You must believe (IWSG)

When it comes to reaching goals or fulfilling dreams, the most important aspect is that you have to believe in yourself. It doesn’t matter if your dream or goal is writing related or not. If you want to achieve something, you have to believe that you can do it. You have to have faith in yourself. If you can’t believe or trust yourself, you can’t expect others to.

I know this because I don’t always believe in myself. I don’t always have confidence in my dreams or goals and wonder if I am truly talented enough to do what needs to be done. I don’t always believe that I have what it takes to do what I want. But every now and then I get a reality check and the feeling of trust and belief in myself kicks me in the face and before I know it, I am my own number one fan and cheerleader.

I’m not always the most confident person, but if I can believe in myself, so can you. 

The Insecure Writers Support Group was created by the wonderfully talented Mr. Alex J Cavanaugh, so that writers can share the insecurities they have with each other and/or encourage others who need support with their insecurities. You can visit Alex Here, or if you want to join us in discussing our insecurities on the first Wednesday of each month, you are welcome to join by going Here.

Free kindle reading app

I have been enjoying the free kindle reading app on my laptop and I think it is a wonderful invention. Before I had not used it because it didn't want to load unto any of our computers at home, so I thought that perhaps it didn't work because I was from South-Africa...Well I was wrong. Our browsers were outdated which was why we had been unable to download the app.

I now know what many of you had been referring to when you said you were buying too many books. Especially since you can buy everything with just one click. But mostly I am grateful that I can read some great books. I have a lot of catching up to do.

Warning for all internet users

Hey everyone. I had a really nasty experience the past few days, our router got hacked, regardless of the fact that we now have the best anti-virus program out there. While our router was hacked, it was impossible to go unto the internet and I am sorry that I didn’t respond to emails or blog posts.

As a warning to others, there are two messages doing the rounds on the internet at the moment. We are not sure whether this contributed to our router being hacked, or if this was a problem on it's own, but please be careful. They pop up when you want to access the internet.

• Your internet browser is outdated. Please upgrade (recommended).
• Your flashplayer is outdated. You must upgrade.

If or when you see these messages, do not click on it. Go to task manager (CTRL + ALT + DELETE). We had a specialist IT guy come in to fix the problem, which can be costly, but rather safe than sorry, right?  

 

We now have a great anti-malware program as well, just in case. The IT guy is figuring out a way to stop our router from being hacked again. So please people, be safe out there. 

Our Beautiful Child by Annalisa Crawford Cover Reveal

Title: Our Beautiful Child

Author: Annalisa Crawford

 Release date: 10^th June 2014

       Publisher: Battered Suitcase Press

“The Boathouse collects misfits. Strange solitary creatures that yearn for contact with the outside world, but not too much. They sit, glass in hand, either staring at the table in front of them, or at some distant point on the horizon.”

… so says the narrator of Our Beautiful Child. And he’s been around long enough to know.

People end up in this town almost by accident. Ella is running away from her nightmares, Sally is running away from the memories of previous boyfriends and Rona is running away from university. Each of them seek sanctuary in the 18th century pub, The Boathouse; but in fact, that’s where their troubles begin.

Ella finds love, a moment too late; Rona discovers a beautiful ability which needs refining before she gets hurt; and Sally meets the captivating Murray, who threatens to ruin everything.

Three women. Three stories. One pub.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I live in Cornwall UK, with a good supply of beaches and moorland right on my doorstep to keep me inspired. I live with my husband, two sons, a dog and a cat.

Despite my location, I neither surf nor sail, and have never had any inclination to try. I much prefer walking along a deserted beach and listening to the waves crashing over rocks. For this reason, I really love the beach in the winter!

Links:

Website // Blog // Twitter // Facebook // Pinterest  // Add to Goodreads

Thank you for always being supportive

Today I feel like the luckiest woman in the world. Thank you to all of the great people that commented or provided a kind email of help and support on my post from yesterday. An even bigger thank you to those who offered to help me with names of great editors. You guys really saved me from making a big boo-boo.

Thank you to the blogging community for being so awesome and supportive. I would not be able to function without you, trust me.

Can I get away with only using beta-readers or am I crazy?

I'm feeling a little conflicted today and I need your help, please. I have recently read a few books about self-publishing and some of the authors mention that you should have your work professionally edited, no excuses. Others suggest using critique groups and even beta-readers to get your story into publishing shape. A very small few say that you should reshape your novel so that you are happy with it and proud to put it out into the world.

I wanted to use beta-readers to tell me what they liked and hated about the story. But do I want fellow writers to think my work is a joke, no. So, do you think one can get away with only using beta-readers, or am I being stupid?

I can't afford professional editing. My budget only covers professional formatting and e-book + print covers. When I say budget, of course what I mean is that I'm still working to make the money.

Books I have read/are still reading 

• Ditch the Publisher (Finished)
• Indiestructable (Finished)
• Secrets of successful writers (Finished)
• Write good or die (Finished)
• The naked truth about self-publishing (Still reading)
• Indie Author Survival guide (Still reading)

Anybody have any suggestions or further book recommendations? Thanks.

The music really helps

When it comes to editing, I usually find the creativity leaving me. Mostly because I'm supposed to think with my logical mind to see things clearly. So, I tried to listen to a different type of music than when I write. I tried classical music and it really works for me. Something about the clarity and beautifully harmonious sound of the instruments really sooth me and it helps the editing a lot. Even opera music helps and I have come to really love it, along with classical music. In general I have a very diverse taste in music and books, so this is right up my alley.