Nobody's Hero by Kallypso Masters

My absolute favorite in this series!!!!

Book description:

 Retired Marine Master Sergeant Adam Montague has battled through four combat zones, but now finds himself running from Karla Paxton, who has declared war on his heart. With a twenty-five-year age difference, he feels he should be her guardian and protector, not her lover. But Karla’s knack for turning up in his bed at inopportune times is killing his resolve to do the right thing. Karla isn’t a little girl anymore—something his body reminds him of every chance it gets. But their age difference is only part of the problem. Fifty-year-old Adam has been a guardian and protector for lost and vulnerable souls most of his life, but a secret he has run from for more than three decades has kept him emotionally unable to admit he can love anyone. Will she be able to lower his guard long enough to break down the defenses around his heart and help him put the ghosts from his past to rest? In her all-out war to get Adam to surrender his heart, can the strong-willed Goth singer offer herself as his submissive—and at what cost to herself? Damián Orlando and Savannah (Savi) Baker also will reunite in this book and begin their journey to a happy ending in Nobody’s Perfect. The books in the Rescue Me series are not stand-alone stories. Important events in the lives of this couple are shown in the first two books (Masters at Arms and Nobody's Angel, a combined print volume). Should be read in order.


Nanee's Review

Love this book favorite of the series for me ( so far). Master Adam is amazing you got to love his dominate take charge side ( super sexy). But he's more than that he takes care of his make shif family and helps them and himself at the same time work through their demons, from War and life in general. He's a touch as nails Marine that is retired and owns and runs a Kink Club. He was a lost soul until he met karla. The way he takes care of karla and falls in love with her is amazing. He deserves to loved again. Karla brings him to his knees (wink wink) but also shows him that he is capable of love and being loved. They are two soul mates that after time brings them together. Amazing story. My favorite part is when Karla is in Adam's bed and they have sex for the first time. My second favorite is when he takes her in the shower...Yummy!

The Dragon's Call by K.W. McCabe Review ~Kami

The Dragon's Call

by K.W. McCabe 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13009898-the-dragon-s-call

http://www.amazon.com/Dragons-Call-Dragon-Throne-ebook/dp/B009J8WOAS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1367200247&sr=1-1&keywords=the+dragon%27s+call

http://kwmccabe.net/

http://www.amazon.com/K.W.-McCabe/e/B0066YGTXG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

This book was gifted to me by the author for an honest review. Thank You!

Terrorists' bombs unearthed a dragon. Cecily lives in a future world with dragons and the year is Anno Draconis 1-13-0051. Derek and Tariq join Cecily's school. They are dragons who look human except for the slitted pupils in their green eyes. Derek is a young dragon and doesn't know about the enmity between the two races. He doesn't know about the war where dragons killed humans. He is curious about humans and doesn't understand why they are afraid of him. Cecily's father fought in the human/dragon war and was maimed by the queen, which complicates things when Cecily becomes attracted to Derek. They have a whole Romeo and Juliet thing going on. This is an excellently written book. The premise is intriguing and the characters are likeable. The pacing is spot on, fast paced and it was an interesting enough story to keep me reading. 5 stars.

HEALING by Veronica Tower Spotlight ~Kami

HEALING

by Veronica Tower

http://veronicatower.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17406065-healing

http://redrosepublishing.com/books/product_info.php?products_id=974

If you lost the use of your legs, what would you do to walk again? 

When an automobile accident severs Ari's spine, she's willing to try anything to regain her mobility and the independence that comes with it—even travel to a mysterious clinic in the Rocky Mountains in search of a miracle. 

But no one will tell her how the clinic achieves its fabulous cures or how an unbelievably handsome young man living at the facility factors into the process. 

Can this hot young man regenerate Ari's spine? And if he does, can Ari live with the hidden price of Healing?

Veronica Tower was married to her high school sweetheart for five deliriously happy years and ten far less wonderful ones. Now she is taking the time to make up for lost opportunities. In addition to returning to school to pursue a degree in psychology, Veronica has committed herself to fully exploring her fantasies, both in writing and in person…

LEARN MORE AT www.VeronicaTower.com

The Forbidden Trilogy (The Forbidden Trilogy #1-3) by Kimberly Kinrade Review ~Kami

