Category: Serena mossgraves published

Professional vs hobby

I have been working on going through my poetry volumes (also did Serena’s novella and her novel). I have been updating covers, double checking layout, spelling and grammar. Now, I published all of them… So I should have been doing very little… And for the newer ones… I have been doing less. I was an indie publisher from the get go… But I really had no clue what I was doing. I designed my covers but I didn’t have access to the tools that I have now. I have learned. I have grown.

The first image is the first cover, the second is the newest. Just because I was not knowledgeable doesn’t mean that I approached publishing as a hobby. Hobbyist, in my opinion are the ones who don’t actually put in any effort to improve how they do things.

I have two more volumes of poetry…Music for the soul and soul’s door. I think that I am finally happy with how they look. I think that I will put off the cleanup/ refresh of my kids books until December as November is shaping up to be very busy.

What is the difference between pro and hobbyist to you?

Timing and verse

So I have been very sick or this post would have been made last week. I have finished writing the poetry for Temporal Verse. I am working on layout and will be posting links soon.

I am going to be doing the inktober challenge… And I will post the pictures of it daily. However, I will likely not be posting long descriptions with. As that would make it harder for me. Inktober, for the uninformed, is a daily drawing challenge. I will not promise that mine will be the best art out there, as the challenge draws some amazeballs artists. I am going to try to post here and twitter and instagram.

Then I plan on doing the pad challenge in November, and Serena is doing Nanowrimo. So I will try to post some of the results, poetry and teasers for her. I am not going to promise that because I may not have any extra time.

I have started branching into other places to sell my books. Draft2digital offers me options for many venues. I will be next week doing a post up with the links that I have already, and I will attempt to update it monthly.

There have been discussions on doing an audiobook version of Rust, Gore, and the Junkyard Zombie as a anniversary release. If we do it, then it will be May.

I have a couple of poems from the new volume to share, I will do it in a separate post. This is mostly just upcoming news. ☺

Also, I have been posting on Facebook a poll. The title for my next volume of poetry… I am leaving in fan hands. Cast your vote.

  • Soul Drops
  • Dream Drips
  • Dream Drops
  • Muse’s Masterpiece
  • Poetic Reminders

Word counts, Poetry and word faeries

Well Serena has been busy today. Final word count for Life, guilt, and undeath today gained 876. I have been penning many new poems, two of which are above.

Those of you who missed it, did you know that one of Serena’s stories was featured on a YouTube channel?here is part one & part two. Also both Serena and I will be featured in 2019 on the blog of a dear friend and fellow author. Author Deedra Mosley

Go check out her blog! I will be the featured author for January and Serena will be March.

I am lucky enough to have been accepted into the fall edition of Creatives Rising Ezine. My digital art will be there. Stay tuned for links as I get them for subscribing if you have not already. There is some truly amazing Creatives involved as usual with this edition. It is always an honor to be a part of such a wonderful zine.

I have been looking into local events and am seeing several in my region. I am hoping that transportation becomes a little easier and that I can try to attend a few. Any events that y’all want to see me at? Let me know and I will look into adding them to my possibilities.

Serena is also writing a short story for an anthology of dark faery stories. Watch here for more info on that as well.

Upcoming!

August is looking at being a extremely busy month for me. First thing is that one of Serena’s stories is being released on YouTube at Ether Realms. Go ahead check out the channel. Like, subscribe!

Second, I have opened up a storenvy. I am slowly adding stuff. Check it out!

Third, I am setting up a studio space for my art. It will be very time consuming, but it will allow me to be more organized.

Something that is coming up soon is I was accepted for the fall edition of the Creatives Rising E-zine! More information on that is upcoming.

I have released Poetry kisses. Again you can find it here.

Serena’s Rust, gore, and the Junkyard Zombie is available here!

Want to support my poetry or my art? I have a Patreon! Exclusive gifts for the ones who support me! It’s Here.

I will be posting reviews of books that I have read here at least monthly (though I hope to do it weekly.) At the end of the review will be the link to the book on Amazon. It will be an affiliate link.

I have been doing a few “Live ” videos on Facebook where I read my poetry. I am not sure if I will be changing the format to allow me to post it elsewhere easier… But I am thinking about it. I may do a YouTube channel of my own.

Serena has been working on the second zombie apocalypse novel. Current eta is sometime early 2020. But it may change. The title for it is Life, Guilt, and undeath.

Keep an eye here for details as they happen.

Also I had a curiosity…. What topics would you the reader like to see me discuss?

