Tag: publishing

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IWSG Virtual Book Tours

#IWSG June 2018 & Write with Fey #newrelease #giveaway

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Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click the image to learn more or sign up.

Optional Monthly Question: What’s harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names?

For me, it’s definitely book titles. I have this whole obsession with names and their meanings and keep a list of possible names I could use at any time. Book titles, on the other hand, elude me. Even after I’ve settled on one, I never really feel it fits. At some point, I have to call the book something so people will know what they are getting. It’s not easy making that final decision.

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So, first off, this is going to be a long one, but for good reason. I’ll be back to my shorter posts next time, I promise.

Now, I’d like to congratulate Juneta Key on her member spotlight in the May newsletter. Not only is she a great blogger and writer, she’s constantly giving back to the community. A very well-deserved recognition.

Now, on to the personal updates. Please stick around for a special new release message at the end.

So, in case you missed it, I unpublished the first two books in the Eternal Curse Series (they are still available to anyone who asks for them). You can learn more about that at the link above. Needless to say, I have a lot of writing to do with that rewrite as well as finishing the first draft of my Sayings sequel, which I still don’t have a title for. I seriously thought I’d be on my 3rd or 4th draft by now, but as usual, my day job, which is convenient for writing, is also so stressful as of late, that it’s blocked all my creativity… Oh well, that’s life.

On a slightly fun note, I’m in position 56 on the IWSG blog hop list. When I started out, I was 181. All that means is that many people have come and gone, and likely come back again in the time I’ve participated in this blog and I’ve been sticking with it and moving up the ladder. Being part of this group is one of my greatest accomplishments. I’m sadly thinking of reducing my blog to once a month post, still being open to interviews and spotlights whenever someone needs to fill a spot or wants some free promo… We’ll see what happens.

In typical Toi Thomas fashion, I’ve taken on a project that’s probably too ambitious for the likes of me to pull off, but since I can’t stop the dreams from keeping me up at night, I’m going for it. I’m attempting to host a fan-fueled book fair in my local area sometime next year (or the year after 😉 ). I’ve created a cute little mascot named Carnie the Bookworm. Would you like to meet him?

Over at A Small Gang of Authors, we are hosting our first ever book cover contest. We’d love for you to head over, check it out, and vote in the comments. Thanks bunches!

NEW RELEASE & GIVEAWAY!
Catch the sparks you need to write, edit, publish, and market your book!
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Write with Fey: 10 Sparks to Guide You from Idea to Publication offers an
abundance of data in one handy book. From writing your novel to prepping for publication and beyond, you’ll find sparks on every page, including 100 bonus marketing tips. You’ll also discover how to write specific scenes and characters, adding depth to your work.
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•        Spark One: Being a Writer
•        Spark Two: Story Essentials
•        Spark Three: A Book’s Stepping Stones
•        Spark Four: How To
•        Spark Five: Character ER
•        Spark Six: Editing
•        Spark Seven: Publishing
•        Spark Eight: Marketing
•        Spark Nine: Writing About
•        Spark Ten: Final Inspiration
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With so much information, you’ll take notes, highlight, and flag pages to come back to again and again on your writing journey.
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AUTHOR BIO:
Chrys Fey is the author of the Disaster Crimes Series, a unique concept blending romance, crimes, and disasters. She’s partnered with the Insecure Writer’s Support Group and runs their Goodreads book club. She’s also an editor for Dancing Lemur Press.
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Fey realized she wanted to write by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve, she started her first novel, which flourished into a series she later rewrote at seventeen. Fey lives in Florida and is always on the lookout for hurricanes.
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Chrys Fey’s Links:
Website / Blog / Amazon / Goodreads
Facebook / Twitter
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GIVEAWAY!
Open to all from June 4th 2018 – July 6th 2018
Click here to enter or use the form below.

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So, are you a whiz at book titles but struggle with character names or vice versa?
Would you ever unpublish a book? Does the idea of it terrify you?
What did you think of Carnie?
You gonna enter Chrys Fey’s giveaway?

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Beverly Stowe McClure,
Tyrean Martinson,
Tonja Drecker, and
Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #56).

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
IWSG

#IWSG October 2016: When is your story ready, in case you missed it, & #book drive donations.

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Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click the image to learn more or sign up.

Monthly Question: When do you know your story is ready?

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The smarta$$ in me wants to ask the question, “ready for what?” When is your story ready for sharing, ready for editing, ready for publishing? Who knows… I guess, for me, this question is asking when is your story ready to be shared with others, whether on a blog, in a message to a select few, or with an editor in preparation for publication.

