The Coast, Best of Halifax, 2016!!!

N

Outside the Box

The bonus of being a writer is you can sit alone at your desk or Starbucks table or library corner and talk to imaginary people. I'm sure it's a stereotype but I fit it: Authors are all introverts who shudder at the idea of public exposure and — eek! — real people. Mingling terrifies me. Strangers are scary - not in the boogyman way we're taught as kids but in the 'what if they hate me' way of middle school. (Maybe I'm mentally stuck there, and that's why I like to write YA?)

But books don't promote themselves... books are shared.  I'm not talking about sales - I will (and have) spend more money than I make to get my books 'out there'. I'm talking about reaching more readers, getting into hands and thoughts of people who will enjoy the story and think about it after the last page. That kind of promotion. They are shared from reader to reader in a way that, in a writer's greatest hopes, extends out picking up momentum as it goes. The best advocate to push that snowball is the author. (Wait, no, the best one is Oprah, but that's just a pipe dream). So... the very stereotypical nature of the author is actually counter intuitive to the very way the process needs to be done.

Since I'm not with a big time publisher who has a budget and team for marketing, the marketing team is me and the budget is el zippo. So I need to Talk To People.

This one just makes me laugh :D

Bookends

February first was my last post and here we are at the end of February... Not good blog consistency!

I'm sitting at my desk on a rare Wednesday. It's not a snow day, I just had a slow morning at my day job and decided to stay home a little later and get some writing done instead.

Book launch is in four days!!! I've got the books, I've got my list if preorders, I'm compiling the door prize in my head, I've got the cake ordered and the library space booked - all I need is the peeps. Time slips by so fast, it's hard to believe the launch is almost here when it seemed so far away at one point.

I've fallen into rambling... Off to do some real writing.

N

Egads!

I did it.

I ordered books.

A lot of books.

I had to fill the pre-orders from the Indiegogo campaign.

I ordered some for the Chapters in New Minas who has agreed to carry it, and a few extra for other Chapters.

I ordered some to have available at the book launch, and a couple for the library since they're hosting.

I ordered a few as gifts, and a few in the name of 'hope' that I'll need a few more than expected.

Can't wait til the big box comes.

N

Blog Tour! A visit with Portia Adams!

Angela Misri, creator of the fabulous Portia Adams, has the first stop on the #GoodReads book tour!

You can read her kind words about It Should Have Been a #GoodDay here.

Check out other parts of her blog to learn about Portia's mysteries and her fascinating connection to the Sleuth Sherlock himself.

N

Proof

Lookie here:

What this young sir is holding is a PROOF of my upcoming release It Should Have Been a #GoodDay! It came for my review in the mail yesterday - and holding a hardcopy paperback of a real live book that came all the way from my brain is just as exciting the third time as the first and second.

But I don't get the word "Proof". I guess it's short for "proof-reading" or something. Right? Maybe? Professor Google says proof can be defined as "a trial print of something" which fits.

But I associate this kind of Proof with the first-listed definition:

This is Proof.

Proof that this book is real. This publication is happening. Proof that I have a book. That I wrote a book. That I write.

See what I did there?

N

Last Day, New Year

It's the last day of 2015... the eve of a new year.

I'm compelled to write a blog but why?  What makes the turn from December 31 to January 1 any different than from January 31 and February 1? or June 4 to June 5? This milestone is an arbitrary, artificial one really, hyped by parties and greeting cards. Right? But it begs review of the year past and evaluation of the year to come.

In 2015 my immediate family was blessed with all the important things - freedom, opportunity, passion, health and happiness. But we have many loved ones who have been challenged with poor health, tough choices and uncertainty. Aptitude was released and has done well with reviews and feedback.

So what comes in 2016? Lots of exciting things - It Should Have Been a #GoodDay comes out on my 40th birthday... people will turn 10, 12, 14 and 11 (and some bigger numbers). There will be job contracts, team tryouts, piano exams, school assignments and tests. Maybe even the Paralympics in Rio!

Honestly all indications show 2016 may be our toughest year yet... and I don't remember facing a year with that in mind. It's a bit daunting. But come it will and so we'll have to figure out how to navigate it together, as a family, as a team.

Best wishes for a Happy 2016!

N

This and That and the other thing

Starting out with this post, I suspect it'll be a bit rambly, and not only because I just took a head first dive into a door frame (frozen corn thaws way too quickly).

Here's one of my stressors these days:

There's pretty much NO WAY I'm going to read seven books by the end of December. It doesn't help that my next BookClub book is The Stand, which is apparently 17,000 pages long.

