Cover in the spotlight--One True Love (A Regency Romance) by Lisa Follett

Hi everyone,

The first novel covers have come in so the challenge begins now, with Lisa Follett's novel, One True Love (A Regency Romance).

Every time I post a cover, I will not be saying much. Instead, I'll let the covers do the talking. If you like what you see, go ahead and click the links below it. Also feel free to let me know what you like about the cover. So, without wasting time, here's the cover of the week.

Lord William Prescott is in want of a wife. Unfortunately, the lady he wants is betrothed.
Miss Cassandra Chambers simply cannot understand her attraction to Lord William. After all, she is supposed to be in love with Mr. Miles Parker. In a scandalous twist of fate, Cassie's future changes when Lord William rides to her rescue, saves her from ruin, and makes her his wife.
When William comes to believe Cassie's heart may always belong to another, he is determined to lock away his own. If only he could lock away his desire for his One True Love.

Link to Amazon:
One True Love (A Regency Romance) by Lisa Follett

Especially for you dear followers

Dear followers,

Last night I spent a part of my evening creating a card for you from some
digital papers I designed in Photoshop a couple of months ago.
I hope you like it. As you can see, I also baked you a Christmas cupcake in Photoshop (it looks more like ice-cream but hey, I'm used to baking in ovens). Enjoy it anyway.

Thanks for all your support throughout this year.

Hugs

Liz

The Gorgeous Book Cover Challenge

Enough about my book cover. Now is your turn. Does your book cover have what it takes?

When I get some spare time I love love love to look around at book covers.

Last night I got the idea of starting a weekly book cover challenge. Not only for published books, but also for WIP.

Why am I doing this challenge?

Firstly, I get to see beautiful covers right here on my own doorstep.

Secondly, you get to show off your cover and help promote your book (believe me, some people buy a book just because the cover is stunning. At least my husband does when he buys books.)

Thirdly, we get to have some fun.

How will this challenge work?

1. Become a member of my blog family (Say hi so I recognize you).

2. Send me an e-mail at Liz_Davis1@yahoo.com. You attach your cover, a short description of what your book is about (for those who are published, the back cover summary. You'll also send me any links to your blog or a place where the book is available for purchase and a short bio, if you like.

3. Every week, I'll choose one cover to feature on my blog, with information about the author and/or book plus links.

4. At the end of each month, the author/owner of the cover that got the most comments will be given a key to my blog. By that I mean, they can do something to promote their blog, book/books etc. using my blog. They can be interviewed by me, guest post or I don't know, let's be creative together.

What do you think? Are you up for the challenge? If yes, send me those covers. I can't wait to see them.

Hugs

Liz

Introducing my revamped cover

I posted my cover on Kindleboards and got a lot, I mean a lot of great and positive comments (I'm so happy). But I also got a few suggestions. For example, that I should make my name bigger (True, otherwise what's the point right?) and that I should add a few more elements of fantasy. Also, the white area on the left was too sharp.

With the help of one of my writer friends, I revamped the cover. I played around with fonts (now the cursive font is only used for the Ts), the white area has disappeared and we now have a magic tear(Thanks to my friend and follower, Carol Riggs)for a touch of more fantasy. Oh, I also added bevels and shadows to make it more alive. Finally, I moved two butterflies in the top image.
Pheeeew, I think I'm finally done with the cover. Next comes the blurb.

Here are three finalists. Only one can win. Which do you like best?

The Big Reveal- My self-designed cover

Okay, I know I said I'll post the cover next week, but I just couldn't wait. I'm one of those people who are terrible when it comes to keeping secrets. Not that this cover is a secret (more like, I was too nervous to show it. It's my first cover, after all).
So, here's my baby, a few days early. I would really love to know what you think before I release it to the rest of the world. I'm pretty happy with it as it is. If I make any changes, they will be very tiny.

Take a deep breath (that's me, not you). Now it's over to you. What do you think. By the way, Tangi's Teardrops is a YA fantasy novel, in case you're wondering. I'll post a blurb soon.

Right, I'm off to hide now.

Welcome Friday

Fridays always find me exhausted, whether the week had been busy or not. Right now it's rainy and gloomy outside and I feel sleepy. I keep making spelling mistakes as I write this post.

In two hours, I'll be off to date night with hubby. I don't think I'll get any editing done today. I'll read through what I edited this week and go to bed early. Tomorrow, I plan to edit all day, apart from short breaks for lunch and breathing (no not yoga, just a breather).

Sunday after church, I'll edit some more and if I stick to my plan, I'll be done with the editing/rewriting before I hit the pillow.

Next week will be more relaxed. I'll just be reading through the manuscript and adding finishing touches. Oh, and finishing with the cover design (so I can post it for you to see).

I plan to be completely done with the manuscript by the end of December. Then I'll send it to my editor for final basic editing/proofreading. Finally, Mid or end of January will be the best month in my life as a writer when I finally get published.

Right now, I think I'll take a nap before date night, so I don't fall asleep in the movies. Before the nap I need to see if there's a good movie in the cinema.

Bye for now.

Liz

Me: My own cover artist

I thought long and hard about whether I should design my own cover or hire a professional. It was nerve wracking. One day I wanted to do it, the next, I chickened out. My husband encouraged me to do it myself, especially since I have some digital design experience. My friend, Larissa, also thought I could do it myself.
So what did I do, I took the plunge. I designed a few covers  (about 5) and both hubby and Larissa loved the very first one I designed in 5 minutes using Photoshop Elements.

The more I look at it, the deeper I'm falling for it too. It's simple but it does the job of making one wonder what the story is about. Exactly what I wanted.
I'm still busy with the finishing touches, then I'll post it on up here to see what you think. Probably next week.
Everything is progressing very well. Last night I wrote the blurb (at least the skeleton). The novel will be published in January.

Deep POV? What's that?

