Ruth Ann Nordin's Author Blog

I appreciate the feedback I received in the poll I posted close to two weeks ago. There’s so much information out there on the internet telling authors what to do. Given my limitations, I can only do so much. There’s no point in wasting my time on avenues no one here is interested in.

Ebooks

I already have been doing this, but it’s nice to see where people prefer to get my books so I know where to focus my efforts. I have had no real interest over at Payhip. I will start linking BookFunnel to new releases on Payhip. I don’t know if the couple of people who said they were interested in BookFunnel are interested in buying through BookFunnel at Payhip. I did add Secret Admirer to BookFunnel as a “direct sale”. I will address this more below in the “BookFunnel” portion of this post.

But in the meantime, I will continue to keep uploading my books on as many retailer sites as I am able to, and I’m very happy to see that a variety of retailers were selected in the poll I ran.

Paperbacks

It’s going to be a slow process because I have so many books, but I have found someone to help me with making the paperback covers look better. I am focusing my efforts on the new books and will slowly go through the old ones. I had to stop using Amazon’s dashboard to make paperbacks. I switched everything to Draft2Digital, and they use Ingram’s printing system. The books can still be sent out to retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. If I think about it, I’ll add links over here on my blog as I get these new additions up. (I might forget, so if there is a specific paperback you want to buy, let me know either in a comment on this blog or by filling out this form: https://ruthannnordinbooks.com/contact/ from my main website.

Audiobooks

I’m happy to see interest in these. These days, I can only “read” books that are in audio form unless they are short stories. I have everything up on Google Play and some on Kobo. I don’t know if anyone is interested in the Kobo audiobooks. I know I have an interest at Google Play because I can see that in my dashboard. I can only put audiobooks on Apple through Draft2Digital, and right now, I only have Secret Admirer and Midnight Wedding in that dashboard. The other romances are on my Smashwords dashboard. As for Audible and Amazon, that is all through ACX, and at the moment, they do not allow AI (or digital) narration. When they open that up to authors and allow me to use their AI technology to create audiobooks there, I will do so, BUT only if this option allows me to be wide with the audiobooks. I will not be exclusive to any retailer. I want my books to be widely available because not everyone wants to use the same retailer.

BookFunnel

I already put my ebooks on multiple retailers, but the one place I haven’t done that garnered interest was BookFunnel. That one will be slow going because I can only be on the computer a couple days a week. I have given this thought and have decided I will focus first on the books I currently have available for free since ARCs and the group promos are the most popular features on that site. I did set up a sales page for Secret Admirer over there at this link if anyone wants to see it. Ironically, the only way I can do a “direct sale” on BookFunnel is through Payhip, and I already have my books available over there. I don’t know how beneficial adding a “purchase direct” option is. This is the link for that. I am new to BookFunnel. Perhaps there is an easier way around this, but at the moment, I am having trouble making this easy to find within BookFunnel itself.

My guess is that I have to join group promos to be easy to find over there.

I haven’t tried to run an ARC or post a landing page over there yet. I can only handle one thing at a time. My priority is getting new books out there, and I’ve been struggling with this. I do want to figure out how to run an ARC campaign, but right now, I haven’t had the time to scroll through the information on doing this.

Regarding my eyes and my plan moving forward:

I went in for an eye check with an ophthalmologist last week to compare the results with what the optometrist found. The results didn’t find much difference, except that in addition to the narrow tear ducts, I also don’t produce enough oil under my eyelids. While this is good news, I have to figure out how to best take care of them.

One thing I am looking into is altering my diet. I believe that the healthier I am, the better my eyes will be. While eye drops are an option, I would rather not rely on them if I don’t have to. (By the way, the ophthalmologist warned against eye drops for “red eye” like the Visine I used to take. Those particular drops damage the eyes. So avoid anything that takes care of “red eyes”. You’re better off with something like Systane Complete.)

My second plan is to restrict all screen time. This will mean writing less books, and I am pretty much done marketing in any meaningful way. Getting off of social media was a smart move. I was slow in responding to emails before, so I feel bad that I’ll be even slower now, but even screen time on the phone has it’s problems. It all strains my eyes. Reading things on paper or in magazines also strain my eyes. I just can’t do these things like I used to. If I can’t listen to it, it’s pretty much out of the question. This is a challenge since I have always been more of a visual learner. For example, when I could read the Bible, I understood is so much better than I am now that I have to listen to it. Fiction is easier, and I can get engaged well with those in audio. But nonfiction, like the Bible, is something else.

