Friday, August 7, 2015

Celebrate: It's All Good & Giveaways!



My 3 week break from writing/revising has been very good for me.  I've totally de-stressed!  :) 

Since April, when I got new accounts for "L.X. Cain" on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, etc., I've been doing more than I can handle.  Besides writing/revising my novel, I got frenzied building new social media networks, and I worked on 3 short stories -- revising and updating them, creating covers, formatting, pubbing them, and doing lots of promos.  I got so busy I completely gave up TV and rarely went outside. (Don't even ask about my personal hygiene.) 

When all I do is hurry, hurry, hurry, I tend to lose perspective and start making mistakes.  One of the biggest was being determined to pub my novel in Oct, which meant I had to finish the first draft in July, leaving Aug and Sept for revisions, beta and CP feedback, and more revisions.

Although Oct is a great month to sell horror stories, I was forgetting all the work and planning that go into releases.  When MuseItUp released SOUL CUTTER in Dec 2013, I started going after book bloggers and reviewers in September.  It takes them that long to put your book in their queue and then review it.

This week I'm celebrating coming to my senses!

I want to put out a great book, not a fast book.  And that will take as long as it takes until I'm satisfied it's the very best I can do.

Do you work better under pressure -- or do you end up getting over-anxious and forgetting things?

My kind and wonderful co-hosts of Celebrate the Small Things are:
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

Celebrate The Small Things Linky:



Grab the Linky html-code here:



 Celebrate the Small ThingsTo be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is visit the Celebrate page on Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week.  It can be about writing or family or school or general life.  This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever! (Originated by VikLit)



Foxy's Friday Freebies!

Foxy has been nosing around the net
When she finds great FREE STUFF, she'll feature it on Fridays Freebies posts -
  • Free short stories, novellas, and novels
  • Giveaways for books and swag
  • Free services for authors


Here are Foxy's suggestions for Aug 7, 2015:

Free $5 Amazon Gift Card and 5 Free Books – The fabulous TB Markinson has done it again!  She’s bringing you a new selection of awesome books to win in the month of August!  In addition to a $5 Amazon card, a lucky winner will receive In Name Only by Carol Kilgore, Dead Witness by Joylene Nowell Butler, Magno Girl by Joe Canzano, Reborn by Cherie Reich, and Necromancer by Graeme Ing.  Enter the rafflecopter link on TB Markinson’s blog. (ends Aug 31)

Free Crime/Mystery eBook – Get Girl of Great Price by Milo James Fowler FREE on all vendors. For links to vendors, go to Milo James Fowler blog.



Free GLBT Thriller Novel – Win a print copy of Ashen Rayne ~ Shadowlands Book I by Skye Knizley via rafflecopter on the Juniper Grove Book Solutions blog. (available to US residents only; ends Aug 16)
Free $10 Amazon Gift Card, Choice of Clean Teen eBook, Swag bookmarks – To celebrate the release of The Forlorned (Horror, soon to be a motion picture) by Angela Townsend, she’s giving away a $10 Amazon card, your choice of any ebook published by Clean Teen, and a swag pack of bookmarks via rafflecopter on Juniper Grove Book Solutions blog. (ends Aug 16)


Free $10 Amazon Gift Card, Paranormal Novel, Swag Pendant – Win The Soul Stone by Jamie Marchant plus a $10 Amazon card and swag (the pendant on the cover) via rafflecopter on the Juniper Grove Book Solutions blog. (ends Aug 23)



Free $50 Amazon Gift Card – to celebrate the release of Welcome to Fat Chance Texas (RomCom/Women’s fiction) by Celia Bonaduce, she’s giving away a $50 Amazon card via rafflecopter on the Juniper Grove Book Solutions blog. (ends Aug 23)


For Foxy's other Freebies, go to the Freebie page.

If anyone has a FREE short story (for download or online at a free ezine), novella, novel, special giveaway, or author service, please let Foxy know so she can plug you here!  Write to: laura.6eg(at)gmail.com

43 comments:

L.G. Keltner said...

It sounds like you've been crazy busy! Quality is the most important thing of all when it comes to putting out a book. Good luck with everything!

Rachna Chhabria said...