The Forbidden Trilogy (The Forbidden Trilogy #1-3)

by Kimberly Kinrade 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16056060-the-forbidden-trilogy?ac=1

http://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-Trilogy-Special-Omnibus-ebook/dp/B00ABJIAEI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1365182899&sr=1-1&keywords=the+forbidden+trilogy

http://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Kinrade/e/B004SEYYC4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

http://www.ipiacademy.com/

http://www.kimberlykinrade.com/

The Forbidden Trilogy (The Forbidden Trilogy #1-3)

by Kimberly Kinrade 

Forbidden Mind (The Forbidden Trilogy #1)

18-year-old Sam reads minds and lives at a school for kids with super powers. I like the whole X-men, Dark Angel type of story line. Sam believes that the super powered kids are secluded for their protection. The company sends them out on spy assignments. Drake is trying to have a normal life and hide from those that will use him for his powers. This shadow organization is using the kids with paranormal powers to make money. Sam is kind of weak in my opinion. I really liked Drake. Kimberly Kinrade is such a wonderful author. This is a very exciting and romantic book.

Forbidden Fire (The Forbidden Trilogy #2)

This book takes place right where the first left off. Sam and Drake are on the run and being helped by Father Patrick. Sam is getting really sick as if she is going through withdrawal from the drugs the organization was using to control her. Luke and Lucy are still at the school that has serious changes in security. Sam and Drake are still trying to figure out a way to help the other kids at the school. Something scary attacks Sam's mind. This book is really exciting. I like these characters a lot.

Forbidden Life (The Forbidden Trilogy #3)

This is the final book in the trilogy. Drake doesn't have his powers. Scary things are happening to the kids at Rent-A-Kid. People are after Sam's baby. This book is full of excitement and action. I really liked how the author built this world with all the distinct personalities of the characters. There is so much going on in this book.The final confrontation was really wild. There are a lot of fun extras at the end of this Omnibus. 5 stars.

Die on Your Feet by S.G. Wong Review ~Kami

Die on Your Feet

by S.G. Wong

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17447114-die-on-your-feet?ac=1

http://www.amazon.com/Die-on-Your-Feet-ebook/dp/B00BED26UO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1366905353&sr=1-1&keywords=die+on+your+feet

http://www.sgwong.com/Welcome.html

This book was gifted to me through the publisher from NetGalley. Expected publication: May 27th 2013 by Carina Press. Thank You!

The place is Crescent City, the time period is 1934. Lola Starke is a P.I. Helping Lola in her investigations is her ghost Aubrey. In this world when a person dies they can choose to become a ghost or choose reincarnation. The mayor is still in power as a ghost. Lola's mother is the ghost mayor's girlfriend.

A really good period detective story with ghosts. 4 stars.

Recalled (Death Escorts #1) by Cambria Hebert Review ~Kami

Recalled (Death Escorts #1)

by Cambria Hebert 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17209757-recalled

http://www.amazon.com/Recalled-Death-Escorts-ebook/dp/B00BFDP36C/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1366760481&sr=1-2

http://cambriahebert.com/

Dex dies saving Piper. A man makes him a deal that he can be returned to the living and work as a death escort. Dex has lived his entire life in poverty. He has lived on the streets. He had just stolen from Piper right before he sacrificed himself for her. The man says that when he is returned to life that he will have all the riches that he desires. Dex takes the deal to become a well-paid assassin. He is given two months to kill Piper.

This is a really well-written, fast paced book. I liked both characters. I liked the morality questions that were posed. I found the premise intriguing and interesting enough to keep me reading. I thought it was a bit predictable at times but the ending was so amazing and emotional it brought tears to my eyes. 4 stars.

Learning To Live (Zombie Overload #3) by C.M. Wright Review ~Kami

Learning To Live (Zombie Overload #3)

by C.M. Wright

http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Zombie-Overload-Series-ebook/dp/B00ARO6C6K/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366685113&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=Learning+To+Live+%28Zombie+Overload+%233%29+by+C.M.+Wright

http://www.amazon.com/C.-M.-Wright/e/B00A02TX3S/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

http://www.zombieoverload.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17254319-learning-to-live

This is the furthering adventures of Canada and her family just trying to survive in a zombie over run world. I am now totally addicted to C.M. Wright's (the zombie queen) books. The last book ended with a cliffhanger so I am sure this one will also end with a cliffhanger. This book begins right where the last one left off. Canada is worried about Will and Jake is trying to be supportive. Canada is beaten, bruised and emotionally exhausted. There is a lot of drama going on between Canada and Jake which slows down the zombie action. Canada and Will have a tumultuous relationship to begin with, without the addition of Jake. Canada has already mentioned that she is bi-polar, so her emotions are all over the place. I personally don't like either man and if it was me, I would shoot them both. Because of all the emotional turmoil in this book, I wasn't liking it as much as the first two. 4 stars.

