Category: Writing

Life can be frustrating at times! We’ve all said this, thought it, maybe shouted it out and not been too pleased with our actions after the fact. Life is also not fair. Unjust actions, words and thoughts happen. That’s the way it is.

My topic for today…copyright. Last night, while checking reviews on my book, my daughter came across a site named, DJ Maza that was advertising my book for free. There was some kind of  blurb about normally having to pay for this book, but at that site you didn’t have to. As the publisher of this book, I generally know who has my books and where they are available.

So this morning, I did a little research. When my daughter tried to access this site to get ‘my’ book they wanted her to jump through a lot of hoops. She never did get to it. She mentioned that at some point, you would probably have to pay money to access something. This morning, when I went to the same site, you couldn’t find ‘my’ book. I checked all my distributors this morning, and from what I could find, DJ Maza Books was not among them. They could be at some affiliate that I am not aware of, and I didn’t try that name in a bunch of different scenarios. By that I mean: all lower case, all run together, etc.

Life is not ‘fair’, it’s not ‘just’ under man’s terms. Wrong and bad things happen. There will always be people ready to cash in on someone’s work. That’s just the way it is. Please remember, when an artist, musician, photographer, writer, etc. has work published, there are copyright laws to protect their work. People can and do steal it, but it’s WRONG.

‘To Thee I’m Wed’ is available through the sites listed here on my blog. A short list of those sites is Amazon, Barnes and Noble and CreateSpace for the printed versions. Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and some other sites for the e-version. There are many different places with the book now, so I don’t want to list them all here. For the holiday season of Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, I have lowered the price of the e-book to $2.99. If you have a business card, you may use the code on the back to get another 50% off toward your purchase. For those of you that do not have the code on a business card, the code is: DN98A. Again, this code is good through December 31, 2015. If you are a library, wishing to purchase the e-version, your price is $1.99. As far as I know, you may also be able to use the code. For those of you in the Council Grove area, ‘To Thee I’m Wed’ is available at the library, in paperback.

I appreciate you, the consumer! I appreciate all the great words and compliments given and the reviews. Please remember to view my book, and read the portion given for free from the sites I’ve listed. We can each do our small part to NOT encourage those that scam and take advantage of other people. Thank you, so much, for your help with this!

Well, after a month of a lot of ‘stuff’ happening around our house, I was able to get back to writing. It may not sound like much, but it is a huge accomplishment for me. I am working on the second book in a series of four or five. My daughter is editing the first book. Usually, if I can get into the ‘zone’ of writing I can type out about 10 pages in a day on a good day. The big obstacle lately has been being able to get into that ‘zone’.

If you write, you know what I’m talking about. This probably applies to most anything actually. You have to get into that space in time when you can only concentrate on that project. But life happens and it is difficult to put other things aside at times.

A cabin, far away in the woods at the top of a mountain sounds pretty peaceful and like a great place to be. But I wouldn’t want to be there alone for long. I would really like my husband to be there with me. He is rather low maintenance most of the time. It’s just nice to have him near by.

So, I’ll be dreaming about that cabin as I sleep tonight and of course the plot of the story I’m working on! You all have a great night as well.

When you see this stone bridge, what thoughts and feelings come to mind? Where do you think it’s headed? Is the bridge itself welcoming or sinister with the gray rock and narrow path? It’s amazing what color and lighting, temperature and smell can do to transform our thoughts.

Picture in your mind this same setting in the winter. The frozen stream below, snow-covered path and charcoal gray branches shivering in the wind. If there is bright sunlight, the snow may sparkle as well as the sugared stream. You might want to investigate, breathe deeply of the cold, clean air as you crunch along.

Springtime would bring new leaves, swaying on their tender stems, sunlight shimmering on the gurgling water rushing through the stone arch. Maybe there would be flowers, painted here and there along the path. Birds would sing happily in the fresh air, joyous for the season ahead.

Summer would be bursting with dark greens, a canopy above as you meandered along the narrow bridge. You would stop at the highest point and observe the trickling, coolness below before continuing on your stroll.

