We discussed what the week is all about and those involved. We talked about how we became indie, our experience, and tips for those considering it, and to help those already with books out.
Were there any bloopers?
Going live is terrifying as there’s a fear something will go wrong. But, it builds skills in handling these. Here is what happened:
Kids: I had a few issues getting the kids to bed, so I was cutting it fine when I logged on. I used Stream Yard several times last year for my book launch without issues so I wasn’t too worried as I know it’s super simple. But…
Camera & Mic undetected: I logged on and Stream Yard couldn’t detect my camera or microphone- WTF! This is not what you want when you are about to host a live event. I switched browsers and it still wasn’t happening. It must be my laptop, because when I tried my mobile, it worked!
Unprepared: I wasn’t prepared to go live using my mobile. I had my event notes on my phone – eek! I also didn’t have a stand ready. Although my hubby snuck one over to me a few minutes in when he realised I was struggling to keep it steady. I think I did a good job of keeping the questions going without my notes.
No Link/On screen text: Next up, one of my guests hadn’t got the link to attend. It was in our group chat but for some reason was hidden from her. I accidentally added her cry for help to the screen for everyone to see. I didn’t realise until way into the stream, so you can see it for most of the live.
Lagging & Crashing: Cassidy’s iPad kept lagging making it hard for her to keep up with the chat, and we were rabbiting on. It also kept dropping her. She switched to her laptop and then it was much better.
Here are my Instagram pics introducing each of my guests:
Hello my mermaid loving readers. It’s the month of mermaids and MerMay 2021 is going to be MerMazing!
Readalong with Hannah Read
Author Hannah Read has created a MerMay readathon for May! She has encouraged people to get her novel Tenebrasco and set chapter goals throughout the month, so we can read along together.
As a mermaid fiction author myself, this sounded like so much fun. I’ve downloaded the book to my Kindle and despite being a slow reader I will try my best to keep up.
Follow #MerMayReadalong , #PearlWielders & @hannah.reads on Instagram.
I have been developing my technical skills to produce digital products. I decided to share my Book Tracker as a free download from my Ko-Fi Shop.
In addition, I’ve posted a link there that enables Ko-Fi fans to download Ocean Heart for free from Google Play ALL month.
It’s Free to follow me on Ko-Fi, so why not? That way you can enjoy the freebies and won’t miss out on future freebies.
Apple iBooks
ITunes Connect’s webpage is currently not loading on the page that allows new authors to join. The technical team have apologised for the issues and are working on resolving these.
Update: 30 May, I managed to create an author account but I think I have to wait 24h to add a book. So maybe later this month I’ll be on Apple. ?
Ocean Charity
I want to donate to an Ocean charity. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for ages and there are so many good ones out there.
I recently watched Seapiracy on Netflix and it reminded me of how crucial the ocean is to all of us.
This month I will pick a charity and donate. Let me know if you have any recommendations.
Here’s my Camp NaNo writers diary for the first half of Camp NaNo.
This post contains a few bookshop.org affiliatelinks.
Weds, 31 March
Camp NaNo Eve I attended the first of World Indie Warriors IG Lives. J D Groom & Cassidy Reyne are the hosts and introduced their own Camp NaNo projects.
WIW are also doing snippet challenge on IG to give people an excuse to share her the projects they are writing.
Each week there is a prompt, and you post a snippet from your WIP on that theme. I’m a rebel and posting on different days. But, I’m determined to do them all within April.
Thurs, 1 April
I caught a Writing Sprint on Facebook hosted by @unstoppableauthors . It helped me make a good start on my goals, achieving 1k words. I’m going to look out for this sprint next week.
The sprint was hosted by Urban Fantasy author H B Lyne and dystopian author Angeline Trevena. Both also have published writing resource books.
Friday, 2 April
Busy day today. I took my son to play in the garden of a friends house. It was really cold and we couldn’t go inside due to the pandemic rules.
My husband found my long lost Kindle. It needs charging but I’m so happy to have it back.
I managed to write 500 words today. I am so close to the end now but took a break as I’m struggling to picture the big fight scene.
I finished reading A Heart of Salt & Silver. Look out for my full review next week. A short version is already on Goodreads, Litsy, and Amazon.
