Getting myself out there in the big blue marble of interwebs

I have learned so many new things in just the last week since the book went live. Talk about learning the hard way. Maybe I should post more about what I am learning so the next person has an easier time? Hmmm

Author pages, book blogs and tours, marketing, selling, giveaways... I think I fried a few brain cells in the process!

I didn't have a clue about much of the above. I saw that a well published friend of mine just now got her author page on amazon... and I didn't want to wait the years she did. So I researched it. Kindle Direct Publishing and CreateSpace may have had something on it but if they did, I missed it. (No surprise there!)

I found it and it is sponsored by Amazon, called Author Central. Magical place, that is. It contains all the information you need. Sales, blog posts for your author page, reviews, ranking, and you can edit your profile from there.

Check. Done.

I think I am finally in author heaven!

GoodReads was a challenge as well. The book had to be published before I could add myself as an author. Once that was done, I had to request to join, find the book, and then edit all my information into it.

Check. Done.

Twitter was not an issue until I had to link up two accounts. Yes, Jo LaRue is a pen name. I did this all backwards. I should have gotten my author email first... then joined separately from my true identity. Lesson learned, but it is going great now. My Facebook page is linked and auto feeds to Twitter. :)

Check. Done.

Now the book is out there, with number two on the way. If you want to find me at any of the above mentioned spots, here are the links:


Amazon Author Page: http://tinyurl.com/mdfaqr3

GoodReads: http://tinyurl.com/mbxsjpb

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJoLaRue

Twitter: @JoLaRueAuthor

CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/4345278

Announcing!!!

We are now on Goodreads! Please stop by for a visit! :)

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7579167.Jo_LaRue

We are live!

Wow. Just wow. When I started this back in May, I had no idea how hard it would be and, oddly enough, how easy it could be to publish my own book. I had high expectations, but unrealistic time lines in my head. I now know that it takes much more than I thought.

Thankfully, I have fantastic friends and family that made this happen. Without them, I would not be here telling you this today. I know there is absolutely no way I could have done this on my own. They saved me, the book and hopefully all the readers who will fall in love with Chance, Sylas, and his silliness, Jack.

Each character has enchanted me as I wrote them. Chance is partly pulled from my own life when I was younger. Sylas is the lost and lonely sort who gives everything to the woman he loves. What can I say about Jack? He is funny, caring, wise, and did I say funny? He is the brother we all wish we had, the father figure that gives great hugs, and the friend everyone deserves to have.

Thank you to every single person that helped with this project. No matter how much or how little you may have contributed... it means everything to me that you gave your time.

Blessings,

Jo

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HDZA4Y2

Nervous Nelly

Sent out my ARC's over the last two days and I could spew from the nerves that have taken hold over me with waiting. One person has responded, but I was unable to see her notes.

That said... My only thought is "Do they like it?" I can deal with anything, but the not knowing? Oy. Might as well take me out to the woodshed and line up your target!

I have put everything I am into this book. There are so many parts of me in it, that it is hard to tell which is me, and which is Chance sometimes. There is so much more to the story, but to tell it right this minute? Major spoiler alert! Nope... can't do that just yet. :)

So I wait with baited breath and hope I get some positive results. Gotta love the constant adrenaline rush though! :)

A Room of My Own: The One About the Plagiarism

Sharing this post by a fellow author in the hopes that it is taken seriously. Plagiarism is NOT the way to go, by anyone or for any reason.

A Room of My Own: The One About the Plagiarism: On June 26, 2013, I received email from a reader that included words no author ever wants to hear: "possible plagiarism." I&#...

Learning to put my big girl pants on

You would think at my age, I could handle most anything. I mean, really, I raised a kid late in life and he turned out okay. I think having a child at 36, with 6 days of hard labor, and him joining our world at 9 lbs 3oz, should make me tougher. Now, he is 20 and I survived his growing years (factor in another grown man-child through those years) and I should be one tough old bird.

I'm not. I am still that 20 something kid in my mind, who wears her heart on her sleeve daily. The one with a huge conscience, who turned herself in for an accident no one saw. The girl who cannot stand it if she thinks someone doesn't like her. That girl who wants to love and be loved unconditionally.

Just when I thought my book was ready for public consumption, I was told differently, by several wonderful people who, thankfully, don't pull punches. I have struggled daily with the rewrites to the point of crying myself to sleep. Don't get me wrong, I know they are right, but it especially difficult, for me any way, to see my hard work torn asunder.

Last night I was given wonderful advice by two different people, both of whom I look up to. Both are younger than me, but so much more level headed than I seem to be at the moment. This was after taking another kick in the assterick by the one beautiful person helping me fix the storyline. (I <3 her and thank the Goddess she has stuck with me through all my temper tantrums) One person told me to listen to everything, but to remember to keep it in my voice. I will and thank you! The other person is an up and coming New York Times Best Selling author and she gave me this very sound advice:

I think one of the biggest complaints people have about 1st time writers is that the story drags. That there are unnecessary scenes in the book that do nothing to drive the story forward. Every single chapter, every single scene you have, should be moving the story strongly forward and should have a purpose leading to the final resolution of the story. If you could cut a particular scene out and the story would still make complete sense, it doesn't belong in there at all. Even in a romance, every single scene should have action compelling the story and character forward. In a simple sense, something important should always be happening, even if it's just a character finally becoming self-aware.