Autumn has arrived. That is what has drawn me to this picture. The leaves scattered along the path, the water reflecting the colors in the sky. I can feel the cool breeze and smell the leaves and moist earth that only emanates in autumn.

The bridge is welcoming in all the scenarios described above. But let’s think of a very dark night and our thoughts change immediately. Maybe the bridge isn’t so welcoming anymore. You may not want to proceed down that narrow path. Each ‘splash’ in the black water or ‘crunch’ in the trees beyond may send you right out of that setting! Add a ‘dark and stormy’ night with the wind lashing at your head, branches crashing to the sodden ground…you get the ‘picture’.

Colors, lighting, temperature and smells play such a huge part in my daily life. They set the tone for so many things. I have purposely set up my entire yard to partake of all those items I just listed. Each season has its own set of the items. They are comforting to me in their familiarity and give me something to anticipate with the changing of each season. Without even knowing it, I think many of us are designed that way. Some of us just wallow in it more than others! Have a Happy Autumn!

Yesterday, I received the printed version of my book to proof. I opened the box, unwrapped the brown paper around it…and there it was!

Original Font Design

New Font Design I love!!! Thank you Julia!

I wrote, ‘To Thee I’m Wed’ in 2007. For eight years I have reread, rewritten and prayed about this book, wondering if it would ever be published.

Every writer pours much of themselves into their writing. We write from our experiences, our dreams, our heartaches and our laughter.

The same is for ‘To Thee I’m Wed’. In 1994, my husband and I traveled a very rough and rocky road for almost a year. It stemmed from many situations as trials and tribulations often do. Things don’t just ‘happen’. There is usually a cause and a reason behind it. People like my sister and a friend named Vicki were there for me. They talked at all hours of the day, supported, helped with our children and corrected my thinking where need be. Believe me…it needed correcting many times!

So, in 2007, after writing four other books, I wrote ‘To Thee I’m Wed’, elaborating, thinking about what ‘could have happened’. So yes, this book has much of ‘me’ in it.

I thank God for how He worked in my life especially during that time. He helped me to grow in ways I never thought possible. He helped us to turn our lives back around and focus on what really matters. We had another opportunity, something many people never get.

Unwrapping my book yesterday, was the culmination of so many difficult times in my life. It was tangible proof of going on after testing and tribulation. For me, that was pretty emotional and awesome! I pray that those reading ‘To Thee I’m Wed’ evaluate their own lives. Think of where you are in your spiritual growth, what marriage means, what kind of sacrifices you are willing to make so you don’t become another statistic. Sometimes the right decision isn’t the easy one.

Wow! I read this post and was just so excited! It answered so many questions I’ve had about my platform and my author brand. So of course I had to share it on here! For those of you that are not writers, you probably won’t care too much, but I know there are several that would love to read this. You should check out her blog…lots of great information on there. Here it is:

I studied the neuroscience behind branding. What made content go viral? Was there something about content that the human brain reacted to positively or negatively? Was all content equal?

Source: The Secret to a Powerful Author Brand

It’s Labor Day…so today you RELAX. Go to the beach, the lake, the mountains. Have a picnic or just stay home and do NOTHING! While you are having down-time, please download a copy of my book from your favorite retailer for half-price, today only. Enter coupon code, QF79J at check-out. (This is NOT case sensitive.) Remember, today only. It’s available at https://www.smashwords.com/books/category/870/newest/0/5.99/full, (about half-way down the page), Barnes and Noble, kobo, Apple and Oyster. Thank you so much!

When I was a teenager, the only ‘platform’ I knew about was the one we stood on during a concert in choir and some rather uncomfortable shoes. Well, they were uncomfortable until you got the hang of walking in them. You had to rely less on actual ankle movement and more on setting your foot down and kind of rocking forward on your feet. The group, ‘KISS’ wore some pretty extraordinary platform shoes back in the day. I always wondered how they didn’t end up in traction.

They always say you should write what you know. Or write about what’s on your mind. Well, my ‘platform’ is on my mind today. From what I’m reading and researching, the days of writing a manuscript and submitting it, being rejected and starting the entire process over are covered with white out. They are gone. Now you have to find someone actually taking submissions…(good luck) and then you need to be ready to market your book. Oh, and have a platform.

