Hello and Happy New Year!
I do hope 2017 was good to you. It was to me! I still want to pinch myself that I have 2 books published and am nearly done with book #3 in the Destined & Redeemed Series. With 2018 upon us I’d like to take this time to wish you much happiness, health, financial security, and happy times with those dearest to you for the year ahead. May 2018 be your best year yet! Destined & Redeemed and Destined & Returned are both available to read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited, purchase the eBook for $2.99 or the paperback for $10.50 on Amazon. Congrats to my sister, Charlie Roberts on publishing her 1st book, Saved at Stevens Street! It is available to read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited or the eBook can be purchased also for $2.99. She is working on making it available in paperback as we speak. Her first review posted with 5 Stars declaring the story to be: realistic, compelling, emotional and romantic with a unique story line plus a whole lot more - go to Amazon and read it yourself! There are links on both our pages to go to Amazon to get each book. We also both have Newsletters - click the subscribe button on each of our pages to be notified when new books are out. We are both looking for Beta readers who would like to read our books before they are published to help make the stories better. You can email or use the contact form to let us know if you're interested. Passionate readers who will read and give their opinions within a week only please. A written word that is not read, is lonely and sad! All my best, RK!
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Exciting change made last week preceding book 2’s release. I moved the books to be sold exclusively through Amazon and am releasing them for sale and to read for free through Kindle Unlimited. This was a strategic moved spurred by the publishing platform, Pronoun, announcing its closure. Pronoun was amazingly easy and simultaneously released my book to 5 retailers.
My first experiences with going directly through Amazon have been very positive and I do believe enrolling in the Kindle Unlimited program will make the stories more accessible to many. I’m excited to evaluate the difference. Book 2 Destined & Returned is out and I am more than half-way through writing book 3, Destined & Restored. If you would like a chance to get this steamy read for free sign up for my newsletter (link on the RK Cary page of this website) and then register to be a Beta Reader! I will look for volunteers who want to get free reads prior to each new book’s release to give me feedback to make the stories the best they can be! A word written that is not read, is lonely and sad. RK! ,Years ago, a work friend told me a story about another work acquaintance who was going in for a mammogram but couldn’t get the large door-knocker style nipple rings from her pierced nipples. Her husband had to use vice grips to remove the piercings the night before. This friend telling me obviously thought I knew about our coworker’s piercings… I did not, till then. We both had a good laugh about it envisioning what this had to look like, a semi-surgical home procedure at the kitchen table after the kids were in bed.
I never judged this woman for her choice to pierce this body part, but I will admit when I was in meetings with her after that, I was discreetly looking at her chest trying to figure out what kind of bra she wore that hid such large jewelry. I had noticed nothing unusual in the past. My bra, though properly padded, allowed the world to see when I was cold, so I couldn’t figure out what kind of bra would hide something as large as what she wore. It intrigued me. I also wondered why she pierced them, how badly did it hurt at the time, and other sexual things related to them being pierced. Still, there was no judgement in my attention to this, just curiosity. I realized through this that all kinds of things make people see others differently just because of knowledge they suddenly have that they did not before. It might be as benign as leading to curiosity or as severe as actually judgement. I bring this up related to my writing as I encountered this last weekend. While at a social gathering, a friend referred to my book, Destined & Redeemed and the racy content, jokingly saying she’d never have guessed I have that kind of wild streak in me. But it gave me pause, not that I thought writing and publishing an erotic romance book would be cheered and accepted by everyone. I knew there would be those who would judge what kind of person I am to write this content, but I truly discounted this as anyone who knows me, knows what kind of person I am. Anyone who does not, well, they are not a friend, so quite frankly their opinion does not matter to me. In putting yourself out there, your creativity, your thoughts, you are opening yourself up to curiosity and judgement. It goes with the territory. Did it bother me? No. But it reminded me of the pierced nipples coworker and my curiosity when interacting with her after I knew, making me realize that some may have similar thoughts or feelings about me now, just because of the content of my books. I’d like to say to them, seriously folks! It’s fiction. But I know it is something deeper. It is my creativity, my thoughts, how mind works that has now piqued others curiosity, intrigue, or judgement. Does this change what I will write in the future? Absolutely not! But it brings to me an awareness and a respect for other people’s thoughts and feelings. They are entitled to their opinion, just as I am mine. Being aware of these things is important. Knowledge is power and the written word carries with it a lot more than what most people think it does. A word written that is not read, is lonely and sad. RK! My sister, RK is an inspiration to me. She blocks out time every day and is diligent in her writing. She always was the nose-to-the-grindstone sister, the achiever among us. As she wraps up writing book 2 in her Destined & Redeemed series (I can’t wait to read it!) I wanted to express my congratulations to her on this accomplishment. Crafting this story across a trilogy is something that takes talent and dedication! She has also been working on book 3 and another book, completely different than this series. Her creativity and vision for this series makes me believe that I can do it too! (Really, I had to have gotten those same genes!)
