You. I. Us. Blog tour with Annalisa Crawford

Hey Friends. I'm so excited to have Annalisa on my blog today. I love her passion, stories and personally, I just think she's awesome:) Welcome Annalisa!

You. I. Us. is a collection of vignettes, small scenes which hint at the story beneath.

Annalisa has taken that idea to another level, because she asked 15 bloggers to ask her one question each, creating small insights into her life and writing.

Here is my question:

How do you stay motivated to exercise regularly, live healthy and still manage to write and have a family? Seriously, you're Superwoman.

Oh Murees, thank you! I don’t feel like Superwoman, but it’s lovely I give that impression. Usually, if everyone’s got the correct underwear in their draw, I think it’s a good day!

I’m lucky that my kids are slightly older, 16 and 12, and happily self-sufficient. The youngest is always busy with clubs and friends. I rarely see him at the weekends or during school holidays. It was different when they were small—they probably watched a little too much telly, and played a little too much PlayStation…

And I’ve been exercising for so long, it’s part of my week now. Working as a gym instructor helps, because I figure I can’t instruct properly if I don’t work out myself. Also, working out and/or taking the dog for a walk helps to inspire me. I’m forever scribbling notes on the back of my workout card during my cardio, or standing still in the middle of the field trying to work out a plot point.

You. I. Us.

Publication date: June 10, 2016

Genre: Short Stories (Single Author)

Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Book Depository // Kobo // iBooks // Nook

In You. I. Us., Annalisa Crawford captures everyday people during  poignant defining moments in their lives: An artist puts his heart into his latest sketch, an elderly couple endures scrutiny by a fellow diner, an ex-student attempts to make amends with a girl she bullied at school, a teenager holds vigil at his friend’s hospital bedside, long distance lovers promise complete devotion, a broken-hearted widow stares into the sea from the edge of a cliff where her husband died, a grieving son contacts the only person he can rely on in a moment of crisis, a group of middle-aged friends inspire each other to live remarkable lives.

Day after day, we make the same choices. But after reading You. I. Us., you’ll ask yourself, “What if we didn’t?”

About the author

Annalisa Crawford lives in Cornwall UK, with a good supply of moorland and beaches to keep her inspired. She lives with her husband, two sons, a dog and a cat. Annalisa writes dark contemporary, character-driven stories. She has been winning competitions and publishing short stories in small press journals for many years, and is the author of Cat & The Dreamer and Our Beautiful Child. www.annalisacrawford.com

I am my own worst enemy (IWSG)

Hello friends. How are you today? I am so happy and grateful to be co-hosting IWSG today with my awesome co-hosts, Alexia Chamberlynn, Chemist Ken and Heather Gardner. Whoop! Whoop!

I am without a doubt my own worst enemy. I often find myself having a tedious internal battle with what I want and what my doubt monster thinks I'm capable of. You can’t do it. What do you know? These are only a few of the things I constantly say to myself. Why? Because I demand a lot of myself. Only the best efforts will do. I put myself down even before I’ve tried something new. It’s become a rather bad habit actually.

Of course the question is now that I know I do it and why I do it, what am I going to do about it? Well, I am so tired of caring what others think. Yes, I’m unfortunately also a terrible people pleaser. Every person and especially every writer is different. We can’t all follow the same processes. We definitely can't all write the same. Just think how boring it would be.

So, because my internal critic will never be silenced (she’s mean at times), I can’t still allow others views of myself to influence me. I have to do the best I can with who I am (control freak). I have to work on myself and my confidence with regards to writing. At the end of the day I need to believe in myself and what I can do. Others may doubt me, but I am not allowed to doubt myself.  I have to start saying "I can do this," and "Why not me?".

I'm insecure and I rather like that about myself. It reminds me that I'm human. As long as I can manage that doubt monster and not allow others comments to encourage it, I will be much happier and much more productive.

How about you? Do you pick on yourself too?

The Insecure Writers Support Group was created by the talented Mr. Alex J. Cavanaugh so that writers can share their insecurities and/or encourage others who need support with their own. 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.

Seismic Crimes Blog Tour + Giveaway with Chrys Fey

I am so honored to have the awesome Chrys Fey on my blog today. She is so cool and hard working . . . I take my hat off to her. Please, welcome Chrys.

Research is an important part of writing a book, especially when you don’t know about a setting (time period), event, or career. For Seismic Crimes, I did a lot of research and learned a lot of fascinating stuff. Below I am sharing some of that information.

Monster Truck Driving:

Monster trucks have massive tires, which are usually Terra tires, and about 4-link suspension to allow four feet of clearance when the truck moves over obstacles. The supercharged engines (575 cubic inches) run off methanol oil. The driver is usually positioned in the middle of the cab for full visibility behind a sheet of Lexan to protect the driver from flying debris. However, it’s not unheard of for a truck to have two seats. Every truck is equipped with at least three kill switches for safety precautions. There are also safety harnesses as well as head and neck restraints, and drivers wear fire suits and helmets.

