characters. I don't  get one of those a day but when one comes to me and sticks in my mind, becoming more and more real, I jot down the information for them and in some instances even come up with a story that they would work in.

Right now I have a real strong secondary character in my mind. I brainstormed a bit about her with Danita Cahill on our way to a booksigning this past weekend. My main character in my mystery thinks of the secondary character in this way. "Crazy Lil came with the ranch like a stray cat. She helps me out and I provide a place for her to live and food to eat."

I've thought of "Crazy" Lil as being simple minded, a lover of animals, and a person who is diligent at their tasks. Danita gave me some great ideas of backstory for her to explain why she won't leave her grandparent's ranch even after they are dead and it has been sold. It also gave me some insight into the mystery that will revolve around Lil and her past. Her mystery story that will be down the line from several others I've come up with for my mystery series.

Are you a prolific idea collector? Or can you come up with ideas at the same speed you can write them? Or if you do hobbies, do you dream up more projects than you can sanely make?
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For the rest of this month you can purchase Secrets of a Mayan Moon for $.99 at Kindle.

What happens when a brilliant anthropologist is lured to the jungle to be used as a human sacrifice?

Blurb:

Child prodigy and now Doctor of Anthropology, Isabella Mumphrey, is about to lose her job at the university. In the world of publish or perish, her mentor’s request for her assistance on a dig is just the opportunity she’s been seeking. If she can decipher an ancient stone table—and she can—she’ll keep her department. She heads to Guatemala, but drug trafficking bad guys, artifact thieves, and her infatuation for her handsome guide wreak havoc on her scholarly intentions.

DEA agent Tino Kosta, is out to avenge the deaths of his family. He’s deep undercover as a jaguar tracker and sometimes jungle guide, but the appearance of a beautiful, brainy anthropologist heats his Latin blood taking him on a dangerous detour that could leave them both casualties of the jungle.

Secrets of a Mayan Moon is available at Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords. 

www.patyjager.net

www.patyjager.blogspot.com

Current Project: Logger in Petticoats
Status: The End- doing final edits 

Yes, I've learned over the years I am my biggest distraction.  If I'm researching I can get off in a whole different direction not even related to the story I'm working on. 


New ideas for books come to me and I have trouble staying focused on the book I'm writing. I've learned to use an hour a day to work on the new shiny project and use it as a carrot to keep me moving the other book forward because I can't play with new shiny until the project I'm on is finished and ready to be published.


I can also  use the excuse of waiting for a reply from someone to keep checking e-mails rather than writing. But then I make myself a pact that I can only check e-mails first thing in the morning during my hour and a half e-mail and promotion time, at noon when I take a writing break or in the evening. If I stay on this structure I get more writing done.


Then there's Tink. When she needs outside I get up from my desk, walk down the stairs, and let her out. But on the way I can usually find something that needs done that distracts me long enough for her to come back in or I lose my train of thought and when I sit back down at the computer I have to reread the scene and get my brain running again. 


Or there could be deer or calves on my lawn that I sit and stare at. Or the cows, or just the sun shining on the mountains, the sunset, the sunrise, the blue sky....As you see if I want a distraction I can find one. That's why it's in my best interest to remember a book doesn't write its self. I have to sit my butt in the chair and tap the letters on the keyboard for a story to appear so I have to fight the distractions and write the book. 


So the best way to avoid distractions is to focus and don't get up until you've hit a set amount of words each day. Keep the focus and the words will come. I guarantee. 




Merry Christmas Everyone!!


www.patyjager.net
www.patyjager.blogspot.com

Plugging Along

Current Project: Logger in Petticoats
Status: 42,000 words


No one has thrashed me enough with a wet noodle this month or I would be farther along on this WIP.  Something I'm learning from this project is I have to have my heart fully engaged in the story for it to flow smoothly from my fingertips.


