THRIVE Book Launch Week 5: Grateful

I am jumping out of my skin because I am SO excited.

I am excited about revelation, helping people, transformation, joy, heartache, and the power and strength my journey has given me.

I am excited by the wonderful people who surround me with love and life every day. What wonderful people the world has made! How lucky I am to be blessed with them in my life!

I am so grateful for the support I have received for this project (THRIVE) already. It feels as though I am walking with arms wrapped around me, hugging me, urging me, holding me up, and pushing me ever forward - picking me up at the slightest stumble.

You, my dear friends, are what this is all about. Really. And I love each and every one of you. I really, truly do.

I would be a fraction of myself without you - a lone filament. This, I know beyond doubt, as you prove yourselves time and again. No one is alone. Each person is a moment - a point in time, in a network of relationship. Touch a thread, and ripples move across the web. And when I reach out, I see more connections than I ever expected. And this - this is glorious.

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LAUNCH UPDATE

This past week went in a slightly different direction than I anticipated, in part because I had a mini burnout, inspired partially from computer troubles. Thankfully my wonderful partner corrected that. So this is what I completed in the last week:

• 90% LOVERS & RIVALS revamped
• Author website up and running (domain and hosting purchased etc) - http://alexisdonkin.com
• Outreach to target group of magicworkers for campaign/marketing advice
• Tweaking and completion (really this time!) of THRIVE manuscript
• Developing database of contacts to receive press kit (in hopes of securing speaking engagements and possible book purchases)
• Blog posts
• Patreon posts
• Brainstormed/outlined serialized writing for Patreon subscribers (more on this later!)
• Brainstormed additional tabs for website (influences with relevant links?)
• Implemented daily back-ups of documents
• Outreach to author forums for social media boost & marketing advice
• Made social media picture posts
• Updated social media
• Linkedin
• G+
• Facebook author page
• Twitter
• Patreon

This week I hope to get the following done:

• LOVERS & RIVALS 100% revamped
• BROTHERS & L&R covers revamped
• BROTHERS & L&R revamped books on Smashwords & Amazon
• Patreon uploads (first look at me reading book excerpt? artwork inspired by novels?)
• Videos - 
• intro to author site
• intro to Patreon, 
• Patreon thank you 
• reading book excerpt?
• Blog posts (of course)
• Begin revamping LILITH & AMMON
• Continue developing THRIVE contact database
• Do social media/marketing planning with magicworkers
• Contact blogs/influencers about guest posts/blurbs for book(?)
• Finish formatting THRIVE for publication

It is a lot. I know. BUT... we're coming up on the pre-order date for THRIVE (May 15) and I need to have as much ready as I can. The more preparation, the better this whole enterprise will be.

P.S. If you want to be a part of the journey....LET ME KNOW! I need a team of committed ambassadors for THRIVE. It is an important book with an important message and I want it to help as many people as it can. With your help, its reach increases!

THRIVE Launch Week 3: The Itch-Scratch Edit-Rewrite Cycle

Anyone who has eczema or suffered through chicken pox or even the seasonal mosquitoes of New Jersey knows...the itch-scratch cycle sucks.

You have to scratch, because you itch. And nothing is worse than itching. So you scratch - applying pain and pleasure in a single act to that itch source. For a little while it's fine. But you didn't satisfy the problem. The itch comes back. So you scratch. Then you itch. So you scratch.

You scratch so much you scrape your skin off....but you still itch.

There's a similar thing in writing - revision.

You can revise until you die.

That is the problem. You can revise and revise and poke and prod, but at some point you have to just accept your little creation for what it is. There will always be a better book somewhere. There will always be a worse one. There will always be a better edit. There will always be a worse one.

At some point, you have to push your baby into the world, and see if it will fly.

I, strangely, have the opposite problem. I'm overly eager to finish. I accept my creation, flawed as it is, much sooner than my other writing friends. How do I know this? Well, because I've recently become acquainted with some writers who have worked on the same individual manuscript for years. Some a decade.

I would go crazy. Actually certifiable.

We both have something to learn from the other: One needs to let go of the piece, and accept perfection is impossible. The other needs to honor the piece, and take care to let it shine for all its worth.

This is the lesson my beloved friend and editor is teaching me. And I am grateful, and humbled, and struggle with every second of this lesson.

For the most part I thought I was done with THRIVE, and in many ways I am. However, if I really want it to show its worth, I need to be willing to cut things out. I need to be willing to remove distracting bits or unpack distracting omissions. This is where editing and proofing are so important. This is what polishing is all about.

So that's what I did today, all day. I polished. And I thought. And I will have more to do tomorrow. It means the other things I wanted to work on will get pushed back, which is frustrating, but necessary. I need THRIVE to shine, so I need to polish.
 