I, on the other hand, struggle with finding the time to write as well as getting myself into the creative mood when I have the time. Usually, it is in the middle of the most chaos that my mind opens up and the ideas flow. I started book 1 in my Shepherds Security series a while ago, but ideas for book 2 creep in constantly. I tried to push them away and focus on book 1, but that hindered my creativity. RK suggested I let the ideas go where they would and write what was in my mind. In following this advice and I am writing more than I was and am happier with the output of my work. My wonderful husband helps me proof the military correctness, so it is something that is connecting us, as well. RK said to me she was wasn’t sure where the line was between hobby and obsession, but I think I know. I just crossed it! Our military members are special! I honor all past, present, and future members of our military with my stories. Salute the flag, stand for our national anthem, and thank a Vet for their service. Freedom is not free, a lot of people sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy. Don’t ever forget! by Margaret Kay! I have been working on finishing writing Book 2 in the Destined & Redeemed series, Destined & Returned. I am just putting the last few pages to rest and I am very pleased with the story. I have also begun the first rounds of editing. Yes, I am self-editing as the cost is in the thousands to have a manuscript professionally edited. Perhaps one day soon I will be able to afford the cost, but I cannot right now. There are a lot of approaches to editing a book and I am employing about 4 of them. Hopefully it is edited well. I'll talk about self-publishing in a later post.
It has been several weeks since I hit the button to publish Destined & Redeemed and I am honored by the number of people who have given my book a chance and communicated with me to tell me that the story pulled them in and that they cannot wait for book 2 to see what happens. For those who have read it and reached out to me, I truly thank you for the support you have given me and the excitement you have shared with me. A word written that is not read, is lonely and sad. RK! I hit publish! Destined & Redeemed, my first book, went out into the world last weekend! I cannot even tell you the emotions that came with doing that, but I will try. First and foremost was a feeling of accomplishment. This story has played out in my head, the characters talking to me for years. The characters are real to me. I know them so well. They are not just characters in a book to me. They are old friends at this point. When I decided to write this story, I knew right away that to do their stories justice it would be a sweeping saga spanning several books. I only hope I have brought them to life for the reader. I worked on writing this book series over the last year. I am just finishing writing book 2, and have book 3 half written. I cannot even calculate the number of hours spent thinking about characters and plots, researching various technical aspects, and writing this book series. It’s not about earnings for me; it’s about sharing this story and these characters, and also about sharing this part of me. With that being said, there also comes an odd feeling of sharing this. I told many friends about this part of me, the writer, only within the last month, some within the last week. It was a private part of me, a hobby, an obsession. With any sharing, you open yourself up to all kinds of commentary. Seriously, how many people say I have these stories in my head, characters who are real to me so I have written a book and self-published it? I’m sure a few of my family or friends who knew nothing of this passion of mine were quite taken aback by it. I’ll make more posts here about the process playing out, my experiences, and how I feel about it once a week, so if you are interested, please check back next week. Thank you for your time and your support! A word written that is not read, is lonely and sad. RK! |
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