The Anxious Author

  I've toned down the number of reviews I've been posting in my reader group and on my social media pages. Some months I read nonstop and others it's only once every couple of weeks. This led to inconsistency in my review posting and ultimately clogged up my social feeds with reviews that my readers weren't interacting with. In order to solve this problem, I'm starting a new series on this blog.       Shelf Life will be a monthly episode posted at the end of each month. It will contain all the books I reviewed during the month and links to them for interested readers. I'll also include my "Now-Next-Later", where I'll list the three books I have lined up to read.     My reading goal for 2023 is 150 books. In January I read a total of 8 books, most of which were YA, as I am attempting to consume more YA, New Adult, and Juvenile books this year. I'll be reading way fewer adult books in order to reconnect with my target audience. Being a YA and mid...

Megan Kuykendall is a Georgia author with a passion for paranormal romance and fantasy. She currently resides in North Georgia, in the Canton area, which allows her to indulge in her love for mountains. Kuykendall's primary audience is ages 16 and up.   "My first book was published in 2019. It was The Amber Chronicles ," stated Kuykendall. "It was more or less so my friends and family could see it."   Kuykendall's passion for stories with magical elements influenced her writing. When she started writing, she wrote the books she wanted to read. Her stories ended up having many magical elements and fantastical creations in them. She explained, "I have always loved myths, lore, and history, so my mind pushed my stories in that direction. I love adding a touch of magic to everything I write. I tried a few times to write contemporary romance and let's just say it wasn't pretty."   Over the past three years, Kuykendall has set a goal to craft a c...

       In 2022 I lowered my standards for books and after it was pointed out to me I couldn't get over it. I became frustrated with myself because I've always been an honest reviewer, until last year when I suddenly felt bad for giving 3-star and under reviews. This year, that's changing.      In 2023 I will be raising my standards to the point that some might think they are strict, but in the world of writing, we all have to learn to take criticism. A bad review doesn't mean your book is bad. It means one person out of millions didn't like something about it. And, honestly, the world could use fewer pitty reviews and more honest ones.      My bracket for this year will be as follows:     5-stars = I adored the book.     4-stars = I enjoyed the book.      3-stars = I liked the book, but it wasn't anything exceptional. It was average.     2-stars = I didn't care much for the book     ...

   Imposter Syndrome is an illness that can plague anyone but runs rampant in artists. It can strike at any time, no matter how experienced you are. It's been a long time since I've experienced imposter syndrome, but while working on In The Beginning I was hit with a new case of it for half a second.     When a writer experiences imposter syndrome, they don't feel adequate in their field. It makes you feel like a failure. Like you are an imposter, parading around in the world of literature. It's a mental affliction that can affect your emotional and physical health if you allow it to pull you under the dark waves of depression.   Having anxiety means I experience mild bouts of imposter syndrome monthly, but it had been nearly a year since my last big one until I sat down to edit In the Begining.    I was at the kitchen table, looking through my editor's comments on the manuscript when I asked someone nearby if they were available to do a read-thro...

   Choosing a genre to write isn't as much of a struggle as it might look. Most authors stumble upon their preferred writing genre while being readers or while studying their trade. You tend to write what you love to read. It all goes back to that cliche saying, "write what you know". Writing what you know is sometimes a safety net, however, and authors have to branch out of their comfort zone if they want to grow and develop their skills.    Author Gloria Herrmann primarily writes contemporary romance but has left her comfort zone to explore the supernatural and the world of children's literature.   "Up until recently, I wrote contemporary romance for adults," remarked Herrmann. "I had been in talks about starting a children's line of books a while back. I tinkered with writing some stories loosely based on my pugs. I have finally connected with some possible illustrators who can bring these books to life. So, I'm excited to have some neat stuf...

   Back when I used to work in an elementary school, they had a saying, "don't wear your weather". If you were having a bad day, you were expected to come to work with a smile on your face. You weren't supposed to show the negatives on your face because your weather could be distracting to others. It's a toxic concept if you ask me. How are you supposed to expect kids to learn to handle their own emotions if they don't see those big people also struggling with big emotions? The important thing is not letting your emotions affect your outlook on the littles.   There were days after a particularly hard class that I would turn to my next class and say, "I'm having a hard day and want to do something fun with you. What would you like to do? Would you like to play Jeopardy, Liar Liar (What we called Balderdash), or read a book together?"    When it comes to writing, the same concept needs to apply. We need to wear our weather with grace. We need to be...