My editor sent me back my YA novel manuscript (Tangi's Teardrops) two weeks ago. Most of the comments that decorated the manuscript were, "Narrative telling. rewrite in deep POV".
I've heard about writing in deep POV before and I also know that it's not one of the easiest skills to master.
On the other hand, many writers write in deep POV without even knowing it. Even me. In my contemporary romance novel, I nailed it--according to my editor at least--but I never really thought about it while writing. Until now.

Well, I'm rewriting the whole YA manuscript at the moment and learning with every page. I have to admit, my novel is becoming more alive.

For those of you who are confused about Deep POV, here are a few links I found to be helpful (including quotes to whet your appetites):

PART FOUR-Deep POV
"A skill that leads straight into strong, emotive writing is Deep Point Of View. And I mean deep. This is often a very hard skill to conquer, but it's so effective I felt it needed a whole day's work." (WOW; Women On Writing)

Deep POV
"Another term for “Deep POV” is limited Third Person. It’s a technique that infuses Third Person POV with the intimacy of First Person" (Maeve Maddox)

5 Tips For Writing Deep POV
“What is the key to spellbinding, page-turning writing? Emotional connection between your readers and your characters! Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, learning the secrets of deep POV will make your writing come alive in the hearts of your readers.” (Simon Presland)

How Deep POV Helped Me Achieve Publication by Pamela S. Meyers

"I had never heard of Deep POV, but I sure did learn about it in a hurry. As I added it to the story I was amazed at how much richer my story read." 

Go Deep! Eliminate Distancing Phrases for Deep POV
"One of her tips you see a lot: eliminate distancing phrases like ‘he said’, ‘he heard’, etc. This is almost always covered in any blog post on Deep POV."

Don't wait for inspiration...Just write!

I know there's nothing more fulfilling than those days when your well of ideas is filled to the brim and you can't seem to write them down fast enough. Like other writers, I love those days. But as we all know, that doesn't happen all the time.

When no inspiration strikes, a writer has two choices--to sit and wait for the muse to finally find them or to go ahead and write anyway.

I used to be one of those people that waited and waited for inspiration. When it finally arrived, there was nothing better. When it didn't, there was nothing more frustrating. I soon found out it might be better to stop waiting and start writing.

What I found is that it might be hard to start writing at first, but often (for me at least) inspiration caught up eventually and it was even more rewarding in the end. I call it creating my own inspiration and it really does work most of the time. If I continued waiting for inspiration, I would never have finished writing most of my manuscripts.

Two weeks ago, I finished my YA novel, Tangi's Teardrops.
If you remember, a few weeks before that, I mentioned that even though the novel was initially meant for middle grade readers, some of my friends from critique circle said it would be better suited for young adults. But the novel was complete and I had no idea where I was going to pull all the ideas from in order to increase the word count. Of course there was a lot more than just increasing the word count. A complete rewrite was required.

To cut the long story short, I did eventually find the ideas and to tell you the truth I'm still amazed at how much I came up with in such a short amount of time. Some days had been easier than others.

During the two week period, I refused to stop writing even when I felt I wasn't inspired enough. I sat my butt down and wrote anyway. After a while, ideas started flowing and before I knew it, I had written, The End.
Last week I submitted the manuscript to my editor. I plan to self publish the novel before the end of the year and I'm so excited.

In December I also plan to send out query letters for my contemporary romance novel, Chocolate Aftertaste, which is ready (I just dread the process of writing query letters and synopses).

All in all, by finally testing the waters of both traditional publishing as well as self-publishing, I believe I will be ending the year right.

Here are 3 great articles on the topic of inspiration or lack thereof:
Why you should stop waiting for inspiration
 Mistake no. 39: waiting for inspiration
Waiting for inspiration-is a bunch of hooey

Before I go, here are two refreshing photo inspiration for you. They were taken during my honeymoon in Rhodes, Greece over a year ago.

Writing is like a warm bubble bath

Dear readers,

Have you ever felt that writing is your safe haven? I do. Last week I didn't have such a great week and it was work related (My fake job, which pays the bills as opposed to my real job, writing).
Anyway, on Friday, I was really stressed and a little low when I got home. Then I thought about the novel that I'm currently writing and just felt an immediate lift of spirit. Sometimes during the day when something doesn't go my way, I also just think about myself as a writer, my books and everything that goes with it and I feel so much better. That is the real me and in my world as a writer, I can can dream and create people, places and circumstances from nothing. I can be myself and have things the way I want them to be. Writing, to me, is like a warm bubble bath after a long stressful day or warm, cuddly socks on a cold. Once I sink myself into it, everything is okay with the world.  I can step out of the real world and create my own.
I really thank God for my talent. I can't imagine not being a writer. It's just the most beautiful gift anyone could have given me.
How does being a writer make you feel?

Hugs

Liz

The issue of pen names

Hallo readers,

In case you don't know already, Liz Davis is my pen name. Liz comes from my first name, Elizabeth and for Davis, I took my father's name (David) and replaced the d with an s. My real name or should I say, names are, Elizabeth Grace Tangi Adewole.
I'm not sure how many of you use a pen name or are considering using one, but I think it's an interesting topic to discuss. Since I write contemporary romance novels as well as children's books,I'll be using two pen names for each genre.

The research I've done online gives several reasons why writers use pen names. Here are a few articles I found useful.

A rose  by any other name: pros and cons of pseudonyms
Writing under a pen name: when should an author use a pseudonym?
Should authors use a pen name?
Pen names: do you know the true identity of your favourite author?

Is my novel really Middle grade or YA?

Two weeks ago I submitted a few chapters of my children's novel to my online critique circle. Initially, my novel was meant to target the middle grade group, but some of the comments I received believed that it would be more suited for young adults.
I did a bit of research on the differences between the two and got some pretty useful information. I read my novel again and realized it was just too mature for the middle grade group. I've finally accepted that I was targeting the wrong group. Right now I'm writing on, with young adults in mind and I must say, it's great to know exactly where my novel fits.
Looks like I won't be needing those illustrations after all. I do look forward to the cover design, though.

