MONDAY MUSINGS

(Image found on Facebook)

So . . . I decided to not call this post, THE WEEKEND anymore. Lately I haven't done anything newsworthy on the weekend. Hence, this post ends up being about my week, to include book news--or just something interesting I've been thinking about or learning about, etc, etc. I think from here on out, I'll call my Monday post, MONDAY MUSINGS. It seems appropriate.

That being said, I learned something amazing this week!

I feel embarrassed to admit this, so please don't laugh too terribly hard at me. Since I've been published, I check my Kindle sales on a regular basis. (translation: *ahem* everyday, sometimes every hour)

I first published in June of 2012 and frankly, sales have been slow. Every once in awhile I would have a spurt of sales, but then they would go back down again. Beginning in June of 2013, sales began to really pick up. It's been very exciting. In fact, sales over the summer were pretty darn amazing. Now, let me put this in perspective: to a bestselling author, my sales are horrible, but to me, I am thrilled and amazed and excited and giddy and, well, you get the idea! 

However, sales have now begun to slow down once again.

The Lancaster House and Middle Aisle sale made sales pick up quite a bit, but other than that, it's been kinda slow. 

Or so I thought.

Here's the embarrassing part.

Image courtesy of [Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There I was, feeling kinda sad and depressed, feeling like a failure because my book sales were slowing down, and what do I discover?

All this time I've only been looking at my kindle US sales. I thought all of my sales were lumped into one report and recorded on a daily basis.

All I had to do was look at the drop down menu and NOTICE that you can click on your kindle sales for EACH country!

Duh!

I clicked on Amazon UK.

Boy, was I surprised.

Image courtesy of [jscreationzs] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I Have People alone had 147 sales this month! And I didn't even know! 

Now, I've looked at my overall monthly reports before and seen my sales in other countries, but it took me this long to realize the chart I was looking at on a daily basis was only sales for the US.

Then I did something even more amazing: I googled Amazon UK.

Guess what I found? 

A whole bunch of wonderful reviews on my books that I'd never read or even knew existed!

Now that you all know I am technologically inept and really have no idea what I'm doing on the computer, check out some of these amazing reviews I found on Amazon UK!

5.0 out of 5 stars For Nick, 1 Aug 2013
By bunny2007
This review is from: For Nick (Kindle Edition)

Wasn't what I was expecting this book had me in tears. One of the best book's I have read in along time and will read again.

5.0 out of 5 stars For Nick, 27 July 2013
By Kitty
This review is from: For Nick (Kindle Edition)

Wow I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't work out who Nick was until she revealed all. Book was very well written in my opinion.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, 22 July 2013
By Oakley
This review is from: For Nick (Kindle Edition)

Could not put this book down. I've never cried so much while reading a book yet found myself constantly smiling too.

5.0 out of 5 stars i dont want this book to end 'ever', 14 Aug 2013
By Ms. Lynne L. Waghorn "loopylynne" (kent, uk)
This review is from: For Nick (Kindle Edition)

I love love loved this book,. I just couldnt put it down, i had to keep stopping just to make it last longer, i loved it that much. Will definately be looking at this author again.
You will not be disappointed.

5.0 out of 5 stars For Nick, 20 Aug 2013
By Claire
This review is from: For Nick (Kindle Edition)

It was funny, witty and amazingly interesting. You find it difficult to put your book down. You wanted to know what would happen next. Well written.

5.0 out of 5 stars Sierra 5 July 2013
By Julie victor

Wow the second book I read by this author. It was seriously good, how the heroine survived such a tragedy and kept fighting to survive was mind blowing. Alex was such a hero overcoming his own tragic past and how he protected Alyssa was so lovely and touching. Again this book was well written and full of emotion.. well worth a read, cannot fault it!!


5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing 18 Aug 2013
By Suzi

I thoroughly enjoyed 'Joshua's Folly' it was funny and heartfelt and really pulled at the heart strings! I've read most of the books by this author and they are all amazing! Can't wait to read some more!