Self-Defense:

EXCERPT:

She nodded at the man beside her who was equipped with padding and a helmet. She turned her back to him, and he wrapped his arm around her neck, pressing a plastic knife to her throat. Her arms shot up, and she gripped his wrist with her hands, one on either side of his arm. Then her head shot back, butting the helmet. When her attacker stumbled, her hand fell, striking him in the groin. As he doubled over, her elbow rammed him in the ribs, and the back of her fist jabbed his face. Free from his hold, she spun away from him, while wrenching his arm, and slammed him into the ground.

Corpses:

I’ll keep this brief, but I learned just how horrible a body smells and looks after its been left in water for days. Bloating, skin slippage, black veins and maggots…let’s just leave it at that.

California:

California is known as the Golden State, so it’s no wonder why the bridge that spans from San Francisco to Marin County is called the Golden Gate Bridge, although it’s really more of an orange color. This bridge is 1.7 miles long and can withstand winds of more than 100 mph.

Earthquakes:

Earthquakes may only last about 40-45 seconds, but their impact can be deadly. Furniture can move or overturn, pictures and mirrors on the wall can fall, windows can break, buildings and chimneys can collapse, and power lines can fall down.

FACT: 700 quakes rock the United States a year.

Title: Seismic Crimes

Author: Chrys Fey

Series: Disaster Crimes Series (Book Two)

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Format: Digital and Print

Page Count: 282

DIGITAL LINKS:

Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

NOOK / KOBO / All Romance eBooks

PRINT LINKS:

Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

The Wild Rose Press

BLURB:

An Internal Affairs Investigator was murdered and his brother, Donovan Goldwyn, was framed. Now Donovan is desperate to prove his innocence. And the one person who can do that is the woman who saved him from a deadly hurricane—Beth Kennedy. From the moment their fates intertwined, passion consumed him. He wants her in his arms. More, he wants her by his side in his darkest moments.

Beth Kennedy may not know everything about Donovan, but she can’t deny what she feels for him. It’s her love for him that pushes her to do whatever she has to do to help him get justice, including putting herself in a criminal’s crosshairs.

When a tip reveals the killer's location, they travel to California, but then an earthquake of catastrophic proportions separates them. As aftershocks roll the land, Beth and Donovan have to endure dangerous conditions while trying to find their way back to one another. Will they reunite and find the killer, or will they lose everything?

  

HURRICANE CRIMES 99¢ SALE!

DIGITAL LINKS:

Amazon US / Amazon UK

Amazon CA / NOOK / KOBO

All Romance eBooks

The Wild Rose Press

BIO:

Chrys Fey is the author of Hurricane Crimes, Book One in the Disaster Crimes series, as well as these releases from The Wild Rose Press: 30 Seconds, Ghost of Death, and Witch of Death. She is an administrator for the Insecure Writer's Support Group and has participated in the Blogging from April A to Z Challenge. When Fey was six years old, she realized she wanted to be a writer by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve, she started writing her first novel, which flourished into a series she later rewrote at seventeen. Fey lives in Florida and is always on the lookout for hurricanes. She has four adopted cats who keep her entertained with their antics, and three nephews who keep her entertained with their antics. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and through her blog, Write with Fey. She loves to get to know her readers!

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dropping the ball

Hey friends. I feel like I haven't been a good blogger. Like I've been neglecting my blogging duties. I'm sorry if I haven't been there for you. I know sometimes a kind word at the right time can mean so much.

I am on new medication that has me sleeping a lot. Remember the pain I had in my hands? The specialist thought it was arthritis? Well, an MRI of my hands revealed that it wasn't. He thinks it might be a chronic pain problem. So now we are approaching that angle. At least I'm no longer secretly stressing about that. It's not like constantly typing is damaging my hands, it just hurts, which is comforting in some strange way:)

I hope to visit around the blogosphere a bit more. All of you have been so good to me. Helping me along when I needed you the most. I want to repay the favor.

How are you doing? What is new in your life?

Momentum (Endless blog tour)

Hello friends. Today I would like to welcome back the talented Misha Gerrick, who will be taking over my blog today. Please, show her some support. 

When I was a young writer (okay, I’m still young, but I’ve been at this writing gig for 14 years now.), I used to believe firmly in writing only when the inspiration struck. If I felt inspired, I could write thousands of words in a few days. I not. Well. I’d be frustrated and discouraged and impatient, waiting for my inspired feeling to return.

