When you're in a SLUMP...

It's been over a year and I haven't published a thing... THAT'S DEPRESSING!
In June of 2010 I self published my first book - A Chance for Charity (The Immortal Ones) - a Young Adult Paranormal Romance - and I had such a great time throughout the next several months as I learned all that I could about self-promotion and the whole "publishing your own books" thing... all while working on the second book in the series.

In March of 2011 (right before my house caught fire) I published - My Link in Time (The Immortal Ones - book two)... and even with a destroyed house, camping in my in-laws home for a short while, finding a rental house, and dealing with insurance and finding a new home builder I was still able to get a novella out to my readers in August of that year. And... I've always been able to continue to have fun with my writing.

My publishing dates are as follows:
2010 - June - A Chance for Charity (The Immortal Ones)
2011 - March - My Link in Time (The Immortal Ones - book two)
         - August - Of Fire and Brimstone (The Immortal Ones - Elizabeth's Novella)
2012 - August - Our Summer of Discontent (The Immortal Ones - book three)
2013 - April - LUSH (a YA Dystopian) - new series
         - July - The Eve of Destruction (The Immortal Ones - book four)
         - October - HUSH (a LUSH novel)
2014 - March - CRUSH (a LUSH novel)
         - April - The LUSH Trilogy (a compilation set of all 3 LUSH novels)
2015 - January - The Deathtaker (a Paranormal Romance) - new series
         - October - The Deathtaker's Daughter (Deathtaker - book 2)
2016 - NOTHING...

That nothing is killing me and I don't know what to do... I'm truly in a writing slump. I now have 4 new projects that I have started and I can't seem to finish any of them.

In all honesty, I know that part of this can be attributed to the fact that Amazon has changed their algorithms on what readers see when they visit Amazon.com and start searching around for new books... because of this (and my inability to find the right websites/blogs to help me promote my work) sales have been on a steady downfall for the last couple of years. Reduced sales means fewer readers, which means not as many people are awaiting my next novel... which means I can't seem to find the desire to finish any of my works in progress.

I know I am wrapping up my "love of writing" into a ball with "gaining new readers"... and I know that that is sooooo wrong. I need to separate the two and just write because I love it... and not care who is reading it. I know this but I can't seem to convince my heart and my creative mind. I'm not sure how to kick myself back into writing mode. I've got these 4 files on my computer and none of them have "the end" written at the bottom of the page.

The New Deathatker (is about one-third finished)
A virus/zombie book has begun
The Immortal Ones (book 5) has a beginning chapter
And a Faery story is sooo close to being completed (but I wanted it finished as a Christmas story and  now that I'm pretty sure I've blown that deadline, it seems pointless).

But... I have a plan...
I think I need to fall in love with my characters again so I'm going to go back and read all my novels and really sink myself into their worlds all over again. That's going to take some time... I have 10 to read... but I hope that when I've finished them all I will be able to dive into the writing pool and swim around until I'm able to complete the stories above. I apologize to the readers who've been waiting for over a year for a new story from me... I hope to have all 4 of those projects completed in 2017... wish me luck! And stay tuned!!

30 Day Song Challenge

I'll be doing the song challenge on my FB author page for the entire month of April... I did this back in 2010, after seeing it on Mr. Big's (AKA - Big Al of Books and Pals) FB. He's been a little under the weather lately... so I'm resurrecting the challenge (and giving some updated answers) in honor of him!

The idea is to share a little bit about yourself by choosing one song a day, for 30 days. They say you can learn a lot about a person by the music they listen to, what can you learn about me?

I will post a new song daily with my song choice, possibly an explanation why, and a link to YouTube, so you can sample the song if you choose. Expect some choices to find their way in the list that are on the obscure side for my non-musical FB friends.

Day 01 – Your favorite song
Day 02 – Your least favorite song
Day 03 – A song that makes you happy
Day 04 – A song that makes you sad
Day 05 – A song that reminds you of someone
Day 06 – A song that reminds of you of somewhere
Day 07 – A song that reminds you of a certain event
Day 08 – A song that you know all the words to
Day 09 – A song that you can dance to
Day 10 – A song that makes you fall asleep
Day 11 – A song from your favorite band
Day 12 – A song from a band you hate
Day 13 – A song that is a guilty pleasure
Day 14 – A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 15 – A song that describes you
Day 16 – A song that you used to love but now hate
Day 17 – A song that you hear often on the radio
Day 18 – A song that you wish you heard on the radio
Day 19 – A song from your favorite album
Day 20 – A song that you listen to when you’re angry
Day 21 – A song that you listen to when you’re happy
Day 22 – A song that you listen to when you’re sad
Day 23 – A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 24 – A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 25 – A song that makes you laugh
Day 26 – A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 27 – A song that you wish you could play
Day 28 – A song that makes you feel guilty
Day 29 – A song from your childhood
Day 30 – Your favorite song at this time last year

If you want to follow along... check in here https://www.facebook.com/slbaumnovel/

Being a Self Published Author means Ya Gots Ta Advertise!

