How a 31 day challenge turned into a 365 day habit

Thank you, Jeff Goins, for issuing this challenge and introducing me this wonderful group of people.

365 days ago, I joined a group of writers and bloggers in a 31 day challenge issued by Jeff Goins. He started the group on Facebook to encourage people to get into the habit of writing at least 500 words every day.

As with many other writers’ groups on Facebook, I joined but was not overly enthusiastic about its success, because of past experiences. How wrong did I turn out to be!

The 31 day challenge sparked a lot of interest, but that is not what I base my opinion on, quite the opposite. It is the continued support and encouragement from the group’s members that makes it such a wonderful group.

I will go so far as to say that I have formed friendships with people that I may never meet face-to-face in my lifetime.  While I may never have the opportunity to share a cup of coffee or a hug, when I don’t see a regular post or a comment from them, I do wonder if they are alright. Of course, I have real life friends in the group too, and we share the same views, our online friends…are friends.

One year have now passed since we started the group and not only has it grown in numbers, but also in maturity. It does take time for a group to form, even if we share the same goals. Sensitive topics have been debated, and while we don’t always agree, I love the respect we show towards each other.

Yes, our aim is still the same: write at least 500 words every day: be it blog posts, fiction or journal entries – and hold ourselves accountable for doing so. The group has grown to be more than a writer’s group, and it will probably be the last group I leave on Facebook, if ever.

On a personal note: I don’t write fiction every day, although I aim to write every day, with the exception of December. Even I need a break sometimes :)

What does 2015 hold in store for this awesome group of writers and bloggers? I cannot predict the future, but if the past is an indication of what the future holds… it will grow in depth and maturity and I will grow along with it, not only as a writer, but also as a human being.

What some of the awesome people who have been with me on this journey of 365 days have to say:

Vanessa Wright's Humouring the dark
Roslynn Pryor’s Pushing the Bruise
Stella Myers’ Stella’s Starshine
Amy Bovaird‪'s Amy's Adventures‬
Crystal Thieringer’s Muse and Meander
‪Carryl A Robinson‪’s Echoes from the Cave

Becky Williams Waters' A Novel Creation
Laura Hille's For The Love of Storytelling

Wishing all my friends from the My 500 Word groups, a successful and blessed 2015!

May your writing dreams come true in every way!

Book Feature: Touched with Fire by Christopher Datta

Touched with Fire, Christopher Datta's #1 best selling Historical Fiction is on sale now for only $0.99.

"A tremendously amazing story for History lovers!"

"A fantastic story that engaged"

"An excellent example of entertwining a love story with historical facts"



$0.99 December 15th-19th

Touched With Fire, a novel of the Civil War inspired by the true story of Ellen Craft.

Ellen Craft is property; in this case, of her half-sister Debra, to whom she was given as a wedding gift. The illegitimate daughter of a Georgia plantation owner and a house slave, she learned to hate her own image, which so closely resembled that of her “father:” the same wiry build, the same blue eyes, and the same pale—indeed, lily-white—skin.

Ellen lives a solitary life until she falls, unexpectedly, in love with a dark-skinned slave named William Craft, and together they devise a plan to run North. Ellie will pose as a gentleman planter bound for Philadelphia accompanied by his “boy” Will. They make it as far as Baltimore when Will is turned back, and Ellie has no choice but continue. With no way of knowing if he is dead or alive, she resolves to make a second journey—South again. And so Elijah Craft enlists with the 125th Ohio Volunteers of the Union Army: she will literally fight her way back to her husband.

Eli/Ellie’s journey is the story of an extraordinary individual and an abiding love, but also of the corrosive effects of slavery, and of a nation at a watershed moment.

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Announcing the release of Fire & Dust, book two in the Fire Trilogy

"If you thought you knew the Civil War, think again. In Fire and Dust, Christopher Datta takes you beyond the clatter and gore of the battlefield to reveal the very hearts and minds of the Confederacy. His characters will haunt you like a rebel yell, sounding down through the years to touch you with their sacrifices, their struggles, and—most of all—their humanity."
-Karen Lyon, Hill Rag Magazine



In the fall of 1863, there is still a chance to prevent a Union victory in the Civil War.

