Category Archives: Career

Guidance from a Newbie: Fiverr Freelancing

Advice, Career, Guidance, Out in the World, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

Howdy, Vikans!

*gasp* a Blog Post that’s NOT on a SUNDAY?!

Yeah, I’m stunned and excited at the same time.

Isn’t this December so much fun?

*sarcasm*

*slightly*

So, onto the subject of this blog post.

So I recently dove into the mysterious realm of Fiverr as a way to keep my creative brain agile and my logical brain focused for as long of periods as I can. My gigs are mainly creative/editing/brainstorming focused, because that’s the fun stuff, with 1 Gig geared toward IT/Excel. If you are a creative individual, continue on, as I list all my current Fiverr Gigs below. Since I’m starting out, I could use a good number of customers to both help me get noticed, as well as keep my ADHD under control and stop my life-long severe anxiety preoccupied enough to not torment me inside my mind constantly.

Problem is, now that Fiverr is so saturated, getting your first customers is mainly luck. You need to figure out what skills you have that people could need help with, then determine what to offer for each of the 3 package levels, strategize price points for them, decide how fast your turn around time would be for each level, figure out if you can offer additional add-ons, describe your Gig in a paragraph or two, form questions for your customer that encompasses everything you need to do the job (or at least get the order started), and then FINALLY let it loose to the public!

*sigh of relief*

Yeah, sounds complicated, right? Once you get the hang of it, though, it will be smooth sailing (mostly…) to add more services to your Seller Portfolio.

Now what you might be thinking is that at this point, you should be swimming with orders now, right? After all, you’ve put up a good number of options that you’re good at. But days go by, and most of the messages you receive are scammers from other countries (I gotta say, though, that Fiverr has their game up on spammers; they lock the messages for those people before I can even open the app to read it. Props to Fiverr on that front!).

You’ve got your Gigs set up, you look at the Analytics for your Gigs via the website and see plenty of impressions are being made, yet you still haven’t gotten many, if any, customers. And, if you have had someone reach out to you, it’s a 50/50 chance it will lead to an actual job order.

 

So, what might be the problem?

For me, it’s one of two reasons:
(1) The way you designed your Gig
(2) Luck.

 

(1) – Set-Up / Design

For (1), this is error on your end. Doesn’t mean you’ve messed up royally, it just means that your set-up wasn’t optimized enough to grab someone’s attention. Now, Issue (1) has a few sub points of interest::

(1a) — The thumbnail photo. This, along with your subject/title of the gig, are the first 2 things potential customers see when scrolling through the HUGE directory of all kinds of sellers you are now competing for attention with. I’d suggest 2 ways to go with the photo, and 1 way to NOT go with for a photo:

The DOs::
#1:: Content you’ve already created that is related (even slightly) to this particular Gig. The thumbnail should be the one best quality that is closest to what service your Gig is offering. Fiverr laso allows you to put a couple more files and/or pictures as a portfolio for each Gig when you build it. Starting out, you might not have much portfolio to upload. No worries; I’m in the same boat. So, option #2 could be better, if you are handy with Paint or Photoshop —

#2:: Create your own thumbnail. Get creative. Add quotes, a backdrop of some kind, the actual title and/or brief byline of your service directly into the picture. Just get creative and have fun with it! (Take note, though, that there is a pixel limit when it comes to size. Keep that in mind when designing. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!)

The Do NOTs::

— DO NOT STEAL SOMEONE ELSE’S HARD WORK. This means fan art, covers or documentation you did not do yourself, etc, etc.

I myself have crappy thumbnails for my current Gigs, mainly stock designs and basic, non-copyrighted cover images, but they are just as temporary placeholders. The holidays wiped me out, so had to postpone updating my thumbnails. However, I plan of making better ones myself within the next week or two.

 

(1b) — When you design a Gig, the title needs to be condensed, but unique; meaning using the characters you’re allowed to both tell the potential buyer what service it is, while tailoring the words to catch their eye toward you in the first place. Don’t use big or complicated words, though. We’re talking primary/elementary school level here: simple, but unique.

 

(1c) — I hate to be the one to break this to y’all, but when your level 1 Gig Package costs $20 and you have 2 to no reviews or orders, you’re kidding yourselves. You need to get a reputation. You need eyes on your thumbnail enticing enough for them to click through (see points (1a) and (1b)). But, if they finally click through to your details, and see the cheapest option is decently high, and you hardly have any ratings or reviews, they’ll very swiftly move on to another candidate. I know some of you are saying, “My quality and experience is worth more than that $20 Gig anyway, so they are getting a good deal from an expert!”

Guess what? THEY DON’T KNOW THAT. At least not yet.

Fiverr’s customers look for decent details, packages that suit what they need, AND the cheapest option for the quality they want. That means that YOUR discount, which you see as fair… Chop it down even more. Dangerously low. If it’s a Gig you can perform with a quick turnaround time, then start the initial level package at 5$, and add additional Gig features for extra options for customers to choose from, should they desire. When you start on Fiverr, your goal shouldn’t be to roll around in your earnings like Scrooge McDuck! You need to get eyes on your Gigs. You need to accept and deliver orders. You need to reel in reviews.

YOU. NEED. TO. PLAY. ON. THEIR. GREEN.

