Halfway through the NaNoWriMo

It’s been another week of writing and I am halfway there. Another week of writing in different place, finishing the untitled chapter two and starting on chapter three. It has been a roller coaster of writing, either it flows freely like a downhill train or it’s an uphill battler taking longer than anticipated. Sometimes it takes almost three hours to complete the 1667 words. I try to start at 5 p.m. but other priorities come up and I have to pause. Thanks to a timeline, I am slowly progressing through the 50,000 words.

25K Badge

Today is the halfway point and that means 25,000 words complete. I have stuck with it and only have two weeks and a day to go. I have wrote random times of the day from early morning to late at night.

I am curious how much I will get through and will I resume this again in 12 months. I have been going through a series of events in the story. I have had this idea for a few years and now I have a motivation to start it.

NaNoWriMo week 1

7 days, 11667 words, several locations. I have been doing National Novel Writing Month for the past 7 days. I started at 5pm on the 1st of November, writing in my bedroom, at cafes, on a train and at the Tradies. I decided to do this challenge, write a spin off for my series, and get started with 50,000 words. At 5 p.m. each day I would write and I discovered that doing that in an hour was impossible. I had to divide the writing. I wrote about 500 words at one time and the other 1166-1167 another time or into three parts.

Current progress.

Counting my blessings

Yesterday I was out of my house for a 9:00 Country fair and set up my small table and with my books, banner and hidden cover for the locals and those who wish to visit our town. The first 90 minutes was friendly catch-up and waiting for sales. It wasn’t until around 11:00, did I have my first sale.

I am happy to have sold 5 books yesterday. That is five new readers, the first was a reader with a need for a new book, the next one was young girl interested in the genre. The third was a gift to a husband, the fourth was to a young reader and the final book was in someone interested in my achievement and wanted to support me. I spoke to other people, told my process and at 1 p.m. I revealed the cover of the fourth book, live on Instagram and using social media. With the fourth cover now out, I can plan when to release it at the end of the year. The first three are available on Amazon, iTunes and Lulu.

National Novel Writing Month is only days away, soon I will be working on a novel (a spin-off to the Immortal Legacy Series) I have a timeline, I have a plan, I just need to have a way to start.

Final Few Days (and a Week)

This weekend, in only a few sleeps, the cover for the fourth book will be revealed. Over the last month and a half, I have posted clues on what will be on the cover. At 13:00, I will be revealing the cover to those who are my closet followers on Facebook and those in person at the Country Fair. There I will be selling my book as well as signing them. After yesterday at the Literacy Lunch, I am very excited to see how far my book will go.

First three book of the series

Next week on the first of November, I will be partaking in the NaNoWriMo, 50,000 words in 30 days. I have planned a timeline for the book I am writing. I have arranged major plots, I just need to dedicate 60 minutes of writing every day.

Countdown Continues, Chapter almost Complete

Okay readers, in less than two week, the cover for my fourth book as well as it’s title will be revealed. On the 28th of October, I will be revealing the cover. It will happen during my community fair in my local area where I will be signing my first book.

What have I been doing in the mean time, I have been working hard on the next chapter of my fifth book. I have spent almost every two days writing some part of the chapter. I have slowly wrote paragraph after paragraph for this chapter. I wrote on a bus, in a club, a RSL, on a train. When I had time and a place, I wrote some. Over that week I wrote about 3500 words, now if I am going to commit to something in November, I need 1666 words a day.

Next month is NaNoWriMo (National November Writing Month) and I plan on spending the 30 days, writing about 50,000 words for a new project.

Cover Complete, Progress in Paperback

The last three weeks, I have been in contact with someone from the Netherlands to design my cover for the fourth book. In just under a month, the cover will be revealed, but until then, I am working on the fifth books first draft. Now that I have the cover, I will adjusting and making the third book available for paperback. I hope to have it available for pre-order in October.

I will have to make tough decisions when it comes to determining a price for the paperback, how much it cost me to make it and how much will they get and what will my royalties be. I am going to make sure the third book isn’t too much more expensive that the second but I do need to make sure I am not suffering a loss for this.

A chapter complete, a cover coming

A month since my blog, it has been a busy time. I had a chapter to finish. I was writing the eighth chapter to try to finish it and managed to do that after 4 weeks. I had a few events that left me preoccupied so I wasn’t writing every day of the week. But 2-3 days I was writing. When September started, the cover for the fourth book was beginning it’s process. I hope to have the cover complete in the next 4-5 days and start the sneak peaks and teases on the 22nd of September. I am quite impressed with what I have so far.

I am up to Chapter 9 for the fifth and final book of the Immortal Legacy Series, this chapter and onward I am not sure what will happen. It is all a Mystery, or uncertain. I am still coming to a conclusion. For eleven or more years I have been starting this story and I am up to the final half of the series. Through the rest of September and October I will be writing more and then come November, I will be giving myself a challenge. Let’s see if I can draft the first book of the spin-off, the story that leads to the end of Immortal Legacy.

Back to Writing

I have a routine, I normally write on Tuesdays and Wednesday unless something comes up and over the next few months, many things may come up, but I am back to writing. This week, I started with seven sentences on the Tuesday and then Wednesday I wrote a paragraph and a bit in the comfort of my home. Thursday the 17th of August, I went to my local coffee shop - where I normally volunteer - and spent 90 minutes writing. I am happy to say that I wrote 1200 words (give or take) and those 1200 words leads to a pivotal part of the chapter I am working on.

Over the last two weeks during the break, I had some rough times which doesn’t help with writing or motivation but after today’s writing session. I am back to business.

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

The second book of the series is available on Amazon for paperback, I had to change the price ever so slightly to cover the cost of paper, but the book is affordable and will be delivered to your door.

Raise a Banner

On the 31st of July, I received my parcel from VistaPrint containing my Pull Up Banner; this Banner will be used when I am out selling my books at a market place or a stall. Being on special, I took advantage and designed something that will advertise my whole series. I put a QR code for those with phones, my website for those who don’t like QR codes and my hashtag for those who are on social media.

One Year Anniversary

Today marks one year since I had my book launch in my hometown, today marks 365 days since I ‘kicked off’ my career. During those 12 months, I have had highs and lows, weeks of no sales and bursts of books bought. I went to a high school, I went to a market place, I went to a university, a contest in Campbelltown. I bought business cards, and lately a banner.

I got my self on the radio, I had an interview with a university student, I even had my book in the local magazine.

I released three books in the first year, all on Amazon and iTunes and the first two on Lulu. I probably spent more than I earned so far with marketing and promotional campaigns. I tried a Christmas Special for book three, I tried a Winter Special and a Christmas in July special.

During that year I edited the fourth book as well as the the two before that. I am up to Chapter 8 of the fifth book in terms of writing the draft.