Saturday, 3 April
Spent the evening going through the list of people I follow but don’t follow me back to decide if I want to unfollow them.
Sunday, 4 April
I went to Homebase to get paint for some redecorating we’ve been talking about for ages.
Didn’t feel well so I went to bed early. Good news was my Kindle is charged, so I watched The Wilds on Prime.
Monday, 5 April
I cleared out my son’s bedroom and did masking tape. His room was the first we decorated when we moved in. At age 5, he peeled off the animal stickers as he said they were to babyish, and we promoted to redecorate… 2y later, we are doing it.
My son is a bit nervous about not sleeping in his room. He doesn’t like change. But, he’s excited to see his new grown up room tomorrow.
Still not feeling great, so had another early night. I didn’t write but I did a lot of research and practicing a new skill, that I’m hoping to sell one day. I was creative, but not with Sky Heart.
Tuesday, 6 April
Noah loves his new room. #Win
I had work all day today but managed to write 500 words for Sky Heart. I have roughly three major scenes to go but these are big ones and pretty tough. I’ll admit I feel intimidated.
I’ve done some brain storming for the big battle but still can’t see it clear in my head. I can however see the ending, so I may jump ahead to that.
Wednesday, 7 April
I worked more on my secret project. I also worked on prepping images for my IG feed.
This evening I watched the WIW Live with guest author Kara S Weaver. They chatted about editing, the different types, and why it’s important.
Thursday, 8 April
Today has been pretty chilled out other than my phone screen cracking.
I won a free call with Pagan Malcolm, who coaches authors to take their careers to the next level. I’m booked in next week, early Friday morning (although for her, I think it’s late). I’m not sure what to expect – should I get her to help with my battle, public speaking, or my secret project. Whatever we get up to, I’ll probably blog my experience.
I watched the replay of a masterclass I recently attended on how to write a 5 star ending. Then I watched a live author chat from the fantasy writers festival, QuaranCon2021.
Once the kids were in bed, I used an app to animate my characters created in Art Breeder, to sing. Author procrastination at its finest.
Then, I attended a writing chat and Sprint by Unstoppable Authors hosted by H B Lyne and Angelina Trevena, and wrote 478 words.
Friday, 9 April
This was a bad day. First, my 2 year old threw my mobile phone and the screen cracked. I use my mobile for everything but can’t afford to fix it, so I’ll have to carry on and hope it doesn’t get worse.
Then, I received news that my daughter isn’t getting a place at our chosen nursery. She was on a waiting list for morning sessions which fit around my work & childcare availability but they only have afternoon sessions. To accommodate that, I’d have to cut my working hours in half and not only is my employer unlikely to agree to that as it’d make travelling to my appointments within the time very challenging, but I also can’t afford to reduce my hours. I now need to find another nursery or quit my job. There aren’t many nursery’s nearby as most closed permanently during the pandemic for various reasons.
When I’m stressing about a problem I can’t write. I opened my manuscript and stared at the blank page before closing it and trying something creative. I worked on my secret project.
Saturday, 10 April
We decided that I’m no stressed enough, so we painted part if the front room. Every chance my 2y old got, she was “help painting”. It was exhausting keeping her away all day, and the house was freezing as we kept the windows open.
I did not write. My head is not in the right place.
Sunday, 11 April
So, my 2y old didn’t sleep. She was up at 3am. By 5am I gave up and she attempted to “Help painting.” I’m pretty sure I’m running on empty.
I did make progress on some blog posts and have drafted two Behind the Book posts that I now just need to proofread and schedule. I probably won’t get to this until next weekend.
I also helped my 7y old son to create a cute Woodland scene for school. We borrowed my mum’s Cricut Maker and he created his die cuts in Canva, and I helped him add them to Cricut. I then helped with sticking them down where he told me, while he painted. We spent over two hours on it.
I’m so frustrated. I want to write the fight scene for Sky Heart but it’s not coming to me. I didn’t want to waste my time, so I worked on my secret project.
Monday, 12 April
I’ve found two nurseries that might be able to take Aria. Fingers crossed I can sort this out so I can feel more settled.
I spent most my day playing with Aria, and tidying up. I also completed most of the application form for one of the nurseries.