Until you get a good amount of orders, ratings, and reviews, then you will have proved your professional ability, and then, ONLY THEN, you could raise your prices. But, be sure to raise them to a reasonable level. You might have 200 reviews for your editing capabilities or quick turnarounds for verbal transcriptions or get 20 orders in a given month, but rarely will you find someone on Fiverr who will purchase your Level 3 package at $500, or even a Level 1 package higher than $50. So, as a tip, flick away that little ego demon on your shoulder telling you to gyp customers, and, starting out, Level 1 should be at the base $5, until you feel like you can rope them in for a higher price.

 

(2) – LUCK

Unfortunately, sometimes you have to pray, or wish, or summon a genie or demon of some kind and make a deal to get your first customers, and just wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Yep, you guessed it: a Waiting Game. Lots of freelancers can relate, am I right?

That’s how I got my first customer. I just kept tweaking parts of my Gig details: everything from prices, additional extras, descriptions – In hopes of roping in my first customer. When I did, I put my initial turnaround would take 6 days, knowing I could accomplish this order sooner than that.

My turn around was only 2 days, and my buyer gave a decent tip as well, along with a comment that they would definitely want me to help them in the near future.

*****

So, that’s a “small”, “basic” explanation on tackling Fiverr yourself, if you want to give it a go.

Which leads into shameless self promotion…

I am on Fiverr myself (if you couldn’t figure that out already o.o ), and looking to build my portfolio and help out anyone who could use my help in their creative endeavors. If you want to browse my Fiverr offerings, go to the “FIVERR” tab above, or click [here].

My Fiverr Seller Username is @angelslite

Here’s a brief list of what I currently offer (as of 12/26/2019)::

Creative Outlets
(1) – “Beta read your fantasy or scifi or ya fiction”
(2) – “Brainstorm and suggest ideas for any creative medium”
(3) – “Create book layout for ebook, kindle, AMZ, print interior”
(4) – “Write short fiction story based around a single phrase”
(5) – “Create promotional materials for your book, business, or event”
(6) – “Craft fiction character profiles with information you supply“

Analytical/Organization-related Outlets
(1) – “Create excel spreadsheet for your collection based on photos“

 

Hope this post helps some of you aspiring freelancers like me. I also hope some of you all might want to order my Gig services, because just like the newbie to Fiverr I described in this post, I’m starting out, and some of you readers could be a few of the customers I get from PURE LUCK.

 

For those of you considering going this route, it’s a wild ride, believe me.

I think one of my usual sign off lines perfectly relates to this post….

“Assume Nothing.”

Until the weekend, guys. Big news this weekend. Stay tuned.

– Chrissy

Wow, New Year already?

Career, Dear Diary, KINETICS, Out in the World, Ramblings, , , , , , , , , ,

What happened? 2018, gone just like that? Where’d the year go?

When I realized what that meant, I felt like I’d barely accomplished anything of value in my life. Had I written stuff? Yes, I had.

However, the kicker for me was this…

I hadn’t published much of anything.

Granted, three works got published, but without really any noticeable success, either reader-wise or sales-wise. “Account of Secrets” and “KINETIC MEMORY” both were released in January 2018, with the 5th CHAOS ACCOUNTS story (“Account of Risks“) released in July 2018. Yes, these are published works, but my mind believes that even with those releases, there is a lack of accomplishment or fulfillment. Especially because the last two months, as 2018 started coming to a close, my inspiration and motivation to write weakened, due to anxiety of holidays, day job, and prepping for my wedding in Fall 2019. (Getting engaged was one of few high points in 2018, let me tell you.)

I feel a bit weird about all of that in general. Think about it for a second. 2017, after I lost JV, was my most productive and active year of my writing career thus far. I wrote the first 4 CHAOS ACCOUNTS stories and published 3 of them. I also published a prequel ebook (“KINETIC TRAGEDY“; only available on Instafreebie) and the first KINETICS book (“KINETIC REBIRTH“), as well as written that whole first book, its sequel, and the fifth CHAOS story, rounding out that series’s first Arc.

Move onto 2018. I wrote as much as I could, but the inspiration and motivation started to wane and weaken. I ended up transferring to a merger company that my day job joined with, a company that started business early 2018. Since I had to learn a completely new system and way of doing day-to-day activities, plus having to interact with people of lots of different personalities and work ethics. That was a HUGE learning curve, and I think that stress and elevated anxiety was probably a root cause for lack of activity.

Now, like I said above, I got a LOT of writing done in 2018, at least in the first half or so. Highlights:

— Finished writing AND personally editing first drafts to the third AND fourth KINETICS books, as well as written 1/3 of the fifth and final installment

— Wrote a couple thousand words for CHAOS ACCOUNTS #6, as well as began formatting for the first CHAOS ACCOUNTS collection, for Accounts #1-5 (Aiming for physical copies of this as well)

— Worked on editing old WIP projects

— Started writing new WIPs – one that I’m presently working on in hopes of traditional publishing (hopefully)

However, still hardly any publishing credits for most of 2018. I have a good amount of finished projects, as well as dozens of WIPs. You want proof?

Image may contain: screen and laptop

Yeah, looking at that makes my head spin too.

The above and below screenshots are a spreadsheet that catalogs progress on any projects I’ve written for as far back as New Year’s 2011. That means today marks eight years of consistent writing, and hopefully useful words and maybe eventually books / ebooks. I created this Spreadsheet around 2014/2015-ish, and any projects I’ve made progress on since then actually keeps track of my word count each day for whatever project I wrote for. I’m OCD to the max, I already know this. 😉 But, the above is almost all my projects, either WIPs, completed novels, or spin-offs/sequels to earlier projects in the first two categories. Any project since 2011. ANY.

