Get Started!

Don’t wait on your dreams and things you want to work on. The best way to get ahead is to say today is the day I will start! Procrastination time is over, your adventure is just getting started. 

We love to give inspiration and motivation to our readers but if you think you want to do something, the best thing is to get started! Scroll through our posts to get the ultimate motivation package!

Let’s Talk Author Bio’s

They may have opened the book because of the title or the cover, but the author bio is what connects you to your readers. You want to entice them just enough to buy your book and get to know you a little.

As with writing anything, there are some soft guidelines you can follow when it’s your first time writing something. So for an author bio it goes as follows:

Keep it short.

I know you’ve all seen author bio’s so you know that keeping it brief is key. The book is where you let all your words fly out. 

Use third-person. 

To sound more professional, use a third person voice when writing. 

Nail down your one liner.

The hook, line and sinker is your one liner. Craft it carefully by sharing about yourself and something fun!

Be personal. 

Share yourself a little. Enclude interesting facts that may go along with your book. But don’t oversell yourself. You can include your alma mater but dont go crazy on the list of achievements, that’s what google is for. 

Use a professional photo. 

This should go without saying, but you should not use a mirror selfie or a goofy family photo for your author bio. Take the time to get one professionally done, it will make all the difference.

Happy Writing!

Start Your Summer Reading List

I don’t know about you but I get most of my reading done in the summer! There’s something about the warm weather and a good book that just goes hand in hand! But before I even crack open a book I make my summer reading list! It’s a great way to get started, and to keep me on track plus sometimes I even forget what I want to read. 

If you know you want to start your summer reading journey but don’t know what to put on your list I am here to help! I will list some out based on genre and if something catches your eye add it to your list! Alright..here we go!

Romance

Teen and Young Adult

Fantasy

Biography

Historical Fiction

Thriller

Happy Reading!

What is Playaway?

We all learn something new everyday right? Well Playaway is new to me…so if you don’t know what it is or would like to learn more come learn with me!

First things first, their website is awesome! And easy to navigate so follow along here if you want to take a look. 

Playaway is a pre-loaded audiobook. It gives the user the ability to take it on the go and listen to bestselling audiobooks to new releases wherever they go. And the best part is, you can get it at the library! This device is durable and doesn’t require wifi for use! And if you want to listen in the car and don’t want to put headphones on..no worries the universal jack is compatible with auxiliary cords too!

So visit your nearest library and see if you can take out a Playaway. And more good news! One of our newer audiobooks Savage Row by Britney King is now available on Playaway!

Happy Listening! 

Warm Up Your Writing Brain

Transcribe your thoughts to words faster by prepping your brain to prepare for writing. The purpose is not to create publishable material, but to get yourself ready for it!

The best way to start is to have no judgement or expectation of the outcome. You are writing to write more, which in turn will lead to writing better! 

Write more —-> write better —-> write more

It is a beautiful circle of writing!

Now, in terms of some writing warm ups there are millions of prepared prompts and questions that you can search with a click of a button. Some other things you can do are write letters, write comments back to your viewers, or write about your life!

And there are even things to warm up your brain beyond writing such as exercise, brain games and meditation. Find out what works best for you. Each week test something new until you find what works.

What do you do to warm up your writer’s brain? Share your favorites in the comments!

Happy Writing 

Writing an Unreliable Narrator

An unreliable narrator is a protagonist who can’t be trusted to tell the events accurately. By having this narrator be insane, evil, delusional ect. hooks the reader to find their own truth. 

Writing an unreliable narrator allows the author to play with withholding the truth and when to reveal it, keeping the reader on their toes. 

If you would like to write your next story with an unreliable narrator in mind follow these tips:

Withhold information. Readers are used to having more information than the characters. So play with the idea of withholding information, and what information you would withhold. 

Hint at the qualities early on. More often than not your narrator will be unreliable from the start. Unless it is a straight they suddenly developed. However, in order to make a fluent story your narrator should be unreliable from the start. 

Characters interpretation. You don’t need a ton of other characters’ perspectives. However, you should use them to reflect the inconsistencies in your story. 

Even if you don’t want your narrator to be completely unreliable you can experiment with vulnerability. Even Harry Potter a gives the reader misinformation in Prisoner of Azkaban when he thinks the escaped prisoner who killed his parents is actually a lie. A slight flaw can make the narrator seem more believable. 

Happy Writing!

Upcoming Audiobooks!

Typically I give you a round up of the audiobooks released at the end of the month. But, I thought we should switch it up this time around and let you know when they’re releasing! So mark your calendars because we have some great audiobooks releasing soon!

Ignite, The Disciples series Book 4 by Cassandra Robbins – April 12

Savage Row by Britney King – April 13

Outskirts of Hope by Jo Ivester – April 13

When the Smoke Clears by Kenya Wright – April 13

The Entitled by Cassandra Robbins – April 20

Ghosts, King & Slater Book 5 – April 27

And make sure to follow us on our other social media so you can learn more about these titles!

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March Audiobooks

Boy oh boy do we have audiobooks for you! This is my favorite time of the month, when we can do an audiobook round up for you! Just when you think you’ve reached the end, there’s more! So make sure you keep scrolling!

We have a great assortment, so whatever kinds of genres you’re into I’m sure will be here. Let us know if you’ve read any of these already!

Make A Quit-Proof Commitment!

Here are 4 steps to maintaining a quit-proof commitment! I love creating new goals for myself, but the problem isn’t making them, but maintaining them…Here’s what I do to help me stay on track!

Every commitment is different but this is a good place to start.

  1. Set boundaries. 

Give yourself expectations of what should be done, and what you would like to stick to. For example, if you want to commit to writing for 3 hours a day your boundaries would be to sit at your desk while writing, or to split the time between morning and evening. Just make sure they are right for your needs. 

  1. Enlist help. 

You are not alone! There are so many tools you can use to help you stay committed, people who can help. Reach out to others and ask how they stay committed or ask them to help encourage you and keep you motivated. 

  1. Block out your schedule weekly. 

Having dedicated time is the best way to stay on track. It will be very beneficial to you if you know what your week will look like so you can make sure you continue with your commitment. 

  1. Schedule your own performance review. 

This one might be my favorite. At the end of the week or the month go back to your commitment and evaluate yourself on how well you did. Use the steps above to see if you set boundaries, enlisted help and made a weekly schedule. And if you didn’t do as well as you thought, you actually did this pretty perfectly because now you can better judge yourself for improvement. 

You can do it!