I’m One of Those People Who Needs It

I’ve always been an herbal tea drinker. I’d only have coffee a handful of times per year. That is, until this year. Now I’m drinking two cups a day. That may not seem like a lot to professional coffee drinkers, but it is for me. I’m a writer who let life get in the way for several years. This year, I made it my business to get back to doing what I love.

I have two jobs, not including writing. This makes for a hectic daily schedule. See where I’m going? Yes, I picked up a coffee habit for my late-night writing sessions. It has become part of my daily  routine. Wake up, make a cup of coffee. At night, the same thing. Never pictured myself as a coffee person. Now, I’m one of those people who needs it.

I have to use my MatchaDNATea Frother

I only use Coffee-mate Natural Bliss

 

Back In The Saddle Again

 

Hello! I’m finally back after a very long break. Was off taking care of life business. I normally try to keep this blog for personal stuff but in this case, business and personal are hand in hand. Here’s what I blogged about over on my business blog:

After my second release, Kindred Spirits, I set out to become a homeowner. That was a little over 2 years ago. I took a break from writing to concentrate on my new goal. By January 2015 I had accomplished my goal. I’m proud to say that I am a first-time homeowner.  That should have been cause for great celebration. My life went downhill from there.Long story short, it took a year to move  my daycare business from my old residence to the new one.

Running a daycare is what I do for my “day job.” Getting registered in my new home took so much longer than I thought it would.  I basically suffered financially the entire year of 2015. I had to take on an extra job so there was absolutely no writing getting done.  In the middle of December 2015 I finally became  registered to run a daycare again. Now to build up my clientele in my new home. Another challenge but I know it will work itself out in no time.

All this to say that things are starting to calm down in my life. I started the new year dusting off my blogs and breathing life back into my Facebook page. I want to get back to social networking again. I miss tweeting, pinning and Instagraming I’ve been jotting down story ideas and trying my hand at poetry. I figured that would be a good outlet for the many emotions I’ve experienced the past few years. I hope you’ll rejoin the journey with me.  I’m slowly getting back in the saddle again 🙂

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Kindred Spirits–release date 10/31/13

So I’ve published my second book and of course I’m little nervous about how it will be received.  I joke about how people will think I’m utterly mad after having read the book. I’m not too concerned with that because I think we’re all a little crazy :)! I do, however, worry about people being cross with me for what I’ve done to a sacred topic.  I believe people refer to this as, blasphemy.  *Dun dun dunnn… Thunder clap*

I’m not heavily into religion but I do respect everyone’s beliefs and have always had the opinion that no one is right and no one is wrong. Is blasphemy still a big deal? I’m not being sarcastic or careless when I ask. I’m genuinely curious. As I’ve stated, I’m not a very religious person so I don’t know.  So, tell me, does it turn you off from an author’s future work if they’ve blasphemed? Inquiring minds want to know.

Hooray! For Second Chances

So, here’s what’s happening. A few years ago I published my first novel, Enchanted Island. Fast forward a few years and I’m re-releasing the book. I made a few mistakes the first time around which I’m correcting now. You see, I passively marketed while secretly hoping my family and friends would lend a helping hand. I must say a handful, and I mean one hand, did actually purchase and read the book. Those people will always be remembered and appreciated. My only problem is I have close to 300 friends on my personal Facebook page and just under 10 of them jumped on board to support me. It’s true they don’t really owe me anything. But still, isn’t it nice to have the support of your peers? I think so.

Time went on and I saw that they weren’t particularly interested in anything I had to say regarding my book. I was so proud of myself for stepping up and seeing this thing through. Most people don’t. I know whenever I see a friend or even a distant acquaintance involved in something cool, that I’m so thrilled for them. I jump right in and support however I can. My mistake was wishing that people would do the same for me. I was wrong. When the book was just coasting along with trickling sales here and there every month, I resigned myself to the fact that, I’m not going to make it. I became resentful and even stopped writing for a while.

Every now and then I’d get a burst of inspiration and resume my feeble effort to market my work. There came a point in time nearly two months ago where I got this fire in my belly once again. I finally came to terms with the fact that I couldn’t really count on my inner circle to help me get to the next level. When I saw everyone around me taking care of themselves, even the ones I helped at some point in time, I just had had enough.

It came time for me to get out there and mingle. I needed to connect with people so they could get to know what I’m all about. It’s important for me that people see who I am and what I’m about. I came up with a fun way to help make this happen. To celebrate the new look for my book I have a summer-long contest going. If you follow my blog you know about the Enchanted Summer Games. The games are a way for the readers to get to know me and a little about my book. I received the proof yesterday and gave it a once over. I’m happy to say, Enchanted Island is now available in paperback with the new cover and also for Kindle devices. Hooray! For second chances.

Enchanted Island with new cover and new attitude.

Paperback copies of  Enchanted Island are available here

Blog Update

I’ve decided to separate my business posts from my personal posts. Here is where I will continue to share my triumphs, disappointments and even those pesky rants. Specifics about my writings and upcoming projects can be found on Written by May Torres. I do hope you will hop on over and follow.  See you there 😉

P.S. 😀 Even though I know you’re rushing right over to the new blog, I want to share this post about a fun idea I’m thinking about>> Enchanted Summer Games

Bookaversary!

April 22, 2010. That’s the date my first novel was released! It’s almost that time again. My baby will be celebrating its first birthday. Join me in celebrating this milestone. Over at my publisher’s facebook page, we’re holding a contest. Here is a snippet from the publisher’s post:

“In honor of our one year bookaversary, the day our debut titles were released. We will be holding a contest throughout the month of April. Our actual bookaversary is April 22. Celebrate with us!

