This Life is Real…and so are the Answers
Author of Women's Christian Fiction – This Is the Day!
As an author, reviews are extremely important. Especially for authors that are self-published. They don’t have a big-name publishing company behind them. And I, as a reader really understand that. As a consumer, do I want to buy the brand that has been tried and tested, or strike out on my own into no-man’s land? I’ll probably go where others have been before. If this concerns ingesting or applying to my body, I really don’t want to be the lab experiment. I want all the quirks worked out of a product.
Now, reading a book from an indie author isn’t quite the same as putting drops in your eye or rubbing lotion on your skin that hasn’t been used before. If you’re an editor, it may be a bit painful to find multiple mistakes in editing and formatting. If you’ve read a lot of books, you may find plot and character issues. But it probably won’t kill you. (Although there were a couple books that I had to read in high school that were pretty excruciating!) To read an entire book completely out of your usual genre is very difficult for some. Which is why I probably would not make a very good book reviewer for some genres. I admire those people that are able to do that.
Since I publish my books through Createspace, and they are sold on Amazon, I was surprised to learn that Amazon also owns Goodreads. I was also shocked to read that this had happened a few years ago. I guess I’ve been living under a rock and need to find a new one! I think it’s pretty safe to say that I work for the Amazon company in a round about way! And so far, they have been pretty good to me. I just need to keep working on figuring out all the little quirks involved.
One area that’s becoming more clear is the review process. Pretty much, as far as I can tell, in order to review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million or even Wal-Mart.com, you need to have purchased through them. Which again, I really do understand. Their reputation is at risk, and they are running a business. A business that they want to be profitable. But that leaves indie authors in a bit of a hole. Generally, especially in the beginning, an indie author is not known. Their name, their books, and their photo mean almost nothing to most of the reader world.
So once again, we circle around to the review process, which helps tremendously in getting an author known. People review, people read, more reviews, more people read. And so it goes. Goodreads, as far as I’ve seen, allows you to review any book that you’ve read. It is now my favorite place! 
Feedback is a wonderful thing. We all like to know how we’re doing and the areas where we need to improve. It hones our skills for whatever we’re doing in life.
Goodreads is also just a fun place to go if you’re an avid reader and like talking about…books. You can ask authors questions about a book, take part in trivia questions and have discussions about your favorite books. I’ve found this to be pretty enjoyable stuff. Even though I don’t have as much time to read these days as I would like, it’s fun to take part in activities involving books I have read over the years. And yes, there are some pretty big name authors on the site.
So check it out, and while you’re at 
Goodreads, have fun reviewing your favorite authors!
I know, I know, people are going to become sick of hearing this, but I really want to win this little war! The cover for the first book in the Rubyville series, A Place to Call Home is in a cover war at this site: http://authorshout.com/cover-wars/. You can vote on a cover once every 24 hours, and they are very strict about this. They won’t take your vote until it’s been the 24 hours. The cover war for this set of 15 covers will end on Saturday, the 19th. So, please vote for Rubyville…even if you think another cover is better! 😉 I personally think mine is the best one, but I’m a little bias on this one.
So please vote every day through the 20th and help Rubyville – A Place to Call Home to win!!! And of course, if it looks interesting, give it a read and let me know what you think. It’s available on kindle and paperback through https://www.amazon.com/Rubyville-Place-Call-Home-Book/dp/1518744672/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479222875&sr=1-1&keywords=deborah+ann+dykeman
It’s hard to let go. Does that sentence sound familiar? I’m going to try this again and see if I can stay on track. And speaking of rabbit trails, isn’t that a cute little guy, hanging out in the dunes by the sea?
The Rubyville series is finished. Some say it shouldn’t be, and they want the story to continue. And a very huge part of me agrees, because it’s hard to let go. The Barton family became my family. I lived with them fictionally for 100 years, but in reality, for the past year or so. I was a part of their dinner conversation, what clothes they chose to wear for the day, where they wanted to live, and I prayed with them. I laughed at their antics and I cried along with their losses. And now they are gone! And I feel a huge hole in my life. For those of you that don’t write, please don’t call the white coats. I’m really not crazy…just a writer.
Before I began the Rubyville series, before I wrote that first book of 65,000 words the month of March in 2015, I had another series. This series was near and dear to me for almost twenty years, at that time. I couldn’t even fathom starting another series. I didn’t want to be that close to another group of characters. I couldn’t stop thinking, or talking about that other series. And then along came the Barton family.
So that’s why I began my post yesterday with that sentence. I’m having difficulty letting go, and getting back to that first series. I haven’t visited with that other family in a long time, and I’m nervous about what they are going to think of me. Will I know them like I used to? Will we be friends again, close family that shares everything? Right now, it seems hard to believe. And it’s even scarier to think that this other series may not connect with my readers as the Rubyville series did.
But I have knocked on their door, and I’m waiting on the front porch, exchanging polite conversation until they invite me in, and include me in their lives once again.
I really need to say good-bye to Rubyville. Maybe not forever, but for now. So I’m going to share with you, my visions of the little town in Kansas that became so dear to me. I painted a picture of Rubyville and the Barton home. I used this to construct a little town using my village pieces. With the help of the paint program on my computer, I designed my proof covers for Rubyville. Each book depicts a new season. Here is winter and spring:
And summer and fall:
I absolutely love the covers that http://www.DesignByJulia.com did for my books! They are beautiful and I’ve had so many compliments on them. Julia captured the Barton women, and the fact that they were Rubyville, not the town. But I will always have a soft spot for what I picture Rubyville to look like.
