BED BUGS

"Talk about a bedtime snack!"

All through the month of April, Minnie will help me explore the people, places and things that WE call creepy, strange and downright weird. To be honest, Minnie finds almost everything creepy and strange so having the entire alphabet at our disposal is going to be a challenge. You might find what we discover delightful, or you may agree with us. Please share your opinions either way. Have fun road-tripping the Alphabet by visiting others doing the challenge as well. To find out more on the A-Z blogging challenge follow the link.






BED BUGS 

They have been around for thousands of years. These nasty little buggers like to suck on our blood while we sleep.They prefer exposed skin, preferably the face, neck and arms of their sleeping victims. Talk about creepy! Just take a look at one.

Good-night---Sleep tight---Don't let the bed bugs bite! Don't know about you but I am going to change my bedclothes and maybe even wear some full body armor to bed! 

IWSG: Where fore art thou Muse?

Just a small note for the first Wednesday of the month dedicated to the Insecure Writers Support Group. Inspiration lacking, imagination stale and dedication failing. Sound familiar? It took me almost two years to write my first book which was published last summer. The sequel to that book at the rate I am going now will take twice that long. The fire has gone out, the well is dry and everyday is just another Monday. Oh well, nobody said this was going to be one long week-end of inspiration. The sun is out and the weather is warmer so I am sure my writing engine will soon start again and my muse will return to help drive me forward. Until then I have this A-Z challenge to fuel my curiosity and imagination.

Happy writing!

IWSG: RULES FOR BEING A WRITER and SOME NEWS

Another first Wednesday of the month, proving once again just how fast time flies. As usual my blog calendar is marked off for the Insecure Writers Support Group, and this month I am reposting my most popular blog post (according to blogger stats) Minnie has some words of wisdom (Minnie-isms) to share with you. I do not always agree with Minnie but one thing is for sure, she is the least insecure “person” I know of.

 

Rules for Being a Writer by Minnie:

1.       Be true to yourself. There is no point in trying to be a copycat.

2.       Dress yourself in the style you are comfortable in, not what others tell you. This is YOUR fashion statement!

3.       Go somewhere new and exciting every day, even if it is only in your mind.

4.       If you are going to write bullshit then you should be prepared to get bullshit back. In other words, be prepared. Know what you are writing about.

5.       Not everyone is going to like you. Who cares? You don’t like everyone either! There is always someone out there that will like what you write, so don’t give up looking.

6.       If the water is too deep then learn how to swim. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or learn a new skill.

7.       Practice makes perfect. Don’t expect a magic genie to appear and do all your work for you.

8.       Sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses. How you get to the finish line is more important than when you get there.

9.       Too many weeds strangle a garden. Get rid of weedy words and unnecessary flourish so the reader can better enjoy his journey through your story without getting Poison Ivy.

10.   Remember there is always a beginning, middle and an end. Stay on the path and don’t get distracted. Most of all….WRITE!

Want to see what others in this group have to say, check out the Insecure Writers Support Group.

 

Now that Minnie got all that off her chest, I have some news for you. My blog tour with the Norse Gods celebrating the release of my new book, Secrets of the Ash Tree, starts next week on Monday October 7th. Also, there will be a Norse Gods birthday blogfest(Co hosted by Capt. Ninja himself, Alex Cavanaugh) and giveaways all week so make sure to sign up and stop by! Here is the schedule:

 

So What do you think of Minnies rules? All signed up to party with Captain Ninja and the Norse Gods?

IWSG: And so I wrote a book, what now?

 Time for another round of the IWSG, created by the wonderful and amazing Captain Ninja, Alex Cavanaugh! Make sure you check out some of the great posts by other members of the INSECURE WRITERS SUPPORT GROUP  by clicking on the link.

And so I wrote a book. Around 70,000 words and yet the story could go on. I decided to write an epic tale, a series of books that would tell my story. I am not sure that I made the right decision.  My question is how do I know when to stop? Do I write a really big book, or do I write several smaller ones. Another question I have is, what do I do now? Should I go traditional and seek a publisher or should I go Indie and publish myself? I have a social networking platform, family and friends but I know that it takes a lot more than that to make a book sell. I never started this book with high hopes of making a lot of money. I just had a story to tell so I told it.

These were questions that I asked myself a few months ago and now my book Secrets of the Ash Tree is finished. I published it myself, and hired a company to do the basics because I did not want to wait. Looking for agents and publishers is something that I believe can be done later; after all, I still own the rights to my book. I had a friend do the cover for me, my son is doing the book video and I plan on doing a full scale launching of my book in October. I ask myself now, how do I launch a self-published book that is written in English in a country that does not, in general, read English books? Ok, my book is relevant to the culture of this country, Norse gods and fairytales are popular now, but my target audience? I really am skeptical as to how I will find them. Who really wants to read something other than a comic book version of Norse mythology? I would, but would anymone else want to?

Enjoy the rest of your week and come back on Friday to say hello to Minnie...She still could use some help with her story.

EYE SPY GOOGLE SPIDERS!

Have you ever watched some of those TV shows like American Idol, So you think you can dance, or any other show that asks the public to vote for their favorite? Do you ever check your blogger stats and find yourself amazed at the results? Eye Spy's Pink Panther has been on the prowl again and he has found out some interessting things. Go ahead, look at your stats and let me know if you found anything surprising!

This is what he found out:

The countries that visit me most are in order: The United States, Russia and the United Kingdom. Lately for some reason Russia has moved to number one and France has replaced the United Kingdom. Norway is always trailing behind as number four; fighting for this position with Sweden…..I would have never guessed…

The blog post most visited all time is THOR…No surprise, followed by the Games Blogfest  hosted by Alex Cavanaugh….Lately the post that has been getting the most hits is one made by Minnie, she seems to have gone viral, it is a post for The Insecure WritersSupport Group made almost a year ago! It seems that Alex, being the Ninja that he is, has boosted my blogger search results. Make sure you visit the Insecure Writers Support Group next Wednesday, maybe you will get the most votes from whatever spider is lurking in the mighty Google search engine!

For some more news, go visit Michael Di Gesu’s blog. He has some exciting news today so go to his blog and wish him some of your good luck! Minnie is also sitting around watching the sunset disappear. She needs some help finding it so please pay her a visit!

What has your stats revealed? Do you love my new book illustration by the talented Michael Di Gesu? What about poor Minnie, should she continue with Gibberish stories or is she a lost cause?

Enjoy the rest of your week!