Bookish Gifts, Merch Trends, and the Rise of the Sprayed Edge

Howdy, y'all! Welcome back to the blog on this nasty, rainy Wednesday. It's kinda chilly here in Georgia (soon to be Florida!), and I'm hating on it hard. I love warm weather and warm rain, and I despise the cold. Yuck. Anywhooooooo... Today, we're talking about things. All the newfangled bookish gifts, merchandise, and how the sprayed edge has taken over the special edition. Why that last one? Because I feel like it goes with the others like mushy peas go with fried fish.

So, grab something awesome and warm to drink, strap in, get those mouse fingers warmed up to scroll, and let's get to it already!

***NOTE: Nothing here is an affiliate link. We don't do that on this blog. I may add a donation button at some point, but I'm still thinking it over. WDYT?

First up: Bookish Gifts

There are a ton of bookish items on shelves nowadays, and I feel, with all the books by Hoover now being made into movies, the stock and options therein have exploded. Let's look at a few I happen to just love.

Storiarts is a super cool site that offers book-themed merchandise at a nice cost. Link here. They have fingerless gloves (I own the ones with lines from The Raven on them), scarves, tees, headbands (I have one of those, too), baby stuff, blankets... There's too much to list here, but all are quality. I've given them as gifts, too.

Of course, there's always the bookish things on Amazon, but CafePress is amazing if you're an author who wants to create their own gear. Link here. Before they got serious about their licensing abilities, I made an Emancipation Monopoly game there. It was hella cool. Kinda wish I'd kept one. hahaha 

Anyway, dive on in and see what you can make! These would be awesome gifts, and there's a wide array of stuff to customize. Wouldn't you love to be wrapped in Tobias's face at the beach? *evil grin*

Next: Merch Trends

This revolves around influencers, mostly. I don't know if you're up to speed on this, but a lot of times, new release ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) are being sent with items around the book's theme. Historically, we sent ARCs for reviews, but now, it's become the norm to send items alongside to help the promoter do his/her/their job.

This also includes coloring books, which we did with our War and Pieces ~ Frayed Fairy Tales series. Feel free to download, print, and color this one. :)

Is this a good idea in this new world we find ourselves in? Well, I will say that several of the items sent cause quite a bit of discussion to start, so maybe it's genius.

On the other hand, when you have a book like Emancipation, what the hell do you send? Rope, Duct tape, and perfume that smells of murder? I'm not sure that would go over so well... I may be wrong, of course, but it seems to me this would make romance, sci-fi, and contemporary a much easier sell. 

Thoughts?

Last: The Rise of the Sprayed Edge

You can find a TON of books with sprayed edges over on Etsy. Link here. Some of them are mouthwateringly beautiful, and some have custom covers rather than sprayed edges.

I see special editions in the bookstores all the time, and if there's a decorative edge, I'm all over it (usually only if I don't already have it, but there are a FEW exceptions). I also may, or may not, have a few pretties of titles I already owned because they came out with a special one that made me swoon. Lightlark was one of those. haha I mean, have you seen it? It's gorgeous. No clue if it has sprayed edges because I haven't removed it from the box. Yet. :) Hey, I'm waiting on my library to be finished, okay?

All that being said, I have a theory on why the sprayed edge became a thing. Wanna hear it? I know you do! I'm gonna tell you anyway. :P

You know all those designers that put the books on the shelf so the spines are to the wall so there's this weird, white, lined aesthetic when you look at it?

I know you can see where I'm going with this.

I think this is what started the sprayed-edge craze. No one wants their book on a shelf so the title is hidden. Not only is it terrible for the book (they're meant to be taken off the shelf by the spine), but it crushes all advertisement for the title. Do you browse someone's bookshelf at their house to see the white edges of the pages? No. You do it to see what titles they're reading and if you might want to read any of their stuff. Plus, hours are spent agonizing over the cover and assuring series are numbered correctly on the spines.

Enter the sprayed edge. It's like a huge screw you to those designers. hahaha! I love it.

What do you think? Have you come across unique bookish gifts, to-die-for merch, or a sprayed edge that knocks all others out of the park? Tell me about it!

I hope this post was educational and fun for you all. My fingers are starting to hurt from all this typing, so I'm gonna go! Thanks for reading. :)

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Finally, an Author Platform Just for Men

Hello, and happy Monday, everyone! I suppose you can kind of tell what today's post will be about, mainly, but I'm going to take a quick moment to catch you all up on what's been going on and why I didn't post last week. Boo! Let's just dive right into it, shall we?

So, a few weeks ago, hubby and I were in a car accident. We were rear ended and pushed into the car ahead of us (double slammy). I felt okay after a little bit, though I was a tad lightheaded, and my left shoulder was sore for about an hour. I'm well aware it sometimes takes a few weeks for things to show up, so I was hesitant to say I was good.

Well, last week, my left hand swelled between my ring and pinky fingers, and the fingers got so big, I took my wedding ring off and put it on my necklace for fear it would make things worse and end up needing to be cut off. That was a long sentence, but you see where I'm going with this.

I ended up on the couch with an ice pack, Aleve (don't tell my neurologist--she'll unalive me), and a remote control. Of course, I had my phone, so I was still browsing with my right hand (which is where I came across the linky that's the topic today). Now, it's still slightly painful, but I can type, so I'm back!

Not something I planned for, stupidly, so I missed posting all last week.

Now you know.

TODAY, however, I'd like to talk about this website that was just launched. News article here.

According to a poll I conducted a long (long) time ago, men dominated the reader preferences, so I have to ask myself: Why do they need a new website focused mainly on them?

Are you asking yourself the same question?

It appears women have taken over the publishing industry. According to the man in that article, " ... Most of the excitement and energy around new and adventurous fiction is around women authors ... "

My takeaway from reading the article is that it's believed that this needs to be corrected for some reason or another. Why is this a problem? Are women not allowed to have a bigger voice after being shushed for so long? Why do the males in this industry feel threatened in such a way?

I've seen some real stinkers and read some beautiful masterpieces by both sexes. In my humble opinion, more women have simply gravitated toward publishing the last ten years.

Could that have something to do with the Indie boom? I believe it has everything to do with it. Before, there were gatekeepers in the "Big 7" (now the Big 5) who were more likely to give those contracts to men. Now, a woman can simply write down her thoughts and publish them. Perhaps the female voice is what was missing in a mostly male-dominated industry, and it corrected itself.

I say it's about damned time the playing field was leveled in such a way. Perhaps it's not that males aren't being heard, but maybe it's that they don't tend to become writers these days as often as women do.

Label us bored housewives if you want, but we're crushing this publishing thing. I just can't believe a whole sex feels threatened enough by it to create a website focused on them and them alone.

What do you guys think about this? Is it a good thing? Pop on over, read that article (it's not long), and let me know your thoughts!

I, for one, am so excited to read more about how her boobs bounced boobily down the stairs. They say it's for masculine themes, but don't we just need more escapism? Books are entertainment, after all.