(I figured I'd freak out the proper people straight away with my lame slang.)

I don't have a publishing house behind me. I hire my own editor... I do my own covers... I sell my stories (and myself) all by myself (*cue the music*). Last year my husband and I were looking at new houses. We purchased one in May, started a total renovation in August, and moved in in December. I did absolutely NOTHING to sell my books in 2015... I just left them on their various sites (Amazon, B&N, Apple, Kobo, Smashwords, etc) and whatever sold, sold. My sales ended up being only 1/3 of what they were the year before. Ugh!

So this year, I told myself that I had to get back into the habit of advertising. If I don't get my name out there... no one else will. So I let January pass by (we were still having a lot of people in and out of the house buttoning things up - and to be honest, there is still a little bit of work to be done). But I made sure that I found a place for one of my books to be featured in February. I submitted to the site http://robinreads.com and was accepted for a $20 promo spot. LUSH (a YA Dystopian novel) was featured yesterday and I have to say I was very pleased with the result.

What I didn't realize until yesterday, was that Robin Reads doesn't post on their FaceBook page on Saturday or Sunday... so my results might have been greater had I chosen a weekday. But, as I said, I was still pleased. The ad (feature) looked like this on their webpage:

By the end of the day, LUSH had risen to the top of its category (YA Dystopian) in the Top 100 Free book list on Amazon.

It also got to the low 200s in the overall list of Free books on Amazon. For a first go round, back to advertising myself and my novels, it was a great way to jump out of the gate. And so far, LUSH is still holding onto the #1 spot in YA Dystopian, but I know it'll start falling soon... because somebody else will get their book featured on a book site somewhere and get the bump that I just received. That just goes with the normal ups and down of the self pub biz.  I ended the month of February on a high note, and that makes me purrrty happy!

Now... I think I'll try to get one of my other books featured somewhere next month... and so it goes... let the advertising games begin!

Adele let her son wear an Anna costume and (the generic) Americans are Disturbed!

So I just read an article about Adele taking her son to Disneyland and letting him wear an Anna (from Frozen) costume while they were there. The comment section was HIDEOUS! I was shocked, saddened, and appalled by the things that people had to say. The majority of commenters somehow believed that if you let your male child put on a dress you are promoting homosexuality, encouraging cross dressing, creating future (at the most extreme - serial killers - at the least extreme - spoiled brats that run the household - oh, and one person had the nerve to say Adele's child would kill himself).

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a14253/adele-son-dressed-as-anna-disneyland/

Guess what?!? I have SEVERAL pictures of my (almost) 13yo son wearing dress-up clothes (a mini mouse dress and various princess costumes) when he was a little guy. He has two older sisters who were always playing dress up and he wanted to join in. Sure he had some dress-up clothes that were traditionally male (a ghostbuster, a king, Mike Wazowski)... but sometimes he wanted to wear what his sisters were wearing, which meant DRESSES. And guess what... so far he is a pretty typical boy...

But whatever kind of boy he turns out to be... he's MY CHILD! He's not your child, so keep your nose out of it.

And I've never felt as if I had to hide the fact that he put on dress-up dresses from time to time

If your son says he want to put on a costume, what kind of message are you giving him by telling him only certain costumes are acceptable? When a grown man dresses as a female on Halloween people think it's funny, if a male child wants to do it the pitch forks come out. I don't get it...

How far can you stretch?

Is it just me or are we all overscheduled and overstressed?! We stretch ourselves in so many different directions.

I am a mom.

I am a wife.

I'm on the board of my girls' High School Orchestra Parent Organization.

I'm on the board of the East Valley Youth Symphony.

I have 3 kids that quite often need to be chauffeured.

My 3 kids are in 5 different music groups which means that some months we have multiple concerts to attend (for example this coming week - there are concerts on M, Th, & Sat).

It is birthday season (all 5 of us are in the first 4 months of the year)... and this year I have 3 milestone birthdays to make extra special. By the end of April I will have #1 who's turning 18 (ugh an adult child) - #2 who's turning 16 (ugh another driver to stress about) - #3 who's turning 13 (ugh another teenager - no more babies - insert sad face here).

