How do you expand an audience as a self published author, when you’ve reached your limits? For myself, I’ve begun looking at contests to enter my already published book, starting with Writer’s Digest! My submission will be sent off within the next two weeks, and my main goal is to be, at the very least, an honorable mention. Even that increases my reach to new readers. I know there are more out there, and I will continue to search. With Blizzard undergoing editing, and it’s planned and on schedule delivery for May publication, I’m working on building up steam to work on Hail!

Though, I’m fried and need a break at the moment-day job and writing career (dream/plan/goals) don’t always work well together, especially when this momma has to pay bills. For my fellow authors, what contests do you suggest or are considering?

Below is the one I am entering:
Writer’s Digest

I encourage other self published authors to enter <3!

I’ve made a change…and I feel good about it. I made the 3rd book in the Black Ice Trilogy title change to Hail, from Frost Bite. Seems I’ve reached my limit of ability to edit Blizzard at this point, as I have been burning my candle at both ends. Taking care of my son-he got a concussion just this past Monday and has had to be home, working from home in between, working on Blizzard, and I have a certification test I have next Wednesday that I still need to study like crazy for has been a bit much. Even for me.

As of just now, Blizzard has been submitted to my editor! So begins the next phase, and there will be two months of time for me to find a cartography program to create a map, and find the best tool for a timeline to be created! Open to suggestions here.

*As said before…I don’t own that image. I just love it.

Excitement is the key word of the day, today! I’ve received feedback from my core Beta Reader’s, and it has all been overwhelmingly positive! This has to be one of the best feelings as a writer, I think. Aside from making huge sales and getting a movie deal :D! Hahahaha Seriously, it wouldn’t hurt ;). Silliness aside, I’m doing one final pass through on my end this weekend before it gets submitted to my editor. It’s crazy to think how soon everything will be falling into place! Also, the book cover has been “finalized”, so I’m excited to share that here shortly.

Moving ahead…I already have plans on writing the second book, how it should start out. I’m eager to get to that, but really need to finish working Blizzard xD! And…reconsidering the title for the final book. It might need to be Frost Bitten as my sister previously suggested. We shall see, I think I will set up a poll for it!

I woke up Sunday morning with an idea for something additional to write that would not necessarily be part of the current trilogy, but act as a type of guide. The problem is, I cannot write about the details of it here, even though I want to, because Blizzard has not been released! It stems from Blizzard and would, I believe, be a fun little side bit for readers to enjoy. It made me so happy just to think about it! I can still work on it, and it will tie in with all three books in the end. However, it will not be a full-blown book. Hmm…considerations must be made, and it’s exciting to consider.

Truthfully, I never expected this to be the first books I published, let alone self-published. It takes me back a bit to know this was not how I planned to start out my (prospective) writing career! The first series I ever penned/typed was an epic fantasy novel that, even then, I recognized needed an overhaul. When I read Snow, even, there are things I wished I had done differently before receiving any feedback from the reader’s who now love, or dislike/hate, Snow. Blizzard is a major improvement, but when I think back to that first novel I wrote and completed my heart swells. I wrote the first, then began the second, and decided the second would be the first and I would do a major re-write of the first. That story found its own path in a slightly different method. That’s not entirely how I feel about Snow, only that there are things I would adjust now. I wouldn’t hold back as much as I did on points I wanted to expand upon, and Snow itself would probably grow about 30K words with the information and details I would include. That’s what experience brings. The knowledge of things that would be done differently. I know I could make changes to Snow, even now. That’s the beauty of self-publishing, to take it down and revamp (heh heh) the work to redistribute…but there’s a part of me that wants to retain the originality of what I produced. Granted my original will remain on my bookshelf (currently on my desk…next to my laptop as I continually edit Blizzard), it just feels like something sacred I should not mess with. Perhaps I’m being too sentimental too soon? That’s a question that’s haunting me at the moment…

How did I do it the first time? Not very well, I fear. This time around, with Blizzard, I cannot help but thank God for the people who have been involved as my Beta Reader’s! Such saving grace I receive from their help and participation. I will finish up all edits for Part I of Blizzard, and I already have feedback from one of my Beta Reader’s which I will go through as well. Otherwise, I am waiting to receive the final feedback from Part II of two of the reader’s. The feedback (minus comments-two have read it already, one remains :)!) has already been incredibly positive. A rising tide to meet the ending with the third book, which I plan to begin working on once Blizzard goes to my editor on the 12th of February!

Trying to get these all churned out and available to reader’s in a most efficient manner, while providing quality story/books!