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Character Interview with Pearl Etta Riggs (Smith) Codename: Viper

Hello, and happy Friday, everyone! It's been a minute since I did a character interview, and I thought this one would be extra fun. As you may know, Pearl is the main character in my Guerrilla Grannies series. She's a computer wiz, a chemical engineer, and a firecracker. I aspire to be her when I grow up. hahaha! I won't bore you with details. Let's get some coffee and dive right in, shall we?

Hello, Pearl, and welcome. We're excited to get this interview going. How are you today?

Pearl: I'm as tired as a boxer after the twelfth round, but I guess I'm holding it together okay. Let's just get this over with. I have plans with my friends later. *pats hair*

Well, you just look fabulous, if we might be so bold as to say so.

Pearl: *preens*

How about we start by asking how you met your friends: Ethel, Opal, Minerva, and Alma. How did you all meet?

Pearl: That's a great way to start. I love this story so much! Opal and I hit it off on day one of elementary school because of our names, and Alma came not too long afterward. We palled around together quite a bit until the first day of middle school. That's when The Great Milk Debacle happened, and Minerva and Ethel came into the fold. We've been friends ever since.

Whoa! I have to ask now. The Great Milk Debacle? We need to know more!

Pearl: There was this kid, Tommy Turner, and he was a terror. He was a straight up bully, taking other kids' lunch money or demanding their desserts. Well, Tommy was trying to take Opal's milk, and back then, she wasn't nearly as deadly as she is now. She's petite and quiet. She's not as small as Alma, but still... 

So, anyway, Tommy comes out of the hallway and crosses his arms, blocking our way to the cafeteria, our trays in hand. He holds out meaty paw and glares at us, demanding Opal hand over her milk. She goes to give it to him, even though Alma and I are telling her not to, when Minerva and Ethel appear between Opal and Tommy. They faced him and told him to go away; he wasn't getting anyone's milk. 

He made some snide remark, and Minerva's fist went flying at his face right as Ethel's foot went for his balls. I've never seen someone go down so fast. Minerva told him we were under her protection now, grabbed us, and rushed us away before any teachers could get involved. She and Ethel just kind of stayed after that. We like them okay, I guess. *smirks*

That's an admirable story. Minerva and Ethel, great defenders of injustice.

Pearl: Yeah. It makes sense that Ethel went into law enforcement when you look at it like that.

It sure does. We want to know more about you now. How did you meet Mansfield?

Pearl: We met right after I graduated college. He was trying to buy the lab I worked at, and my boss had all the technicians in his office when he met with the potential buyers. Manny came in with a bunch of other suits, and on his way out, he stopped and asked me if I'd like to go to dinner with him. I agreed. That sale never happened, but I got a husband and a free dinner out of it.

Where did you go to college?

Pearl: I went to Georgia Tech. Back then, it wasn't nearly the school it is now, but they were still great. I got a chemical engineering degree and picked up a bit of computer savvy along the way. You know, computers were just becoming a thing when I was in school.

Where did you get your love of technology?

Pearl: I'd touched a few computers before starting my career, and we ended up implementing a lot of them by the time I left the lab. They kind of go hand in hand with what I do.

That makes sense. So, we were told that we have to ask. Did you ever blow up a lab?

Pearl: Of course. *grins* We made all kinds of mistakes. Our professors told us it was part of the learning process, and I did learn a lot. I now know not to mix a metal hydride with water. *holds hands up* I mean, boom. *explodes hands apart* Unless that's what I'm going for.

You said you have plans with your friends later. What’s on the agenda? A bridge game or kidnapping another bad guy?

Pearl: I'm not at liberty to say.

Okay, okay. How about we ask: What’s the most illegal thing you’ve done that you’re willing to admit to?

Pearl: *taps chin* We might have put bomb detonators in fake old-folk buttons and pretended to be frail so we could evade questioning. 

Wait. What? When did you do that?

Pearl: I can't tell you when, silly! Then they'll know it might have been us.

Ah. I see. Okay, I'll change it up. If you and your friends had a theme song that would play when y'all walked into a room, what would it be?

Pearl: I love this question! I'm thinking Bad to the Bone. We're all pretty amazing like that, and it fits. Personally, mine would be Trouble by P!NK.

Those are very fitting, from what we know about y'all. Last question (because we're out of time for today): What’s the one thing you wish people understood about aging?

Pearl: There's more than one thing, but the top thing to remember is: Just because you're getting older, it doesn't mean you have to stop having fun or being the boss lady you are. Age is just a number; it's not what defines who you are or what you can do.

Oh, that's great advice! Thank you, Pearl, for joining us today. It was a pleasure having you, and don't worry about the blue hair. We think you look fabulous.

Thanks to everyone who joined us today. We hope you enjoyed getting to know Pearl and are eager to know more about her friends. Ethel has graciously told us she might be available for an interview sometime in the near future.

If you're interested in learning more about these awesome ladies, pick up a copy of Guerrilla Grannies: Gray is the New Black today.

I don't know about any of you, but I want to be Pearl when I grow up. hahaha

Well, that's all for today, folks! 

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Emotions and Writing - How to Deal with Emotional Distress as an Author

Hello, everyone, and happy Wednesday! I'm going so deep into my soul for today's post, it's crazy. We're talking about emotions and writing, and how you can deal with the emotional distress life can throw your way. We've all been there, some of us more deeply in it than others, and we know how quickly the milkshake you've been shaking stops bringing all the boys to the yard. Buckle up, and grab a box of tissues just in case. Coffee locked and loaded?

Good. Let's go!

There are so many emotional firecrackers that can go off in our lives that we can't just power through, and sometimes, sitting in the silence makes thoughts we hate come to the surface and sit there, swirling around, yanking our focus away from our task at hand. Holy shit that was a long sentence. *inhales deeply* This type of thing can break us from the inside out. There are a handful of things I can think of that can, and have, thrown me out of my writing habit. I know there are others.

Here are a few of the life changers I could think of off the top of my head:

• Death of a loved one.
• Extreme stress.
• Uncertainty about the future.
• Homelessness.
• Losing a high-paying job.
• Major health issues (you or a family member you care for).

Let's address these from the only place I can come from. Some of you will have different experiences/stressors, and that's perfectly alright. This is how I dealt with it, and I'm hoping to encourage some thinking and self forgiveness here. :)

I've talked about my MS before, but the April after I was diagnosed, my husband was told he had cancer and would have to do chemo. That sent us both into a bit of a tailspin. I was knee deep in War and Pieces art (the shoes for the covers), and he planned to work through chemo, so I was the one setting his stuff up and doing the driving every day.

We still published on time, but I had to find a way to make it work. Not everyone has that option, and I was lucky I did at the time. Honestly, if emotional distress has you unable to make words, then don't make words. There's no way I could've gotten any writing done during chemo, so it was a great thing that I was in an artwork phase. It was HARD. I'm not sure I could do it today.

When my son died, I lost all my motivation to do much of anything. Sitting in a quiet room with nothing but my words simply wasn't an option. I had to stay super busy so the grief didn't eat me alive. I had random aches all over (especially in my chest), and I spent a lot of time with my punching bag.

