Entering the world of self-publishing!

I've been wanting to take the next step with my writing and finally decided how I want to do that. This weekend, hopefully, I'll take my first foray into the world of self-publishing by putting my first story on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). It'll be a 6k short story - baby steps for now - but it will be a big move in a new direction for me! I'll still explore publishing through the more traditional route also (though one can argue that self-publishing is the new "traditional" I suppose) as I believe in exploring multiple avenues. Stay tuned for more details!

Back in the Saddle!

So....it's that time of year again...or maybe that time of decade?

What time you ask? Well, that time when an author pops back onto the writing scene after disappearing in 2013, of course! I know, right? Nothing like a nice long break to clear the mind and recharge the soul. So why did I take such a long break, you ask? It wasn't by choice, that's for sure. I had a pretty successful year in 2012, at least by my standards, to the last thing I wanted was a break. While I was mentally tired, I had momentum and wanted to continue it. Life, on the other hand, had different ideas.

It started with work - mine went through a series of changes, each one leading down a path I knew was going to be bad...and I wasn't disappointed. Ultimately, I was laid off. Anyone that has experienced this probably went through the same emotional swings that I did - fear of how I was going to support my family, a loss of confidence in my skills, etc, etc. You can imagine it even if you haven't experienced it. If you haven't, I hope you never do. To say the least, for most of 2013, writing was the furthest thing from my mind. Luckily, I landed on my feet. Of course, having settled in a new job and a new area there were so many things to do and see and well, before I knew it, another 3 years had passed before the desire to write crept into my brain again. I started slow, writing for pleasure at first while I started studying the publishing world again, re-learning all the things I'd forgotten during my break.

It's time now. Time to share my stories again, time to challenge myself. This time around, I'm focusing on the indie route, though you may also see me in anthologies from time to time. Wish me luck!

News!

Just a quick update for everyone :) Life has been a wee bit busier than normal. That combined with some other stuff has me running ragged most days but I'm soldiering on! One quick things while I have a moment:

1) I will soon be hosting author interviews on here, sharing a wealth of great writers with everyone. First up will be the erotic romance author Em Petrova! Stay tuned for more :)

Writer's Block

One the most frequent questions I get from readers and folks that know I’m a writer is whether or not “writer’s block” truly exists.  It’s one of those burning questions that every writer faces at one time or another in their life and the answer for each might be different.  For me, I can tell you, without a doubt, that writer’s block does exist.  There are times when I’m working on a story and my brain just sputters out.  I’m not talking about those times when I’m tapping at the end of a day and hit a great breaking point so I decide to call it a night; no, these block moments are times when the creativity just sputters out the way a lawnmower engine dies after you flood it with too much gas. 

Does that mean that I let those moments get the best of me, walking away without a fight?  Heck no!  That’s just not the kind of person I am.  So, when writer’s block rears its ugly head, I fight back.  There are a number of different steps I take and some of them might help you too!

·        Push your way through it:  Whenever my creative muse stutters and grinds to a halt, I grit my teeth and try to blast right through the blockage.  Basically, this means I keep on typing, cranking out whatever words come to mind related to the story, no matter how crappy they are or how ragged the sentences feel.  Hopefully, after doing this for a little bit, my creative engine will restart and after I groan at what I wrote previously, I can pick up where I left off and continue with the tale.

·        Work on a different story:   I’ve never been able to write just one story at a time.  It’s just not possible.  Too many characters clamor for my attention so I always have more than one “work in progress”.  Whenever I get stumped with one, and pushing through it doesn’t work, I switch over to another story for a bit.  I find that the change in characters, setting, and story line often pulls me out of the slump and I can eventually switch back to the first one.

·        Work on something else creative:   If pushing through and switching stories doesn’t work, I’ll pull myself away from the keyboard altogether and work on something else creative instead.  It’s important, to me at least, to keep the creative part of my brain active so if writing doesn’t do it, then painting or making jewelry will often work and soon I’m back at my first love, writing.  You don’t even have to choose something fancy to get creative with; if you have kids, get down and dirty with them, doing some finger painting or arts and crafts.

·        Do something to clear your mind:  If all of that fails, I will get outside and go hiking in the mountains, using the fresh air and the beauty of the outdoors to clear my mind and calm my nerves.  Perhaps yoga or meditation works better for but whatever it is, sometimes you have to go there to break through a block.

·        Take a break:  If none of those steps work, I know it’s time to take a longer break, put away the keyboard and the idea book, and not think about writing for a while.  I still do marketing and keep up my websites but I don’t attempt to write on any of my stories until I get the itch again, usually some time later.  My blocks rarely ever take me to this point but sometimes when combined with the stresses of life they do.  I’ve learned to let my brain recover and it always does.

So now you know how I deal with writer’s block.  How do you deal with it?

Forged in Flame dragon anthology is available in print version also!

If print books are more your style, Forged in Flame is available on Amazon. Link is below:

Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1480164364/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1480164364&linkCode=as2&tag=xchylepublis-20

Forged in Flames ebook dragon anthology on sale!

Who doesn't like holiday savings! The e-book version of Forged in Flame, the awesome dragon anthology that includes my story "A Dragon's Honor" is on sale today and tomorrow on Amazon! Price for today is $1.99 and tomorrow is $.99. It i

s also available on Kobo for $.99. Buy links are below:

Amazon US:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Z2QQ9S/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009Z2QQ9S&linkCode=as2&tag=xchylepublis-20

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Forged-Flame-Dragon-Anthology-ebook/dp/B009Z2QQ9S

Amazon FR: http://www.amazon.fr/Forged-Flame-Dragon-Anthology-ebook/dp/B009Z2QQ9S

Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/Forged-Flame-Dragon-Anthology-ebook/dp/B009Z2QQ9S

Amazon ES: http://www.amazon.es/Forged-Flame-Dragon-Anthology-ebook/dp/B009Z2QQ9S

Amazon IT: http://www.amazon.it/Forged-Flame-Dragon-Anthology-ebook/dp/B009Z2QQ9S/

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Forged-in-Flame-Dragon-Anthology/book-K8NA2CIYcUuaSdwnPKxInQ/page1.html?s=GqySussnkEikQ-r5GGvfcQ&r=1

This book is a wonderful collection of six short stories by some fabulous authors. Of course, I’m biased on that last part so you should check it out for yourself!  ;)  

Just a quick update right now:

  I completed another round of edits for my dragon short story - slated to be released as part of an anthology near Halloween.  Managed to trim 2k from it so now its leaner and meaner :)  Well, leaner at least!  

Time to continue work on the next project!