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IWSG

#IWSG Feb. 2023- Cover Design Control

IWSG

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

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

Optional Monthly Question: If you are an Indie author, do you make your own covers or purchase them? If you publish trad, how much input do you have about what goes on your cover?

I’ve designed all my book covers since going exclusively indie, outside of anthology covers I’ve contributed to. I like the control and the creative challenge. I also like polling readers throughout the process to see what does and doesn’t work, but sometimes I just do what I want anyway. That’s the beauty of self-publishing. Still, if I plan to actually make money with a publication, I do put effort into finding out what’s going to work for the genre and get reader feedback before letting my ego take over.

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IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS

#iwsgbookclub

Member Spotlight

Summer of L.U.C.K.- Goodreads, Amazon, Bookshop

Craft Book

Nail Your Novel- Goodreads, Amazon, Bookshop

We have some changes coming to the book club. More details will be provided in March, but here’s a sneak peek.

In January 2023, I completed 2 books, but my goal was three. I have a short book I plan to read to hopefully fit in with my February reads. 

2023 Reading Challenge

2023 Reading Challenge
Toi has
read 2 books toward
her goal of
36 books.
hide

 Below you’ll find my star ratings and review tags for each title I completed in the indicated month. You can also click the images to see the thorough reviews.
4-stars, no review posted yet. Amazon
5-stars, no review posted yet. Amazon | Bookshop

Now, on to the personal updates.

I created a BuzzFeed quiz and would love for you to check it out.

What Kind of Whodunit Can You Handle?

I’ve been busy in a lot of ways, but the most challenging at the moment has been as a developmental editor to an aspiring writer. The great thing about this is that the writer has some natural talent. I’m just there to guide and hone. I’ve found that I’m better at helping people develop their stories than I am at writing my own, but I still love to write, and I’ve been able to do a little of that lately.

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Do book covers really matter to you?
Are you excited about some changes with the book club?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will eventually stop by your blog.
My response time has gotten slower but I’m still making my rounds.

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Jacqui Murray, 
Ronel Janse van Vuuren, 
Pat Garcia, and
Gwen Gardner!

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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 #28).

Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.

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About Toi Videos

01/23 New Content on Other Platforms #contentcreator

I shared my first PUBLIC/FREE Monthly update of the year on my Patreon page and would love for you to check it out.

Monthly Update 01/23

I finally got around to posting a kind of year in review. It’s a “What I Read in 2022 and More.” Due to technical difficulties mentioned in my Patreon post, this video is basically a slide show with some narration. I really hope to be back in front of the camera for my next video.

Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.

Categories
IWSG

#IWSG Jan. 2023- New Year, new hope; right?

IWSG

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

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

Optional Monthly Question: [not my words] Do you have a word of the year? Is there one word that sums up what you need to work on or change in the coming year? For instance, in 2021 my word of the year was Finish. I was determined to finish my first draft by the end of the year. In 2022, my word of the year was Ease. I want to get my process, systems, finances, and routines where life flows with ease and less chaos. What is your word for 2023? Why?

I’m trying really hard not to sink into a deep depression right now. The last few years have been rough, in general, but the last quarter of 2022 was just too much. All I wanted for the holiday was to spend time with my family. Instead, I got to be sick and quarantined. I’m so tired of everything being so hard.

I’m not delusional.

I recognize that there are people in this world far worse off than I am, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m overwhelmed with constantly trying to cope with all the struggles. I was almost hit by cars twice and sustained mild physical injuries from each incident. I had the flu in the Fall and did nothing for my birthday. I got COVID on Christmas Day and spent the week in bed. I mean like really, too weak to even binge-watch TV. I’ve had work and life traumas including ongoing health issues resulting in increased anxiety and PTSD. My writing continues to be a struggle and now I can barely even read for pleasure. Plus, I lost my wedding ring- removed while laid up so my hand wouldn’t swell and now it’s nowhere to be found. On top of all that, my dog is constantly sick- I’m currently nursing her back to health as I write this blog post.

I know there are so many ways in which I’m blessed. When my PC crashed on Dec 21st, my new Mac had just arrived in the mail. I’m grateful for that, but the weeks leading up to the crash were a real struggle. Plus, Macs are a lot more expensive than PCs- it took a lot of hard work to save up for it. I need time to recover- time I didn’t get over the holiday, and time that I can’t get now that I have to be back at work.

I guess my word for 2023 is recovery. It’s all I really want.

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IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS

#iwsgbookclub

Member Spotlight

Fractions of Existence | Amazon

Craft Book

The Emotional Craft of Fiction | Amazon | Bookshop.org

No other updates this month.

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What’s your word for 2023?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will eventually stop by your blog. My response time has gotten slower but I’m still making my rounds.

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Jemima Pett,
Debs Carey,
Kim Lajevardi,
Sarah Foster,
Natalie Aguirre, and
T. Powell Coltrin!

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Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.