I dove into art with gusto. I devoured YouTube videos from artists and learned how to work in several new mediums. Then I started putting them together to create things that were unique, things no one had done before. Like this:

Or this:

My house quickly filled with paintings and other art. Some were those of a beginner, and some were actually really good. Then I created things for friends as test pieces with new mediums to see what my limits were. Like this one I did for my friend Casey Bond:

I improved and upskilled, and I was able to eventually do this:

You know what I didn't do? I didn't beat myself up for not writing. Yes, it's in my blood. I love it more than I can say. I've done things with my writing no one has ever done before. I created the story of a book that compels the reader to read it. I told a story from the POV of the house itself. It brings me so much joy when people read and love my work, when it touches their hearts and makes them think.

That being said, I couldn't bring myself to the place I needed to be to write.

That's okay.

Read it again.

You don't have to be a writer 24/7 if you're a writer. You're allowed to take time to heal. You're allowed to take time for any reason you please. Your books don't own you and neither do your fans.

Yes, you'll lose some followers along the way, but you have to ask yourself what matters most. Do you matter? Does your mental health matter?

The answer is yes. Without you being in top form, the words won't be what they could've been. Take the time you need. Don't regret it; you'll emerge from the other side a stronger, healthier you.

Of the things I listed above, I've been through all of them except one. Guess where I am right now? Writing. Yeah, it's just my blog for now, but I'll be back at the words this year. Make no mistake, you'll come back around.

Be patient, and be kind to yourself.

You matter.

I hope you were able to read through this without too much trouble. Sometimes, beautiful things come from pain, and sometimes, they come from happiness. Either way, creative things are borne from emotion. Go ahead and feel.

Did I miss any of the major stressors? Drop me a comment. I'd love to know how the last few years have been for you.

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Overused Phrases in Thriller Novels

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! I know I'm late. I had stuff for my normal job to do. hahaha. Today, we'll be talking about overused phrases (clichés) in thriller novels specifically. You've probably all seen/read these before, but just so you know, I'm in a thriller group where the readers poked some fun at the genre this week, and these were the phrases they came up with. I'm sure I've used a couple, but I do my LEVEL best to avoid stuff like this.

Ready? Grab a coffee and get comfy. Here we gooooooooo...

First up, we have the body language phrases:

• I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
• I bit my knuckles.
• The smile did not reach my eyes.
• I instantly collapsed.
• My eyes darkened.
• His eyes sparkled with recognition.
• Bit my tongue until a metallic taste filled my mouth.
• Calluses.
• Boobies bouncing boobily.
• Bite the inside of your cheek.
• Nails digging into palms.
• Pacing back and forth.
• Hearts beating out of chests.
• White knuckling something (like a steering wheel).
• Shivers dancing down spines.
• Knitting brows.
• Hooded eyes.
• Ice in veins.
• Click or cluck tongue. 
• Lips that turn into a line.
  

Okay, and now we go to descriptions:

• Toothy smiles.
• Watery smiles.
• Sickening thuds.
• Padding out of a room.
• Awaking with a start.
• Scarlet cheeks.
• Throats with bile filling them.
• Suddenly gasping.
• A bit too thin.
• Red like strawberries.
• Cold, dead, and unseeing eyes.
• Invisible lint.

Additional ones:

• Realizing X amount of time had passed.
• A woman who doesn't know how beautiful she is.
• A sensation of eyes boring into you.
• Prickling sensation.
• Little half moons in palms.
• Chairs scraping across linoleum floors.
• Screaming only to realize it's me.
• Swallowing the lump.
• Steam curling from mugs.
• Bowels turning to water.
• Small of your back being touched.
• Those darn jaw ticks.

Now, these phrases aren't bad on their own, but when you're writing them into your novel, try to keep in mind 1k other people are also writing them into their novels. There are a few of these I have issue with that could be worded better:

• Released a breath I didn't know I was holding.

Yeah, you knew you were holding your breath. It's an automatic feature of being human, breathing, and it doesn't stop unless you tell it to with your brain.

Use this instead: Released my breath as I relaxed.

• My/His/Her eyes darkened.

Are you or they a magician? How are your/their eyes changing color? They're not.

Use this instead: His eyelids dropped halfway, and he tipped his chin down a bit.

• Pacing back and forth.

This is four words where one will do. I go over this in some of the editing posts I've written. When someone paces, back and forth is implied. You don't have to beat the reader over the head with it.

Use this instead: She paced between the fridge and the window, stopping to peek out each time. Or simply: She paced.

• Knitted brows.

This is one of those things that drives me batty. You don't have to use this exact phrase. Change it up. Get creative. That's your job as a writer.

Try: Pulled his eyebrows together until they nearly touched. Or: Scrunched her nose and wrinkled her forehead, causing her brows to get closer. 

• Suddenly gasping or suddenly gasped.

A gasp is sudden. You only need one of those words, not both. I don't even have a use this instead hint here. I mean, leave off a word. haha

• Bowels turning to water.

I'm so glad I've never seen this. I'd stop reading. Your bowels can't turn to water and neither can your legs or a smile. Just stop it.

Use this instead: A sudden urge to shit slammed into me like a noon train, and I clenched my butt cheeks.

Here are some tips I've worked up in the past. Here is a game you can play with phrases like this so you can alter them.

What are your favorite common phrases? Ping me a comment, and let me know!

I hope you all got something out of this post, even if it was just a chuckle.

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Lessons from Traveling

Welcome back to the blog, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'll be talking about the lessons I've learned from doing a TON of traveling. From my author job to my other job (not telling you what that is), I had to figure out how to be fully mobile so I could keep things running as smoothly as possible when I'm away from my home computer. I'm gonna share how I accomplish it with all of you. I know, I'm a peach. :)

Without further ado... Grab that coffee and a notebook because here we gooooooo!

Lesson 1:

Know where you're going and what you'll have access to while you're there.

This one was hard for me because I'm used to having the programs, wifi, and power supplies I need when I need them. Having things like Photoshop at my fingertips allows me to do my job in a streamlined way, but I can't haul my laptop and monitor everywhere I go. It's not economical, and my laptop is a beast of a machine. It's super heavy and is a bit of a power hog.

I discovered that you can't do everything on an iPad that you can do on a laptop, so I adjusted. We'll get into what I do to avoid these things at the end so you can focus on the issues and not the solutions. Onward!

Lesson 2:

Understand space limitations.

I thought I'd have just a little room to do the things I needed to do on the airplane. That just wasn't the case. You also probably won't need your whole purse. Take what's vital.

Lesson 3:

Books are heavy and take more space than you think. 

One is a lot, and more than one pushes your limits unless you're a body builder or have wheels (even then, you have to lift for the overhead). Along with everything else I had to take with me, I discovered I needed to have the husband help me lift my bag when I took more than one.

Lesson 4:

Clothes are overrated.

Sure, you need enough to get you through the days you'll be gone, but more than that, and you're just flexing.

Lesson 5:

Cute Airpod cases are crap.

From having them come apart and flip open to scatter my beloved Airpods to the wind to having them randomly stop sticking to the case, I've been through some stuff.

Lesson 6:

You'll need a business card at the exact moment you aren't carrying one.

This happens to me every time I travel, and I always promise myself I'll stick a few in my wallet. hahaha No. I don't. 

Lesson 7:

You won't be able to do the thing when you need to.

I thought I could handle everything I needed to while I was on the go, but I quickly realized there are some things I can't do remotely.

Solutions:

• Assure you have plenty of outlets where you're staying so when your devices decide to die on you, there's a plug nearby.
• Get cases with keyboards attached. Yes, they're heavier, but if you're used to typing on a keyboard, you'll struggle with a screen.
• Pack light if you have access to a washer and dryer. You don't need ten outfits for a five-day trip.
• Check the website to see if you have wifi. This has tripped me up more than once, and I end up using my phone as a hot spot. Yuck.
• Find apps that easily do the things you're used to doing on your desktop for the iPad (if this is how you roll--I do highly suggest getting at least a small iPad for travel).
• Get a robust Airpod case that clicks closed and hooks onto things.
• One book will do ya. If you truly need more, go digital.
• Be better than I am, and add those business cards or bookmarks to your wallet (or get a digital one). That way, when someone asks, you have it on hand.
• Airplanes are best suited for phone use and not typing on a keyboard. Find a way to work from your phone when in the air. Your elbows will thank me, and your seatmates will thank me, too!
• Work ahead. Do as much as you can before you leave, and use automation to keep things running while you're away. That way, all you have to do is monitor everything.
  

There ya go. These are the hard-won lessons I learned from traveling with my stuff. As you may know, I'm about to move states, and when I say we're back and forth between the new place and home a lot, it's an understatement. We're here as much as we're there, and I haven't moved all my work stuff yet. ha. Ugh.

My usual packing list:

• iPad with keyboard case
• Pen and small pad of paper
• One book
• Batteries or backups for things that need them
• Medications
• Phone
• Small wallet with ID and one credit card 

All that goes in a very small backpack, and then I put clothes for exactly the number of days I'll be gone plus one, my overnight bag with shampoo and such in it, and my chargers into a small suitcase. It's changed my life for the better. I no longer worry about my bag getting lost because chargers and clothes are easy to replace, and I can work and have my meds either way because of the backpack.

I hope you got something out of the post for today! Can you think of anything I missed? If so, drop me a comment and let me know! Thanks for reading and being awesome. :)

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Character Development Hacks

Howdy, y'all! Welcome back. Hump day! I love Wednesdays. It means the weekend is so close I can smell it. No, that's not my feet. I don't think it is, anyway. :) Today! Today, we're talking about characters. Specifically, we're talking about character development hacks. This is where you'll get the info to fill out my free, printable character bio sheets. *shameless self plug* Hint: They're in the back. We'll go into how you can develop a character with flaws, a great arc, and at least one redeeming quality (if that's what you're looking for). 

Ready? Grab a cup of Jo and a warm blanket, and let's get to the meat and potatoes.

Great. Now I want a burrito and hashbrowns...

I find a lot of people struggle to come up with character names, but you don't actually need that when you first start to develop a character. Feel free to leave it until the end. When you're ready, pop on over to a baby name website and browse, or go to one of those character name generators that are all over the place. Here's one of many.

There are five easy ways to get the basic info you need to fill out the bio:

1. Base the character on someone you know.
2. Base the character on someone you've heard about.
3. Base the character on your pet.
4. Base the character on someone in a dream.
5. Close your eyes and draw traits out of a hat.

When you're ready to get deeper, think about the story itself and how the character will navigate the pages. Is it more of a quest story, or is it romance? Is the character going to have an ah-ha moment, or do they know themselves fairly well from the start?

Be sure you include any redeeming qualities unless you're writing a villain. Your villains need to be bad to the bone. Crafting complex villains is a whole other topic, and I've addressed that in this post. We won't go any further into that here.

If you base your character on someone you know, be sure to change the name, first of all, but secondly, look at what you have:

• A Personality - Unless your person is a rock, they have a personality. They have likes, dislikes, a birthday, and all sorts of other goodies for you to swipe.
• Character Flaws - Those things that make us unique. Perhaps they snarf every time they see a baby or they're prone to talking about other people.
• Instant Answers to What If Questions - Instant knowledge about how they react in certain situations. Like, what would they do if an airplane fell out of the sky onto their home? This is what I mean.
• Growth Potential - We all see in others what we can't see in ourselves, and we all know what the person could possibly do to improve themselves.
• Traits - They have eyes, hands, height, weight, a zodiac sign, hair (maybe), and skin tone.

These are all things you can use. Perhaps you want to combine person A with person B or C. Do it! This helps you create believable characters, in most cases.

I say in most cases because I came upon a peculiar review on I, Zombie where the reviewer stated the mother in the novel threw them off. No mother would act like that, be so nonchalant about her kid running off to fight the good fight.

That mother was based upon my own. She might've been unbelievable, but she was mine. :) I had a mom that rarely showed the emotions on the outside that were raging on the inside. *shrug* I got used to it, and I used it for fodder. hahaha She fit the mold perfectly. Trixie wouldn't have done all she did if she didn't have a mom who was cheering rather than nay saying.

So, do that. Even if it gets you a two-star review, use it. They don't know how realistic it is, but you do.

This will help you build robust characters with tons of personality that readers can't get enough of. They'll want to be that character for Halloween (Katniss) or will shiver in the night when they think about him or her being outside the window (Tobias). These are the things that stick with readers.

One more example, and then I'll let you move on.

I used to despise history. I loathed the thought of sitting in a classroom and memorizing facts. Yuck. It's boring, and I'll never use any of this. These were my thoughts going into my World History class.

Y'all, I got a professor who focused on the people in history rather than the facts and dates. I fell in love with so many characters: Nero, Genghis Khan (obvi.), Queen Elizabeth I, Pope Hadrian, Napoleon, and so many others. It made the class fun and engaging, and I never forgot the lesson that professor gave me about characters. He made me realize it's the people that stay with you, not their great or small deeds or their dates of living, but the personalities and the flaws that make you love them.

Teach the people. Write the people. Everything else is just bonus material.

A good character is the one thing that will make or break your novel.

I hope this helped and you got something useful out of this post! What's your favorite literary character? I have so many, it would take me a year to write them all down. haha

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

AI Audiobook Narration Comparison to Human Narration

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today is that post I promised you all on Friday. I've embedded the sound, so be sure you click to hear the audio. Now, let's talk about how AI differs from humans before we listen. After all, that's what you're here for, right? You love my ramblings so much you click my posts to read them, right? hahaha :)

Not.

Okay, grab a coffee and a blanket, and let's dive on in.

When I got an email about AI being an option for audiobooks, I was intrigued. I wondered how it would sound in contrast to a human. Being me, I dove on in and started on the samples. Sadly, I had coffee in my hand, and I had to clean my iPad screen afterward.

Not only is it bad; it's next-level bad. There's absolutely zero inflection. It's just the reading of the text on the page. I mean, if I'm going all out and doing audio, I'm going to have inflection in my story, someone to read it as it's meant to be read.

