2013 - A year in review!

2013


Um - this year. This year really could have been the best year of my life. This is not a hyperbole. It really was great.

Personal stuff: 
1. Had a baby in June - isn't she cute?
2. Got married in August
3. Finished the first year of teaching at my new job - 8th grade ELA teacher right here.
4. Finished (to the extent that one can finish) our house -been working on it for three years.



Writing and blogging:
1. Biggest was in December with Walker. I had been off this kick because of my pregnancy. I was super tired. But this year needed a book. I have a lot of people to thank for this, the support. But isn't the cover awesome?
2. A Dash of Ya - finally got this blog off the ground and made a new friend Heather. Erica, Heather, Komal and I talk every day and help each other out.
3. I started my dystopia - no game plan here yet.
4. I pulled out a book I started in 2007 and am planning on publishing in March. This book is titled Gone.

6 Pieces of Promotion Advice for an Indie Author

Merry day after Christmas!

I have had a few ups and downs of late and all the while working on promoting Walker.  This time around I feel I have a better grasp of this. So here are a few things I know about promotion. 

1. You need a FB at this time. A lot of promotion goes on, on Facebook. I post on my page at least twice a day. Something I really like are Flash giveaways. I get a lot of traffic. And some interactions with readers. 

2. Twitter - It's a fast means of communication. And it's really easy for friends to retweet your links which spreads your reach a just a little more. And with self-promotion - a little more goes a long way. 

3. Blog friends - Establish relationships with bloggers. They get traffic. AND 

4. Blog tour - setting up your own blog tour is hard. You need quality reviews and bloggers to help spread the word, people who are going to post for you - see number 3. 

5. A group of writing friends - sometimes you need advice, to rant, or someone to feel your emotions (pain and happiness). Thanks Dashers!

6. Time - You have to be consistent. It's hard though when you have another job, other responsibilities (kids), and trying to write your next novel. 

What are some things you think are key for an indie author? 

A few things -

Hi everyone! I hope you are getting ready for the holiday season (or are done getting ready!).

I wanted to pop in and let everyone know a few things!

Walker is up on Amazon as an E-copy and a paperback! The links are on the sidebar.

I want to thank everyone who has shared, posted, and bought the book. Your reviews have been wonderful!

I have a blog tour being set up right now! Yeah! I am sure I did something wrong but I have wonderful people who have signed up, read the novel and are posting! Be on the look out for that!

If you are interested in reading Walker and willing to blow up the social medias with reviews (honest ones) email me at mf060784 at gmail or tweet me at @mflick729.

Walker giveaway!

So Walker is out (as if you people have not seen the texts, posts, and tweets) SO I am giving away a copy, or rather copies of Walker.

Kate isn’t thrilled to be moving to the middle of nowhere. She's already lost her parents, now she's leaving the only place she's ever known as home. She’s not there long when she realizes her dreams aren’t her own and that she has the ability to walk through other people's dreams. Not only that, but she might have found her dream guy--literally. He's in her dreams.

Just when she starts to get the hang of dream walking, strange murders in her new town start to occur. Girls are being killed as they sleep with no evidence, no suspects and no clear motive behind the deaths. It doesn’t take Kate very long to realize that the girls aren’t just being killed as they sleep—they’re being killed in their sleep.

Kate must figure out how to find the killer in the real world and keep the ones she loves safe while they sleep



Enjoy

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An example as a mommy.

Writing has always been part of my life. When I was a little girl, I would write poems and give them as presents. My mom still has a collections of the poems I wrote her. I started my first novel when I was in 9th grade. It never really made it anywhere.

English class was a natural thing for me in high school. I excelled and didn't try very hard. I didn't have to.

About 8 years ago, I was sitting in a Grad class with my favorite professor Dr. Terry Mosher. And part of the course was working on our own writing. It had been years since I had actually written something that wasn't for an assignment. But as we went around the room, announcing what we would be working on for the semester, the words: a novel popped out. He replied, with a smile "Nothing like being an overachiever.

So I began. I finished it. I never showed it to anyone. EVER.

Three years ago I started the Owens Legacy. I was on fire. I was going to do this. I was going to be successful. I had a goal and from that goal, multiple goals sprung up. I had a purpose beyond teaching, beyond family and friends. I was going to be famous.

Now Walker is out. (Go me.) But this book is different for me when it comes to purpose. This time, I am a mommy of a beautiful almost 6 month old. And I sit around thinking about everything with her. I come back to the thoughts of who I want her to be and examples and how do I make her a strong person.

I now write to set an example for my daughter that dreams can come true, that I am hard working, that I will work and work and not give up, that I have goals. I want to be that for her. Being a mommy - changes you.

Walker is live!

Hey everyone! Ecopies of Walker are out. You can find them here! I have been having some awesome, feel good moments with this book. So if you haven't stopped by to buy it or borrow it - what are you waiting for?

For those of you who don't go through Amazon. This book around I am trying out KDP Select to see the difference in sales. It will be part of other sites once the 90 days is up. I am experimenting.