Now, the top right of this spreadsheet made me feel at least slightly accomplished when I did my end of the year WC check:

No automatic alt text available.

Yes, you are seeing correctly. Eight years of monitoring my word counts, and in the year 2018, I reached over 1.1 million words written, either in completed works or the word counts in my present WIPs, since 2011.

Then, looking through my project tabs, I mentally remembered plot lines to the WIPs I hadn’t touched in years, smiled slightly. Those 1.1 million words created so many great ideas and so many happy memories. Hopefully one day, I’ll be able to share them with you.

I replacement of a New Year’s resolution (as no one keeps those anyway), I will be even more meticulous when it comes to my writing schedule. I’ve added tabs to that massive spreadsheet, where I will also record each day’s word counts. I’ve added a reference tab as well, where I outline the minimum word count I’d like to achieve each month, and even broke that minimum to how many words per day I’d need to reach the monthly goal. I chose different minimums for each month, varying depending on what activities I know will be going on that month, outside of author-dom existence. Hopefully I can stick to this OCD recording better than I have my blog in recent years.

I will also attempt to save money to eventually roll out KINETICS #3 and #4 in the coming years (as self-pubbing costs money, and I really don’t have a huge fanbase. Actually, to be honest, might only have a handful of them. Wish I was more visible…).

And, as always, I will write. I write for my readers. I write for myself. And, I write for my future, as well as the futures of anyone that cares to grab digital and / or print copies of my books and stories. As an author, the best part about getting your stories out there is to have people take a leap of faith and join your characters on their journeys. And, even with the minimal readers I have now, I will always write stories. Because, maybe one day, I’ll look back and be happy that I took a leap of faith too, hoping people might enjoy my stories. And, hopefully, that dream might become a reality.

Here’s to an exciting and unpredictable year!

2019, bring it on!

Have Faith,

– C.

 

 

Promos, Updates, and releases, OH MY!!

#ChaosAccounts, Career, KINETICS, New Release Details, Publishing & Writing Career, , , , , , , , ,

**Read whole thing for news, as this post is a straight running faucet of the mouth, if you know what I mean**

Howdy, Vikans!

So, I’ve been dark on my blog for a while, and I apologize for that. There are multiple reasons for this. One, I’ve been querying agents for an old series of mine. The first 2 books I’ve polished up a ton of times over the last four years, with the 3rd partially written and a chapter here or there for the final 2 books. If you know math, that adds up to a five-book series. I started it in college, and that first book’s writing consumption comes close to how fast I cranked out KINETIC REBIRTH, both only took about a month to write from start to finish.

Speaking of KINETIC REBIRTH…

Unfortunately, this blog post is happening halfway through one of the two Amazon Kindle promotions, but there’s still time for y’all to act. KINETIC REBIRTH, Book One in my KINETICS series, is currently FREE in Kindle form on Amazon! However, this is only through to July 5th at 11:59 PM. Snag a download while you can.

Also, there’s a second promo pertaining to KINETICS. Through the month of July, the second book, KINETIC MEMORY, is only 99c for Kindle. Links for those 2 two books are within the titles in this paragraph.

Since we’re on the topic of new deals, time to talk future publishing endeavors.

Remember my CHAOS ACCOUNTS short stories? If you need the annoying-frustrating timeline….

-(Account #1) ACCOUNT OF ANXIETY – Released 01/17/2017

-(Account #2) ACCOUNT OF UNREST – Released 02/16/2017

-(Account #3) ACCOUNT OF FRIENDSHIP – Released 04/15/2017

-(Account #4) ACCOUNT OF SECRETS – Released 01/01/2018

As you can see, the gaps get bigger and bigger when it comes to Division 3’s dangerous missions against ChaosBlaze, but the stories will be created and published soon.

HOWEVER!

My 5th CHAOS ACCOUNTS story, “ACCOUNT OF RISKS”, is scheduled for release on all eBook platforms on July 7th, 2018 (This Saturday). Preorders are up on the following sites as of typing this blog post…

[Amazon (Kindle)]   

[Barnes & Noble (Nook)]

[Smashwords (All digital formats)]

[iTunes (iBooks]]

Those are the main preorder links for Accounts #5. This one finishes the first Story Arc, with an ending that will keep you tense until the next installments, desperately wanting to know what happens when Division 3 plans to-

….

Oh, almost just spoiled the ending. Glad I caught myself.

Anyway, another announcement on the CHAOS ACCOUNTS front. As I mentioned above, Account #5 is the end for Story Arc #1, collectively labelled as the “Priming” set. The PRIMING set includes Accounts #1 through #5. I’m aiming for a late summer/early fall release of this collection set.

The best part?

IT’LL ALSO BE IN PAPERBACK!

Yes, you read that right. PAY-PER-BACK.

So, stay tuned for more news on that collections preparation progress over the next few months.

Moving to the writing front, or at least the craft part of it, I’ve finished me and JV’s first book in our 4-book series, but I’m putting it on the back burner for… well, reasons. I have also edited the first two in another series I’m in the process of pitching to agents, and hope to pick the third in that series back up. That series’ #3 currently sits at about just under 38,000, with a minimum goal of 65,000 or more.

I have also started CHAOS ACCOUNTS #6, the first in the next collection set. Both the story and the set are currently untitled, and my word count is very, VERY tiny, but hoping to continue the journey with Division 3, and I hope you all will too.

Finally, the other project I’ll be working on will be KINETICS #4. I don’t think I’ve publicly announced this yet, but the draft for KINETICS #3, tentatively titled “KINETIC HISTORY”. It’s been through my preliminary edits multiple times, and is now a polished draft.

BUT….

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that KINETICS is a series in homage and dedication of my best friend JV, who died a year and a half ago in a deadly car accident. I finished the first draft of KINETIC HISTORY months ago, and I’ve been itching to get that one published, for both my peace of mind, and for you all – my readers- to enjoy as the adventure continues and the plot thickens. There’s just one factor that stands in my way of getting the third KINETICS adventure to publication.

MONEY.

Now, I know what y’all are thinking: “Save up!” It’s not that simple. For starters over the last two years, I have racked up quite a bit of debt. Secondly, sending to my editor and my cover designer ends up spending money as well. Luckily, I cut costs, as I do decent interior layouts myself, but between editing, covers, copies, and marketing/promotion costs… Yeah, it gets pricey.

Add onto that the fact that I’ll be getting married a little over a year from now (yeah, I know I never announced that here, but YAY, I’M ENGAGED!!!!), and money is scarce.

If any of you all like my blog, my writing, or just want to help an author out, here’s ways you can help me:

 

Pledge to my Patreon

–> Patreon is a platform that allows you to support content creators such as Youtubers, musicians, and authors like me, etc, etc. For my pledges, it’s only a once a month pledge, and the prices and rewards vary. Rewards include anything from getting into a selective group on Facebook that will hopefully help me out with ideas or feedback as I find it needed, to free books, etc. You can change or cancel your pledges at any time, but even a pledge for a handful of months would help. If I’ve learned anything in my life, it’s that every little bit helps, because little bits add up FAST. [Patreon link]

Buy my works

–> If you go to [this] link, you’ll be directed to the “My Works” part of this blog. You can also navigate there by the tabs at the top of this website. Each story or novel I’ve published is listed there, with short summaries and hyperlinks to various eBook platforms, or Amazon for print versions. Though I don’t get much from KDP or Createspace when it comes to royalties, it’ll add up.

Donate to my Tip Jar

–> Digital Tip Jar allows you to donate a ‘Tip’ of your choosing, to help fund my projects. Any amount helps. This is also a one-off payment, meaning not recurring/repeating every month like Patreon. This is a one-time donation, unless you want to do more tips for me down the road. The link to my Tip Jar is [here].

Leave reviews

–> This is just a general piece of advice, and applies to any authors in the world that you love reading. Go on Amazon or other platforms where my stories and books are sold, and leave a quick review. Only one or two sentences needed. Reviews are an author’s best friend, and a quite decent motivator to keep chugging along and doing what we do best: writing adventures for you to enjoy. Reviews also improve visibility for the little guys like myself. So, if you like my stories and want to help without breaking the bank, leave a brief review for me. Please. 🙂

Spread the word

–> If you like my stuff, TELL PEOPLE! You could send them a purchase link, give them a borrow from Amazon for the stories that have the capability to lend, or even just loan them your copy. The more people that know about me, the better my visibility will get. Hopefully, I’ll get

a few more fans.

Here’s a treat for you all to close out this (Exhaustingly long) blog post:

For those of you who have read the first two books, below is a small snippet of KINETICS, Book Three. For those of you who haven’t, there aren’t spoilers. Well, at least not too many.

Signing off before the snippet, so keep scrolling if you want to get a sneak peek.

Keep Faith, guys.

-C

////

Snippet from KINETIC HISTORY, “Kinetics, Book Three”::

Jaden heaved a heavy sigh. She fiddled with photos in her hands. Somehow it had ended up in her backpack when they were leaving Hyndon over a month ago. She’d unloaded the large pocket, mainly because that’s where her bag of dirty clothes was. The smaller pockets probably just had gum, or pencils, or feminine hygiene products or other junk stuff. When she decided to clean it out that day, she came across a small stack of photos. Some had crinkles of bad storage for years, others with bent corners.

The photo at the top of the stack of ten-ish pictures had been her focus for the last five minutes. She just stared at it. Her mind flashed between reality of looking at a frozen snapshot of time and the actual scene behind the photo. And no, not just remembering the memories. The memories flashed into her sight, gifting her with re-living those precious moments while not even leaving her bed.

This photo was her at around age eight in third-grade, with her new friends, Lukas and Pip. She just lost Kohei a few weeks earlier, and her eyes still looked a bit puffy. This was their first Fall picnic at their school. The three kids hung off the jungle gym, making nostalgically wild and crazy smiles at the camera. The scene came to life finally, the shrieks of elementary school children making real Jaden wince. She had now been inserted into the scene, with the memory blessing her with a three-sixty-degree view. However, she wondered how much of a blessing this magic really was.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in and let it out. When she opened her eyes, her surroundings had returned to her guest bedroom in the Second Kingdom’s palace. Glancing at that photo, she sighed and slipped it to the bottom of the stack. The next photo showed twelve-year-old Jaden, pouting as her sister took pictures as blackmail. The photo yet again came to life.

“C’mon, geek-a-zoid, give us a big smile!”

The glare and hatred in Jaden’s preteenage brown eyes said plenty. Muttering under her breath, she snapped, “Leave. Me. Alone.”

Dove’s musically-grating voice replied from behind the bulky red Poloroid, “One smile, Sneaks. Just one smile!”

When young Jaden’s mouth opened to form a pissed, teeth-grinding frown, she revealed the colorful braces that had been drilled into her mouth. She then grabbed the nearest couch pillow and threw it at her annoying older sister. “Buzz off, prick!”