I did a quick comparison. Now, I don't have a recording booth, and I'm a shit narrator, so these sound like crap, but one is a lot more crap than the other. Listen closely. :)

 

Here's what we read:

Chapter One

New Year’s Day, 2042

“What were you thinking, Brit? You don’t know what that stuff’s gonna do to you!”
“What I was thinking was I wanna have a special ability like everyone else.”
Griffin’s temper rose so high, he could feel his nostrils flare. “Everyone? Not me.” His words came out with a growl, and Brittany flinched like he’d lashed at her with a knife. Tears sprang to her eyes, and he softened his tone. “You know how I feel about that drug. It’s not right to mess with nature.”
She shook her head. “I’ve heard what you think, and I believe you’re wrong. People that took M ten years ago are fine, and their kids have been born with an ability. I want to pass that on to my own… our kids—”
He lifted a hand. “There can never be an our again. You’ve sealed that fate. I refuse to be with someone who’s been tampered with. Remember, those people who took the original version of M, the one that was tested and run through a million clinical trials, paid through the nose for it. You’ve taken some street copy that costs a hundred bucks. There’s no telling what it’ll do to you long term.”

If you're a reader, you read like the second one, not the first. I'm not sure what kind of programming was done to make this a thing, and I'm not sure what they were thinking, releasing it before it's really ready to read like a person, but... OOF.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

That old saying truly hits the mark here. I mean, I get what they're trying to do, but because books aren't audio narration guides, and because this AI can't seem to pick up on nuances (punctuation, anyone?), it's very flat. Emotionless. Chapter one of M is all about emotion.

This is the moment the boy realizes he's lost the girl. He's angry, he feels betrayed, and he wants her to know where he stands. AI didn't convey any of that.

For me, this is a hard pass. There are a lot of ways AI can be useful, but this isn't one of them. Audiobook narrators are gems. Hard stop. Just like writers can't be replaced by AI because we sound different when you read our work in your head, narrators can't be replaced by AI because they aren't human and don't understand our speech and inflections.

If you're looking to have a book made into audio, I suggest Random Reads Studio. I met Christy, and she's one of the nicest people ever. She'll do a variety of payment options, too. Here's a quick soundbite of her voice on SoundCloud, so you can see if she's a fit for your book. 

You can find her on ACX here, IG here, and Facebook at the link above. Even if you don't go with her, please branch out and find a human to narrate your book if you're going audible.

What did you think of the difference? Did you love it? Hate it? Drop me a comment and let me know!

I hope you all got something out of this post. You know I do my best to educate and keep you up to date on all the things. :)

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Why Self-Publishing Was My Best Decision

It's the weekend! *confetti* Welcome back, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we're talking about self publishing and why it was my best decision ever. I know not everyone wants to self publish, but for me, it was the only way forward. Hard stop. So, let's not waste a ton of time up here and just get to it.

Wait! I forgot to say: Be SURE you're around next week. I have a super-awesome surprise for you all that has to do with AI and audio. :)

Now, let's dive in. Grab your cup of Jo and get comfy.

There are a ton of things to navigate in the Indie world like cattiness, theft, and scams, but those all take a back seat to the benefits (at least, they do for me). 

I mean, I write because I have to. If I didn't, I'd go stark-raving mad. There are all these voices in my head that tell me this and that. I can only shut them up by creating (this goes for art, too).

When I'm down or stressed, I take out my frustrations either on the keyboard or the canvas. I'm sure a lot of you are the same way.

Because it's an outlet, it can't become something I have to do. If I went with a traditional publisher, I'd have deadlines and people telling me what my cover should look like. Or even telling me how I can and can't format a book.

I did mention I'm also Type A? Oh, no? I am. Judging by the very detailed list of help topics on this blog, you probably knew already.

That Type A has a lot to do with why I can't go trad. I need control without deadlines. When I do have a deadline, I lock up, unable to do anything at all. If someone tells me my cover has to be such-and-such way, I get jittery and nervous because I rarely like designs other than my own.

I get to blog about whatever I choose, and I don't have someone telling me which book signings I can attend. If I screw up, I only have myself to answer to. I could go on, but I think you get the point.

Being an Indie is freeing. I get to write what I want when I want. Who wouldn't want that?

Not to mention the royalties are all mine. I don't have to give a publisher $0.99 out of every dollar I make. I get the whole $0.35 when I sell a $1 book. Win. I also don't have to pay back any signing bonus. Win.

Now, I'm not pooing on trad authors. If they can do that, more power to them. Anyone who can see a deadline and hit it is amazing to me. Anyone who can navigate the world we live in without getting cancelled and dropped by their publisher because of something they write? Impressive.

In other words, I made the best decision for me when I went Indie. That doesn't mean it's the best decision for everyone. After all, it's expensive to do what we do.

Which are you? Why did you go that route? Share! I'd love to discuss it. :)

I hope you got something out of this post! Be SURE to come back for the fun next week.

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Unexpected Inspirations

Welcome, and happy Wednesday! Just two more days until we hit the weekend. Yay! My son is getting married on Sunday, and two of my grand babies are having a birthday party on Saturday, so it should be a good time. :) BUT! That's not why we're here today, is it? Nooooo, sir. Today, we're talking about unexpected inspirations for stories. Man, have I got some doozies. I'm hoping this post will get you all looking around you and at the news to find something you can twist on its head and write.

Ready? Grab your cup, fill it up, and let's get right into it!

So, I'm the kind of writer who takes inspiration from weird shit. For example: I'm riding in the car with my husband one day, and I see an old house. I think, Wow. I bet that house has some serious stories to tell. Then my brain was flooded with all the things that house might have seen in its lifetime. An epiphany hit then, and my brain went full stop. Perhaps the house fits into my PPSK series somehow. It certainly looks creepy with all the windows busted out and the porch falling down...

That's when I wrote The House. It came after Intensification, but I knew it had to be linked somehow. If you read all about our dear Hank, you know he was in a mental hospital for a number of years. That house ended up being the reason. Boom. Story inspiration.

If we back up, we can look at Emancipation. That story idea came from an episode of 20/20 where they were talking about a lady lawyer trying to get a man out of prison. He didn't do it! We all know that story, right? I thought, What if he did do it, and he wasn't shy about admitting it? What if her story isn't what she's portraying it to be?

You gotta have the what if, right?

I spent months figuring out what her true motive was for the book, learning about prison life, and asking questions of people around me who know more than I do. My release date was timed so readers would get to the last page on or around the final date in the book. Boom. Story inspiration.

If we go even further back, we come to Yassa: Genghis Khan's Coming of Age Tale. Did you know that book came from a college essay I had to write? Yeah. I became enthralled with the story of Temujin and Jamuka, and I started to wonder what could've broken such a tightly woven friendship. Well, it had to be a woman...

Boom. Story inspiration.

Somewhere between those two lies M. I was having a casual chat with my kiddos about DNA and altering it, and one of my sons mentioned how cool it might be to have a pill that would do that. I dove into research on DNA myself, and I learned what else might be altered if you did what I wanted. That story is plausible because of the research, but it never would've been created if not for the conversation. Boom.