For those of you who are confused by the two genres (like I was), here are some links that might be useful:

• Writing for children: age categories determine the guidelines for your children's book

•  Pinpointing the differences between middle grade and YA

• The differences between middle grade and young adult 

• 5 articles on the differences between middle grade and young adult 

• Am I writing YA or MG?

Tips from a literary agent

Lauren Boyd has a great list of some very useful tips straight from a literary agent. I was aware of some of the points, but some where new to me.
Over all, very helpful. If you need to add to your collection of tips, here's the link:
Lauren F. Boyd: My Path To Publication: Tips From a Literary Agent

Liz

Holly's Giveaway

Holly Castor is having a great giveaway. You win two books of your choice from The Book Depository. Very tempting isn't it? One can never have too many books...in my opinion.
If you're not tempted enough, here's the link to her blog: http://in-interest.blogspot.com/
Good luck.

Liz

Teaching myself how to illustrate

Hello everyone,

Just a little update on my progress so far with my children's book. The editing is going very well and I should be able to get the book published by the end of the year. But then, there's something else that's important to children. Pictures. As a child I spent most of my days in the library reading. But guess how I chose my books...by looking at the pictures.

That brings me to the point I want to make. Illustrators--wonderful but expensive illustrators. I looked at the prices and I'm not in the position right now to pay for one. I decided to ask a few friends who studied art. Some had too much work on their plates already and it wouldn't be fair of me to burden them some more. Others, well, they didn't see what I saw. So, last week I decided that hey, why don't I do it? I've never been good at drawing anything...no, actually I was good at drawing hearts. I took a few art classes in primary school but my work always looked the worst on the classroom walls. So, I decided it wasn't for me. Now, I'm thinking, says who? The person who said that was little shy Liz from primary school. Maybe big Liz can do it.

After all, I did teach myself photoshop, taught myself my new hobby, digital scrapbooking and even created a number of scrapbook supplies (If you haven't already, you can check them out at my other blog: http://tangidesigns.blogspot.com/).

I thought maybe I should give drawing another try. And I did. Last week I did everything I could to teach myself how to illustrate by reading and watching online tutorials.
I'm a little shy about this since I'm just starting, but I do want to show you what I did...if you promise not to laugh. I did everything in photoshop. The flowers were done a few months back. I know its not perfect, but I do think if I put my mind to it, I could actually pull it off. What do you think?

This was my first illustration

Okay, there you go. Although I'm happy, illustrating is a lot of work. Well, it was for me as I'm a total beginner. It took me almost the whole day to create the house illustration. Did you notice that I used the background I had created? I took the river out. I drew the house in photoshop and did everything to try and make it look real. I'm not 100% happy, but it'll have to do for a start.

For my 50 page book I want to use around 10-15 illustrations but I don't know if I'll have the time to do all that in addition to editing my romance novel and the children's book. So, maybe I should try to get help again. I might find someone who's talented and shares my vision. At least I know I can do it myself if it doesn't work out. But, it just might. Yesterday, my husband mentioned the book to the daughter of a woman we know and without being asked, she said she'd like to do it. I don't know why I never thought of her. She's a young artist and I've seen  her paintings and drawings before. Amazing. I really love her style.

She's already started practicing and I'll be seeing her tomorrow to see what she came up with. I hope it works out. What I'm thinking of doing is maybe letting her illustrate some things and me others. I could, for example do the backgrounds and she the people. I also practiced drawing people (well a head), but I'm so scared my character will look different on every page. I also haven't tried yet to draw the body (I'm scared of all the different movements. I don't want to paralyze my characters). So, maybe she can help with those. If she's really brilliant, I might let her do everything. It depends on how busy I might get. I wish I had more time to do everything I want to do, but often 24 hours just isn't enough for me.

Well, I've nothing else to tell you. I'll let you know how it goes with my potential illustrator. I'm trying not to be too excited though, just in case I get disappointed.
Before I go, let me show you my floating head (not my head, my potential character's). I drew it by hand first, then colored it in photoshop. I know it looks kind of weird without the neck, but I spent hours on the head alone. The neck would have been a few extra hours and I wanted to stop, I was tired and hungry.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you...the head (and I bow out). Try not to look too closely to my illustrations okay?:

Larissa is published

Hi dear followers,

Today's post is not about my life, my writing or me. I'm writing this post to let you know that my friend, Larissa Hinton has two of her YA novels, Everblossom and Iwishacana. Here are the blurbs in case you'd like to know more:

 

Iwishacana/Acanawishi

Where rules are meant to be broken

     Anissa is constantly on the run from the police and can't seem to stay out of trouble.

Secrets are meant to be kept

Until Anissa hides Florence in her bedroom and her mother finds out. There's only one thing left to do: Send her to Juvenile Cop Camp to erase all of her crimes on her record.

And everything is not what it seems

There's only one problem: Anissa is innocent.

        Welcome to Iwishacana

 EVERBLOSSOM: A SHORT STORY AND POETRY ANTHOLOGY

An anthology that will quench your thirst for more than the ordinary. Everblossom is a journey through poems and short stories that may seem ordinary on the surface but dig a little deeper and the world not only shifts. It changes. Prepare yourself to delve into the three stages of the flower from bud to blossom then back to seed, you'll go through them all with a whole new perspective.

In case you haven't noticed, you can also find the two covers on the left hand side of my posting area. Click on them and see where they take you. At the moment, the books are only available for sale as ebooks, but she plans to make them available in print as well in the near future.

Anyway, Larissa is a great writer with a brilliant imagination. If you would like to know more about her experiences in the world of self publishing (very valuable information), go over to her blog, A Three Way Tie. She'll receive you with open arms.
I'm currently reading her book Iwishacana (which holds a special place in my heart since I've been following its progress since its early days) and I'll make sure to post a review.