5.0 out of 5 stars I have people 7 July 2013
By Julie victor

Wow another brilliant read from taylor dean. Loved this story of holly and gabe.. full of emotion that really tugs at the heartstrings. How holly deals with a terrifying situation and finds people who help and support her. Well worth a read, cannot praise the author enough!!

As you can see, discovering all of these wonderful reviews was like Christmas morning for me! I'm so glad I discovered that I have fans in the UK! Wow! (bear with me, I am very, very excited!)

It was a nice surprise.

Did you have anything wonderful happen this past week?

THE WEEKEND

The big news: Lancaster House and The Middle Aisle are on sale for a limited time only!

Enjoy!

A special thank you to all the book bloggers who have helped to spread the word. You're the best!

THE WEEKEND

I suppose this is not really a weekend post, just news from the week! Here it goes!

My daughter made this FABULOUS banner for me.

Lancaster House and The Middle Aisle will be on sale starting on Oct. 20. If you'd like to share this banner on your blog or Facebook, or anywhere else for that matter, please feel free! Thank you!

(OR contact me and I'll send you the image!)

Sierra will be on sale starting on Nov. 2, as well. (My daughter is currently making another banner for me!)

There's an interesting story behind this sale . . . 

I applied to be featured on BookBub, an ebook advertising site. They are very particular about which books they will feature, so being accepted is a BIG deal!

I applied to feature Sierra under Contemporary Romance. BookBub responded saying they would love to feature Sierra, however, they felt it would be featured best under the category of Literary Fiction.

Image courtesy of [Stuart Miles] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Now, I realize there is a compliment hidden in there somewhere.

I mean, wow, Literary Fiction!? Really?

HOWEVER, I feared that anyone looking to read Literary Fiction would be greatly disappointed in Sierra, especially when they realize it's really, in essence, a Romance novel.

I expressed my fears to BookBub. 

They responded, again saying they felt it would do well under Literary Fiction.

So, I'm taking a chance--and it will be featured on the BookBub advertisement on Nov. 2 under Literary Fiction. 

I hope this decision doesn't backfire on me! I'm both excited and scared to death!

Image courtesy of [Stuart Miles] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Another thing I wanted to share with you is a funny little tidbit from last week's 'sad ending' post:

I sent the link for the featured music video to one of my other daughters. This was her rather comical response:

This was really sad, I think the lesson learned here is that spray paint is not the way to communicate.  Misunderstandings happen that can lead to serious bodily harm.

That gave me a good laugh!

Image courtesy of [Danilo Rizzuti] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Lastly, this past week I received the most AMAZING pictures of my little grandson, Gavin. He's only a month old in these pictures and I think the photographer is an absolute GENIUS!

He has stolen his Grandma's heart too!!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

THE WEEKEND

I didn't do anything newsworthy this weekend. But, on Friday night my daughter introduced me to a music video that really left me thinking about 'sad endings' all weekend.

DO YOU LIKE SAD ENDINGS?

I admit that I love a book or movie that makes me cry, that brings out all of my emotions.

BUT, just once I'd like to watch Titanic, or Somewhere in Time, or Phantom of the Opera and have the ending change.

Titanic: I'd like Jack to climb onto that floating piece of board with Rose and live. (Seriously, why wasn't there room for both of them?)

Somewhere in Time: I'd like Richard Collier to stay 'back in time' with Elise McKenna. Get rid of that stupid penny, don't put it in your pocket!!!

(No matter, it's still my favorite movie and book of all time! The book is called 'Bid Time Return.')

Phantom of the Opera: Honestly, I'd like to see Christine choose the phantom instead of the wimpy Raoul. (At least, if it's the Gerard Butler phantom. Seriously, they can't make him ugly.)

I love the Romeo and Juliet story. I do. But it's another one where I want the ending to change, just once. PLEASE. I hate sad endings. 

So, my daughter says to me, 'Mom, you HAVE  to watch this music video.' And I do--not knowing what's in store for me.