We just did a renovation on our house and nearly 2 months later I still have workers coming in and out to adjust, fix, & finish the job.

I am a writer and I want to continue on with my next novel... but I find it quite hard to write when I am constantly being distracted.

Waaahhh... Yep... that's a sarcastic whine, because I have no sympathy for myself. This is life. This is what we all do. I'll find the time, I always do. Because when those concerts stop, I'll miss them. When I'm not expected to plan a big birthday celebration, I'll want to. When there's nothing to do, I'm usually bored. Okay, that that last part's not true, when there's nothing to do I'm usually reading and that's a perfect way for me to spend my time.

It's been a year...

New Years has come and gone... I should probably have made a resolution to update my blog regularly, because apparently it has been over a year since I last posted something... but part of me wonders how many people actually look at my blog. I have FB, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, a Website, and this blog!

Is it worth it... is it not...

I guess only an experiment in posting regularly and seeing what kind of response I get will let me know. So... here is the beginning of (we'll see how many months I can keep this up) attempting to post on a regular basis.

I'll try to make it interesting post next time...

Hot button topic of the day that has me shaking my head... tight pants!

So there have been a bunch of blog posts, articles, FB posts, tweets, etc in the past week that have caught my eye... about tight pants... in particular leggings (and yoga pants). The first blog post I read was written by a woman saying that after her husband told her it was hard for him not to look at other women in leggings, she asked him if other men were looking at her with want (or lust) and he said that they probably were, so she decided never to wear them again in public because she didn't want to cause those thoughts. She also stated that she only wears them at home now, with a shirt long enough to cover her rear end. < - - - I'm trying to figure that one out... not quite sure how letting her husband see her backside (with leggings covering it) is something to avoid... I'm pretty sure he's seen her naked, in panties, in a swimsuit... but I guess that's not for me to figure out. The other thing that was in that post was quote from a man stating that women wearing leggings might as well be naked, and that the pants were designed to entice desire in men. **EDITING TO ADD** I apparently read the sentence wrong in her blog - she said she wears them at home OR out in public only if her shirt is long enough to cover her backside. I'm so glad I reread it. That makes so much more sense. AND, I agree with her (for the most part) about the covering the bum thing. BUT, I have no problems running errands in my work-out gear. My convenience is WAY more important that me worrying about whether or not some guy is staring at my booty as I shop in Sam's club, or pick my kids up from school!

After her post went viral everyone else started weighing in... opinions flew... I have my own (obviously - we all do) and I am going to start out with this: if that woman doesn't want to wear legging anymore it is entirely up to her. Thankfully, we live in a country where our dress isn't really restricted (unless blatant nudity is involved). We don't have decency police employed to run around making moral judgements and arrest people based on their wardrobe... and I'm glad I live somewhere where we all have that freedom. Of course there are always people making moral judgements (usually in their own heads) on the clothes others wear. Every. Single. Day. Sadly, most people are wired that way. Judgements, judgements, judgements.

I've shared some of this with my teen girls, and what I want them to take away from this is that they are not responsible for the lustful thoughts of the male population (or the female one for that matter). My girls can wear legging all they want, I wear them too (and I'm in my 40s - I offer no apologies). But, yes, I prefer that they have a shirt long enough to cover their rear.  I really do not want them to walk through life trying to make sure other people stay on a moral path... they have their own path to worry about.

But the main thing that struck me throughout reading all these blog posts (and responses) was that - THIS IS NOTHING NEW! Tight pants have been around FOREVER. For decades - many, many decades. Short, long, somewhere in between, women (and men) have been wearing tight pants. Why all the buzz and fuss to start out 2015??

Lets go back to the 90s

 

Spandex pants in 3 lengths - long pants, capris, and shorts!

Actually the biker shorts thing was HUGE - men and women both got into it!

If a woman wearing spandex shorts "might as well be naked"

then a man in biker shorts leaves little to the imagination!

 

And a little farther back - the 80s

Okay - so there were a lot of women wearing "leggings" in the 80s - but the boys

of glam rock almost had the girls outnumbered! And it wasn't just the actual

rockers, the male fans did it too. AND, I must point out,

this group is STRYPER - a christian rock group.

Okay here's the 70s

These aren't exactly legging, but they are the tightest satin pant

(possibly in the world - yes, that's sarcasm). I mean, look at their crotch area! 