Here are the links to the novels:

Iwishacana/Acanawishi:

·         http://www.amazon.com/Iwishacana-Acanawishi-ebook/dp/B005H5GJWQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313954101&sr=1-1

·         http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/iwishacana-acanawishi-larissa-hinton/1104907596

·         http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/80786

·         http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/iwishacanaacanawishi/16534980?

productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1

Everblossom:

·         http://www.amazon.com/Everblossom-Short-Poetry-Anthology-ebook/dp/B005H5GKIY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313954227&sr=1-1

·         http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/80600

·         http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/everblossom-larissa-hinton/1104907595

·           http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/everblossom-a-short-story-and-poetry-anthology/16534940?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/2

For now, that's it from me. Take care and see you soon.
Liz

If you're happy and you know it, write a post :-)

Okay, I know it's not often that I write two posts within one week. But I just had to tell you that as the title says, I do feel rather fantastic today. Not only today, actually, but the past few days. My editing is going so well and I've never felt so motivated. I just believe with all my heart and without a doubt that I can do this. I will do this.

For as long as I can remember, I've never been a fan of editing. My neglected manuscripts are my witnesses. Every time I wrote The End and it was time to clean up those babies, I started with the creation of another. Chocolate Aftertaste is the first novel to stick with me through three or four edits.

But I do have to say, this week, especially, I don't have a problem with it. In fact, I've actually been looking forward to it. Who would have thought. Hmmmm...maybe I'll fall in love with writing query letters and synopses at some point (No, I don't think that love story will become a reality).
I don't know for how long I'll be on a high like this. I just thought that before I start criticizing myself again, I should write this post. That way, when I get down, you can remind me of when I was up.

Being a writer is beautiful and so rewarding when it's going well right?
I don't know what I'll do when (yes, when) one of my books gets published. I'll probably sleep with it under my pillow and several times during the night I'll check to see that it's really there.

Actually, when I get the news that Chocolate Aftertaste (or any of my work) will be published, I'll do the following:

• Receive the news

• Remain in a state of shock for a while, staring into space

• Body starts functioning again

• Skip around the house like a crazy woman mumbling "I did it, I did it, I did it"

• Call my husband (if he's not with me to tell him the news) and probably won't reach him. Have you noticed that when you have fantastic news and want to tell the world, no one seems to be reachable? I hate that.

• Call friends (possibly also unreachable)--temptation to call non-friends rises (I don't like word enemy)

• Retry calling friends several times more until I reach them

• Scream into their ears for joy

• Tell you guys (Best for last)

And then after that I don't know what I'll do anymore...I'll think about it. Maybe I'll hug the world or fly.

What would you do if you got news that your hard work has paid off? We all celebrate in different ways so don't be shy. Come on, let's dream together. If you're already published, tell us what you did.

Here's a nice photo for you taken in Salzburg in Austria last year. Just something to brighten your day.

Blog awards

Dear followers,

Once again I was touched to receive two awards from two great women and one of them I can pass on.
The first is from Deirdra Eden-Coppel and she designed it herself. It's absolutely gorgeous. Thank you so much Deirdra.
Here it is...the Powerful Woman Writer Award. Gorgeous isn't it?

The second award, The Liebster Blog Award (It's great to receive a German Award)  is from one of my most supportive followers Julia Hones. Liebster means "favorite" in English and this is meant to be a friendship award. Thanks dear Julia.
Here it is:

The rules for receiving The Liebster Award are as follows:

1. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.

2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

3. Post the award on your blog.


4. Enjoy the love.


Now it's my turn to pass on the Liebster award. The five people I'm nominating are my oldest followers who've been with me since the start of this blog and I want to show them just how much they mean to me. To those who do not receive the award, you mean a lot to me too. Watch out, you might just get the next one.
Here are the nominees:
1. Larissa Hinton from A three way tie (Larissa has been with me a couple of years before this blog came into being).
2. Mysti Parker from Unwritten 
3. Akoss from: FantasyPen 
4. Elena Solodow from You're Write. Except when you're Rong. 
5. Zella Kate from Zella Kate 


Thank you guys for being there for me when my blog was on its first legs. I appreciate all your support. This award really come from the heart.


Liz

IT'S NOW OR NEVER By Carole Matthews

Have you ever reached the do or die point in your life? Where something has to change or you'll go crazy?
Well, in a nutshell, that's what this novel is about. A pair of twins in their thirties believe they have reached a dead end in their lives, while their older, richer,and  prettier, sister (or so they think) seems to be flourishing. According to them, she has taken all the the fire and left Annie and Lauren with the ashes of what could have been.

Annie is stuck in a marriage with two kids, whose only idea of fun is racing from one party to the next and getting drunk, and a husband who is content as long as he has a fishing rod in his hand. In their twenty years of marriage, their only holiday destination has been Cromer.Every single year. She's getting bored.

Annie's twin, Lauren wants what Annie has. A husband (minus the fishing rod and same destination holiday). There's only one small problem. Correction, one big problem. The man she wants, her boyfriend of several years, has already filled another woman's "husbandy'' needs. A string of empty promises push her to the edge and she has to decide whether to stay or to leave. Another problem. She loves him and she can't pull away without getting hurt.

If you ever need that extra push towards your dreams, this book could be for you. It made me laugh, encouraged me to never stop reaching for the skies, and made me want to pack my bags and leave for Peru (you'll love the scenery created in the book).
I'll say no more.

Passing on the award

Now that I'm well rested, I remembered that I still have The Irresistibly Sweet Blog award to pass on to well deserving bloggers. I received it from my penfriend, Larissa.