The ending KILLS me. Every time.

Watch it on YouTube here.

See what I mean. So much angst, so much despair.

My books may have major drama, angst, and despair in the middle, but they will ALWAYS have happy endings!

ALWAYS!

DO YOU LIKE SAD ENDINGS?

THE WEEKEND

I found the above on Facebook and it made me laugh.

It also describes my weekend and where I am in my newest manuscript!

I've reached 70,000 words, and instead of moving forward, I'm going backwards and doing a little revising.

Frustrating at times, but it's also exciting when I come across scenes that I know are perfect just the way they are. 

Will I reach my goal of releasing this book in January? 

I'm not sure. 

And I'm not going to rush it.

I've never written a book and released it in six months. Can I do it?

The question makes me ponder over my story.

The sequence of events towards publication went a little like this:

I spent one year writing Sierra.

Then I spent one year writing Joshua's Folly.

Then I spent two months writing For Nick. (Yes, that one bled onto the page very quickly. However, the final version hardly resembles the original.)

I sent out query letters here and there. I received my fair share of rejection letters.

I wasn't ready. Frankly, neither were my manuscripts.

Next, I spent about six months writing Lancaster House.

Did I try to get published?

Nope.

I moved on and wrote I Have People. That one took at least eight months.

Then I finally queried Lancaster House and was signed by an agent!

Excitedly, I wrote the sequel to Lancaster House, The Middle Aisle, in about six months.

Lancaster House, however, did not sell.

My hopes plummeted.

In spite of this, I was encouraged by my agent's enthusiasm over Lancaster House. He loved it.

I spent the  next year rewriting and editing I Have People and Joshua's Folly. My agent advised and I rewrote.

It was a year of learning, a year of cutting my teeth, and I don't regret it for a moment.

Sadly, my agent felt there was nothing more he could do for me. My brand of 'clean romance' wasn't selling at the moment.

We parted ways. It was a dark day for me.

Image courtesy of [Master isolated images] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

That's when I decided to self publish.

I spent six months revisiting Sierra and For Nick, editing them with a fine tooth comb.

Then and only then did I feel ready to publish.

Still, each book went through final edits, over and over, till I felt they were ready to see the light of day.

I like to write a book, then move on and go back to it later. With the passing of time, I see it with fresh eyes and I see what edits need to be done.

Back to the original question. Can I write a book and publish it in six months?

That remains to be seen. I'm used to having time to EDIT, EDIT, EDIT.

I'm so impressed with authors who can put good books out quickly. They are amazing.

However, I've learned a lot since my first attempt at writing a book. My current  manuscript is a much more highly polished piece of work than any manuscript has ever been at this stage. It's nothing like the unformatted monstrosity that Sierra once was in the beginning.

Ah, but is was fun to write that first novel. To explore different writing styles and just write to my heart's content with no thought about being published or wondering if anyone will like it besides me! Those were the days!

Image courtesy of [suphakit73] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you are a writer, and you are reading this, here is my advice: Don't rush the creative process. Don't slap a book onto the public's lap, just because you can. Take your time and really polish that manuscript till it shines.

Sierra is now a top-five finalist for the Best Indie Book of 2013. (The Kindle Book Review)

It was worth all my time and effort.

The winners will be announced on Tuesday. (Oct. 1st)

Doesn't matter if I don't win. (But of course I want to!)

Being a finalist is AMAZING!

I feel validated in ways I can't even begin to explain.

I've already won.

THE WEEKEND

The highlight of my weekend was having the opportunity to be featured on a blog called Venture Galleries. 

All finalists for the Kindle Book Review's Best Indie Book of 2013 were offered the chance to do two blog posts on their site--one a Dream Interview and one a Dream Review. (Sierra is a finalist in the Romance category.)

A very creative idea! I've enjoyed seeing what all the finalists have come up with. However, while fun, it was a challenging task. Especially since, at the time, I was caring for my daughter and brand new grandson. Hence, my Dream Interview was written during the wee hours of the morning with my little grandson on my lap. 