This is a tough one. I don’t always know in the same way for each story. Sometimes the story is ready only after it’s been self-edited enough. Sometimes it’s ready when the story feels complete and satisfying in a way that I no longer feel I need to add to or improve. Sometimes the story is ready when I’m tired of working on it. It really depends on the story and where I am emotionally.

And now on to the updates and in case you missed it.

This blog has been through so many changes over the years and I’m not in a place where I want it to change again, but it may have to. Some of the blog hops I participate in are either ending or changing and I’m feeling anxious. My movie review hop is ending, but I’m still going to try to review one movie a month. I feel like the love of cinema is an important part of me and my creative process that I should share with anyone who might want to know something about me from reading this blog. Also, the Question of the Month and Flashback Friday host has decided to walk away from those hops for good and personal reasons. I’ll miss him and am curious to see what direction these hops will take now that he’s seeking replacements. I threw my name in the hat, but I’d be happy with whoever he chooses. I just want these hops to continue. I really enjoy them.

So…now… let me choose my words wisely. Amazon(dot)com and I had a bit of a tiff recently. I’m seriously considering publishing my email correspondence with them as a free PDF download on this blog for anyone who’d like to read them. They are shocking, sad, and terrifying all at once. If you want to know the summary of our tiff, check out the article I wrote about it last week, by clicking the image below.

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I mentioned it before and here’s the results. I’ve updated all my books and am ready to release my children’s books on my birthday. If you have a moment, please enjoy my unboxing video.

And last but not least, I’m trying a wacky campaign that may not go anywhere, but since I’ve only shared it with family and friends so far (I don’t count Twitter), I won’t feel too bad if no one supports it. I’m used to my family and friends ignoring anything involving my writing, excluding my mom and a handful of others who are my biggest supporters. Again, if you have the time, I’d love for you to check out my campaign video.

Don’t say it enough; thanks bunches for visiting this blog and reading my babble.

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When is your story ready?
Do you handle unwanted change well?
Ever had a tiff with Amazon? Should I publish my emails?
Any thoughts on my new children’s books?

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Beverly Stowe McClure,
Megan Morgan,
Viola Fury,
Madeline Mora-Summonte,
Angela Wooldridge, and
Susan Gourley!

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #71).

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
IWSG

#IWSG January 2015: New Year, New Beginning

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Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click the image to learn more or sign up.

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UPDATE TO POST: I forgot I was supposed to be introducing myself. I don’t have any fancy or flowery words to throw together right now, but here I am.

I’m Toi. Married almost 10 years to my best friend and hopelessly devoted to my family in general. I write fiction, mostly sci-fi and paranormal, but I’m dabbling in romance and fantasy. I’m a geek who loves movies, comics books, vinyl records, tea, and chocolate.

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Well it’s that time again to offer up encouragement or seek some out. I’ll just go ahead and jump right into this spiel and try to keep it brief. 2014 was not a good year for me at all.

Don’t get me wrong, of course there were some good, happy, exciting, and wonderful moments. I’m blessed in so many ways, but I’ve never been so happy to see a new year like I was this year. While I won’t list all the reasons why last year wasn’t good for me, I’ll throw out the top three.

1. My sister-in-law battled and then lost her battle with cancer. Aside from the fact that she’s gone and I miss her, going through that whole process altered plans for my personal life as well as plans for my book. I had a tough choice to make and decided to put family before my book and I have no regrets, but I miss her and can’t get back all those opportunities I forfeited.

2. Constant and harsh personal illnesses both physical and mental. I battled a lot this past year, more than I ever want to again. I want 2015 to be a much healthier year.

3. Technical issues. After the ordeal of transferring my blog to self-hosting, the fun didn’t stop there. I suffered constant technical issues all year until my computer finally crashed in December.

But that was then and this is now. I am slowly getting back on my feet and looking to the future.

One more thing to add to the list, which may actually be a blessing, is the fact that I ended my contract with my publisher. I don’t even feel like dealing with the severity of that, but at least it was an amicable split. At this point I’m just going to create a new cover, since I don’t have the rights to the other, and just self-publish. I think that’s what I really wanted anyway. I like to be in control and never should have let someone else do something I’d rather do myself.

So, looking ahead, I’m putting off releasing my romance novel until later in the year and focusing on the sequel to my Eternal Curse Series. Also, I have a short story featured in a recently released anthology about time travel. Please check it out if you are interested.

I hope I didn’t bum you out too much and hope that you could sense a note of positivity in here somewhere. What are your plans for 2015? 

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Elizabeth Seckman,
Lisa Buie-Collard,
Chrys Fey, and
Michelle Wallace!

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #122).

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords