Top 5 Tips for Aspiring Indie Author's | Guest Post By K.A Emmons

I have two authors on here in a row. I know I know I'm cool thank you. I am so so so excited to have Kate back on my blog! Becausssssssssse she is releasing the second book in The Blood Race trilogy aka World's Beneath! I was so so lucky to have been able to read it and ahhhhhhh it's super good you guys! She was here last year so if you want to take check out that post you can. Today she's going to be sharing her top tips for aspiring indie authors which seriously, I'm so excited for! Ok but first a bit about her and her booooookkkkkkk.

When she’s not hermiting away in her colorfully-painted home office writing her next science fiction, passionate story-teller and adventurer Kate Emmons is probably on the road for a surf or hiking trip, listening to vinyls, or going for a power run. Emmons’ debut novel The Blood Race is the first book in her YA science fiction/fantasy thriller series. Get connected with Kate on your favorite social platform, and be sure to check out http://kaemmons.com/!

Find her at these places:

Twitter: @emmonswrites 
Instagram: @emmonswrites 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaemmonsauthor/ 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17065155.K_A_Emmons 

Buy it herrrrrreeeeeeee.

Ok ok, now Kate can show us her amaingness.

This is a question I get asked a lot: what advice do you have for aspiring writers? What tips can you give
to new authors? And my answers are always simple and have little to do with literary jargon, plot
devices, or story arcs. Let’s break it down to five points, and get to it:

#5 JUST DO IT. so many of us spend a heck of a lot of time, debating about whether we should write a
book, thinking about how we would write it, wondering if we’re good enough, or psychoanalyzing every
single detail. There’s nothing wrong with spending loads of time thinking about your book idea, in fact
that’s part of the fun. But make sure that’s not *all* you’re doing. Actually buckle down and start writing
the book. Just do it. Get started. Don’t wait until everything is 100% figured out, and the weather is just
right, and you’re in the perfect mood and the right music is playing… that day will never come. Just do it.
START NOW.

#4 DON’T TAKE ALL THE ADVICE. Let me tell you right now, when you write a book, lots of people are
going to have lots of advice for you about lots of different things in your book. Don’t take every piece of
advice and implement it just because it’s a piece of advice. Not a good idea. You book will not become
better as much as it will become a complicated mix of everyone else's ideas but yours. You have the
reins, take ownership of that and have confidence. Take advice from the *few* you really, really trust and
who you *know* have the book’s best interest at heart.

#3 WRITE. We can talk about our plot notes and ideas and playlists and plot bunnies and all of the
above… but if we’re not actually writing? The book is not going to get done. It’s not going to become a
reality. I have known some very talented writers who spend far more time talking about their ideas then
they do figuring out how to make their ideas a reality: actually writing. It’s totally cool to talk about your
awesome brainchild… but if you’re serious about this project, respect it and yourself by spending the
most time actually *writing* the book.

#2 HAVE DISCIPLINE. So in order to make the above happen - in order to make your book a reality, you
have to cultivate a level of discipline. It may be becoming better at time management, so you have more
time to dedicate to writing the book, or waking up early for the same purpose. It could be not getting all
mad and down on yourself (which can take practice) when something doesn’t turn out how you wanted it
to. Discipline will get you through the editing process, and the often tedious re-reads to search for typos
or mistakes. It will get you through learning curves and teach you not to throw your hands up and walk
away defeated… which leads us to the number one MOST IMPORTANT THING...

#1 DON’T GIVE UP. if you do nothing else, do this and you *will* succeed. If you don’t give up ever, there
is no other option: you will eventually succeed in meeting your goal, finishing your project, and
manifesting your dream. Not giving up takes discipline, and it takes grit - dogged persistence through
trials and countless hours of hard work. It’s staying strong and holding the line even when you’re down
on your knees, even when you can’t see what the next step will be. It’s believing in the project, it’s
remembering the reason WHY you started in the first place and using that to propel you forward… to
victory. DON’T. GIVE. UP.

I hope these tips help you guys and act as a springboard and motivator to help you go forth and conquer.
I BELIEVE IN YOU! You’ve got this.

Thanks so much for having me on your beautiful blog, Nabila!

Ahhhhhhh how cool was that??? Even I feel inspired now??? And I'm like not an author or aspiring one or really a writer (well a fiction writer) at all??? 

Are you a writer?? If so what are you working on currently? 

Writing + Self Publishing Tips By Anna McAuley | Cessation Blog Tour

Hiii friendssss!! This week I'm excited to say I have an author on the blog. She is releasing the third and last book in her Continuing forever trilogy and as part of her book tour, she's doing a little guest post. :) She's talking about self-publishing which I honestly know nothing about so maybe I'll learn something too haha.

 Hello, friends!

My name is Anna, and I am thrilled to be guest-posting on Nabila’s blog today as part of my release tour.  

I blog at Lethologica (currently under construction), and I am the author of the Continuing Forever trilogy.  I started writing the first book a few Novembers ago at the age of fifteen.  Since then, I’ve written two more books and self-published two (and am currently publishing the third and final installment!).

    

       That’s what I’m talking about today: self-publishing.

It seems scary when you first think of it, I know.  When I first toyed with the idea of self-publishing my books, I had no idea what to do or where to begin.  However, I played with it and figured it out as I went… and it’s turned out pretty well for the most part!  The entire process has definitely involved some trial and error, but overall, self-publishing has worked exceedingly well for me at this point in my life.  I’m very happy that I chose this path and would highly recommend it if you have a book you’re considering publishing!

That being said, there are definitely a few things you need to know before diving into the great wide wonderful (though often confusing) world of self-publishing.

1. Research.  You will need to research everything before you make decisions involving your books.  To some, this may seem obvious, but I’m serious: Look into all of your options before deciding on one.  This applies to publishing platforms, marketing strategies, formatting tips, and pretty much everything else.  One idea might be the “norm”, but there could be an option that’s an even better choice for you and your book.  Look into all aspects of the process carefully, and, when you can, get advice from someone who’s “been there, done that” and has used a product/method/platform that you are considering.
2. Community.  Firstly, when you announce that you’re publishing your own book, your family and friends are going to be excited- and more than likely, they’re going to want to help out if they can.  Use their generosity and interest!  Beta-readers/proofreaders.  Advanced readers.  Cover design/formatting help.  Marketing strategist.  Graphic designer.  These are all roles that your family and friends may be able to help fill so that the burden doesn’t fall solely onto your shoulders.  Secondly, be sure to reach out to other self-published authors!  Be involved in the writing community (online or local or other) as much as possible; believe me, it’s one of the best parts of being an author!
3. Determination.  This is by far the most important.  If you’re going to self-publish your book, you’ve gotta apply fierce motivation and determination to this project.  Don’t back down!  Don’t get discouraged!  Be okay with having to try Plan B, Plan C, or Plan D (and maybe even Plan E…).  Know that there will be some learning curves, and prepare to handle those gracefully to the best of your ability!  Apply this to editing, marketing, talking about your book, etc.  KEEP GOING!

  There you have it: a short summary of what I’ve learned through my self-publishing experience.  I hope that some of you aspiring authors find this helpful!  Go get ‘em!

If you want to find more of her/her book feel free to check her out at her website or insta. :)

Have you read any of her books? Have you ever thought about self-publishing? Are you a writer?

The Literary Dinner Party Tag!

I GOT 100 FOLLOWERS Y'ALL THANK YOU. I'm excited so yeah. :) :) :) ALSO HAPPY MLK DAYS. And now to the actual post. I was tagged to do this post a while ago by the wonderful Sunny! I just recently discovered her blog I'm pretty sure on Instagram. It's very cool and everyone should go check her out! So the Literary Dinner Party Tag is a book themed tag kind of like this one that I did a little bit ago. In this tag you are supposed to to invite ten book character from ten categories to a dinner party.

Categories:

1. One character who can cook/likes to cook

2. One character who has money to fund the party 

3. One character who might cause a scene

4. One character who is funny/amusing 

5. One character who is super social/popular

6. One villain 

7. One couple - doesn't have to be romantic 

8. One hero/heroine 

9. One underappreciated character 

10. One character of your own choosing 

1. One character who can cook/likes to cook

Mrs. Weasley! She is one of those characters I love just because she is so sweet and I feel like she would see me burning the oven or something and then she would come and swoop in and make a big feast while I just sat to the side talking about all of my problems. Why that sounds appealing to me I'm not quite sure.