Venture Galleries said last year's favorite Dream Interview was an author being interviewed about his book by Natalie Portman--while she massaged him! So clever! After much thought, here's what I came up with:

(See my Dream Interview on Venture Galleries, here.)

My dream interview with my favorite High School English Teacher

By Taylor Dean

Me:  Hello, Mr. Peckham?

Mr. Peckham: Taylor? Taylor Dean?

Me: I’m surprised you remember me.

Mr. Peckham: Of course I remember you. You and your sister were two of my favorite students. And when one of my students becomes an author, I take notice. Congratulations on your success. My wife loves your books.

Me: Thank you. It was in your Advanced Writing class that I fell in love with English. I remember that I actually wanted to keep the workbook. I was ridiculously sad on the day I had to turn it in. You gave us the option to purchase it, but I remember not being able to afford it.  Still to this day I wish I had that book.

Mr. Peckham: Seriously?

Me: Absolutely.

Mr. Peckham: I can’t say that anyone has ever said that to me before. Ever.

Me: I guess I should’ve known right then.

Mr. Peckham: Known what?

Me: That writing was the career for me.

Mr. Peckham: But, you didn’t?

Me: No. All the signs were there, but I didn’t recognize them.

Mr. Peckham: What were the signs?

Me: I was constantly making up stories in my head. To the point of distraction. I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t.

Mr. Peckham: The world loves a daydreamer.

Me: That’s just it. I wasn’t exactly daydreaming. I was imagining my stories in my head as if I was writing them, word for word. All the time. Sometimes my stories kept me up at night.

Mr. Peckham: And that’s when you knew you should write?

Me: Nope. It never occurred to me. Then one afternoon I couldn’t stand it anymore. One of my stories wouldn’t stop playing in my head. I suddenly felt the need to commit it all to paper or else I would explode. At the time I was a young mother with four small children and I didn’t have much time for myself. I grabbed a pen and paper and hurriedly handwrote ten pages. I still have them and they’re awful.

Mr. Peckham: Yet that was the beginning.

Me: No, actually. Seventeen years passed before I revisited the idea of writing my stories. Nearly all of my children had left the nest. My youngest was gone all day at school and track. I wondered what I should do with my time. I’d always been a stay-at-home mom and I felt as though my job was leaving me. I decided I would try my hand at writing a children’s book, but then I remembered those ten pages sitting in my files. Suddenly I couldn’t wait to write that particular story. I had no idea if I could write a novel, but figured I’d give it a try.

Mr Peckham: And you did it. You became an author.

Me: Well, no, not really. I spent the next year writing every day, creating a monstrosity of a novel, 165,000 words long. It was so drama-filled, it would have exhausted the most loyal of reader. That’s when I learned to edit. But, I loved every single minute of it.

Mr. Peckham: So, that’s when you knew?

Me: Still no clue. I told no one I was writing. It was my little secret.

Mr. Peckham: What changed?

Me: My sister came to visit. When she found out I’d written a book, she put her hands on her hips and said, “I want to read your novel.” I finally gave in and nervously let her read it.

Mr. Peckham: Did she like it?

Me: She stayed up all night and finished it. She said she couldn’t put it down, that it was the best book she’d ever read. That’s when I knew.

Mr. Peckham: Not till then?

Me: Not till that moment.

Mr. Peckham: Which book was this?

Me: Sierra. It’s my personal favorite. I went on to write five more books before I finally felt brave enough to publish.

Mr. Peckham: Six books? That’s amazing.

Me: I still have a hard time calling myself a writer. I feel like a fraud.

Mr. Peckham: How so?

Me: I’m really just a stay-at-home mom having fun on her computer. That’s all.

Mr. Peckham: And I’m really just an average Joe with a penchant for English and a need to support my family. It doesn’t change the fact that I am an English teacher.

Me: Point taken. I’ve taken up enough of your time. It was great to see you.