Don't get me wrong I love my hero and heroine and I love the Halsey family, but because this premise is my second choice for this book I've had a harder time getting it written. That and outside influences have made my writing feel like I'm grinding my fingers in a meat grinder.


My goal is to have this book finished and polished by mid December. That means I have to seriously dig in and get to writing so once Thanksgiving is over I have to stick my nose to the computer monitor and my fingers to the keyboard and not look up until the dang thing is done. 


Easier said than done this time of year!   


How are those of you on a schedule or doing NaNo coming along? Better than I have?

I received the cover for the final book in the Spirit Trilogy. If doesn't quite match the other two but not a whole lot I can do about it.


Paty Jager
 www.patyjager.net
www.patyjager.blogspot.com

Current Project: Galley edits for Spirit of the Sky
Status: working on it


So since my first blog on this topic earlier in the month nothing has changed about my inability to use technology.


I do have my website up and running, but my printer is still not talking to the new computer and in desperation , I hooked the old laptop back up just to make copies. Which means putting info I want copied onto a flash drive and then putting it in the laptop and printing. 


What's funny is I couldn't wait, back in the 80's, when I was writing on a typewriter for the day I could afford a computer. I helped in the kids' school in the computer technology room to learn how to use the beasts and the instructor would let me use the computer in between classes to write my stories and put them on a big square disk. 


Finally, the day arrived I could get computer. I bought a Mac. That's what they had in the schools and I told my husband that way I'd have help if I ran into problems.. But man was that an investment back then!  


It was wonderful to be able to delete and enter words all over in the document without having to retype everything! 


But then I came to another problem, the Mac's back then didn't play nice with other computers and when I wanted to critique with other people they couldn't read my stuff and I coudln't read their stuff. So I floundered along until the day came when I threw my hands in the air, told my dh I needed a computer that talked with everyone else and became a DELL fan.  I gave the Mac to a friend of the family who was headed off to college and have been happy with my choice ever since. 


Except for the fact I am so darn technology challenged that it takes me days to figure out how to do some things on some programs.  And after all these years I still don't have the fearlessness it takes to push keys and see what happens. I'm always afraid I'm going to mess something up. Because usually, I do! 

So non-Techie!

Current Project: Spirit of the Sky
Status: doing edits


Wow, this is one month when I'm really glad I don't have to do three posts.  


I just spent nearly a week rebuilding my website on Go Daddy. It took me one and a half days just to get the site figured out to upload the information I wanted and then another day to figure out how to get it placed the way  I wanted. I'm still not crazy about how the blurbs hug the book covers, but I decided to wait until I need to update it next month to work on that some more. 


When someone points out a program to help with writing I put my fingers in my ears and sing.  It took me years to finally get word figured out to format my manuscripts and then the track changes for when I edited. I'm still struggling with publisher when I use it because I dont' use it every day only when I want to make up promotional materials. 


The one thing I feel confidant about is Power Point. I love doing Power Point presentations. They're easy!


I've used movie maker to make a book trailer but all the buzz I've heard about how the trailers really don't help your sales, I've decided it isn't worth my time and effort. 


While I love the technology of ebooks for their convenience and the ability for me to upload my own writing, I will always use a print book for research. It's easier to flag the pages I want to reread or have the information I need than hunting for them in a ebook doc.


And speaking of ebooks, I'm happy to say I've figure out the formatting for the ebook outlets and don't understand when others find it difficult. 


So what about you?  Are you technically adept or technically challenges? If you're technically challenged like I am, what is your worst nemesis?


Paty Jager
www.patyjager.net
www.patyjager.blogspot.com

Characters-They're around us every day.

Current Project:Logger in Petticoats
Status: 500 words

As I blundered through the messy files inside my head to conjure up the heroine in Logger in Petticoats, I keep going back to my youngest daughter's best friend. Her parent's are 6' and 6'5". She is a tall(6'2"), not stocky but sturdy, girl who loves volleyball and basketball. But she isn't aggressive. A trait she and my daughter had in common. They were both good volleyball players but they played the game for the joy of it not the competition which of course drove the coaches nuts.

