Contests, Vlogs and Karma

Amazon is once again holding their Breakthrough Novel Award Contest (ABNA) and Girl in Motion (once An Unbalanced Line, once Cheesy) made it through the first round. I've not paid much attention on purpose. The first two years I did and it drove me nuts. I'll be getting a couple reviews from Amazon Vine reviewers, I think that determines the next round, and we'll go from there. I've not made it past this round since the first year I entered when my superhero novel made it to the top 100 (I believe that was the quarterfinal round).
apparently my novel,

I've decided to start another Vlog series. I know, I'm crazy, but it's time. I always enjoyed doing it and I had people that liked it, you know...fans. I hope to have my first video up later today, so stay tuned to my Youtube chanel. I'll update that link once I get it up.

And I wanted to mention my friend Gae Polisner. Her novel, The Summer of Letting Go is hitting stores all over the country this week (of course Amazon can't seem to get mine here until after the 21st >:( ) But she's been posting guest blogs about karma and coincidence on her website all month. I didn't have time to get one to her, and mine would have been boring in comparison to others. You should read them. Pretty interesting stuff. Here's today post.

I was going to tell Gae how both times I was pregnant, each of my paternal grandparents died. I often wondered if one soul had to depart to make way for  another soul to be born. Maybe my grandparents volunteered out of love for their great grandchildren.

Did you enter the ABNA contest?

Do you have any Karma or coincidence stories you'd like to share?

Time to get back to vlogging

I know I know, I've promised this a million times before, but this time I mean it. *cough* I'm going to try to mean it.

I've missed it and believe it or don't, people have missed me *cue head swelling*. Life has just been so crazy these past few months...

So, I'm heading to the coast for some R&R this weekend and I'm going to make out my weekly schedule. One I'm hoping to stick to. And I'm going to stick vlogging on there at least once a week (if not two because hey, I'm a narcissist).

But how do you juggle it all, grocery shopping, dinner cooking, writing, editing, formatting, designing book covers,*takes deep breath* kickboxing, chillin', cleaning, networking, marketing, blogging, vlogging, going to kids soccer games, music gigs, Netflixing, hanging out with BF, hanging out with girlfriends, hanging out with kids?

Huh? How?

Yeah, schedule.

We'll see if that works.

For now, writing is being set aside in order to get my novel Dissected out into the world. I'm very excited. I was going for an early April release, but realistically, I think late April would be better. For my sanity.

How the hell do you squeeze in everything you do? I don't even work full time and I still don't seem to find the time to do it all.

Millions of things to do so little time

Pretty sure I forgot to post a monkey this week.

I've not blogged in a couple days because I've been so scattered going this way and that way, I've not been able to focus on one task at a time. Here's what I've needed/wanted to do the last few days.

• Edit a 2k12 video
• Study and play with Adobe Creative Cloud
• Consolidate my bills
• Write book reviews
• Look for some contract work to make some extra money
• Practice my new Photoshop and InDesign skills
• Work on my rewrite
• Work on gathering more agents to query
• Clean my house
• Mow my lawn
• Weed my gardens
• Spray my blackberry bushes
• Pick up the box of books I ordered
• Clean out my inbox
• Probably some other crap I'm not remembering.

Instead of any of those things, this is what I worked on last night:

And just saw someone gave me a dislike!! >:(
Oh well. Chaos isn't for everyone.

Okay, I'm going to try to maybe do one of those things *points above*. Enjoy your Thursday night.

Contest winner and new video series

Two birds with one stone. Releasing my new video series AND announcing the winner to my Never Eighteen Half Birthday Contest! Enjoy!

How much is too much marketing

Someone posted this link on facebook today: http://heyauthor.tumblr.com/ . I found it very funny, but it is telling. As writer's are we promoting ourselves too much. Yes, normally we are a bunch of narcissists, and we are trying to get our work out there to the masses, but as far as social networking goes, are we bombarding the internet with too much "hey buy my book" and not enough, "I'm just a real person, here's my life"

I admit, I don't Tweet all that much. I just don't have the time. And I do try to interact with people on there, but I feel like I'm lost because I'm just not on there enough, though I would like to be more. So yeah, I Tweet writing stuff. I also promote friends writing stuff. I also asks questions which no one seems to answer (because I just honestly think I'm not on there enough.

And I have heard that when social marketing like 25% should be marketing, the rest, just real life stuff. Or something like that. Don't quote me. So maybe I'm screwing up on my Twitter.

However, on Facebook, I think I'm doing it right. I have my personal page, and then I have an author page. So on my author page I write all about my author stuff. On my personal page, I mostly write about life, but if there is important writer stuff, like an event, or an awesome review, yeah, I share it.

