The Anxious Author

      'I have read and agreed to the terms and conditions' is probably the most told lie in our world. How many of us actually read them? I swear companies could have us selling our souls to them without us even noticing. If the devil ever needed a new way to collect souls, that would be the way to get them.     Adults are guilty of this lie as much as teens are. We don't want to take the time to slow down and read through pages upon pages of legal jargon related to whatever app we're trying to download. We just want to play our games and forget about reality for a bit.      In the young adult reading community, there is another lie being told just as much as the first and it is 'I am at least 18 years of age'. Don't lie, if you've ever read fanfiction in your life you've clicked on that little button so you can have access to all the stories that are rated M (mature) and E (explicit). I'm guilty of it too, it's nothing to be ashamed of.  ...

          In the world of romantic literature, there is not a very good representation of individuals who do not feel sexual attraction as frequently (if at all) as others. Asexuals and demisexuals tend to get left out of the mix, but it's understandable in a genre that heavily focuses on sexual relationships. Romance is more than sex, though, and a good romance writer can reel in readers of all sexualities.      I don't talk about my sexuality often. I avoid the topic in order to avoid an argument. I despise confrontations. I don't hide it, though. There's no point. I've been this way for a long time and we could devel into why I think I'm this way, but we're not going to. That's a trauma I'm still working out for myself with meditation.     Being demisexual means that I don't have romantic relationships in the same way others do. In order to feel a sexual attraction towards someone, I must first have an intense emotional bond with them...

      It's February first! Congratulations on making it through the first of twelve months. Only eleven more to go. January flew by for me. The first couple weeks I had COVID, then things were busy at work, and I've been planning a ton of author stuff.      This month I'll be visiting a book event in Kansas City, MO to support another author and to make some new contacts. We'll also have our second author spotlight.     Goodreads informed me this morning that I am four books behind schedule for meeting my 2022 reading goal. I haven't been behind schedule in years. It's semi-frustrating. It makes me want to do nothing but reading. I have to keep reminding myself that I set a high goal this year. 200 books is a stretch compared to the 145ish I read last year.     In January I read a total of thirteen books, eight of which I gave five heart reviews. Each of the five hearts were written in my planner/semi-journal to be in the running for Jan...

     I’m excited to bring you our first-ever author spotlight. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while and I thought it would be a neat monthly item to add to the blog. The lovely Lavendar Woods agreed to be our first author. She and I have been corresponding over this interview for the past week, but we’ve known each other for over a year. She’s one of the authors I consider part of my tribe. I cannot wait for you all to get to know her.      Lavender Woods is a Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Romance author. She has one Contemporary Romance under her belt, as well. She lives in the central plains of Manitoba, Canada, with her terrier mix, Lily.       “I am a dog mom of a beautiful little terrier mix named Lily,” stated Woods. “Originally I had named her Solstice but my dad had a hard time pronouncing her name, so I changed it to Lily.”      Writing is something that comes naturally to Woods. She discov...

           We are now a little over halfway through the first month of 2022. This year is already going by too fast. I'm planning author events and trying to crank out my first novel of the year. My writing goal this year is to publish at least three works. My reading goal is much higher.      Last year I read over 140 books for Goodread's yearly challenge. I was doing monthly book picks for a while but they didn't seem to be gathering interest. I'm not sure if it is how I formatted them, the graphics, or something else. No matter, I've decided to start fresh with something similar but different this year.     Each of my reviews this year will contain the following information: book title, author name, rating, age level, genre, format read, and a review.     I've pledged to read 200 books in 2022, which is the highest reading goal I've ever set. It has been a while since I've made a goal I wasn't sure I could meet and it f...

      It's been ages since I properly outlined a book. I'm more of a pantser than a plotter. I like to discover the story as I write it, sometimes, though, that's not how a story wants to be written.     Despite having three series I'm working on new installments for, I've taken on another project. This one is far different than anything I've written. It's a historical urban fantasy story told through both the eyes of a modern character and the journal of several dead characters. I'm toying with titles, but the story is loosely based on my ongoing Alphabet Ancestry series here, on the blog.      The story will follow eleven generations of a family from Atticus homesteading in Nebraska, in 1862, to June inheriting the homestead in 2040. Real history will be mentioned, but there were be underlying paranormal and fantasy elements, as the homestead isn't normal.      I've created a timeline of character generations and a timeline of his...

    One of the downfalls of being an independent author is having to do your own promotions and marketing. Luckily, most indie authors find themselves part of author tribes that help them out. An author in my tribe is celebrating the relaunching of his science-fiction, superhero series with a cover reveal today. A bunch of us have teamed up to help spread the word of his accomplishment.      Andrew Kirchner has created a new legacy in the superhero community. Ms. Infinity is not your everyday hero. She's stubborn, straightforward, and works as a cashier. I read this series before it was remastered and I'm going to read it again.      On January 12, Kirchner's world once again hits the market with new covers designed by Jill Brock. Here are a couple blurbs about the first two books in this amazing series.  EARTH’S GREATEST HERO      Bonnie Boring of Queens is sassy, smart, and underachieving. She's also secretly an extraterrestr...