Before I hand it over, I have to say a few things about myself. I think you know a lot about me already from the other awards that required this of me, but I will think of something:
1. Apart from being a writer, I'm also a digital scrapbooker and love to create jewelry.
2. I love anything with the word lemon on it (juice, air freshener, sweets etc.). When we go out for an ice-cream, guess what I buy...you got it right, lemon ice cream. When I buy something else, I feel guilty and often have to beg my husband so we can go back to buy that lemon ice cream.
3. My goal in life is not to make a lot of friends, but to make some good friends, no matter how few (quality not quantity)
4. When I'm very sleepy and tired, I start talking to my husband in my mother tongue. He doesn't speak it but responds with a "yes baby" to everything I say.
5.  It annoys me when people don't shake my hand firmly. I just don't like the dead fish grip.
6. When I was in primary school I was elected to be A Toilet Prefect. At break time, I made sure the other students respected the toilet rules (Yep, exactly what you think). Now, don't laugh. It was a job I took very seriously. I felt so important).
7. I love to Salsa (I attended a one year course a couple of years ago. I think I'm pretty good.).

Now, to pass on the award. Please drop by and say hello. The award goes to:
1. Mrs. Pancakes at Mrs. Pancakes
2. Julia Hones Julia Hones at My writing life
3.  Rachel McClellan at Blackbird in my window
4. Anne Gallagher at Piedmont Writer
5. L.J at L.J writes
6. Donna B. at Mystical Journeys
7. 120socks at 120socks

That's it for now guys. I won't be a stranger. Don't be.

Coming back home

My dearest followers,

I know I've been neglecting this blog quite a bit these past few months. The pressures of life just kept getting in the way and before you know it, weeks have past--as if someone pressed the forward button on the remote control that controls the pace of life.

I have to say, the past two months have taken a lot out of me. There were heavy demands on me, no matter which directiom I looked. Work was crazy, so much so that for a few weeks it trailed right behind me all the way home.
I hate bringing work home, the uninvited guest. But I had no choice.I was working on a report with a tight deadline.
In the end as work followed me home, I didn't fight it. I invited it into our home.
But there was a problem. Thing is, I had a live in guest by the name of Sleep. As you might have imagined, Work and Sleep didn't get along. 
I had to make a decision. Only One of them could stay. I chose Work. For about three weeks, apart from the weekend that I went away with my husband to celebrare my 30th birthday and our first year anniversary, I slept no more than three hours a night--way less than I was used to. On some nights I even slept one hour.
I really missed my friend, Sleep.

Last Friday, my work project came to an end. I immediately sent Work packing and invited Sleep back home. As I wrote this blog post, I was laying in the dark at 2 a.m. and Sleep was playing hard to get.
 But thanks to my new toy, my iPhone, I could use the time to write to you. I have missed you. Truly, when I feel drained and unable to give anymore, it's this blog and you my followers that give me the energy I need to go on.

No matter how many times life gets in the way, this is home to me, and I will always come back. Thank you for always being here to receive me.

In the next post I will share with you some photos of Bratislava, where we went for our anniversary. I promise it won't be long.

Behind schedule but happy

I've made a lot of progress on my novel. I have to admit that I haven't been able to get up early every morning, but I do most mornings of the week. I always feel great when I do because I go through the day knowing that I have accomplished something that's close to my heart.

When I don't manage to get up, I do try my best to squeeze out as much time from my busy day as I possibly can.

Even though I did make lots of progress, I will not be able to be done by my 30th birthday as I had planned. My birthday is already on Thursday. I'm close to the end of editing, but not close enough to let go.

My new promise to myself is that I'll make it by the end of summer. One thing I don't want to do, is to rush it.

 One thing before I disappear into my life. I received a very sweet award from my writing buddy, Larissa at: A Three Way Tie. Drop by and say hi. she's amazing. I'll pass on the award as soon as possible.

Anyway, that's it from my end. I'll keep you updated as I move forward.

Liz

Not so good

This week was not as easy as last week. Not waking up early on the weekend, somehow messed everything up. Not completely, but enough. It was pretty hard waking up early the past three days. Monday was the hardest but I did follow the plan, Tuesday, I didn't, today, I did but it was darn hard. Despite the difficulty waking up, I did get some editing done, just not as much as I wanted to.

I hope tomorrow will be better because I am determined to keep going. By the way, in order to motivate myself, yesterday I started working on a book trailer for my novel (just for me). It's really exciting and inspiring.

Well, I'm planning to edit a bit more before going to bed.

Till the next update. Keep writing.

Early Bird--Day 4 update

It's day four since I decided to become an early bird. Surely I passed the test. I'm definitely still in the game. I plan to be waking up earlier only Mondays to Fridays.

I'll use weekends to catch up on sleep or else I'll end being a zombie. Sort of like a little reward.

Tomorrow I'll try to squeeze in a few extra hours of shut eye. I say try, because it usually happens that on days that I'm actually allowed to sleep longer, that's when my eyes force themselves open early in the morning and it's hard to get back to sleep.

When I have to get up early for work or anything else that requires me getting up early, that's when sleep is simply irresistible. I think it's like that for some people.

That's why I have a backup plan. If I happen to wake up early, I'll read a nice novel. I might start The Beach House by Jane Green. I read it already, but I love it, so why not again?

I'm also a digital scrapbooker, so I might cook up some designs. The point is to do something that's different and inspiring.
I'll do my editing at night on Saturday and Sunday. Monday, I turn into an early bird again.

What do you think of my plan?

Liz

Early bird update 3

The alarm rang and I got up-no grumbling, no staring at the ceiling, no discussion. I just slipped out of bed, wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and walked calmly to my work space, ignoring my heavy eyelids. Five minutes later, I was editing furiously and actually loving it. I didn't get much done, but I got enough done. That's still a great way to start the day. Later in the morning before I left for work, the satisfaction I had felt after editing crumbled. I burned three dresses while ironing (one after the other), ripped a zip off a pair of jeans and spent half an hour looking for my phone and my keys. Needless to say, I arrived late at work but my calm is back.
It's a beautiful sunny day and I intend to enjoy it. Maybe I'll start a good novel tonight. It's been a while since I had the time to read for pleasure.