Dying To Live & Fighting To Live - Double Edition by C.M. Wright Review ~Kami

Dying To Live & Fighting To Live - Double Edition

by C.M. Wright

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17189574-dying-to-live-fighting-to-live---double-edition

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6570511.C_M_Wright

http://www.zombieoverload.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Dying-Zombie-Overload-Series-ebook/dp/B009R28IYM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1366610970&sr=1-1&keywords=dying+to+live+cm+wright

http://www.amazon.com/C.-M.-Wright/e/B00A02TX3S/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

http://www.amazon.com/Dying-Live-Fighting-Overload-ebook/dp/B00A64NRA0/ref=la_B00A02TX3S_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1366610985&sr=1-8

Dying to Live (Zombie Overload #1)

by C.M. Wright 

I am a zombie fan. I read zombie books and I love watching The Walking Dead. I have been meaning to read this book but I hadn't yet gotten to it. I have “seen” C.M. Wright around the book events and she is really nice. So I was excited to read her book.

This book is about ordinary wife and mother Canada who lives in Illinois. I like that Canada is a tough talking, straight up kind of person. This makes her very relatable. I like the writing style. I like that the characters have seen zombie movies and they are shocked but instantly jump into action. She is a mother of two sons, one is 11-years-old and the other is 14-years-old.

The first book is short, scary and exciting. I really liked it a lot. 5 stars.

Fighting To Live (Zombie Overload #2)

by C.M. Wright 

This book takes off right where the first one left off. Canada and her family are on the run from the zombies. I really like the fast paced, straight forward writing style. I like this character. She is tough and sarcastic. Canada's group meets a man who laughs at their weapons of knives and swords. I personally think that knives and swords would be better weapons than guns. A shotgun is heavy to lug around and to carry when running away and then what happens when you run out of bullets? Then you have a heavy stick to lug around while running away from zombies. Also, guns are loud. If we have learned anything by the Walking Dead, loud noises attract zombies. I personally think the perfect weapon to take on zombies would be a light weight baseball bat. It is portable, lightweight, effective and you don't have to worry about running out of ammo. What I love the most about Canada is that she is so calm. She suggests tying an injured party to the top of the van like it is nothing.

Like I said, I read a lot of zombie books and I love the Walking Dead graphic novel and t.v show. There are a few very important zombie rules that I feel I have picked up from my reading. One, to kill a zombie aim for the head. Two, stay off the roads. Three, get out of the cities. As I was reading this book, I may have been yelling a bit at Canada. This book is so exciting that I was torn between not reading it because I was so sure that the characters were being stupid and were going to die and reading it to find out what was going to happen and if the characters would live. I really wanted them to live. I was so nervous for them! I also like that CM Wright talks about the practical stuff like how awkward it is for women to pee on the ground. And I love how Canada protects her children because I would be the same way. “You just don't piss off a mom by hurting and scaring her babies!” These books are so good and they end on a cliffhanger. I am so excited to start book 3. Once I finish the third book, I am going to be so sad since I don't already have the fourth book. Love the zombie queen. 5 stars. 

Losing Me, Finding You by C.M. Stunich Review ~Kami

Losing Me, Finding You

by C.M. Stunich 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17727180-losing-me-finding-you?ac=1

http://www.amazon.com/Losing-Finding-Erotic-Romance-ebook/dp/B00CG6W73O/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1366489628&sr=1-3&keywords=losing+me+finding+you

http://www.cmstunich.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6432984.C_M_Stunich

21-year-old Amy is a good girl from a small town who longs for some excitement. She reads romance novels and fantasizes about the characters in the books. Then she meets bad boy Austin. Amy asks Austin to save her from her strict parents and her boring life and take her with him.“You ready to put this big, hard piece o' metal between your thighs, baby?” Amy gets involved in more than she planned on since Austin has secret bad stuff going on. Things get really exciting for the last hundred pages. This is a very quick, well-written, sexy read. 5 stars.

 

In my humble opinion best of the series!!!!..love this book ..,Ruby not only has more magical adventures but has to deal with emotional drama that every teenager has to deal with, from new cars that are pieces of poop, prom and love .... Although Nick is still part of Ruby's life she has feelings for someone new and maybe Mr Hotness isnt all that he's cracked up to be ... In comes a new face Katrina who's after Brennan but the question is how far will she go to get him ... Brennan being of age and a prince of course has his own decisions to make and who he will announce as his life mate ... Should I ruin it ? No but you'll have to read and see ...great story ...now I have to wait for number 4

BOOK 3 and my favorite

 

book 2

Deja Blue - second story in Ruby series ...Ruby continues her journey in the magical world of fairies, mermaids , water courts and earthen courts and of course life with Mr. Hotness himself Nick... Lol ...although Ruby is trying to spend as much time with Nick as humanly possible she now has a new adventure to begin and challenge to face against the water court at which time shell have to pledge her allegiance to one...Her BFF fairy friends are of the Earthen court and protect and give guidance during her challenge of a life time , this story again brings in some awesome characters and adventures , I won't ruin the end but you'll cant wait to read the next to see what Ruby has in store next ..

 

 Ruby Blue book one of this amazing series...this author has such a great imagination, fairies , dragons mermaids are just some of the exciting creatures you'll meet. .... When I first started reading this book It was not my usual choice for a story to read but it soon had me hooked , although some of the phrases Ruby and her BFF Jeremy used at first were alittle strange such as : Sweet Stars Of Mars and Shagtastic, I actually started quoting and using them myself ...lol...and I do have to say although I'm older now I do have a strange fascination for all color converse sneakers so I'm definitely a fan of Ruby.

This story takes you on a wild ride through Rubys life (she sees fairies and has since she was five) she not only sees them they are part of her life and BFF circle. Jeremy is the only other human who knows all about them and how Ruby is apart of their secret world . Ruby got her name from her mother who is obsessed with the wizard of oz , which in turn gets her called Kansas by one of her fairy friends Brennan (Love Brennan). Ruby is on a magic journey to save her friends and herself from a evil dragon who just so happens to give her powers ...very exciting story and once you read one you'll want to keep reading to see where Rubys journey will go ... 

~ Nanee

Conpulsio (Fate ~ Fire ~ Shifter ~ Dragon 1.5) by Kris Austen Radcliffe Review ~Kami

Conpulsio (Fate ~ Fire ~ Shifter ~ Dragon 1.5)

by Kris Austen Radcliffe 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17794215-conpulsio?ac=1

http://www.sixtalonsign.com/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CEPT96K

This is an ARC review gifted to me by the author.

This story is about Ladon and Dragon in 79 AD Rome. Vesuvius is about to blow. This writer is so skilled at immediately hooking you into the story. The characters are so well thought and fleshed out. The story is so good, my mind wasn't wandering like it often does when I am reading. It was so exciting, I couldn't stop reading it. This is a very compelling, fast paced, well-written novella. “Death was as easy as kneeling under a tree, waiting for a mountain.” I really like this series and can't wait for the next installment. 5 stars.

Forever Fae (Forever Fae #1) by L.P. Dover Review ~Kami

Forever Fae (Forever Fae #1)

by L.P. Dover

http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Fae-Series-ebook/dp/B00AFE2ODM/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

http://www.amazon.com/L.P.-Dover/e/B00AFVV8TG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16006132-forever-fae?ac=1

This book was gifted to me by the author for an honest review. Thank You!

Calista is the daughter of King Oberon and Queen Tatiana. Ryder is the son of Queen Mab. I do like high fantasy and this book is very magical. There is an evil dark sorcerer who wants Calista. There is a magical prophecy. A guardian who is in love with Calista. I liked Ryder and Calista together. I thought the story was a little slow in the beginning to get started. The story quickly jumps from character to character which I felt was a bit jarring. I couldn't quite connect with these characters. They at times seemed a bit one-dimensional. And the story seemed really familiar to me, like I'd read it before, maybe because these are archetypes that have been used several times in other books. I think it was Mark of the Princess by  B.C. Morin  that I was reminded of. 3.5 stars.

Gravitational Pull (Vis Vires Trilogy #2) by Marissa Carmel Review ~Kami

Gravitational Pull (Vis Vires Trilogy #2)

by Marissa Carmel

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13584409-gravitational-pull?ac=1

http://www.amazon.com/Gravitational-Pull-Vires-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00C6R4MD6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1365902672&sr=1-1&keywords=gravitational+pull

http://www.amazon.com/Marissa-Carmel/e/B005OKFXXU/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Liv is trying to control her powers. She is unable to touch Justice, even though she wants to so very bad. Liv is also being hunted by Darklings. This is a really fast, well-written read. The story immediately grabs your attention. I really like the mercurial Justice. He is such an unpredictable, bad-boy seraph. He is a great character. Liv has new powers. She is an empath, she can cause explosions and she can channel the seraphs' powers. Justice leaves Liv and she has a mini breakdown so her pixie and angel friends take her to Devonshire, even though she has Maiden of Honor duties to uphold for her human best friend Nikkee. These characters are so stubborn it is a total Much Ado About Nothing, they should actually communicate some. “I had nothing before I met you. I was nothing before I met you.” (swoon) “In this life, the next life, and any other life after that, it’s you, it will always be you.” (double swoon) 4 stars.

