Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts

Monday, 16 April 2018

Procrastination... The End?


For the past few months I was – let’s be honest here – procrastinating. A lot. And it is/was completely my fault. I barely managed to get myself to sit down and write something. Even blog posts were scarce and I needed someone – fictional – to breathe down my neck to write any. I was avoiding my computer, actually my new lap top like the plague.

You’re probably wondering how this happened?

At the end of the last year I had already written more than 30.000 words of my new novel. Somehow, I knew it was… crap. Too boring.

So, what did I do? I asked my good friend to ask some of her reading friends to read it. They didn’t know who I was, I didn’t – still don’t – know who they were in order to be completely honest in their feed-back.

Guess what? I was right. It was crap. I wondered how this could have happened.

I had such an amazing idea in my head. When it hit me, I got goose-bumps. I remember exactly how and when it hit me. I was in my car, driving home from work, listening to some music… I was so excited. But there was another story to be edited, polished and got ready for publication.

And before I managed to sit down and write the idea… it looks like it got watered-down.


Reading all the feed-backs, over and over again – although all professional and not putting me down as a writer – that nasty little “I’m not good enough” bug started to hunt me down.

At first it was a distinctive little voice, but as time passed by, it grew louder and louder and soon I wasn’t writing anything anymore and I used my laptop only for socializing.

Right at the same time my professional life became a mess. I had so much work at the office I stayed there longer and longer, trying to sort things out down, so I made that as my perfect excuse, why I am not writing. At all.

But now, I need to face myself in the mirror and tell myself I was procrastinating. A lot. The thing is, I work fine under pressure. If I’m given a deadline.

Perhaps writing as an Indie writer gives me too much freedom as to when I will write and how much and this kills my motivation. Perhaps having my day-job gives me too much safety… Perhaps my personal life is too busy to be able to…

But you know what? I know now that this are just excuses. And lame ones too.

A few days ago, I had to write a guest blog post for a friend and she gave me a deadline… I felt great after writing it down. I almost forgot that feeling…

So, this is how it is going to work. I will set myself goals, deadlines.  

To get my writing spirit back, I’m going to focus to write (and bore you with) at least two blog posts per week and after that…

I just know my writing beast will get unleashed and… well… let us all be surprised.


Friday, 16 March 2018

Excuse my silence...

March has come in with the rush I never had thought it would. So many things have happened in the last two weeks I have a hard time keeping all the balls in the air.




As you all already know I've become a Pict Publishing author and getting ready to publish my 3rd novel: At the End of the Summer, which took almost all my free time. 

However these two things are not the only things that are new. Last Monday (5th March) I handed in my 4 weeks notice to the production company I work for after being there for eleven years and a few months. It wasn't easy to be honest, but I had to. It's high time I move forward and try something - not so new, but a bit different. 

Like it's written in 'About me' - somehow I managed to find myself working in mainly male dominated businesses. Not to be mistaken, this time is the same. I'm going to continue working in the steel industry... Don't even ask how I even managed to find myself working in this field...

The last two weeks I'm working my butt off (well, something I have always done) to finish the work that still needs to be finished by me and to hand over the rest of the projects that can't be finished in time I'm still in the office with other colleagues of mine...You can believe me - it's a lot of work...

In a month I'm going to start a new job as a Chief Operating Officer in a new company and in a city and the excitement is slowly starting to hunt me down...

So, no, not yet. This time I'm not going to stay home and focus solely on my writing career. 
But you can believe me - one day, that day will come...   

Thursday, 23 March 2017

London's calling

It's been a while since my last blog post. To be honest I haven't even noticed that a month has passed by. In this time my blog - this one of course - celebrated its 2nd birthday... yay!!! 
Didn't noticed until a notification came from FB. O.M.G! Really!
Spring is here - double yay! Finally temperatures reached over 20°C. Hopefully they will stay this way for some time.

Well, life is a bit hectic at the moment. Getting back my WIP for the second time from my editor, writing final corrections, accepting (or not) her suggestions, writing killing blurb, not to mention synopsis... that takes time and - let's be honest - a fair amount of concentration.

But of course I cannot blame complete lack of time only on my writing. You know... real life can be truly demanding. 

However, the weekend me and my OH have been waiting for is finally coming... As on Saturday my OH has his (ahem...) birthday, my present for him is a trip to...Ta-Dah!



Yes, sure... we have been to the UK a couple of times before; but almost never alone and then we hadn't really seen around London. All the other times, we were in UK because of our son's therapy and RDI therapist or we went on vacations (combined with our son's therapy evaluation). Nothing new for us. Basically normality for our life.

