 Hey Everyone! I wanted to update you on the AWESOME project I have had the honor to be a part of... the Anthology of Short Stories I previously have mentioned, has come to fruition. No really, it has. :) And guess what?! My story is in there! :) Woo Hoo! I wanted to take the opportunity to share a bit about the project and the people involved. And also to tell you how I came into such an opportunity. :) It all starts with one man: Ian D. Moore. Author of Salby Damned. I met Ian in an Indie Author Facebook Group, along with many others, and one day, he threw out the creative idea of an anthology in honor of cancer support. I don't think I need to go into detail about how awful the "c" word can be, for most of us have dealt with it in some form or fashion. Ian most recently. And he wanted to honor a special woman by paying tribute. How could anyone say 'no' to a request like that?! Not me. And not 25 others! He asked if any of his fellow Indies would be willing to join in and write a story. I offered. I spazzed out. (As I described in a previous post) I wrote one. It's in there. Ta Da! Only... it is not that simple. In fact, TONS of work has been involved in this project. Authors have taken time away from their individual projects to dedicate time to this work. And if that does not sound like enough of a contribution. Others have edited, designed, sketched, proofed, and spent countless hours formatting this work into an actual book. Team effort to the extreme, my friends. But you know what? It is worth it. For all of us. Macmillan Cancer Support will receive ALL the royalties from the sales of this anthology. ALL.... Let me say it again... ALL PROCEEDS GO TO MACMILLAN! So that's awesome. And what is even more awesome, is that you can help make that happen! I am dutifully going to take it upon myself to keep you informed on this work and you WILL KNOW when it is released so you can purchase your own copy! 26 STORIES. DIFFERENT GENRES. DIFFERENT WRITERS. ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE. And we have currently set up a Facebook Page that you can LIKE and follow to join in on the journey. https://www.facebook.com/yourenotalone2015  You might recall my overwhelming freak out blog post when I spoke of my beginning stages of writing my short story... if not, let me recap for you. I had just released The Unfading Lands a FEW DAYS before, and of course, was overwhelmed with book launching. But besides being overwhelmed, I was on that stereotypical book high that authors get when they see their work in final existence. I believed I could conquer the world... or in this case... a short story.
So I offered to pitch in. Well a short story can't be THAT hard, you might think. But I had never written one. And what's more, I felt like a newbie to the group as well as the world of indies. So I was a little nervous. But I also have that Hamilton/O'Neal blood in me that prevents me from ever backing down from a challenge... so I clapped my hands together, drank a big glass of... sweet tea (you thought I was going to say wine, didn't you?) and I set to work. The theme for the anthology was set to be 'relationship.' Any type, any aspect, etc. So I started writing. I wanted something fun. I wanted something charming. And I wanted something that might just bring a smile to someone's face. So I wrote about shoes. Who doesn't love shoes?! And I wrote about dating. Who doesn't love dating? (Well, that could be an iffy question actually)... But it started taking shape. I wrote it during my stay in Galveston, Texas. So what if I was there to do a book festival for The Unfading Lands.... I was determined, and dang it, I was going to write this short story! ;) So I did. I then held onto it for three days. THREE DAYS! Because I was too nervous to send it to Ian and the rest of the clan. What if they didn't like it? What if it was NOT what they were looking for? What if they just laughed and were like, "Seriously? This Katharine girl just wasted our time?" I was nervous. Super nervous. But you know what? I pressed send. A few days later, Ian contacted me letting me know it would go into review and be proofed, etc. A nail-biting few days later, Ian contacted me again and said they only had to tweak a few things... I had naturally forgotten this would be a publication originating in the United Kingdom, so my East Texan way of drawling my words out may have been a bit difficult to understand with the punctuation and grammar I used. So they tweaked a few commas, tweaked a few words, and added a few "u's"... (i.e. Honour vs honor, colour vs color) but the rest of the story stayed the same. And then he said they would love to include it in the anthology. PHEW! So it is now in there, and I am still rather nervous. I have the hopes it will cheer some people up, make a few hearts sigh, and bring a few smiles. We shall see. But if my story won't, I can guarantee there are others in the anthology that will! :) So many gifted and talented men and women from ALL OVER THE WORLD have contributed to this project, and if that doesn't get your bonnet buzzin' then perhaps the fact it could possibly be released in a month or so definitely should! I will keep you posted, my friends. In the meantime, check out the awesome cover. Check out the Facebook Page. And do Macmillian a favor and share this post and any other post you may come across about this project. Our success in sales only benefits a worthy cause, and you can help! :) Until next time, Katharine