Her sister simply laughed louder and said, “Ooh, I’m so scared of the female Inspector Gadget. C’mon, throw out your extendable arm and punch me.”

“Oh, is that an invitation?” Young Jaden roared, leaping at her sister.

Real Jaden closed her eyes, breathed, and returned to present day. She knew what happened next. Jaden had gotten sent to her room, went to Dove’s room once everyone was asleep, and cut off a lock of Dove’s long, blonde hair. Needless to say, the truth came out quick, and furious didn’t even scratch the surface on describing how angry the older sibling had been. Furious was actually a very generous term.

Post-Smoky and Reality Revelations

Career, KINETICS, New Release Details, Out in the World, publishing, Ramblings, , , , , , ,

So, another Smoky retreat come and gone. A total of 37,000 words over 7 days filled with food, fun, and family. My week I spend with my writerly family out in Tennessee every February is my safe place, my home away from home, where I’m supported, encouraged, and motivated to get those words done. I laughed more this retreat than any other time in my life, and I am so grateful to have them in my life. Thanks for another great Smoky, guys. Is it 2019 yet? 😉

As far as productivity is concerned, I not only completed the first draft of KINETICS #3, but am almost halfway done with Book #4. Hoping to have Book 4 AND Book 5 done by year’s end. However, something hit me hard as I was traveling for countless hours back home

I. Am. In. Debt.

To be honest, I have known for years that I have a spending problem, and now that’s coming to bite me in the butt. I barely have enough to buy my proof copies of updated books, much less author copies, and especially not editing, covers, and all the amazing stuff that makes my published book PERFECT!! I wouldn’t give up my freelancers for the world, but as it stands right now, I may not be able to publish KINETICS #3 in the year 2018 at all. And that goes for a lot of the projects I’d hoped to get into the hands of y’all: my readers. Don’t get me wrong, CHAOS ACCOUNTS #5 will come out this Spring, along with the Accounts 1-5 box set in eBook AND Print, but that’s mainly because it won’t cost much money for those as of right now.

Plus, I’m nearing my Post-Smoky slump, so words are harder to find.

As a result, I have revamped my Patreon page!

I have tweaked reward tiers and my goals for pledge levels. I have added in something special for ALL my Patrons, starting at only $1 a month: I’m going to send snippets or chunks of books I hope to publish full-length someday. ALL my Patrons will get to read these chunks YEARS in advance! AWESOME, RIGHT?

If you want to check it out, [here] is the link to my Patreon Page. Browse around, because the larger reward tiers have some amazing perks on top of the years-ahead serials. 🙂

Maybe if I can get a few more Patrons, it’ll motivate me to keep going. To keep writing and doing what you love, even when back in the monotony of regular adulting. -_-

Hopefully I’ll see some of y’all get added to my Patron list. That’d be pretty sweet. J

Stay tuned, Vikans!

And, as always, Keep Faith!

 

(My Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/discoverywritin )

To Ravencon, and BEYOND!

Career, Out in the World, Publishing & Writing Career, ToTV saga, Writing, , , , , , , ,

So, here we are. It’s a Monday, and I don’t know about where you are, but here, it is extremely dreary, rainy, mucky, and depressing. Doesn’t help the Monday Blues much, does it? (Correction: it’s a Wednesday now. Typed that part on Monday… :/ )

At least I have something to look forward to later this week.

Ravencon 2017 happens this Friday through Sunday, last weekend in April, as per usual. This will be my eighth year attending, and second year as a panelist. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, Ravencon is a sci-fi/fantasy/horror/mystery/fandom convention, mainly for writers, artists, and die-hard fans of pop culture and/or literature. The Dealer’s room is like a candy shop for avid readers, and the costume parade is amazing to watch. I have a handful of friends that attend regularly in cosplay, so it’s always fun to catch up and admire their hard work.

I’ve posted my schedule in [this post], but I’ll add it below as well, because I know my reading time.

That’s right.

I have a reading.

A READING.

*flailsexcitedly*

Have yet to figure out what to read, but *maybe* I’ll read from my secret project. Just *Maybe*.

Speaking of, no real updates or news on the #secretproject front, other than still awaiting my professional edits. Still cannot say anything else at this time.

HOWEVER! You may have seen this cover across my social media over the last week or so::

The_Vikan_Quartetv1

That is the cover for “The Vikan Quartet”, a collection of all 4 of my Tales of Terrara Vikos short stories, and includes a sneak peek into THE PROTEKTOR’S REALITY as well. It is now available for preorder as an eBook on most eBook platforms, and the links to it (and anything ToTV) can be found [here], on my Terrara Vikos page. Official Release Date for “The Vikan Quartet” is slated for May 15th, 2017 (Monday, 5/15/2017).

AAAAAAANNND…

*whispers* It’s gonna be in print.

*Louder* IT’S GONNA BE IN PRINT!!!

LOOKLOOKLOOKLOOKLOOKLOOK::

TheVikanQuartetProofs

DON’T THEY LOOK JUST AMAZING?!

*ahem*

Sorry, but I’m currently bouncing off the walls over this.

Unfortunately, Print book won’t have preorders, but, if you’d like a reminder, I’m getting my email newsletter thingy set up again, and this release will probably be one of the first I send.

[Newsletter Link]

Also, this e-newsletter will include TONS of updates and news as it pertains to my life as an author. So, if you’d like reminders and exciting news sent straight to your inbox, sign up with the link above.