Thank you for sticking with me for these two posts! I really appreciate you, my readers. Change is difficult, but I will survive, and I’ll work on being patient in the process. Until next time…
I absolutely love that I am self-published! For a control freak such as myself, it fits me wonderfully. I can write, design, book release, and write what I would like all at my own pace. And it is mine! I have had some amazing help along the way…couldn’t have done it without those two ladies…but I’ve still had a sense of control. And for me, that is huge!
So, when big-name companies are recognizing indie authors, that’s even more amazing. There are so many writers out there that have wonderful stories to tell, and now they can.
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During the month of October, Amazon will be celebrating great writing self-published via Kindle Direct Publishing, CreateSpace and Audio Book Creation Exchange.
Share why you love being an indie author in social media and on your blog. Feel free to create videos, photos and posts about your experience! Remember to use the hashtag #PoweredByIndie so we can share your stories as well
Visit the official landing page www.amazon.com/poweredbyindie to discover great indie titles and learn more about indie authors – share the page with fellow authors!Like the KDP Facebook page so you can join author Q&As, stay connected to the campaign and get tips on publishing from AmazonLet’s celebrate great writing together!
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I received the above from the Kindle Direct Publishing team and wanted to share it on here. It’s been a pleasure working with CreateSpace and Amazon to get my manuscripts into book format and available to the public. And now I’m very privileged to be participating in several events this fall where I can have my books available to the public, and meet my readers.
This one was at the Wichita Public Library back in September.
I never dreamed of being a writer, and I’m still in awe when I think of all that has transpired on this writing journey over the past year! I’ve written a four-book series and self-published five books. That’s incredible to me! And it all took place in this little corner:
I do love to sit down and write, and I love to design. But as I’ve said so many times before, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. These two ladies, one a very dear friend and the other our oldest daughter, step in and take care of all the hard parts. Julia Ryan at http://www.DesignByJulia.com has created amazing, beautiful covers for all my books. She has been invaluable help to my daughter in showing her the ropes of editing, typesetting and making that interior look fantastic! I can get the words strung together, but that’s about all it is without those two. Britta Ann Meadows is beginning her own journey with Peas in a Pod Editing and Design. Thank you both so very much!
So join me in celebrating great, self-published writing!
I didn’t want to just disappear and come back to an empty blog. So for all of you that are so diligent about stopping by here, liking posts, and commenting…I will be gone for a few days. Please feel free to check out my other posts over the past year or so. And as always, I love to hear from you! It really does make my day!
No, I’m not going on a vacation, which I would dearly love. My daughter and I are editing the fourth book in the Rubyville series and we hope to have my part in it done by the end of the week. Then she and Julia Ryan, (the lady that has designed my absolutely gorgeous covers), will do their work of making it all look beautiful. It has been a real privilege to work with these two and I literally could not have done this past year without them! I think I have the easy part!
So, please don’t give up on me…I’ll be back!
You’ve heard it before but it bears repeating: it’s not a great idea to edit your own manuscript. Revise, yes—as much as possible. Polish that sucker up! But editing is a very dem…
Source: Editing: an investment you can’t afford to skip
I stumbled across this fantastic resource and wanted to share with you. I’d love to hear any feedback. # URL Category 1 KBoards – Writers’ Cafe ALL 2 The Newbie’s Gui…
Source: The Top 50 Sites for Indie and Self-Published Authors
When I was younger…much younger, I loved to read. My favorite genre was biographies and autobiographies. I really enjoyed anything historical, and that is still one of my favorites. In high school, Victoria Holt became a favorite author. It always took a bit to get into one of her stories, but once you did the twists and turns took you on a wonderful journey.
I loved reading so much that I would rush through chores at home so I could find a cozy corner. To spend hours ensconced in a great tale was better than anything else in the world, in my young life. In teen years, I spent my lunch hours in the library reading. I could eat any time. But to have all those books at my disposal was more temptation than I could handle!
For me, reading was better than a TV program or a movie. I could read and the story would unfold in my mind. The characters would show up vividly in spectacular color, their features, hair and clothing all of my creation with a little help from the author. Landscape and houses would all come under my direction as each scene paraded through.
When I first saw these pictures, I was so excited. They show just what a reader does in an artistic way. Kudos to the photographers and artists that thought of this and captured it so well.
Reading a great book, whatever the genre, takes you to scenes in your head. The story plays out in your mind until you reach the end. If the author has done their job, you are involved and part of that. And it is in vivid color.
As the first picture shows, the sky is the limit with your imagination. Shut off the TV, turn off your phone and find a great place to read. A green meadow, a rowboat on a pond, waves crashing at your feet, or a chair beside a crackling fire. All make wonderful havens for the story to unfold.
I love creating the Facebook memes I post a few times a month. Two Tuesdays a month I post something from one of my books. On Fridays I post something inspirational. Either a Bible verse or a few words to get people thinking. Few words can say much!
Today, I posted this. I absolutely love this picture! It just seemed to bring it all together. Even though the picture is of Ireland, it reminded me so much of the Flint Hills where we currently reside. There are many places around us where you can top a hill and have a view such as this one. In the spring time, or a wet summer like we’ve had, the hills roll along, green mounds under the very blue sky.
The words under the picture are from the first book in the Rubyville series, A Place to Call Home. And yes, Annabella Barton would have walked around the Flint Hills, dragging her beautiful gown through the bluestem pastures. Sometimes the rigors of the late 1880’s mandates for women didn’t sit well on her shoulders!
Since I love this picture so much…
Have a great Tuesday! Take a stroll through your neck of the woods. Watch the late summer wild flowers sway in the breeze. Listen to the rustle of the leaves of the trees, dark green filtering the sun. Lift your eyes to the blue sky, lazy clouds drifting overhead. Have a perfect late summer day!
Dedicated to A.
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