Books published in 2013

Today is the last day for the year 2013. Aside from book stuff, I had two gigs this year: PR and editing. The PR gig was my dream job: I worked for a publishing company. I got that gig near the end of last year and I'm so grateful I had a chance to work in that position. It's true when they say that being a PR rep is a 24/7 kind of job! You really can't turn that stuff off. There were times I was emailing clients late at night and struggling to keep my eyes open. I don't regret resigning from that job and I am grateful for that experience. 

The editing gig, unfortunately, is not exactly a well-paying one, but I'm happy that at least it brings in SOMETHING and have enjoyed working in this capacity. At the end of last year, I was ready to say goodbye to editing forever. I only took this gig because the client insisted he only wanted ME to edit his book. I am glad, too, because I have enjoyed the work. So I am not saying goodbye forever to editing!

A decision does NOT have to be set in stone.

Now, as far as the books are concerned, this year was a good one. This year I wanted to do one poetry book, one nonfiction book, one children's book and a novel. And, thankfully, that happened. Hooray! But I also had an extra “fiction book” come out this year, which was a nice slice of awesome!

The first book to come out this year was my first attempt in self-publishing, Hunter’s Upcycling Adventures. I managed to get this one out in time for Earth Day. Woot-woot! My daughter, Jennifer Wilson, illustrated this book. You can read more about this children’s book here.

Next came the poetry book my daughter and I collaborated on, Satyrs Are Cool: Poems of Mythological Creatures. Last year, Jen and I collabed on our first poetry book together, and this time ‘round it was her turn to put a theme for our next book. A fan of Greek mythology, she wanted to do a book on mythological creatures. She also illustrated it. Read more about Satyrs here.

The next book to come out was the first two books in The GHOST Group series, The Ghosts of Sarah Travers and The Crying Valentine. This one was released as an ebook only but we have plans to combine editions for a print book every so often. I was thrilled this book came out. This series was a long time in the making! I was also happy it got a good review. Check it out here.

My poetry book for this year was the autobiographical collection, Touched by Fire. I felt it was important to do a poetry book about being a burn survivor, but there are also poems in there about being deaf. It was edited by Denise Bartlett and the cover was designed by Charlotte Holley – both very talented ladies in their field! Read more about this book here. 

And, yes, my novel came out this year. HOORAY!! I was so thrilled to finally see the release of my dark fantasy novel, Shadow of Samhain. It was quite some time for me to write the book, get it edited, rewrite it and everything else involved before it finally came out. I am so grateful to everyone who helped make this book possible, including Denise and Charlotte at Gypsy Shadow Publishing! THANK YOU! Read more here.

And the last book of 2013 was … the nonfiction book! Thanks to my co-author, Martha Jette, for all of her hard work in getting Terror In the Night edited and released! I am very excited about this book and grateful to Martha for taking me on board for it! Read about this book here.

So it seems that I managed to get one of everything published this year. Yay! That is 6 books I had published this year! Not bad. I am so grateful for these accomplishments and to all of the people involved who helped to make it happen.

Next year will be different. It seems there will be “two of everything” in 2014, except there won't be a novel next year. More on that coming soon.

Here’s to a busy 2014!

Some things just won't get done – and that's OK

Earlier this month, I made a list of ongoing projects I wanted to finish before the new year. It was a list of 10 things. Looking over that list, I doubted I’d be able to do them all before January 1st, but I had to try! That’s the kinda person I am: I have to try instead of just giving up because it looks too hard or it’s too much for one person or some such. I was willing to TRY to do those 10 things.

But as the month progressed, I realized that it was not enough to TRY to do some things, because some things were just out of my control. Some of those things require two people, and while I’m more than willing to give my all to get them done, I understand the same cannot be said, or expected of, the other person involved.

For instance, one of those things is to finish a manuscript I have been working on. I finished it for the second time, realized it was not ready, then went back to work on it. I can’t finish it until I get information from someone, and that someone told me he’s not available until after the new year. So, that means it will remain unfinished when the new year arrives.

Some things are just out of my control! I can’t force people to DO things or take time away from their families. That’s not right. So, they won’t get done, and I accept that.

