Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone Is a Good Thing!

That Kickstarter campaign for the Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse series was me stepping outside of my comfort zone to try a new avenue for getting my stories out to the public.

Honestly, all I wanted was to make enough to pay my cover artist, my formatter, and my editor for helping me get me get the four books out this year.

And then everything blew up last Friday with Brandon Sanderson promoting a bunch of campaigns, including mine. Because of that attention, Kickstarter has blessed me with the "Projects We Love" label.

Once again, I find myself outside of my comfort zone. In a good way though. I'm jumping into audiobooks now rather than 2024 (which was the original date on my business plan). Darling Husband and I were considering driving out to see Genius Kid and Adorable Spawn this fall. If we do go, I'll be in the back seat, typing away on the extra projects.

It's not a question of getting everything done. I'm nervous that all these new people won't like my stuff. Yes, we writers are an anxiety-prone lot, and I am no exception.

Everything is thrilling and scary and glorious at the same time. I'm just hoping I and my work live up to expectations.

(She says while in the middle of a scene where the twelve-year-olds are trying to gross each other out.)

One Crazy Week

Last Monday, my campaign for Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse funded its initial goal of $600. The problem was I knew who had pledged the money that tipped me over the goal.

And one of Kickstarter's terms and conditions is that you don't name your backers.

The rest of the week I got a few more pledges so when I went to bed at 5 AM on Friday, my campaign was nearly at $700. I was satisfied it funded. When I stumbled out of the bedroom at 3:30 PM and retrieved some caffeine, my phone was buzzing every minute or so. While I waited for my laptop to boot up, I started checking texts, voicemail, and email on the phone. And then, the computer started dinging as I logged into various communication and social programs.

My benefactor had outted himself, and it was none other than Brandon Sanderson. He not only donated to Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse but 316 other publishing campaigns. He and his team filmed themselves doing it and loaded the video onto YouTube. They mentioned Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse by name, and they made a point of posting the link to my campaign on the YouTube page.

So now I can talk about it. But Brandon tells the story better...

DH insisted we had to watch Brandon's video during dinner Friday night instead of Jeopardy!

This situation goes to prove there is a certain amount of luck involved in this crazy business. I took a major chance with an oddball series by throwing myself on the mercy of the public. And by doing so, I was in the right place at the right time for someone I don't know to shine a spotlight in my direction.

However, I owe a bigger thank you to all of Brandon's fans who took a chance on a writer they never heard of. I hope they enjoy my books!

Retro Saturday Night!

Sir Mix-A-Lot and body positivity for the win!

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

This is much needed in today's world!

Go to the Youtube page for links to buy Beton's music and donate to the Free Ukraine Resistance Movement.

Working for a Living

I slept in this morning. When I got up, I realized I didn't have any hard-boiled eggs for breakfast. My run to the grocery store was awesome! For once, they were fully stocked with Pepsi Zero! So eggs, English Muffins, soda, and my splurge, salt and vinegar potato chips.

I swung by Starbucks--a breakfast sandwich for Bella and me and coffee for DH.

And now, I need to get proofing and formatting done on some other books before settling in for more writing on A Measure of Knowledge. The Mars Tranquilus survived the initial attack by skinwalker pirates, and Crown Prince Bao Quan Po is about to get married. But of course, there's still a lot of ocean to cover before Anthea and the gang arrive in Jing.

And if I focus on Anthea's adventures, I won't keep checking on my Kickstarter campaign for Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse.

What are you doing on this marvelous Hump Day?

Coronavirus Pandemic Day 741/Ukraine Invasion Day 26 - Travel? What Travel?

Known COVID-19 cases in the U.S. - 79,728,165
Known COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. - 971,087

Over the weekend, I've had more than one friend ask if I was going to any writer conferences in 2022. I've politely said, "I doubt it. I don't feel comfortable traveling yet."

What I really want to say is, "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

I literally cannot afford to get COVID-19 regardless of the variant. When I say I'm immuno-compromised, it means the  common cold lays me out for two weeks. The flu? Last time I had it, I was sick from complications from January to May. After using the toilet, I had to lay down on the bathroom floor to rest for 15 minutes before I could crawl back to my bed or the couch.

