First off, let me start by saying: “HAPPY THANKSGIVING!”
I have no doubt that my American compadres will be stuffed to capacity and all turkeyed-out by now. Hope you had a great holiday.
Sometimes, I forget why I started this blog. THEN, I see something like this:
And it all comes rushing back…*sigh*
So, what better way to spend your Sunday than this? Banning the bullshit!
Ah, that’s better.
So, what have I got in store for you today? Well, something a little different…
Here’s a little Saffi-fact for you: I don’t actually know many writers.
Sure, I am cyber-pals with a lot of them and spend a lot of time communicating online with people in the same crazy game as me, but personally, I know very few people that write. I bet I know more than I think, but they just haven’t come out yet! 😉
Anyway, that is the reason for today’s blog. That and the fact that I know just how scary it is starting out.
Yup, been there, done that. Pressing publish is probably the most frightening thing I have ever done in my life (well, aside from my first blue run on my snowboard and waking up in hospital minus most of my innards, but you get the picture).
Putting your debut novel out there for all the world to see (and criticise) takes a lot of guts.
What if everyone hates it? Worse than that, what if no-ones buys it? (No, strike that, what if they buy it, then hate it? I’d rather they didn’t buy it. Oh crap, how do you unpublish a book?) It really is a daunting task. And then, on top of all that, you have to learn things that scare the hell out of you:
Twitter, facebook, pinterest, tumblr; HTML formatting, editing, cover design, publishing platforms, pricing, blogging…argh, why can’t we just write a book?!!!
It really is a slog. Nevermind being woken in the middle of the night with a new idea or a weird and wonderful character knocking on the inside of your skull, writing a book is a HUGE committment and it takes dedication and patience, so I applaud anyone that even attempts it, let alone accomplishes it.
Say hello to J.M. Wilson and Ruby Ridd.
Jill is a friend of our family and this is her first book.
Well, Jill. You certainly got the first hurdle jumped! What a great cover!
I love it. It’s perfect.
Here’s the blurb:
When 10 year old Ruby’s parents die and she has to go and live with her grandparents, little does she know that she is about to discover her mother’s secret.
Ruby’s whole life changes in an instant when she is sucked into an ‘Otherworld’, the world of the Manushi, a race of magical people, who, unbeknown to the Human race, live in quiet areas of the countryside. This is the beginning of a mystical and fabulous adventure, filled with danger for her, and her new friends, Dena, Berty and Silverton.
Ruby needs to find out what her mother’s secret is. Maybe then she can find out why she is here, how she got here and most importantly, how to get back home. Now the size of a bug, she possesses new magical skills, but these don’t help her when she is captured and imprisoned by FarFrom – a mad, banished scientist. All Ruby can do is sit tight whilst her friends battle FarFrom, and his twisted mix of science and magic, as they try to rescue her.
Hmmn, sounds good right?
You can buy Jill’s first book from Amazon UK here and every other half-decent ebook store.
You know what I’m gonna say next right? Fill in the blanks: What *** you waiting for?
Congrats on the release of your book Jill and everyone here at BtB Sunday wishes you every success. You’ve done the easy bit (writing the book), now get on with the rest! 😉
Until next week folks. Step away from the slimy piles…
Saffi
Writer, dreamer, pantser.
Saffi's musings over darkness & light 
Thank you so much Sarah, you said ‘a mention’, you have certainly have done that.
Your support and your kind words mean so much.
You are so right about coming out and saying ‘I write’, my toes curl up like parsnip crisps when I utter such words. Writing used to be such a private affair, as easy as typing alone submerged in my ‘Otherworld’. Having to embrace technology after happily ignoring it for years, is my biggest challenge so far, until now, when as you say, we are metaphorically speaking, laid publicly naked, to be picked over and devoured. Lets just hope enjoyed and not spit out. x
You are more then welcome, Jill. You have a foot on the first step…
(Disclaimer – I do not use these words lightly, they resonate with me as loudly as they will with addicts of any other nature)
1. We admitted we were powerless over writing, that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe and to accept that we needed strengths beyond our awareness and resources to restore us to sanity. (not gonna happen)
3. Made a decision to entrust our wills and our lives to the care of the collective wisdom and resources of those who have searched before us.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to ourselves, without reservation, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We are ready to accept help in letting go of all our defects of character(s).
7. With humility and openness sought to eliminate our shortcomings (or write an alternative ending – ‘cos we can).
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed (through fiction), and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. (or let some other character take the fall)
11. Sought through meditation to improve our spiritual awareness and our understanding of the WA (Writers Anonymous) way of life and to discover the power to carry out that way of life.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to fellow scribes, and to practice these principals in all our affairs.
😉
Welcome to the cheap seats, there’s no going back now…
S