I accidentally forgot to charge my laptop so it was taking ages to come on even with the charger in. I decided to watch some TV with my hubby.
Tuesday, 13 April
I worked all day today.
Then, in the evening I wrote 192 words. It doesn’t sound like much but I finally had a breakthrough with the difficult scene and can see it now!
Wednesday, 14 April
I worked today, and by the time the kids were in bed, it was already 9pm. I attended the World Indie Warriors IG Live. Today the guest speaker was Michelle Raab, chatting marketing, writing dystopia, and psychology.
This year, I’ve really struggled with creating my goals. The problem is there’s so much I want to do but where to start?
I know if I have too many plates spinning, they’ll all crash. As I’m writing this it’s January 1st and I’m finally choosing my goals after agonizing over them for two weeks. And… I may still tweak them before this post goes live.
Personal
Skincare routine: Over the years, I’ve tried loads countless products and I’m constantly changing my routine. During 2021, I plan to finalise my skincare products which I think will benefit my skin.
I hate waste so I need to use up products I already have, and it also depends on money too. I’ve already decided on the products and look forward to sharing these with you as I buy them.
Visit Hollowtree Farm: Fear of the virus and lockdowns reduced the number of places we visited. We even had a gift voucher for a fun day at the farm and never got to go. They’ve said it doesn’t expire so this is a priority for 2021!
Selfcare: I never have time to indulge in things like doing my nails or a face mask. So, I’m planning to reward myself with products to support this when I hit my other goals.
Writing
Sky Heart: This is the BIG one. I want to finish book 2 in the Soul Heart series. But… there are many steps to a published book so this will likely take me all year.
For accountability, I’m going to tweet my progress every Sunday.
Novella1: I’m working on two novella’s but I want to finish “Denny’s story” first. I’m thinking of using it as a readers magnet.
Novella2: This project will be on standby and only worked on if I’m waiting on stuff for the other writing projects. This is ”Luna’s story”. I’m still working on the titles of my novellas.
Ocean Heart: I have ideas to do something special in Mer-May. But, I can’t say more until I’ve figured out the details.
Reading
10 Books: Yes, it sounds low but when I’m busy on a writing project I only read a chapter or two a night making my progress very slow. 2020 I only just hit my goal of 12 books. ?
I do only record fiction books but I also read a few non-fiction books on writing. I’m hoping to review these on my YouTube channel this year, as well as other bookish content.
I will keep posting my reviews to my blog, Goodreads, Amazon, Book Bub, Litsy, if able to. I will track my reading goal on Goodreads.
Goodreads/Litsy/Book Bub/Book Sniffer: I’ve used Goodreads for a few years but never been very active. I hope to improve that and get better at using the other reading social apps. Which brings me on nicely to my next goal…
Social Media
Website update: I’m going to quarterly review my website content to check it is up to date. And, update during that month.
Shop: Okay, it’s not social media but it is connected to my website. I’m trying to create a shop on my website but struggling. I will master it! I mastered moving my website during my book launch.
Trial Canva Pro: I love Canva and been tempted to pay for the pro version. But now there’s a scheduled too. It would be incredible to have everything in one place.
I bought Planoly during my book launch so I could schedule videos and carousels on IG. There’s been a few occasions it hasn’t posted, so I’m tempted to try other schedulers.
Consistently Post: This went really well this year for my blog and Instagram. I want to continue it and add YouTube and Twitter to my goals.
Blog: Mon, & Thurs
IG: Mon, Weds, & Fri
YT: Tue (fortnightly)
Twitter: Sun
Newsletter: end of month (was every other month)
Followers/Reviews: I’ve seen people track their followers growth. I’ve never done this but it’s a good idea. I will aim for a 20% increase over all platforms.
I’d love to reach 10k on Instagram as it opens up certain features but it feels still too far out of reach. Until I worked out what 20% was, I was thinking of aiming for 5k by June. I think 4687 is more realistic and although social media helps with marketing my passion is writing.
My Facebook page has been around longer than my group. The Soul Heart Readers group was created in October to help with Ocean Heart’s release. I’m hoping members will stick around for Sky Heart – I’ll need BETA and ARC readers later this year.
