ROW80 Weds Check-in: Celebrate Spring!

The yellow-headed blackbirds have arrived. We had our first sighting today as we walked by the wetlands near our apartment. Lovely. Now we can watch as the yellow-heads fight with the red-winged blackbirds over who controls the pond. Ah, control issues in nature?

This week has been fairly intense so far, with two marketing promotions I was (note was) quite excited about. One through Amazon for Sponsored Product (4,300 impressions, 3 clicks, cost $0.42), and the other through Google Express ads (42,000 impressions, 25 clicks, cost after 5 days, $7.20). No Kindle or paperback sales for either promotion. 

So, my question remains: How do I increase visibility without sounding like a door-to-door sales person? So much advice. So many choices. That's why I'm reading James Scott Bell this week and next.

My writing buddy, Annette Drake, published a lovely cozy story about a woman who decides to refurbish an antebellum mansion in Missouri (my grandfather grew up there and always called Missouri, miz-rey before he ran away to Wyoming to become a cowboy). 

Building Celebration House features a few ghosts and is informed with neat details drawn from nursing, Civil War buffs, and an insider's view of how to run an event center. But, her book is invisible. For certain readers who love cozy stories about strong women, this book shouldn't be invisible. 

So we're going to continue to scrutinize various marketing ploys to see what works (and I'll share info here). By the way, kudos to Annette, as BookBub just approved her promotion for May 7.

Now, here's the progress for Week 2 through Weds:

RED = top priority, Green = in progress, and Blue = Done, Done, Done!

Wish I had better news to report, but there's still the rest of the week to go. My favorite quote this week (so far): "Writer's block is an indication of a larger plot or story structure issue -- step back and reevaluate." Brian Mercer. 

Check out what other ROW80 writers are doing HERE or on Facebook HERE. And have a great week!

ROW80: Sunday check-in Celebration

That new cover came in for Rivers of Stone. early this Friday morning. You know I was excited and happy. It took courage to say, "Yes, I will finish the book, so it's time to order the cover." And Angie has changed her process a bit, so I had to select the cover image. 

The new cover matches the overall design of Books 1 and 2 in my series (scroll down to see covers on the right side of this page to see if you agree). 

I love the way the wilderness of the 1840s is reflected in this pic of the Athabasca River in the Canadian Rockies. Angie Zambrano of Pro-ebookcovers.com has done a wonderful job on all three of my covers.

That new cover was just the inspiration I needed to send out my first author newsletter in two years. Have you signed up for my newsletter? I can promise it will not be sent out very often! Click HERE if you'd like to receive that very occasional alert about new releases, giveaways, etc.

Any challenges? I still have maybe another week of revising to do before Rivers of Stone is ready for my beta readers. Goal? To send final copy to beta readers no later than May 1.

RED = top priority, Green = in progress, and Blue = Done, Done, Done!

Other challenges? If I'm to keep to schedule and launch by late June (for summer reading marathons), I've got a lot of wrap-around work to do as an indie writer (publishing, marketing plan and media kit, schedule, and launch party). 

My F2F writing group (thank you, Annette, Sandy, and Sue), has been wonderful with critical feedback that keeps me focused through these final edits -- at least until beta comments come back.

Is the rest of my life in balance? Well, that dratted cold is finally gone. I'm resuming exercise (swimming 3x/week), and still quilting. Daily walks bring the smells of spring close. Today we saw hyacinths and tulips and early azaleas.

Looks like ROW80 on Facebook will take off with a few more activities. Check out what we're up on Facebook or on ROW80's website and consider joining in -- if you haven't already. 

Make it a good week, one day at a time. Oh, yes, and take time to smell those spring flowers.

May is the time of Lilacs (Manito Park 2016)

ROW80: Wednesday Already?

Time to check in already? This will definitely be short and sweet. Got a few things done, but that darn list is getting longer. I'm  hoping to see better progress by Sunday. 