Anyway - here is my blurb for Walker.

Kate isn’t thrilled to be moving to the middle of nowhere. She's already lost her parents, now she's leaving the only place she's ever known as home. She’s not there long when she realizes her dreams aren’t her own and that she has the ability to walk through other people's dreams. Not only that, but she might have found her dream guy--literally. He's in her dreams.

Just when she starts to get the hang of dream walking, strange murders in her new town start to occur. Girls are being killed as they sleep with no evidence, no suspects and no clear motive behind the deaths. It doesn’t take Kate very long to realize that the girls aren’t just being killed as they sleep—they’re being killed in their sleep.

Kate must figure out how to find the killer in the real world and keep the ones she loves safe while they sleep.


Head over to Amazon and help my rankings :) 

Teaser for Walker - Contest coming later today on Facebook!

Wednesday is Walker's release date!!! So in celebration I am going to give an copy away everyday including Wednesday. It's going to happen on Facebook so be sure to like my page for the chance to win!!!

Kate isn’t thrilled to be moving to the middle of nowhere. She's already lost her parents, now she's leaving the only place she's ever known as home. She’s not there long when she realizes her dreams aren’t her own and that she has the ability to walk through other people's dreams. Not only that, but she might have found her dream guy--literally. He's in her dreams.

Just when she starts to get the hang of dream walking, strange murders in her new town start to occur. Girls are being killed as they sleep with no evidence, no suspects and no clear motive behind the deaths. It doesn’t take Kate very long to realize that the girls aren’t just being killed as they sleep—they’re being killed in their sleep.

Kate must figure out how to find the killer in the real world and keep the ones she loves safe while they sleep. Add it on goodreads.


Here's a teaser though!

I had walked from the parking lot and into the school, so absorbed in the pending melodrama coming toward me today that I didn’t notice my surroundings. People weren’t bouncing off the walls. Mr. Hale was absent from his post. I knew the atmosphere the students of Brighton were creating. The halls were going to be somber, quiet, eerily quiet, but there would always be some sort of noise some people were annoyed with. People would crowd together, looking for comfort, but everyone would feel alone. And for those that didn’t know Brittany, they would feel uncomfortable. They wouldn’t know how to react to those who were grieving and they would continue through the halls respectfully quiet.

            Emily had been goofy this morning and I didn’t know how Elise was going to react to this news. Elise had been a cheerleader so I imagined she would have known Brittany as a freshman. I saw her and I knew Elise knew her. Elise tried to give me an encouraging smile, but looked more like she was choking on something.

            “I’m sorry,” I said as I sat down next to her.

            ‘Thanks.”

            There wasn’t much to say because there’s nothing to say.

            In English 11, my heart stopped beating. I was unsure if the drama I had been preparing for would happen today. I prayed it wouldn’t. The amount of disrespect that would happen sickened me.

            Nothing happened on my way in the classroom. Colton was already in his seat. He looked at me blankly and then went back to staring at his notes. Class went on, like our previous classes did, forced. Mrs. Stacy tried to keep active, but not even her heart was into Arthur Miller today.

            Nothing concerning JCru happened all morning. Lunch was quiet. I discovered Emily was one of those people who cracked jokes at inappropriate times to try to ease the awkwardness. She got a few smiles and she got a few dirty looks.

            At the last period with Colton, he gave me the blank look. I murmured my sympathies and Mr. Reyda tried to get us to participate in the lab, but didn’t seem to care no one got much work done.

            While they grieved for Brittany, I grieved for my parents. I wondered if every time someone passed, would the feelings of loss come rushing back at me?

Teaser 7 for Walker!

A bunch of teaser coming out this week! Walker will be out in 8 days!!!!

The little girl came charging into the room, frantically looking around the room, not seeing me.

            “Ryleigh!” I yelled, hoping she would hear me.

            She paused, listening and I heard it too. Footsteps. Heavy, slow footsteps coming toward the room. The urge to hide had passed. I went to grab Rayleigh, but I was unable to touch her. She stared, frozen. The footsteps were closer and I had no desire to see who was coming around the corner. I bolted from the room.

            Ryleigh let out a blood–curdling scream, making me stop my mad dash for an exit in the back. I whirled around, to see a guy standing there. He was in the shadows. I could only see disjointed parts of him. His sneakers, the rip in the knee of his jeans, his forearm, but his face fell perfectly in the light. He was staring at me, puzzled.

            Ryleigh let out another blood curdling scream and I dashed back into the room. She was a child and she was scared, dream or not. I stood in front of Ryleigh. She screamed and screamed. I went to rip her out of his hold, but I couldn’t touch him either. He knocked her to the ground and started dragging her to the foyer.

            “Let her go,” I screamed. “Let her go.”

            They didn’t pay any attention to me. He continued to drag her out of the room. He headed toward the staircase as Ryleigh kicked and screamed for her release. I charged at him one more time.

            “Wake up! Wake up Kate!” Jesse was shaking me. “Kate! You’re having a nightmare.”

AH! Poor Kate! Wait no - Ryleigh.