Robert E. Lee’s most trusted senior commander, General James Longstreet, takes two Virginia divisions west to unite with General Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee. Longstreet arrives just in time to join in the Confederate attack on the Union army at the battle of Chickamauga.

As the fate of the Confederacy is decided, this epic saga plays out against the backdrop of the love stories of Mexican war veteran Sargent Sam Davis and the recently widowed Sally O’Grady, and of the young, poor and naive private Harry Kolb and Rachel Shaw, the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner. Their tales bring to vivid life the forgotten watershed moments of September, October and November of 1863, a period that more than any other determined the outcome of the war.

Fire and Dust narrates the history of the Civil War as it really was, and makes you a front row witness as the destiny of the Confederacy unfolds.

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About the Author

Born in Washington, DC Chris Datta, Foreign Service officer, has been on numerous battlefields for his job and country. He has seen mass graves, brought war criminals to justice and in this new chapter, Datta brings readers a stunning historical account of the American Civil War with Touched with Fire. His attention to detail is superb, and his experiences abroad have given him ample stories to tell for years to come.

His action packed life has taken him across the world from the United States to Liberia and Southern Sudan. Not only serving in active war zones but often battling tropical diseases, Datta has nurtured his fascination with civil conflict by diving into the history books and historical records of America’s past. His research is meticulous, and his attention to detail creates vivid pictures of the past.

Happy Birthday to Me...and a special offer to YOU!

When you sit and reflect back over the past year, as one often does and needs to do, I came realise that I have had a truly blessed year.
Sure I am technically a year older today, but I have a lot to be grateful for.
And to celebrate my birthday and all the good things in my life - and to support Read Tuesday coming soon - I have discounted three books from 1 to 15 December 2014.
Oh, and there are still free books too, so don't forget to browse around on my Smashwords page for them.

Keeper of the Dragon Sword - The Dragon Masters

Now $2.99
Discount coupon : QY36M

Géra's Gift - The Grandmasters

Now $0.99
Discount coupon: SF78R

STORM Volume I

Now $0.99
Discount coupon: GQ69M





So there you go - get one, get them all and have a special treat for your Christmas stocking from me!
Oh, and if you want more, why not visit the Read Tuesday website for hundreds more books to enjoy.

Are you an ethical author?

#ethicalauthor

An Author Program Facilitated by the Alliance of Independent Authors

(“Author” being any writer who has published a long-form work of fiction or non-fiction, either via a trade publisher or self-publishing platform.)

Ethical Author Code

Guiding principle: Putting the reader first

When I market my books, I put my readers first. This means that I don’t engage in any practices that have the effect of misleading the readers/buyers of my books. I behave professionally online and offline when it comes to the following practices in my writing life:

Courtesy

I behave with courtesy and respect toward readers, other authors, reviewers and industry professionals such as agents and publishers. If I find myself in disagreement, I focus on issues rather than airing grievances or complaints in the press or online, or engaging in personal attacks of any kind.

Aliases

I do not hide behind an alias to boost my own sales or damage the sales or reputation of another person. If I adopt a pen name for legitimate reasons, I use it consistently and carefully.

Reviewing and Rating books

I do not review or rate my own or another author’s books in any way that misleads or deceives the reader. I am transparent about my relationships with other authors when reviewing their books.

I am transparent about any reciprocal reviewing arrangements, and avoid any practices that result in the reader being deceived.

Reacting to reviews

I do not react to any book review by harassing the reviewer, getting a third party to harass the reviewer, or making any form of intrusive contact with the reviewer. If I’ve been the subject of a personal attack in a review, I respond in a way that is consistent with professional behaviour.

Book Promotions

I do not promote my books by making false statements about, for example, their position on bestseller lists, or consent to anyone else promoting them for me in a misleading manner.

Plagiarism

I know that plagiarism is a serious matter, and I don’t intentionally try to pass off another writer’s words as my own.

Financial ethics

In my business dealings as an author, I make every effort to be accurate and prompt with payments and financial calculations. If I make a financial error, I remedy it as soon as it’s brought to my notice.

Responsibility

I take responsibility for how my books are sold and marketed. If I realise anyone is acting against the spirit or letter of this Code on my behalf, I will refer them to this Code and ask them to modify their behaviour.

Linzé - I subscribe to this Code of Conduct. The post was reblogged from SelfPublisingAdvice.com 

Why I took the self, out of self-publishing: A guest post by Anthony Renfro

Linzé: You might have seen Anthony's book featured earlier in the month on the Broomstick (click here). In the meantime the author decided to approach a small publisher instead of sticking to self-publishing. Here is why...

I gave it a lot of thought, and then just a bit more. I came to the conclusion that two heads are better than one. The book “Ghostly Visitations and Southern Destinations” wasn’t doing all that great on its own. It also wasn’t being marketed all that well by me either, so I decided to hand over the keys to a small publisher. Granted, he won’t just take over and I can go about my day writing with happy ease. No, that won’t happen with this deal. I still have to do the same grunt work as before, still have to figure out how to market myself in a very busy writing field, and I still have to labor to find sales. However, he also has to do the same since he signed me. That means both of us are now trying to find a way to make “The Tale of the Golden Pirate” a best seller on Amazon – that’s the new title to this book in case you were a bit confused. It made more sense in my head for a book that wasn’t doing all that well to put another person on it. Maybe, together, we can get this book out to more people than I could ever dream about. That’s why I took the self out of publisher, and for once let someone else help me out.

About Anthony:

I was born in Bristol, Tennessee, in 1972 and grew up in a little town in the Appalachian Mountains called Abingdon, Virginia. In those small town days I fell in love with many things, among them reading. Reading was a way to escape from a town whose borders always seemed to be too tight. I discovered my love of writing in college, under the influence of various Stephen King novels. The first time I read a novel by him, I knew I would need to write for the rest of my life. 

You can find me at many spots on the web, but if you really need to find my center in the social media storm it would be at my blog, apoetryjourney.wordpress.com. There you will find one other passion of mine, poetry. 

Let me now take your hand on a journey into dark places. I promise that you will be scared, and you may even be terrified, but in the end you might just find you liked the ride.

Book Links (you can use any of these):

 UK = http://goo.gl/ztF8zB

USA = http://goo.gl/7RzIh7

Australia = http://goo.gl/MzoXnC

Canada = http://goo.gl/kAgZjU

Spain = http://goo.gl/jEyOQr

Germany = http://goo.gl/E5h8qR

France = http://goo.gl/c90oA5

Italy = http://goo.gl/XGuPPa

Mexico = http://goo.gl/R2iO9i

Brazil = http://goo.gl/isj0GG

Japan = http://goo.gl/f0fgIF

India = http://goo.gl/1Vwkgl

Paperback

UK = http://goo.gl/x3NZ7S

USA = http://goo.gl/aH2jda

Australia = Unavailable

Canada = Not Available - YET

Spain = http://goo.gl/3m5e9Q

Germany = http://goo.gl/LfvFJv

France = http://goo.gl/rj4XCE

Italy = http://goo.gl/nY536o

Featured Book: The Meaning of Life According to the Mosquito by Debora Broadhead

SYNOPSIS
Prince George is a young adult mosquito who refuses his crown and the responsibility it holds. A bit of a dreamer, George walks away from his coronation, leaves his pre-arranged marriage, and searches for the true meaning of life. With his two squires by his side, George’s timing couldn’t have been worse. The dragonfly gang is threatening to attack his kingdom, and George is their only hope. When George has toured the world in search of answers, he is finally ready to return home. However, he finds that everything he loves has crumbled. Life bites! Now, Prince George struggles to pick up the pieces of his shattered life. Will the prince ever forgive himself, and resume his destiny?

Buy links:     Amazon  B&N    Publisher  

deborabroadhead.webs.com 

Reviewed By Michelle Stanley for Readers’ Favorite

“What is the Meaning of Life?” That’s the question to which Prince George wants to find the answer in The Meaning of Life, According to the Mosquito by Debora Broadhead. Prince George, heir to the throne of the Great Swampland, is nervous about his coronation ceremony. He doesn’t feel he’s worthy to rule the mosquito kingdom alongside his father, the King. He’s also not ready for the arranged marriage to Princess Anaya. George refuses the throne, yearning to explore the world to discover the meaning of life. He sets off on his quest with guards, Flick and Smack. While the Prince is touring exciting mosquito cultures, the Dragonfly Gang attacks the kingdom. George returns to find the Great Swamplands in devastation and feels remorse. He ponders his future in the Great Swampland, while comparing it to the ones on his quest.