I tell you all this to get here: There are stories all around you that need telling. You just have to be paying attention. Perhaps there's a painting that you find intriguing. Why? What if it came to life? What if it's a long-lost relic belonging to the vampire race? What if it's the only object in the world that can awaken their princess?

THINK. Twist. Believe.

This is how stories are made.

You know you have one in you, so find it in one of those unexpected places. It's crazy what can be used for story fodder. 

What titles has the world around you sparked in your soul? Drop me a comment and let me know. I might just pick it up and read it. :D

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

My Favorite Ways to Connect with Readers

Happy Monday, y'all! What a weekend! I had a fantastic time at Authors Rock Roanoke in Virginia, and it got me thinking about readers and how I like to connect with them. Sit back, grab your coffee and a cozy blanket, and let's get right into it, shall we?

Let's start with my least favorite way to connect and go from there. I don't prefer to message with anyone. Ever. It takes too much of my time, and I always end up leaving people on read. Folks end up with hurt feelings or assume I'm not interested. My truth is: I'm just too damned busy to have my phone in my face all day. If you have my number and message me, it's a crapshoot to know if I'll answer. Usually, I do, but it takes a while sometimes. So, don't message me. hahaha

Second least favorite is via social media. I do like to connect with people this way, but it's so difficult to keep up with every single channel, and like I said above, I'm really bad at responding. Sometimes I don't get the notification, and sometimes I just space out and forget. Don't let this stop you from hitting me up with a comment, but remember it may take me time to respond. If I ever missed something from you, I'm sorry! I'm booked out for days with my day job.

Last on the leasts list is email, but I do prefer that over either of the other two. I'll respond from there for sure, and we can have long conversations!!

Second favorite is running into people in the wild. Not at an author conference, but when someone recognizes me out and about and stops me to say hello. This rarely happens, because I'm more well known in author circles than reader circles (because of this blog), but I really love it when it does. Makes me feel kinda famous. :)

My favorite way to connect with a reader has to be in person. I really enjoy sitting down with them and shooting the shit. We can reach a deeper level of connection when we talk about our hobbies outside the book world. 

For example: I love to paint and create art, and I adore riding horses (I used to be an instructor). 

One of those things, you probably know from following me here for so long, but the other one, you probably didn't know before today. I've also had a ton of different jobs in my lifetime, so if you ever see me out and about, ask me about them! I'd love to chat. Maybe we've done similar things and have war stories to share.

This is why I most prefer to meet people in person. I can't ask you to buy my book because my brain doesn't work that way, but I can talk about nearly everything else. :)

So, hit me up. I love it!

Question: How do YOU like to connect with readers?

Thanks for reading and being cool. Next week, I'm planning to dive into some other things I think you might find helpful.

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Tools for Marketing - Author Edition

Happy Friday, everyone! If you happen to be in the Roanoke, Virginia, area tomorrow, pop on down to the Holiday Inn Tanglewood and say HI. We'll be there from 9:30am-2pm. If you don't have a ticket, you can get one here. It's a short and sweet book signing you'll have a blast at. Okay, let's get our scoot on.

Today, we're talking about tools on the market that will help you with book promotion and give you ideas if you get stuck in your narrative. It's mostly about the promotional side though. :) Grab your coffee or tea and let's get right into it!

There are a number of social media aggregators on the market that will help you schedule posts on your socials way in advance. All of them are different and give you different socials and options. We'll start with these, and I'll go over FOUR of them. There are others, but many want you to get a demo before you get a price or a trial run, and others not listed are astronomically priced. :)

For the sake of apples to apples, we'll assume each user has 10 channels they'd like to connect and one user.

Buffer

This is the only one of the four listed here that has a free option. 3 social accounts at no charge, 10 scheduled posts, and 1 user. If you're not running a company, this isn't a terrible value. From here, though, the price increases dramatically. For $60 a year, you get ONE channel. Each channel after that costs you an extra $5 per month. At our base of 10 channels, that's $600 a year with only ONE user. This can add up fast.

It does have a visual calendar where you can drag and drop your posts around, making it easy to fix when you screw up and schedule the right thing on the wrong day.

SocialPilot

7 channels are included in the base plan with one user. You have a content library where you can put things you use often like hashtag collections, images, videos, etc. You can add custom fields once you get to the premium level. This base plan will cost you $30 a month or $306 per year. 

There are no analytics on the base plan. If you want 11 channels (the closest to Buffer with 10), it'll cost you $50 monthly or $510 per year. Still better than 10 channels for $600. This 11-channel plan also lets you have up to 3 users.

Again, you have a calendar with days where you can drag and drop.

Loomly

This one is kinda funky on the pricing. There's a basic plan that's free, and you get the same as Buffer (1 user and 3 channels), but you can't see the other plan unless you email them for a quote. I hate doing this. Just be upfront with your pricing, please. Sheesh. It does have some cool features I've been playing with like instant post creation when your blog feed pushes RSS. Then it asks if it can post it. You can also see everything in one place like the others, and you can set posting times ahead.

Updating: I found out. It's $384 for two users and 10 social accounts, but there are a lot of things you don't get like analytics.

Hootsuite

This is one we all know and love but can't afford. They aren't for the casual user. Their basic plan is pro and starts at $99 per month. I know. For that $99, you get 1 user, 10 socials, suggested times for posting, and "so much more." At $1200 a year, I better get a gold sink with that. It used to be free, and then it went to like $5 per month. Pretty sure I have a post about it around the blog somewhere.

Now on to tools that won't cost you an arm and a leg for images or other fodder.

Adobe Express

This sweet nugget is free for the basics, and it includes a LOT of stuff. Here's the link if you'd like to see for yourself. If you're in the market for a lot more included stuff, it's $100 a year for one person. Worth it. No more buying stock photos. YAY!

Chat GPT

Be pissed if you wanna be, but this program can save you a TON of time coming up with social media share texts--yes, even on the FREE version. You tell it what channels you're pushing to, and it'll get all happy with the emoji and verbiage. Then you just copy and paste. I feel like it's not taking a job from someone else in this case; it's helping save YOU time. Be specific, and tell it if there's a specific hashtag you want it to use. You'll be cranking out content in no time.

It can also help you get unstuck if you're stuck by giving you ideas about what's coming next in your book. This isn't using AI to write; it's more like chatting with a friend and brainstorming ideas. Try it out! It gave me a wonderful idea for a twist in my newest serial killer novel (coming soon), and I'm sure it'll have you thinking outside the box in no time.

So, there they are! These tools will save you time, and for an author, time is everything. Get back every second you can.

I hope you enjoyed this post! If there are any tools you'd like me to mention in posts like these, let me know in the comments below. Yes, you'll need a Google account, but that helps me control SPAM and trolls. :)

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

5 Tools I Couldn't Publish Without

HUMP DAY! Just two days until the weekend. Wooooo! Welcome back to the blog, y'all! Today, we'll be talking about tools. You know, those things that help you along the way? These will be specifically for Indie authors, though any author could use them, I suppose. Trad pubbers don't really need the help though. Anywaaaaay, enough rambling!

Grab your coffee and a cozy blanket, and let's get right into it.