So, on Friday morning (double bonus - I'm off work on Friday and on Monday next week - tripple yay!) we are flying to the UK, then we are spending three nights in the Premier Inn London King's Cross Hotel and on Monday...

p.s. As this blog post was written a day before yesterday, I'm letting you know - yes, tomorrow we are still going. No matter what. #WeAreNotAfraid

Monday, 23 January 2017

In less than two weeks...

...my second novel 


CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO WORLDS


will be published on 1st February 2017. The novel is already available worldwide on Amazon for pre-order;



So I thought that one thing I can do while we are all waiting for this to happen is to offer you my debut novel




for ONLY

 0,99£/0.99$/0,99€.

Yes, you read it right ~ for only 0,99£/0.99$/0,99€. You can get it right here:


Don't miss the opportunity to read a novel that's rated with solid 
 


.

Tuesday, 10 January 2017

Caught Between Two Worlds ~ Ready for Pre-Order

Just a short announcement!

Caught Between Two Worlds is ready for pre-order - WORLDWIDE.





If you pre-order it (Kindle) today, it will be the first thing to land on your Kindle on 1st February 2017.

But if you are interested in paperback - the publication date is 1st February 2017 and then you'll be able to order it too...

Monday, 9 January 2017

Book Cover Reveal : Caught Between Two Worlds

As I told you several times; today the Book Cover Reveal Tour for
 CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
starts. If you want to check which bloggers and when joined the tour, you have to check Brook Cottage Books Blog first. 

Caught Between Two Worlds is going to be published Worldwide through Amazon (KDP and CreateSpace) on 

 Imbolc 2017
1st February 2017 

But as this is after all my 'book baby'... Here are covers for both editions (Kindle & Paperback) nevertheless.

Kindle



Paperback


Aren't they great? What do you think?

Sunday, 1 January 2017

The first day of the year...

My Grandmother was a very wise woman. Unfortunately I lost her when I was seven and that's a long time ago, but nevertheless I still miss her and my memories of her are all good. 

The one thing I remember very well, were her words:
"Be careful what you do on 1st of January. This is what you're going to do throughout the year."

Basically this words are imprinted in my brain.

You can imagine I try to avoid housework on 1st January like a plague. And to be honest, I... - well, let's just say - my Grandmother was right.


We are - quite frankly - not by our own choice - early risers. It doesn't matter when we go to sleep - my son is up - LATEST - at 6:30 am. We can party all night - well, he doesn't care for this and goes to sleep when he's sleepy - someone has to get up with him when he wakes. And usually on 1st of January this is me.

After the rest of the family members get up and the presents are opened and a large mug of the black beans liquid is gone, we are going to visit our parents/grandparents. It's something we do every year as - basically a bit of superstition doesn't hurt - according to OH the first one that comes to visit on a 1st of January, must be a man. A long story, never really understood it myself.

When we are finally home - I'm trying to do everything possible to stay awake. But to be honest - not even the magic black liquid helps. So, OH and I are trying to get some naptime separately, so someone is awake as children are awake.

And then - there are things I want to do. I need to do. And it doesn't matter how tired I am - I do. 

I write. I edit. 

Because, based on my grandmother's words - this is something I want to do through out of the year!

Hope you did/are doing the things today you want to do the rest of the year...

Wednesday, 28 December 2016

Seamstress Clara



For the past few weeks months I've been editing my third novel. You read it right – months. The thing is – I needed to go through it quite a few times. But that was not the reason why it took  takes me months. Yup, I'm still not finished.  

Firstly I blamed the months from the edge of hell – end of September and October. Not many good things happened then – and one really bad thing happened – I lost my dear friend and that put everything on hold.


After I managed to process the matter and accepted that it had actually happened – the months from hell followed – November and December right up to 21st. Everything piled up on me: work, home, school, home works,  therapies, etc...


You name them I probably did them. My batteries were close to empty even before the sun went down... I had no wish, no desire, and no energy to even sit down and edit. I tried, but didn't do much.

Then last week, when I finally found some time to sit down and take the manuscript into my hands, everything looked so easy. I managed to go through almost one quarter of it. I looked through the window and there was still sun outside.


And then it hit me. Hard. You could say I had a breakthrough.


You know – here where I live we have a saying – which I'm going to try and translate. It rhymes in my language, but I promise you – it won't in English.


Seamstress Clara – through the night she sews, and rips apart through the day.


The meaning of it is that if you're not careful what you do when you do it – you're probably going to have to mend it.


I felt like Clara. I write / sew better during the night and I can get myself into editing / ripping apart only during the day...


So, recognising and accepting this thing about me – about my writing – I know now, that for my following novels, I'm definitely going to take days off from work until the deed is done.