Category: publishing

Perfection Goblins

So I was going through a manuscript today…previously published. I am oddly confident in what I publish. I am aware that every book – even the ones published by the big publishers – often still have typos and other minor issues. There was only 2 minor typos. I was quite impressed. Now that being said…I wonder how many times I have missed errors. I employ a multiple eyes on a project policy. This means that the anthologies that Fae corps publishing puts together are edited by myself, and then I ask the authors to go through and let me know any mistakes I missed. Especially from their own story. I ask for them to read the whole thing and point out anything missed in the entire anthology. Because in the end I want to publish something that each author is proud of.

The perfectionist in me though edits it, then runs it through grammarly, then triple checks for anything that I may have missed. I feel like I have to be better because I am a small press. I am embarrassed by any mistakes that come with publishing. So, I try to get it right the first time.

I took a writing class and I was extremely embarrassed by the way it was done. There was a hot seat session. I handed, for my turn, an unedited version of a work in progress. The person who was running the class proceeded to tear into what was wrong. I hope that no one has to deal with that. I had not adjusted the layout and had things that I knew needed fixed because I wanted to see what the teacher would do. She made such a big deal about the minor things that I felt like I was doing awful. It was something that could have made me walk away from writing. I was irritated by the way I was feeling. Instead, I decided that I would learn to do it better. I would never send my work out to be edited without it being edited by me first.

When you judge people you have no idea what you are doing to them. You could end up being the reason why they give up. Or you could be the reason why they knuckle down and improve. The only person who can possibly know what they are going to do is the one you are judging.

okay, I am done random rambling. What do you feel like has to be perfect? why?

Starting the week with book covers

So I have a list of “Titles” for upcoming Poetry books. Some with a theme in mind…others not. I know I am supposed to do a cover reveal thingy for each book, but this feels more fun. These are not in progress yet. I did the cover design because it was fun. These are going to be the ones I choose from when my current volumes are written. The idea is that eventually, I will have a poetry book starting with each letter of the alphabet. Which do you like best…and Why?

This one has two possible…have yet to decide which I want. It will be general poetry.

This will be general poetry.

This will be general poetry…but I think I am likely to lean a little bit into the idea of addiction here…not sure.

This will be general poetry.

This will be general poetry.

This is one I am working on. It is going to be entirely Political poetry. I don’t know if I am going to stick to my standard rules as far as the number of poems inside or if I will adjust for the book. I do like how it is coming together so far.

Also In progress right now. It is general poetry.

This is probably going to be religious poetry. I have been considering this one hard.

General poetry. How could this title be anything else?

Again General.

This is another where I am not sure which I like better. This one will be written in letter format. A sort of Prose Poetry. I have the idea only so far.

This one is uncertain. I have already done one volume of Love poems. Still I love the imagery in the title and the cover I made is so nice…It will be there if I am ever ready to do a second one.

Another cover I am not sure which I like better…

General.

General. I actually made the cover for a different author. He didn’t like it, but I really loved it. so I had to find a use for it.

This is going to be all LGBTQIA+ Poetry. I am Pansexual and have thoughts on the Queer that I have yet to put to words… This is going to be me doing exactly that.

General.

This has another cover – But I really like this one better. This one suits me better. It will be general poetry.

General

General.

This is going to be me exploring various poetic forms. I am usually a free verse writer. I think that it would be interesting to do a book with at least one of each of the forms. This is going to be difficult to write, but I am looking forward to the results.

General.

Gemeral.

I use Evernote to write. It keeps me organized…I have a notebook on Evernote for each of my poetry volumes. I have these all organized under a stack labeled Future Poetry Volumes. I include the cover in each notebook so I don’t lose it. That being said…I have a file on my computer for Publishing. Inside the Publishing File is a file for Book Covers. I organize that file too…so the file where my book covers live on my computer has folders for each volume. I have folders in there with titles and no cover. Those have yet to get to the stage where I am ready to make covers for them, I may do this post again in a couple of years with those titles. I don’t know. They would have to make it into my Evernote for me to write in them. At this point, they are interesting titles and nothing more. The ones on this list are in the running to be my next volume…Heck, my next volume was on this list.

