Motivation

So, the title of this post has meant a lot to me these past few weeks, as it has been quite important in going forward in my life. Being in my universities color guard, plus finishing up my last semester of undergrad has been a great accomplishment. If any of you have ever been in marching band, you know what I mean when I say it takes some serious dedication and motivation to make it through the season. While it is bittersweet that my time in college color guard is coming to an end, I am excited to be graduating in a month!

What does this mean for my writings? Well, I need to find my motivation from this summer (as all I have is being used up on school currently)! I've hardly written anything this semester, and come December, I really need (and want) to get back to writing. I am still making plans to start the third and final novel in the Desire series as I work on a completely new story as well. The good news for those of you waiting on novel two? One of my fabulous editors has gone through and edited! Usually I go through once or twice before sending it to her, but she offered to take it raw, and considering how busy I've been, I took her offer. I can't thank her enough, and everyone else should be excited because that just means a quicker release of the second novel! Now I need to focus on creating the cover!

Graduation is in a month, so I probably won't have any new updates until after then. Wish me luck, and get excited for (hopefully) more updates about the stories!

Oh My!

Wow, I really fail at updating this. Sorry everyone! Life has been hectic. I took summer courses all summer, and am finally in my last semester of undergrad! As you can imagine, I am super busy right now (which is another reason this has not been updated in awhile). So I have some good and some bad news. The bad news is that it will take longer to get the second novel published than I previously hoped. With summer classes, I was only able to personally edit the first ten chapters. I prefer to edit my novels before I enlist the help of my fabulous editors/friends to go through it for me as well. Then after everything looks good, I plan on creating a physical copy to go through, as I can find mistakes much easier when I have a hard copy in front of me as opposed to looking at my computer screen. The good news is that I graduate in December! I won't be going off to grad school until August 2013, so I plan on having much more time to get editing done/starting the final novel during those months (between having to go to work of course).

I think in my last post (maybe more ago) I mentioned something about changing the fonts on the cover of Secrets and Keys. I haven't had a chance to find something I love yet, but I still plan on making the change. Be on the lookout, and you will no doubt be one of the first to see the change, as I'll update the background here to the new cover. Finally, I'm curious how many would be interested in purchasing a hard copy of Secrets and Keys? The website I print hard copies for myself off of has the option of making the book available to anyone else who wishes to have a hard copy. It is private currently, so only I can print it, but if there seems to be in interest in having a physical copy, I may open it up to public ordering. Alright, that's all I have for now. Hopefully I'll update with more good news soon! (Though I can't promise anything until mid-October)

Exciting news!

So I am super pumped right now. Last night, I stayed up until 4am. Why did I stay up so late you ask? Why, I was finishing the last chapter of Lies and Locks! Yes, you read right. I have finished writing the second novel! It feels like such an accomplishment. Except, this book won't be out anytime soon. Still hoping to have it available sometime in November or December. For now, I'll be busy editing and crossing my fingers my lovely editors will be available again to help me out.

It's such a good feeling finishing a project I started. You see, I'm a very crafty person, but most things I start never get finished. That's why I was so happy to finish the first novel. And then, with the help and encouragement from amazing friends, I went on and finished a second novel! So, let me tell you, if there is something you want to do, go out and do it. If it's a craft, make sure you finish it! The end product is so great and you'll be really proud of yourself. Now, in between my editing sessions, I'll be working on creating my second quilt! Those are fun to make too =] I hope everyone's summer is going great! I will be going camping next week, and I'm hoping to get some sun (every time I try to tan- with my 45spf sunscreen, a large cloud covers the sun. My family jokes that my paleness blinds the sun. Haha). I'll update you amazing people that still read my blog soon with other new projects!

Updates

Sooo, remember how I said I was almost done with Lies and Locks? How I only had one and a half chapters left? Well I finished one and a half chapters. Except, doing as I always do, I had new ideas and it dragged the chapters out. So, instead of having the last chapter two-three times as long as every other chapter, I decided to add one more chapter! I am still almost done though, so get pumped!

I've also been thinking about changing up the cover for Secrets and Keys. While I love the cursive print the title is already in, I realized for those searching e-books on Amazon, it doesn't stand out much and grab readers attention. So I have a second cover ready, the font not as awesome as the current font, but it will grab potential readers attention much more. I figured I would let everyone know, so that to those who currently have a copy of Secrets and Keys as e-book, if you receive a notice about an update to the book, just know it is a change of the cover and if you want to keep the cursive font cover, don't update.

Alright, that's all I have for now! I'll talk to you wonderful people who still read my blog soon!!

Hellooooooooooo!

