Back in February, I went to Pinterest to pull up a recipe my family likes and I got sidetracked with a reading challenge. Between life, my day job and working on my books, I haven’t had time to read… which is sad, as it’s my favorite hobby. I have no clue where I’m going to find the time to do this but it’s a goal I’ve set for myself in 2015. I even convinced a couple of friends and family to take the journey with me.
On the open road or hiking the forest, a map is a useful thing. The same can be said for blogs. What do I want this blog to be? I have two main goals.
No matter what you want to accomplish in life, educate yourself. I’m not talking elementary education or college, although both are worthy – might I say needed – to accomplish many personal goals. No, I’m talking about learning all you can when you try something new.
“I am convinced that the act of thinking logically cannot possibly be natural to the human mind. If it were, then mathematics would be everybody’s easiest course at school and our species would not have taken several millennia to figure out the scientific method.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson
“What works for thee won’t work for me.” is a saying used by my characters when learning to use magic. Each person must find what works for them. The same is true for writing. Some people write in parks, libraries, restaurants, wherever.
Not 
me.
I can do minor clean up work in public, and the distractions are amusing, not irritating. Art projects and research are possible in the family room, hanging out with the family.
Publishing a novel has been a dream come true for me; however, there have been lessons learned in the process. This is not a one-stop-shop. I’m simply noting a few things I’ve learned publishing my first novel, things I haven’t already mentioned.
Make use of Beta Readers. This I did, but simply called them willing readers. Who knew they had a real job title? I made a choice to break down my “betas” into the following categories:
Continue reading “Reflections on Publishing My First Novel”
I read a post last night titled A layman’s translation of food jargon… It addressed some of the topics I rant and rave over with friends, but haven’t posted about, until now.
Who doesn’t need a Do Over app upon occasion? Heck, there’s an app for everything else. It’s time for one that’s really useful.
On 1/5/2015 my first full sized novel became available to purchase as a digital book. It’s a full novel under my name. There’s something empowering about a dream realized.
It’s also a little scary. This isn’t a short story published with other hopefuls. This is a novel with just my name on the cover. Love it or hate it, it’s all me.
Continue reading “Bucket List – Check Another Item Off the List”
N. R. Tucker 