I use Parler the same way I use Twitter, and really like the platform. My numbers grew fast when I first joined but has now slowed down. It’ll be interesting to see which of the two platforms has more growth in 2021.
My YouTube channel is very new, I’m not sure how fast it will grow. I’ll also be posting to Odysee to try out the new platform – I’ve not used it yet. Over the Christmas break, I created a new Intro & Outro which I’m looking forward to using.
Reviews: I have a page on my website where I’ve collected my favourite reviews of Ocean Heart, and directed readers to where the original can be found.
Reviews are really important for a books visibility, so I will be tracking how many I have and – eek – remind my readers to leave reviews.
January Goals
Listing my goals for only this month looks like a lot. Eek ?
Personal
Record unboxing of Naturismo box (then start using products)
Writing
Sky Heart: Write 5k per week – track progress on Google sheet. Share progress on Twitter/Parler for accountability
Reading
Set annual reading goal on Goodreads
Finish reading Cinderella is Dead (paperback) – track progress on Goodreads
Finish reading Winter Trials (eBook) – track progress on Goodreads
Social Media
Update website content
Add shop to website
Blog & IG: Create January content & make a start on February content (aim to always be two weeks ahead)
Record, edit, schedule two YouTube/Odysee videos
Try out Canva pro – if scheduler is good, cancel Planoly
OCEAN HEART is my debut novel, my first ever book launch. I’m trying to make it as difficult as possible for anyone to not know about my awesome novel being released into the world.
I’m fortunate enough to have a place on Pagan Malcolm’s Storyseller Academy self paced course. One of the modules talks about the many ways you can market your book. She’s very motivational, getting people to be brave and push themselves to achieve more. I brainstormed different opportunities open to me and then reached out to people.
Getting these events organised is taking up most of my time at the moment. I’m not getting much reading or writing done. But, as scary as it is saying “Look At My Book,” it’s also incredibly important. And, very exciting!
Book Blitz (2-6 NOV)
Kicking off today is the Ocean Heart Book Blitz by Expresso Tours. Participants will be showing off excerpts from Ocean Heart and details of my preorder giveaway. You may see it popping up on the web and if you do, let me know.
Here are the list of participants. Do you recognise any?
Blog Tour (24-30 NOV)
Yay! Some lovely author friends have offered to write blog posts to spread the word of Ocean Heart in the lead up to my Release.
Indie Fire (28 NOV)
This is a festival that celebrates Indie Publishing. In previous years is has taken place in Bradford but this year it is online due to Covid.
I’m not a guest. I helped out in the background to put their brochure together. As a thank you, I am also featured in the brochure and got a free ticket.
If your a writer, check out the workshops. For £20 it packs in A LOT! And with lifetime access to the content.
A brand new indie writing and publishing conference, focusing on sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.
An entire day of virtual writing and indie publishing workshops and panel discussions. Plus, a special recording of The Unstoppable Authors Podcast!
• Saturday 28th November 2020 • All ONLINE! • Tickets £20 each
I have managed to get myself an interview on Felixstowe radio. I’m hoping the local listeners are going to enjoy hearing about a novel set in their quiet coastal town.
I’ll be live on 30 Nov between 1pm and 4pm. Discover Felixstowe radio and tune in, here.
Live Author Chats (20 OCT, 3 NOV, & 17 NOV)
To trial Stream Yard, some fellow authors have agreed to some live chats with me.
Then, I will be going live on 1 Dec to celebrate the official release day of Ocean Heart. I will also announce the preorder giveaway winner.
To thank all the awesome people that purchased Ocean Heart on eBook or paperback between 1 Oct and 30 Nov, I will be inviting them to enter my preorder giveaway. Winner announced during the live on 1 Dec.
To enter and for full details of this giveaway visit my giveaway page.
Book Signing (non-contact)
I’m ecstatic that I managed to arrange this despite the current situation.
Those local to Felixstowe can preorder Ocean Heart from our local bookstore, Stillwater Books, and they will order it in.
I will visit just to sign the books. Due to Covid, this needs to be a closed event (nobody will be there, but me in a face mask, and the shop keeper).
Local customers can then collect their signed copy from the store or have it delivered to their doorstop.