My third plan is to incorporate a lot of outdoor time to my schedule. I have found that going out for walks has had a great impact on improving my eyes, especially when it’s warm and sunny out. Thankfully, I am in state now where there is a longer summer season. In Montana, it got cold around early October, and I was not able to start back up with my walks until some time in April. In Nebraska, the length of time for walking extends longer. I was able to start walking this year in March, and there were days in February where it was warm enough (with my coat on, of course) where I could get out.

My goal will be publishing three books a year.

I think I can make this happen. Last year, I was very slow. This year, I have been slow, too. I think my new pace is just going to be three books a year. I used to handle six to eight, and while a part of me is disheartened that I have to slow down, I’ll have to adjust to this. Even dictating won’t change this. I stumble with talking a blog post or a book just like I stumble at listening to nonfiction. It doesn’t come easily to me. Also, in dictation, there are errors that pop up that require more editing time to resolve. I might find I’m better off typing slower instead of having to edit something that’s been dictated. Whatever is the easiest way, I’ll do that. I’m sure there will be some trial and error on this front as I proceed forward.

I am going to aim for three days a week on the computer. I used to do five. Those five days were also fit with about five hours (on and off as I did chores). Now I am going to limit myself to three hours on my computer day. This includes writing, editing, marketing, emails, and stuff for the accountant. That will make things tighter on how much I can get done. I am not sure how I will balance all of this yet. My son isn’t really all that interested in helping me out, though he has been my “eyes” in the last blog post and in a few emails. He was also the one who told me what features BookFunnel had before I signed up for it. But this isn’t a passion for him like it is for me. I can’t even begin to describe how “excited” he was to read The Earl’s Jilted Bride for me so I could edit it through him. I had to keep asking him to slow down and speak up since all he wanted to do was get it over with. 😛 My husband has even less interest in it. These are initial edits, and initial edits are where rewrites happen. So it’s not a simple proofread.

I was hoping to get The Earl’s Jilted Bride out in September. I think I’ll have to wait for October now. Worth the Risk is planned for January. My edits used to take one month. Now they are going to two months. I admit this is frustrating, but I need to remember the quality of the book is more important than speed, and it’s not worth damaging my eyes more than I’ve already damaged them with all of the screen time I’ve put them under for the past 15 years.

I’ve been listening to different articles and podcasts on the many places authors can put their books and what formats authors can use to get their books out into the world. There are a lot of options out there, and it can get quite overwhelming. I am not interested in trying to reach out to the entire world. My main concern is reaching you, the readers of this blog. Below, I am going to place a couple of polls. It would help me out a lot if you would answer them. It’s possible that I am missing something, so feedback in the comments would be most appreciated.

I recently watched the movie Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Upfront, I’ll warn everyone that this is a really dark story. It’s classified as horror, and yes, there are some “icky” moments, though it’s not really a slasher kind of film. There are strong psychological elements that dominate over the physical gore, and it’s these psychological elements that make the story a good one. There are several posts a person could write about this particular movie, but I want to discuss the value of adding layers to a story because this movie does that in a brilliant way.

Before I go into that, I’ll sum up the story. Years ago, there was a barber named Benjamin Barker who had a wife (Lucy) and baby daughter (Johanna). A judge happened to lust after his wife, so he convicted Benjamin of a crime he didn’t commit then sent him off with the hopes Lucy would be with him. The movie opens with Benjamin’s return, except now he calls himself Sweeny Todd, and he looks for his wife and daughter, only to be told that Lucy poisoned herself. Meanwhile, Johanna is now the judge’s ward. Sweeny vows to get his revenge on the judge by slitting his throat.

That pretty much sets the stage for the movie.

Spoilers ahead…

I will be spoiling this movie as I dive into the layers I discovered while watching it. Keep in mind that not every story will be able to incorporate these layers. It might be that only one layer will work. It might be a layer I didn’t mention here will work better for your specific story. Each story is unique and should be given the layer(s) best suited for it. Never try to force a layer into your story that shouldn’t be there. The best stories are organically written. You don’t want to force the story to be something it’s not intended to be.

Some layers to consider in storytelling that I found in the movie:

Put in something that readers won’t know until the end that changes the entire reading experience when they read the book again.