The Meaning of Life, According to the Mosquito by Debora Broadhead is very entertaining. This is one of the most original stories I have ever read. Although the characters are insects and the setting is mainly swampland, it is so realistic. The author created a story that makes me feel she is describing humans instead of insects. There is never a dull moment as Debora Broadhead writes creatively. The descriptive plot contained a mixture of humour and sadness which the characters displayed naturally. Young adults can relate to George, who wants to find himself before taking on serious responsibilities. This is a book children and adults will enjoy.

About the Author

When I was younger, I loved to write poetry. After winning a contest, I was interviewed by a small weekly newspaper, and as a result was offered a job. The deadlines, and pressure got to me, and I lost my desire to write. I laid down my pen and went another direction in my life. I focused on raising my children and I put my dream on hold.

Twenty years later the desire to write came flooding back. I decided to give it one more try. This time I wrote a fantasy novel. I hit a home run on my first attempt to get it published. It's called : The Meaning of Life According to the Mosquito. 
I couldn't be happier. I love writing, it releases something deep inside of me. It is my passion. I've been married for 30 years and have two lovely adult children. My daughter takes after me and loves to write, maybe one day soon she'll be following in her mother's footsteps. I live in beautiful British Columbia Canada and when I am not writing, or teaching, I enjoy participating in equine events, kayaking, reading, hiking, and just recently, I've taken up sailing.

Newspaper articles about author

Featured Book: Echoes of Immortality by KC McDonald

Synopsis

Jenna Sims is a culinary student with a secret. While perfecting a homework recipe, she consults an old worn book that belonged to her great-great grandmother and unwittingly cooks up a spell for immortality. Jenna's secret, unbeknownst to her, is that her ancestry comes from a coven of witches. A down-on-his-luck cosmetics company marketing representative finds out about the spell and sets out to steal the book for the recipe, which he thinks would be a hit for the company and allow a reversal of fortune for himself. A period of self-discovery and a short learning curve is unleashed as Jenna strives to protect the family secrets and keep evil from stealing the spell book containing enough power to change the world.

Buy Links   Amazon (Kindle)   Paperback

Excerpt

Jenna Sims on Immortality:    “I don’t think being immortal sounds all that great. Don’t you think that not having to worry about death would steal the joy from living? I mean, life is stretching to achieve goals, and exploring new things, and struggling to overcome obstacles. Life is not just breathing in and out every day. I think immortality would make all these things that add up to our lives hollow and meaningless.”

Story behind the story
I set out to write a novel at the end of 2011, after writing a couple of short stories. For me, idea generation comes from asking myself what if questions. For example: What if the Hindenburg had been made of marshmallows? Or: What if cats had thumbs? Echoes of Immortality was borne from the question: What if a culinary arts student accidentally cooked an immortality potion? I thought this idea had more merit than the previous two examples, so more questions were asked. How would this character be able to do such a thing? What would be the consequences of this discovery? Once those questions were answered, many more were asked and soon a plot began to develop.
Once the plot became a bit less murky, I began outlining the story (yes, I am a reformed plotter). I outlined the entire story and began writing in December of 2011. About 25K words into the story, I realized it was predictable and would likely not be very satisfying for the reader. So, into the round file with the outline and the transformation from plotter to pantser. Once I made that change, the characters really came to life and began doing things on their own, surprising even me at times.

About me

I retired from the U.S. Army in 2008, after a 23-year career. It was then that I inventoried my skill set to figure out what I was good at and really enjoyed doing.

I worked at two other jobs after retirement, but was laid off at the end of 2011.  riting had always come easy to me and I enjoyed it, but serious writing was always on the ‘someday’ list. Someday came at the end of 2011 and beginning of 2012 when I figured out that writing is what I wanted to do. I started Echoes of Immortality in December 2011, and published it on September 25th, 2014. I also wrote a 100-page screenplay during Script Frenzy in April 2012, titled Echoes of Enchantment, which is the back-story for Echoes of Immortality, and will eventually be the second book in the series. Another day job found me in the spring of 2012, but I am plugging along and eventually plan to shed the daily grind in favor of the glamorous life of a full-time writer.

Connect with Kevin online
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jennasimmortality
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JennasImmortal