Kudos, Newsletters and Grandchildren

You want to know what I'm doing right now if you're reading this on Monday. MOWING the grass. Already. The warm winter and all the recent rain have turned my lawn into a tropical forest. Taxes were as terrible an experience as we expected, financially. Ouch, ouch, ouch.

I read a lot of blogs and attend writers' meeting and conferences. I'm always looking for ways to promote and market. I haven't found the one I'm looking for. The one where I don't have to do anything. Readers just magically find my books and love them. One thing I hear over and over again, is that I should have an author's newsletter. I subscribe to some newsletters that are about writing and not promoting one author's books. Like the IWSG newsletter which is always informative. Anne R. Allen write a blog post comparing the pros and cons of newsletters versus blogging. She read my mind.

A big kudos to CPRW, the local chapter of RWA. I've been a long time member of this dynamic group and am currently serving as secretary. CPRW recently won RWA's Award of Excellence for a chapter of less than 50 members. It's pretty amazing to all of us, but when we list all the things we do, it's not so surprising. Like the current 50/50 that started a week ago. With the encouragement of group cheerleading and no excuses, I wrote over 14,000 words on my new WIP in only seven days.

I had my first chance to babysit the new granddaughter this past weekend. Those Mom muscles are a bit atrophied. My biceps were actually sore from all the use of carrying around a month-old eight pound baby. Next time you see a mother carrying a child in one arm and a few packages in her other, appreciate her strength a little bit.

Don't forget to stop by the IWSG today for another great post to kick off your week.

Who helps motivate you to write even when you'd rather be out mowing the grass? Do you receive a lot of newsletters in your inbox. Have you ever wondered how mothers manage to lug around those fragile but heavy offspring hour after hour?

Happy News

Barely into the new year and exciting things are happening. To read about the coolest things so far in 2016 world of writing, visit IWSG and read all about it. What is it? And a very warm and hardy welcome to Chrys Fey to the IWSG team of administrators. She's a terrific addition.

 

The Insecure Writer's Support Group Newsletter will feature articles by industry experts, IWSG members, and administrators. There will also be a dozen links to helpful articles for writers in each edition, as well as a special Member Spotlight. Even if you're not a member of the blogging group, you'll greatly benefit from these FREE monthly newsletters.

First issue goes out on February 24!

Sign up link - : http://eepurl.com/bM8oHL

Those who are part of the IWSG monthly blogging are already signed up.

Isn't that grand! I'm so excited to be part of this group.

Just a week from today, sign ups open up for the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I'm very excited for it this year even though I'll probably be in the middle of my next WIP by then. Mark the date and get up early next Monday to get your link on the list.

We're continuing to have mild weather for January though it's chilly today. My heating bill loves it and I'm getting a lot of my exercise outside instead of on the dreaded treadmill. I'm working on getting a stationery bike so I can ride while I read. I try to read at least an hour every day. If I combine biking with my hour of aerobic exercise, that will give me two hours of each. Win/Win.

"The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it." Henry David Thoreau

My publisher has released my the first book in my Galactic Outlaws series but it is only available on their website for the first thirty days. The Outlaw's Prize can only be purchased here for the time being. Like many small presses, they're trying to make more money for me and them by cutting out the middle man. Writers don't like to talk about money, but it's a fact that it's pretty tough to make a living in this business.

Talking of this business, I went to my local B&N yesterday to do some writing without family distractions. The place was so busy! I was glad to see so many children carrying around books, disappointed to see so many adults on their phones while their kids looks at books, and glad I found a table in the Starbucks that is part of the store. The line at Starbucks was long throughout the entire two hours I was there. I'm pretty sure the cafe alone made enough to keep the bookstore open. What was disappointing was the number of people standing in line to purchase books. Zero. That was unsettling. I hope some of the parents I saw purchased those books their children were cradling.

"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited." Plutarch

Are you excited about the newsletter? Are you signing up for the A to Z blogging challenge? What do you think of my bike idea to combine two important pastimes into one?