Monday's surprise was a five-minute flurry of snow. In April?? Here's today's update:

• I feel like I'm holding my breath, waiting for the new cover to come in. Due date: this Friday.  
• The Amazon Sponsored Ad (ends tomorrow) was an interesting experiment. Over 4,000 impressions (where my little ad appeared), but only 2 clicks through for a total cost of .25c. No actual sales, though the final data will come in about 3 days after the ad ends. I did like the reporting system.
• Two ideas found online on ways to reach readers: Post random chapters from your books right on your blog.Offer a novella or short story when readers sign up for your newsletter. That's a good idea, though I don't have a novella exactly right now. Maybe that's what I can work on while waiting for those beta comments.

Have a great week! Check out what other ROW80 writers are doing this week HERE or on FaceBook HERE. 

And here's a meme for writers from Sandy Brown Jensen, posted on Flickr back in 2014:

Row80: Sunday, Sunny Sunday

Good morning, ROW80. Since revamping how I track weekly goals last Weds to show priority and status by color, checking in for  ROW80's 2x weekly posts is much, much easier. 

My schedule-at-a-glance: 

Now, right under this weekly schedule, I add weekly goals (RED = high priority/not done yet, GREEN = in progress, and BLUE = Done). Each day, I also add a summary of what's going on (notes, questions, etc.). Here is this week's progress: 

This week, I'm most excited that all 4 beta readers (writers I know and trust) have responded with a "Yes!" Somehow, keeping those weekly goals right in front of me enabled me to work on those marketing action steps that tend to fall to the bottom of the list.

About the new cover. I'd like to have a face on the cover since the characters move the story -- but, covers that feature people in varying states of dress or missing body parts (you know, the body of a woman in a revealing gown with her head cut off), lean to romantic historical fiction. 

Covers for fiction by writers like Rutherfurd and Follett tend to show historical scenes on their covers, rather than people.  

So I've asked for a cover that will fit in with Books 1-2 (see right sidebar). But just maybe, by the end of the year, I'm thinking new covers for a boxed set that will feature the main characters for all three books.  

What do you think of this strategy?

And that's the news this Sunday. A new week beckons with potential, deadlines, goals, and writing. Mike Faricy continues to inspire me to rethink that newsletter and how to reach out to readers. Expect more progress this week on that newsletter!  OK, have YOU signed up for my newsletter?

May you have a good week.

Heartfelt thanks to Eden and Shan Jeniah for all the work they do behind the scenes to make ROW80 happen. Join in (if you haven't yet), and check out what other ROW80 writers are doing this week HERE or on FaceBook HERE.

ROW80: Wedsnesday maybe?

I always feel a bit rushed by reporting in to ROW80 on Wednesdays, but maybe I just need a slightly different system. 
So, here goes. 

I keep a Daily Work Log to track writing progress, etc. Now, I'm adding a Weekly goals list. Here's this week's schedule and weekly goals list. I post a daily journal entry underneath.

Here, red means I really want to complete this action step.

Meanwhile, I'm still celebrating being ready to send off Rivers of Stone to beta readers and starting on the copyediting (book blurb, cover, ad copy). Wrote about this for IWSG's monthly post on my writing blog HERE.

The other exciting step I'm taking this week (and the rest of this month) is experimenting with online ads. A writing friend will post her FaceBook ad this month and will report her results. I'm running a ten-day 'Key Word Sponsored' ad through Amazon. Stats lag by three days, so we'll see how the overall promotion goes. But as I did research, I discovered Google Express Ads and learned I can target by location -- anywhere in the world! That opens a new promotion for Years of Stone set in Australia, but I want to run only ONE promo at a time so I can see what works.  

My F2F writing group only meets 2x this month instead of weekly. I learn from their wip as well as their comments and the simple process of reading aloud. I'll take the last chapter of ROS next time we meet.

For inspiration? My dear hubby showed me the opening lines of the book he's currently reading. Michael Chabon's Moonglow. He does that when he's truly hooked. Now, so am I, though I'm more likely to read Patricia Cornwell's Blow Fly (on my towering TBR pile).