Blue Dust : Forbidden (Blue Dust #1) by Katy Krump Review ~Kami

Blue Dust : Forbidden (Blue Dust #1)

by Katy Krump

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16045617-blue-dust?ac=1

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Dust-Forbidden-ebook/dp/B0091I2X20/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1364967922&sr=1-1&keywords=blue+dust+forbidden

Kerry is on the run. She changes her appearance and her identity and then becomes Donna. She then meets Adam. Donna/Kerry is actually Qea (Pronounced Kee-ah) and she is from another planet. The “blue dust” from the title refers to the planet Qarntaz 7 where Qea lived, though it isn't the planet where she was born. She was born on Qarntaz 3. Qea is a forbidden child and has visions of the future. Because of the population, people are only allowed to have two children, Qea is the third child, which made her forbidden. The forbidden children are supposed to be killed at birth or they are sold as slaves or sold to warlords and turned into child soldiers and sex slaves. The storyline is really intriguing. The writing grabs you immediately and thrusts you into Qea's world. I like how tough she is. I was enjoying reading about Qea and Adam's adventures. I thought the tone of the story was really good. 5 stars. 

Advice from Authors!!

I had this idea a couple of week's ago to start a advice post. I'm thinking of doing this maybe like once a month or even more.
I wanted to start this so that people would get advice on how to write a book, keep on track, etc. So I came up with a question to ask authors.

Question: What advice would you give to someone who is starting out with their writing?

I chose this question mostly for the fact that I'm in the beginning stages of a book and I've been looking around asking different people for advice on what I should and shouldn't do.  And I thought to myself, 'I can't be the only one who needs help.' So here it is my advice as well as those from other authors!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Tina Hammond: Just keep writing, don't keep working on what you've already written-- move forward. And for goodness sakes, set goals (realistic ones).

Kate Marie Robbins: Don't worry about how perfect your first draft is, just write. You can always fix it up later. It's more important to get your ideas down on paper.

Genevieve Scholl: One word: Try

Steve Coffin: Treat writing like Post it notes. Write, arrange, Cut and paste.

Peggy L Henderson: Get yourself a good critique partner and be open to what she tells you, even if you don't want to hear it, and it means major rethinking/rewriting of your masterpiece.

Linda Castillo: Write one word at a time even when you don't feel like it and you think that every word you put down is crap. More often than not, it isn't as bad as you think.

Belle Whittington: Write your story and don't stop to edit. Just put it down and go forward, keeping the momentum of your story. Edit only after you've finished, otherwise, you might lose your voice. Read across the genres, for you never know from whence your inspiration will come.

Jared Rice: Always stay true to YOUR story. After all, it's no one else's. Don't spend too much time editing it. You can have a friend do that.

Connie Vazquez-Keenan: Write what you yourself would love to read & write, even if it's a little bit, every single day.

Nicolas Wilson: Agreed with Connie. It takes a long time to get comfortable writing, and if you only write when the inspiration hits, you won't get enough experience to develop your full abilities. What's the facebook graphic going around? Artists become artists because they have good taste, and their early work disappoints them because they have good enough taste to know that their technical skills lag behind their aesthetics? I don't know. Saw it once, several months back, and it seemed accurate, but I had no reason to save it.

Brina Courtney: Butt in chair, hands on keyboard. Nothing is more important than meeting your daily word count.

Abhishek Vipul Thakkar: Read a lot, Write a lot, observe a lot, think a lot about writing, stay committed to your dreams, persist, be patient, focus on characterizations, improve the plot line, in poetry- no rhyme is not necessary, article writing - let it be simple and lucid, let your writing be only YOU. You learn by imitating but you should form your own originality in the process.

Emily Goodwin: Remember the simple advice: don’t give up. Everyone started out as new. You can only go up from here :)

Heaven Lyanne: Set a daily goal, weather it be 100 words or 1,000 word. I did this and it's kept me on track so much! I also created an author page in which I can post my daily word count and found a couple people that will push me the days I forget. And also write what ever pops into your head. You thought of it for a reason. Later on you can edit and maybe create a different document for all the things you cut out of the original so if you want it later on you'll have it.                     