So, which title and cover did you like best? Why? Is there a theme you think I should consider? I end up doing two or three volumes a year most of the time. So I feel like I will be able to do this list without overreaching myself.

Oh! also the three I posted two covers for….Which cover would you choose for each one? I really am having a hard time choosing.

Interview

Being interviewed today by…https://www.facebook.com/FridayVash come see.

politics, and sleep deprivation demons

Poetry woke me. it is not the first time, likely will not be the last. I have been working on two different projects as my poetry goes…I have been finding that I am writing a lot of political poetry…where I had not been before. I guess as I have aged my heart is just not in swallowing the rage I have been feeling for the way the world around me is. I don’t like saying nothing when I see a wrong being done. I have fought for my voice, so I guess I will have to use it. well not all of the poetry I have been writing is appropriate for this volume.

so I am writing two. I think the first one is either going to be smaller than my usual or take longer, I am not sure. it currently has twelve poems compared to the twenty nine in Handprints. Gathering Teardrops will be released in May and I am not sure if either of these will be available this year. I have a bit of a full schedule for publishing this year.

I will announce when each are done writing. I have another poem that is bouncing around my head wanting to be written, so I am writing instead of sleeping….sigh

oh…btw…I have an interview on Facebook on Friday…will post the link as soon as I get it.

Saturday Funday Party

Created by Patricia Harris in Canva

Hello, My Lovelies! This is my Saturday Tea Today I am drinking a peach cold tea.

Tomorrow (Well tomorrow when this releases…lol) is my 47th birthday. Due to a lot of stress, I really have been hit or miss posting. I spent nearly two weeks fighting a stress migraine that I would never want to face again. I am going to try to get back onto a semi-normal schedule, but I have a lot going on. Most of it is for Fae Corps.

We are doing a poetry contest this year… And we are as busy as one-armed paperhangers otherwise.

If you missed it Ashira Datya released her second book in the Magik Saga – Evil resists on the 10th.

Raz T. Slasher is releasing Book two in his Riverside Chronicles – Silence is Crimson Homecoming on April 20th. I don’t have the link for that yet…

Gathering Teardrops is done being written – But my schedule is crazy…so I will be releasing it May 6th.

My Next Volume will be split between Handprints on my soul and Fighting Ignorance. This is because with the state of the world I am writing more political poetry than I ever expected myself to…But I am not writing only politics. Handprints will be everything else. Fighting Ignorance may take longer than a usual volume…

In April I will be releasing the next Pip the Pup story. I chose the release date because it is my mommy’s birthday. I felt like it was appropriate.

Fae Corps Has two anthologies releasing June 1st. One was my project from the beginning. Grandmother’s Wisdom. It is a gorgeous book. I love how it came together. I am going to be meeting with representatives from No Kid Hungry next week to find out how to give away half of the proceeds from that anthology. (I reached out because I want to do it the right way, and they are going to help me to do the work to make it shine.)

The other anthology, Seeking Stories, is in the edit stage. So I am working on that. It is filled with fun adventures.

That leaves me very busy when you add in life, writing, and other responsibilities. I have done half decently considering. 47…Yeah I never expected to make it to 30, so each year just brings more surprises.

I am going to post my random if ya wanna’s not because I am asking for anything…but in case anyone is interested..

Paypal : iampublishd@gmail.com

Cashapp: $pattimouse

Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/pattimouse

I find that the thing I would love most for my birthday if I am honest is someone to review my books, or tell me what they liked or disliked about what I have wrote. It means so much to know what I am doing matters.

Saturday Funday Party

Created by Patricia Harris in Canva

Hello, My Lovelies! This is my first Saturday Tea Party. I am sitting here drinking Mocha coffee and thinking that is a funny thing for a tea party…maybe I will make some green tea next just to feel less strange about it.

I will be getting an interview on Friday with the Library in the Blue Box in April. It will be a video interview.