The best compliment a reader can get is that their story was so good that someone read it again. After watching this movie the first time, I had to go back and watch it again because I knew that if I watched it a second time after knowing the “twist”, then the movie would be a different experience. As stated above, not every story will have this twist in it, but it is a layer that is effective. But if you can use that “twist”, it will change the reading experience the second time around. Below, I’ll explain what I mean.

In this movie, there is a homeless woman who pops up from time to time. She doesn’t have a large role. She seems to be an “add on” that is just there, like wallpaper in a room. For most of the movie, I even kept wondering why she was even there. It turns out that this woman was Lucy. You don’t find this out until the final scene, and the moment I found out this homeless woman’s identity, I knew I was going to have to watch the movie again so I could put that piece of the puzzle into the story. At the beginning of the story, Mrs. Lovett tells Sweeny Todd that Lucy poisoned herself. At the end, we find out Mrs. Lovett didn’t add that Lucy survived the attempted suicide. Now it makes sense why this homeless woman was outside the judge’s house watching Johanna in the window and why this homeless woman knew the house was locked up tight (hinting that Lucy had made attempts to get her daughter out of there but was unable to.) Now it also makes sense as to why Mrs. Lovett is constantly telling the boy to “throw the woman out” every time the homeless woman showed up in her shop. Mrs. Lovett knows who Lucy is and is determined to keep Lucy and Sweeny Todd apart. So it’s really fascinating what little things you notice the second time around that you didn’t notice before.

It was fun to go back and pick out these details, and I suspect readers would have a fun time doing the same in your story if you can manage to put something or someone into the story that works like this.

Have characters doing the same thing but in different ways.

I think of this technique as a compare and contrast sort of strategy in storytelling.

In the movie, it doesn’t seem like it from the start, but it turns out that Mrs. Lovett is just like the judge. While you know the judge is corrupt and driven by lust from the beginning, you are led to believe that Mrs. Lovett, while amoral, sincerely has Sweeny Todd’s best interest at heart. It’s not until the end that you realize both the judge and Mrs. Lovett are doing the same thing in different ways. Both want to keep Sweeny Todd and Lucy apart. While the judge sends Sweeny away for life on a trumped up charge, Mrs. Lovett simply chooses to let Sweeny think that Lucy is dead. So the goal is the same. The methods are different. And this adds an interesting layer to the story. While Sweeny knows his enemy is the judge, he thinks Mrs. Lovett is his friend.

Again, this can’t be used in every story, but if you can use it, then it’ll add another layer to the story you’re telling.

Have characters say the same words but make those words have different meanings.

Another layer I found in this movie is that Sweeny’s “love” for his blades is mirrored by Mrs. Lovett’s love for him. This is best appreciated while watching the way the two actors perform the song “My Friends”. It’s obvious he has no interest in her while she shows an interest in him.

At times, they sing the same lyrics. For example, “You’re warm in my hand” and “splendors you never have dreamed all your days” have different meanings to him and to her.

A fun storytelling technique is having characters the same thing that only the readers knows conveys different meanings. This is the benefit of third person point of view, by the way. In first person, you can’t get this duality because you’re only in one character’s head through the entire story. But in third person, you’re able to get into two or more characters’ heads, and that can help you use this particular layer if it fits what you’re doing.

Another layer that isn’t in the movie but I find fun is this:

Have something that only the reader knows. It can be that only one character (or even none) know something, and during the course of the story, it’s never reveals to another character. I’ll give an example. I wrote a story years back where a secondary character is believed to have murdered his wife, but it’s only when I gave a flashback scene from that character’s point of view that the reader realizes her death was an accident. That secondary character ended up dying, and the other characters went on believing he murdered her. So it’s a secret only the reader gets to discover. You can use this strategy in many ways, and in some cases, it can change the way the reader views the character or the story, even even both. It depends on how it fits into the storyline.

My point is that not every single thing needs to be spelled out on the page. There doesn’t always need to be this “big reveal” moment between two characters for the story to be effective. In fact, sometimes it’s what the character doesn’t say (or doesn’t even know) that makes the story better.

Show the struggle between good and evil within one character.

Another layer I found in the movie is the struggle between grief (and the “good” side of Sweeny) vs. the need for vengeance (the “evil” side of Sweeny). The song Epiphany best shows this, though we do get other hints at it during the movie. I’m sharing the song because it makes this struggle stand out the best. Sweeny goes back and forth in this song from mourning his wife’s death and the fact that he can’t see his daughter versus the need for revenge, which he believes will give him peace.