Number one on my list is Microsoft Word. There. I said it. I use this program to write all my stuff. Not only is it an awesome word editor, but when my computer crashed, it kept my most recent file. #MadLove for Word. I tried other writing tools (looking at you, Scrivener), and when the program died, so did 14k words. Never again. Ever. Ugh.

Second is Adobe Photoshop. Because I went to school to learn design and how to use this beautiful program, I can use it to make covers like these:

Third on my lovely list is Adobe InDesign. Again, because I went to school, I know how to make interiors that look like these (print books only):

HINT: Click on them to see them larger.

Fourth is Jutoh. This is what I use to create my ebooks and output them in a myriad of file formats. It does PDF, Word document, and used to do .mobi before it became obsolete. I can make pretty books like this:

Fifth on the list, and because there are now SO many options, is Amazon Author Central. I also publish to Smashwords (now Draft2Digital). Author Central just gives me the ability to do everything from publishing my paperbacks to ordering them.

So, there are the five tools I couldn't publish without. Marketing is another conversation we'll get into on Friday. I have time savers I plan to share with you all. :)

What tools could you not live without?

Thank you so much for showing up and reading. I hope you got something out of this post. If not, I hope it was a lovely read either way. No, I don't create covers for other people, but I edit and typeset for IBGW because those are the things I'm willing to do. My covers are my own. :)

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

What I Wish Readers Knew About Self-Published Authors

Happy Monday, and welcome back to the blog, y’all! I’m getting a little deep with the readers today, and we’ll be talking about all the things I wish y’all knew about us self-published authors. Up until very recently, and in some cases still, we were considered the red-headed stepchildren of the publishing industry. We produce crap, right? We have terrible editing and shite covers, right? Well, allow me to clear a few things up. :)

If you’re ready to hear the ramblings of a crazy person, hunker down with a doughnut and a cup of coffee, and let’s get into the nitty gritty.

Those books you see with homemade covers and bad editing are usually an example of an author that doesn’t know what they’re doing. That’s all it is. As they grow and learn to be a person in the industry, they start to understand what it takes to make a great book people want to read and will tell their friends about.

If you think the first things out of Stephen King’s fingers was the brilliance it is today, you’re mistaken. He even talks about it in his book On Writing. He says the first things you write will always be absolute shit, and you should put it in a drawer and forget about it until you’re an established author. Then pull it out and laugh about it. First drafts should lay in a drawer until you forget what you wrote so you can come back to it with fresh eyes for edits.

New writers don’t start on a level that’s Christine worthy. They start somewhere around the I-want-to-write-and-have-drive-but-don’t-understand-what-to-do-next level. Then they write, and they rush to publish (because it’s so easy now and they’re excited).

Does that mean they shouldn’t be given some grace? No. It means they need to learn how to do and be better than they were day one. I mean, I started here, and I now have over fifty books published. That first stuff wasn’t the worst, but it also wasn’t the first thing I ever wrote. Those stories will never see the light of day, and I’ll certainly never publish them. Beg all you want. You’ll never see them. Nope.

Even my first book, Yassa, wasn’t great, as I said. I was one of those beginners. I grew.

Let me tell you a little something else you may not know:

Indie authors pay from their own pockets for editing and cover design. Unlike a traditional publisher, which handles every aspect of the publishing of a book (think: audio, editing, cover, different languages, etc.), an Indie has to do all that themselves.

There’s no team of people there. It’s usually just one person footing the bill for all of the above.

Now I invite you to listen to this podcast where I talk about what we make when we sell a book. I get very deeply into the numbers. Tell me, if we make just around $0.35 for each book we sell, how long it takes us to recoup a $3,000 edit? I’ll wait.

That’s right, $8,571.5 books sold. Most readers don't want to pay more than $0.99-$1.99 for a book, so here we are.

Add in marketing tools (because no one can do all this stuff alone) and the cover, and you’re looking at an Indie needing to sell TEN THOUSAND books to BREAK EVEN.

Most just think it’s not worth it and quit. Those of us who’ve been around a while know that we need to learn to do a lot of this stuff ourselves OR get a less expensive edit, which is where a lot of those nagging errors come in.

Even if you don’t think a book is worth five stars, maybe a nicely worded note to the author along the lines of “Hey, I noticed a number of grammatical errors, but I really love your writing style, and once you get your feet under you, I’d love to read some more! Keep me on your list for new releases, please” might just go a long way. Just don’t smack it with a one-star review.

Because they’ll improve. We all do. You want to be there to see that happen, right?

If you’re an author, be sure you listen to that podcast. It’s telling.

If you’re a reader, try to keep some of this in the back of your mind as you navigate the book world. Please.

I hope you all enjoyed this post! Which author have you seen come a long way? Colleen Hoover isn’t an answer. Hahaha That woman has always been the diamond she is now. No one truly discovered her until recently though. I'm talking about an author that started in the doldrums and is now doing very well. Do you know of a breakout author (one who hit with their first book)?

Well, that’s all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Biggest Mistakes I've Made as an Indie Author

Happy Friday, y'all! Today, I'm going to tell you about some of my biggest pitfalls as an Indie author. These are things I wish I'd never done, things I did that I regret doing, and things I hope you learn something from. If you do end up doing these things, make sure you understand that it may not work out when you sign up for whatever it may be or hire whomever. I'd say 100% of the time, these things got me absolutely nowhere and cost me time, readers, and money.

Ready? Oh, I know you are. Grab that coffee and a notepad; you're gonna want to write these down.

My smallest mistake was believing I could handle all the marketing of all my stuff alone. I couldn't, but I also simply needed the right tools to help me along and a good schedule for sharing my stuff. I had one but didn't have the other, and my work suffered because of it.

Just above that on the rung was believing friends and family would help me with those things. Yeah, that didn't happen either. Would you believe I got a call from a sister who asked me how to buy my friend's book on Amazon when I knew damned good and well my sister hadn't read half of what I've written? Yeah. That's now my expectation. Bitter? Me? Not at all. It's just reality, and that's okay. Did it make me curl my lip? Yes, but I won't hold it against her.

Above that, we have losing my newsletter. Y'all, I'll be honest, I just didn't have the energy to keep up with any of this stuff after I lost my mama and Covid lock down happened. Because I couldn't write, I baked, and I sent that stuff via my newsletter, but then I lost my son. I kind of withdrew from everything and turned to art (you can see my sad gallery here). It's been a rough couple years, but losing that newsletter hit hard. That was over 500 subscribers strong.

One step higher, and we see letting that damned troll get to me and shutting off the blog. Sure, I still popped in to share books that were new, but it wasn't the same, and I know that. I'm not sorry because I am actually human, and those comments did actually hurt. Now you might understand yet another reason I make people log in to comment now. In addition to the spam. Spam was BAD. Anyway, I'm losing my train of thought. Back on the tracks, you!

Up another rung and we have joining boxed-freaking sets. They cost money most of the time, and I have yet to have had a good experience with one. I stopped doing them. With the first, there were sixteen authors, and each one was supposed to share and promote the others. I was quite a way down the ladder, but I did my part. Other people didn't. By the time it got to me, people had already pulled their books down. It was a mess. For the second, it was personal because it was supposed to be a boxed set for MS research. Our organizer ran off with the money. I EVEN MADE A SEPARATE DONATION. Boy, if I ever run into her...