Rose’s & Dreams Christmas Advent Countdown
Authors Rose English & Maria Gibbs have arranged a Christmas advent to showcase indie authors in the lead up to Christmas. This advent is good for your health and will only feed your bookish curiosity.
Set up like an advent calendar, you visit each day in December to discover a new indie author & book. Ocean Heart will be hiding behind one of the doors and I’m excited to discover the other indie authors/books taking part.
I got an invitation from Instagrammer @inspire.withkhadija to be a guest on her show Author & Me.
About Khadija Masreef
Khadija Maaref is author of the book Muslim Women in Western Society. Her book is full of motivational and inspirational speeches, from a well travelled woman that has experienced many cultures.
Khadija continues her inspirational messages through her show Author & Me. During this show she hosts a live interview with a guest author.
She asked me various questions about when I started writing and why, and encouraged me to share tips that would help others.
I’m going to check out the other episodes. This a free resource for everyone & bound to be full of gems of wisdom from a variety of experiences and backgrounds. You can watch it here.
My Live
Do you want to see the whole interview… then, click here.
I was all prepared for it all to go wrong during my first attempt but it went surprisingly well. My first vids have areas for improvement but everyone has to start somewhere.
It must have been beginners luck…
I was all set to make my September videos. I got Aria down for her nap, set up a tidy space and hit record. I nattered the whole way through and then hit playback…
Silence…
My lips were moving, my face was animated but there was no sound.
I tried other recording apps on the iPad, I checked various settings but nothing would bring my audio to life. Yet, previous videos played fine.
I attempted a test recording.
No sound!
I switched to my mobile. Hit record. Hit Playback. I could hear my voice… And, I could hear Aria was up from her nap.
I’d wasted my full hour of free time on accomplishing nothing. To make matters worse, that was Aria’s last nap. We even had a few nights where she decided she didn’t even need sleep at all!
Evening Recordings
This leaves me no choice but to record in the evenings. I know this means the lighting won’t be good but it’s the only time I have, and I won’t be beat by a baby that won’t sleep.
I figured out how to set my mobile up to record – without a proper stand. I recorded my video. I hit playback and…. Yes, I had sound. Things are looking good.
I wanted to edit on the iPad as it has a bigger screen. I uploaded the video to my G-Drive but it wouldn’t let me download it. Apparently, my 5 minute recording is too big.
So, I emailed myself from my mobile, and opened the email & attachment on the iPad. It saved.
Oh, you’d think that was it but no, I got a brand new problem…
My video was pitch black! No sound & no picture! It was getting worse!
Aghhh!
I had no choice but to edit on my mobile. It took me longer and was more fiddly, but I was pleased with the end result.
The next nightmare was uploading it to YouTube. The upload button had gone in the app! I opened YT Studio in my browser which wasn’t mobile friendly. If I zoomed in, I couldn’t zoom out. I used the site in teeny-tiny-writing mode
I wrote my description and scheduled it for 7pm Tuesday evening and went to bed.
Video Cancelled
I checked it over in the morning & was proud of myself. I showed my hubby my creation.
He found it cringeworthy.
He wasn’t criticising me but… He hates being recorded; photo, video, sound, anything. And, in the background you can hear him chatting.
He begged me not to post the video and assured me I can make a better one. So, I cancelled it. The things you’ll do for love – right?
I was going to record in my lunch break, but my appointment over ran. Then, I was going to record after work, but my hubby needed a break. Then, I was going to record once the kids were in bed, but guess who doesn’t want to sleep tonight?
Oh, and did I mention, I still can’t figure out how to change my channel cover art…?
Oh well, there’s always tomorrow…
I will succeed! I will make my videos! And, it’s suppose to get easier… I mean – It WILL get easier.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the IT Crowd clips in this post. It has to be done when talking about IT issues. It was that or “Computer Says No”, from Little Britain…
This year, I am going to be publishing my debut novel. I will be blogging about how I’m getting on but the subscribers to my newsletter will often be the first to know big news and get exclusive offers.
Cover Reveal
I can see me sharing this on Instagram but in my newsletter I plan to share what went into the making of the cover.
Beta Readers
After the professional developmental edit (and self-edit), I want a last round of Betas to gauge how readers respond to the new version. These Betas will be the final seal of approval before I send my novel off for a line edit.