In a nutshell, my morning started off well, deteriorated and brightened up again. But the important thing is, it's the third day and I'm still sticking to my schedule, still moving forward.

Hope your day started off right.
Liz

Early bird update

Sleep was incredibly delicious this morning, even more than yesterday. But I did get up and got a lot of editing done. I edited two chapters and am pleased with the results.

I have learned one thing, though.
Before going to bed I should always figure out what it is I will be working on the next day and know where all my notes are. This morning I spent almost fifteen minutes searching the apartment for one of my notebooks (with valuable information). When one only has a limited amount of time to write/edit, fifteen minutes is a long time.

I did find the notebook and in the end, I was pleased with what I had accomplished. I look forward to the end of the week when I review my progress.

If I keep going this strong, I'll easily make it by my birthday.

Happy writing

Liz

Waking up early...Day one

I did it. I woke up shortly before six a.m. (two hours before I usually do) and got a lot of editing done. I have to admit that it was not easy and when the alarm went off, I was tempted to change my mind.
As my eyes refused to open, I played with the idea of starting the new schedule tomorrow instead of today. But then I thought that if I didn't do it today, I never will.

I finally dragged myself out of bed and to the living room table, wishing I were a coffee person (that will never happen). I switched on the computer, surrounded myself with my reference books, and tuned into an online radio. Then I just dived in without wasting too much thinking about it. It worked.

When I resurfaced, I had reached my goal for the day and was so proud of myself. I even squeezed in a few minutes of exercise before leaving for the office.

I must say, I actually love this. I feel fantastic and energetic. I can imagine myself becoming a morning person after all. I love the feeling of having accomplished so much before my day begins.

Thanks for the encouragement, dear friends.

First Novel Advances

I just want to share a link i found on Average First Novel Advances. I know I'm not far enough to think about advances yet, but the information might be helpful to someone.
Here's the link:

http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2004/12/24/average-first-novel-advances/

Editing blues and writer's block

I'm kind of lost at the moment. I'm practically done writing Chocolate Aftertaste. All that's left are some edit finishing touches and I'm finding it so hard. I wrote an 80 000 word manuscript. How did that happen when I'm finding it so hard to get through this editing? I hate editing, I hate it like the pest.

Sorry for venting out loud. I needed to let out some steam. Editing is pushing me into writer's block. It has to stop. It has to stop now.
An hour ago I made a decision. I'm going to create a fixed writing schedule. I'm not a morning person, at least that's what I'd been telling myself for as long as I can remember. I've decided to check if that is actually true.

Lately there just don't seem to be enough hours in my day. There are so many things vying for my attention. When I get back from work, cook, eat,study etc., my day melts away like an ice cube in warm water. I try to squeeze in a few hours a week to edit, but I still don't feel like I'm getting anywhere.

What I need is a fixed writing schedule and that's what I'm about to create. From tomorrow morning, I'm going to be waking up earlier so I can write/edit for two hours before leaving for work. I know it probably won't be that easy. You have no idea how much I love my morning sleep. I do hope it gets easier with each day. I'll keep my eyes fixed on the goal. I want to start searching for agents by my 30th birthday in June-my present to myself. I hope that keeps me keeping on.

Almost there

 Hello friends,

I'm so proud of myself.  I'm knackered right now because I went to bed at 2am but it doesn't matter. I finally managed to complete the ending to Chocolate Aftertaste. I've rewritten it so many times, but I'm finally there, finally happy. I've also reached the targeted word count for my novel. My next steps are to edit the scenes I have rewritten and then rewrite the dreaded query letter and synopsis. I plan to sent out some queries by my birthday in June.

I hope you're all on track with your own writing. If not (even if you are, actually), here are some tips:

Time management
http://www.urbanmusewriter.com/2011/03/10-time-management-tips-for-writers.html
http://michellerafter.com/2011/02/28/best-time-management-tips-for-writers/

Crashing writers' block
http://grammar.about.com/od/yourwriting/a/wblockquotes.htm
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/block.html
http://www.dailyblogtips.com/4-amazing-tips-for-overcoming-a-writer%E2%80%99s-block/

Happy writing.
Liz

Nice to be back

It's nice to go away and come back to find that someone missed you. One of my blog friends, Akoss noticed I was away for a while. It was so sweet of him to check up on me. I was faraway...in Africa (My home country, Namibia) for a couple of weeks celebrating my traditional wedding. It was all amazing (A fairytale village wedding) but I was a bit sad that I neglected my blog. I'm back, though and I have missed not only novel-moments, but also my followers.

While I was away, Akoss popped by to give me an award, the one award I had been waiting so patiently for. The One Lovely Blog Award. I love how sweet and "rosey" that award looks. It reminds of all things nice.
Thank you so much Akoss, this was a very touching welcome back gift. I appreciate it.
Those of you who don't know Akoss, please drop by to say hello. She's one of my most cherished blog friends.

Now I would like to pass this award to five of my blog friends that I think deserve it(Some of my friends already have one):
Carrie from: carriekeepstyping
Stacy from: A Writer's point of view
Zella Kate from: Zella Kate
Elena from: You're Write. Except when you're Rong
Aine Tierney from: Aine Tierney

Motivation links part 2

Hi everyone. I hope you're all doing very well. I am. It's really cold over here, but I'll get through it.
Even though I haven't posted anything on my blog for a while, Chocolate Aftertaste is progressing rather well.
 As promised, here's a bit of motivation for you. I hope it would get you writing that bestseller.

Great tips here:
http://writetodone.com/2010/03/12/motivation-tips-that-actually-work-6-sure-fire-ways-to-get-writing-and-keep-writing/

Goals, motivation, rewards...I love the last tip:
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsas/pages/cstudents/dean/break-writing/break-12.html

Well, that's all for now. Time for me to follow some of those tips.