Wow! I would have looked horrible in those. I'll keep the non-shiny, stretchy, 

forgiving material of my leggings - thank you!

And back to the 60s

 

A long sweater, leggings/tights, and boots - that was an outfit - and still is!

And it looks amazing on her, and I recently wore something quite similar,

and I looked pretty darn good as well.

The little girls below, ummm, pants were optional back then??

Actually - little girl sometimes wore SUPER short dresses & nobody cared!

This was 1970 - tail end of the 60s - gateway to the 70s. 

They look adorable. 

And the 50s

Audry Hepburn, style icon. Body hugging outfit from top to bottom!

The 40s

Sewing pattern... the shorts aren't super tight, but paired with that top...

I'm thinking somebody had some lustful thoughts.

I was even able to find a similar outfit!

Lastly the 30s 

 

TIGHT, tight, tight. And with how short they are, nothing is

left to the imagination (as they say - actually I just did - up there).

Earlier than the 30s, I'm stuck with looser pants, but I can find short dresses. Don't even get me going with the bosoms of certain eras... talk about exposed! I was trying to focus on the tight pants side of this argument... so that's where I stopped. If I just went for the clothing that could possibly cause others to think impure thoughts, I'd have to put up a pic of every single article of clothing ever made. Because people have had desirous thoughts about other people since animal hides were first used to cover the body, and threads were first woven to make cloth! I could put on the baggiest, most unflattering outfit every made, and there would be somebody who would look at me with desire. That doesn't just go for me... that goes for any woman (or man). Sexual thoughts happen, regardless of wardrobe... in my opinion. But that's just my opinion, everybody has one!

Last one: 1701 

Look away, my female (and male) friends, keep your thoughts pure.

SEE WHAT I MEAN - FOREVER!

Doing your job correctly has become "NEWS"

I like to browse through the stories on Yahoo... and for quite some time now, I've noticed that it has become noteworthy when someone does what they are supposed to do. The media bombards us with negative stories so much that acting appropriately and using logic is now something to shout from the rooftops. My moral compass is working - please reward me - or at least give me some attention for it!

Someone returns a wallet with $$ - WooHoo!
A guy getting booked helps a police officer that has collapsed - Shocking!
Teaching your children that it is wrong to steal - This deserves a pat on the back!

The last one made me stop and read the article and then the comments...
ARTICLE HERE: The most important lesson I've taught my son so far
In short: Her son stole a toy from a store, she brought him back and made him go up to the counter to admit what he'd done and pay for it. Shocker alert... almost every one who commented on the story said that their parents had done the same to them when they had taken something when they were little.

Guess what. I did the same thing. My eldest took an angel pin from a bookstore, and then showed it to me when we got home. I told her it was wrong and that we needed to make it right, and then I drove right back to the store. She brought it up to the counter, to return it and admit that she'd put it in her pocket. The lady at the counter told her that she shouldn't have taken it, and then thanked her for returning it. Did my daughter learn a lesson? I think so. My youngest took a golf ball from a museum in another city. When I found out, I made him sit next to me while I called the gift shop and told them what he'd done. Since it was silly to mail back the golf ball, we settled on mailing a check instead. My boy and I talked about it, he wrote a note to say he was sorry, and then we put the envelope in the mail. Did he learn his lesson? I hope so. But that's all we can do as parents; lead by example, have open and honest conversations with our children, and hope that they learn something along the way.

Children need to be taught right from wrong. They need to know that their actions have consequences. Children need to learn that they need to admit their mistakes and right them (if at all possible). It is our job, as parents, to teach these things. I didn't take the job hoping for brownie points, ribbons, and trophies.

Yes, I know that there are lots of bad parents out there. No part of me believes that reading that article on Yahoo is going to be a lightbulb moment for anyone. "Oh, I'm not supposed to let my child get away with stealing?" EVERYONE knows that stealing from a store is wrong (even the kids - or they wouldn't show us the item with guilt in their eyes), but some people make the choice to do it and somehow justify their actions. The fact that they feel the need to justify it proves that they know it is wrong to begin with. EVERYONE knows that telling a bold faced lie, cheating, and intentionally harming someone is wrong. There is a basic moral code that we have as human beings - which has nothing to do with cultural norms - and unless there is a medical reason (a kink in the brainwaves) - it is a conscious choice to do wrong.

Was that the "Most important lesson" I've taught my kids - wow - I sure hope not. And to give the author of the Yahoo article proper credit - she said "most important lesson so far." That's so true, we will constantly be teaching them lessons and I don't think I'll ever know what that most important lesson will be. My children will figure it out when I am no longer there to teach them. Until that time comes, I will be the best example I can be... and admit the mistakes I make along the way.