Keep in mind that you will improve as a writer with every book. Your first one will not be awesome, probably. Mine wasn't. (Some would argue that none of mine are. lol) I had to go back to my first book and make some big changes after getting reader feedback about POV issues, telling not showing, etc. It's all a part of the process of becoming a better writer, something that should never stop happening for you.

The most important thing is to have readers who do not know you and don't care about you as a person and who read in the genre you're writing in be your beta readers. They are the only ones who will and can give you good feedback. Friends and family are the worst people to get feedback from. They're too connected to you and likely not your market.

So, moving forward, I will put my big girl pants on and rewrite, edit, chop and cut, remove meaningless characters, and so forth without complaint (I hope). I want my first book to not crash and burn. I want readers to think, "WOW! I want more!" Most of all, I want to be one of those lucky few whose first book is worth reading and the characters, even though they are fictional, feel real in the mind of the reader.

The closer things get....

the more nervous I become. I am so excited I feel almost like a puppy that has gotten so excited it has piddled on the floor. (How funny is it that blogger's dictionary recognizes the word piddle?)

I created an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) sign up form (located in the tabs above this post) to help me keep track of who will be receiving a copy before publishing. I am so sidetracked with final edits that I am having a hard enough time keeping up with myself!

I will once again warn friends, family and those I haven't met yet that this book is not your normal romance. It is a paranormal romance and it is not intended for eyes younger than 18, or as it is now called New Adult.

It is not 50 Shades of Grey, but it does contain foul language, depravity, violence, and explicit sexual content. If you are not comfortable with this, I will understand. My only requirement to this is that you be kind if you must decline. I will not tolerate any bashing of my craft in mean and hateful ways.

If you do wish to participate without qualms, then I hope that you enjoy my story, because there will be more to come in the very near future!

I knew it would happen but...

It is very hard on the heart when someone calls your genre of writing smut, evil, and not fit for reading. Other wording used were "trash - cheap garbage not intended for reading by anyone."

When you put your soul into the words and then offer it to the world to read, these are the last words anyone wants to see.

I know it will happen to me at some point too. I am not sure my skin is thick enough, but at least I have time to think up some witty comebacks (I hope).

I have never been a conformist. I never followed or led, but made my own path. I am proud of the accomplishments I have made. I became independent, became able to support myself, and I consider myself a good person. I wear my heart on my sleeve as my best friend is fond of telling me. I have done things that would put off most, but never anything that would endanger my well being.

I love Gaia and all her beings. The Mother and Father are my self-imposed guides. "If it harm none, do what you will" is my mantra. And yet there are those out there that live to put people down and try to make you feel less than you are. These are the things that I will never understand.

I just hope that when my book is released that people can be kind. One can hope, right?

Release Date

New release date to come soon... :)

9/11 - 2001 and Today - Never Forget

On occasion I ride with the Patriot Guard Riders here in Georgia. Today, I wish I could be with them as 1,000,000 riders and bikers descend on our capital in Washington, D.C..

Most are war veterans who remember what it was like to come home to hatred in the Vietnam era. To be spit upon and be denied meals and lodging. To have rotten vegetables thrown at them. Those former veterans vowed it would never happen to another soldier who was called upon to fight for this country.

Today they ride in remembrance of what happened on this day in 2001. I think every American remembers where they were and what they were doing on that fateful Tuesday. Personally, I was home and I watched in horror as everyone else did near a television as the towers were hit and as they fell.

Some of the 1,000,000 bikers ride for another reason. It is in protest over another war that no one wants. I am behind them 100% on this as well. Let us never forget what happened to the twin towers and who was behind it. I cannot support an attack that would support these terrorists.

Let us never forget! Please support your veterans in any way you can. A little goes a long way for them and their families.

Introductions

So I need a proper post... and the best one I can think of doing is to introduce myself. My name is Jo LaRue and I am in the process of becoming an Indie writer. My first book is called Chance Lost. The idea for the book came to me in a dream and I ran with it.

I have friends who are avid book readers and I asked them what their biggest complaint was in paranormal romances. They all came back with a resounding "Weak female characters!" This was my thought as well, and the idea took stronger form in my head. I asked them if they would like to be my Dream Team on this idea. They all blessed me with their confirmations and here we are.

Chance Lost is not your normal romance and the main characters take a leap from the norm. Chance Cadens is a strong and fearless woman, but she also has demons from her past experiences.

Sylas Taiken is a man on a mission to keep balance between humans and shifters. He is very lonely and and has been waiting hundreds of years on his promised mate.

Sylas' best friend Jack is the rock that keeps them sane in their increasingly messed up world.

When Sylas and Chance meet, the sparks fly, but are they meant for each other?

Join the Dream Team and I as we dance through the world of first time publishing. Hopefully you will love these characters as much as we do!

As Jack would say "Hope to see ya on the flip side, Sylvester!"

Welcome!

Been a blogger for a long time, but never for something like this. I would like to welcome you to my blog! I hope this will make some things a lot easier and hope I can link all this together without too much confusion. Blessed Be!