Six Month Check In With Goals - The Creative Process

SIX-MONTH CHECK IN WITH GOALS

I do this every year because I make yearly goals and want to check on my progress through the year. I will usually make the goals themselves on my Authortube channel, but then I review them here on the blog about six months into the year.

This year I made fifteen goals, and I'm just gonna go through each of them and let you know how I'm doing on them!

1. RELEASE LIGHTS ON IN MAY 2020 - DONE! I released Lights On on May 12th, and it went swimmingly well. I'm adoring reading reviews and seeing other people with it on their Kindle and bookshelves, and just basically enjoying the response to this release.

2. RELEASE CRAMPING CHRONICLES: THE FIRST TWINGE IN OCTOBER 2020 - STARTED! This is obviously not done because it's not yet October, but I do have the book with the developmental editor, and it should go to the line editor on July 1st and from there continue on to the release in October. I have the cover reveal next month and if you're interested, the link is here.

3. READ 200 BOOKS - OVER HALF-WAY. I ended upping my goal to 250 books as I was so many books ahead. I think the pandemic and lockdown has just fuelled my reading. I'm over 110 books read and still about 12 ahead of schedule for 250 so this is definitely gonna be done!

4. FINISH BOOKS THIS IS HOW IT ENDS & I WISH I COULD SAVE YOU -  DONE. I finished both of these at the end of April and am very happy with how that went! I'm hoping to finish two more books this year, but we'll see!

5. START BOOKS PROJECT: WITCH HUNT & I WISH I COULD FIND YOU - DONE. I started these at the beginning of May and am writing my way through them both, but this can be checked off the list.

6. DO A LIVESTREAM ON AUTHORTUBE CHANNEL AT LEAST ONCE - NOT YET DONE. I still have plans to try and squeeze in a livestream, but with my health still being difficult, it's not yet been something I've managed!

7. COLLAB WITH AT LEAST 5 OTHER AUTHORTUBERS OVER THE YEAR - 2 DONE. I did both the No More Ableist Books Collab & Workstock 3 on the channel, so I'm doing good on this one. I think I plan to try and do some more in the coming months.

8. KEEP UP WITH WRITING LOG - DONE SO FAR. I've been keeping up with this every time I write!

9. KEEP UP WITH AUTHORTUBE CHANNEL - DONE SO FAR. Again, been doing my Thursday posts every week and haven't missed any days, or struggled to keep up with it all.

10. KEEP UP WITH MONDAY AND FRIDAY POSTS ON BLOG - DONE SO FAR. And this one is another that I've been doing really good at keeping up with. I adore my Monday posts, and I'm finding it easier to find Friday authors as well!

11. DO 50 REVIEWS IN 2020 - IN PROGRESS. I've managed to get about 20/25 reviews done this year so far. I'm hoping that I'll manage this one!

12. START EDITS ON LIGHTS OFF AND CRAMPING CHRONICLES: THE SECOND PANG READY FOR RELEASE IN 2021 - HALF DONE. I've started the revision process for Lights Off, and am on the fourth draft after which I think it'll be ready to go to betas, and then start the editing process. I won't start on Cramping Chronicles: The Second Pang until November time.

13. DO A LOCAL SIGNING/BOOK SIGNING - NOT DONE. I don't think this is gonna be possible to do, not with the lockdown, my health and all of that, but I'll keep trying.

14. DO #JOWRIMOGO EVERY MONTH - DONE SO FAR. I've managed to do this one every month so far, so that's another good one!

15. TAKE ONE DAY OFF COMPLETELY EACH MONTH - DONE SO FAR. I've been going easier on myself and trying to squeeze in at least a day off, two if I can manage it, it's good for my mental health and just makes me refill the well.

So from looking at that, I've done a lot of them, and am progressing on track to finish the end of the year with more than half achieved which is a bonus! How are you doing on your yearly goals? Lemme know in the comments!

Follow Joey here on her blog, or on Facebook or Tumblr to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books

Interview with MC Frank

I am delighted to be finally welcoming the amazing MC Frank to the blog for an interview! Here's a little bit about her, and be sure to check the blog for all her amazing books!

M.C. Frank (writer, reader, designer, physicist and teacher, to name a few) has been living in a world of stories ever since she can remember (that's before she knew how to write). She started writing them down when she could no longer stand the characters in her head screaming at her to give them life, and while those first scribblings weren't exactly good (nor were they books, although she insisted on calling them that), they were enough for her to discover her passion in life.

She got her university degree in physics a few years ago (yes, she's like Sheldon, only a bit crazier!) and is now free to pursue her love of reading and writing, as well her free-lance job as editor-in-chief. She lives with her 'dude' in a home filled with candles, laptops and notebooks, where she rearranges her overflowing bookshelves every time she feels stressed.

Which is often, since (as you might have noticed) she doesn't pick the easiest subjects for her novels. 

And onto the interview!


