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Welcome to the jungle!
Life sure has been crazy around here! Between full time work, part time work, writing, momming, and trying to sleep, I've got a lot going on these days. Most recently, I've put a lot of effort into exploring Instagram and networking with other authors and readers alike. It's been a fun exchange, but it can be quite the rabbit hole! I've also made some updates to the site and added some new stuff. I'm not a pro by any means, but I try to do what I can, where I can. I've managed to keep things updated for the most part, so I guess I'm doing alright. Soon, I will be enlisting some help so I don't forget to post blogs like I have been the last several months. Whoops. I've made some decent progress on Blood Promise and I've lined up some beta readers to help me after it's finished. I would pay for editing, but I'm poor so I've got to work with what I can for free. It's not ideal, but it usually works out fairly well. Some of the readers know me personally, but the majority are fresh faces and eyes which is so great to have after all this time. People tend to become bias after a while. I'm also excited to embark on a new project soon that will be an exclusive to Wattpad. I plan to begin working on it this Fall/Winter and I will likely update chapters every few weeks until it's done. I may change my mind fifteen hundred times, that's the goal anyway. I don't think I have much else in the way of updates. Head of to IG and follow me to see what's going on regularly and once I get my assistance up and running, you'll be seeing much more consistency from me. Thank you so much to those who've joined in the conversations and also supported me. Please remember to leave a review on whichever platform you choose. Reviews are a rare commodity these days. Share the love!! xoxoxo Lisa
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Good evening and welcome to the show! But seriously, I hope your weekend was great. I've been doing boring mom things, but they are necessary considering I am a mom. Otherwise it might be kind of weird. But I digress.
I decided to do something today. I decided to put my entire catalog of books on Amazon exclusively and Kindle Unlimited! I had previously only released new books through Amazon, but in recent months my traffic, sales, and downloads have consistently come from one place, Amazon. Logically, it just made more sense right now to have more control over my books and allow them to be available to the right people. For the time being, folks who read on devices other than Amazon will not have access to my current works, but currently I had minimal activity on expanded markets. Unfortunately, I have to go where the people are and that is Amazon. I don't mean to exclude any readers. If I get a lot of requests for my books to be listed on other platforms, I will reevaluate. Until then, Kindle it is! I managed to run a successful Beta Reader search on Instagram last week and lined up some folks I'm fairly excited about work with for the future! Currently, I'm working on Blood Promise, the next installment of Legacy of Secrets. I plan to publish this by Spring, so keep an eye out for the preorder announcement!! Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter where you'll get this info before anyone else as well as special sales and freebies not found anywhere else! Thanks for sticking with me!! xoxoxo Lisa Alas, here I am, several weeks/months later and I'm still stuck in a reading rut. Somehow, I've managed to download several different types of books, only to be utterly disinterested by the end of the first chapter. I just haven't found that book that's pulled me in and transformed my world. It's annoying and something I've been having a hard time kicking. Perhaps the worst part is the fact that the lack of reading material has stunted my writing goals. I have a book I've been trying to finish for MONTHS and part of the problem is that my head just isn't in it as it should be. Damn this chaotic mind!
So here I sit, trying to muster up the story that has been knocking at the back of my brain for the better part of the last year. I've outlined some parts, flash written others, to no avail. I've even had one of my betas read through it because I feel so disconnected, I wasn't even sure if anything I've written has made sense. I need a saving grace, here. In the meantime, there are other books available for everyone to read, including the newest Falling Undercover novel. I've decided to continue that story as part of The Undercover Series and I've already gotten parts of the next book hashed out. It will be an interesting journey for me as this series is my first attempt at contemporary romance/romantic suspense. It seems I have a bit of a knack for it, so I think while the story has a good direction, I'll continue. I have another potential story along the same type of genre lines, I just don't know much about it just yet. Maybe I can do a stand alone for once! WATTPAD UPDATE: This year, I will begin a story/novel for Wattpad only. I have my PA working on some info for me to get started, and I'm pretty excited! I'm thinking maybe a witchy read with some real world elements and lore as well as the typical fantasy ones we know and love. I hope to have this started by the summer. I will definitely keep everyone posted on that, but in the meantime, head over to follow me on Wattpad for updates when I post new stories, etc. Lastly, don't forget to follow me on social media! I'm much more active on Instagram than any of the others, but feel free to follow me everywhere! Head over to find out where you can find me on the web... So one common thought or point made by nearly every author I've ever met is that one must read a lot to write a lot. I have to say that for the most part, this is true. Sometimes, ideas just come to you, whether you've been reading or not. Other times, you get stuck in a reading rut - much the same as with writer's block. How do you rectify this? For me, I go back to one of the novels that I read when I was at one of the lowest points of my life that helped me to cope. The story in and of itself did little to aid me, but rather the act of reading and finding an outlet so my mind didn't linger on all of the worst parts was what saved me.
