Organizing Life

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm just talking. It's probably a topic you're all too familiar with, so I do hope you'll read along. Ready? Let's get going!

So, as you all probably know, I reorganize my everything once a year in January. I look back over the previous year and measure what's working, what isn't, and add new things to my schedule I'd like to try.

This year killed me! I just tried to do too much. I'm not afraid to admit failure. After all, I'm only one person; I can't do everything all the time.

So, what to do about it (because I refuse to take it lying down)?

Drop back and re-group. That's all I can do. I have to nail down a schedule and stick to it like superglue.

Things I want to look at:

• My blog--Formulating a plan and a posting schedule
• My book publication schedule--I want to amp this up
• Takeovers in events--I'm looking to pair this down to one a month (they take a lot of my time and $$)
• My radio show--Figuring out content that doesn't require me to rely on other people--that KILLED me
• IBGW--Finding new avenues to promote my amazeballs team
• My downtime--Scheduling in time for me outside work
• Time, period--finding out where all mine is going, and why I can't seem to get a grip on managing it right now
• Reviews--I have a ton of books on my list to read still--gotta carve out time for those

So, there's my to-do for the week after Utopia this year. I like to set goals. *grin* Like you didn't already know that about me. haha!

Thank goodness I have a planning app! Deadlines are things I need, and clear direction is something I thrive on.

Do any of you have suggestions on how I can tackle all that (like desired content for a bookish radio show)? What about your schedule? Tell me in the comments!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

New Release - On Dry Land

Release Blitz

On Dry Land

by

Rebecca Barber

GoodReads

Blurb

Tyler Andrews, Olympic swimming superstar, has always gotten his way—until he falls in love.

Living in the spotlight was just part of Tyler’s life. Magazines, paparazzi, and being the topic of every sports radio show in Australia…it was either adjust or be driven insane. He’d gotten used to his fame. Hell, he even enjoyed it. But there is one thing he can’t get used to—his girlfriend, Ava Jacobs, hates being the center of the public’s attention.

Ava has lived her life in the shadows—and that’s exactly how she likes it.

But after fulfilling her lifelong dream to have her debut novel published, her world is turned on its head by Tyler’s fame. She writes novels for a reason—it’s a quiet, peaceful profession. The last thing she wants is to be thrown into the spotlight.

Love and life don’t always fit as well as fame and fortune.

Frustrated by Ava’s continuous reluctance to publicly embrace their relationship, Tyler takes every opportunity to make his own declarations—social media posts, visiting her at work, and even crashing her first television promotional appearance, which she grudgingly accepted as part of her publishing deal.

So when something changes and Tyler abruptly pulls away, Ava knows something is terribly wrong.

With Olympic selection looming, Ava’s publisher eagerly awaiting a sequel to her hit novel, and day-to-day life taking a toll, Tyler starts to see that life is much easier in the pool than…

Amazon US | Amazon AU

Other Books in the Swimming Upstream Series

Perfection Is Just An Illusion

Goodreads

Amazon US

Amazon AU

Nobody’s Obligation

 

Goodreads

Amazon AU

Amazon US

About The Author

Rebecca, one of four kids to her parents who are both primary school teachers, was born in Wollongong on the south coast of Australia before moving to the country with her family. After a few years of embracing all that country life had to offer, the family relocated to Port Macquarie with its white sand beaches. After a brief period enjoying the sun and the surf they finally settled in Canberra where Rebecca still lives today. But all through her childhood a notepad and a book where never far away. These days Rebecca is an avid reader, and when she isn’t buried in a book or cheering on her beloved football team she’s spending time with her husband Robert and their overly spoilt dog Levi.

Author Links

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads

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Integrity

Happy Monday, everyone! Today, I'm gonna talk a little about integrity. It's something I'm finding a lot of author service providers (and authors, sadly) don't take seriously enough. Ready? Let's get going!

in·teg·ri·ty

/inˈteɡrədē/

noun

1. the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

2. the state of being whole and undivided.