The evil side wins in this movie, which it must if there is to be a movie with this kind of plot. It’s only at the very end where Sweeny comes to his senses, as it were, and realizes he’s turned into a monster. The theme of this story is how revenge ends up ruining you, and the story does this theme very well.

Maybe your story will call for the evil to win out, too. I write romance, so good always triumphs in the character, but there are stories that must go the other way. It depends on the story’s purpose. As a writer, you’re going for the biggest impact because the biggest impact is what makes the story strong. Strong stories are memorable stories. They might not be the ones that sell the most, but they are the ones that have the biggest emotional impact on those who enjoy them. Though tragic and dark, I love this story. I keep going back to it to dive deeper into the storytelling elements I found, and there are more elements than the layers.

Regarding the emotional struggle within a character, you shouldn’t have every character in your story struggle. You need some, like Mrs. Lovett and the judge, who remain constant in order to best appreciate the struggle that one character is going through. If every character struggles in the story, then the story gets convoluted. Then the story loses its impact because the reader has to experience “angst” for a bunch of characters. Keep it simple. Sweeny is the only one who struggles in this movie, and, as a result, it makes him a more compelling character.

***

A final note:

I don’t suggest you watch the movie if you don’t have the stomach for it. It contains blood and a nod toward cannibalism. These are not easy subjects. It’s definitely a mature movie. But if you want to see what good storytelling is like, this movie is an excellent example of it. For one, each character has a purpose. Two, the main characters are well-developed. Three, there are no loose ends. Four, the ending delivers. Mrs. Lovett dies. The judge dies. Lucy, though innocent in all of this, dies, but it’s through her death that Sweeny realizes he’s become a monster, and that final moment of clarity is satisfying to see. It’s proof, I think, that there was a piece of Benjamin still left in him. Once upon a time, I read that a tragic ending can be the best ending for a story if it satisfies. Typically, tragedies don’t deliver, but this one did.

This is the 2nd book in the Marriage by Obligation Series!

(To view all of the books in this series, go to this link.)

Guy Milton, the Earl of Quinton, has been kidnapped in the middle of the night by a beautiful blonde lady and her two redheaded brothers. If you’ve read The Cursed Earl and Secret Admirer, then you’ll recall Guy never does anything without carefully consider all of the consequences. So imagine how he must feel being forced out of London in the middle of the night and taken to a country estate filled with all sorts of things the spell doom.

This romance mixes the gothic genre with humor. Other gothic romances I’ve done have been in the Marriage by Fairytale Series. (These books included The Marriage Contract, One Enchanted Evening, The Wedding Pact, Fairest of Them All, and The Duke’s Secluded Bride.) Other comedic romances I’ve done are Kidnapping the Viscount, Nobody’s Fool, His Reluctant Lady, and Taming the Viscountess. If you enjoyed those books, you should enjoy this one, too.

Characters featured in this book are as follows:

Guy Milton (Lord Quinton) – He’s our hero and a firm believer in superstition. He doesn’t do anything without carefully considering his options.

Lydia Hamilton – She’s the heroine. With her family’s estate teetering on bankruptcy, she’s desperate to marry someone. To her brothers’ bafflement, she picks the one gentleman that no other lady would approach with a ten-foot pole.

Felix Hamilton (Lord Roland) – Lydia’s older brother. Not given to superstition, he has to spend the next month stuck at his country estate while Guy looks for bad luck in every nook and cranny. This is not a task that is easy for someone who values reason and logic…except when it comes to monsters.

Oscar Hamilton – Lydia’s younger brother. Besides, Lydia, he is the most unaffected by Guy’s “quirks”. Guy would like to say he’s not affected by Oscar, but Oscar is a sloppy eater who would be happy working alongside rats if Guy didn’t insist he set out some traps.

If this sounds like your type of book, you can find it here:

Ebook Version:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Apple

Google Play

Smashwords

Scribd

Radish

Audiobook Version (Narrated by AI):

Google Play

*I will post a link when this is on audio in the Apple store.

Today I saw a writer pose the question about whether or not having a blog is a waste of time.

Blogs are optional

The answer is simple. If you are expecting your blog to sell books for you, then yes, it’s a waste of time. Do NOT expect a blog to sell your books. If, however, you are looking to share things that inspire you or/and post updates about the stuff you’re working on, then blogging is worth your time. It really depends on your purpose in having a blog.

