Hello Rhiannon Wellman!

Please welcome a lovely friend and terrific author, Rhiannon Wellman. :) This is just a bit about her works in progress :D How fun to see into an author's "stash" of work! Soon, I'm going to entice her to come and talk about the difficulties she's overcome--and has to overcome each day!--in order to be an author. For now, enjoy your peek into a writer's mind. Hello, Rhiannon!!

 

 

Firstly, I'd like to say thank you very much for having me. This whole tour is very exciting for me. I've already filled up seventeen of the thirty dates of September which is very cool.

I think I'm going to kick things off by telling you about the four stories I've picked for this tour and where I am on each of them. I do a lot of writing by hand, but for the sake of this, anything not typed doesn't count.

 

Story One

Moon Bound:- This is the sequel to 'Red on the Moon' (which is currently on sale on allromanceebooks.com, I'll put the link at the bottom)

This one tells the story of Scott Donald, the younger brother of Lucas. A werewolf living in San Francisco and how a series of coincidental events leads him to find his mate. But there are forces trying to stop them.

I have lots of this written by hand but as yet words typed is a big fat Zero.

 

Story Two

A Dirty Weekend:- This story might sound self-explanatory, but it only starts with the weekend. There are twists and turns that mean it doesn't end when Monday rolls around. (I do promise what the title says is a big part of the story too, I had fun with this one.)

I've written up to the end of the weekend, but only typed 333 words

 

Story Three

Writers block:-  When writers block strikes, sometimes the best thing you can do is get away from the computer. When Mark (I might change this name) does just that in search of inspiration, he finds it in the form of Ben and his little boy.

Words typed so far 178 (holy shit that's just pathetic)

 

Story Four

Out of Uniform and into Love:- Two service men on leave together are trapped in their tent to wait out a storm, a bottle or two of whiskey and a few confessions later lead to a whole new life neither expected.

This story was supposed to be finished, it was to be a little teaser story, but, well, I liked it so much I decided to tweak where I originally finished and turn it into a much longer story. So the word count for this one is a far more respectable 4504 words.

 

So those are the stories. What do you think? Is there one you'd like to hear more about? Each day I'll just post the title and word count. Now I'm rearing to go, hopefully we'll see a vast improvement in my counts.

Until tomorrow.

Rhiannon.

If you want to follow the daily posts you can find a list on my blog, I'll update links as we go, so if you miss a day, don't worry you can find it here:

http://rhiannonwellman.blogspot.co.uk/p/blog-page.html

Buy link:

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-redonthemoon-1414906-340.html

Where My Art Roams, virtual walkabout

Hi :D

*grins tiredly* I am soooo tired. I have been moving! It came up fast and sudden. Thankfully, I had about 1/3 of our loose goods packed. Maybe a little less. I thought the rest of my art room would be a few hours. Yeah. No. Partly because my art room had everything in it. Makeup, books, tools, oddball stuff. Yeah. However, my family is super excited to be in the new place. I'm less sick there already, even with moving back and forth to old place and new one. I'm fighting the allergies with meds, and with washing down everything that comes in from old place. Course, this slows down the unpacking somewhat. But I know I'll be more than glad of it when I'm through.

 

In the meantime, I'm on this virtual walkabout tour with my art, which I'm calling, Where My Art Roams. Today's bit is North Carolina, in the United States J These were done as commissions from the costumer's photos. Here they are in their new habitat.

First, one of her cats J

 

 

Then a friend's pet, a black lab, I believe.

 

 

This customer also graciously allowed me to use her photo as a base for this one:

 

 

 

This is sold :)


If you want something commissioned, you can go to my Etsy shop for general pricing, or email me, or message me at the various places I'm available at :) I will give you an estimate for your painting based on difficulty and size (materials). Thank you for joining us!

 

Where My Art Roams is the first of what I hope to be many virtual walkabouts. I'm taking you on a tour of my paintings that I have given away and sold. From Australia to Washington, to Scotland, and places in between, I will show you the paintings in their new homes.

Next Stop is August 19^th, and Robin will be hosting it.  You will find that a lot of my friends are writers :D And some of them are also artists, like myself!

