Sweet mercy. Alright. Both Snow & Blizzard are on IngramSpark, available to be ordered for Paperback. I’ll say this: I rather prefer Createspace’s dashboard. However, IngramSpark will get me to vendors who could sell my book in a physical store…perhaps Createspace had that, but I did not find anything so directly expressed as with IngramSpark-so I’ve signed up, paid with a part of my liver (you only need a shaved off portion), and am waiting for the healing process (sales) to occur. If it does. Yes, I am feeling pessimistic here, and nervous, and would Love for my books to be on physical shelves. I’ve signed up for the distribution list to the over 7k vendors who could possibly set my books on their shelves. Advertising, marketing, heck just getting the ISBN all costs money. Maybe I’ll become a prostitute, and write stories about this other life I would lead, where my name is “Bubbles Galore”. I’ll tell you all how I came up with that name another day-it’s actually just cute and funny, 99% clean.

Onward I go, working hard to make this work.

The Labor Day Holiday is upon us, and what better way to kick it off than to enjoy getting your Free ebook copy of Blizzard?
This promo runs from September 1st-5th, you can get the ebook copy of Blizzard for FREE on Kindle during this limted time offer! Spread the news, share the word, enjoy the book ;)!

https://www.ibpa-online.org/news/416113/Whats-Going-On-with-CreateSpace-and-KDP-Print.htm

This was in my e-mail. By the way, if you are an Indie Author I would Highly recommend you join IBPA-online.org, as well as ReadersFavorite.com (Reader’s Favorite has The best resources regarding publishing and marketing for Indie Author’s that I’ve researched thus far!). Personally, this makes me a bit angry. I see that everything happens for a reason-I was just starting reviewing utilizing IngramSpark instead. The feeling I get from this move is Amazon forcing author’s hands to use KDP selectively, which is unrealistic for all the other vendors available it hinders that distribution. I want my books available to as many people, through as many vendors as humanly possible!

It leaves me feeling short-changed. *Sigh* Change is inevitable, though, eh? Anyway, just wanted to share the news in case anyone else hadn’t heard, yet!

There are so many things that can occur in a person’s life, and only so much one person can handle! My mother has scarlet fever, both my children have at least 1 virus-my son has 2, and the second is the worst, and I’ve been dealing with a root canal for over the last month that inflamed another, more delicate tooth. While that is just about under control now, I have at least today left to care for my son from home before returning to the office tomorrow. On top of it all, I decided as of Monday before last that joining Match.com would be a Great idea-don’t ask me why, dating in general is a great atrocity in our “modern” times-and feel all the possible insecurities of old, and many new. Not the best experience, truly.

In the meantime, my body has been fighting to get back to normal after two surgeries Friday before last, and I didn’t really get any set answers for all the problems I’m having. I can see it clearly, right now, that the problems I have they probably haven’t even been figured out. The medical community is constantly discovering new diseases, problems, issues, fixes that I’m just disappointed for now on no clear answers at the moment.

Now…two things on my plate that are vital to this year. First, for my current career, is getting my Certification in the SSYB (Six Sigma Yellow Belt). Yes, that does take priority, but I am holding off on my studies until October 1st, I just work better under a time constraint. Second, and this takes priority in my personal life (though you wouldn’t know it at the moment…), writing Hail. *slides hands down eyes to cheek and chin* Yes, I can write for the next month. I must…I have a lot of work to get through, but why-oh-why am I struggling so much? I feel this need to read more than write at the moment, and I keep looking the ACOTR book set I bought.

Oh, and somewhere I’m supposed to be able to resume exercising to work on losing weight, again. All these medications I have been taking removes that option, unless I desire to be a Safety Moment.

*Hint hint, nudge nudge, I don’t

I will suggest an improvement for WordPress.com, allow for modification of text Exactly where it’s at, not for entire Paragraphs. Seriously, the Font options here are a pain.

It’s finally in! The Reader’s Favorite Review for Blizzard, check it out Here!

I understand, now, why it’s been so hard for me to work on writing this book, Hail. Beyond my health issues, those finally resolved and those to be, beyond work and family. It hurts, this part that I must write hurts my heart for my characters, and for myself. These are pulling from personal experiences and it means reliving these emotions and that…is difficult. Yet, it’s also therapeutic. What better to write than of those things which we ourselves have so keenly felt and experienced? I believe the best possible advice to ever give and receive is to write about what you know. Something that I discovered was that it does not have to be in the same context, as it was presented to me originally.