I've been wrestling with my WIP for months now and it just doesn't want to cooperate. I love the idea. I love the characters. I love the story. But it won't get out of my head into my computer. So I've shelved it... It is my full intention to come back to it because the idea that the story does not come out is very sad to me... It needs to be read, there's a magical, life force to it that is demanding an existence, but right now it's not breathing.

In it's place I've started another idea. I write long fiction because I don't come up with ideas easily or frequently. This one popped into my head a week or so ago and I figured it was worth listening to. I'll see where it goes.

Four days left on the Indiegogo campaign to preorder It Should Have Been a #GoodDay! Check it out, as there are options available for Christmas presents too!

Off to get more frozen veggies for the egg on my head :D

N

Casting call

I've cast the roles of Emily, Thomas, Brogan and Henry - my beloved in It Should Have Been a #GoodDay:'

 Brogan

Emily

Wait, how'd he get in there?

Thomas

Henry

Thoughts? Who'd you rather see?

Join the discussion on the Indiegogo page.

N

Very Noisy in Here

To be a writer, as I understand it, you have to be open to inner dialogue. There are a lot of voices competing for my attention - dialogues between characters, dialogues I have with myself...

I've been struggling with my WIP. A historical fiction type book with a unique narrator and POV. It's been a fight to get my ideas down on paper. I have the general idea of the story in my head, I have done some bullet outlining of events - both real historical happenings and story bits that coincide. I have the characters dancing about and shouting at each other. But it's like I'm watching it all through foggy glass so I can't see or hear the details.

And one voice in my head is saying "Just get down the general story, worry about the details and the specifics later." and another voice is saying "Wow, that really sucks. You don't have a story here, you can't call yourself a writer. And besides, you ate cake for breakfast, no wonder you're fat!" (yeah, that voice is an asshole, and gets the podium waaaaay too often).

I'm plugging away at it.

In happier news - Aptitude has received several positive and glowing reviews! I'm so happy people like the story! Someone even called it one of her 'favourite books of all time' (and it wasn't my mom).

The Indiegogo campaign for It Should Have Been a #GoodDay is doing fantastic and many people are preordering the book. I've raised some money for the Rehteah Parsons Society too! AND the cover reveal is on there - if you haven't seen it, go check it out. It's beautiful, if I do say so myself, fantastic work done by Valerie Bellamy at Dog-Ear Book Design.

Sooo, now I go write and try to silence the moron in my head.

Natalie

COVER!

Head on over to the Indiegogo campaign to see the COVER REVEAL! Under the 'Updates' is the video reveal :)

It's so beautiful, done by Valerie Bellamy at Dog-Ear Book Design.

N

New News! New Book News!

Today marks the start of my gearing up for my February release!!!

In February I turn 40. What better way to mark this milestone birthday than with a book birthday and a release party?

My third novel, It Should Have Been a #GoodDay is written, edited, proofed and ready to share. I'm turning it over to an excellent designer, Valerie Bellamy at Dog-Ear Book Design for her to work her magic to make the inside LOOK as awesome as the story sounds. She has already produced a beautiful cover, which will be revealed SOOOON!

I had great experiences publishing Game Plan and Aptitude with Fierce Ink Books. I've made great friends and fantastic professionals through them. That said, I wanted to see what this 'self publishing' is all about. I've used a lot of my professional contacts from my first two publications to build a publishing team that took my little story and made it a real, live, novel. I was excited to work again with Allister Thompson and Colleen McKie and it was great to meet Valerie!

But all that professional support costs money. I've launched an Indiegogo campaign that will let you guys get first dibs on pre-orders and help me pay for making this book awesome. Check it out! And share it with your peeps!

#GoodDay Indiegogo Campaign

N

A little birdie told me...

I've just spent the last fifteen minutes gazing at my calendar. It's hypnotic, all those squares of different colours, overlapping and competing. September is nutty: hockey tryouts, swimming and music start up swirled in with regular work. My old ladies ball team is trying to make up for a summer of rain outs during the month of September.

I need a clone or seven.

I secured a copy editor for my February release. Copy editors are a rare breed of bird, someone who can look at lines and lines of text to make sure the periods are all where they should be. Well and a little more than that. I'm not sure how they don't have permanently crossed eyes.

Today is about twits. Well no, tweets. I just think it's funnier to call them 'twits'. I need to improve the twits — tweets —that act as scaffolding for my story. I find it challenging to write authentic twits, especially those that may be posted/shared by YA. I'm ancient enough that I still type out every word, text in complete sentences. Throughout editing Game Plan and writing my next two novels (especially this one) that has probably been my biggest challenge to make the story accurate for the audience - the use of social media as a tool of communication. It has also had the biggest payoff when I finally get it right.

Intrigued? Stay tuned.