2. One character who has money to fund the party 

A rich character. Hmmm.... I just recently read the whole selection series (it is one of those series that is so cheesy but I also love it) so I think I would choose Princess Eadlyn. She is a princess and super rich but she is also this super strong and smart and awesome figure who I would love to be able to talk to and just be friends with. Also being in the presence of royalty is always pretty awesome.

3. One character who might cause a scene

Leo from Percy Jackson and The Heroes of Olympus. Leo is such a cool character but he's also not the most athletic and kind of clumsy and when you combine that with a dragon and fire powers things can get pretty hectic. I feel like maybe one of his inventions would go crazy or his power would just be randomly put on or something like that.

4. One character who is funny/amusing

Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter! She is such a fun and crazy and just I'm going to be myself character that it is super awesome. I love how quirky she is and I feel like she would be super fun at a dinner party. Plus if anything was getting too serious she would do something crazy or funny or just awesome and make everyone laugh and smile again. 

5. One character who is super social/popular

She isn't necessarily the most popular person ever BUT NO ONE MAKES BOOKS ABOUT POPULAR PEOPLE SO GET OVER IT. I would choose Lina from Love And Gelato. I just recently read the book and at first I thought it was to cheesy and then I realized that I actually loved cheesy things and that it's a fabulous book everyone should go read. In the book Lina moves to Italy where she knows no one and it's all about love and stuff but throughout the book she makes friends and it's fun. 

6. One villain

President Snow from The Hunger Games! I love the hunger games of course and it's so fun to watch how snow manipulates everyone and how katniss reacts. Does that sound bad? I don't know. I feel like he's very intellectual and smart and it would be interesting to get inside his mind and just figure out how he thinks. Does that make any sense whatsoever?

7. One couple - doesn't have to be romantic 

Cinder and Kai from cinder! There relationship is so interesting in the books and it's so cool to see how they slowly fall for each other. Ok so I have to admit that I have actually only read the first book but I really want to read the rest of the series and since the wonderful Kate sent me a copy of the second book I am one hundred percent going to read it soon. By the way kate is like one of the coolest human beings and everyone should go get her book (which she also sent me and you might have noticed it in the pictures) because IT IS FABULOUS.

8. One hero/heroine 

Hermione! I love her character so much and I just think it would be the coolest thing to get to talk and hang out with her. In the harry potter series if she wasn't there then Ron and Harry would already be dead and we all know it. I'm just saying.

9. One underappreciated character 

Melody from Out Of My Mind! She's not underappreciated as a character but in the book she certainly is. If you haven't read the book melody was born cerebral palsy which makes her unable to talk or walk or generally move that much and she has to use a wheelchair. As you would guess this makes a lot of people treat her differently and no one realizes just how crazy smart she is.

10. One character of your own choosing

Maddie from When which is by the way an awesome book. I could not think of anyone for this and then I remembered this book and I was like WHY NOT. In the book maddie can see when people die from a little number on top of there head. Yes I know that sounds super morbid and and weird and it is. No I don't want to know when I will die but I think it would be cool to just watch her and see how she reacts with others. Is that too creepy? Yeah? OK. 

I Tag:

*drum roll*

-All of the peeps from twirling pages 

-Anna from annaish

-Cait from paperfury

-Noor from bookmarked 

-Isabel from little miss wizzy

-Abbie from Abbiee

That took me like way to long to write you guys. Like that was not good. I'm really bad at tags like this mostly because I HAVE THE WORST MEMORY IN EXISTENCE and I can basically never think of anything. It was super fun though as I always love a good tag. :) Also I recently started the account @girlbossteentribexo with Kristina and Taiya! We feature teen bloggers, youtubers and entrepreneurs so if you have instagram make sure to follow us! We also have a website! Our first post comes up today! I am going to be posting there once a month with tip and tricks for bloggers and youtubers! Make sure to check it out and given it a follow as it means a lot to me!

 Who would you invite to a dinner party? Do you agree/disagree with any of my choices? Do you like when I do tags on my blog? Should I keep doing tags? What is your advice for taking better book photos? Have you followed Girl Boss Teen Tribe yet????? What do you want to see more of on my blog?

The Blood Race Blog Tour Interview + Giveaway + Just General Screaming And Awesomeness

Hhhhhhiiiiiiiiiii. *smiles like I'm a crazy person because I probably am* So I'm excited right now. "Why?" you ask. Oh, you know. JUST THAT I AM PARTICIPATING IN A BOOK TOUR AND THERE MIGHT BE A GIVEAWAY AND MANY OTHER THINGS. It makes me excited ok. If you happen to be familiar with a certain part of the blogosphere you might have seen some of these posts floating around and decided you had to get the book immediately. If so then cool because you absolutely should. If not....... WELL, THEN I WILL CHANGE YOUR MIND. A very extremely cool person aka Kate just published her first ever book. Like what. And I can say this with confidence since I read it IT WAS VERY COOL. That's all I have to say. That is like the whole post *drops the mic and walks*. Haha yeah no I was joking. Now I'm just going to say that a million more times just using different words.

Born with unexplainable abilities he struggles to control, college student Ion tries desperately to integrate into his new school and finally put his dark past behind him. But after making a serious enemy, which leads to an accidental rendezvous with the mysterious old man next door— and his hauntingly beautiful but troubled young protégée Hawk, Ion realizes his life will never be normal again.

Late one evening, Hawk drags him by the hand into a closet-turned-rabbit-hole to an extra dimension, and Ion finds himself stumbling involuntarily into a secret society of training for “anomalies,” teenagers with a special set of abilities. Just like him.

As they train to become Protectors of future Earth, battling each other as well as their own demons, both Ion and Hawk begin to realize that they are far more alike than they realized. Unsettlingly so.

When the Dimension is shaken by an unthinkable betrayal, will an ancient prophecy bring Hawk and Ion together—or will a deadly threat hidden in plain sight cost them both their powers… and their lives?

Aka it is beautiful and kind of awesome and one of my new favorite reads of basically all time. LIKE HOW COOL DOES THAT SOUND?

When she’s not hermiting away in her colorfully-painted home office writing her next science fiction, passionate story-teller and adventurer Kate Emmons is probably on the road for a surf or hiking trip, listening to vinyls, or going for a power run. Emmons lives in the often-snowy hills of rugged Vermont with her husband and dog named Rocket. 

Follow her: 

Website: https://kaemmons.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaemmonsauthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebloodrace/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emmonswrites

Because she is awesome and I basically want to know everything about everything I asked her a couple questions about her and her book.

1. First off can you just describe your book in a couple sentences?

Ion has always known he’s not an average college student. In fact, he’s spent most of his life running from it. Cars speed out of control when he drives them, radio speakers blow out if he doesn’t like the music, he’s fried a gaming console just from getting too close-- and he can heal wounds with a mere touch.

Hawk has spent the past one hundred years trying to escape a looming darkness in her past-- and she’s still just eighteen. She’s no ordinary student either, and when her teacher-- the wise old man next door --asks her to test Ion, Hawk begins to realize that they are far more alike than she realized. Unsettlingly so.

2. How did you first get interested in writing?

Looking back on my life, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing or telling stories. It seems almost like tenancy has been in my blood since birth. My mom read to my sister and I every night as kids, and honestly, from the time I could write, I was usually scribbling at some piece of poetry or some kind of a story or retelling.

I started blogging when I was a young teenager, and I finished my first novel when I was around twelve or thirteen. The itch for a good story has always been there.

3. What is your favorite thing about your book?

The characters, and how they grow over the course of the story. There’s a lot of big transformations in the novel, a lot of growing pains and personal struggles. As a young adult, I can identify with that, and I love to look back on the story and see that same journey through the eyes of my characters.

4. How do you get over writer’s block (if you ever have it)?

If I feel stuck on something, I try to step away from it, rather than continuing to pound my head into a wall. I trust my writing, and though it can be super frustrating at times, I try to remind myself that often I can’t write for a reason. I’m not meant to write that bit yet, and I need to step away so I can get the perspective I need to write it well.

I also tend to watch BBC television while I do this and drink large quantities of iced coffee. ;)

5. What is your favorite and least favorite thing about being a writer?

The euphoria that comes with each new story idea, each good scene, each insightful line that causes me to think a bit deeper, each character that seems to show me a bit more about myself, each lesson I’ve learned. Every afternoon I’ve spent completely lost in another world. Every time I’ve missed entire conversations at my family’s dinner table because I’m somewhere else up in my head, thinking about the story, the story, the story.

The story is the best part. The stuff of life.

I honestly can’t think of a least favorite thing.

6. What is your advice to all of the people who want to become writers out there but they are not sure how?

I tend to use the Shia LaBeouf GIF for questions like this. JUST DO IT. Stop making excuses, stop putting it off until tomorrow, stop saying you’re not good enough, or that she writes better than you - just do it. Write the story that only you can. Write you. Stop worrying about him, or her, or their stories. Write yours.

Writing is an art; there’s no right or wrong. There are no rules, regardless of what the critics may say. There’s you, and your heart, and what it needs to say: see it in your mind… got it? Good. Now let it out on the page.

7. What can readers expect when they read your book?

They can expect to follow two characters as they struggle to find identity and train to save the world. Also the occasional car chase, lots of well-described food, epic worlds that hide inside of closets, a wise old man with many wise words, black eyes, cute guys (I know, the rhyme was cheesy, but I had to) things lighting on fire, hanging out on top of skyscrapers, shape shifting, superpowers, intense battles, and last but not least -  some blood, some sweat, and a heck of a lot of tears.   

8. How did you come up with the idea of “The Blood Race”?

The idea for the story dropped into my head one afternoon and I thought I should write it. It’s a little anticlimactic, but that’s honestly how it happened.

I’ve also just always been very passionate about the idea that we as people, as teenagers, as young adults, are powerful. I love that quote by Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”

I wanted to explore what it means to be who you really are in the book. And I believe who we are is powerful.

9. How do you feel about your book?

Super good! I love the story, I had so much fun writing it, and I’m looking forward to journeying more with this crazy band of anomalies. :)

10. If you could tell your younger writers self-something what would it be?

If I could go back and tell my younger-self a bit of advice it would be to stop being so hard on my own writing. To relax and enjoy it more.

Thanks so much for having me, Nabila! :)

I have seriously never done a giveaway so I am quite excited right now. This is for an e-book version of Kates new book.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 If you would like to buy the book you can find the paperback version here and ebook here. 

I absolutely loved writing that. It was seriously so fun. Seriously though I loved the book and I think you guys will as well. Are you as excited about this as me? Have you somehow already read the book? If so tell everyone else in the comments it's awesome so we can scream about it together. What's your favorite book? Have you ever participated in a book tour? Are you a writer?

6 Things all Bloggers Know

Hello everyone! How are you guys doing today? So as you all know I am a blogger (you could proably figure that out by my blog and all). And as you also proably know bloggers are basically precious dolphins who know everything (not really we are more insecure little sardines fishing for compliment but we will put that aside for a moment). But bloggers are definitely very different from some of your normal unsuspecting people out there. Anyway so today I have decided to write a post about 6 things that all bloggers will proably know that some others might not.

When using photos that aren't yours you have to give attribution

When I fisrt started blogging I had no idea this was a thing. I have actualy deleted like a whole year of my posts because they were so cringy and really really bad but if I hadn't deleted them you would have noticed that the photos that I used were not mine. I also did this quite a bit in my 2015 posts. But as I learned how to be an actual blogger I learned that using photos that aren't yours without attribution is like not legal (kind of). I did a post a little bit ago where I listed 9 sites where you can find free images which you can find here. 

Doing a happy dance when getting a new follower is not bad

I must admit that when I get a new follower on my blog or on bloglovin I might possible do a happy dance type thing. Sometimes physically and sometimes just emotionally and sometimes both. And most new/not very popular bloggers I am almost absolutelly certain do this as well. I mean think about it. On a blog it is different from social media. When someone follows your blog they want to read all of your content that you worked really hard on. That is like a whole person that actually likes your stuff. It is pretty awesome. 

People have the attention span of gnats 

Most bloggers who know stuff about blogging or have done research knows this fact well. Sometimes through experience and sometimes through being well informed. People need bullet points, they need bright pictures, and they need bolded words. For most teens, tweens, and, young adults they need stuff to stand out, for there to be subheadings just to get one interested. I remember like a year ago (I forgot what post) I was working on a post that I was very passionate about.  It was like 1,000 words and I really really cared about the subject. I thought it would be super popular but once I posted it I got like one comment and like 10 views. I was kind of heart broken but now I think I finally relize my mistake. It had no pictures and the subject was not something that would be interesting for the masses. 

You can't become popular overnight

At first everyone (including me) definitely thought this. Write like five posts and then you will have people knocking at your door asking for a photograph. Not true! I have been blogging for basicly 4 years and I am still not that popular. Sometimes overnight sensations are a thing. But most times they are not and  all  most blogger probably know this by now. 

Blog post ideas can come from anywhere and at the weirdest times

For reals! I actually get most of my blog post ideas at night or during school or when I am walking out and about. None of these are very helpful but true. And I get inspiration from the weirdest things. Like a sentence my sister says or a restaurant sign the title of a book. Notes on phones really come in handy for times like theses. 

It takes about 10-20 photos to get 1 good one

It doesn't matter if we are talking about flat lay photos or outfit posts, this still applies. What most normal people don't relize that taking photos for posts actually takes a lot of times an effort. For like a flat lay post or one of those fall out of the bag pictures it is not just snap and done. You have to organize everything to look natural but clean and nice and adorable and color sensitive and bahh. And then for fashion bloggers when they have an outfit post I don't think anyone realizes what goes into that. It is not (normally) like well I look cute today and this is a nice backdrop dad takes 5 pics of me and done. It is more like what in the world looks cute on me and what is a backdrop in my house I haven't tried yet and dad take about 100 pictures of me. 

I am done for now but comment down below if I should do a part 2. So for all of my bloggers out there do you guys relate to this at all? What is something that you have learned over your time as a blogger that you proably wouldn't have known otherwise?

6 Reasons Why Bookworms Are The Best People

Hello peoples! How are you? I hope you are amazing. So today I was inspired to do another bookworm related post and explain to you guys exactly why bookworms are really just the best people. True there are some rare exceptions where there are some people who don't really like books who are absolutelly amazing but most of time not. So let's get started!

We have better words

No like seriously. Since we read more we know more words and so we know better words than the normal human. We also know how to write them correctly unlike some other people because we see the words and not just hear them. 

We know more 

With the whole reading constantly thing you pick up a few facts along the way. By reading I have learned some really interesting things. Some scary, some amazing, and some just weird. But still we know more.

We can always recommend a book

*In a commercial type voice* Are you bored? Do you want to be smarter? Go to your local bookworm and he/she will recommend the best book for you free of charge. *In regular voice* Since Bookworms read all the time we read so many different types of books and we know a book that would fit every single one of our friends. 

We have a pretty good imagination 

Since most books don't have movies we (as good readers) must imagine in our brains what the character and the world looks like, So we get quite good at it. Describe a characteristic of a person and we immediately get a picture in our brain. 

We know to move on

When a favroite character in a book dies it is almost like a person in real life dies. Once you are truly invested in someone they seem like family. You know all about them. Since in many books a character or two dies we know how to deal with grief and eventually get over it. It is a very good skill to learn. 

We know how to entertain ourselves 

The stereotypical bookworm is almost always an introvert. Although this is not always true (I would definitely call myself an extrovert and a bookworm) most bookworms experience symptoms of being an introvert including being able to entertain ourselves. If a bookworm has a good book and they are alone in a room the bookworm can probably sit for hours. 

Well I am done with that for now but how did you like it? Should I do more Bookworm related posts? Would you call yourself a bookworm? What is your favroite book? I love you guys and have an amazing day!