I’m still researching this and I’ve found a lot of amazing advice through blogs and websites. What I’m extracting from all this reading and research is that you need to have a group of people you are targeting with your writing and you need a following. You need people interested in you and willing to support you in your endeavors. One article I read today said the building of your platform can and should take place before you write or submit officially. That is my paraphrase. In other words, start building a following long before you contact a publisher. Who knew? Certainly not me!

At this point, I’m still trying to figure out the marketing of something I don’t have. I’m also coming to terms with marketing and selling a book because I already have a following. I’m kind of wondering about needing a publisher when I’ve already done much of the ground work. But don’t attack, I’m in the learning process here! I’m still thinking this all through. I do well with something if I can put it into terms I can understand and then apply it. (Exactly why Algebra and I didn’t mix!)

So, if I buy all the ingredients for a cake, make it at home, bake it in my oven, decorate it and then serve it to my loving family and friends that already know me and generally eat what ever I serve them…I’m good? If I have all the notes, thoughts and dreams for a story, type it on my laptop, share it wherever I can, make it pretty and marketable, my loving family and friends will read it…and I’ll be published? Sounds good to me!

Seriously though, I would appreciate any advice or things you have learned in this process called ‘writing’. Please correct my ‘take’ on platform or add to it. I’m kind of in the middle of nowhere and having a hard time finding the bread crumbs.

As you can see, I’ve been kind of playing around with this site. I did that with my furniture when I was first married. I moved it pretty often, sometimes once a week. Now my living room furniture stays where it is for years at a time. I’ve become comfortable with it there, (or too lazy to move it). But I prefer to think of the first option.

That all leads me to the picture on my header. (I think that is what it’s called!) Although the ‘hall’ is heavily ornamented, there’s something about the way the light is coming in the windows that makes me want to jump in there and run to the end. Of course I would have on a wedding dress with a long train and veil, both flowing behind me…lifting on the breeze stirred by my quick retreat. And yes, it would be a retreat. Not a retreat in a bad way. Not running FROM something, but running TO something or someone. Maybe running from the confines of the room or the situation to the openness of the garden beyond and all that sunlight that is streaming in. And yes, there is a garden beyond. Filled with fragrant roses and graveled paths, ornamental benches waiting for an occupant or two. Did I say I would be barefoot as well? With pink, sparkly toenails?

How is YOUR imagination? What do you see or imagine when you see the above picture?

My love of reading and writing come from creating those pictures in my head. I used to tell my children that reading was so much fun because you could ‘watch’ the book in your head, kind of like a movie. I’m sure they thought I was crazy in that area and many others, but they didn’t watch much TV or movies while growing up. They all loved to read at one point in time. I was so excited when each of my children learned to read and then enjoyed it. It is such a simple pleasure!

So share your thoughts on the above picture. I love to hear what people’s ideas are on things like that. There are so many possibilities…

My name is Deborah and I love to write, share my opinion, give out advice, etc. All five of my children, three son-in-laws, (and counting) and my dear husband all know that. They’re just happy that I’m sharing with all of you now. It will take some of the pressure off of them! I think it was my eldest daughter, married, with three children that said I should blog about all the ‘advice’ I’ve given her over the years on child rearing. She said it with a smile, or I pictured a smile since we were on the phone at the time. I think she was just trying to direct the attention away from herself. 😉

So, back to the writing. I’ve written several books. I’ve submitted a couple and have four books that I need to do some serious rewrites on. I wrote them when I really didn’t know what the ‘rules’ were. Who knew? I thought they would just love me for my artistic, storytelling talent and overlook the head hopping, grammar mistakes, etc. This site is to help me gain more writing experience, interact with you, the public and just get me out there! And…give out more advice!

I welcome you to this part of my world. I look forward to getting to know you better, and I hope you enjoy getting to know me. Please comment, say hello and please be nice. No room for nastiness here. This is the day, we will rejoice and be glad in it!