N

Reluctant Post

It's Friday. I typically post here on Mondays and Fridays, so pattern suggests I should post something.

But posting something will bump other posts down, so the last post - Monday's - won't be at the top. Move on. Move past. It brings out my inner toddler - I want to kick my feet and scream 'don't wanna!'

I've had four nights of uninterrupted sleep. No trips outside, no requests for a snack, a water top up, no restless 'I-don't-know-what-I-want' wanderings. I'd rather be tired. I poured my cereal this morning without being stared at. Or barked at. Without having to explain that cereal is for people and you've already been fed. It's a lab thing.

And I'll be able to sit in my chair all morning and get stuff done without getting up a hundred times to  open doors, fill water bowls, move beds, scratch ears. I'm sure I'll get lots done, right? If I can turn off my heart.

In the weird world of timing and coincidence my task today is to work on my new story. Both Aptitude (September release with FIP) and Henry (Indie release in February) are back to editors to be spruced up so I'm free to move on. Move on.

Sure. I'll get right on that.

N

Creative Drive

I've spent the past several days editing my indie pub coming out in February... Guys, I can't wait til I can share this story with you! I think it's a worthwhile, powerful story... I can't wait to hear what you think of it.

I've been dabbling in other creative activities... drawing and colouring again. I can remember always doing three things: playing baseball, writing and drawing. All three kinda went by the wayside with babies and toddlers and new companies and such, but they're creeping back in. Or pushing their way back in. I started writing again when we were adopting AnnaWen, then started in earnest with my Nov 2013 release, Game Plan. I started playing ball again last year with a great group of women who don't really care how many errors are made on the field so long as we're trying and having fun (which is really good b/c my 19 year old ballplayer self would be pretty embarrassed of my present day ball playing self). And now over the past couple of months I've started to draw again and it feels great! I'm looking at opening an Etsy shop to sell prints and am already collecting some peeps on Facebook.  Check it out!

Some may think writing and drawing are two different things... I think they're drawn from the same source of creation, of making ideas become real of giving breath to people or colours to animals and sharing those with others. It's a powerful source and I'm glad it's been forcing its way out again.

N

Something cute...

I didn't get to this today... between blood donation to the CBS and to my editing I'm out of time!

I'll leave you with these cute laughs:

N

Five Stages of Editing Response

Research has demonstrated that there are specific stages of grief, though Google is undecided on whether there are five or seven of those stages.

I think there are stages to editing feedback. You send work out to an editor because, lets face it - self editing is a joke. The intent is for the editor to, um, edit it and point out areas that need improvement, make suggestions, identify weaknesses. But while that's the point I think it's every author's hope that that editor will actually write back "Holy Cannoli this piece is perfect! Don't change a thing!" 

I got my edits for #GoodDay back yesterday. Here are the stages of reaction to editing feedback:

1. Impatience - happens throughout the period of time in which the editor has your work. Symptoms include poorly hidden requests for updates ("What have you been doing today?") and flat out demands for reassurance ("It doesn't suck too bad does it?"). This stage lasts exactly until the point of the manuscripts return at which point the writer zaps directly into the second stage.

2. Indifference and Procrastination - even though you've spent the last several weeks thinking about nothing but the document, once the document arrives you immediately have forty seven other things you have to do right then and there is no opportunity to open the document and look at the editing. This stage can be fleeting or go on for hours.

3. Holy F#%k, I'm F*#ked - once the document is open, regardless of the level of editing, any and all suggestions look like monumental obstacles of penance and dire punishment. The thought of starting any of them is so impossibly daunting that the logical course of action is to forget the whole f@&king thing, crawl into a hole somewhere and curl up in the fetal position because you're not worth anything and no one likes you and who the hell said you could write anything anyway?

4. Suck it up, Buttercup - depending on the depth of the hole dug in stage three, this stage may take a very long time. Rereading and rereading and rereading the edit suggestions bangs them down from a vile dream destroying monster to a series of annoying, gnats. Giant gnats with disgusting breath and sharp teeth, but gnats just the same. During this period the writer climbs out of the hole and puts her tears away and tries to act like an adult by organizing and addressing each gnat as it presents itself.

5. Reverence - this stage comes on slowly, gnat by gnat, as the writer realizes (or probably rerealizes, that doubting nutter) that the editor is in fact a genius and each suggestion is a tiny angel sent from the beyond to lift the story to a new level of brilliance. (This is also the stage in which the writer feels slightly guilty for putting their own name on the cover and not the editor's - but that's a whole other series of confidence gymnastics)

I'm editing #GoodDay today and am trying to dig out of the hole into the field of buttercups. Think of me and send me healing vibes.

N