I've based my heroine on this girl because as a teenager she was awkward due to her size and she was blonde... Sometimes she would say and do the goofiest things and then slap her head and say, "Doh!" She laughs at her own clumsiness and has a HUGE heart. Those are the traits I've built into my heroine, also the nationality- Norwegian.

The heroine's family is going to be based on neighbors we had when the kids were growing up. They were third generation Norwegians from North Dakota. Over the years of living next to them and our kids hanging out with Olaf learning about horses, I've learned a few Norwegian words. ;) And the bond that they form in their families. This will be one of the conflicts for my heroine when it comes to the black moment. Can she leave her family and the close knit community of the logging camp?

How about you? Do you use people from your life in your stories? If so who?

Current Project: editing and formatting For a Sister's Love
Status: Hope to finish and get it up on Kindle this week.

I was part of a blog series on western historical novels that was read by Sue Grimshaw and she now wants us to do something like it for her blog Random Romance. But the group came up with the idea of showing what historical westerns are all about by interviewing our characters.

They didn't want all marshals or outlaws so we had to let them know what characters we would interview. I'm, of course, going to interview Wren and Himiin from Spirit of the Mountain. Because I do believe Himiin will be the only spirit interviewed.;)

But I need some help. What could be some questions the interviewer asks him that would show the genre-historical paranormal?

And Wren as a Nez Perce maiden, do have some questions you think would work for her?

I also have to come up with an interviewer other than myself. I'm thinking a National Park guide who comes upon them near Wallowa Lake would be a good interviewer. What do you think?

I'll let you know when my post runs.

Out of my Element

Current Project: Still in limbo
Status: All company leaves this weekend!

This past weekend I participated in a book festival at Portland's Pioneer Square. It was an excellent place to watch people and interact with some interesting characters.

Donna Kiehle and I were at the table under the Jan's Paperback Books sign. We had half a dozen people come up and ask us ab out our publishing company... And one gentleman who had wild hair, his collar folded under on one side, his shirt buttoned crooked, and his fly was half open with his shirt tail sticking out. (I'm not a pervert, I was taking in his whole appearance as he reflected an interesting secondary character) Anyway, he was trying to pitch his epic, deeply emotional, action packed, epic hand-written 492 notebook pages. There are pieces of him that may end up in a book some day. ;)

There was a young man with a sign "Turn 2 God" He stood on a corner shouting. And a robust black man stood up at the speaking platform over the square, banged a plastic bottle like an anvil and preached.

Shortly after the preaching a passel of bridesmaids and groomsmen along with a bride and groom entered the square and posed for photos.

An Englishman also stopped by and chatted with Marie Friend who was next to us. He was a bit taken back when Marie first thought he was an Aussie. This started them off on an interesting chat of their favorite English actors. The man was in khaki shorts, had one of those "fishing" hats that look like safari hats. A backpack and boots. He looked like he'd just walked out of the bush so I understand why she might have thought him Aussie.

Even the couple with rowdy kids and the older man on the MAX I rode to the zoo left an impression that could pop up sometime in writing.

All of these interesting people are stored away in my brain to perhaps come out in little snippets in my secondary and perhaps even my main characters in some future book.

So you file away people. places, or incidents everywhere you go?

A whirlwind weekend

Current Project: Plethora of things
Status: Keeping my head above water

I spent the past weekend hanging out with the authors of the Eastern Oregon Writer's Guild. We talked writing, politics, history, small towns, and marketing. The weather on Saturday was less than cooperative when you had racks of books you needed to have out for the public to see. It rained off and on all day. And I'm told(it was my first sit-in with this group) that it was not a good weekend. But I sold a few books and made more acquaintances in the writing world outside romance.