(Click here for Touche Publishing’s Facebook Page)

Refer a Friend Contest

The contest will be set up with a points system in place. Be the first contestant to accumulate 100 points and win! By getting your friends to participate on Touche Publishing’s “fan” page, through various activities, you can be the winner of an Electronic Book Reader.”

 

(Click here for the full post)

A big thanks to everyone who has followed my journey this past year.  You have made it such a rewarding experience for me. I continue to learn from each one of you. You only make me better, so don’t go anywhere 🙂

Just Thought I’d Mention It

Just a few weeks ago, I posted a blog entry about how difficult it was to find reciprocity.  I wanted to write a quick follow-up to that post. While I still see a huge lack of reciprocity in my networking circle, I have to bring attention to those who have come through. One of the replies to my post came from a gentleman I came across in cyberspace. He pointed out how keeping track of several hundred contacts can be somewhat difficult. I understand his point, and  totally see how it could be.  I think what irks me most, is the number of people whose only concern is having the most friends and followers. The ones interested in only serving their needs. I look for people who actually engage their friends and followers. So this post is dedicated them. *I provided direct links to each person mentioned. So, please click on the highlighted text to “meet” them.* 🙂

The gentleman I mentioned above, is Draven Ames. He’s a writer and takes interest in the people in his social networking circle, whether it be Twitter or Facebook. Although he has many followers and hundreds of friends on Facebook, he still manages to be approachable.  Follow him on Twitter or through his blog Another Slightly Scary Story. Find out more about him. You’ll be glad you did.

Being Latino Online Magazine, is a site I first came upon via Facebook. They bring together the Latino community through a series of informative articles. They help educate while also being entertaining. No matter who the author is of a particular article, you can rest assured that they will appreciate your interest and converse with you. You can follow them on Twitter and check out their magazine here on WordPress

Just by connecting with Draven Ames and Being Latino, I was able to be exposed to others, I find interesting to follow.

Sheri Jenkins White– She writes great stories. You have to check them out on Chaos and Contentment

Julio Varela– He has an excellent blog on WordPress and might I add, cojones! [sorry :-)]

Icess Fernandez -Nice to chat with. Check out her blog Writing to Insanity

Ms Kitty Alvarez– So much fun to chat up. Check her out on Twitter

John Marino– Cool blog about horror. Check him out at Horror Writing

Laurel-Rain Snow– Always an active participant on my blog. You can check out her blog here on WordPress

I’m sure I’ll be updating this list frequently. Finally, I also want to mention a few of my personal friends who always show me support.

R.C. Berry-Fantastic new author and my partner on this publishing journey. Kind and amazing friend! Check her out on Facebook and Touché Publishing

Amy Priscilla Kim– I’ve known Amy over 10 years now. She’s smart and sassy. She’s also an Independent Sales Representative/eRepresentative at Avon. Find out more info at her Avon website and follow her on Twitter.

Jen Ryan-Super cool lady and good friend. She has been a big supporter. Jen has a blog which is one of my favorites, UnseenNYC. Since most tour guide sites and books concentrate on Manhattan, her site caters to the other boroughs of New York City. Follow her on Twitter

Angela McCool– Fun, with a lot of spunk. She is a “friend of a friend” who quickly became one of mine. She just launched her new products which you can find at Mariposa Fashions. I think the ladies will love them and men even more 😉

I enjoy sharing cyberspace with each of these people, just thought I’d mention it.

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It’s Been a While

http://www.touchepublishers.com

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged.  I have taken some time to concentrate on new projects. It seems people in my social circle are enjoying my first crack at writing a novel.  Enchanted Island has been available since April 2010 and, now through Amazon.com for two months.  It seems like its been a hundred years since its release.  It’s a slow painful process, promoting the book.  There were plenty of people showing interest once they knew I had written a book.  When it was time to put the book out there, all I heard was crickets 🙂 Despite the slow process, I’ve managed to sell half the first edition copies printed.  So now I have started on a new story. It doesn’t have a title as of yet but, it’s most probably going to be classified as Fantasy.  Along with the new book project, I’m planning a sweet 16 birthday party for my daughter coming up in August. My son just graduated from high school two weeks ago. So, I’ve been pretty busy.  And if that wasn’t enough, I’m preparing for an event called FaerieCon. Yes, you read it correctly. I went last year and had a ball. This time I will be attending as a vendor. I will be selling my book and some other handmade items. It’s a big deal, lots of people come from across the country and even from out of the country, to attend.  I’ve been busy crafting a few things to put up for sale. I’m also going to get back into making my own natural product, such as lip balms,lotions and body washes. I used to make them before and loved it but, then life got in the way. So it’s a very busy time for me.  I don’t mind though. I needed a little breather, so I decided to catch up with my blog because, it’s been a while.

Let The Fun Begin

On Wednesday, April 7th my book Enchanted Island was officially published! Since then, it’s been non-stop promotion. I’ve taken to my social networking sites,letting people know that the book was now available. There were some sales made during the presale and some over this past weekend. It’s hard work promoting I have to hand it to people in the advertising and marketing fields, but I will never regret my decision to self-publish. I’m not afraid of hard work, and the rewards will be so much greater, once things really start taking off. Right now, I’m taking it all in. This experience is so surreal. I have people close to me, fascinated and asking questions about the writing process. I’m getting questions on what prompted me to write the story. People are interested! Interested in something I’ve created! That doesn’t happen too often. I’m the type of person that would love fly under the radar forever. It’s all about stepping out of my comfort zone this year. Let the fun begin!

http://touchepublishers.com/Books/enchantedisland.html