Believe me, I wish I were joking about the last part. But it's still better than getting blown up for going to a hospital to deliver my baby like in Ukraine right now.

Maybe I'm paranoid. Maybe I'm not. But I'm definitely not the only Gen-Xer making jokes about hiding under our school desks in case the nukes start dropping. We live roughly equidistant from five major U.S. cities. And that doesn't include the fallout from Chicago blowing our way. Our town is fucked if the current war goes nuclear.

The old fear is back. As I explained to GK the other night, I never wanted him or my grandchildren to feel the shadow DH and I experienced when we were growing up. In some ways, now it's worse because we're dealing with batcrap crazy people. Or person. Oh, let's name names. Vlad Putin is knucking futs!

So between the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and Vlad's finger hovering over a big red button, I'm not going anywhere for a while. I'm going to hide out at home like I've done for the last two years.

Because if I'm going to die, I want to be with my loved ones when I do.

I Love the '10's!

For all of us with some bass!

Why Are We Repeating the 20th Century?

It's been a rough week on both the home front and in the world.

The FIL is in the hospital with a broken hip. Putin is ordering hospitals and theaters blown up. Omicron is sweeping through Asia.

And I'm trying to write the second book in what is supposed to be a lighthearted fantasy series.

I've been doing my best to stay off the news cycle, but it's hard to avoid everything. Family and friends have been calling and texting in their efforts to distract themselves. Last night, my sprinting partner and I ended up talking publishing industry gossip because both of us were worn out from our week.

And I can't help but wonder about the adage, "Those that forget history are doomed to repeat it."

My grandparents were all born in the '10's and '20's of last century. My oldest grandparent remembered the Spanish Flu and WWI. They all lived through the Great Depression, and it severely affected their views on money and food.

And they were all adults, married with children, when WWII broke out.

The other night, DH and I had to explain the nuclear war drills when we were in grade school. At GK's birth, I thought he wouldn't have to worry about that shit.

Boy, was I wrong!

I find myself watching repeats of  Friends. The '90's seem to be the one relatively stable time in my life. Which means only two of my grandparents ever saw any stability in their entire lives. Except the '90's was when their health really went downhill. They both passed in the next decade. So maybe their view may be a lot different than mine.

If you feel the need to do something to help Ukaine (and I don't mean harassing refugees by proselytizing them), may I suggest World Central Kitchen?

World Central Kitchen #Chefs for Ukraine - https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine

New Release! Silver Shoes and Pigs' Ears

Yes, a new book is out today! Some of you may remember Silver Shoes and Pigs' Ears as one of my free short stories from a few years ago. Now you can own your very own copy!

SILVER SHOES AND PIGS' EARS

Mistral is on a quest to retrieve a pair of magical shoes she lost a couple of decades ago. Shoes that are far too powerful to leave in anyone’s hands. However, she’s sidetracked on her mission when she rescues a group of human children enslaved at a mine.

When a blizzard hampers their escape from the children’s porcine captors, the pigs’ enslaved wolf tracks them to the abandoned village where they’ve taken shelter from the storm. Can Mistral trust the wolf when he claims he wants to escape with them?

Or has she delivered herself and the children into the hooves of three very deadly pigs and their big, bad wolf?

Amazon, all countries
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Google Play
Kobo
Smashwords

Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse Kickstarter Is Live!

Apparently, I did everything right as far as prep work because the Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse Kickstarter went live last night!

A lot of people I've talked to who have done Kickstarters said that it takes two-three days for the folks at Kickstarter to approve a campaign. So, I'll have an extra couple of days to meet my goal.

Soccer Mom of the Apocalypse is a brand-new, four-novel series about four suburban women who are tapped to be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

You can get these books early through my Kickstarter Campaign.

Plus, backers will get the prequel novella Apocalypse? Not Now! with the minimum pledge of $1.00. The novella and other swag will never be offered again.

Check out Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse now!

I Love the '10's!

I really needed a little positivity after the last few weeks.

It's Almost Time!

This week, I've been busy finalizing my very first Kickstarter for my new series Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse! I'm so excited! The official launch date is March 15th, but the preview page is active! Click here to check it out!