Some news from my world. I finally subscribed to the writer. I couldn't wait for my first issue to arrive in the mail. I received it yesterday. I feel great.magazine

When life gets in the way

Life has really been getting in the way and I've been struggling lately with finding the time to write since I started my new job. I do manage to squeeze one or two hours out of my days  but I feel that I can squeeze out even more. At the moment my routine is messed up and I need to make some changes.
In order to keep on keeping on and hopefully motivate my followers who are in the same boat, my next posts will concentrate on motivation and time management tips for writers. I'll search the web for sites that are helpful in this area and post them on here.
Here are the first:
Great tips to keep you and me going. I love the second and fourth tip.

http://www.essortment.com/all/inspirationwrit_rsmw.htm

A time log to help you keep track of your time and help you see why 24 hours just doesn't seem enough. I should use this.
http://www.businessballs.com/timemanagementtimelog.pdf

Creating a routine.
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Create-a-Writing-Routine-Like-a-Professional-Writer&id=3058007

Making the time:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4546264_make-time-writing.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask

More about Liz

As you can see, I received another award--The Fair Dinkum (good buddy) Award. Thanks so much Carol for nominating me and for seeing me as your blog buddy.
The rules state that I have to write some new things about myself and then pass on the award.

Now, something new about me that you didn't know:

1. In school, I used to be very sporty and won a lot of medals and awards--running (100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m), netball, long jump, high jump (my favorite). Today, I'm allergic to any type of sport or exercise. I should change that--one day.
2. In our living room, I always sit on the same spot on the couch--when I don't, it doesn't feel right.
3. I eat too much salt--I should change that too...maybe tomorrow, maybe next year.
4. I have too many reminders on my phone. It's a pain having to get through them--finger on the snooze button--every time I want to make a call.
5. Before I traveled and had a chance to see the world, my life started in a refugee camp in Angola.I lived in the camp until the age of eight. Although my life wasn't a bed of roses in the beginning, if I had a chance to change something, I wouldn't. My experiences made me the person I am today. Starting at a low point, doesn't have to be a bad thing.

Enough about me. Here are my nominees:
1. Mysti Parker from Unwritten
2. Elena Solodow from You're Write. Except when you're Rong.
3. Zella Kate from Zella Kate
4. Stacy Post from A Writer's Point of View
5. Caroline Starr Rose from Caroline by line



Congrats blog buddies. Over to you.

Mindy and Body

I just got back from work and am exhausted. I can hardly sit up straight. Until yesterday, I used to have a very flexible job, where I could sleep in--I love my sleep. Now I have a 9 to 5 (or later).
My body is still adjusting to the new hours. I wanted to get at least, at least 500 words done tonight before I go to bed, but I don't know if I can.
"You can," says the mind.
"I can't," says the body.
"You can," says the mind.
"I'll show you who's boss if you don't leave me alone."
"Come on girl, where's the spirit? Just a few tiny words."
"Easy for you to say, all you do is sit around. I do all the manual labor around here."
"Without me you can do nothing," the mind said. "If I wanted to, I could force your hands on that keyboard."
"You can try," says Body.
"I can, but I won't. If we want Chocolate Aftertaste to be the best it can be, we have to work together as a team. Come on, friends?"
"Friends--hey, wait a minute," says body, laughing, "if I can write this right now, I can manage 500 words. You were right Mind-y."
"I'm always right Body."
"Fine, I'm off then. I have some words to suck out of my thumb."

 This was just silly me trying to get to get myself motivated to write. It worked.

Awards awards...I'd like to thank my followers for making this possible...

 I would like to thank M.J.A. Ware for making my day by nominating me for my first award! In order for me to accept the award, I have to:

1. Thanks the person who gave you the award and link to them
2. Add the award to your blog
3. Nominate 15 other people to give the award to.
4. Let your nominees know you have awarded them. 

Here are 7 facts about myself:

1. I'm married for six months now to a wonderful man who understands the crazy, beautiful mind of a writer.
2. I'm a Namibian citizen, born in Angola, lived four years in South Africa, seven years in Germany, have been living in Austria for four years now.
3. My favorite fruit has always been the cherry, until I went on honeymoon to Greece and met the best tasting watermelons. Needless to say, I'm sold. Now I have two kinds of favorite fruits.
4. I hold a bachelors degree in International Business Consultancy
5. I have around 5 to 6 unedited manuscripts lying around because I hate hate hate editing and would rather start a new novel than do it.
6. I started this blog because my editor told me it would be a good idea to promote my writing. I didn't know it would contribute so much to my personal growth too,and  that I would meet such a great community of writers (A big thanks goes to my followers)
7. I speak Oshiwambo (mother tongue--it's okay, you don't have to try and pronounce it), English, German, and some Spanish. Before the next ten years are up, I want to learn sign language and Chinese.

Well, that's me in a nutshell.

And here are my 15 nominees for the Versatile blogger award. Please pass by and say hello:

1. Alexia from: The life and literary pursuits
2. Natalie Murphy from: The sound of rain 
3. A. J. Larrieu from: Two coasts
4. Bel from: Itsy Bitsy Monkey
5. J.L. Campbell from: The Character Depot
6. Mina Ademovic: Emina's Ramblings 
7.Ryan Sullivan: The Dark Corner of the Mind
8. MJ from: Creatively Spilt Ink
9. Liana Brooks from: Liana Brooks
10. Anna Claire from: A Novel Idea
11. Deb Markanton from: Diving into a writer's life
12. Peggy Bechko from: Peggy Bechko
13. Julia Hones from: My writing life
14. Cristina from: Once upon a time
15. Bethany from: Owl review a book 

Okay, so I arrived at my blog today and found I have won yet another award. The Stylish blogger award is so lovely, I love the bling. Thanks Carrie for nominating me.