That novel, was Twilight. Now I know, you're thinking I'm crazy, but it's true. You see, back in 2007, my marriage had fallen apart, I was five months pregnant, and also had a two-year-old. I had just turned 20 years old. I was at a loss as to how to pull myself back together and I couldn't quite figure out how I had messed my life up so badly, which now would affect my children. I was in a pretty dark and scary place. At the time, I didn't recognize the years of emotional and mental abuse I'd endured because it was all too fresh and I even held out hope that we could work things out so my boys didn't grow up in a broken home, but as time went on, I realized that we were better off, for the most part. So where does Twilight come in? Honestly, it wasn't until after the first movie came out that I decided to read the books, and I'm so glad I did. You see, the movies by comparison were total shit - apart from the very last Breaking Dawn (I don't care - you can fight me on this). Anyway, when I read the first book, I realized how much more substance there were to the characters than what was portrayed in the movie and I loved it! I ended up reading all of the books in about ten days. The hardest for me to read was New Moon, but only because it brought me face-to-face with my abandonment issues. I was trying to hard to ignore the deeper issues I harbored after my divorce, but it was after reading that book I realized just how much of a hollow shell I had become. It wasn't that any part of the story really spoke to me, but rather the emotions (yes, Bella has emotions in the books) that were portrayed during that time. I had felt everything that Bella felt and then some. I knew what it was like to be numb. I knew what it was like to feel like the abyss was swallowing me a little more each day. It was Hell. It was my life. But I wasn't alone in my fight. I had two babies to care for who depended on me for everything. I had been lost in the magnitude of what that meant and I couldn't figure out what I needed to do or how I could push forward. I was lucky most days to get out of bed. While it was true that I had met the man that is now my husband during that time, I still had a lot of healing to do and we both suffered for it. He was eager to step in and help me with my children, but I was apprehensive and frankly afraid of what would happen to my heart if I gave it license again to feel. It was one of the hardest decisions I'd ever made because I was terrified of what could happen. We've been together 11 years now, but the first few years were definitely rough, to say the least. But I digress. After reading New Moon and dealing with those repressed feelings, I was able to really and truly feel deeply again. As I read through the other novels, I was laughing and smiling and crying right along with the characters and it felt good. For so long, I was locked in a sinking ship and I had finally found something to cut me loose. Now that I've moved past that time in my life, if I find myself in a rut or if I need to jump start my reading again, I usually turn to Twilight. Honestly, it's not about the book, but rather the journey it takes with you. I have found myself reading Harry Potter again, as well, but mostly that's when my kids leave theirs lying around and I don't have anything else to do. For me, Twilight helped to kick start my heart and it serves the same purpose for my mind. Is there a special relationship you have with a novel? Do you have any tricks you use to get your mojo back? Drop a line and give me some pointers! xoxoxo Lisa 2018 has been one hell of a year - and not necessarily in a good way. Personally, I've had much better years, and honestly I'd hoped that this year would have been one of them, but alas, that isn't the case. Most of the year has been pretty disappointing, but I must give credit to the parts of it that has been a silver lining to a very dark gray cloud.
First, I'm back to writing and publishing again. That is a MAJOR big deal since it was literally YEARS since I'd done anything with either. I'd start writing, decide I hated it, then I'd put everything on the back burner and completely shut down. It's been a major bummer because it's something I've loved for so long, and I just wasn't in the head space to accomplish it at all. It was depressing. So, I made it a point to force myself to put forth the effort to publish the work I had that was nearly completed and I'm thankful that I did because I have begun to feel that spark again and it's amazing! Secondly, I've gotten some good news on a personal level that has been long time coming. My normal day-to-day job has offered me a new position, which I gladly accepted, and I am pretty excited about it! I'll be moving into my new office and starting on the new position this week and it's definitely cause for celebration!! (I do accept flowers, wine, and chocolate so let me know if you wanna send me any goodies ;) ) Third, the year is almost over! But seriously, I consider this a good thing because we've made it through another year that has been rough for many. I take that as a win, don't you? Things could definitely be worse, but they could also be much better. So...there's that. Ultimately, I'm looking forward to a new year with new goals. I'm looking forward to a better me, inside and out, as well as better things to come. I have to put my energy and faith into the positive thoughts otherwise, I'll repeat much of the same and that's just not an option for me. I need all the good vibes I can get, so if it strikes you, send some my way! Til next time Lisa xoxoxo |
AuthorI'm a writer, a mother, a wife, a friend, a sister, and a daughter. My journey as a published author is in full swing and I'm inviting all my friends along for the ride! Archives
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