I have a FB art page: https://www.facebook.com/LeonaBushmanArtisteExtraordinaire

 

And an Etsy page: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LBushmanStudios

 

You can follow me on twitter: @L_Bushman

 

My blog where I share my writing journey and post some of my artwork is here: http://www.lbushman.blogspot.com/

 

Do you have a favorite artist? From past and present? I love the impressionists, notably, Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh (I hated Van Gogh during art classes...learned to like him as I was exposed to more of his work J ), Georgia O'Keefe, a lot of Dutch artists, particularly Jan Van Eyck, and his painting, Arnofini Wedding. Modern day includes Russ Potak and Jennifer Beaudet. Okay, anyone who comments, can PM me on FB and get 50% off any artwork they'd like! Also, will provide an ACEO (2.5 x 3.5 inches) if I get 20 comments or more on today's blog. Open to USA, UK, and Canada J

 

 

 

 

 

I'm an Editor, did you know?

Hi :)

On the road to being published, I fell very ill. During that illness, I found a new job that turned into something I love: editing.

I thought I wasn't going to like it much, and boy was I wrong. I loved it! Loved watching the books change and morph, loved the relationships built with the authors, love learning with them, teaching them, reading all the varied stories, learning the authors' idiosyncrasies, etc.

Any who've read my blog long will know, I don't worry so much on social media what I do correctly/incorrectly. I do it to have fun. As soon as I worry about blog hits/being perfect, I quit doing it as I feel intimidated, and it loses its fun aspect. I'm not a good marketer, so that is a big hit to lose the ability to do something that was an outlet and warm-up for my writing, as well as keeping me up on google searches.

So this love of putting things right for authors and spending long hours for virtually nothing (the pay sucked, and once I was let go, there is apparently a clause you don't get paid for your work if you're not a currently active, so I get NOTHING for the last six months as the books haven't been released or just released, and they paid a low percentage up to 50/150/250 depending on length for minimum of over 10 hours of work on shortest stories with the paperwork. I made like MAYBE 500 dollars (I actually believe it was less as I got paid author royalties in same checks) over the course of seventeen months.) came as a bit of a surprise to me.

I've relocated as a line editor with a small press (no can't be paid anymore of what you're owed if you quit/can't work clause there!, and am Editor in Chief with the publisher Three Worlds Productions (no stupid clause here either) whom have decided to take its company and open it to all authors of all genres, including non fiction and coffee table books :D Lots of good happening on the writing front as well, but I'll leave that for another blog post.

I also freelance edit. Here are my rates: (psst if you have ever used my freelance services, you get to keep using me at the original price you've paid for. If you are/were a BP author, you may cut these rates in half. If you were MY BP author, message me as you get special privileges!)

Content Editor Rates (in US monetary):

$400 US – 1 to 19,999 words

$600 US – 20,000 to 44,999 words

$900 US – 45,000 to 74,999 words

$1150 US – 75,000 to 99,000 words

$1300 US – 99,001 to 119,999 words

$1500 US – 120,000 to 200,000 words **Will include length suggestions and suggested scenes to cut or where to make it into two books, First half will get the three passes if made into two books, with an extra pass if necessary for this rate. I am also available if you have questions regarding any aspect of the edit I did.

 

These rates will include the following:

Three passes (three rounds of edits from me) ie, you send MS, I'll send first round of edits. You make suggested changes/reject them, add to the story. That equals one pass. On my end, you will have edits back within two weeks for anything under 100k words. Over will be dependent on how far over.

It will include general grammar, cohesiveness, pacing, plot issues, character arcs, and overall opinion on the story, ie fits genre, that kind of thing. You will get three passes which will give you a chance to fix any plot issues and still have edits done on them. I believe firmly in the author's voice, and way of telling the story. Also, the final edit is done with heavy emphasis on grammar, punctuation, etc. and is essentially a line edit even though that is not included in the rates. Payment is due upfront unless other arrangements have been made.

 

If you are interested or know anyone who might be, you can comment here, PM me on FB, or email me :)

 

So, that's what's up with me. What is everyone else up to today?

 

You have to be perfect, right? Wrong.

Gone are the days when I could just dream of writing full time and being published. I am published. The reality is never quite what you expect, no matter how many people you know who has published. Self publishing does not work for me (though I still have one out there) because of my weakness: marketing!