Serena is considering adding one short story a month to the blog rotation.

That is all of the news for now….

Miscommunication hazards

It hurts to be ignored. I was invited to help with an interesting project. I was to blog about a apocalyptic anthology. Then it was suggested that I might be able to contribute… By the editor, not the organizer. The organizer became very angry with me for contributing a poem as I was asked. So today I see her asking for female zombie writers. So I am doing the best for my mental health and walking away from the project.

I will still write (as Serena Mossgraves of course) apocalyptic fiction. My book (Rust, Gore, and the Junkyard Zombie) will be live on May first. I want the other authors in the project to do wonderfully well. I just will not be giving any more whispers of that project. I have been asked to assist with another anthology, and I will be posting more on that as it comes closer.

Please forgive my need to no longer speak of a project that I was obviously never wanted for.

Poetic rambling

It’s national poetry month… Which means that there is several places doing prompts and a great many poets are doing P. A. D. Challenges. Now, for my non poet readers, that stands for Poem A Day. I am however a bit of an overachiever. I am striving for three poems a day in April. So far I am ahead of the curve. Three yesterday and four today… But it is exhausting, so I may not be able to keep it up through the month. We will see. I will be posting at least one poem per week – some new, some already published. So keep an eye here for that.

Serena’s Rust, gore, and the junkyard zombie is already back in my editor’s hands. Pre-order is still available on Amazon. It’s going to be releasing May first.

April is going to be an exciting month… Keep watching to see.

Pre-orders and artsy things

So Serena’s novel is available in the kindle store for pre-order. Release date is May 1st.

Between edits I have been doing art to rest my mind.

Cover design and resin pieces. The newest poetry volume is the cover above. Next week I will be posting details about Soul’s Door. It will be published soon, as writing is done so I still have edits and layout.

I have also been writing. Poetry, and short stories. This has been a busy year. After my birthday next week, I intend to be more active here. Twice monthly is the plan. So stay tuned, there is going to be so much more coming. I may even get a couple of guest bloggers this year to help boost my content.

That time of the year

This is the hard time for me to keep up with my blog. So I apologize. Between sick, which seems to be a yearly thing, and birthdays… February and March are busy months for me. I am also working out the details for publishing another poetry volume (Soul Door), a novel as Serena (Rust, Gore, And the Junkyard Zombie) and I have a poem that I submitted to a new E-zine (Creatives Rising)

that is releasing soon. I am also still writing more poetry and the next novel. I will be updating this blog as I can, and I promise that I will post a couple more poems here by the end of the week. Still, Please have patience with my erratic updates.

It’s all about perspective

I’m sick. And when I get sick, I get maudlin. I got a notice that I was getting a deposit from Amazon for the books that I have available. It is the biggest deposit yet, a whole $2.77. That amazes me. It is a sign that people are buying the books that I have written… Mostly poetry, but I have some children’s books and a novella (as Serena).

When I told my mother that I was published her first question was if I had made any money. At the time I stumbled with my answer because I had only made thirty some cents. The fact that I had made anything was a miracle to me, but I knew that would not be what she wanted to hear.

For me, publishing is only a way of being heard. Still, making enough from my writing to buy a drink…. Well it humbles me. Would I like to be able to pay the bills through it? Well of course. I am not stupid. I just choose to be thankful for the small things. How often does changing the perspective change the way something feels?

Small miracles lift up the downtrodden. I choose to see this as a small miracle, so that I am uplifted. What perspective can you change to adjust your view?

Productivity Faeries

So I am on almost all of the social media outlets…. Though it is hit or miss on some as to how often. Tumblr is not something that I am on quite as often…. And yes I use it for poetry not porn…. Lol. It has been the best for poetry prompts. I really like prompts, as it gives me a focus to help the muse.

I finished writing Word Petals, my latest volume of poetry. However, editing and layout will be putting the likely release in January. Still, It meant that I needed a new volume. So I put in play one of the titles that I have in reserve, Soul’s Door. The new volume is already started.

Rust, Gore, and the Junkyard Zombie is still in the first round of edits. We just moved in a new home so I have been very busy, and the edits have been back burnered a couple of times. It is a priority but I have to have things like coffee and clean clothes for my editing time.

The blog/newsletter that I am doing with my sister is up and doing well. We post at least four times a week, often more…. Makes me feel like I am neglecting this one, though I have even gotten better at keeping it up.

If you are wanting to find me on the various social media outlets…. I am pattimouse nearly everywhere. Or just comment and I will answer.