De-stress the Holiday Madness

Today's December mental health post is brought to you by romantic suspense author Melissa Ohnoutka.

Brrrr….

As I sit and write this, it is finally feeling like the Christmas season here in my little part of Texas. The highs for this week are forecasted to stay below 60! After the blistering hot summer months and drought we had this year, it’s a really nice change. Shoot, even the cold rain didn’t bother me all that much. We even ventured out on Sunday when the rain slowed to a chilling sprinkle to cut down our Christmas tree. And what a tree it is. It sure didn’t look that tall or wide out there in the open field with the others. I think we may be having an ornament shortage this year. LOL

Ah, Christmas time. The time for compassion and sharing. The time to get together with friends and family to make those precious memories and play catch up with what everyone’s been doing. The time to reflect over the past year and be thankful for all the blessings.

So what the heck happens to my plans for a peaceful joyous season?

I love this time of year. It’s my favorite holiday. All the hustle and bustle that comes along with it, not so much.

Every year I tell myself I’m going to get better prepared. Make lists, shop early, get those Christmas cards printed and sent out before the 15th. And every year, it never fails. I’m always shocked at how fast the season sneaks up on me. Organization plays a key role in everything we do. I don’t know why I can’t get this through my thick skull. LOL It sure would make my life a lot easier.

I think it has a lot to do with procrastination. In my head, I’ve got plenty of time to run out and buy those gifts—-tomorrow. Or decorate that Christmas tree, or address those envelopes. Laundry, house work, writing. You name it and I’ll procrastinate before doing it. Time is just not on my side that’s all.  What’s a frazzled mom to do?

Tips I’ve found to be helpful over the years to de-stress during this time and still get stuff done:

1. Call a family meeting before December hits. And then delegate, delegate, delegate. Especially with the chores and normal daily routine activities. (I like this one a lot!)

2. Make those lists the night before. Keep that list close while you sleep. I always remember something I forgot around 1:00 a.m. And when I wake up the next morning, I have no idea what it was. Drives me crazy!

3. To tackle those things that need to be done at home, get out your handy dandy kitchen timer. Pick one thing. (Yes, just one!) Set the timer for 30 minutes and don’t stop till it goes off. You’ll be amazed at how much you actually get done in those 30 minutes of uninterrupted focus.

4. For those Christmas gifts, plan out your shopping trip a few days ahead. Draw maps, add stickers, smiley faces, etc. to your list to indicate priority, get those coupons organized and be sure to schedule a much needed break for coffee, tea or my favorite, one Route 66 Sonic Dr. Pepper. (Oh, you might put in a potty break as well.)

5. Finally, don’t forget to breath. Have fun. It will all get done. The main thing I try to remember each year is to not let all the chaos steal the true meaning of Christmas. Enjoy each and every moment and know that the most priceless gift of all was given out of love and didn’t cost a single penny.

Wishing everyone a Very Merry Christmas and Joyous New Year filled with lots of love and laughter!

Melissa's latest release, Target of Betrayal, is available on Amazon as well as other fine online retailers this holiday season.

Guest Blog by Melissa Ohnoutka - Survival of the Fittest: What's Next?

I asked Melissa Ohnoutka, author of Faithful Deceptions, to share her post-publishing experience with us.  So without further ado, here's Melissa:

So you finally did it. You made the difficult decision to step into the publishing ring alone. You’ve done your research, crossed all your t’s and dotted all your i’s. Trudged your way through the icky swamps of formatting hell and designing your very own cover. Or maybe you spared yourself the added stress and frustration and found someone else to do the dirty work for you. Whatever path you took, the result is still the same. You took that risk and so far, you’ve survived.
But now what? Do you find yourself sitting in front of your computer, the doubt monster screaming so loud in your ears you can’t get anything done?

“Why did you do that? What were you thinking? No one’s gonna buy your book.”

I don’t know what’s worse. Actually pushing the darn submit button that sends your baby out into the world for the masses to see, or the nagging doubt that comes afterward.