Well, long time no see! There has been so much going on since the last time I updated! First off, I finished spring semester at my school, and am now taking summer classes. Boo summer classes, never taken them before. It will be worth it though when I get to graduate in December! =] Enough about me though, I have updates about the second novel in the Desire Series!

I finally have settled on the title Lies and Locks for the second novel. The novel is almost complete! I have one and a half chapters left, and then I will be crazy editing it. This means that I will absolutely  meet my goal of finishing the novel by the end of summer (considering summer just started, and it doesn't take me months to write a chapter). The editing process will take more time, but after it is edited, hopefully the rest of getting it ready to publish will happen quickly. So be on the lookout for updates, and I will try to update this more than once a month!

What a busy time!

Crazy times! This is my last week of classes, then next week is finals week. Why is it professors wait until these last few weeks to make everything due? Of course, I couldn't just focus on school, and I have been working on the second novel! I'm expecting about five more chapters, and then it will be complete! Then it will be time to edit and review the entire thing, but that's okay. It will be cool to have two completed novels! So my plan to have it completed by the end of summer will happen, and my goal for it being published in November is definitely looking good. I will keep everyone updated on the progress.

Of course, I wouldn't be me if I didn't have multiple other stories coming to mind. It really is obnoxious all these stories waiting to be told, but I really can only work on one story at a time. I probably won't start the third novel in the Desire series right away, as I have a few chapters of one story that I mentioned before, but now there's another. Oh boy. I know I mentioned dystopian novels before, and technically I could make this new idea into one, but.... oh boy. I had this really crazy dream, and I mean I always have very vivid dreams. They usually go away after a day. This dream though, I still remember all the details clear as day, and they create a really fascinating story. So I may see where that one will take me before starting the third novel in the Desire series. Keep an eye out for updates, and I'll talk to you wonderful people soon!

Let's get this thing going!

Alright, so I don't know about anyone else, but I can't believe it's almost April! The weather here has been so nice, you would think it's June or July, not March!! With one month left of classes, you can probably guess I'm getting pretty anxious for summer vacation. I'm sure everyone else is as well! Sorry I haven't updated here much, I just haven't had much to update on. I had my last free promotion, and still need to determine if I'm re-entering into Amazon's program. If I don't, expect to see Secrets and Keys available back on Barnes and Noble, and I'll probably get it onto Smashwords (have to look into that to see what it is still) and possibly on the Apple bookstore.

The fact that time is flying is a little scary. I set a deadline for myself to finish my second novel before the end of summer. I did finally finish the chapter I was suck on though, so at least progress is happening! Expect to have that story available before the end of the year! =] Speaking of stories, I feel like I'm going crazy thinking of new ones! I mentioned in one post that I came up with an idea for another novel, and so far I have three chapters. I'm not sure where it will go, but hopefully it will be worth getting out for you to read! On top of this, one of my friends thinks I should write a novel and base it off all the drama my group of friends have gone through in the past four years. If you only knew, though most of it is funny. And of course, the other day I had a thought pop into my head, and it wouldn't leave. It was for a dystopian type novel. As you can see, busy writing times for me! I just need to get through two more papers for school, then I should have time to crank all these stories out! I'll update again when I find something even somewhat interesting to share!

FREE FREE FREE!!!

In case you missed the title, this is a reminder that tomorrow, March 10th, Secrets and Keys will be FREE! This is the last free promotion date, and I'm not sure if it will become free again in the future. So take advantage of this awesome deal now! Link to the USA store is on the right. If you can't purchase from that store, search Secrets and Keys Desire on Amazon and it should come up!

Last Chance!!

So I decided on my last free promotion date! I'm not sure if I'll re-enroll in Amazon's program, meaning this may or may not be your last chance to receive Secrets and Keys absolutely free! So save the date, the last chance for getting the novel for free is Saturday, March 10th. If you've read it and enjoyed it, let others know that they can get it for free this day! My commitment to Amazon's Kindle Direct program ends this month, which is why I'm not sure if I'll re-enroll. If I don't, expect Secrets and Keys to be available again on other websites, not just Amazon!

I've been bad!

Hey everybody!

So as the title suggests, I've been bad. I haven't written much on novel two in the Desire series, I haven't updated here much, and I may or may not have started a whole other novel! Yeah, that last thing is definitely a bad idea for me, but no worries! Novel two will be complete by the end of summer. Well I plan on it. It's my goal, and I hate missing my goals. I don't want to say too much on this new novel, as this blog is dedicated to to my Desire series, and who knows where it will end up. I have no plans yet on how long it will be, if it will stand alone or be in a series, and I'm still not 100% on the names of characters yet. Basically, don't get your hopes up of seeing it anytime soon. If it doesn't turn out, I will post what I do get on a free website for anyone that cares to take a look!