As I did for the Versatile blogger award, I have to nominate this time 10 of my newly discovered blogs.

The rules are:

• Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award

• Share 7 things about yourself

• Award 10 recently discovered great bloggers

• Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award

AND THE AWARD GOES TO:


1. Akoss from: FantasyPen
2. Aimee L Salter from: Seeking the write life.
3. June Bourgo from: Aspirations of a novelist
4. June from: Podding along nicely
5. Chandara from: Chandara Writes

6. Tabitha Olson: Tabitha Olson
7. The ladies from: The YA Lit Six
8. Amanda Kurka from: Truth, justice, & other stuff
9. LadyJai from: Snippets from my mind
10. Penny Rader from: Perfectly Penny

To the nominees: Congratulations and keep doing the good job of keeping us entertained.
To my visitors: Thank you for checking up on Novel Moments. I look forward to  your next visit.

Liz
 

Illegal digital downloads: It could happen to you

 I just thought I'd share this article that Aimee L Salter posted on her blog:Seeking the Write Life. It's a sad reality. One of those things we hope won't happen to us and then they...do, could, might.
Here's the link, I hope it doesn't happen to you.

Seeking the Write Life: Enemy #1 to a Successful Publishing Career

Header renovation

I finally customized my boring header and I'm happy with the new one. Most of the blogs I visited had such lovely headers and mine was...well,just a header, nothing special. Thing is, this blog has come to be my second home and when I sign in, I want to have a coffee or tea--don't drink none of them--and sit back on the couch with my laptop. Again, for this header, PowerPoint came to the rescue.

I just have to say something more. I love this blog and I love my followers. I never thought it would so much fun to have a blog. I always look forward to your comments. Thank you for your support, thank you for commenting, thank you for following. Now, you know where the kitchen is, get yourselves a coffee/tea too and join me on the couch so we can write those bestsellers...and admire my header:-)

The days I feel like destroying the world I've created

Yesterday I skimmed through my synopsis draft. When I got to the end, I realized I was not happy with it--the ending (the synopsis too, but that's a story for another day). That was all it took for me to question the novel I spent almost two years working on, the novel I thought was one of my best. Now, there I was, thinking it was my worst. my husband did everything to remind me I'm a great writer. Well, he is my husband, my biggest fan. What else would he say?
I think the only person that can really motivate a writer, is him or herself. People can only encourage us so much. They can tell us everything we want to hear, but in the end, it's up to us to believe it. Most of the time I'm very good at motivating and encouraging myself, but sometimes, it's just so hard. Yesterday was one of those days.

My husband diligently listed all the reasons he thought I'm a great writer, I nodded--equally diligently--but my mind was far away. In the end, after thirty minutes of nodding and staring into space, I dragged myself off the couch and went to cook dinner. I was still not quite present, it's a wonder I didn't burn dinner. Later, after a hot shower I got it. The wrong man got the girl. I love both of the male characters that are after Nora, my protagonist, but there can only be one Mr. Right. I had given her the wrong one and I couldn't get a moment of peace until I did the right thing. If she's not happy, I'm not happy.

The blockage has been removed and the fountain of my imagination is flowing freely again.

So, that was it really. The rain stopped, the sun broke out from behind the dark clouds, and once again, I was the best writer in my world.

What do you do when you reach your low point(s)?

The dreaded query letter

I'm one of those writers who dread the query letter (and synopsis), and the more information I read on it, the more frightening it seems.
But at some point every writer is going to have to face her/his worst fear. Two days ago I finally posted a draft on CC. Although I thought it wasn't so bad, after reading the critiques from my respected fellow CCers, I realized just how terrible it was. This morning, I got up early and did a rewrite. The comments/critiques I received had really opened my eyes and helped me create an improved second draft.
I just posted it again on CC for it to be ripped apart and I'm excited. Every critique--even when it hurts--is a chance to improve and a step closer to a sizzling query letter. I love Critique Circle.

Fictional towns

My novels are mostly set in fictional towns. I just like to let my imagination break out of the box and dare it to soar. "When" I get published, I don't want to get attacked for not getting some part of a city/town/village right.

Here's a pictorial map I created for one of the towns (more like a village really) in Chocolate Aftertaste, the novel I'm currently working on. It's not perfect, but it helps me picture the setting better and I had lots of fun. It took me ages (you have no idea) to create, and I have to admit that I'm proud of my first map:

Liz Davis 2010

Get back to work

I should really stop blogging and tweeting and get back to my novel. I have a lot of editing to do--getting my main characters to fall in love (gradually).
I've finally figured out how to break the hand of Tom, the male character. A loose kitchen shelf falls on it, fracturing a few bones. Since he's a writer, that's a disaster. That's all I'm going to say for now. I really should get going.

Moments of thanks

Life is filled with many opportunities to be grateful. "Not for me," you might say. "Liz, you have no idea how much I went through this morning."
I know there's a lot to complain about. But I believe there's more to be thankful for. Really.
When things go wrong, it's easy to lose sight of what had gone right. Search your life for moments of happiness,  the big moments that blew your mind but also those little moments that had fallen through the cracks along the way. Search until you find them. Only then, will you be able to appreciate each day, each step, each breath.
If you really can't find anything, be grateful for being able to read this post, because someone, somewhere would give anything to be able to see, to be able to read.

A chance to start over

I'd like to welcome everyone into the new year. May the year bring you all that you wish for yourself--the best.
I'm always amazed at how fast a year speeds by. Just when I'm getting used to writing 2010, a new year starts. I'm not complaining. Apart from adding a year to my age, it's a chance to start a new chapter and correct mistakes I may have made last year. I see this year as a blank slate in this phase of my life. I'm going to travel through it as if it were impossible to fail. On this journey, I'm going to go through my suitcase of choices and pick those that don't leave a bitter aftertaste in my mouth.