That leaves 3 items on my list that I CAN control. Three things I CAN get done on my end: Finish reading and review a fellow author’s book, finish editing a manuscript and finish researching a WIP. I CAN do those things and I’ll be focusing on those instead. (I did do two other things on the list: I finished writing a first draft of a new novel and I got the monthly newsletter out.)

There are quite a few other things going on I am trying to take care of before the new year arrives – like decluttering the house and getting rooms organized – but I’ll also be working on these last three things. The others will have to wait. At least I did everything I could for them on my end.

How to Manage Writer's Block : Guest post by author Amy Lignor

Author Amy Lignor is celebrating the release of the second book in her Tallent & Lowery series, The Sapphire Storm. She has stopped by today to share how she combats writer's block. I can so relate to her habit of keeping a tablet of paper and a pen with her in the car! I also have one in my nightstand, in my purse, in the kitchen...

How to Manage Writer's Block

By Amy Lignor

"How do you manage writer’s block?" This is one of those questions that will forever wrack the minds of all writers. The basic concept of a book for me comes out of nowhere. I will hear or see something that I just have to investigate further. I am a huge fan of librarians and the minds they have; they can produce an infinite number of facts in an infinite number of categories that others just don’t know. My mother had a career as a research librarian and I will always thank her for passing that love of information to me.

After the research has been done, however, writer’s block happens to me almost in an instant. Because I’m one of those authors that needs – literally NEEDS – to have the first line of the book before I can write a single word, I will drive myself nuts trying to find it. And…I drive everyone else nuts too. I can’t read books when I have writer’s block because my own brain is searching so hard for that one opening line. I do watch a lot of movies during that time period in order to just relax and step away from literature completely.

That line will sometimes come at 2:00 am, and I wake up with a start and run to the den. Or, sometimes it comes to me while I’m driving and I have to pull over immediately to write it down because I’m getting older and I forget easily. (I always keep pen and paper in the glove compartment just for this emergency.)

Once I’ve found that line I can’t step away from the computer. I get so into the adventure and where I’m going next that, thankfully, the block releases. And I love the fact that even though I’m the author of the book, my plans can change (and do) midstream during the creation of the story. It feels very much to me like the characters are telling me where to go next. I have the research done on locales, but their next steps seem to be given to me by them.

I love writing the ‘Tallent & Lowery’ series for the simple fact that I can watch the adventure play out by following this incredible duo. If I get confused by what I should do, the character literally tugs me by the hand and we’re off once again. It’s a good thing, too, because if I were to experience writer’s block in huge doses I think my family would pack up and I’d never see them again.

Until Next Time, Everybody,
Happy Holidays!
Amy

After going up against a man who believed he was the Devil, himself, Leah Tallent and Gareth Lowery are beyond exhausted. Now they are about to embark on the most terrifying journey imaginable . . . a trip to meet Leah’s parents. When Leah arrives where the ‘home fires burn,’ her sarcasm burns even brighter, while Gareth Lowery—the handsome adventurer—uses his charm to sway the ‘odd’ Tallent clan. But when a frightening call from Gareth’s sister arrives telling him that her love has disappeared, the daring duo is soon running away from one horrific situation directly into another. A new puzzle from the past has come to life. Following clues left behind, the courageous couple becomes embedded in a world filled with liars, killers and greed. And when the riddle of a famous ‘Bard,’ is solved, a strange woman appears who has far more in common with Leah than she can possibly imagine. The heart-stopping suspense of this new quest takes them from Coptic Cairo to the magical world of Petra, in search of a cave deep underground that once housed a true ‘Illuminator.’ Yet again, they must find the answers and stay one step ahead of true villains who are determined to make sure that—this time—Tallent & Lowery do not survive. Join the action as the passionate team who readers fell in love with in “13,” end up unlocking an ancient mystery that no one is ever going to believe!

Purchase Links for the print & digital versions of Tallent & Lowery:
Amazon:

www.amazon.com/13-Tallent-Lowery-Book-One/dp/1481136070/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385748415&sr=1-2&keywords=Tallent+%26+Lowery

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Storm-Tallent-Lowery-Book/dp/1482671921/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385748415&sr=1-3&keywords=Tallent+%26+Lowery

http://www.amazon.com/Heros-Companion-Tallent-Lowery/dp/0615907164/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385748415&sr=1-1&keywords=Tallent+%26+Lowery

Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/amy-lignor

Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/4177

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5222068.Amy_Lignor

Bio: As the daughter of a career librarian Amy grew up loving books; ‘Patience & Fortitude’ at the NYPL were her heroes. Beginning with Amy’s first book of historical romance which was titled, “The Heart of a Legend,” she began developing the storyline for a new series, (Tallent & Lowery) which moved her into the world of action and adventure/alternative history, however she had to temporarily place Tallent & Lowery on the back burner when her YA career spiked with The Angel Chronicles series. Tallent & Lowery just wouldn’t be put to bed so easily and Amy, the ever obedient author, found the time to bring these remarkable characters to life. “13” is the first book in the seven book series. Working as an editor in the publishing industry for decades, Amy is now the Owner/Operator of The Write Companion (www.thewritecompanion.com) which offers full editing, ghostwriting and proofreading services to authors. She is also a contributor to Suspense Magazine and various other literary publications such as The RT (Romantic Times), and HumorOutcasts.com. Amy is a reviewer for periodicals and websites including: Authorlink, The Feathered Quill, The Romantic Times (RT) Magazine, SheWrites.com, Random House YA, Bookpleasures.com, and Once Upon a Romance. Join Amy on Goodreads.com where she has won the YA writing contest with her continuing story titled, Meet the Reaper.


Author Links:

https://www.facebook.com/alignor
http://tallentandlowery.blogspot.com/
http://the-angel-chronicles.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @HelloWritersAmy
www.TheWriteCompanion.com
http://www.pinterest.com/amylignor/
 

Terror In The Night – a new book with shocking true stories and surprising information about aliens and the UFO phenomenon

One of the things that I love about being a writer is that I have the chance to learn something new. It is through research, writing and interviewing experts that I learn about new people, places and things. I get to ask questions, let my imagination take off by asking “what if?” and explore things in our lives and in our world. That last part is true with the nonfiction books that I write.

There are so many mysteries in this world that I am very curious about. I have always been a curious sort of person, always asking questions and wanting to know things, and there’s quite a bit of things that I want to know about. I mean, why do things happen? Are things I’m reading about true? Where do things happen? What is true and what is not? What is a person like? Who is this particular person? When did a certain thing happen? What are the details? How do things work? How did something happen?

It’s no accident I used to work in journalism. I asked questions all the time when I was writing those articles for SIGNews. And I asked questions when I pitched article ideas to magazines when I was working as a freelance writer.

These days, I’m still asking questions, but mainly for the books that I am writing. And when I was asked to join the writing team for the new book, Terror In The Night, I asked a whole lot more questions for the chapters I helped write for this book, which was also written by Martha Jette and Usko Ahonen.

Before I decide whether or not I should write a book, I ask myself if I’m interested in the book’s subject. Given that I’ll be spending months, maybe even years, working on getting this book written up, it really DOES need to be a subject I am interested in! The same goes for books I agree to collaborate on. There’s gotta be something there pulling me to this decision.

With Terror In The Night, that something was my curiosity about life in outer space. My interests in outer space have mostly focused on astronomy – the stars, planets, comets, etc. – but I have always wondered, are we alone in the universe? Is there really intelligent life out beyond the cosmos? And if so, what are they like? Are they interacting with humans? What do people know about them?

Collaborating on Terror In The Night helped me get answers to these questions. It would seem that, given the stories told by UFO abductees in this book, we are obviously NOT alone! And there is quite a bit going on with alien life than we are prepared to comprehend, let alone accept.

I must admit, I was really blown away by some of the things I learned about while working on Terror In The Night. It has definitely been an eye-opening experience and I’m so glad that such a book is now out there so that others can learn about these things, too. As the TV show The X-Files was famous for claiming, “The truth is out there.”

You’ll find it in the new book, Terror In The Night.



Terror In The Night I – Alien Abduction Exposed!
By Martha Jette, Dawn Colclasure and Usko Ahonen
Published by Martha Jette, 2013
357 ppg.


Have you been abducted? After reading this book you will know for sure. Along with an extensive list of indicators, learn just who these aliens really are and what they want from us. You will be quite surprised! Read terrifying true-life accounts from folks in a variety of walks in life who in many cases are still being abducted. You will also learn what services are available to help you cope with this frightening and unwanted covert activity in your life.


Amazon link