First Person or Third Person

Well, that chapter a day thing hasn't been working for me. :( I have been writing though. It's just that I'm doing research, and I've been trying to decide whether or not I want to introduce a particular character in first or third person (I'm mixing it up this time), whether or not I want her to play a major role, or just have a significant part in the story. Plus, I've been trying not to have too many characters. I don't want my readers to get confused. This is for Severed Hearts. I've got my outline, and plot together, but I keep changing my mind about the character's lives. I don't know if it's because I need to take a break from reading the same chapters over and over or what, but there's just something missing. I feel that if I'm going to write in first and third person, I need to be very crafty in order to pull this off. So far I've decided on third person. Ok, now... I have to decide do I want to write this character in third person present tense, or third person past tense. I've gone over all of these different ways in my head, but now I think I'll take some advice that Eric Jerome Dickey gave me and just write it all out and compare. I'm going to write the first scene in first person and third person, then present and past tense and see which one reads better. Yep! That's what I'll do. :)

I Just Love A Good Book!

Oh how I loooove to read! Good books that is. One with a good plot. One that has a message. I just finished reading Pearl Cleage's I wish I Had A Red Dress. Now, I love Ms. Cleage, very sweet person, but I read Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do, and just couldn't get into it. So, that being the first book that I'd ever read by Ms. Cleage, I didn't think I would be buying another one too soon. When I went to her release party, I was hoping to buy What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day, because that's what everyone was raving about at the time. When I told people that I was going to her book release party (Sign-n-Dine event) my cousin desperately tried to go with me, but couldn't get off from work in time. He went on and on about what a fantastic writer she is. The bookseller there didn't have that title, so I went with the most current one, excited, then let down because when I read it I couldn't see what all the hoopla was. My cousin later said that wasn't her best one. Anyway, when I was exhibiting at the South Carolina's Book Festival I decided to give her another chance and bought I Wish I Had A Red Dress. I am so glad I did! That book turned my perception around! Red Dress is actually a sequel to What Looks Like Crazy, so now I know I have to get this one! The story is about a woman who runs a non-profit organization for young unwed mothers. She's trying to save the world (starting with teen pregnancy), yet doesn't take any time out for herself. Since her husband died five years ago, she's forgotten all about taking care of her own needs. It started off kind of slow for me, but it was a great story! Once I got into it, I could barely put it down.
I give it four and a 1/2 stars.

I read all kinds of books from all kinds of genres. Contemporary fiction/relationships(which is what I write), mystery, drama and suspense (which I also write), self-help books like finance, medical thrillers, legal thrillers, I read A LOT! :) Authors from J. California Cooper (my favorite)John Grisham, Robin Cook, Mary Higgins-Clark, Mary Monroe, and the list goes on and on. One thing that some authors don't realize is if you're going to write, you must read. That is, if you're going to be any good at your craft. I think that's one reason writing comes so naturally to me. Because I read and I read some of everything. It's good to know what's out there and who's doing what, so that you don't over do it, or write something that's outdated. This has helped me to figure out what style I want to write in. Right now I'm working on creating each novel differently. I want my readers to know a Stormy Steele novel when they read it, but I don't want it to be the same ole same ole kind of story. I joke about my next novel not having much profanity and cursing yet (emphasizing yet), but actually it may not have much at all. Oh it'll have some sex because it's about married couples--they're supposed to have sex. LOL! But it won't be as vivid as my first book. That's because it's a different kind of story. Different characters call for different attitudes and behavior. But, all of my books will be drama filled! :)

Movie Review!

I just came back from seeing The Amityville Horror! Oh my god was it scary! OK, so I wanted scary and now I got it. I wasn't prepared for that one. It was quite different than the first one from back in the 70s. A little rushed, but good. The special effects really spooked it up a bit. Some things that happened in the first one (which the original Lutz family told) didn't happen in this one. Craig keeps laughing at me saying I'm still scared. I'm cool. But, I am going to say a special prayer tonight. Just so I don't dream about it. :)

How Much Does It Cost?