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5/19/2015 1 Comment Local Book Launch Par-Tay!Well I hate to say it, but I have fallen behind a week or so on here! I apologize for leaving you hanging! :) But the good news is... I've been busy with The Unfading Lands! This passed weekend I travelled home to my hometown to do a local book launch at the Piney Woods Wine Festival. It was a blast!  Amongst the smiling faces I got to see were my best friend since the first day of kindergarten, Giovanna. (far right)
AND my high school English teacher (far left)... fingers crossed she doesn't find any grammar mistakes. ;) The top picture is a picture of my mom and me. :) She's sporting her Unfading Lands t-shirt and walked around all day advertising for me. :) Needless to say, we had a successful weekend! It was great to see everyone and of course, to talk The Unfading Lands. I love hearing what people think about it. I love hearing theories, suggestions, and of course, that people are loving it! :) I also want to update you on what all else I have going on right now. 1. Book 2 of The Unfading Lands is underway! :) Yay! 2. The anthology of short stories I contributed to, should be out within the next month or so! (more to come on that soon) 3. I pack up and travel to Florida on Thursday to visit family AND to introduce more people to The Unfading Lands! :) 4. As soon as I come back from Florida, I will have a book signing here in South Texas. :) 5. I have several book clubs starting to read The Unfading Lands, and I plan to visit with each and every book club once they are finished. (different locations of each club will make it an exciting road trip) :) Things are booking up, and I am currently adding to my schedule. So if you have an event you would like me to attend, please let me know! :) I love hearing from you guys! Please keep spreading the word on The Unfading Lands! :) 5/4/2015 0 Comments The Importance of Reviews Hey Fabulous Readers! :)
I hope you all have had a great week and weekend! I know I have. I have been relaxing. Well.... cleaning my house and then relaxing. I even read a book this weekend. :) And not just any book, mind you. A book written by a fellow Indie Author. You see, I am part of a group on Facebook that is for Indie Authors from all over the world, and not only do we communicate on the latest topics in the writing world, but we also read each others' works and offer to post honest and genuine reviews to Amazon once we have. It made me realize, not many readers know how important these reviews actually are to a writer. So I thought I would talk about that for a moment. :) First: A review on Amazon gives future purchasers a personal recommendation. People like to hear what other people think about anything they are about to purchase, whether it be a grill, a skateboard, a mixer... or in this case, a book. I know when I hear about a book, I go read some of the reviews. Now yes, some of them you have to take with a grain of salt, but for the most part, most of the reviews are honest feedback. As an Amazon customer, Reviews are important to me. But as a writer... Reviews are extremely important to me. I want to know what people think about my work! What did they find exciting?! What did they find blah?! I want to know it all! :) This feedback helps me when I sit down to work on the next book. If you think your review will not be read, you are HIGHLY mistaken. Reviews are prized little nuggets of secret information. (at least, that is how I and many other writers feel) Second: It's a way for a writer to feel connected to their readership. I may not know everyone personally, but what a way for us to glimpse each other's personality a bit. You already catch a glimpse of mine by reading my book. But I want to know you too! I want to know what you think. And guess what? I value what you have to say! I take every review, whether good or bad, personally. A good review will make my day and encourage me. A bad review does not ruin my day, but it does give me some feedback on what to look into for the next project. I see a bad review as constructive criticism. Granted some of them are written with a little heat behind them... but still... take it and use it. Third: The more reviews. The more sales. If 300 people have reviewed a certain book, then obviously 300 people found it worthy enough to read, and I'm going to buy it and check it out. If 3000 people have left a review, then you can bet I will read that one too. Reviews show other people the item is worth giving a go. It's a snowball effect. It is electronic word of mouth. Tell one person, then they will tell the next person, and so on and so on. So what is the point of this post? Well... I would love for you to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads or whatever... once you have read The Unfading Lands. I want to hear from you! :) The biggest compliment you can give a writer is leaving a review. :) Thank you to those that have. Thank you to those that will. And thank you to those who might not, but still read my book. :) |
AuthorHowdy Everyone! And welcome to my website! My name is Katharine Hamilton and I am a writer and multi-genre author! Thank you for stopping by! Archives
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