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

If anyone would like to ask a question that you will like authors to answer for you please leave a comment below and I'll add it to my list!


**Other new's: For those of you who are writing ANYTHING, I've created a group where we plan when to have this writing game. The rule for the game is to write as much as you can in an hour! You must post what your word count is before and after each game. Right now its more of just a fun little game but once we get more people to join I was thinking of creating a tournament! And yes there will be a prize!
So if your interested in this go to our group and join in!

 Writers Writings WIP's!!

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/149385091905089/

Emily Goodwin's full advice:

I’ve been asked by many aspiring and new authors to share how I got my start. Often some of the best advice given is the simplest advice. I got my start by deciding I wanted to write a book. And then I wrote it. Simple, right?

Maybe. There were many things I learned along the way—many from making mistakes—that I feel that by sharing can help others along their journey. The very first thing that you need to do is to write your book. Know that writing a book is a huge task. Finishing it is an even bigger accomplishment. If you get to the end of your book, you should feel so proud of what you accomplished. Give yourself a pat on the back and don’t hesitate to brag to your family and friends a little. Pretty much everyone is gonna thing it’s really freaking cool that you wrote and finished a book.

Since finishing that manuscript can be such a daunting task, figuring out your writing style and what works and what doesn’t work for you can be a huge help. Personally, I like to have a general outline when I write. It may be as basic as knowing that Mary needs to meet Jane in chapter three so when Matt is introduced in chapter five, the plot will already be set (or something like that) or it can be very intricately planned, such as chapter by chapter details. Knowing that this should happen before that happens helps me stay on task and keeps me from deviating from the plot line with little sub-stories and random tangents (that sometimes turn into the characters rescuing abandoned animals…) that take away from the main story line.

I am a very easily distracted person, so setting limits and goals was very helpful to keep me focused. I have a 1,000 word minimum goal on days that I work (I’m a nurse) and a 3,000 minimum on my ‘writing days’. When I’m tempted to get on Facebook or Pinterest, I set a limit for myself, like fifteen minutes then back to writing or I won’t go on the internet until I’ve written 500 good words.  This works for me, so find what works

for you. I also make sure to give myself off days where if I write three words, great. If I write 5,000, even better. And if I write nothing that day, it’s ok too. If you force yourself to write when you’re just not feeling it, you probably won’t be happy with what you just wrote.

Finally, once you’ve figured out the style/pace that is best, be realistic. If you can’t get 1,000 words a day, then be happy with what you can get. Don’t pressure yourself; forced writing is easy to spot. If you need a few days off from your work, then please take them! Step away from your novel, read something else, play The Sims 3 (my guilty pleasure) or watch some shows.

Now that your novel is done, step away. Don’t open it, don’t read it, don’t even look at it! Give yourself a mental break from your characters and then go back. Keep an open mind. Yes, this is your story, your baby, your pride and glory…but it will need some revising. Read through it, fix what you think should be fixed, and then find a good team of beta readers to give you honest, critical (and sometimes a little harsh) feedback. This is the time to catch the inconsistencies, confusing scenes, slow parts in your plots, and to know whether or not your world/character development is up to par.

I will admit that the first beta read through is the hardest. You just freaking wrote a book! You want the whole world to love it and tell you how great it is because you certainly think so. You may feel the need to justify everything your betas pointed out and wag your finger in their face with a ‘how dare you say that about my book!’ sort of attitude, but don’t! Sometimes it is easy to forget that in your mind, everything about your novel makes perfect sense. You love your characters because you created them. To you, the story is seamless, which is why it is so important to let others tell you what needs to be improved. Take their advice into consideration, but do not feel like you have to change every single little thing every beta pointed out.

I like to have a dozen or so betas go through my books and really rip it apart. I find the harsher they are, the better and more helpful their advice is. I want to know what is bad about the book because this is my chance to change it. They are here to help you, so be thankful that they took the time to go through your book with a fine toothed comb. After all of that is done, I highly suggest you hire an editor. No matter how many times you go through your own work, you cannot catch the mistakes because you know what is should be saying.

And most of all don’t let anything discourage you! Join a writers group. Email an established author for personalized advice or even ask if they would mentor you. Find other new writers just like you and support and encourage each other. Remember the simple advice: don’t give up. Everyone started out as new. You can only go up from here :)

Thank for all the advice Emily Goodwin & Everyone else!!  

~Heaven Lyanne