Another bit of inspiration came this week from Mike Faricy, author of the very gritty Bobby Custer (amoral attorney at large), novels. I wrote him about the books and received a very nice personal e-mail back. So I joined his newsletter. Wow! That first newsletter was so personal and fun that it made me rethink what I write about on my blog AND in my own newsletters. So, inspiration can arrive when least expected.

And that's the news this Weds from the wilds of Spokane. May you have a good week. Check out what other ROW80 writers are doing this week HERE or on FaceBook HERE. 

ROW80: Spring has sprung!

Each morning begins with writing. Now it's Sunday night after a sunny, warmish day. For those intrepid followers of ROW80, the online writing community that knows we writers have a life, we're on to Round 2. 

First, set goals that are measurable, then report in twice weekly. 

My ROUND 02 goals (so far):

• WRITING: Write 6x/week on current project, Rivers of Stone (1840s historical fiction set in Canada). Send beta out x2 by April 30. Meet weekly w/writers' group. Work on ROS book blurb and cover. Begin to draft wrap around materials (afterword, notes, bibliography?, and links). Overall goal: Publish Rivers of Stone by the end of summer.
• MARKETING: Jump start that marketing plan and media kit. Complete 2-3 action steps each week. Send newsletter by April 15. 
• BLOGGING: Post ROW80/weekly on Sunday, Writing blog weekly, and IWSG on Weds, April 5. 

PROGRESS March 27-April 2:

• WRITING: Actually finished revisions of Rivers of Stone. Now reworking those crucial last three chapters. Just once more. Key question: Does the ending tie together all those loose threads? Will it satisfy the readers?
• MARKETING: Listened to Joanna Penn's weekly podcast on Amazon marketing. Took LOTS of notes. Began researching key words in my genre. Working my way through Shelley Hitz and Heather Hart's Building a Book Marketing Plan for Authors (www.trainingauthors.com)
• BLOGGING: So far, so good. Some notes for IWSG already. I decided not to participate in the A to Z Blogging Challenge this year . . . because I want to focus on my primary writing goals.

Now here's the real deal: Being a part of A Round of Words in 80 Days keeps me focused and motivated. Schedules help. Positive self-talk helps. Digging into my work critically and figuring out what needs to be done next is woven throughout ROW80. Thank you for reading, writing, participating, and for those words of encouragement. Sometimes my best lessons come from your own honest assessment of what's going on with your writing!

May Round 2 be good to you all!

OK, just maybe I'm past editing, revising, and
editing and editing that first draft . . .  

ROW80: Happy dance at home!

Today's Sunday and time to check in for A Round of Words in 80 Days, the writing challenge that knows you have a life. We're supposed to be taking a break between the first round of 80 words and the second, with no more check-ins until April 2, but I'm checking in each Sunday. Because IF I stop, I truly do stop!

I'm doing that happy dance because (ta-da) I'm finally healthy again. After being nasty sick for over 4 weeks, the life force has returned. I leap out of bed and can get stuff DONE. Yippee. OK, ok, so sometimes in the afternoon, there's a little slump. But mostly, I'm back, still sipping hot tea to ease that lingering tickle in the throat.

More good news. I finished revising Section 04 (32K words), and Section 05 of Rivers of Stone, the last section has only 9K words. This means no more (fictional) facing white water or plodding through snow, as my characters come down the Great Columbia River to Fort Vancouver and the end of the story!

First sight of Mount Hood on the Columbia River
(called Mount Timm in 1846)
Painting by James Everett Stuart (Artnet)

Progress this week:

• Revision: 13 chapters this week; added 1,173 words.
• Marketing: Updated photo on all platforms. Handed out bookmarks.
• Other: Finished a scrappy comfort quilt, met with writers' group, walked x3. Almost ready to resume swimming.

Goals for the coming week:

• Begin last section, Rivers of Stone.
• Marketing: Persevere with one more step.
• Other: Work on Leah's recipes, quilting, meet w/writers' group. And swim!

May you ALL have a great week!