Go a bit higher and you find shutting off from socials for as long as I did. It's not easy coming back from that, and I missed a lot of the booms the book world saw during that time. BookTok was a huge one. It's nearly impossible to get your audience back. I mean, I get it. Trust is gone. I was just going through some shit.

Not writing my novels is the next on the list. Though I have been doing things here and there (like the second Recipe for Redemption book), I'm not anywhere near as productive as I used to be. I have a list of ideas and nothing to show for it. Several books are nearly done, but I can't seem to find the time to finish them. I took on a job for a while working for a company as their marketing manager, and while their business grew, mine shrank like male anatomy in an ice bath. Go figure.

Now, my biggest mistake as an Indie author was not putting my money in the right places. I went through a couple stints with a couple of PAs that got me nowhere (that was costly), and I didn't put money where it might have helped me. I wasted a lot on swag and crap I gave away when really I should've used it to sign up for tools I needed to help my marketing and anything else that would've bought me time. Time for a writer is everything.

It takes a lot of time to do what we do. It takes a lot of luck to be successful at what we do. I feel like I have a whole other life to live, and I just keep aging like some tree. I've been a mom since I was very young, and my kids are now out of the house. Do I have time to do what I want to do? No. I don't. I'm gonna fight like hell to get it back though, and this time, I have a world of experience in my pocket.

Maybe my biggest mistake was not inventing a time machine. Doya think?

There you go. These were my biggest mistakes as an Indie author. Have you made any of these? Did you get anything out of this post? Drop me a comment and let me know.

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Why Rats Make Awesome Pets and Why You Shouldn't Get One

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the blog. :) If it's your first time visiting me, super welcome, and I hope you stick around. It's easy to subscribe; look to the right. So! Why are we all here today? Rats. We're gonna talk about those little fluffballs that steal our hearts then leave us, and I'll tell you why you shouldn't get one.

Ready? Grab a cup of coffee and get cozy, because we're diving right on in.

Rats, specifically fancy rats (not wild like their cousins), as pets were first bred for color variety by two men named Jack Black and Jimmy Shaw in the Victorian Era. Up until then, rats were wild and dangerous, and many people viewed them as pests. They were also used in betting arenas, but I don't like to think about the fates that befell those cuties. Very sad.

How can you tell the difference between a wildie and a dom? Basically, you look at color and ears. While some domesticated rats still have top ears, a large majority of them have what are known as dumbo ears (ears lower on the head, like Agnus--the rat in the picture here). Wild rats are usually brown, and dom rats are generally any other color (but can still be brown).

Rats are intelligent, have been known to show empathy, grieve, can be litter trained, and are more than willing to be trained for the right treat (or any treat, really). A lot of people call them pocket puppies because they behave a lot like dogs. All these traits come together to make rats one of the best ever pets.

At one time, I had five, and I'm peppering their photos in as we go here. Mine were all females because I love the mischief they get into and how much energy they have. I got Agnus because I'd had a rat when I was younger, and she was my bestie. Her name was Baby, and we ran all over town together. She adored sitting on my shoulder and just hanging out. I didn't know at the time you need more than one for that rat to have a full life, and I didn't know rats couldn't be kept in tanks because there's not enough ventilation. Boy, did I make some errors in the beginning I had to undo quickly. haha. ha. Ugh.

For starters, you need at least three rats for a proper hierarchy to form (this is one reason you shouldn't get one--you should get MANY). I had Agnus for two weeks before I traipsed out and picked up Gemini (shown on the right here--LOOK at her EARRRRS). Man, did we ever bond. They were trained to come to me when I called them and jump in a bag-type carrier when they were ready to go back to their cage and have breakfast freshies (fruit and veg, and the occasional meaty treat).

Gemini started chasing my bestie Aggie around and biting Agnus's tail. Solution? Get another rat.

Here's the rub: You can't introduce just one rat when the other two are six months older like that. You have to get at least two more rats so they have same age, same sex company. You do not want to mix males and females. Baby rats are cute, but these critters multiply at an alarming rate. So, I got three girls (Shelia on the left here, Ethel on the right down below, and Betty on the left a little lower) in case one passed away for some reason.

They all lived. They were quarantined in a separate cage for two weeks then introduced to my other two girls via what's known as the carrier method. So, I had FIVE rats. I decided to give them the best lives I could, got them the biggest, best enclosure I could, and built them a nice playpen around it so I could just open the door and give them time in the out.

Rats need at least an hour of active time outside their cage daily so they can run and stretch their legs to ward off Hind Leg Degeneration or HLD. We had a lovely routine, and I never had an issue getting them back in the cage after they'd been out. Food is a wonderful motivator. hahaha

While I did have five rats, Aggie was my heart rat and the one I was most closely bonded with. If you haven't figured it out yet, she was the only one I really wanted. All the others were literally for her.

Another reason you shouldn't get a rat is because they'll die and break your heart. Aggie lived almost two years, which is the standard, but Gemma died first. After that, they dropped like flies. It's so hard to have them, love them, and lose them so quickly. Both of those girls died in my arms, and the others... Well, they went on their own.

One thing to remember about rats is that they only live about two years, so they're in your life for a flash, but you're in theirs forever. Whatever you can do for yours (if you get some) while they're on this earth is something they'll have their whole lives. My girls loved puzzle toys with treats in them, and they adored their rat tree (huge cat tree, but we don't talk about those here).

You also may not want to get a rat if you have other pets. Rats should never be around other pets, and cats should never be in the room with rats. It only takes seconds for an accident to occur, and I've seen some pretty messed up cats because the rat got scared and attacked. Same goes for dogs. Rats have enormous teeth that can cut through tendon and muscle like butter.

They need enrichment daily through either pea fishing (that's what Betty is doing up there) or some other kind of puzzle to make them work to get their food. They don't want pellets fed to them in a bowl; wild rats have to hunt and forage, and their counterparts need that stimulation. Besides, would you want bland cardboard fed to you in a bowl? No. Yuck.

A lot of people complain about the smell of rats (but they REEK, Jo!), but I found if you clean the litter box twice a week, the cage every two weeks, and have an air purifier nearby, you'll never smell them. Not ever. 

They can also be goofy and funny. They each have their own little personality, and it's fun getting to know them. If you want a rat as a pet, please seek out an actual breeder who breeds for temperament and health rather than coat color or ear type. You'll thank me later.

So, the reasons to have rats as pets far outweigh the downsides. They're a lot of work, which makes them totally unsuitable for small children to manage alone, and they're expensive if they have to go to the doctor (Agnus, I'm looking at you), but they give so much love and affection in return. Plus, they fit in your pocket, which is pretty cool.

Here are some fun pictures of Aggie and Gemma to brighten your day. What's better than rats in hats?

I hope you all enjoyed this post and learned a thing or three, and I hope to see you again!

Have you ever owned a rat? What did you love most about them? Interested in getting some and have questions? Ask me. I'm an open book.

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo