From Joey's Instagram

My thoughts are with those affected by the London attack #londonattacks

Interview with Richard G. Lowe Jr and review.

I'm happy to be joined by Richard G. Lowe Jr. on the blog today for both an interview and a review of his book about being a successful indie author. Here's a little about Richard.

Richard Lowe Jr is a bestselling author who has published 63 books, ghostwritten 12 books, and produced several hundred articles for blogs and publications. He is the owner and senior writer of The Writing King, which provides services such as ghostwriting, book coaching, WordPress implementation, blogging and copywriting. Richard is also a SeniorLinkedIn Branding Specialist and has written over 150 LinkedIn profiles.

And onto the interview!

What made you want to be a writer?
When I was a child my mother believed in reading and decided I was going to regularly go to the library. She felt being exposed to books would help me in life. I didn't agree and screamed and cried all the way there. But when I got into the library I met the librarian, she must have been 20 or so, and had my first "crush". After that, I dragged my mother to the library every week, and read as many books as I could. At first I wanted to impress the librarian, but that faded away and was soon reading for myself.
I ran into the works of Isaac Asimov and he became my model for the perfect writer. I wanted to be just like him. I was perhaps 8 years old. I read every book by him I could find.
Life had a way of discouraging that goal, having to earn a living, support and family and such, so the dream faded. In 2013, I retired from my job of 20 years at Trader Joe's and began pursuing my dream. Since then I've written and published  64 books, ghostwritten 12, and written hundreds of blog articles. I've had one best seller.

What kind of books do you read for pleasure?
I like military history, especially World War II and Rome, and enjoy Science Fiction.

How does your average writing time go?
I write for 8 hours each day and promote for 4 to 6 hours a day. Each hour of writing consists of 45 minutes of actual writing using dictation, and 15 minutes of break time.

What book/character of yours is your favourtie?
I'm writing a science fiction novel, and the antagonist is a woman, Erika, who is completely amoral. She's interesting because she's completely focused on the goal, and she does whatever is needed to achieve it. She's kills at a moment's notice, manipulates, and is directly responsible for a genocide.

If you had the chance to write anywhere, where would you choose?
I designed my writing space and it is perfect. Quiet, with the computer humming. Bookshelves to the right and rear, a wall of butterflies in front and crystal amethyst geodes to the left. Very soothing and full of power.

Do you prefer to type or hand write?
I dictate all my writing into the computer, then go back and edit it. Using dictation, I can write 10,000 words per day, ready to publish.

Do you have any hobbies?
I collect butterflies from all over the world, large crystals, and fantasy miniatures. I am also a belly dance and renaissance festival photographer.

Inside this book, I'm going to talk about how to research and a topic that sells, how to write your book, how to publish it and how to market yourself so people want to buy anything you create.

• I explain how you need to research your topics so you don't spend time writing a book that no one wants to buy. Nothing is more frustrating than that.


• Next, you'll learn how to write your book, so that your reader understands your message and appreciates what you've written.


• Third, you'll learn how and where to publish your masterpiece in simple terms that are easy to understand.


• Next, you'll learn how to form a network of dedicated fans who are not only interested in your work, but demand more books from you and share everything you write with their friends.

You'll learn all of this and more in the pages of this book.

Amazon

My review: 4 Stars
This is a great book, very informative about getting started as a self-published author. Starting from scratch and as the title says, laying the foundation. My only critique and reasoning for giving it four stars is that it focuses more on non-fiction than fiction. For example, Lowe talks about releasing a lot of books in a short space of time, aiming for lower word count rather than full length novel, and in the world of fiction writing that just isn't an attainable goal. Otherwise the book is very helpful, packed with links and ideas that can help you get started on the journey. The advice is spot on, and the book is easy to read and flip through at a later date when you want a refresher course on a particular subject. It's well researched and spells things out for you in a easy to read manner. For that reason, I recommend it.

You can find Richard on his website here.

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.

From Joey's Instagram

So tired and trying to write but a nap may be needed! Got my chapter started so let's see! #beingawriter #joeywrites #indieauthor #writerlife #authorsofinstagram #authorslife #joeyisanauthor #awesome #youngadultbooks #amwriting #jowrimogo #chronicillness #spoonie #oxygenuser #chronicpain #flare #fibromyalgia #selfie #writersofinstagram #writesofig #authosofig #ilovewriting

From Joey's Instagram

Check out this awesome giveaway with the chance to win a $250 Amazon giftcard or one of 35 ebooks. Link is here: http://ift.tt/2sr84wi or you can find it on my Facebook page! #giveaway #indieauthor #authorsofinstagram #authorslife #books #readersofinstagram

From Joey's Instagram

And it must be too hot outside as Miss Penne has come out of the sun and into the shade of my room with the fan on high. Kitty snuggles FTW! #catsofinstagram #kitty #cuddles #misspenne #pastacats #snuggles

From Joey's Instagram

And the last day of May. New month tomorrow and gonna get some serious writing done to try and finish both books in June. I already have the plans for the next two brewing for a July start! #beingawriter #joeywrites #indieauthor #writerlife #authorsofinstagram #authorslife #joeyisanauthor #awesome #youngadultbooks #mysterybooks #paranormalbooks #readersofinstagram #reading #writesofig #authosofig #ilovewriting #jowrimogo #bonuschapters #writersofinstagram

Final Tally for May - #JoWriMoGo

The final tally is in for May! A record month with: 130 pages, 28 chapters and a massive 71,610 words! I am hopeful I will finish both books in the coming month.

Writing Every Day - The Creative Process

WRITING EVERY DAY

A few years back I wrote a post about how you needed to make sure you wrote something every day. I still stand by that, but in the years since I have managed to get a different perspective on things like that. Back then, I was still new at blogging, and new at giving advice in blog posts. I had five or six books to my name, as in published, and I was juggling writing while also going through uni. My work life basically consisted of getting the uni work done first and then any spare time I had could be spent writing. And to be clear, I had very little spare time.

So where am I now? Well, I have ten books published with an eleventh out in July. I have my degree with honours thank you very much and my life has basically become all about writing and being an indie author. I am into the third act of both my current works in progress and am so close to finishing them that I'm into the free ideas phase of planning my next two books. In recent weeks I have discussed being a hybrid and also why writing rules are made to be broken. This week I'm bringing you something different. This week I am writing about how the words: You must write every day terrify so many new writers to the point of them getting stuck in a rut of writer's block.

I could go on and on about writer's block, but I won't because I have a vlog planned for that very topic in coming months and it would a shame to have to repeat everything twice. I am though going to explain the reasoning behind those scary words. A writer should be writing every day. It's not just because it forms a habit and gets you to the point where it feels weird to not be writing, but also because it brings you to a point where you start to see past the issues that put you off.

One big thing about being told you must write every day is that new writers (and more experienced ones too) get overwhelmed. They think that while writing every day you have to be producing masterpieces with every touch of the keyboard or stroke of a pen. And, to be blunt, that's crap. I write every day and yes the majority of the time I keep those words in the finished manuscript, but one thing I had to learn (and still need reminding of at times) is that it's okay for it not to be a masterpiece. It can have flaws. It can have ups and downs and good middles and bad beginnings. The point isn't to write perfectly every single day because no one can manage that. The point is to just write.

Back in October 2015, I hit a low point in my career. I had eight books published. I was writing two and had been writing them for over a year and I sat down at the beginning of the month and did my monthly sticky post. I set myself four chapters. I wrote one. I was blocked. I was uninspired and I was at my wit's end. I was thinking, quite seriously, about quitting writing. I'd changed editing teams and it had an effect on my self confidence and it had an effect on my ability to write. I didn't want to leave books unfinished (my nightmares are filled with unfinished stories) so I decided to do something I had never done. And that was to take part in NaNoWriMo in November of 2015.

The difference was, I wasn't trying to set myself up for failure. I didn't think I could squeeze out 50K words so I set my own goal. I was going to write one page a day. And it worked. I started with just one page November 1st, and I kept going. I got my writing jam back so much so that when December came around I decided to keep a good thing going, I started my own hashtag: JoWriMoGo (Joey's Writing Monthly Goals) and decided that I would stick with what worked. A page for every day of the month.

It's now May 2017, and I have just finished the last chapter of the month, bringing me to a new record of 28 chapters written in 28 days. I don't have the final tally of words and pages, but I look back at where I was and see where I am now. In setting myself the goal to sit and write just one page, I made writing part of my routine. It now feels weird to sit at my computer or in bed with my tablet and not be writing. To the point where I'm thinking about trying to find some more time in the day to do more chapters.

And that's where you want to be as a writer. You want to be in a situation where it feels wrong to not be writing. So when you hear the phrase "write every day" remember that it's not supposed to be perfect, it's just supposed to be words. From there, you can find yourself writing whole chapters and books and doing a lot of fun things with your work. I continue doing JoWriMoGo every month because it motivates me and it keeps me writing. You find what works for you and keep writing.

I know I will. 

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. You can also sign up to her newsletter here.

From Joey's Instagram

And I'm on the last chapter of the month! The first time I have ever been this prroductive and have wrriten almost 28 chapters in 28 days. I have the last three days to get up to speed with edits for #INAR and then get it off to the ARC people. Been an excellent month! #beingawriter #joeywrites #writinggoals #writerslife #writersofinstagram #writersofig #authorslife #authorsofinstagram #authorsofig #booksinprogress #amwriting #indieauthor #joeyisanauthor #youngadultbooks #jowrimogo #bonuschapters #ilovewriting #ilovemyjob #whyiwrite #wordnerd

Book Release - Dying Thoughts - Fifth Secret [CC]

PRE-ORDER IT'S NOT ALWAYS RAINBOWS: http://amzn.to/2qVQqDG
REQUEST AN ARC OF IT'S NOT ALWAYS RAINBOWS: http://bit.ly/2nRodwC
SIGN UP TO MY MAILING LIST: http://eepurl.com/cNq35n
BUY TICKETS FOR #DARKER2017: http://bit.ly/2dPnrcU
BUY MY BOOKS ON AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1VhLHog
BLOG: http://www.joeypaulonline.com/
TUMBLR: http://bit.ly/1WhMqqE
FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/1VhLrWj
TWITTER: http://bit.ly/1szCNHg
GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/1UcS61E