The thing to love about writing fantasy, or any fiction, is that you can write it in a way that can still be comprehended, can still touch your reader’s hearts, but in an environment of your own making. One that does not have to be exactly as you experienced, yet remain relatable. Writing those things which are most difficult can be beautiful and heart breaking, but those are the most important to write about, in my opinion. It is a hurdle I am working on overcoming, but I do pray it properly translates and my reader’s understand its intent. Personally, when I have read those stories that I have too closely related to, I have been most thankful for. Connection to other people, whether in this real life we live, or the fictional one we read/write is a powerful tool.

This means, at the end, that I am writing, FINALLY. I am making progress, and now feel and understand that I can make it through this part.

Received a review I had been waiting on, such praise! There are others for Blizzard I need to post, but Here is the one from Reader’s Favorite!

Something I’m going to join in on is sharing my books to the public as much as possible. Specifically utilizing the Little Free Library! Hopefully this can help some of my fellow indie authors one way or another, follow this link Here! There is one in my neighborhood and plenty around my area, it’s a wonderful idea that I’m sure others have no doubt heard of, my son has borrowed a book that he truly enjoyed.

Anybody have thoughts they would like to share? Free marketing, you just deposit your books, and it doesn’t hurt to donate to keep the movement going _^!

Snow has been down from Netgalley for almost a week, now. However, it has been made to match the other sites on Amazon, and is Free! This happened over the past week, so if you use a Kindle you can now get Snow for Free on ebook! I plan to leave it as Free on all ebook formats 😊.

Today I have started my work on Hail once more, the story is beginning to weave together. It’s such a rush, working on my book and the words forming their imagery, what’s to come, the knowing! I love it, and I can’t wait to share the conclusion of the Black Ice Trilogy! I am a bit nervous knowing the size will be more than even Blizzard, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s tying that ribbon on the package, finishing touches💗!

I wish I was more adept at writing about these things, those which are the most difficult to address. This week has been turbulent, to say the least. Monday I received news I would no longer have to worry about the cancer threat, something I have been battling for 12.5 years. That long, and Monday rolled around that…No more. I was clear, the last test over the past year came back clear. It was a day for utter joy for me! I walked around the halls of the office I work in, in a state of complete bliss. That weight had been lifted, life was wonderful. Tuesday came, I enjoyed my day, had good lunch and conversation with friends and wondered about where a coworker and friend was, thinking how I was glad that one person I could not stand had brought her and another to our company. Ironic, I had mused, that someone I had come to hate knows so many good people, when they themselves are what I consider scum. Still, that thought crossed my mind as I thought about when I would get to speak to this particular friend and coworker whom I had not seen this week.

Wednesday comes, it was a day for me to see another doctor for another set of health issues that I hope to resolve more easily than the other issues. A mandatory meeting invite is sent out, but I’m not in the office to attend in person. No call in number. No notes. I see one of my friends, also a coworker, online and ask her what the meeting was about, and she writes it out so simply, states it so plainly I couldn’t breathe. The coworker I had been thinking about the day before, that happy, young, smiling, laughing, beautiful, sweetheart of a woman…she passed away, Sunday evening. It was a simple sentence, structure straightforward, and yet such a complicated entanglement of emotions and reality it crushed me as I began to undergo the motions for the 5 stages of grief: Denial/isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I’m a little between depression and acceptance, I think. The thought how we had just spoken only a few days before keeps hitting me like a tidal wave, yesterday was my first day back in the office and I couldn’t stand the thought of sitting here at my desk. Her desk is one row over, I see it every time I get up to go Anywhere. It’s that shock and stark realization that is always a subtle understanding in the back of one’s mind: we can die at any time, anywhere. Anyone. So why does it take something such as this to shake us down and demand our attention? To make us look at our friends and family, our loved ones and hold them tight the way we should, call them more, check in, take care in every way?

I was lucky in the fact that I was at home, I was able to be a complete mess and cry in that uninhibited manner. Majority of my coworkers did not have that luxury, they had to go through the day, work, and all feeling/believing they had to contain their sorrow. In these situations, I’m not good at doing that. Aside from firmly believing moments such as those should not be forced down inside, hidden away. That’s simply unhealthy. It’s harmful. Worst part is, when I went to leave, I saw a woman going into the bathroom and for just a split second, the briefest moment, I thought it was her. Such a tiny speck in time, but it snapped against my heart and I had to collect myself, take a moment to remember we would never see her happy, smiling face. Then, the part that is unbelievable despair is the pain her family must be experiencing. No parent should outlive their child, but there it is. Yes, it happens all over the world, all the time. Children of parents lost at any age. I started praying immediately, angry as I was, confused, I had to, personally. Her mother, her family, they need healing that I cannot give. All I can do is offer my condolences and prayers, and be thankful that I knew her even this brief span in life that I have.