I can tell you what not to do. Don’t panic! Everything will be just fine. Take slow breathes, step away from the computer for a few days and give yourself a pat on the back. What you’ve done was no easy decision or task.

And the truth is, what comes next will require more energy, perseverance and determination than you ever imagined. Let’s face it. For me, I now consider the marketing part trickier than writing the book. I have absolutely no experience in marketing. Commercials on TV and the radio drive me bonkers. I don’t listen to them or watch them and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. So, how do you get your book noticed without becoming one of those annoying 30 second blips of mere interruptions in people’s lives? You can spend a fortune on advertisements and never know if the ones you used worked at all.

Here’s my take on what I’ve learned so far. We need to be subtle but relentless. Building online relationships is a big key here. Word of mouth sells better than any other form of marketing strategy. But in the beginning, when few people know who we are and what we write, we are required to do everything possible just to get noticed. Again, we can’t sell what they can’t find.

What has worked for me? If you blog, use keywords in your blog post and your guest blog post that get your name out there in the search engines. Join groups where readers go to chat about books and participate in the conversations. Be friendly, supportive and willing to share. Load your cover as your profile picture or include links to your books or website in your signature, but don’t plug your new releases anywhere but the specific areas designated for this. People can be downright ugly about it if you break the rules. Trust me, you don’t want to go there.

Use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn as well as other social media sites like the ones I’ve found that have something in common with the genre you write. For example, if you write thrillers and suspense sign up for Crimespace and Policepluse. Search the Internet, you’ll be surprised what you find. There are numerous Review sites that will do book reviews both for free and for a fee as well as interviews with new authors.

Get your books in as many formats as possible. Why? First, we don’t want to miss a sale simply because it’s not available in a format the reader needs. And second, it’s just means more exposure for your book. I agree that print copies are pretty pricey for readers to take a chance on a new author, but having one available means your book is listed in places e-books might not be. And the cost to set one up is minimal. I’ve also had postcards printed up with my cover, book blurb, website and sales info to hand out when my book comes up in conversation. This is working quite well.

Your family can be great marketing tools as well. To my horror, my daughter visited the Sony store in our local mall the last time we were there and pulled up my website on the computers and then left. The mere idea someone might recognize me from the picture freaked me out. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Silly, I know.  :)

I tell myself constantly, EVERY opportunity to be seen is chance for a future sale. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. This one is so hard for me. I personally hate to be seen! LOL

Great links on Self Publishing, Promo and Marketing:

JA Konrath

Your Self Publishing Coach

Marketing Tips for Authors

Thanks so much for having me today, Suzan! I’ve made some great friends along the way and couldn’t have done it without you guys!

If you’d like to learn more or see what’s up next, please visit my website. http://www.melissaohnoutka.com/

And you can find “Faithful Deceptions” at:

Barnes & Noble – ebook and print

Amazon – ebook and print

Smashwords - ebook

XinXii – ebook and pdf

Author On Her Own - Melissa Ohnoutka

Another colleague has opted for the independent publishing route.  Melissa Ohnoutka comes across as a sweet, unassuming lady.  All I can say is read this with the lights on.

It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?

Faithul Deceptions is now available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Blurb

Money dictates the rules of this game and the victim could be anybody— regardless of sex, age, or race.

When high-end antiques dealer, Hailey Devlin, discovers her business partner's boyfriend has bankrupted their company, she sets out to expose the thief. Unknown to Hailey, her target is involved in a brutal trafficking ring where human lives are sold off to the highest bidder and she fits the next customer's order perfectly. She awakens to a world she can't remember. An alluring man claims to be her husband-a man who seems both to want and reject her. Is this amnesia or something much more sinister?

ICE Agent Patrick Roark jumped at the chance to put his training to the test on an elite human trafficking squad of Homeland Security. Undercover as the bodyguard to the ring leader, and key suspect in a murder case, proves more than he bargained for. Masterminding a clever deception, he's determined to keep the next victim safe—even if the high-stakes operation costs him everything-including his heart. Can they survive a killer's wrath? And if they do, will the lies be too damaging for their love to endure?


For more information about Melissa, check out her website and her blog.