Here is my progress from last week:

• 88% done proofing THE BROTHERS
• 95% done polishing THRIVE
• Wrote an intro video script
• Wrote a list of influencer/organization lists for press kits
• Revised my press kit
• Finished about half my novel descriptions
• Finished about three-quarters of my revamped LOVERS & RIVALS cover
• Did some sketch art based on the Khloe novels
• Brainstormed some social media campaign tags
• Uploaded new book descriptions to Smashwords on several novels
• Changed Smashwords category tags on several novels
• Confirmed website design
• Talked over revised press kit with beta readers
• Wrote blog posts

My goals for week 4 are as follows:

• Finish proofing THE BROTHERS
• Proof a shorter piece
• Finish revising THRIVE
• Incorporate feedback on THRIVE journal guide
• Incorporate feedback on press kit
• Upload sketch art to Patreon for fantastic patrons
• Write blog posts
• Upload revamped BROTHERS cover art and book to Smashwords

I think that's it...and I'll keep you posted. Scratch, scratch.

Quick Update

If you follow my author page on Facebook or Google+ profile,  then you already know I had my baby on Labor Day (yes, I know).

I will try to get winners picked for THE BROTHERS giveaway tomorrow (or today...my time is a little off these days). The other giveaways are necessarily postponed...as is publication of SIX DEGREES.

I'll give further details in my next post as to what to expect going forward.

Thanks for humoring me in this whirlwind time!

Pain Destroys Concentration

Maybe some people are able to stay focused despite things going on in their lives. Those people are noble, well-practiced, or just particularly skilled.

Whatever the case may be, I am NOT one of those people.

My concentration on writing has gone to shit.

That said, late last night I wrote a bunch of poems (the longest I could concentrate on writing apparently). This morning I researched where to send press releases about Jeremiah (which I have to wait to send until tomorrow morning...early). I even reviewed and corrected my press release.

So I did get some writing related things done... just not nearly as much as I was hoping for.

Likely the next couple weeks my writing ability/focus is going to be shoddy at best. With that in mind, my posts here may be short and sweet (after all, what do I have to report? Unless I get a bunch of calls for interviews or something... :-)).

If you're curious about updates on my situation, I'll be posting them (probably nearly daily for the next couple weeks) on my Raising An Alien blog. If anything develops or changes as per my writing, that will, as usual, remain here.

Thank you for understanding and your support.

If you're wondering what you can do, buy my newest book! Rate it and review it! That would make my day (seriously)!

My Stay-at-home Mom Plan

Okay. It's official. I have a plan on how I can make staying at home work for me and for us.

Granted, my plan is loose and fancy free, and I haven't worked out all the kinks, but it's there. It is undeniably present in my head.

My plan is comprised of different parts, which over time will work together. It is a process and I expect it to take some time to lead to any consistent revenue, but I'm not going to let impatience blow me off course. I'm also not absolutely certain I will follow this plan. I may decide to throw out huge chunks of it in favor of focusing on one thing over another...we'll have to wait and see.

So what is this much lauded plan? Here goes nothing:

1. I will complete my Summer Writing Challenge. The books from said challenge will be promoted (Look for giveaways and sneak peaks in the future - that is FOR SURE!). I'm hoping to have some book tours involved, or blog hops, or something. This portion of promotion will take a little bit of work, because I need to connect with a few bloggers to make it happen, but I've been researching blogging networks and I feel confident I'll be able to find a few people interested in hosting something.
2. I am seriously considering an email/subscriber list type deal, which may involve some free tips/stories/and if I can make connections with products etc, possibly discounts (that would be AHmazing!). I'd like this to be more connected to my writing as opposed to other topics, as first and foremost I am a writer (though my readers seem to be most interested in my perspective on pregnancy...hmm).
3. I will begin looking for brands/services etc to review (as they relate to content on my blog ONLY - so possibly parenting related, possibly writing related, possibly politically/socially/environmentally related - this is a little open and will depend on how my interests continue to develop.).
4. I will attempt to connect with products and services that may interest visitors to my blog and possibly sell advertising space in the sidebar.
5. I am working with another writer/editor to start a webzine type of site which will hopefully lead to another consistent revenue stream through reviews and affiliates.

Already I've started looking into these different areas and I have a few ideas on how to get started. I know it will take some work to get things going, and I know I will probably have some trial and error before I'm able to find things that work well consistently.

As I work through this plan, you'll continue to get updates about my books (SWC posts), see changes to the blog (likely in the next few months), and hear about different articles on other sites. As part of the book launches, I'm also considering putting together some swag (totes...shirts maybe?).

A secondary consideration is separating my blogging into different sites (one for pregnancy and parenting and one for writing and related issues). This is something I am seriously considering because I'll be able to better tailor my posts to my readership (I know this will be annoying at first for those of you who have gotten used to reading pregnancy posts here, but I think it might work better to help to build brands.).

So here are those questions - (and *please* comment!) - would you rather see my pregnancy posts on a purely pregnancy/parenting blog? Would you rather my writing posts were separate? And, how do you feel about swag? :-)

A final question, what kind of giveaways would be exciting to you?

I can't wait to read your comments (twitter mentions are good too!)!

Submissions Update: More Benefits of The Short Story

I'm on a roll.