 

While growing up, I had this dream of writing by a lake (and painting for fun but that wasn't my job, writing was) while the children played off the docks and swam or fished. Notice no man around... *giggles* hmmm Maybe the beginning of another story... No internet worries, just writing and being published. Well, the reality is far different. For one, the advent of commonly used internet. Gone are the days of sending off paper manuscripts to agents (unless you have one who still requests them lol) and then leaving it in their hands. Emails fly, blogs need to be written, twitter, Facebook, tumbler, etc.

*groans* It's so not my dream.

 

Despite what many have said, you don't have to be a mastermind marketer and do everything yourself. It's like trying to edit yourself. No matter how good you are, you are likely missing something, or there are things you are doing wrong that you have no clue about. Right now, I exchange blogs with people, (and another thing I've not kept up on. Will be doing better!), have some promotion through my publishers, but it's still mostly left to me. I'm not good at this stuff. I'm in the process of setting up an exchange with someone. I give her a painting she dearly wants, and in return, she updates and keeps my website updated. I'm hoping this addition will help free up some worry time that I can turn to writing time again. I'm a prolific writer, yet editing (as an editor) and all the entrapments that go with having a book published have sucked all my time. It's hard to pull yourself out of that vortex and find balance, but it is on my list of things I want to accomplish this year) and will be doing it with a new company, but that is for another post).

 

 

That being said, I do think that, in this day and age, unless you are Laurel K Hamilton or the like, it is NECESSARY, not optional, to have Facebook author page (not a personal one—that is optional lol or you may have to have one, but you don't have to keep it current.) that is kept update and in which you engage with your readers, Twitter, a website, and preferably, another form with which to reach readers and for them to reach you—tumbler, google plus, what have you. Readers expect, no demand, more time and information about their authors.

So how to find balance? On top of being a writer, editor, and painter, I am also a mother of five (and a grandmother!!!) with age ranges from 23 down to 5. They all have health issues (as do I), I can't NOT market, or NOT write, or NOT edit, so painting suffered. I've discovered that when my painting suffered, I suffered. The stresses became too much. Something has to give. So I came up with the idea of bartering for my work. My paintings aren't cheap, so I'm not trying to sucker anyone. I'm looking at what services are worth, what my paintings are worth, and trying to find an equilibrium for all involved.

 

There are a lucky few who are as gifted at marketing as they are writing, and I think they look down on us that are not with a little snoot dripping. It is necessary to do marketing, but don't beat yourself up about it if you are not the be all and end all of advertising executives. We all have our talents; the trick is finding what works for you.

 

As a painter, I'm good with composition and color and design, but I suck at coding! I shouldn't have to spend a gazillion dollars and hours learning coding just to put up a website, unless of course it fascinates me and I enjoy it. I'd much rather spend those hours perfecting my craft and taking classes related to my chosen field.

 

This is all a pet peeve of mine that has eaten at me for awhile. It is unfair to expect everyone to be perfect at everything, and that applies to writers. There are things you need to do so that readers get a glimpse of you, and get to know you, but so much can be hired out. And sometimes it's expensive, but like for my serial starter, The Shot: The Traincoach of Death series, I spent 30 bucks for a cover reveal with Lady Amber Reviews. She rocked it! I was exposed to many new readers, and gained a few die hard fans from it. Even if I only made 2 new fans, well, if they buy the back list, and continue to buy the series, then I've more than made my money from it. Because people talk! So find the little thing you can start doing, and expand as money allows, so that your free time can be spent living the dream rather than beating yourself up about not being perfect on everything.

 

And that applies to all walks of life. Hire what you can afford to hire, so you can concentrate on what's important to you—like playing in the park with the kids.

 

That's how I find my balance.

 

 

 

Free Print book giveaways! First up, The Ulfric's Mate

 

 

 

Hi!! Well, guess what? I've been a busy girl! I've done loads of things, from finishing a fancy dress that needs a fitting, 

 

 

 to finishing a super secret painting job,

(no, this is not the secret painting job. Just how thick do you think I am?!) *the above is painted with left over paints from the super secret job*, to putting out new books, to dealing with the over 100 degree heat with no air conditioner, and trying to replant my container garden which a neighbor kid destroyed, on top of health issues and physical therapy, let's just say my brain is a massive puddle of icky, sticky goo! Honestly, I'm trying to write! I had planned to have three shorts and panthers finished last month. Now it looks as if I'll have to do a major push to get it finished this month! Also, I had planned to do more blogging. Does it count that I did a few in my head? It's more than I was doing before LOL

Now, for the big deal. You have two days left to enter the Goodreads giveaway! This is for a print book, people! And, better yet, this one is open to GB, US, and CA!!!! So fly, my pretties! Add your name to the drop!