Here’s my Ravencon Schedule::

Friday

4 pm (Panel) Why I Write Short Stories

7 pm (Opening Ceremony) Large Auditorium

 

Saturday

10 am (Panel) How to Revise

1 pm (Panel) Writer With A Day Job

***3 pm (Panel) Self-Publishing 101 (Added 4/27)

7 – 7:25 pm (Reading) Room 4

 

Sunday

11 am (Panel) The Adult In Young Adult

 

Hope to see some of you there! Also, hunt me down at Ravencon if you’re going, because I have a special deal for Ravencon attendees only pertaining to eBooks of mine…

*couchcough*FreeCodes*coughcough*

 

Keep Faith, everybody. ❤

Updates and Projects and Conventions, Oh My!

#ChaosAccounts, Career, New Release Details, Publishing & Writing Career, Writing, , , , , , ,

So, this is a bit of an update post, with a bit of details on what the coming months hold for me and, by association, all of my readers.

If you follow my blog, hopefully you saw my most recent post, which hints at brief details on a secret project I’ve been working on. This #secretproject is currently in the post-production/pre-publishing phases. Can you guess what that means?

THIS ONE WILL BE PUBLISHED.

I know I said it in the last post, but it bears repeating::
WILL. BE. PUBLISHED.
DEFINITELY.
WITHOUT A DOUBT.

This project has meant the world to me, and just today I sent my baby off to an editor. She said no later than the beginning of May would I get the notes and edits back. I’m terrified at what this editor will have to say, mainly because I’m terrified of editors. Ever since grade school, actually. As a young writer, getting an essay marked up in red pen terrified me. While this project is more in tune with my skills and expertise (YA/New Adult fantasy), the terror still remains. I know they are meant to help the story in the long run, this project is more than just any other manuscript. It’s been a coping mechanism for me, and I’m hoping once published, it might be one for others too.

Okay, that’s a tease, but more news soon, I promise. But that’s all I can say now on that.

Moving on to THE CHAOS ACCOUNTS series:

Account_of_Friendshipv3FINAL

After almost two months since #2, Story #3 is hitting the virtual shelves! Titled “Account of Friendship”, it follows Luz, the transgender techie who struggles with keeping his friendship with Blaine afloat in the midst of this secret, magical war with ChaosBlaze. When Blaine demands to go topside for a promised performance, Luz won’t let him go alone. As the events of the night play out, Luz starts to wonder if the only thing ChaosBlaze desires is Blaine…

That story is slated to be released April 15th (4/15/2017) (This coming Saturday), and details and links are available [here]. Also on that page are the covers, links, and summaries for Story #1 (“Account of Anxiety”) and Story #2 (“Account of Unrest”) are there as well. Also, news for the next one:: It’ll be titled “Account of Secrets”, and it is currently in progress. ?

Final topic of interest: RAVENCON.

Yes, I will be returning to Ravencon this year, for my second time as a panelist, and eighth time as a participant. Ravencon has always been my home away from home, and I am waiting in impatient anticipation for the event date to come faster. I will be on four panels (which I will list below for anyone who might be coming), and they are setting up a reading for me.

A. Reading.

Yep, that just happened.

However, this Ravencon will be rough for me. My original +1 for this year was the one I had last year. But, if you’ve been keeping up with me lately, you’ll have heard that she passed away on January 29th. This will be the first Ravencon in four years that JV will not be accompanying me. Luckily, my amazing Boyfriend will be accompanying me instead, for support and curiosity, and I will also have JV Jr attached to my side the entire time (Prepare to be bombarded with photos of stuffed Haruhi Fujioka). Note to Ravencon guests: take it easy around Boyfriend PLEASE. This will be his first glimpse into my writing career and the crazy people that fill that world, and I’d like to not freak the poor guy out. xD

Ravencon is April 28-30th, 2017 in Williamsburg, VA. [website]

RavenConBanner

As I did last year, I will be posting live check-ins on my Facebook Author page. I will try to do those more than I did last year, I promise. Like my Facebook page to keep up with my writing merriment and shenanigans.

Ravencon panels:
Friday, 4 PM – Why I Write Short Stories
Saturday, 10 AM – How to Revise {Ironic, I know}
Saturday, 1 PM – Writer With a Day Job
Sunday, 11 AM – The Adult in Young Adult
Reading (TBD)

Well, that’s my most recent update. Keep up with me at the sites/links [here], especially if you want to stay up-to-date on my upcoming projects.
Keep Faith, Vikans. 😉

RELEASE DAY!! The Chaos Accounts #1

Career, Publishing & Writing Career, Writing, , , , , , , , , , ,

Today is the Release Day for the first story in my Chaos Accounts saga. To say I’m excited…

… Is an understatement!

This story is my first one I’ve published since The Protektor’s Reality in November 2014. So, big deal.

Also, I’m running a donation campaign for each download and review I receive between today and February 14th, 2017. I’ll donate a little bit of money for each to Freedom From Fear, a national non-profit focused on mental-health awareness and support. I picked them because my main character in Account of Anxiety (Blaine) suffers from high Anxiety and ADHD. I felt this charity suited the story and character well. The break-down on what type of download gets what amount of money, see my last blog post HERE. The hashtag to share for this is #FearlessChaos .

These stories are made possible due to my Patrons on Patreon. If you like this story and want more, consider donating to this adventure with Division 3. My Patrons also get frequent updates and news before the general public does.