It seems channeling my nesting instinct into professional pursuits was an excellent choice. Since I began this path, I was able to edit several older short stories and submit them to two more literary magazines.

My plan, should they be rejected is to revisit the stories and then resubmit them to whatever short story competitions are most relevant to their contents and styles.

I think the thing that interests me most is that of the three I have submitted, not one of them feels similar. They all have very different moods and very different purposes. One is funny and pithy. Another is frankly shocking and very difficult to read (because of the topic discussed). The third is something bittersweet that reminds me of an alternative (and much compressed) Persuasion.

Should all three get published, I wonder at the agent or publisher, or even reader, who finds them. The name is the same...but the voice? Hardly. Of course, in a manner of speaking (grin), this is the goal.

Strangely enough I feel my novels are more similar in voice and manner than these shorts. Perhaps this is another lesson I needed to learn from writing short stories (the first being editorial boot camp). I am surprised at how many hidden benefits there are to this exercise, and so glad I'm finding them (even if they might be a little later than what would have provided maximum benefit).

The moral of the story (badum cha!): don't underestimate shorts! They may be of limited length, but they can sure pack a punch.

Show Far: My Growing Belly Update

I knew I was starting to show a few weeks ago, but when I saw the picture Christian took of me tonight my jaw dropped. It got me thinking about how far I've come in this pregnancy.

So far I've:

• Had my blood drawn 4 times (once because the lab said I had a different blood type and RH factor - and I'll have to have this done again, but we won't talk about that now...).
• Not taken any childbirth classes whatsoever - and I don't intend to - at least not in person. I read a ridiculous amount and will be attending a prenatal group through my birth center so I feel like it would be redundant.
• Been scared shitless about being a parent even while I've been deliriously excited about this new life growing inside of me and the adventure it promises.
• Purchased a total of 2 dresses and 7 tops (although one of them shrank beyond wearability after one wash).
• Gone to 3 prenatal appointments.
• Heard the baby's heartbeat twice.
• Seen the baby once (and will again for an anatomy scan at 21 weeks).

It makes perfect sense. I'm almost half-way through my pregnancy. The baby is almost 6 inches long and half a pound at this point. I can feel movement. This thing growing in my belly is no longer a simple cluster of cells or an abstract thing. It is much more than that.

And it shows.

Literally.

I wonder how much longer it will take for my students to comment. So far they continue moving along the way kids so often do - blissfully in their own little worlds - concerned about their lunches, snacks, friends, and timing of summer vacation.

Though I have seriously considered making one of their drawing prompts "Draw something related to babies/pregnant ladies" (not sure on the wording for this one as I might need to be careful with my prepubescent 5th graders) I have yet to broach the topic. I'm waiting for them to bring it up. Eventually one of them will. It's just a question as to when. And as I wait for one of them to bring it up, my belly continues to grow along with the resident in my womb.

No matter how I look at it, my body is changing rapidly and we're getting closer and closer to all the excitement, terror, and wonder of being full-fledged parents (as crazy as that sounds). There's no denying it any more. It is absolutely real.

An Interlude or A Rambling Update

I've been a bad blogger.
I don't know how many times I've read that on other blogs, but it still annoys me. Probably I find it annoying because it's the beginning of an excuse.

That said, I have one. I'm just not explaining yet - for a variety of reasons.

So you'll have to suffer a lack of Alexis perspective/humor for a little while longer. Sorry. I've no doubt you'll be fine.

For the short term however, enjoy a bit of rambling update. :-)

I've sent out queries to agents about JEREMIAH. I want that book backed by a big publishing house so I can piss off some people, excite others, and prod still more into thinking (all while enjoying some healthy shapeshifting). I'm still waiting to hear back from several agents and have several more I plan to query in the next month.

Writing has stalled largely due to a lack of energy and personal issues that may or may not be explained at a later date. You'll have to wait on that one.

I'm planning on applying to teach some online classes to fill in the income gap created when my art teaching job ends. That said, I just got the older kids for the first time and love them. Maybe it's because I've worked with 5th graders before, but their pre-pubescent attitudes just make me laugh. Plus I love their focus.

Christian and I are planning on having some couples camping time in the near future. The dates were postponed because his boss slipped a disk (eek!) so I'm not exactly sure when we'll get time. Even so, we're taking it because we need it. I want to use our gear and get out of the city. The exhaust fumes are bugging me. Christian just loves camping generally. It's time.

I still want a church home. I'm still bad about waking up on Sunday mornings. We'll see if we can make this happen. Between theology and worship, I know I'll have to compromise and as you all know, I really don't like to compromise.

I miss singing. I want to record some things up here and play with composition more, however this takes effort to learn software and funds to purchase equipment - two things I'm not sure I want to commit right now.

I am excited this year because I feel there will be many positive changes in our lives (across the board). Whoever thought 13 was unlucky forgot to count my life. Yes, it is an unknown. But the unknown is an adventure. And I love adventures.

With that, I will bring my update to a close. If luck is on my side I'll be able to slip back into sleep without incident. Cross your fingers. I'm going to need it.

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