Tag Archives: updates

Writing Helpers

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I hope everyone enjoyed the excerpt from Unbridled yesterday!

It’s a quiet Sunday morning and I’m about to get ready to go pick up my client for lunch and do her community and personal goals for the day. I usually hang out with her on Saturday but she had a wedding yesterday so we’re getting together today.

helpers

helpers

Before that, I’m enjoying my coffee while I preview my print version of my book that will be released through Create Space. Of course, I wasn’t happy with how the cover looked, so I edited in Photoshop and re-uploaded it. I have to wait all over again for the review process to finalize. I guess it’s better than looking at a cover all the time of my own story that bugs me!

In the picture above are my helpers, Malachy and Whiskey. Whiskey is purebred beagle and Malachy is a beagle/schnauzer mix. Other than my husband, they are the loves of my life. They have been with me through some tough times. Beagles are sweet, loving dogs, but they are also very stubborn and food-crazy, which I guess makes life interesting.

I hope everyone has a great day. It’s already beautiful out here in the ‘burbs of Chicago. Sunny and a clear day with beautiful temps. I’m looking forward to enjoying it!

I’ll be posting the print links to Unbridled soon!

Cheers,

H.K. Rowe

 

To My Younger Self

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It’s been a few days since I released “Unbridled” and though the promotion is not done yet, I have had some time to reflect on how accomplished I feel. I’m soaking in the happiness so to speak.

At one point I felt like I reverted back to my younger self, writing and drawing on the floor as I watched TV with my mom, dog Georgie Girl, and three cats, Misty, Checkers and Butterscotch. I remember writing my stories on lined paper, drawing my own covers, and then binding them with Elmer’s glue like they were a real book you could pick up in a store and read. Or I would do my own graphic novels, tell a story with pictures from one panel to the next. I still have several of these hand made books. Every once in awhile I get them out and look at them. It’s sad how much the pencil has faded, but I love seeing my old handwriting, my old drawings, and the budding mind of a writer.

tbt-medrawing

A couple of days ago, that little girl’s dream came true. My book is out there… selling!

Does it matter that it’s not traditional publishing? Does it matter that it’s not on a bookshelf in my local library? Not really. I give a lot of thanks to the advanced technological world, the ease of self-publishing, and most of all, the existence of fanfiction culture. If if hadn’t been for the latter, I may NEVER have had the mindset to get this far, to have the connections to encourage me and give me tips over the years, nor would I have gained the accessibility. Utilizing social media and forums and blogging over the years makes self-publishing so much more possible.

I am going to soak a little in the happiness of raw accomplishment. It’s only my first book but personally speaking, I never thought I’d get to this point. I’d been beaten and exhausted from terrible past jobs, challenging mental health periods, stress and dealing with a parent who lost his life to cancer. At one point publishing my own work felt like a pipe dream.

I know it’s ONLY self-publishing, but it’s still something very important to me. Plus, I love the hard work already. I love the engagement. I love the possibilities and the control. I’m a Type A personality and I love my schedules, my organization and my control. This is my heaven.

I haven’t been this happy in a long time. I’ve ended my days this past week with a smile on my face.

I treasure that. So does my younger self. She’s over the moon.

Thanks to everyone who made this possible.

H.K. Rowe

The Day After: Thank You!

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Unbridled has been out for less than a day and I thank everyone for spreading the word, purchasing and reading the book.

I want to do a special shout out to Heather who even plugged me on her blog.

Kisses!

Thanks so much!

And don’t forget, Unbridled is available at Amazon right now!
I will update my blog further when other purchasing options become available.

Also please tag it on Goodreads if you intend to read!

Please also sign up for my mailing list at the link on the side!

Thanks!

H.K. Rowe

On Schedule

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The release date for my book Unbridled that is set for tomorrow appears to be on schedule. I’m doing my last minute formatting tonight, and then I will upload to various distributors, check formatting at those places, and then finalize some marketing.

It must be fate because on Sunday I got called by my supervisor at the IT company I work for that they will need me to go to a career show tomorrow from 12 to 7 at the Chicago Cultural Center. Which means she doesn’t need me into work until around 10 in the morning. I will have the early morning tomorrow to release the book and post at various social outlets. I’m nervous but it seems like the opportunity is falling right into my lap.