Having integrity as an author service provider means you work with a contract, don't ignore your clients when they try to contact you, and that you're 100% honest when something is going on and you feel you either can't or won't finish a job you said you'd do. It means working with transparency, being open about what's going on in your life that may impact your performance, and not letting folks find things out via third parties.

Having integrity as an author means you show up when you say you will with no one needing to be on your butt about where that "somewhere" is, or what time you said you'd appear, making sure you're aware. Don't cancel on people at the last moment unless it TRULY can't be helped. If you're unsure of a time or place, double check with the event coordinator. People plan around you; don't make them regret it.

Having integrity as an event coordinator means you don't cancel things at the last minute and/or run off with people's money. This is such bad form. Not only will it ruin your career, it'll ruin your life. Having to hide on social media outlets (or, for some here lately, in their hometowns) isn't any way to be. Open honesty is the only way you get through any of these things.

Because of recent things happening in the author world, we're losing trust in people in our community. This needs to stop. Your name is your everything. Hold it to the highest possible standard.

If someone has a bad experience with you, they're gonna tell everyone they meet. Do everything you can to be sure that doesn't happen. You only want the rumor mill filled with positive things.

It's out of control. Let's work together to get it back on track.

Was there ever a time when you had an issue from any of these things? How do you handle your author integrity? Please, no calling anyone out. Be civil. Have integrity here.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Audiobook Announcement

Happy Friday, everyone! I know you've probably all been wondering where the heck I've been, but I had some life to deal with, and it's been pretty rough on my time. Funny, but no one ever expects life to walk out of the shadows and slap the ever-loving crap out of you.

I bow to the Fates. You've put me in check, ladies!

Anywho, speaking of Fates...

I have some super exciting news!

Cherry Hill Publishing (links to their Facebook page) - Publishers who produce great audiobooks - has picked up the rights to two books I'm involved in. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing this is, but I sure can show you!

Up first, 7: The Seven Deadly Sins

There's no audio sample for that one yet, but it should be hitting us any day now.

Second, Emancipation (Pen Pals and Serial Killers - Story One)

Click HERE to listen to chapter one on the Cherry Hill website (you just click the audio cover on the page). 18+ ONLY.

SQUEEEEEEEE!!

How freaking exciting is that?

So, yeah, bookmark the site, give Cherry Hill Publishing's Facebook page a like, and get ready to get crazy with some audio!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Win Dinner with Authors Alessandra Torre, Alex Flinn, and Geneva Lee!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I can't EVEN with this post! Oh my goodness! Can you even believe your luck?

Let me tell you, the dinner you'll get if you win this giveaway is delicious. I got to have dinner with Lauren Miller, Kim Holden, and Denise Grover Swank last year. There are no words to describe how amazing that was. But I DO happen to have pictures (well, of everything but the salad--it was also delicious, and I may have eaten it before I thought to take a photo--sorry)!

Feast your eyes on THESE!

 YUM!!!

However, hearing these amazing women speak was something I'll never forget, and I'm looking forward to sitting in while Alessandra and Alex give their keynotes this year! I've never been disappointed with a Utopia keynote speaker. They all rocked the house.

If you'd like to go beyond dinner and really get to know Alessandra Torre, Alex Flinn, and Geneva Lee, you'll need to be at the conference.

Get tickets HERE. It's not too late!

Anyway! I bet you're dying to get your chance, right? First, I have to give you the one and only rule for winning:

You MUST be in Nashville, TN on June 23, 2016 at around 5PM. Easy peasy!

Ready? Click here to enter!

Good luck to you all! Winners, I'll see you there. *grin*

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Release Day - Donuts in an Empty Field

Happy National Donut Day!

Weren't expecting that, were you? *grins*

I bet you're all super excited to see what I have in store for you today, huh? Isn't that an interesting title? Rachel provided some cool stuff for me to use, so there's a lot of fun happening in this post! Don't forget to check out the end and answer the quick question! Let's get to it.

*＊✿❀NEW RELEASE!❀✿＊*

Donuts in an Empty Field

by Rachel Barnard

Young Adult Contemporary

Get it now on Amazon Kindle for $0.00

Blurb:
Letting go of anger is life's greatest challenge.