Please deposit brownie points below - I'm quite sure I deserve them ;-)

I have no hot dogs... my smart phone wants my daughter to know that.

My phone wants my daughter to know that I have no hot dogs...

Strange but true.

The suggested words feature on smart phones has always amazed, confused, and entertained me. Today I let it run wild to see what it would come up with. My kiddo #1 had just sent me a text to let me know that school was almost out - to remind me that it was a 1/2 day because I had mentioned that I hoped I didn't forget and end up late to pick up my kiddo #3. I went to type "OK" and got as far as the "O" when my phone suggested "Ok" so instead of pressing on the "K" I just pressed down on the suggested word.

Then I thought... I wonder what my phone will suggest next? So I just kept selecting the first word (out of the 3 it suggests - even when you are not in the middle of typing one). I clicked and clicked and clicked and clicked. Amazingly, it even suggested punctuation marks when it figured I was at the end of my sentence. I would love to know that type of programming that goes into this... well, maybe I wouldn't (just in case there is some sort of mind-meld in there somewhere - kidding - I know my Samsung is not seeing into my brain - or is it).

So here is what my phone decided I wanted to say to my teenager today... I stopped when it started repeating itself (and yes - it was going to keep going). There must have been a scratch in the record (sorry, young people, you may not be able to get that reference... sadly).

I have not hot dogs - but hey - apparently I have transportation!

In defense of my phone... it is aware that my daughter and I have had the conversation below (without any suggested words). It does know that we talk about strange things in the Baum house.

New Release - CRUSH

I'm happy to announce the release of CRUSH… the final novel in the LUSH trilogy.

Available at Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Smashwords,

and soon at Apple, Kobo, & other various e-book outlets.

During Bluebell's Lush Ambassador tour of the Concords, Three was attacked. The Council imposed a mandatory curfew, suspended nonessential travel, and ordered her back home to One. Before leaving for home she receives a cryptic message telling her, "Make your father remember. It's the only way." Will Bluebell be able to find the truth before someone discovers she knows more about Concord than any Citizen should?

30 days of "Making an Effort" - #OOTD

So... after a couple of days of forgetting to take a picture I've decided that I proved my point to myself, and I realized I was taking somewhat longer to get ready because I actually thought about "have I taken a picture with this shirt on already?" Dumb thought, because who goes 30 days without wearing the same thing two or even three times!? That's when I decided that continuing to document my outfits was no longer something that I wished to do. But I will say... I am still taking the time to put on something nice (most days), and doing this made me think about my wardrobe. I even went through my closet and made a pile of give-away shirts that I no longer wear. Purging a closet is a lovely thing!

DAY #21

That cello will be there all week ;-)

DAY #20

Happy Monday! 

That's my cello from HS getting ready to go up in the attic.

DAY #19

Super Bowl Sunday - simple black dress & jean jacket.

DAY #17 & #18
I have no pics... I have no excuses.

DAY #16

Headache... and another Youth Symphony board meeting.

DAY #15

I am still feeling a bit off... but with an early morning
ortho Appt for my #2 - an early school day - and an
Induction ceremony for my #1 ... I just need to get over it.

DAY #14

Still feeling like yuck... yoga pants and
old sweatshirt (got it on my honeymoon).
I had to cancel my dentist appt.

I'm documenting my #ootd for 30 days - because sometimes a girl needs to prove to herself that she is worth the effort!

Today, I forgot that the kids were getting out of school an hour earlier than usual (it's a Wednesday thing). I was a sweaty mess from the treadmill, when the realization hit me, so I took a quick shower. Thankfully, I didn't need to wash my hair - that would have doomed kiddo #1 to have to stand outside of her HS much longer than usual, waiting for me to finally get there.

When I got out of the shower, I glanced at the clock and saw that I had no more than 20 minutes to get my butt (okay - my whole body) ready and out the door, so I could begin my daily round of offspring retrieval. So after drying off, I stared at my closet for a moment before deciding to wear a simple black dress - one piece of clothing, a time saving decision. A belt, a necklace, a pair of flats, my rings, and a watch were quickly put on and then I started on my make-up. After that, I ran a curling iron down my hair (I use it more or less as a flat iron, with a bit of a wave at the ends, on most days).