I will be releasing the Next Pip book (Pip and Friends) in April on the 29th.

Serena’s Poetry volume – Death Becomes Her – will release on June 1st.

My next poetry volume (Gathering Teardrops) is probably going to release in May but until I am certain it will be done I have been reluctant to set the release date.

Fae Corps has been putting the release dates and submission deadlines on google calendar. This is public and allows the readers to know when things are scheduled.

I am working on getting art I have done inked and layout done for a coloring book from my art. It will be titled Color My Art.

This is the upcoming announcements for the next year…subject to updates of course 😉

I am still trying to get back into the habit of updating the blog. I may still miss here and there. I will do my best not to though.

Announcements and The Like

The Schedule for 2022 is fairly busy. There are 3 indie Author books currently on the schedule., not including mine and Serena’s books. There are currently 3 Anthologies planned. I have at least one poetry volume and at least one Kid’s book releasing this year. Serena has a poetry volume releasing this year. That is on top of everything else we might do. I will be posting a better calendar on the Fae Corps blog. This is my personal blog, so Why do I post it here? Well, because I am excited about the options. Fae Corps will be posting a PAD challenge for April, as usual. And I will be giving a live interview(link upcoming when I get it.)

There are two Anthologies that will be coming out at the end of March, and Ashira Datya’s Second book will release at the beginning of March. Raz T Slasher is about to release book 2 in his series on 4/20. In May I will be releasing the next Pip Book. I am hoping to have another book by Serena done in time for release this year. Her poetry volume will release in November. I am not certain when I will be releasing Gathering Teardrops. It is half done. I am hoping for a June release, but we will have to see.

We already have an author on the schedule for 2023. Fae Corps is rocking this, and I am learning so much in the doing of it.

New Year New To Do

Photo by Matheus Bertelli on Pexels.com

Last year was incredibly hard. It happens, and I am not going to sit and weep over it. However, it brought changes to both my personal and professional lives. I refuse to do a resolution because I often get distracted and lose sight of the objective with that. Instead, I do a yearly word. It helps me set the tone for the upcoming year. This year is Effort. Now that doesn’t mean I plan to put in more, just that I become Mindful of the effort I am putting in and the effort of others. (Sometimes we fail to see the effort others are putting in. Either because it doesn’t meet up to the expectations, or because we are too busy to notice.) This Year I want to be mindful. I want to adjust my life to appreciate the effort in it. Including my own. I am too hard on myself so I think that I will struggle some with this.

Fae Corps has had some changes. My partner is stepping down to concentrate on her writing. So I am now the main person in charge. That is both scary and wonderful. I have always dreamed of doing exactly what I am doing. But being in charge means I have to hold myself to a higher standard. It also means that I am the only one I can blame if it goes pear-shaped,

There is a lot planned for the upcoming year. Poetry volumes, Another Pip adventure, The release of several Anthologies….and Fae Corps will be releasing more books. I have announcements that I will be posting here during the next week, and I am hoping to be more mindful of the effort it takes to do a proper blog.

Until then and the time I post again, I wish all of you the blessings of the new year, and hope it is a great one for us all.

Pip, woofs again.

Many years ago, my first kids book was Pip the pup. I illustrated it with my own drawings and clip art. One of my young readers – Dante, asked for more of Pip’s story.

I couldn’t refuse him. Releasing December fourth is the next chapter of pip’s adventure… Done in the same style. My own drawings and clip art to illustrate what I hope will be a good continuation of a cute story.

And with characters I plan on writing more of.

Links to come… Soon. (I swear)

The results are in.

Well that’s fun. We have a tie. Four votes each for gathering teardrops and fighting ignorance. Three votes for on my way home. Two votes each for crimson petals and thoughtcicles. And a vote for just verse.

So I have to choose the winner… But it is far less options. So I flipped a coin. Heads for Gathering Teardrops and tails for Fighting ignorance. I got a heads.

That is my next volume. I will have to let everyone know when I am able to publish the voices within.