In your own writing, which character of yours do you relate to most?
My characters live through horrible things: Evil Sheriffs chasing them through the forest, frozen lands without Christmas and life-threatening diseases if they have the
bad fortune to live in one of my contemporary novels. I'm not going to lie, living through horrible thins is very relatable for me :) but being brave and trained in archery...
can't relate. I do relate to Ellie from Salt for Air a lot, because she's also lost her dad and loves to read and write fanfiction, like me. I also relate to Robin from Everything I Do,
because he feels that he's never enough (and I constantly feel that), and also he, like me, lives in a country that has been destroyed by evil rulers and ruthless tax-collectors. Out of all my characters,
these are the ones I most relate to.

Do you read your own genre? Is it a favourite?
I write in several genres: scifi, fantasy, New Adult and historical fiction. I read all of these genres extensively. Maybe I've been reading
more historical fiction lately, because I'm a Regency novels addict-that's possibly my favourite genre.
It comes in handy, as I'm currently writing the sequel to my Robin Hood novel, and a Regency romance!

If you had to describe your style in three words, what would they be?
Angst, depth, humour.

What was the first story you ever told?
It was a story about a little angel on Christmas day, sending gifts to a poor boy? I think it was something like that. I was eight at the time, and had been reading
a ton of Dickens. I gave it to my dad to read, as he was an author and my main inspiration to become one. He read it very carefully, and then said: "Keep working on it."

Was writing always your dream choice of career?
No. I studied physics in university and have been working as a private tutor and teacher for years. But as soon as I discovered self-publishing, I was like, this is IT. Search for
dream career was over that day.

Do you have a writing space? Pictures or descriptions!
I do! It's by my bed, and I've got a ton of notebooks full of ideas stacked on either side of me. I also have a candle, a typewriter, a puzzle picturing books as the four seasons,
and a board where I pin post-its with my goals and inspirational quotes. My bear also usually keeps me company.I post tons of photos of it on my instagram (@mcfrank_author).

Playlists? Yes or no? And why?
YES! It's mainly music and songs that inspire all of my stories and scenes, to be honest. I would have nothing without it.

Which social media do you see as a must for writers?
I don't know. None? I'm sure you can make it without social media if you want, but you must research how to do that extensively.
I personally would be lost as an author without instagram.

Where do you hang out most online?
Instagram. It's open pretty much all day on my phone, and I chat with my friends and browse gorgeous photos. Perfection.

Do you have a favourite app for writing?
I just write in Word. I use notes on my phone for ideas... And that's pretty much it.

Organised or not?
Very organised (although I'm sure not as organised as you, Joey! You are organization goals.) I have to have very detailed outlines and marketing/publication plans.

What's your favourite book you've read?
Oh, that's an unanswerable question haha. Among my favorites are Persuasion (Jane Austen), The Illustrated Man (Ray Bradbury), Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Laini Taylor),
Hamlet (William Shakespeare)... Should I go on? We'll be here all day.

Morning or evening writer?
I'm a vampire writer. I write all through the night, and I sleep during the day.

If you had a hashtag for your books, what would it be?
I do have hashtags for my books! It's just their titles, #saltforair #everythingido #ruinedmcfrank and so on...so that I can find out lovely photos or posts about
them and do shoutouts on social media. If a reader isn't sure of what to use, just #mcfrankauthor or #mcfrankbook is fine!

You can follow MC Frank on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, her website, and The Book Robin Hoods.

Join Joey here on the blog on Fridays for interviews, reviews and guest bloggers. If you'd be interested in doing any of those, you can contact Joey here.

#TeaserTuesday

Tara is having to deal with the effects of her father's accident on a daily basis...

PRE-ORDER HERE: http://www.books2read.com/DTEE

PRE-ORDER SWAG: https://forms.gle/5tundLE6FUTGjAF67

[ID. A graphic of a waterfall in the distance with the heading of Dying Thoughts - Eighth Ending and below that the release date of October 9th 2019. The excerpt reads:

“You’re back,” he said. “I thought you were spending the night at Kaolin’s before I go on tour? I thought I had the house to myself.”
I sighed quietly, telling myself that he’d already made progress and that nothing was guaranteed. I knew getting frustrated and angry with him would not help matters.
“Dad, we talked about this remember?” I said, trying to sound more patient than I felt. “You were in an accident, then a coma and now it’s June, you’ve got some problems with short term memory but you’re making big steps. You remember?”
END ID]

#TeaserTuesday

Tara has a choice to make, but it doesn't really feel like she has much say in it..

PRE-ORDER HERE: http://www.books2read.com/DTEE

PRE-ORDER SWAG: https://forms.gle/5tundLE6FUTGjAF67

[ID: A graphic with the background of a waterfall, with the heading for Dying Thoughts - Eighth Ending and the release date as October 9th. The contents of the excerpt read:

“Do I have a choice?” I asked, softly.
“Of course you do,” he said.
“But?”
“But it could mean that they, my bosses I mean, decide that the trauma is too much to expose a minor to.”
“So I don’t really have a choice, then do I? I mean, Clare doesn’t know half of it, she doesn’t know about my gift and as far as she’s aware, I just volunteer here with my time. How do you plan to ask her for a mental health report, if you can’t even tell her why?”