Mr. Peckham: Thanks so much for stopping by. I love to hear from my former students . . . wait . . . before you go, I have something for you. (He walks to a cupboard and pulls out a book.) This is for you. I think it’s high time you owned your own English workbook.

Me: Thank you, Mr. Peckham. (My eyes fill with tears—I’ve wanted this workbook—dreamed of this workbook—for thirty years.)

As I’m walking out the door, Mr. Peckham stops me, “Taylor.”

Me: Yes?

Mr. Peckham: You are a writer.

Now, here's the thing with my Dream Review--I don't have to make one up, I've already received a Dream Review for Sierra! How amazing is that?

(Okay, so I don't love that the reviewer says Alex is dumb-as-a-box-of-rocks, but other than that, it's perfection!)

And to everyone else who has written a wonderful review of Sierra, I love your reviews too, but I had to choose just one!

See my Dream Review on Venture Galleries, here.

Taylor Dean’s Real-life Dream Review for  Sierra

This is my favorite review of Sierra and, frankly, I couldn’t  write or ask for anything better. I’m not sure I will ever receive a more amazing review!

Taylor Dean

Let me begin by saying that any review I leave here will never do this book justice. Not since Hunger Games has a book so captivated me and taken me on such an emotional roller coaster! I thought I had read romances before, and books like Jane Eyre and A Tale of Two Cities, I had always considered the peaks of romantic literature. Let me say this. This is the most romantic book I have ever read in my 38 years on this planet! In case you have not guessed by now, I loved this book!

When I began this book, I had no idea what I was getting into. I was horrified right off the bat, but I was so intensely drawn into the story that I savored every word on every page. Alyssa and Alex are fantastic characters, and Taylor Dean has made them truly three-dimensional. I connected with both in ways I never dreamed possible that I could connect with fictional characters. Alex gets my award for the most romantic character in a book–right alongside the Dumb as a Box of Rocks Award. No spoilers–read the book yourself.

I found myself tingling in unexpected ways and moaning (even when there were students in the room with me). More than once, I found myself crying over this story, and once I even threw the kindle down on the desk, determined to not finish it. It was too painful to read. Why? Well, let’s just say that while I have not experienced anything like Alyssa did, I long for so much of what she and Alex expressed. And the book was so real to me that I found myself longing for what I don’t have. Very rarely does a book ever affect me like this. I am a romantic at heart (which the majority of people would never guess), but so far, I can’t find anyone who wants to share that romance with me. At least I was able to have some vicarious pleasure with this story.

Let me end by saying there is basically no profanity. No misuse of God’s name–always makes me happy. And no sex before marriage. What? Really? What an amazing idea in this day and age! And I am glad the author had the decency to give the characters privacy in the bedroom. In fact, that makes it even more romantic, in my opinion. This book brought out the true romantic in me that often gets neglected.

~Ruth of My Devotional Thoughts

Thank you so much to Venture Galleries for the opportunity to be featured on your blog!

Check out some of the other Dream Interviews and Reviews on Venture Galleries. Some of them are really quite entertaining--to include an interview with the Devil, and an interview with the characters of Supernatural!

Enjoy!

THE WEEKEND

When I say weekend, what I really mean is the last two weeks!

You probably noticed, I didn't even get a 'weekend' post up last week. That's because I spent the last two weeks taking care of my daughter and my newest grandson.

Gavin Michael

Above is a picture of me meeting my new grandson for the first time--a memorable moment. 

That's two new grandsons for me in the year 2013 and I couldn't ask for anything more!

I was able to get a little work done here and there. (The best way to work is with a newborn baby on your lap!)

But, mostly two a.m. looked a little like this . . .

The little cutie had his days and nights confused!

However, all is well with both baby and mommy, and we couldn't be happier.

On the way home, we visited my son at college. (One more child to get through college and we're DONE! Yay!)

Now I'm home and playing catch-up with everything.

Book news: On Oct.1st the winner of the Kindle Book Review's Best Indie Book of 2013 will be announced. Sierra made it as a top five finalist in the Romance category! So excited!