As you can see, although my amount of words have not been gratifying, I have been busy finding review quotes, getting print covers, setting up blog tours, marketing, etc for my writing. While all of this is a necessary evil (except getting the covers!! I love getting covers :D), and has to do with writing even, it does not fill the part of me that wants to be writing grand adventures and getting the world to read! Nor does it provide my brain with the outlet for the million and one worlds and people floating through it's head. I must get back to writing. I have it on my list now. Oh, what lists? Well see, I've started making lists. And they helped me through the horrific health issues this time. And though I still had bad side effects, I did much better! It also took less time to recover and become productive! I am a list making fool now! Watch out ;) World Domination in progress.

Now, since I haven't quite accomplished that bit, will you please enter and/or go buy your copy of the paperback, or, for the price of a good mocha, get your ebook here.

Anyway, time for me to go! Good luck :)

PRINT IS ON IT'S WAY!

So, tomorrow is a big day for me :D Many of you have walked this publishing road with me. I've been multi published, but it gets no less exciting! Tomorrow, I release my first book with Passion in Print...in ebook form :D The print version will be available in 14 days (or less if I'm lucky :D). FOURTEEN DAYS AND I'LL HAVE MY FIRST FULL LENGTH BOOK IN PRINT! This has been a dream of mine since I was little. And appropriately enough, it's a book that combines many of my favorite bits of literature, except sci fi. Sorry... Will work on that!

Here's the cover:

 

 

Isn't it brilliant!! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I've driven my poor editor to drink! LOL Here's a blurb:

 

 

 

There are sword fights, angels, demons, and more than can be said in all of creation. It's just the beginning!

 

I'm so excited about all of the writing stuff I have going on :D I am writing again, though never as much as I want to be. But having print books will keep me moving! This is the first of three for this year! I most definitely want to keep that coming so :D Off to write I go!

 

This will be available on ARe, Passion in Print, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo. ARe and Passion in Print tomorrow, the others whenever they feel like it LOL but usually within 3 days :D It's here, it's here!!

 

 

 

 



Michele Stegeman ~ The Shrew that Tames

This week's Succulent Saturday Story is Michele Stegeman with The Shrew That Tames. I asked her to do a post on why she likes the regency era so much as she seems most comfortable writing in that period, in my opinion. A lovely lady, who also happens to be an artist (I have ideas for next time I have her on my blog!), I'm happy to present you with this regency author. Welcome Michele!

Thank you, Leona, for hosting me today. You asked why I like the Regency period so much. There are many reasons.

First, I can relate to the morality of the period. It's the way I was raised. In my family a woman lived at home until she married. Period. For me, the only exception was when I went to college. Even then, I was only 20 minutes from home and lived in a dorm where I had to be in by 10:00 p.m. No guys were allowed in the rooms or even in the hallways! One of my friends was expelled because she was seen leaving the apartment building where her boyfriend lived. This was not some strict religious school, either. It was a state university. But things have certainly changed there now!

Even at age 24, when I was engaged, I was not allowed to go to my fiancé's  apartment. I finally broke that rule the night before our wedding and it was so nice to be alone and talk.

In the Regency, most women were not educated beyond the basics plus some "finishing" school where they learned domestic arts and perhaps painting and music. When I was in junior high school girls took home economics, and boys took shop class. One of my friends bravely fought the system and was finally allowed to take shop, but everyone wondered why a girl would want to take that class! I was considered a bit strange because I loved math and science. I read science fiction by hiding it behind another book.

Growing up, I was supposed to be a perfect lady. Ladies wore skirts. Even on the coldest winter days with the wind whistling and legs exposed, we had to wear skirts. Fortunately, the skirts were mid calf and there were lots and lots of slips and crinolines to help keep warm! Gloves and hats were worn to church and on special occasions even in the hottest weather.

Part of being a lady was deportment, or behavior. I was never allowed to use "bad" words. Frankly, I didn't even know any. I was also not supposed to know anything about "the birds and the bees." And I really didn't know much. If I did hear and "get" an "off color" joke, I had to pretend I didn't! A lady was innocent.

