Category: Updates
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The Hammer
Not long ago, I was busy slogging my way through the final proofreading phase of Core Haven, my serialized companion novel, & about to post some episodes on Kindle Vella for the first time. Then the Amazon Hammer came crashing down on that fledgling platform with a surprise announcement that the lights were going out…
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Surprise, Surprise
Nothing like putting the finishing touches on my first serialized novel, Core Haven, in preparation for launching it on Kindle Vella days before Amazon’s surprise announcement that they’re pulling the plug on that platform in February 2025. No worries, though. I’m still set to upload all 43 episodes of my companion novel set in the…
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After-Party
A recent thread I interacted with a bit on both Instagram & Threads has to do with some of the struggles independent authors face when it comes to self-promoting. During the last year & a half, I’ve grappled with coming out of my shell enough to even consider sharing my writing in any way other…
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Free-Range Reading
Happy New Year! In my last post, I mentioned coming down the homestretch of updating my first self-published novel a year and some change after its release. At that point, I’d finished all the items on my copyediting to-do list & was comfortable enough with the outcome that I added the following comment: ”Now that I’m…
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Push & Shove
Here’s to coming down the homestretch of updating my first self-published novel a year after its release. The process might seem pretty straightforward at first blush, but the gyrations involved sometimes bordered on the comical. First there was finding the latest, cleanest Word doc to match up with its Scrivener counterpart to convert to an…
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Detours & Shortcuts
Not a day goes by that I don’t see some reference or other to the mystical “writing process” on social media & in random ads, stories, or videos—often with a definitive the in tow. I’m the first to admit to occasionally giving unsolicited advice on a range of other topics, as well as seeking out…
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Good Ole #11
In my last post, I wrote about grappling with an unreasonable expectation that I’d launch my companion novel in serialized form on Kindle Vella this month. My love-hate relationship with deadlines dates back to my early days writing short stories before venturing into the world of novels & screenplays. After a brief stint exploring the…
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Me, Myself, & I
Nothing quite like coming to terms with an unreasonable expectation of my own making. At first blush, it might seem insignificant & easily fixed, but when I’m grappling with a self-imposed deadline, the hold on my psyche can be stubborn. I won’t go into the reasons behind setting this month as the launch date for…
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657 Times & Counting
In my last post (Relishing the Moment), I confessed to actually enjoying the copyediting stage of my current project in preparation for its launch on Kindle Vella this coming January. I realize more than a few writers dread this process above all others. (I wonder how many daydreams all the independent authors in the world…
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Relishing the Moment
In my last post (Deep Dive), I wrote about immersing myself in the copy editing phase of my WIP (work in progress). One week later, I’m nearly done pouring over Benjamin Dreyer’s excellent resource book Dreyer’s English & enhancing my old list of pitfalls to avoid. And yes, the revisions are piling up (over 300…
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Deep Dive
Have you ever found yourself reading a book & wishing you’d already done so a year or two before? Well, that’s my current experience with Dreyer’s English by Benjamin Dreyer, the managing editor & copy chief at Random House. His take on the dos & don’ts of copy editing is both insightful & hysterical. The…
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To Review Or Not To Review
Last week I finished my second book review on Goodreads (Nightshade Academy by Mel Torrefranca). My main motivation for doing so—as I wrote in the review itself—was to “expand my focus beyond my usual genres (in this case, into that of YA fantasy-thriller) and the tendency I have to avoid reading anything but standalone novels.”…
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Categorical Denial, Part II
In my last post, I described my two choices for addressing the new-to-me rule in KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) that restricts an independent author to three categories instead of choosing up to ten as I did with my first self-published novel, Pearl Fields & the Oregon Meltdown. Last week, I mentioned my two choices at…
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Categorical Denial, Part I
In my last post, I used the metaphor of spinning plates to describe how I feel about juggling everyday life with my writing routine—fiction, this blog, & social media posts. What I neglected to add to that brief list was the business side of being an independent author. No surprise there since I’ve been known…