For the newspaper articles I work better under pressure, but if its a book then I get over anxious and tend to forget things under pressure. For books I need my own sweet time!!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Smart move! Give yourself time. Do you want it to come out with a bang or a whisper? Besides, no need to make yourself nuts trying to stick to such a crazy schedule.

Unknown said...

Crazy busy makes you crazier. Good you came to your senses. I had to do the same. Enjoy the weekend.

Shah Wharton said...

I'm so like you Lexa. I have in the past gotten ahead of myself and rushed the process only to deeply regret it afterwards. Now, I try to take a step back and weigh up pros and cons before pressing the publish button.

Time has a way of making us think it's finite, that we need to be ahead of it. Wrong. Be the snail not the hare! :)

shahwharton.com

Misha Gerrick said...

I know what you mean. I did the crazy thing of publishing two books at once and putting together a month long book tour. This time I survived, but it's taking quite a lot of rest and relaxation to recover. :-)

Yolanda Renée said...

I don't do badly under pressure, but I'm highly focused and everything else suffers because of it. It's nice to finish a project and breath, but a full break can be even better. I agree, social media responsibilities can really drive you batty.

Have a great weekend!

Blogoratti said...

Hello, greetings and best wishes to you!

Unknown said...

YESSS...I get so overwhelmed and anxious and it does not help AT ALL :( "I want to put out a great book, not a fast book. And that will take as long as it takes until I'm satisfied it's the very best I can do." THIS. a thousand times this. My new MS is teaching me this b/c I tend to rush but the longer I'm taking, the better off it's going to be :)

Dr. Theda said...

Sounds like you have "accomplished" quite a bit in your short break... glad that you burden of "Stress" has passed... many authors will take a bit of a break and work a bit on another book or Story that they have had "on the back burners" just just to "get away" from their current writing
... then return later bak to the task that upset you in the first place... and, with a "fresh start" continue with your mind not as Stressed"...
We do wish you the best , dear Lady Lexa...
a very pleasant weekend to you and yours....

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Thanks for featuring my novel, Lexa. I work best under pressure too. I actually spent June visiting my children, but July I worked like a bugger. Can't believe how much I accomplished when I set my mind to it. Your schedule made my head spin. Not a pretty sight.

Laurel Garver said...

Sometimes setting deadlines can be motivating, sometimes crazy-making. But taking care of yourself is pretty important to being able to continue to create. Burnout can lead to unproductive years. Glad to hear you've taken some time for YOU!

Anonymous said...

I'm at the point where you were — trying to do too many things and getting stressed. I need to take a step back, but I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to do that yet. I'm glad you've de-stressed. I've been burned out before, and it is not fun. Getting your book done in its own time is the best decision you can make. Good luck with it!

Cherdo said...

Sorry I skipped my celebration today - I already had two posts that had to go live. It's feast or famine.

Sounds like you're having a great week. Good for you! All your hard work pays off, as it should.

Tonja Drecker said...

Glad to hear that you've relaxed! Writing frenzies leave life a mess (*cough* household, kids, bills). I only do them when I have to -- I think my family would kill me if it got too constant. And yay to realizing that a good story is way better than a timely one. Readers forgive lateness but not a bad book.

Unknown said...

I know how you feel about rushing things. I've learnt over time to slow down. The dreaded FOMO is banned... we want to do it all and we forget we don't need to. Enjoy the flow. Happy weekend.

Sherry Ellis said...

I definitely like to go slowly on things. I don't do my best work under pressure.

Kate Larkindale said...

There's no point rushing just because you set yourself a deadline. Self-imposed deadlines can be flexible and there's no point rushing to get finished because you won't end up with the best possible book. Take your time and do it right.

Deanie Humphrys-Dunne said...

Glad you had a well deserved break so now you're refreshed. Hope you can relax on the weekend and have fun.

Tanya Miranda said...

I think I am more creative when I have no deadline. So, my first draft is done when it's done, however long it takes. But, I give myself revision deadlines afterwards. But again, they're my own deadlines, so if I don't reach my milestones in time, I just move the date. :-D

Tanya Miranda - Writer, Dreamer, Intergalactic Superhero

ELAdams said...