Ahhh! One of the most frequently asked questions about Self-Publishing is "How Much Does It Cost?" And the answer is... it depends on what your trying to do. It can range from as little as $6,000 to as much as $30,000. Do you just want to see your book in print, or do you want the whole world to see it. If you want everyone to see it, then that costs a lot! Seriously. One thing I always do is give aspiring authors the real deal about publishing, and having a career as an author. Self-Publishing is a business. To become a self-published author, many people think it's just a matter of writing the book, getting someone to edit it, (some people don't even think about that) finding a cover designer, someone to bind it, and BAM! You've got a book ready to show and sale to the world. Not so. First of all, after you finish writing,you have to create a marketing plan. Once you spend all of this money having the book made, who's gonna buy it? And how are they gonna buy it? On Amazon? In the bookstores? Or, are you going to sell direct? Once you create a plan then there's the following:

Where to get the money

Setting up the company

Getting your ISBN #

Finding a distributor or wholesaler

Contacting the bookstores

Promoting

This list doesn't cover everything. There's a lot of work to do! My point is, Self-Publishing is not to be taken lightly. In fact having a career as an author is something that everyone who's considering it needs to think about seriously. Will you have the time to devote to it? It's a full time job. Are you willing to sacrifice a comfortable 9-5 job in exchange for making very little money? The big bucks don't roll in over night. Just something to think about.

Just Catching Up

I can't believe it's Wednesday already! Once the weekend is over it takes me until Tuesday or Wednesday of the next week to catch up. LOL! All I did over the weekend was relax. I wasn't feeling too well (cramps). On Sunday I took two Aleve tablets, waited a few hours and finally got out of the house around 3:00. I spent the last day with my son before school started back this week. He's been begging me to see the movie The Ring. He claimed this movie was so good, and he didn't mind seeing it a second time. Please! I don't know what all the hoopla is about this movie, but I was falling asleep on this one just like I did on the first one (Ring 1). I mean, come on now you call that scary? These kids today don't know what scary is. The Exorcist, now that was scary! I have yet to see a movie as scary as that one. And they're releasing a re-make of Amityville Horror. Lawd I hope they didn't mess that movie up. It was another good one back in the day. My kids say something is wrong with me because I don't find The Ring 1 or 2 good. Whatever. My son also says maybe it was because when he went the theatre was packed and the audience made it live. He said people were jumping, girls were screaming and everything. When we went, there were only about 8 people in the theatre, and 2 of them walked out. Ok, so what does that tell you? I'm not the only one who found the movie borrrring!! :)

I'm Doing Better

I'm going to start writing a chapter a day now. I explained my problem of procrastination creeping up on me again to my husband (that's another reason it took me two years to finish my first novel). He asked me how many pages do I write for each chapter. I told him anywhere from 6 to 10 with the smaller chapters being in the beginning. It usually doesn't take me long to write a chapter. So, he said that should be easy, just write one a day and you'll have it finished in a month. I agree! One of my author friends told me that's what she does too. Now I know the secret to pushing those books out so fast! :)

So, I'm working on the antagonist for Severed Hearts. I don't know why, but it's so much fun creating bad guys! My husband (Craig) says I'm so analytical I should be writing mystery novels. LOL! Actually, Severed Hearts is kind of a mystery. Not the usual who done it kind of thing, my readers will know exactly who done it, but the other characters in the story won't. I have a protagonist too, so that makes it kind of a mystery. I don't have any profanity in this one (yet), not much sex (yet) and it's narrated in the 1st and 3rd person. Very different. I got some tips from a very famous author on how to do this. I hope my editor likes it.

We're getting ready for BEA (Book Expo America) this year in June. I'll be exhibiting for our writers organization, The Literary Source Inc. Had I known that I would have an agent and headed mainstream so soon, I honestly don't think I would have spent $3,000 to exhibit this year. At the time, I was really into publishing my literary magazine and the organization. Then, when I realized that running a magazine is a full time job and even running the organization is a full time job, that's when I had to put the magazine on hold. In order to keep it up, you have to constantly stay out there promoting and getting sponsors and advertisers. When I started back to working a 9-5 job, it was just too much for me. They were going up $100 in rent for our office, and the membership dues were only covering the rent. Supplies for printing was expensive. Our last printing was last month. My passion is writing. Having a non-profit organization is something I want to do too, but it's not my first priority. Especially now that I see how much work and how hard it is. We've taken everything online now. In order to keep the organization going, I'll keep posting advice to aspiring authors on our website, along with book club features, event news, authors' books, etc... and during the times I'm not touring to promote my own books we'll attend events showcasing our members' books, and host book signings. I'll also continue seminars and consulting. I'm just hoping that once I go mainstream, I'll have time to do all of this since I'll have deadlines to meet. But again, my writing takes precedence over this. I've cut some things down so that I don't overload myself. We'll see how it goes.