I was talking to a co-worker today (one whom I thought didn’t like me, lol) and he was surprised that I was releasing a book, let alone that I wrote something that could be about 250 pages. He was even curious about the process. I’m shocked myself, buddy!

Haha, and here I was thinking 250 pages was too short.

Okay all, until later.

H.K. Rowe

Cover Release Day!

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Okay guys! It’s time to reveal the cover of my upcoming book, release next week slated for May 20th!

Unbridled cover!

Unbridled cover!

I’m very happy with it! I found just the right stock photo image and made some tweaks. This is the official cover of the book, which features my female protagonist Elekta. Elekta is a pinnacle part of the story, even though a majority of the POV rests with Ethan, the male anti-hero.

I hope you enjoy it! Now that the cover is revealed, the next step is only to release the book! The plan is the e-book version will come first, and then within due time, the print version will be available as well.

Just little background about myself, besides writing (of course), I’ve been a professional graphic designer for over 10 years. I’ve been drawing forever and I love technology so naturally I have evolved into the Illustration, Graphic Design, and now UI/UX design world. Design evolves and changes, so I love being able to share this part of myself with my writing as well.

I hope the book cover makes you excited as I am for this book’s release.

Until later!

H.K. Rowe

Update, Dedication Pages and Thanks

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First off, thank you to everyone who has followed this blog and liked my posts! I really appreciate it, and I look forward to blog-stalking everyone who followed me. 🙂

I will be officially releasing the cover of my “Unbridled” novel this Friday. I’m super excited to show you all and pretty much show the world when it’s done!

And just one last thing… I was thinking the other day that I really wanted to have a dedication page in my novel, but have not seen a lot of them in Indie books. What do you guys think? If you’ve published indie books before, have you had a dedication page or other beginning pages? I’d love to just hear other people’s experiences!

I’d love to dedicate this book to my late father. He was a huge supporter of my creativity, whether it was art or writing. Our family lost him last October to pancreatic cancer, and I believe that even though he’s gone, he still supports me from the beyond. I don’t think I would have gotten this far without his wisdom and guidance.

A dedication in my first book seems small in comparison to the gratitude I feel for him, but it’s something, right?

Also, I hope you like my new header image on top of the blog! 🙂

Let the final revision begin!

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SO EXCITED!

I received my feedback from my editor this morning, and starting tonight, I am good to go to start the final revision for my novel “Unbridled”! Whooohoo!

I’m getting closer to that release date. Here’s to tight deadlines and extreme editing! It’s going to be a crazy, dedicated week!

I’m a little scared and I’m a little excited, but I’m ready for this. I’m hoping for positive results!

Resurrection

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I have a working laptop now! I managed to save it from the dead, and put in a new hard drive, but my old Mac is still kicking, even though I gave her a sex change, sort of, lol, as she runs on ubuntu now and not OS X. Oh well, you gotta use whatever works! Especially since $40 for a hard drive is more economical right now than a brand new laptop.

“Unbridled” is still in the beta reading process so I’m anxiously awaiting to hear back from my reader to see her opinions and suggestions. In the mean time I’ve narrowed down the perfect stock photo for a cover, I just have to change some things in Photoshop. It’s very exciting! I think I just “knew” when I stumbled onto that photo that she was very much like my character, the atmosphere and background were perfect, and the expression on the model’s face was exactly the mood I wanted to create. Amazing how that happens. Now to find the right font… I’m such a font snob that finding the right one might be harder than finding a picture!

Also, Camp Nanowrimo still goes on. I haven’t updated my word count at the site, but I’m still writing. It’s been hard because I’ve had a lot of distractions; fixing my computer, work, getting over a migraine, working out, website work, and spending time with my family and friends. Things are better now that I’ve solved the problem with my laptop and taxes are paid. I feel more relaxed, haha!

Meanwhile, marketing for “Unbridled” continues. I plan on posting more on the book, sharing tidbits about characters, a family tree, and inspirations.

Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!

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This was actually the runner-up to the photo I really chose. This girl looks just like my female protagonist, Elekta from “Unbridled” as well, but the other stock photo that won has a better expression. 🙂

 

Cheers,

H.K. Rowe