If you want to be amongst the first to read Ocean Heart then being a subscriber will tell you how and when you can become a Beta Reader.
Arc Readers
Once all is done, I will be looking for readers willing to write an honest review of my novel for release.
I’m hoping to share positive quotes from the reviews to help reach potential buyers once Ocean Heart is released.
I will be preparing a Press Kit for bloggers containing things such as the cover image, blurb and my author pic and bio for them to use.
Release Date
This will definitely be confirmed in my newsletter. Subscribers will be kept up to date with my publishing timeline. If for any reason there is a delay, subscribers will be the first to know.
Where to buy
Subscribers will know what formats Ocean Heart is available in and where it can be bought. I’m hoping to make it as easy as possible for everyone to access in a format that works for them.
Book Deals and Freebies
Whenever there is a special deal or discount, I will let my subscribers know. I also plan to create some bookish items to go with my books and hope to plan giveaways. Some of which will only be available to newsletter subscribers.
Exclusive Content
I have ideas to share with subscribers free short stories or poems from time to time. These may later become available to others and may even cost money. But, you, a subscriber, will get it first and for free!
Events
My news letter will often share details about what I have been up to but I hope in the future I will be able to tell my subscribers about what is coming up.
It still feels scary to think about but I want to be brave and do author signings and talks. I also enjoyed doing Facebook Lives last year and would love to let you know if I am hosting any other online events.
Want to know more?
I manage my newsletter using Mail Chimp and currently post towards the end of every other month. My next newsletter is planned for 25 Feb 2020.
The reason I send it out on the last Tuesday of every other month. This is to enable me time to write the letter and to do cool writery or bookish stuff to tell you about.
There is a possibility I will mail you more frequently, for example if there is important news like a discount that cannot wait until my next newsletter.
How to subscribe?
It is simple, just fill in this form to give your details and permission and you will be signed up.
Don’t worry, if you change your mind, you can unsubscribe but I cannot imagine you would want to.
You may have caught my last post of 2019 where I reflected on how last year went. As I welcome in the new year it’s time to set new goals. Oh my, some of these are big!
I’m always looking for ways to improve myself and to start the year I am changing up how I set goals.
Publishing – Jewel of the Sea
This is the big project of 2020. I have no idea how long things will take me as I have no benchmark to compare it to. I’ve set these deadlines to help keep my on track but I will need to check progress often to adjust deadlines as I figure out what is realistic.
Here is my rough outline of all the different things that need to happen if I want to release my book by June. I have a feeling that these goals are rather ambitious but there is no harm in trying.
JOTS = Jewel of the Sea; DITS = Diamond in the Sky
General Writing Goals
Here are my everyday writing goals.
Social Media
Blog (Word Press): Aim to post once or twice a week.
Instagram: Aim to post to feed every other day.
Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr: Continue to share links to my content on these platforms.
News letter: Aim to send out my newsletter at least once every other month.
Writing
Jewel of the Sea: Aim to publish my novel by June. See info graphic that breaks down activities required to achieve this.
Diamond in the Sky: Finish writing first draft in full. Start editing.
Festivals: Attend festivals:
London Book Fair
Felixstowe Book Festival
YALC
Bradford UK Indie Lit Fest
MK Lit Fest
Wow-Con
World Indie Warriors: Continue to be part of this awesome group. I loved making their brochure and if they’d allow me to do this again, I would love to do this.
Personal
Crafts: Make time at least once a week:
Planner: try different methods of managing my time and goals to find a method that works for me
Pocket letter: write another pocket letter
Scrapbook: Do at least one page
Crochet: Finish Aria’s blanket… I know, I feel awful that I haven’t finished it yet. I just need to tuck in the loose ends.
Read more: Last year I set the bar low at only 6 books. This year, I am going to double it and aim for 12 books. I know that isn’t many to some people but with everything else I have planned… I have got to be realistic.
Development
Editing course: Complete the Self Editing course provided by Willow Editing
Resource book: Buy and read a book to develop my writing craft.
What are your goals?
I shall review these throughout the year. I will likely need to check in on my big goal every month but the general goals I’ll do once every three months.