A quick side note about make-up: About 10 years ago, after the birth of my 3rd kiddo and after I'd been (more or less) a stay home mom for three years, I started doing a quick 5 minute make-up job to myself on most days. It just made me feel better about myself. I remember once when my younger sister was over my house - I had to leave to pick-up one of my kiddos from school so I ran into the bathroom to slap on a  little bit of make-up. She asked why I would bother, unless I had somewhere to go afterward. I told her that those 5 minutes make me look better outside and then I felt a little better inside. Maybe it is stupid, vain, whatever - I don't really care. I do know that when I put a little bit of effort into how I look, it improves how I feel.

20 minutes later and... Success! I was ready in time. As I left my closet, I glanced in the mirror and thought, "This ended up being a pretty cute outfit, and I am wasting it." I was only going to get the kids from school. After driving to all 3 schools and retrieving all 3 kids, I planned to walk up to the Dutch Bro's window (a treat for the kids - plus I recently discovered that I love Chai latte from there)... and then later tonight I'm going to get take-out for dinner (school fund raiser). No one important was going to see me in my cute outfit. But then I thought, "I'm going to see me. My family is going to see me. That's important!" And maybe my attitude about spending 5 minutes on my face needs to be expanded to spend a minimum of 20 minutes (more if I need to dry my hair) on my whole self.

I saw an article on the internet lately about a man "dating" his wife (putting some extra effort into their marriage)… an then another one where a woman noted that particular article and stated that she could spend more time and effort on her appearance (just to please her husband)… but I think I could put more of an effort into myself, just to PLEASE MYSELF… to remind myself that I'm worth that effort! And guess what… when I put that effort into myself I bet Hubs will end up noticing, and in turn that seems like it might have a positive effect on our marriage as well. Who knows? But I'm doing it either way. So here is day one.

DAY #1

Side note: I am 43 - so this whole "taking a good, posed picture of myself" is not a skill that has been cultivated. I am also not promising to keep a clean closet for 30 days - lets not get crazy. And I fully realize that this blog has a whopping 37 followers (and only 36 on my Instagram), so I know I could get away with slacking off on this promise to myself and no one would call me out on it.  So this really is just for me! Here's to the next 30 days of #ootd (outfit of the day - for those who don't know - I just figured it out myself last year)!

DAY #2

I have a board meeting tonight for the East Valley Youth Symphony... 

I figured this would be comfortable enough to wear all day. 

Thursdays are my crazy day. I'll be going until 8:30 tonight.


DAY #3

It's headless, but it's me!


DAY #4

After a long evening at Barrett Jackson.


DAY #5

Forgot to take a pic... So here it is (the next day).

DAY #6

Wet hair... don't care :-)

DAY #7

An outfit fit for the doctor's office...

DAY#8

Criminny - I need a tan!

DAY #9

This is called… I'm writing and treadmilling today
and will only be wearing this!
Yup, I even drove to the kids' schools
to pick them up this way.

DAY #10

Lunch with a friend...

DAY #11

Furniture shopping... new couch... yay!

DAY #12

Lounging around the house day...

DAY #13

Not feeling good today...
stuffy head=comfy clothes

Concord Road Blocks

I've been pretty darn good at putting myself on a writing schedule for the last year. I give myself a goal month and try my hardest to finish the writing, editing, beta reading, and revising periods of each new novel in a timely manner... but things do not always go as planned for me.

After releasing LUSH in April of 2013 - I promised HUSH in October, and I delivered!
But between those two novels, I said that The Eve of Destruction (The Immortal Ones - book four) would be finished in June... I had to push to July.
I'm doing it again. I'm giving in to the creative voice in my head that says, "Not everything can go as planned!"

I promised CRUSH in February... I even put it in writing... I was planning on a Feb 28th release (in my head - I hadn't made the actual date public yet). But I woke up this morning and realized that I would not be able to deliver. There are truths about Concord that I didn't even know about until I woke up this morning, and in order to get those truths into the novel I will have to work them in and change some things... because not everything can go as planned. So, I am sorry to have to make you wait longer. My new date is March 28th... I'm giving myself another month to make sure that I am able write the story that wants to be written (and not just a story that will make it out in a timely manner).

In advance, I thank you for your patience. Bluebell has some things to figure out...

MARCH 28th 2014

Accountability

I surrender - I am no good at updating a blog!

With Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and a Website as well... the blog suffers. Not sure why, but probably for the same reason that I have a bunch of half filled and/or empty journals. The idea is wonderful. I'm just no good at the follow-through.

But... I've seen these word-count-thingies (yes, that is a technical word) on other writer's sites and thought... "What a great way to hold yourself accountable for your work." And if nothing else, it will at least keep my readers informed of my progress while I work on future stories.