Glad to hear you've de-stressed! I have the same problem where if I set too tight a deadline, I spend more time panicking than actually working. This is why I pre-draft my books months in advance, just in case any disasters happen in edits and I need that extra time to polish. It's easy to get overwhelmed with promotion, too, but there's only so much one person can do!

stephen Hayes said...

Deadlines have always helped me focus and finish projects. Without them, I tend to leave thing incomplete.

cheerfuloptimistic said...

Pressure in small amounts can be helpful, but for the most part, I don't do well with it. And if I have to choose between quality and speed, quality wins for sure.

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Good for you, Lexa, for coming to your senses :) and discovering what works best for you. Your break was just what you needed to rest and evaluate your life. Sometimes, I think we forget what's truly important.

I do not do well under pressure at all. That's why it takes me years, sometimes, to write a story. No kidding. If I try to set a deadline, I get frustrated and afraid I won't reach it, which I seldom do.

Everyone's different. And that's a good thing. I'm proud of you and what you've accomplished.

Birgit said...

Good for you for taking a step back and realizing that slow and steady wins the race. I think some pressure is good for us but if we wait too long or heap too much on our shoulders then we begin to make silly mistakes or forget things. If we do the latter, we then need to realize we have to step back a bit. You made the right decision

T.F. Walsh said...

So glad the few days off has helped... I find time away always clears my head:)

Rhonda Albom said...

For a long time I thought I worked better under pressure, especially deadline pressure. Now that I am not so well, I don't do well under pressure or stress, so I have been avoiding it.

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

Sometimes I do work better under pressure. If the pressure goes on too long, though, I start balking and have to take a break. I'm pushing a deadline for a rewrite, and am up to chapter 17, but then took a day to run errands, and it felt so good to get away from it! Now I'm ready to take on the next 9 chapters.

Stephanie Faris said...

One thing about being traditionally published--you don't have to stress about picking your pub date. I don't even KNOW mine! It says two come out in summer 2016...but I don't know the months. You know how I'll find out? I'll see it on Amazon!

Anonymous said...

I work well under pressure, but at the same time I know I need to slow down so I have adequate time to plan.

Melancholy and Menace said...

Ha! I love the pug images, and am so glad the break has helped ♥

Jay Noel said...

Welcome back! I've been on a blogging semi-hiatus since June, and I've missed visiting the blogosphere.

It feels good to connect with blog buddies after a long absence, doesn't it?

Scribbles From Jenn said...

I think we've all had those 'coming to our senses' moments. I often tell my kids, "Do it nice or do it twice." At times, I have to take my own advice.

TBM said...

I work with deadlines, but I give myself enough cushion so I don't have to rush a finished product. Best of luck and thanks for mentioning the giveaway on my blog!

cleemckenzie said...

Great to hear that the break did the trick! As to working under pressure, is there another way? I always feel that someone or something is one step behind me. Must be the horror stories I've been reading lately. :-)

I'll email you about a couple of giveaways. Thanks, Lexa.

Julia Thorley said...

Congratulations on coming to your senses, as you put it. I think I need to follow your lead and take some time out.

Kimberly said...

Wow, you sound super busy! I'm always amazed at people who can do so much in such a short amount of time. You are definitely one of those amazing people - in more ways than one. :)

Ava Quinn said...

So glad you're de-stressing! Promo is a lot of hard work. More so than the writing, in my opinion.

Catherine Stine said...

Hahaha, yesssss, let's ALL celebrate coming to our senses.

MunirGhiasuddin said...

I am glad that you are not stressed any more.
I like to plan and if I have not planned I do stress out and that is no good for me.

TheCyborgMom said...

I work well under pressure, but not when I'm rushed...if that makes any sense :) I'm glad you are slowing it down a bit...doing something right is better than doing it fast!

cleemckenzie said...

Love that you've kept Celebrate the Small Things alive. You're doing a super job with it. And about that chapter! Here's my pat on the back for that one.

Deanie Humphrys-Dunne said...

Yikes, that really is hot. Even when we lived in Fl, it wasn't as hot as that.
I hope it cools off soon. Yes, definitely Yay for the air conditioning!

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