In between sitting and visiting, I went to the library and dug up more info for the upcoming WIP. Learned a few things from some of the writers and historians who ventured into the booth and chatted, too, that helped me solidify my story line. Once I get caught up on the blogs, e-mails, and next book to upload to Kindle, I'll start writing the book.

But first I have to survive the visit of my grandkids. Monday we took all eight to the Boise water park. Let me just say... the Avalanche is NOT a ride for the weak of heart!!

What have you done lately that had you yelling, "Holy Crap!" and thrusting your stomach into your throat?

My Favorite Topic- Research

Current Project: A little of everything
Status: Staying Sane

Research is my favorite thing about writing, and ultimately, the part that slows down the process the most. Like now. I'm waiting to get more information about logging in a particular area so I can begin the final plotting(yes, even though I'm a seat of the pants writer I need to know how the historical information will figure into the story and either use the knowledge for character development, plot, or just historical accuracy.

I have a good friend who has been with me on my journey to getting published. She isn't a writer but an avid reader. When we go out to lunch (usually once a month) she asks me about the book I'm working on and when I start discussing the research I'm doing or need, she always comments, "I love how your books convey all the information you dig up without me even knowing it."

That is the comment I like to hear. If I can condense my hours of research down into my book to where it enhances without pulling the reader out I'm a happy novelist!

And I explore all avenues I can think of. My heroine in the next book is Norwegian so I am ready a book on Norwegian folktales. You never know when something in there will jump out and say I need a spot in your book. I did that with the Nez Perce myth and legends. Including a little bit of a legend in each of the books.

Since this next book is about logging, I'm going to try and highlight little known things about loggers into the story rather than the usual knowledge or myths that most people think of about loggers.

How about you...Do you read for pure entertainment or do you like to finish a book and have been entertained and learned something new?

www.patyjager.net

Hey batter, batter!

Current Project:Miscellaneous
Status:

Pitching is you tossing an idea out to an editor or agent and hoping they like it enough to take a swing. But what happens when they do take a swing and ask for more?

You sit down and run through the amount they requested one more time to make sure it's polished to a gleaming shine. You send the requested amount and then spit polish the remainder in hopes they ask for the full.

But you wait months and you hear nothing. Do you send an e-mail and give them a nudge? What happens when they asked you to send a partial and told you to give them a nudge after a certain length of time if you havne't heard anything, and they still don't respond?

How long do you wait?

If I haven't heard from an unsolicited query in six months, I write it off as a not interested, but how long do you wait to hear back from something you pitched at a conference and was requested? And how many times do you send a "nudge"?

I'll take the corner seat, please.

Current Project: Many
Status: Still sane

This month's topics are both ones that make me cringe.

Conferences mean I have to leave my safety zone and go out among people I've never met or barely know and try and appear approachable when all I want to do in a room full of people is become invisible. It isn't in my nature to walk up to strangers and start talking. That's my husband's job. He does it well. He can strike up a conversation with anyone. I can't. I try every time I go to a conference. I push myself at least one day to make conversation with someone and I get nauseous just getting up the nerve to do it. I think of all the things I could say and then just sit there my tongue numb and my brain frantically trying to find a way out.

Now if I go into a workshop I'm teaching, I know what I'm going to talk about and I know the information so I feel confident. But to just strike up a conversation... what if they talk about something I haven't a clue about? What if they ask me a writing question that anyone up on publishing should know and I don't know the answer? Because most likely I don't since I don't focus my minimal brain space on that kind of thing. I focus on my writing craft and not all the politics. What if all they ask me is where I'm from and what I write? Whew... I can answer that but my overactive imagination can conjure up all the other scenarios as I sit there my hands sweating worrying how to start up a conversation. Yep, that's my neurotic self at a conference.

And pitching... I can have that sucker practiced and say it over and over in my head and out loud but someone ask me to tell them my pitch..Whoosh- it slips from my mind like a jewel thief, not even leaving fingerprints.