Vanessa Smith hasn't been the same since her father's death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner's wife and son from a burning building. Nessa has always blamed the boy, Ben, for her loss, and her thoughts are consumed with ways to make him as miserable as she is.

Nichole Adams knows Nessa can never heal until she learns to let go of her hatred, but bringing back her best friend is proving more difficult than she could've imagined. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa's obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge is just the thing to bust her out of her shell.

A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn't easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*FOUR QUICK AUTHOR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

• Favorite activity (other than writing): Dancing
• Pet peeves: People who don't use their turn signal when switching lanes, drying off in a humid bathroom, and not being able to reach the fan cord
• If you could have picked your own name, what would it be: Vanessa
• Can you fake any accents: Yes, to some degree a British, Indian, Southern, and New York accent

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*10 RANDOM FACTS*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

1. I have driven an Excavator (heavy duty construction equipment).
2. I used to have a cat named Teddy.
3. My resume is in book form.
4. I've done a comedy routine (which you can find on youtube if you look hard enough).
5. I adore costumes.
6. I know the entire Thriller dance.
7. I've donated at least my height in hair.
8. I have a geocache in Sarasota that has more finds than I've personally found as a geocacher.
9. I love hot tubbing at night.
10. When I read out loud I read in voices.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*AUTHOR BIO*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*STALK LINKS*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

BLOG

FACEBOOK

GOODREADS

AMAZON

Now, for the question of the day! What's your favorite kind of donut? Tell me in the comments!

Mine is Raspberry filled! YUM!

Well, that's all for today folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Release Blitz - Farewell Apathy

Release Blitz
Farewell Apathy
by Jenn Hype

Farewell Apathy

The world is a scary place, even when you know who you are, where you come from and most importantly, who your enemies are.

So imagine how I felt when I woke up inside of Mayford Mental Institution, strapped to a bed in a dark, empty room with no recollection of how I got there. Try to picture having no family or friends to help you try to remember and adjust to a totally new life.

If only my problems stopped there. If only I didn’t have someone trying to torment me at every turn. If only my life didn’t become more and more complicated the more I started to remember.

It started out okay enough - my friend-turned-psychiatrist Mark found me a job and a place to live. My neighbor Keegan took me in under her wing and helped me adjust. Wyatt, a dark, brooding and dangerously sexy new tenant moved in a week after me, taking on the task of reminding me what blinding lust feels like.

What goes up, must come down, and as soon as life starts to feel like something I can handle, the gravity of my messed up life yanks me right back down on my ass. Kind of crazy how quickly you can go from being completely apathetic about your unknown future, to fearing that your future might not even exist at all….

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1WHpAYs

Amazon US https://amzn.com/B01F5MCN0M

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01F5MCN0M

Release Party Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/222422441455172/

Author Bio

What's up world - I'm Jenn Hype.

Author, mother, wife, singer/songwriter, aspiring comedian - I wear many hats. Some of them fit, some of them look ridiculous, and all of them are fun. Life's too short to take anything too seriously, so I don't.

Sarcasm is my go-to, especially when it's most inappropriate. Need someone to make an uncomfortable situation even more awkward? I'm the girl for the job.

I'm ridiculously A.D.D. and I own it. I have a serious addiction to ecards and the majority of my Pinterest account is dedicated to them. The key to my heart is glitter and caffeine - my needs are basic.

I'm a bookaholic and I crush hard on my book boyfriends and their authors. Some might call me obsessive, but I disagree. That word really doesn't do justice to how crazy I get when it comes to something I'm passionate about. I'm not afraid to go fangirl on you, so don't test me.

Anything else you want to know, feel free to ask. I'm an open book, and I love to hear from readers.

Stalk Links

Amazon http://amzn.to/237QASE

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jennhype/

Website https://www.jennhype.com

Twitter https://www.twitter.com/jennhype

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/authorjennhype

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/jennhype

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjennhype/

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