So I haven't looked at my sales on Amazon recently. In fact, it's been two weeks since the last time I checked. I was shocked to see my total overall ranking in Amazon (it's in the 300,000's now, but that's an improvement over the 500,000's last time I looked). Sales are steady so it's exciting to see people taking a chance on my novel! I'm so grateful for amazing people out there giving Indie authors such as myself a chance.

I will be having my last free promotion sometime this month. I'm not sure when, but I will let all of you wonderful people know as soon as I set a date! I really do try to update this as much as possible, but school has been so overwhelmingly busy that it's hard to find time. That, or I'm reading all day. I feel like I haven't read any good books in awhile. Well, let's just say, in three days I read all three Hunger Games novels. They were fantastic, and I highly recommend them! Keep it in mind if you're looking for an amazing series to read!

TGIF

Is everyone excited it's the weekend? I know I am! Well, mostly. Tonight I'm taking my grandma to a musical which has gotten very good reviews (Phantom of the Opera- I've never seen it!), and I also have a wedding to go to this weekend. Aside from this, I have to study for two big exams next week. Oh the life of a college student.

I do want to say thank you to everyone who downloaded Secrets and Keys last weekend! I hope everyone enjoys it. I believe the novel has seen over 800 downloads since it was released at the very end of November! It's exciting to think of how many people own it (though I do know not everyone has read it yet). The second novel hasn't seen much love recently, but I plan to change that after my exam Wednesday. Updates to come soon! =]

*Reminder*

Hey everyone!

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow, February 11th, Secrets and Keys will be available for free on Amazon! There is a link to the product page on the right side of this screen. You can't get a better deal than free, so don't miss out! I only have one more free day to use after this, so tell everyone!!

What A Week

Hello Everyone!! 

Sorry I haven't updated recently, but this past week and a half has been ridiculously crazy! This week I had a physiology, biochemistry, and psychology exam. I almost want to ask my professors not to schedule their exams in the same week again. It has been a stressful week of studying, but I made it through (and I think I kicked each exam's butt)!!! Needless to say, I'm excited to relax this weekend, go to a hockey game, and watch Disney movies. For some reason, I've been wanting to watch old Disney movies again. I do need to catch up on reading as well, as I have quite a few books on my list to read (starting with Hunger Games as I plan on seeing the movie as well). I haven't written much recently as I've been so busy with classes. I do want to try to get some more written tonight. I'm about 2/3 of the way done with the second novel, and I think you will really enjoy it!

It's getting about that time where I think I'm going to use another free promotion day. I will be scheduling the next free promotion for Secrets and Keys for Saturday, February 11th. Of course I will remind everyone again! So if you've already read Secrets and Keys and enjoyed it, tell your friends and family they can download it for free on the 11th! If they don't have a Kindle, tell them not to worry. I don't have a Kindle either, so I downloaded the Kindle reader app (completely free) for my PC. My phone also has a Kindle reader app, so I can read my ebooks I download from Amazon anywhere!

Have a great weekend and I'll try to update sooner next time!! =]

Read, Share, Repeat

Hello everyone! I feel like it's been forever since I last updated, even though it really hasn't been that long! Nothing really exciting has been happening on my end. I've been trying to work through the second novel. As I write, I send chapters to one of my editors to ensure the story flows and it sounds good. I'm so thankful that she does this for me (especially because after I edit, she goes through chapters again to help me edit). As I mentioned before, I used to write fanfiction. That is how I met my fabulous friend! I couldn't ask for a better friend to bounce ideas off of! She continues to write fanfiction, and somewhat recently just finished a Harry Potter fanfiction. If you want to check it out, it's called Secrets in Disguise. I highly recommend it as it is a fun read!

Anyway, back to the fact that I send her my story chapter by chapter. So I was quite excited to hear that the last chapter was her favorite! It definitely gives me the motivation to write more frequently. All of my ideas are finally coming together! It's an exciting feeling as I get closer and closer to the ending of this novel. I am almost 100% positive the novel will be done by the ending of summer, and hopefully available to everyone soon after!

I've been debating creating an author page on Facebook. I know a lot of authors have them, I just haven't had the time to do it. What do you think? Should I jump on the bandwagon? Could it help me reach more people? Maybe I'll look into doing that sometime soon. 

That's all for now! Keep spreading word of Secrets and Keys! If you've already read it, share it with a friend! My goal is just to share my story with as many people as possible!!

It's Snowing!