I have partially updated the “My Works” page here to reflect this story’s release. The links to Amazon, Smashwords, and (hopefully soon) Barnes & Noble will be there, as well as below::

“ACCOUNT OF ANXIETY” links::
Amazon
Smashwords
B&N (link coming soon)

Soooooo, here we go! Enjoy the ride!

And, as always, Keep Faith!

Free and for a Cause

Career, Fiction, Publishing & Writing Career, Writing, , , , , , , , ,

Hi there, everyone!

If you follow me on social media, then you already know that I have a new story releasing this week. If you’re not following me on social media, then you need to click [here] and follow my antics on your choice of social media platforms.

This story was created with the inspiration of starting my own Patreon page. The funds my Patrons give me will keep me inspired to write this series. My Patrons also get updates that aren’t anywhere else, as well as access to public updates before anyone else. There are also different rewards depending on a Patron’s pledge amount. If you might want to become my Patron for this series, click [here].

Anyway, you’re here to hear about the actual content of the saga, aren’t you?

Let’s begin:

My elevator pitch: Agents of SHIELD mixed with Divergent, if the teens had superpowers.

The Chaos Accounts is a saga that follows Division 3 of the MRC, an organization dedicated to keeping peace between humans and Metas, humans with incredible gifts. They also try and counter any destruction or injury caused by ChaosBlaze, and I’m sure you can infer their intentions based on their name.

acct_of_anxiety-cover_edited-1

 

 

The first story, “Account of Anxiety”, follows Blaine, a teen musician and impressionist, as he gets thrown headlong into the world of the Metas when his family is kidnapped by ChaosBlaze. This is essentially a brief introduction to the series and main characters, as seen by a confused, anxiety-ridden outsider.

I’ve got many others planned, and as long as I have people who want to read this journey of painful pasts, confusing and conflicted present, and uncertain futures, I will continue to write it.

 

 

Now, here’s a “catch”. At least for me.

The story goes live on 1/18/2017 (this Wednesday night). Between then and February 14th, here’s what I am going to do:

-For every free download of the story (it will be free everywhere but Amazon, cuz Amazon won’t allow it), I will donate $0.25 to Freedom From Fear, a national, mental-health advocacy based in Staten Island, NYC. (Details below)

-For every PAID download (aka-Amazon Kindle), I will donate $0.50 to Freedom From Fear.

-AND for EVERY REVIEW on B&N, Amazon, or Smashwords, I will donate $0.50 to Freedom From Fear.

So, essentially, this is money from my pocket that will be going to a good cause, and one that relates to Blaine’s anxiety issues, as well as making the world even slightly less scary for those of us with mental/emotional conditions.

To read more about Freedom From Fear, click [here] for more. The hashtag to share for this donation campaign by yours truly is #FearlessChaos

So, spread the word, because I will only be tallying downloads and reviews until February 14th!

Can’t wait for you all to jump on this crazy train with Division 3 and me!

And, as always, Keep Faith, guys. 🙂

Who Wants To Be My Patron?

Career, Fiction, Publishing & Writing Career, Writing Process, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

*GASP*

OVER FOUR MONTHS!!

I’VE BEEN A BAD CHRISTINE.

You’ll have to forgive my overlooking of a COMMITMENT! Things have been crazy.

Here’s a quick little summary, because too much to go into too much detail::

-Ravencon: Was the most amazing experience in my life. Hoping to be invited back. Got my book (THE PROTEKTOR’S REALITY, in case you’re knew to my side of the Internet) into the hands of about 15 people. Met some reeeeeeally cool people, and got to talk writing and publishing stuff. Whether I come back as a guest or a participant, I will be going next year, and will have copies of my book to sign. Visit ravencon.com for details.

Vacation: Boyfriend and I went on a 9 day excursion to Las Vegas and Arizona. We got front row tickets to see KA at the MGM Grand, slots and roulette at a few different casinos, and kept a chip from every casino. Actually, our last day there, we literally went to a bunch of casinos, just to trade a dollar for a $1 chip for a little collection. Between Vegas and Arizona, I think we have about 16 poker chips. We also got to go to the Grand Canyon, and if you ever get a chance to visit, DO IT. It is an indescribable beauty and unbelievable until you go from up to the edge and scan the horizon and you realize, “This isn’t a dream. This was created by nature. Nature’s amazing.”

Mono: Yeah, you read that intro right. I got sick with Mono in the middle of June. No, I have not been cheating on Boyfriend. I’m certain I probably just got it from sharing a drink with a friend, or maybe a water fountain in Vegas. *shrug* who knows. Six weeks without exercise had me gain back a bit of those 40 pounds I lost, but I’ve lost it since beginning of August.

Day job: Day job is chaotic. No details, because, obviously, this is the internet, but things be going CRAY at work, and I’m overwhelmed beyond all reason. I’m getting through it okay, and actually being more productive there, but, when I come home, I crash because there wasn’t anything to do.

…

That’s about to change.

Writing has always been my best antidepressant for me. I just haven’t had any motivation to write anymore. In order to get motivated again, I’m taking this BIG, RISKY step, and I hope some of you reading this will assist in this venture. It’ll keep me writing, and keep Depression from eating me alive like it has been lately.

I’ve joined Patreon, a community of content creators who rely on Patrons (you guys who join) to pledge a certain amount in support, and, in return, Patrons get cool stuff, like exclusive content, Google Hangouts, Live chats, and even some physical goodies. It varies depending on the Creator. There were two options for frequency of pledge. Patreon advised that if you are putting out 4+ pieces a month, go for a monthly rate. For the time being, I’m only planning on 1-2 per month, so I have it set per creation.