I hope you're much better at handling your nerves and hanging onto your sanity than I am. Are you social at conferences or would you be battling with me for the chair in the dark corner?

I moved from Lawyer to Logger... That's how my mind works

Current Project: Cleaning up
Status: Last polish of Spirit of the Sky, formatting Perfectly Good Nanny for kindle, and deciding what to do with two already written stories.

The next book I'll tackle is the last Halsey brother book. Hank's story- Lawyer in Petticoats. Though I've been thinking that title may change. Since I couldn't make the storyline work for that title I'm thinking of changing it to Logger in Petticoats.

I still need to research and see how I can make a conflict between Hank and a logging outfit that of course the heroine's family will own/run.

But doing the plotting I can see her perhaps joining in a 4th of July logging contest and perhaps beating the hero... There are some things that agility is needed over brawn.

And I think it would mean a road trip to a logging museum. Yes.. I see that in the future, too.

This is how my stewing and brewing process begins. Changing the title has given me a new perspective on his story and makes me eager to get started. Time to hit the library and start researching. Hmmm.. Shall I keep the heroine I originally slated for this story?

Gallagher McConnell has a full head of chestnut hair, fiery temper, quick mind, full body that's muscular. She is constantly proving to the world she belongs in her family's profession. At times her twin brother, Grayson, teases her she should act like a woman or she'll end up a spinster. But for now she isn't interested in a family, she's set on becoming a partner in the logging business.

And that is the beginning of brainstorming my next book.

Are you this sporadic in thoughts? Do you start with ideas and slowly merge them into something on paper or do you start write away jotting them down and making charts?

Brainstorming- good , bad, ugly?

Current Project:Spirit of the Sky
Status: First Draft finished!!

I like helping other people brainstorm. It's fun to see how they are building their characters, plots, and overall story.

I also have a couple people I brainstorm with when I'm coming up with a project or stuck on a project. Usually not the whole thing.

Many years ago I did story magic with some members of this RWA chapter with my spirit books, mostly book one. It would be interesting to hear from the members who have read it if it was what they thought it would be when I was story magicking it.

The reason I'm wondering this is my latest finished project I've been shopping to agents has had two thumbs up from everyone who's read it EXCEPT the person I brainstormed nearly the whole thing with. She read the first few chapters and said "It isn't what I thought it would be. I don't like your heroine and I did when we brainstormed."

Do you think when you brainstorm a project with another writer that they then sort of write it in their mind and when it is different in your story they have trouble wrapping their mind around your story? Have you had that happen to you with either something someone else helped you brainstorm or something you helped someone else with?

Social Networking

Current Project:Spirit of the Sky
Status: Researching more this weekend

I attended a workshop titled Author Marketing 101 by C.Morgan Kennedy & Therese Patrick. These ladies both have jobs in marketing and they had some great information.

I liked how they straightened things out for me. One being that marketing isn't expensive because it's a plan and not a product. It's planning how you're getting the word out about your product(books) then using free and low cost means to do it.

They also explained you don't need a "platform" you need a marketing plan. There is a difference.

Using social media is only effective if your potential readers are in your networks.

The differences between media and marketing are: Media is the tool you use to get the word out about your product and marketing is the content. The words, colors, graphics on your banner, website, blog that makes the customer interested in your product.

And you know that old verbiage "Branding"? They call it The Author Persona- which is you only enhanced to reflect the type of book you write. They held up two of Nora Roberts books one was a romance and the other from her J.D. Robb series. Look at the picture of her on the backs of the books. A softer, friendlier looking Nora is on the romance and a tough, scowling Nora on the back of the J.D. Robb book. These are her two "author personas". We were told to have a photo taken that reflects the tone/image of your books and use that as your author photo on all your social media.

They had exercises to help us find and create our author persona. (Here are two of them)

For your persona write a brief description of the type of stories that you write:
Tone of your stories
The look of your world
The feelings you want to convey

What images an colors come to mind?
List 3-5 images and colors that you would use on a banner, website, or blog to project your persons.