Websites are a must

Regardless of whether you have a blog or not, you should have a website. There should be a place readers can find a list of your books, what those books are about, and where they can find them. This makes life easier for them. I don’t know how many times I’ve been disappointed when I found a new author but realized they had no website where I could find a list of their books. I don’t want to browse through their catalogue on an online store. I want the list in an easy to find place on the author’s website. It doesn’t have to be fancy. I just want to know what the series is, and, if the books are in a series, I’d like to know the series and what order the books are in. That’s really it. Contact information, about the author, etc, are optional.

Email lists are recommended

Now, I am not the kind of person who opens every email I get. I can’t. My eyes would kill me if I did. But when an author I like has a new book out, this is the best way for the author to let me know about it. I don’t think the frequency of emails matters so much when it comes to selling a book. It depends on the writer. Some writers are conversational and tell good stories about their lives. They do well with frequent emails. Other writers, like myself, have no idea what to say in an email. Even on a personal level, I struggle with this. So I just send an email when I have a new book out. There is also a middle-of-the-road approach. Some authors send an email once a month giving updates on what they’re doing. I have made a blog dedicated to this so that people don’t have to subscribe to an email if they only want to see an update once a month. But this depends on the writer. With all that said, I do recommend having some way you can reach your readers in their inbox. So give readers the option of signing up for your email list.

Let’s say you decide to blog. Here are some tips I have found useful over the years:

1. Write about your current works in progress.

It’s not enough to make “buy my books” posts. That is what you can do in the email list. You can announce a new release on a blog, but I would not have that be the only time I make a post. Let your readers know what you’re working on and any neat things that pop up while writing the story. Teasers are fine, but I think it’s more fun to talk about the characters like they’re real people. It’s also fun to find out stuff that went into writing the book. What inspired the book? What twists and turns did you find the story taking that you didn’t expect? (Don’t give spoilers. Just hint at them.) Did you expect a character to have a certain personality but found out the character’s personality was different? Is there something in your story that has a personal meaning to you? (For example, did you choose a certain colored shirt or put in a cameo that stemmed from real life? Another example, did you name a character from someone in real life that you care about?) Was there a certain theme you put into the story that makes it significant to you? Do certain characters represent someone or something that deepens the meaning of the story? (For example, in one story I wrote years ago, one character represented the unyielding quality of judgement while another character represented Jesus Christ’s grace and mercy.) I find the layers put into a story makes it more fun to write. Don’t be afraid of putting layers into your work and discussing that in your blog.

These “extras” add to the flavor of the story while you’re writing it. They don’t “sell” the book, but they let readers get insight into the stories they won’t get simply by reading them.

2. People can sign up for to receive the posts in their inbox without subscribing to an email list.

Put an option for people to receive emails when you make a blog post. I get frustrated when authors don’t do this. I might not remember to come by to check out a blog post. I need reminders. If I need reminders, then other people probably do, too. Make it easy for people to know when you make a new post.

3. Reply to comments.

I understand why writers who have 30+ comments per blog post would not have time to reply to every comment. Most of us, however, do not have a lot of people making comments on every blog post. So when a comment comes in, acknowledge it. If the person was nice, let the person know you’re glad they decided to stop by and say something. You will develop relationships with these people over time. (Ignore and block the jerks. This is your blog. You don’t need to take abuse from anyone.)

4. Be professional.

I realize that in today’s culture, it’s easy to get into a shouting match while online, but your writing blog should be a place where you are cordial at all times. (That’s why you block the jerks who try to rile you up.) You are not selling your books, but you do represent them. The way you write posts give a lot of information about you. I can tell which writer is pleasant and which writer is not pleasant by the posts they create. You have no idea who is coming by to read your posts. If you start bashing a certain political group, a certain religion, or some other belief, it doesn’t cast you in a good light.

For example, I remember the author who made a blog post saying that only stupid people believe in God. This was almost ten years ago now, and I still remember that blog post, and I remember his name. The ironic thing is that I thought his books sounded pretty neat, and I was ready to buy one until I read that blog post. He wrote science fiction. If he wrote books on atheism, I could see the point of him making that blog post, but atheists weren’t his target audience. I don’t know how he thought this would be a good selling point. But it’s things like this that will alienate you from your potential readers. Unless your books are geared toward a certain audience, there’s no point in criticizing someone’s belief system. You may not mean to go directly after that person, but they will probably feel attacked. Why would someone who feels attacked want to buy your books?