I don't do much else as far as social marketing goes. I Tumble, which I've hardly done, and yeah, I've used it for writing, but I only have two posts. I Youtube, but that's pretty  much about writing too and people know it. When I veered off to life, people stopped watching me :( So I'm going to get back to a writing Vlog. Soon. Hopefully.

So, what do you think? Do you think writers go overboard when social networking? Or do you think it's just part of the biz? Would you unfriend/unfollow a writer who did nothing but tout their writing?

F³A: Blogging, blogging, and more blogging

Seriously, I've been doing nothing but the day job, soccer, and guest blogs all week.  The guest blogs have been pretty fun.  I'm one of Badass Bookies Debutantes for 2012.  I've got a blog tour coming up on Teen Book Scene (I'll share dates later).  I've got a Dear Teen Me letter coming out on October 31st. And I've got two posts for the Class of 2k11 at the end of the month.

Oh, yeah, and the Class of 2k12 launch on the 12th.  I'll be blogging toward the end of the month (website not up until that date).  Plus I've got guests blogs to finish up for the class.

I'm crazy right?  The answer would be yes.  But I love it.  It's what I want to do.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

Don't forget, I'm sending out signed bookmarks for anyone who subscribes to my Youtube channel.

Question: I've got my vlog series, but is there anything else you'd like to see?  Advice, personal stuff? (keep it clean people)

Okay, Friday Scribbles:

Random iPod shuffle song:  Bulls on Parade by Rage Against the Machine.  This song has a supporting role in Never Eighteen.

Book of the Week:  I'm sticking with Amy Dominy's OyMG.  After I finish all these blog posts, I should have time to read again. *fingers crossed*

Netflix of the Week: Dexter Seaon 5, OMG! OMG! I LOVE Dexter.

Rest in Peace

Quote of the Week:

Monkey Madness Monday

I'm back after a short hiatus from regular blogging.  I'm coming off my exhaustion (I think). I was tested for Anemia and Hypothyroidism, and it's neither of those things.  So I think my doc was right and it's just a case of exhaustion.

I'm still tired, but the last day I had to sleep half the day was last Wednesday, and I've not napped since the week before last.  I'm hoping that I can get back to the exercise and getting healthy.  I'm so tired of being tired.

Enough about that.  Yesterday I was on a panel at Northwest Bookfest with my fellow Harbingers of Doom Marissa Burt (Storybound), J. Anderson Coats (The Wicked and the Just), and Danny Marks (Velveteen).  Our panel was about the Terrible Truth from Conception to Publication.  We had a big crowd and had lots of questions asked.  So, I think it was a success.  The Harbingers had fun looking at the booths and talking to other writers and editors.

It made me excited about revisions again.  I'm really slogging through them, but I'll get them done.

One more thing, I don't know if you guys know I vlog, but I'd love to have more subscribers on my youtube channel.  I've got a couple advice videos, some book reviews, I vlogged my journey to publication, and now I'm vlogging about my middle aged angst.  Click here for my channel.

If you subscribe, I'll send you a signed bookmark.  Just comment below and I'll get your details.

Catch ya later,

Megan

F³A: Videos, the weather, and awesome reviews

Looks like fall is back in the Pacific Northwest.  It's nice and foggy out. sigh.  Glad I got some yard work done yesterday (not really by choice).

Be prepared for more ranting coming your way from yours truly now that the sky is turning gray. (what's the difference between gray and grey?  I'll have to look that up)

I want to share a review I received yesterday that pretty much made me cry.  In a good way.  Read it here.

So, I made a new trailer for Never Eighteen.  I want your opinion.  I did a voice over rather than titles this time.  I want to know if you like the old version better, or the new.  You can find the old version on my youtube page.

Here is the new.

I also started a new vlog series.  Middle Aged Angst.  You can find it here.  The video quality isn't the best, I used a new program.  Will have to go back to the old software for the next one.

That's all for the cold gray Friday.  Leaving you with my nibbles:

Random iPod Shuffle Song: The Sun by Joe Purdy. He was letting you download songs for free on his website.  Not sure if you can do that anymore.

Netflix of the Week: I'm going with, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend with Alyssa Milano.  I've been watching a lot of indie movies lately.  This one looked okay.  I wasn't expecting much.  However, what seemed to be the run of the mill romantic comedy had a crazy twist toward the end.  I liked it.

Book of the Week: Still, OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy.  I started it, it's awesome, just have NOT had time to read.

Quote of the Week: I found two I like this week.  "Almost all my middle-aged and elderly acquaintances, including me, feel about 25, unless we haven't had our coffee, in which case we feel 107. " ~  Martha Beck

"Boys will be boys, and so will a lot of middle-aged men. " ~ Kin Hubbard