Motivation x 3 #Mondayblogs

I love creative projects. I love the thrill of a new idea, the excitement of taking the first few steps, and best of all the joy of seeing it come to life. More often than not, it doesn’t look exactly the way I imagined it, but that’s okay too. That’s part of the process. Even when my creation doesn’t look at all like what I had envisioned it to be, I find a joy in the creation. I’ve learned that when dreams shatter, ideas evolve from the pieces, often leading to new projects that are better than I had ever imagined. The process of creating is addictive and wonderful. Truly wonderful.

My latest, sparkling jewel is my podcast, Blood, Sweat and Words. I’ve moved beyond theBlood, Sweat and Words-2 initial high to the stage where I need to do a lot of heavy lifting. The dream of immediately having hordes of followers has died and I work hard to steadily grow a following.

To help me keep going through the “hard work stage,” I dig deep. Today I thought I’d look at some motivational quotes.

 

 

  1. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela.
  2. “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” Confucius.
  3. “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Walt Disney.

Now we may not be Mandela, Confucius or Walt, but we are creators, each in our own way. Determination and vision pays off. Believe. 

Those are my thoughts on Monday. Have a good week.

Photo from Pixabay.com

Erotica vs Erotic Romance

Today on my podcast, Blood Sweat and Words, I talk with multi-published author Bonnie Edwards about sex on the page and writing in general. It’s a fun show, full of interesting asides. Bonnie talks about the notes she’s received from readers and the experience of being a hybrid author.

Check us out. The podcast is always free and streamed anywhere anytime on Stitcher, Spotify, Apple (iTunes), Google and of course my pod website: https://www.bloodsweatandwords.com.

P.S. I spent all day yesterday trying to upload the MP3 to my podcast host, so it feels particularly wonderful that it made it. [snort] Technology can be such a bugaboo.

Words of Wisdom #Monday Blogs

Have I told you how much I love podcasting lately? Well, I’ll say it again. I love being a podcast host.

I love interviewing people and talking with them about writing, their passions …  their lives. People always surprise me. I’m humbled that they let me into their lives.

Mary's photo 300dpiThis week I interviewed Mary Buckham. The episode won’t go live until December, but I couldn’t wait to talk about it, at least a little part of it. One of her statements that blew me away was about making mistakes.

I always say if you fall down, you get back up again. You know the Chinese proverb that if you get up one more time than you fail, you succeed.  Don’t we all say: If  you try something and you fail, you try again. At least that’s what I always said.

Mary stopped me, “No, no, no,” she said. “You don’t fail. You try and you learn.”

“You try and you learn.”

I wish I had that line back when I was teaching kids. There is no “fail” in the process. You try and you learn. It’s perfect. Words have power, they embed themselves in your head, your heart, your spirit. I’m adopting this line.

I hope you have a week of trying and learning:)

Mary Buckham’s episode about Multi-Streams Income for Writers will air December 11th on Blood, Sweat and Words.

C.J. Hunt – Helping Authors

Today on my podcast, Blood, Sweat and Words I’m chatting with C.J. Hunt about her writing life and the on-line business she created to help other authors.

Have a listen: Link

Publishing Scandals? Follow the $ #Monday Blogs

Scandals

Who can resist news of a scandal? Especially if flourishes within your own domain.

Clearly, I can’t. That’s why I interviewed six figure, Scottish-historical romance author Suzan Tisdale who has been outspoken about recent events, in an effort to protect other Indie authors. Don’t you love it when the big guys protect the little guys? I do.

Link

She explains, Cockygate, Tiffanygate and book stuffing.  She made the details of each scandal clear. There’s a reason some call her, “Leader of the Indie Resistance.” She has spent hours researching each situation and sharing what she learned. Hence the hashtags: #Getloud, and #Stayloud. There’s no silencing Suzan.

Although I have to say I prefer her own name for herself, “Cheeky wench.” [grin]

She got me to thinking. If there’s money to be made … people follow. And ,if there’s money to be made, scammers elbow themselves up the line to get more than their share of the pot. It’s sad, but oh so human.

Podcasting

I’ve recorded ten episodes on Blood, Sweat and Words, so far and I’m hooked. Totally hooked. I get to talk to really interesting people and share my conversations with everyone else.

So, it’s official, I’ve started writing a book about it: Podcasting for Authors.

Gothic Suspense

Meanwhile, I’ve finished the second draft of my gothic suspense, Murder for Christmas, and sent it to beta-readers. It’ll be out next month.

Here’s my draft blurb:

 

Murder for Christmas

Agatha Christie meets The House of Usher

When code-breaker Madison Rathborne gets an all-expense paid trip to a remote island in the Pacific Northwest the week before Christmas, she expects a peaceful getaway from the fake Santas in the city and the drama of her family’s turkey feast, but Deadman’s Island offers no such sanctuary. Trapped in a maze of secrets, scandals and murder, with a side of ghost, Maddy struggles to make sense of it all. Macabre stories of gruesome deaths on the estate go back centuries. Her logical mind refuses to believe in legends, but there’s no reasonable explanation for what’s going on around her.

Twelve strangers invited to the gathering, discover turkey is not the only thing on the menu, as one by one they meet their maker.

Will Mad Rath’s superior logician skills crack the mystery before the killer gets her? Or is there a supernatural force at work that cannot be conquered?

My Halloween Hug for Fans

If you would like a copy of the first chapter for Halloween, send me an email (dangerouslovestories@gmail.com).

 

 

 

Paranormal Romance/Mystery Giveaway

If you’re interested, here it is:

Murder for Christmas – Cover Reveal

Gothic Suspense … Coming Your Way Soon