I realize we’re not perfect. God knows I have had my fair share of sin. But we should strive to be professional when we’re on the blog (or even on social media) because, at the end of the day, we represent our books.

5. Share things that inspire you.

The blog isn’t just for others. It can also be for you. And it doesn’t have to be just about your books. What are things that you find interesting? For me, it’s talking about writing issues. I don’t think there’s enough blog posts that address the benefits of writing for passion. It seems that the main focus is on writing to make money. That’s fine if writers want to do that, but I feel like there’s a void out there for authors who, like me, want to write for passion. I find it encouraging when I happen to come across a blog post from a writer who writes for passion. I write the posts for myself, and I write them for other writers who may be feeling the way I am. So if there’s something you feel is lacking out there, you can contribute it to the world.

6. Think of this as fun, not as a marketing gimmick.

Blogging will be a pain if you are thinking of it as a promotional tool. Instead of looking at it as a business strategy, think of it as something you do in your leisure time. It should relax you. Imagine yourself in your living room talking to a friend. The best part of this is that this “friend” is happy to let you ramble. 😀 Even if no one reads the blog post, there is value in it because you feel better after writing it. Maybe in addition to writing books for passion, we ought to think of blogging as a passion project, too.

Regarding the situation with my eyes, I recently saw an eye doctor. I did wonder if he would find a cataract, glaucoma, or some other damage to the eye since I am 48. I try to protect my eyes as much as I can, but you can’t fight all of the effects of getting older. This thing will my dry eye has gotten progressively worse over the years. I thought there might be another situation I was dealing with. It turns out there isn’t anything wrong with my eyes. I was very relieved to hear it.

My tear ducts going from my eyes down to my nose are narrow, and age did factor into that. As I’ve gotten older, they’ve gotten more narrow. All I can do is mitigate the situation the best I can. I don’t want to do surgery to widen them. I don’t think I’m at the point where it’s necessary, and the eye doctor agrees. I have warm compresses, which I’ve been using for years, but I was told about eyelid scrubs to use before bed to help keep the eyelids clean. I have a new eyeglass prescription coming. (My last one was two years ago, so there’s not much difference there, but I did request that the lenses be coated to make computer use easier. My current pair, while coated, have tiny scratches on the lenses, and I’m sure that doesn’t help.)

I haven’t figured out how much time to devote to the computer. I can’t do as much as I used to. That’s been the biggest problem I’ve been tackling. I did go to settings, as two people on here suggested, and made the computer screen as “warm” as it’ll go. This helped. I also got a new pair for my old prescription a month ago with a new layer on it to protect me from eye strain. That helped, too. But there’s really only so much I can do.

My eyes fare better when I’m away from the computer. So I’m trying to figure out the best way to proceed. My eyes seem to do okay when I stick with the Word document. That’s good news because I need Word to write. My eyes don’t do as well when I go on the internet. I don’t know what it is about the websites that make my eyes get tired, but if I spent more than an hour on the internet, I can feel the strain in my eyes, even with the “warm” screen and my lenses to protect against eye strain. I don’t think I can stay completely off social media. I have a couple of people I keep in touch with on MeWe and Facebook. (I’m on Facebook under my pen name.) But the days of me posting and reading other people’s posts have to stop. The time I spend on email isn’t much, but I need that social media time to devote to emails. Emails are hard for me. They strain my eyes a lot, so I try not to do them more than a couple times a week, and when I do, I can only answer so many of them at a time before I need to get away from the computer. I need to do these blog posts because it’s how I let people know what is going on with my books and when my books will be out. It’s pretty much the only marketing I do for my books. Plus, I do enjoy the comments.

It’s frustrating, to say the least, that I have to choose what to do and what not to do. I’m sure it seems like I’m not interested in people. Please understand that if I take time to respond to a comment or email, I am interested. I just can’t be online as much as I’d like to. I always thought once my kids were grown up, I’d be able to devote more time online. It’s not turning out that way. As disappointed as I am, I have to accept my limitations. My priority has to be the books. If I do nothing else, I will keep writing those. The next priority is this blog. Writing here helps me focus. I usually figure out what to do next in a story or get a new story idea from posting here. Writing in a private journal doesn’t have the same benefit. I don’t know why. But I also love talking about the benefits of writing for passion because that reminds of why I enjoy writing. This keeps me centered and focused. If I can help others, that’s a plus. The other stuff I do will come as my eyes allow.