I know, random title, but I couldn't think of anything else! We had so much snow this past weekend, it's crazy! At least a foot of snow by me! Did anyone else get hit? Did anyone play out in the snow? I didn't, but only because I had a dance this past weekend that I attended and I have no snow gear. So what made my snowy, stay at home days better? I am quite happy with the results of my most recent promotion days! The fact that hundreds more people have my novel is really exciting. Hopefully I get a few more reviews! 

An update: I got some more typed on the second novel! It's been some time since I've typed anything on it. That's because typing filler dialogue/information is my least favorite thing to type. I love to just dig into the story, which is why my novels are fairly fast paced.

Well, that's all I have for now. Still debating on some sort of giveaway. If I do have one, it will be hosted on goodreads.com, so if you don't have an account already, you should check it out! Feel free to add me as a friend, as that is a good way to stay up to date and I manage my profile there! =]

Extended!

So I decided to extend this free promotion! Instead of ending tonight, Secrets and Keys will be free until tomorrow! If you forget to download tonight, you can do it tomorrow! This means that the free promotion goes from Jan 12-13. Let everyone know!!

Did you say 'free'?

Why yes, I did! Sending out a reminder to everyone that tomorrow, January 12th, Secrets and Keys will again be available for free on Amazon! There was a great number of downloads on my first free day, and I'm hoping for similar (maybe even better?) results tomorrow! So tell your friends, enemies, family, coworkers, anyone who you think may enjoy the story.

This morning, I logged onto Amazon. After my first free promotion day, I've literally checked the list page for Secrets and Keys every day (usually a few times a day), hoping that at least one of those 350+ readers would give it a review. I know, I should give them time to read it, but what can I say? I've been excited and am not very patient. Well to my delight, I found my first review today! Not only that, but the reviewer seemed to enjoy my novel AND gave it five stars. So if you were the first reader to review my novel on Amazon, I want to give you a giant THANK YOU for making my day today! Hopefully others will follow you and leave their comments as well!

I've been using Goodreads a lot lately. One thing I noticed on there is that authors have book giveaways. I actually think this would be a cool idea at some point in the future, especially since I am the only one who owns physical copies of Secrets and Keys. It'd be awhile though, as the hardcover/paperback versions I do have contain the original cover (yes, the cover you see on this page is my newer, much improved cover!). So I would have to go through the process of ordering more, which is something I planned to do in the next few weeks anyway. What do you guys think? Would that be a good idea? It's just a thought, so no promises, but definitely a possibility!

Alright, that's all I have for now. Leave me a comment on what you think about the giveaway (I know you're out there, the stats tell me so!!! =]). I'd also love to hear if you already have Secrets and Keys, or plan on downloading it on the free days!

Thank you!

I wanted to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who downloaded my novel yesterday! I had 350+ downloads in just one day! Personally I find this incredible, especially knowing that some Indie authors use multiple days of their free promotion in a row, and get maybe 400 downloads! I am so excited that so many people now own my novel! My only hope is that I get a few reviews (*hint hint* =P) out of all those downloads! I love to hear feedback. I am very excited for January 12th (besides the fact that it's my birthday), and hopefully I'll see similar results with that free promotion. At one point, I think I ended up at a #55 position in children's books yesterday, which was so cool to see.

School starts on Monday again, which is a bummer. My schedule doesn't seem awful though! Luckily, I did get quite a bit of writing done on the second novel. I'm nearly complete with Chapter 15! I have a feeling this novel is going to be longer than Secrets and Keys, and that came to be about 250 pages in printed form (which unfortunately I do not have available at this time). I'm sure no one will mind a longer novel though! I just have so many ideas that all need to be tied in, but it's getting there.

That's all I have for this post. Be on the lookout for updates, and I will for sure make another reminder for the next free promotion if you missed yesterdays. As soon as I pick the last three free days, I'll let you know as well! If you read Secrets and Keys, I'd love to hear feedback from you. So leave me a comment here or on Amazon! Thank you again for making yesterday so exciting!! =]

Get Ready!

Guess what? In just a few short hours, Secrets and Keys will be up on Amazon for FREE! It's only for 24 hours, so make sure you act fast! No worries if you miss it though. The next free promotion will be on January 12th! I'm so excited to get this novel out there. Random fact: I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I used to write fanfiction. I wrote fanfiction a LOT, and I loved to get stories out for free as more people would read them. It's always exciting to connect with an audience, and share a story they enjoy reading. That's the only downside to publishing on Amazon, that I can't always offer my novel for free. My novel isn't fanfiction either, so I had trouble finding a good home for it. This is why I am so excited for tomorrow and I'm hoping for good results!

Keeping this short and sweet today, as I just wanted to put up a reminder. Hopefully I'll have more next time! =]