So, they are installed; here, on my blog, and also on my website < --- one of these days I'll just combine the two.

Now you can help with my accountability and yell at me to, "hurry up and get that book done on time!" I may not respond well to the yelling though... just an FYI.

Cheers to the New Year!
SL

A Good Cover... and the Importance of Branding!

When I self published my first novel in June of 2010, I jumped into the deep end of the pool with no floaties on and I had no idea how to swim. It wasn't the best idea, but somehow I survived.

A Chance for Charity (The Immortal Ones) was released to the eBook world with a crappy cover, which produced a barely audible whisper. I didn't know much - I just knew that after sitting on my computer for a year, it was time for Charity to get out there. Thank goodness for the Amazon Kindle Forum. Somehow I stumbled upon the numerous threads and landed in the right one... no... the best one! The other authors and the readers I met in the forum taught me how to swim.

I think one of the most important lesson I learned was that I wasn't just writing a series of novels, I was creating a BRAND.

THE EVOLUTION OF A CHANCE FOR CHARITY...

JUNE 2010 - Cover number one. I will start off by saying that I absolutely LOVE the photograph that I used on the cover of this first one. My husband took it during one of our many trips to Telluride. But I can look back now and admit that there is NOTHING about it that says it is a YA Paranormal book. It doesn't speak to anyone. The design looks childish and very few copies were sold with this cover. But this first cover lead me to my next one - which was only slightly better...

AUGUST 2010 - Cover number two was designed to look like the one that I created using the Cover Designer at CreateSpace (the Print on Demand website that I use for the paperback copies of my novels). It is a slightly different font than the one I created there... but the design is the same. I still used the photograph of Telluride, because, like I said, I love it. This cover was more successful for me but only slightly. It didn't take me long to realize that it had to go. I needed to appeal to the Young Adult audience.

JANUARY 2011 - Cover number three came about because I knew a change had to happen or I would never reach the audience I was striving for. Charity was steadily increasing in sales, but as I worked on the sequel and experimented with covers for Book#2, I just couldn't see the "Setting Photographs" working toward a brand. I searched stock photo websites and decided that this faceless girl reminded me of Charity. So I went with it. I designed it on my own, getting many opinions as I experimented, and ended up with this one. It worked well and sales continued to rise.

MARCH 2012 - Cover number four is a result of learning that a series must be branded. The 3rd cover did a great job - it grew the fan base of The Immortal Ones. But as subsequent books were released, I wasn't happy, they just didn't feel cohesive to me. You must have a uniform look when marketing a series of books. I attempted to stick with the illustrated covers and released 2 novels and a novella with illustrations... but they just never felt quite right. It was while I was in Telluride during a ski-trip with my family that inspiration hit me once again and I went in search of a recognizable brand. This is the final cover I created for Charity...


People do judge a book by its cover... it took me six months to realize that I was putting out a product that didn't appeal to my intended market. That was a bad idea. And while my first attempt to design covers specifically for the YA audience was more successful than my covers with a photograph of Telluride, I still wasn't hitting my mark.

It took me almost two years to realize that creating a consistent and recognizable brand was exactly what I needed for readers to immediately know that the product they were looking at belonged to me...
SL Baum.

My unsuccessful attempt at branding...
This is why I needed a change. The covers were not consistent... they were not a BRAND.

THE
IMMORTAL
ONES

a clearly recognizable brand.

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Wow - I'm Lame!

I have this blog... I mean - it's here - I own it - I am the administrator of it, the author of the posts, and the one who checks it out every once in a while... my "while" has overextended itself.

Basically - I've ignored my poor blog. I've neglected it. I am a bad (lame) blog owner.

To be fair, I have been finishing a book. I tend to become all consumed when I am in the throws of a climactic scene. Oh wait... that sounds bad. I'll just say I was preoccupied. I know, I know, I didn't ignore Facebook. But I can give FB five minutes of my time and then walk away... Okay, that's a lie and we all know it. Once you get on FB you are sucked into a time vortex. Pictures of misspelled tattoos and cute cats and shamed babies are more than enough to keep me clicking on yet another link. FB is bad...

Oh hey - are you following me on Facebook? You totally should.

So, about this book I was writing... it is finished. The Eve of Destruction (The Immortal Ones - Book Four) is now available on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords (I am still waiting on Smashwords to approve me for their "premium" catalog - which opens up iBooks, and Sony, and Kobo ect). Here is the cover... I love it...