As I gained more experience, though, things changed. I realized more and more that writing is a different kind of magic than the one we’re taught to expect. It’s not (necessarily—I’m not speaking for everyone here) all passion and inspiration.

It is, however, the best job in the world.

I’d like to make it my full time job. Right now, I often have at most two hours a day in which to write. So if I ever had it, I no longer have the luxury of waiting for inspiration to strike.

Instead, I’ve had to choose “office hours” and show up to write. And the interesting thing I discovered doing this was that—for me at least—inspiration wasn’t the thing to look for. It was momentum.

Getting writing as soon as I sit down and adding as many words as I can, and doing the same thing again tomorrow. I believe that inspiration never really leaves once it struck the first time with the story idea. But after we have the first idea that makes us write the story, it becomes our job to actually write it. If we get stuck, we need to figure it out. And yes, a new burst of inspiration does help.

I just don’t like stopping my momentum to wait for it. Because more often than not, the inspiration happens because I’m on a roll. So I try not to think too much unless I really get truly stuck. And even then, I just skip over to something else while I wait for momentum to bring loosen the gears in my mind once more.

How do you deal with inspiration? Is it the be-all and end-all of your writing?

About the Book

“First, do no harm.” Blake Ryan swore that oath to become a doctor. Ironic, given that he spent most of his thousand year life sucking souls out of other immortals.

Things are different now. Using regular shots of morphine to keep his inner monster at bay, Ryan has led a quiet life since the Second World War. His thrills now come from saving lives, not taking them.

Until a plane crash brings Aleria into his hospital. Her life is vibrant. Crack to predators like him. She’s the exact sort of person they would hunt, and thanks to a severe case of amnesia, she’s all but defenseless.

Leaving Aleria vulnerable isn’t an option, but protecting her means unleashing his own inner monster. Which is a problem, because his inner monster wants her dead most of all.

Amazon US | Amazon Universal | Apple | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

About the Author

Misha Gerrick lives near Cape Town, South Africa, and can usually be found staring at her surroundings while figuring out her next book.

If you’d like to see what Misha’s up to at the moment, you can find her on these social networks:

Tumblr | Twitter | Google Plus | Writing Blog

My experience with marketing

When I was getting ready to publish my first book I had no idea what my marketing strategy was. All I knew was that I didn’t want to be one of those annoying people that kept talking about their book all the time and to anyone that would listen.

So when it came to publishing my book I aimed for a soft release of sorts. Meaning, I wasn’t going to make a big noise about it. Most of my fellow bloggers helped me spread the word and allowed me to guest post on their blogs. I tweeted about it a few times and mentioned it on Facebook. At first it was tempting to talk about my book non-stop. But soon I was annoying even myself. So I stopped.

However, when I was doing research about marketing, I kept reading about marketing must haves like:

• ·        You must have a platform, preferably a blog (check)
• ·        Take part in as many forms of social media as possible (check)
• ·        Talk about your book (check)
• ·        Have a reasonably priced book (check)
• ·        Good book cover (check)
• ·        Good editing (check)
• ·        Another book (nope)

 And then you will have great success.

First of all, I’m a realist. I didn’t expect my book to suddenly be read by the masses. I knew for a fact that my book would upset more people than garner interest. I didn’t expect to sell a lot of books because I didn’t use any paid marketing options. I didn’t have the money to. My friends and I did all the marketing.

I didn’t go big on the marketing because I knew that I didn’t have another piece of work to offer potential readers. All I wanted to do was let the world know that my book was out and available for enjoyment. I wasn’t harassing anyone to buy my book. When I have more books out I might get more aggressive with the marketing.

  

What I learned is that you can follow all the marketing strategies out there and follow everything to a T, but it doesn’t guarantee you success. You have to do what feels good to you. Every book is different. Also, every writer is different too. What might work for all your friends might not work for you. 

I wish I didn’t sign up to most of the social media options. That I had stuck to one or two I liked best. I even started a newsletter to let potential readers know about my new releases.

I don’t mind growing my audience over time. I like the idea of starting out slow. After all, being a writer is about doing it in the long run. I might not release a book every six months, but I will release more books in the future. Please, don’t let others set the rules for you. Set your own and stick to them. You answer to yourself. Do what works for you. 

Crazy girl (IWSG)

I’m not that insecure today. However, I’ve realized that my priorities are a little askew. I have all the time in the world to write, but I don't. To be honest I feel like a bit of a mess, which isn’t actually news:) Lately I can’t find a good place to write in the house. My usual desk is a constant mess and I’ve been sleeping a lot lately. Simply getting up and writing feels like such a chore, but that is something I have to work on. How are you doing today? 

The Insecure Writers Support Group was created by the talented Mr. Alex J. Cavanaugh so that writers can share their insecurities and/or encourage others who need support with their own. 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.