My Next Novels

A lot of people ask me if I'm working on another novel. The answer is I'm working on four!! But, I've found that it's difficult enough trying to do one, let alone four at the same time! I was really losing it for a minute there. Getting the characters all confused and stuff. The problem is, I have so many thoughts running around inside my mind. And, when I'm working on one story something may happen in my life, or with my crazy kids (or that husband of mine) that prompts me to work on one of the others. So, after speaking with two of my fellow author friends, I've decided to just concentrate on one at a time.

Note: the previous synopsis' has been deleted due to changes. I'll repost at a later date.

Getting It Together

Well, last week I sent out two press kits loaded with stuff to my agent in LA and my editor in New York. But, my editor hasn't received it yet. I hope it's not lost in the mail. She's received everything else I sent on the same day. Some of the black and white copies of my articles didn't print clearly enough, so my agent suggested I send the originals. I had extra copies of all of my magazine articles and book features except one. Black Issues Book Review! I only had one copy, but it's gotta go :( I'll just have to order a back issue. If you can get into BIBR that's really something! My book was #1 under Noteworthy Titles back in September. :) Hopefully when it's re-released (which is what my agent is pushing for) I'll actually get an interview.

I am so sleepy this morning. Since my supervisor asked me to come back to work in December, it's been really hard trying to concentrate on my writing career. I really needed the money since my savings was running low, so it was a blessing. I thought it would be a good way to get more promotional money, and money to start my non-profit writers organization, but you know what they say, the more money you make the more bills you have. Funny how that works. Now I've fallen back into that living from paycheck to paycheck mode. NOT GOOD! I'm trying to catch up on some things. This job is only temporary, so hopefully I'll have a book deal by the time it ends. I should definitely have some money saved up. We have more weeks in this month, so I'll at least have an extra paycheck to save. Come to think of it, some of these bookstores owe me some money. I think I'll go around and collect this week. :)

I asked my supervisor to change my hours so that I can get off earlier now. I just started this early shift coming in at 6:00 in the morning (have to wake up between 4:30 and 5:00) so it'll take some time to get used to. Yesterday I felt great! Not so tired after work like I usually am. But, I spent so much time getting more stuff together to send to my editor, 'till I didn't feel like writing later. I used to always write in the evenings with no problem, so I don't know why I can't get it together now. Well, I have been watching more TV lately. That's something I rarely do. I'm going to force myself to write today. I'm not gonna watch Oprah or all of American Idol. I've got to get my butt in gear.

From The Starting Point Until Now

I actually used to write in a journal. One that I keep at home. I'd grab my pen and go to town at least twice a week. Then, life got so hectic. I was already raising two kids, and a husband, working in corporate america as a Network Operations Specialist (new term for technician or engineer) then got this bright idea (from my husband) that I should do what it is I really want to do in life. So, I started writing my first book, researched the industry, started my publishing company, and quit my day job in corporate america. After 9 years! And so far, I have no regrets. Anyway, I forgot all about my journal. It's much quicker and easier to type. So, I'm glad to have this web log. When I started my journey, coming up with a title was difficult, but coming up with a pen name was even harder! Stormy is a nickname for Wendy. It was given to me years ago when a group of guys from the Pentagon thought my name was Windy (notice the I) and started associating my name with the weather. I started to use Wendy Steele, but I thought it didn't sound catchy enough. There's Wendy Robinson, and Wendy Williams. I wanted something that would stand out. We took a family vote and decided "Stormy Steele" would be the name to capture reader's attention more. And it did.

Fast Forward...

I studied the book industry for two years. Hard to believe you can find so much free information online. I chose "Behind The Screen" as my first novel, because of my online dating experiences. Some of it is based on real life situations, and some of it is made up. I'm still in awe as to how well my first novel has taken off! I remember thinking the hardest part would be getting it into the bookstores, but that was the easiest part! Unlike most self-published authors, my book is still selling in Barnes & Noble, Borders, and other major bookstores one year later! All of my touring with book signings, conventions, workshops, and panels has paid off. I now have an agent so that I can go mainstream! That's another thing... I thought the hardest part in going mainstream or trying to find a traditional publisher would be trying to find an agent. That too was the easiest part! So, I'm counting my blessings everyday and praying for a book deal soon.