Just as in the Regency, women were expected to be dependent  on a man, and men came first. Growing up, I knew that the only way I could get a loan from a bank was if a man, husband or father or brother, signed for me. Few careers were open to women, mainly teaching or nursing. If you wanted to be anything else, you had to fight for it.

I also love the Regency period because, like any historical period before WWI, horses were a main form of transportation. I love horses. And I love the pace of the period. Things seemed slower then and there was more time for family just like when I was growing up. Letters were written by hand and so welcome. I remember my grandmother sitting down to write letters every evening, keeping up a steady correspondence. I wrote a lot of letters, too.

These are just a few reasons why I love the Regency. I feel at home there!

 

 

 

Thank you Michele! I love receiving a glimpse inside an author's mind :) You can get your copy from your favorite retailer! Here are a few links for you:

 

 

Want a peek at her cover? Of course you do!

 

 

Blurb and links:

What's an impoverished aristocrat to do when a beautiful heiress asks him to marry her?

Katherine is an heiress who uses her shrewish tongue to keep fortune hunters away. But what is it about Lord Ashfair that leaves her speechless?

Although in need of money, Peter Monroe, Marquis of Ashfair, has resolved to restore his ravaged estates on his own. How can he convince Katherine that he wants her, not her money?

Buy Links for The Shrew That Tames

The Publisher: http://www.breathlesspress.com/index.php?main_page=product_free_shipping_info&cPath=17&products_id=548&zenid=4e6d9f6ce3d528292ee985817b5c447d

All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theshrewthattames-1447787-340.html

 

Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/the-shrew-that-tames

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shrew-That-Tames-Michele-Stegman-ebook/dp/B00IZUXT96

Want a little taste of what you'll get before you buy? *grins* I have an excerpt for you... Be sure to say hi to our Saturday Succulent Stories author :)

The evening of the Harrington's ball, Ashfair and Sir Anthony escorted the Driscol sisters and their mother to the event. Bianca was besieged at once, and her dance card filled quickly.

Katherine stood to the side, watching her sister's card fill.

Ashfair bowed over her hand. "Will you do me the honor of adding my name to your card, Miss Driscol?"

She clutched her card tighter, her head up. "Really, my lord, you do not have to dance with me simply because you are my escort."

His brow went up. The men in this town were all fools if they would dance with such a lovely woman only to edge closer to her money or her sister and not herself. How many times had she been hurt because of it? "You are right, of course. I have to dance with you because I want to see what it is like to hold you in my arms. There are two waltzes this evening. Please put my name beside one of them. And if you will honor me with a second dance, the quadrille would be nice."

As she added his name to her card, he bent to whisper, "I wish I could dance more than twice with you."

"You are entirely too forward, my lord." He heard her set down. However, he also saw the blush that tinged her cheeks. He tried not to smile, but he was beginning to enjoy teasing a blush into her cheeks.

Katherine had a smattering of attention, mostly, Ashfair thought, from those hoping to win Bianca's approval. He was amazed Katherine could be so easily disregarded. True, she could wield a waspish tongue, but every set down she rendered was, in his opinion, well deserved.

At last they began the quadrille, and Ashfair led Katherine onto the dance floor. As they went through the forms of the dance, he noticed that she became transformed. Her features softened, she gracefully floated, and pleasure sparkled in her eyes.

"You love to dance!" he exclaimed.

Laughing, she agreed. "I always have."

The movements took them apart for a moment. When they came together again he said, "A smile or two from you and your dance card would be full."

Her mouth pursed. "And be forced to endure every crack-wit fortune hunter in the place with sweaty hands and a penchant for writing bad verses to my eyes?" She shook her head. "I'd rather be a wallflower."

Surely by now she knew he was one of those fortune hunters. He pulled her close. "You are dancing with me."

She tossed her head. "You do not have sweaty hands, my lord."

"And so far, I have failed to write a single ode to your eyes. What a dastardly escort I am."

"Yes, terrible." She laughed.



***EDIT***
So I was gone most of the day with personal stuff. However, Michele left me a message! She's going to give away your choice of Fortune's Foe or Fortune's Pride to a lucky commenter!!! You have until Monday night to enter :D Tell your friends!!