Today, I need to redo my video. Statistically, a personal appeal will more likely to get your project funded. And the current video is the...well, I'm not sure, but I did over a hundred takes over the course of three days last weekend. I admit me and cameras are not friends. The people who critiqued my previous video tried to be kind, but I sounded like a hypervetilating hippo.

And that was the best take out of over a hundred.

I know some folks are almost as excited about this series as I am, but I won't be putting up the preorders on the retail sites until after the Kickstarter ends on April 5th. Also the prequel novella Apocalypse? Not Now! is only available through the Kickstarter. So if you want your books early plus the exclusive novella, think about supporting my kickstarter!

Brandon Sanderson Breaks the Bank

I've been studying Kickstarters for the last couple of years. It's been interesting to see what artists want to accomplish, how they appeal to backers, and what kind of rewards motivate which kind of fans. All of this was in preparation to launch my own Kickstarter with a brand-new series, Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse.

In the midst of 2020, the year of isolation and hell, sci-fi/fantasy author Brandon Sanderson launched a Kickstarter to put out a a tenth anniversary, leather-bound edition of his novel The Way of Kings. His goal was $250,000.

Brandon set the record for a publishing project with $6,788,517 in pledges. His Kickstarter opened a lot of eyes about what could be possible with a campaign, including mine.

As I was finalizing my own Kickstarter for launch, Brandon started another one call Four Secret Books last Tuesday. That's right--four brand-new novels and eight swag boxes through the twelve months of 2023. His goal was $1,000,000.

Wow! I logged into Kickstarter to see how he was doing, and the pledged dollar amount was whirling like a Vegas slot machine. People were thoroughly excited about this project. To the point that on Day 3, Four Secret Books became the largest grossing Kickstarter to date.

I have the window with his project up on my laptop as I write this. He was in the $25.2M range when I started typing this post. It'll be $25.4M by the time I hit publish.

The whole thing is blowing my mind about what's possible for writers.

Of course, the whiners and naysayers have already started their trolling and bitchfests. They simply can't imagine being this successful.

But this weekend, DH and I did some brainstorming about doing something special when A Question of Balance's tenth anniversary comes up in 2026.

Crowdfunding gives us writers a way to fund and launch IP where we get the profits. It's such an awesome time to be a writer!

I Love the '10's!

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

A Weird Week

DH and I are watching the news on the Ukraine invasion because one of his company's offices is/was in Kyiv. As I said on Monday, several co-workers are trying to get their families to Poland.

DH already volunteered to sponsor and host a family. We have two spare bedrooms. I'd planned to use one for my OOAK dolls. So I haven't unpacked any more of my material, thread, and Barbies and Jem dolls in desperate need of a makeover.

We figured out what needs to be removed, and we'll borrow the spare full-sized bed from my father-in-law's Victorian, so there will be two beds in the sewing room for extra kidlets.

Surprisingly, I've managed to get quite a bit done as far as writing and publishing goes despite being a news junkie.

The last thing I need to do for my upcoming Kickstarter is my introductory video. I hate being photographed or filmed, but this is a necessity. And first, I need to dye my hair blue. Electric blue.

I love being a blue-haired grandma!

No Experiment Is a Failure

Fear of failure is a huge problem with a lot of writers. The old publishing system was set up to feed on that fear.

• What if my story isn't perfect?
• What if I leave in a typo?
• What if I missed one of the editor/agent's rules?

But with indie publishing, the only real question is whether the reader likes your story. And the only way to know that is to get your book into the reader's hands.

Which means you have got to try different marketing techniques.

The big issue is that a particular method will work for some people and not for others. And the only to know if a particular way will work for you is if you try it. That's why I'm getting ready to launch a Kickstarter next week. 

I've supported 29 Kickstarters over the last eleven years, ranging from a spoken word artist to a stuffed animal that would be perfect for Adorable Spawn's woodland-themed nursery. My own Kickstarter is an experiment to see if I can attract new readers by promoting an entire series at one time.

If I don't fund, I know I've tried my best. I'll do a post-mortem to figure out where I went wrong. Will I try again? I won't know until after the post-mortem.

My bigger fear is the Kickstarter is too successful. I can handle sending out a hundred packages. What happens if I have a couple of thousand packages? I'll be scrambling for some help.

But I won't know what will happen until I try it. And that's what life is all about.