Month: October 2018

A Cozy Mystery Treat!

On By Victoria LK Williams (Vicki Williams)In UncategorizedLeave a comment

The reading and writing community is unique to any other industry.
And I think that’s because readers and writers genuinely care about your success.
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That’s not to say that we don’t occasionally feel a tinge of envy when we find a writer getting hundreds upon thousands of downloads, making six figures doing what they love. But it’s a tinge of envy, not the green-eyed monster that makes you want to tear their eyes out in sheer frustration. I believe it’s the type of envy which makes you work a little harder to achieve goals and success like the writers before you.
And what’s even more amazing is many of those writers are willing to be mentors to young writers starting out. No strings attached just a true desire to help another writer.
The writing community as a whole is willing to share and help wherever they can. Writers share successes and failures. If there’s a scam out their quick to alert other writers so that they don’t get taken in by the scammers. If an advertising platform works their equally willing to share that information so that your books can us achieve success as well.

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As a reader, I love to see an author succeed. That means there are more books for me to read. Usually, I will devour a series by a writer that I know and like. There’s a sense of disappointment when you finish the last book in the series and you have to wait for the next one, but there’s also a sense of anticipation.
Letting readers who have downloaded your book know about other writers in the same genre when they have a new release or a sale is another way writers help each other.
And that’s what I’m doing today, I’m letting readers and writers alike know about the sale by a group of cozy mystery writers. Below the banner, you’ll find a link to go directly to the page where the books are posted. Then, you can click on as many as you like to download to your heart’s content, and indulge in a little bit of $0.99 luxury and then cuddle up with a good mystery for the weekend.
This sale is for November 19th-21st.
And dear reader, after you finished some of these amazing stories, please be sure to leave a review for the book. Reviews are important to writers, not only so they know how they’re doing and that you like the book, but it also gives more opportunities for advertising and ranking. Don’t you want to see your favorite writer become a bestseller? That’s what a review will help do.
So what are you waiting for? Start clicking on those books so that you can relax that good cozy mystery.

 

 

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CLICK HERE TO GET BOOKS!!!

Victoria LK Williams

My Morning Date

On By Victoria LK Williams (Vicki Williams)In Free Writing, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I have a morning breakfast date almost every morning.

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It’s new to my schedule, and I have to tell you I’m really enjoying it. And no, I’m not cheating on my husband. Nope, it’s much simpler than that. I’m enjoying my morning time by not having the TV on and instead, going out and sitting on the porch. As I sit and enjoy my coffee, listening to what’s going on around me, I’ve discovered is we have a Falcon who comes every morning to our area.

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The house next door has a dead tree about 30 feet high and that’s with the falcon perches every morning around 6 o’clock.
He’ll sit there for a good half hour, not doing much of anything, just watching the neighborhood. Once in a while, he will let out a call and is a very distinctive call so I know it’s him. When he starts to hear another Falcon in the distance, he begins to get louder and the other birds take notice of him.
It’s like a signal. As soon as he starts crying out louder, the Mockingbirds and the Blue Jays go into protection mode. They’re trying to protect their nest and themselves because whether we like it or not, the Falcon is a predator. As if a signal is given, the birds will start diving down at the Falcon, not coming too close, but enough to annoy. Each pass gets closer, each time loud warning cries filling the air.
The falcon puts up with this for about 10 or 15 minutes and then you can almost see him shake his head. He opens his wings (what a wingspan!) and takes off to another tree. The smaller birds have won for the morning, but he’ll be back tomorrow.
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Watching this day in and day out, I feel compassion for the Falcon. I sometimes wish I could spread my wings and go to a safer spot. Because when it comes to writing that sometimes it seems as if everything is coming at you at once.
Your book ready for publication and you sit back, thinking you can relax a bit. But wait! There are still so many things that have to be done. It can become overwhelming. You may feel like that bird in the tall tree, having the other birds diving down at you. Sometimes you want to just shake your head spread your wings and fly away.
But if you want your book to be published you need to roll up your sleeves and get ready to take care of all those things that fly down at you, needing your attention. Editing, beta readers, proofreading, no holes in your storylines, advertisements, proper keywords, blurbs, author bio… the list goes on and on. And just as soon as you think you’ve got one task finished, you realize there’s three more to do.
And don’t think only indie writers that go through this. Gone are the days when traditional publishers took care of all this for their writer. Authors now have to be their own advertising agent, getting the word out about their books. That’s not to say that all publishers act this way, but I think the large majority of them do.
I was recently asked why I went with indie publishing, instead of trying to do traditional publishing. Probably the biggest reason for me is; if I have to do the work myself, why not do it the way I want it done, in my own time frame.
Like many other writers, I have a job outside of my writing. One that I love, and I’m not ready to give it up. Like most businesses in South Florida, there are seasons in my business. These seasons will allow me to have time for writing and creating, and then other times when I can’t even get to my work in progress. For me to have a deadline from the publisher would be catastrophic. I would be disappointing them and myself.  There’s always something during my busy season that comes up that has to be taken care of, and the writing has to be put on the back burner. If I had a writing deadline, I would be torn in two different directions. By going Indie, I can determine my own timelines, covers, and my own advertising outlets.
It’s a lot of work and sometimes it feels overwhelming.

Like my falcon.

I can spread my wings and leave all the noise behind by going to a quieter spot or time. Or I can do what I love on my own terms. It’s my choice, just like it’s his choice to attack or retreat.

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So as a writer, you need to decide when to attack, when to retreat, and went to push forward with a gentle grace.

Victoria LK Williams