END ID]

Life Of Joey & Bi-Monthly Goals - May 2019 [CC]

Telling you all what I've been up to in the last month! #Authortube

PRE-ORDER DYING THOUGHTS - SEVENTH DEATH: http://www.books2read.com/DTSD
SIGN UP FOR AN ARC OF DYING THOUGHTS - SEVENTH DEATH: https://goo.gl/forms/ThxW1hViDlz6IQl83
THE BOOK ROBIN HOODS: https://therobinhoods.wixsite.com/thebookrobinhoods
BUY MY BOOKS: http://www.joeypaulonline.com/p/aboutjoeys-books.html
BLOG: http://www.joeypaulonline.com/
TUMBLR: http://authorjoeypaul.tumblr.com
FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/JoeyPaulOnline
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/MsJoeyBug
INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/authorjoeypaul
GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/1UcS61E

Questions From Readers - March 2019 [CC]

Answering questions from you guys! #Authortube

PRE-ORDER DYING THOUGHTS - SEVENTH DEATH: http://www.books2read.com/DTSD
JOIN MY STREET TEAM: https://goo.gl/forms/lg1Q9hbrRVSrzV2E3
SIGN UP FOR AN ARC OF DYING THOUGHTS - SEVENTH DEATH: https://goo.gl/forms/ThxW1hViDlz6IQl83
THE BOOK ROBIN HOODS: https://therobinhoods.wixsite.com/thebookrobinhoods
BUY MY BOOKS: http://www.joeypaulonline.com/p/aboutjoeys-books.html
BLOG: http://www.joeypaulonline.com/
TUMBLR: http://authorjoeypaul.tumblr.com
FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/JoeyPaulOnline
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/MsJoeyBug
INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/authorjoeypaul
GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/1UcS61E

Festive Wiiting

FESTIVE WRITING
 
It's that time of year again when everything stops for a few days while we have Christmas and the end of year fun. I personally plan to take tomorrow and the 27th off for family commitments and also to just enjoy myself during this period. But today's Monday which means I wanted to have something up on the blog to see you all into Christmas. It would normally be a writing advice piece, and it'll still have some level of that, but I also thought it would be nice to talk about some of the fun things going on around the writing community.

So, for one, myself and Dal Cecil Runo put out a Winter Tag on our authortube channels. You can find the videos here & here. This is a tag that anyone can take part in, you don't have to be on authortube, but can, if you wish, do it on your blog. We wanted to encompass the period not just Christmas itself, but Yule and Winter as a whole. If you do decide to take part, please feel free to tag me on Twitter or my other platforms.

Two, the amazing Erin Kinsella also did a WIP Christmas Tag on her channel which can be found here. I'm sure that she would be happy for people to do it on blogs and spread the cheer around the internet.

Three, there's also the Ho Ho Ho tag by the amazing Kim Chance and Melissa Hope. Here's her video, and here's the one Bethany Atazadeh did as well as some others. I'm sure you'd be able to do this one on a blog as well!

Those are just some of the awesome things happening around the writing community this December. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday period and I will see you next week for a proper post!

Follow Joey here on her blog, or on Facebook or Tumblr to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books

Bonus Sunday - Author Tag: Author Origins Tag [CC]

All about my origin story!

CREATED BY EVIE DRIVER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8frZUkbGQU8

I tag: ERIN KINSELLA, JEWLIE FROM PAGES AND PENS AND BELLA ROSE POPE

ERIN'S CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO9oK9D2DpNqcdHfQrh9y9w

PAGES AND PENS: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHqNmzoKmhfQk74S3cU1BFQ

BELLA ROSE POPE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeDa4DQjW_bUVj-IuVWokkw

BUY WALK A MILE: http://www.books2read.com/WAM
THE BOOK ROBIN HOODS: https://therobinhoods.wixsite.com/thebookrobinhoods
TICKETS FOR #DARKERSIDEOFFICTION2018: http://bit.ly/2IVeJXK
BUY MY BOOKS ON AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1VhLHog
BLOG: http://www.joeypaulonline.com/
TUMBLR: http://authorjoeypaul.tumblr.com
FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/JoeyPaulOnline
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/MsJoeyBug
INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/authorjoeypaul
GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/1UcS61E

From Joey's Instagram

And book 21 is finished! I am so happy with how #Invisible ended and looking forward to starting the sequel in June. ✒✒✒🎉🎉🎉 #authorslife #authorsofinstagram #indieauthor #amwriting #writerslife #writersofinstagram #bookfinished #mybooks

A post shared by Joey Paul (@authorjoeypaul) on May 25, 2018 at 7:05am PDT

From Joey's Intagram

I am writing the last At a chapter of #Invisible today! So close to finishing! Jonah gets a chapter tomorrow. Love getting to do this job!😍😍😍📚✒✒✒ #authorslife #authorsofinstagram #indieauthor #amwriting #writerslife #writersofinstagram #lovemyjob #ilovewriting #igwriters #igauthors

A post shared by Joey Paul (@authorjoeypaul) on May 24, 2018 at 5:30am PDT