I owe it to Peter Hollens for using the site and being an inspiration to me. His music and videos got me through a bunch of hard times, and, now, I’m taking that same big step forward by joining him in the Patreon community. Here’s his Patreon page [link], and also a link to his equally-as-awesome wife Evynne’s [link]. I’ll also link two of my friends from my Smoky’s retreat I take every year: Hugh [link] and Bryan [link]. Both of them are pretty awesome dudes, and are creating pretty cool stuff, so check them out too. 🙂

My creation is serialized fantasy stories. These are stories I barely started that I need motivation to write up. These stories are also perfect fodder for serialized fiction, because the ones I’m choosing… Never decided on an ending. So, these are indefinite stories (or “Human” stories, as I refer to them on my Patreon page), and I’m hoping I can get a good deal written on them. But I need motivation.

And I need you.

Yes, you, reading this right now.

I’d really appreciate the support from ANYONE. When you go to my Patreon page, at the very bottom of my description, I have a link to the first chapter of my first serial, titled “Truths of the Triangle”. It’s essentially a twist to the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle, involving magic, multiple worlds, and a race to save what’s left of the protagonist’s sanity. Right now, that first chapter is on my Google Drive account, but looking for ways to get it available for download. Just so you know though, downloadable versions will only be available on my Patron-only stream. All you need to do is pledge $1/chapter to get that access.

But… I think I’ll at least give ya’ll a lil’ snippet from that first chapter.

A little teaser, if you will::::

 

““They’re just so naïve, peaceful, no cares in the world. As if life’s all rainbows and sunshine.”

“You’re sounding like a demotivational poster right now. Should I call a doctor?”

A quick breath of a chuckle came from him. “You know what I mean.”

Kelli cocked her head. “I’m not sure I do. Everybody has bad things in their lives that bug them: drugs, alcohol, abuse, death. They just pretend everything’s fine to not bum out everyone else around them. In fact, the only thing bad that isn’t currently happening is World War Three.” She’d said it in jest, but the expression on his face said he hadn’t taken it as such.

The music continued to blast, but she heard his quiet, gentle words clear as day in her mind:

“That’s what you think.”

Kelli wanted to open her mouth to refute his annoying, avoiding response when he planted a long, forceful kiss right on her lips. It surprised her for a second or two, but she eventually fell victim to it, wrapping her arms around his neck and returning the gift. It just felt so right.

A loud boom from the front yard that shook the building broke them apart. They both looked at each other with wide-eyed, “What-The-Heck” glances. Then they heard the screaming, followed by huge plumes of smoke.

When a gunshot rang out, Kelli’s legs buckled. She hated that sound. Even in movie theaters, she always winced when someone shot a gun on screen. In real life, however, it was so much worse.“

Help a girl out, please? 🙂 It would mean so much to me, plus keeps me out of the darkness that is Depression. Always a plus. And I’ve got some pretty cool rewards levels for Patrons. 🙂

Here’s the [LINK]. Adding it to my Contact Me tab here as well, if you want to find me everywhere else as well.

Have a good day, guys, and remember to KEEP FAITH! I know I will be. 😀

Mental Preparation

Career, Publishing & Writing Career, Ramblings, Writing, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

As I’m typing this, I am sitting in a desk chair, mind racing. I leave in less than three-an-a-half hours to leaving Richmond for the first big moment of my writing career. Being an author guest at Ravencon is such a HUGE honor, but, at the same time, kinda scary. I’ve got fears of public speaking and constantly worry about others opinions of me. It rarely shows on the surface, so when I tell people I have anxiety, they kind of laugh, “No you don’t! You can’t possibly! … Wait, really?”

What gave it away? The constant worry about everything? Or the fact that I don’t talk much in a strange environment?

Precisely why I’ve been nervous about Ravencon all week. However, as it’s gotten closer, I’ve been mulling it over. Sure, it’s a strange, new situation, but it’s the same con. The same atmosphere, the same types of people, all in one space for the same reason: A love for fantastically creative art of all kinds. Writers, artists, scientists, gamers: all under one roof. Seems kind of counter-intuitive to worry about a place that I’ve felt comfortable at for the past six events. Why should Year 7 be any different?

Answer: it shouldn’t.

Am I still nervous out of my mind? Yeah, of course I am. Most people in my situation would be. BUT, at least this first step forward is somewhere I feel comfortable, somewhere I feel like family.

So, come on up and talk to me. My wardrobe will be consisting of plaid flannel of various colors, jeans, and sneakers, rolling around a black and yellow box-that-is-not-a-toolbox and toting a tiny black backpack on my back. Don’t be afraid to come up and say Hi to me. Because, not only will I be able to (hopefully) make friends, maybe, just maybe, you can help me to fight my anxiety and remind me why I’m here.

A love of fantasy and writing.

Ravencon, I’m coming home. ❤

 

(Oh, and the book will only cost $9 for con-goers. I’ve also got a guessing game for people who buy my book, which includes a plot-based ‘choice’ of snacks. No worries, you don’t have to have read the stories yet. I’ve got all the basic information you’ll need. 🙂 )

 

(Keep up with what I’m doing by Liking my Facebook author page, where I will be Facebook Live-ing REALLY frequently, and watch this blog for updates on my speaking panels, other panels I’m going to, meeting with and making friends, and other wacky-doings with my best friend Jessi. I will be posting on both VERY often.)