I'm always seeking to improve my writing skills.  An essential part of learning to self-publish is writing book blurbs and synopsis.  It's actually quite different from writing a novel.  Most authors dislike writing blurbs, and it's easy to understand why.  

Writing blurbs is actually a style of writing called copywriting.  It's all about making the book sound appealing, and is a special skillset.  There are techniques to learn and general guidelines to follow, just like in novel writing.  However, when writing novels, you're interested in crafting a compelling story with a certain structure, which is different from the structure of a blurb.

Still, I'm always up for learning more and new skills.  The more I do it, the more practiced I get.

What else has kept me so busy?  I've been working on new covers for both books.  Another skill I've been learning is cover design.  Again, the more I do it, the better I will get.  It's fun to play around and experiment, even if I don't use the designs I create.  However, I've got new designs for the series and I prefer them to the originals.

Also, while I have not been doing NaNoWriMo, I have been keeping track of my progress on book 3, just to see how I'm doing.  NaNoWriMo is national novel writing month.  The goal for those participating is to write a 50 000 word novel in the month of November.  I started book 3 of the Forest Guardians series on the 27th, of October, maybe, and I'm already over 30 000 words.  I have the writing pace of an established and experienced professional author.

Most of all, I'm loving writing the story.  Aili gets to go to a new forest, meet more Scouts, practice her healing with the best healers in the country, and deal with a soggy and grumpy Leya.  They aren't called rainforests for nothing!  You can look forward to the third novel in the series being released within a few months for sure.

Facing the Fire is in the publication stage.  It'll be ready incredibly soon.  In the mean time, if you love science fiction or fantasy, check out these reads.  Book 1, Runaway Magic, is in this collection.  Click on the picture below or HERE to check out a whole collection of books by a variety of authors, myself included.  If you have Kindle Unlimited, these books are all free to read.

I’m always looking to learn more about writing and everything that goes along with being an author.  One thing I’m seriously looking into is having a newsletter for my readers, each month.  It’s actually easy to do and doesn’t take long.

Why would I want to spend more time not writing?  It’s a great way to connect with readers when done well.  Also, it’s a great place to share things like bonus scenes and materials with my fans.  What kind of bonus scenes?

Well, for those who sign up for my newsletter, I’ve written the scene from Aili’s past, where she survives the fire at the University.  There will also be scenes from her childhood like her first camping trip, the scene with the bear mentioned in book 2, scenes of her and Ilia together, and more.

There’s so much I can do and share in a newsletter, so I’m putting stuff together for you all.  I’m planning on sending them out at the beginning of each month.  You can learn more about what’s going on, what I’m working on, see behind the scenes moments for both me and my characters, and more.  

What else is going on?  The puppy is settling in and learning when it’s playtime and when it’s writing time.  Winter is coming, we got our first real snow last night, and we’re preparing for the change of seasons.  I guess I need to finish repairing the winter blankets for the horses!  I’m learning more about being an author, newsletters, marketing, and more.  Oh, and as always, I’m writing more stories for you, my fabulous readers.

I’m learning a lot about turning the story file into an actual book.  It’s an interesting process, for sure.  However, just writing the book is not enough.  People need to know about the book.  That involves getting the word out that the book exists.  

People want to know - what’s the book about?  Why do I want to read it?  What do I get out of it?  Those are all very good questions.  So much goes into making a book appealing.  How does the cover look?  Do I give compelling information about the book or series, so people can get excited about the stories?

Marketing can be so complex that people study the topic for years.  What can we poor independent authors do?  Even in the traditional publishing world, marketing can be left to the author, especially new authors.  Knowing how to write a book description can be the difference between sales and people clicking to another book instead.

There is all manner of information out there on how to write marketing materials.  Some of it is contradictory.  There may even be some trial and error involved.  Learning through personal experience sometimes teaches us more than just reading does.  

I’m still writing more books and having a blast.  One of the books I’m currently working on is a sequel to my first novel.  I write in the mornings and work on book preparation in the afternoons.  Yes, now I’m spending more time on my books and less time here, blogging.  That’s okay.  All the better to bring you wonderful stories to enjoy!