Then they said to have separate facebook accounts. One that is the author persona for your readers and a different one for your family and friends. I had a little bit of trouble with this. Only because my family and friends are readers and I like to keep them updated without having to post twice. I think I'll keep my fb the way it is and just make sure my posts aren't personal. I guess??

And they reiterated what I heard at the Emerald City conference make a book signing an event. Use a banner to show who you are and have it follow all the colors and logos that you use on your blog and website.

I learned a whole lot more. C. Morgan and Therese are putting together a book and they will have a website up and running soon with all this information and more.

Gearing up for a Release

Current Project: Spirit of the Sky
Status: Downhill slide to the end

Next month my second book of the Spirit trilogy, Spirit of the Lake, will be released. I've started this month getting ready for the release and pushing the first book again since it is a trilogy.

I'm scheduling a blog tour for the week of and after the release. I'm contacting blogs I've been on before and had a good turnout and new blogs that might have people who would be interested in this type of book.

Once I get a blog a day for those two weeks, I'll mark the ones that will send me interview questions and determine how many other posts I need to write. I like to make each post different but only use two or three different excerpts. If I used a different excerpt for each blog I'd be giving away the whole book. But at the same time, because I make it a contest and give away a book to the person who follows and comments on the most blogs, I don't want them to become bored by reading the same thing over and over again.

I'll also send out pdf's of my book to the review sites my publisher doesn't. I like to use portions of reviews for my promotion. I think it says more to a reader when another reader gives a good comment about a book.

That's how I gear up for a release: By writing two weeks worth of blogs and sending it out to review sites.

What type of promotion gets you interested in a book?

Spring is in the Air

Current Project:Spirit of the Sky
Status: midway

The lengthening days and bright green tips of plants poking out of the warming earth are my favorite things about spring.

The early morning sun peeking out and spreading a fresh glow through my bedroom window before the alarm goes off makes waking easier. Six o'clock comes early enough, but when it's in the dark during the winter I have to drag myself out of bed. Yet, come summer time when it's light at five a.m., I can get up before six and head out to change the irrigation water with a light heart and spring in my step. The sun hanging lazy in the sky past dinner, allows more time to putter around the yard, sprucing things up for the new spring arrivals.

The first signs of spring; the Mountain Bluebird fluttering around the fields and the flowers peeking through the mulch lighten my mood. The bright green of Daffodil stems pushing out from their winter hiding flashes hope that winter was a fleeting thing and the land will soon be alive with color. The new buds on the barberry bushes and the maroon shoots of the peony all add to the colorful palate nature reveals after coating the land in shades of gray and white all winter.

Are you getting itchy for spring reading this? Then my job is done. Happy setting!

Paty Jager
www.patyjager.net

Pages of Prose or Action

Current Project:Spirit of the Sky
Status: Slowly perking along

Staring out my window trying to figure out what to write about for this post, I noticed the wheel line bouncing. Now I could say: The irrigation wheel line was bouncing in the cold winter air.
You kind of get the picture. But what if I said:

The frigid barely above zero air not only stung my cheeks and froze my lungs when I inhaled, it caused the aluminum pipe suspended between five foot aluminum wheels to vibrate. The bouncing aluminum blurred like heat vapors on hot blacktop, another one of nature's jokes.

The second one gives a better description of the wheel line and it helps you "feel" the cold.

When writing a story the first draft through it will be more like the first line then with each pass over I fine tune the descriptions and try to make them come to life in the eyes of the character whose POV I'm in.

Once in a while the first time through it is so vivid in my mind I can put down exactly what I'm seeing and it only needs minor tinkering.

But at the same time I don't go on and on for a whole paragraph about a description. I don't like reading long flowing descriptions and will skip them. But if there is a short well written description that brings me deeper into the story- I love it.

What about you? Do you like the long descriptions or do you prefer ones concise and to the point so you can move on to the action?