 

Now I have another book to finish... the second book of my YA dystopian. So expect more lameness from me. I'm going to attempt not to be - but I make no guarantee. I gave that up years ago... when you say "I promise" to a child and then do not follow through it teaches you a lesson. So as a mom of three - I do not solemnly swear to make sure the blog is attended to on a more regular basis. As I say to my kids... "We'll see. I can't promise anything." But I'll try. I can always try harder!

I won't say I'll try my best, because only losers talk about their best, winner go home and do something with the Prom Queen... or so says Sean Connery in The Rock. I've seen that movie waaaayyyy to many times (I proudly proclaim).

 

The Immortal Ones - a new possible (future) novella

So... I put up a poll on my FB page. You should weigh in and give your opinion...

After I release - The Eve of Destruction - I thought I might explore another one of my characters. It was pretty fun to dive into Elizabeth's world when I wrote - Of Fire and Brimstone - and I'd love to do it again. I've had different emails and messages in the last couple of years since - A Chance for Charity - was released, from people wanting the next book to feature more of their favorite character.

Please visit the page and weigh in... who would YOU like to read more about?
FACEBOOK PAGE - CLICK HERE

Website Overhaul

Overhaul - great sounding - labor intensive - perfectly accurate word...

So being an Independent Author comes with a few "perks" that the mega-cool traditional writers are somewhat exempt from...

I just had a new release... so that means that EVERYTHING must get updated... FB pages, Blog, Twitter account background (yeah - I just realized that I haven't done that yet), and my website. So I went to my website this morning - intending just to upload a pic and a blurb - but realized that some changes needed to be made... because I hit this little button that said "add columns" but what it really meant was "screw with the proportions of the columns so badly that your current layout will no longer work."

Then I decided that it was an old looking layout anyway and should be updated... thank goodness for pre-made templates on hosting websites because I found one that I thought was quite lovely and decided to go with that - but then I had to upload a cover photo (yeah - I know - I need to fiddle with it - no more time today) - and then I had to delete some stuff - and then I had to add some more - and then an HOUR had passed and I hadn't even realized it. I need to give it another couple of hours for tweaking - but I don't have that time today... sooooooo, yeah, well, http://slbaum.com is in the process of being updated and will soon look great :D

In the meantime you can still visit it... I'm thinking of adding some more interactive pages over there... who knows...

SLBAUM.COM

LUSH - a new Serial - by SL Baum

 Look for LUSH on AMAZON - 4/19/13

 

Bluebell has spent the last twelve years of her life at Training Tech, the government-run boarding school all children are required to attend. Now that she's seventeen she is fully prepared for Incorporation; a time when females and males are allowed to mingle again, for the first time since they were toddlers. It is also the day she must endure Citizen Branding - the mandatory searing of a mark into the flesh of the left wrist of all new Citizens. O for fertile, X for infertile. The fate of every Citizen, male or female, is determined by the results.

Bluebell knows that a Citizen’s duty is to live for the glory of Concord, just as she was taught. But the frantic dreams and hazy memories that haunt her make her different, and the questions she cannot deny threaten to turn her world upside down.

LUSH is the start of a Serial (not just a Series). As the beginning book it sets you up in the LUSH world and asks a lot of questions, many that are not immediately answered. The follow-up novel is due October 2013... where the story continues.

Soooooo - What does that mean... start of a Serial (not just a Series)??

Well, think of any Television Show... Can you watch it this week if you missed the last week (or two) and will it still make sense - or will you be lost because there was something last week that is vital to this week? Do story lines carry over and start on one episode, but aren't resolved for another episode or two?

Serials are series of television programs and that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode-by-episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arc that span entire season or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from traditional episodic television that relies on more stand-alone episodes. Serials keep the full nature of the story hidden and reveal elements episode by episode to keep viewers tuning in to learn more. (I paraphrased that from Wikipedia)

Examples of SERIAL TELEVISION
24
LOST
Heroes
True Blood

Examples of EPISODIC TELEVISION (a traditional series)
CSI
House
Fringe
E.R.

Yes the episodic shows still have continued story arcs at times - but for the most part they are wrapped up at the end of the hour (with occasional small cliff hangers).

THE IMMORTAL ONES - is a SERIES (it is episodic)
LUSH - is a SERIAL (it will be unfolding)

I am a believer in full disclaimer... the second book in the LUSH serial will be out in October of this year. If you'd rather buy the whole season of 24 on DVD than watch it a week at a time... you might want to wait (before I tangle you up in the LUSH world - C'mon - enter the web).