Why do you write?

I've been busy.  In the past year I have written four books (3 novels and one that ended up being a novella, but I might add to it).  I didn't set out to write so many, but the characters and their stories came to me and I felt compelled to write them down.  I tried to write every day, but I do have a real job, so that didn't always happen.  When I stopped to take stock of what I had accomplished since last June, I realized how hard I had worked. 
Looking back on what I wrote made me think.  Why do I write?  Like I said before, I do have a real job.  Writing is not how I make my money.  Honestly, I don't think I will ever have a "career" in writing.  It's difficult to bust onto the scene as a new writer, especially in the Chick Lit genre.  However, knowing the reality of the situation has not deterred me from writing.  Right now, I have at least three more stories in my head, just waiting to get out.
Why do I bother if it seems like my success will be limited? 
I do it because I love it! 
I love sitting down in front of my computer and bringing characters to life.  I love the feeling I get when my characters say or do something funny.  I love when things come together and my stories fit!  I love it when my friend reads what I've written and talks about how she loved the characters or what they went through.  I feel a sense of pride when I complete that first draft and love the feeling I get when I go back to revisit a draft. 
I write because I love it!
I kept my writing a secret from my family for a long time.  When word finally got out about my writing, they were really encouraging.  They pushed me to pursue the publishing route.  When things just weren't working out, they encouraged me to self-publish.  It is still a struggle for me to explain to them that I put in all the long hours simply because I love it!  Yes, it would be nice to do it full-time and be able to make a living at it.  However, if I only sell a few copies of anything that I write then that's just fine with me!  My characters and my stories are still there.  I enjoy them and that's enough!
Why do you write?

To cover or not to cover, that is the question...

As an avid reader and Kindle owner, I am faced with a dilemma as an aspiring author.  If I'm not trying to market my books in print, then why should I bother with fancy cover art? After attempting to get published the traditional route, I found success (okay, limited success, but I'll take it) with self-publishing to the Kindle.  However, I am starting to wonder if I would attract more readers if I had cover art for my books. 
As a Kindle reader, I don't ever look at the cover art for a book after I've downloaded it.  Why would I?  I'm reading it in its digital format for a reason.  As a self-published author, why should I spend time and money designing a cover that no one will ever see?  The saying goes "Don't judge a book by its cover" but honestly, don't we all do that? 
Anyone who has read any of my earlier posts knows how much I love Jill Mansell, and while it's the content that keeps me reading, I'd be lying if I said the cover of her books weren't what initially drew me to her.  I can't help they're just so adorable!  I would argue that sometimes we all go so far as to judge a reader by their book's cover!  If you plan on reading a book where others can see you, you certainly don't want something that is embarrassing.  I know I wouldn't want to be seen sitting on a park bench reading a book with a half-naked couple lounging on the beach together no matter how entertaining the content might be.  However, with the invention of ebook readers, that problem is solved.  No one can see what you are reading.  You could be reading the trashiest of trashy romance novels while sitting on the bus and no one would be the wiser! 
If you are purchasing a book to be read electronically then what purpose does the cover serve?  When I search for a new book to download and read, I don't put much emphasis on the icon of the cover art that pops up.  I look at the title, the author, the "teaser", and then the cover art.  I'm definitely not going to rule out a good read just because of its cover. 
So my dilemma remains.  Do I, as a self-published author, shell out money to get covers made for my books?  Should I pay someone to create the cover art or just purchase a program that would allow me to create my own?  If the title and teaser aren't enough to intrigue a reader will a simple picture do the trick?
How many Kindle, Nook, or other ebook readers out there have an opinion on this matter?  I am very curious to know! 

Reuniting with an old friend

I recently picked up an old book.  Some whim I had inspired me to seek it out.  I searched high and low until I found it.  Once it was in my hands, I let my fingers glide across the cover that was softened from use. I flipped through the pages and saw where I'd bent edges back or even wrinkled a page or two.  A smile crept across my face and my heart skipped a beat as I thought about the characters in the book and the story they would tell me.
It was in that moment that I realized that a good book is like an old friend. 
No matter how many times you've heard/read the stories; you can't help but be pulled into them every time.  When it comes to a good book, or a good friend, nothing gets old.  When you sit with an old friend you get that feeling of nostalgia, the joy of remembering all the good times you had together, and even linger in the sad moments when you supported each other.  A good book is the same.
Perhaps it's the characters that give you that feeling.  Maybe, it's the story that resonates with you.  Whatever causes it, you can’t stop that warm nostalgic feeling from rushing over you.  Curling up with an old book, just like sitting down with an old friend, gives you that lovely comfortable feeling inside. 
So, the next time you walk past your bookcase, stop and pick up an old friend.  Let me know how it goes.

Pushing them out of the nest

I've released my second book for the Kindle on Amazon.  Across the Pond should be available for download on the Kindle very soon.  While I am excited to see what people think of this book, I'm also a little hesitant to let go of my characters.  Of all the books I've written so far, (by the way I'm up to five with no signs of stopping) this is the one that I think has the most potential and the best characters. 
My friend, Donna, who reads all my books, loves Across the Pond.  Anytime I mention that I am writing, she always brings the conversation back to Across the Pond.  Since she is technically my first fan, maybe I am biased about this book because she loves it so much.  I've actually read through it several times since I wrote it, and each time, my affection for it grew even more.  I hope that people read it and love it. I hope that the characters come to life for them as much as they did for me.  I had a great time creating their story.  Chloe and James were a lot of fun to write. 
If you've stopped by this blog, and you're looking for a great read, give Across the Pond a shot.  Let me know what you think about it. 

Romance vs. Chick Lit

When I first put one of my books up for sale on Amazon I tagged it as Romance and joined in a discussion with other "Indie" Romance writers.  I continue to follow the discussion with those others writers, but the more I read what they write the more puzzled I become.
Is there a difference between Romance and Chick Lit?
For many people, whether they actually read it or not, when they think of Romance books they think of ripped bodices, throbbing manhood, and Fabio half-naked on the cover.  Chick Lit, on the other hand, probably conjures up the image of women drinking wine, shopping for shoes, and complaining about men.
What I read, and write, falls somewhere in-between the two.  I say that only because I have to categorize them somewhere.
 To me, romance leaves some details to the imagination.  It is what's not said or shown that make the "moments" so romantic.  The exchange of looks, the gentle touch of a hand, and the soft words spoken; all of those things mean romance to me.  I don't want to read intimate details of what goes on between a man and a woman.  That's not romance to me.
Chick Lit, in my opinion, is more about the relationships that women have.  They could be the relationships between a woman and her friends, her family, her children, and yes, even her man.  Chick Lit is a way for women to step outside their own lives and live the life of someone else, someone more glamorous, more beautiful, and probably luckier than themselves.  Isn't that what we all want?  To know what it's like to be someone else, even if just for a little while. 
So, my question remains...is there a difference between Romance and Chick Lit?  Am I alone in my opinion?  Am I just sheltered in my ideas?  What do other readers of both genres think?

Why I suck at self-promotion

In an attempt to get my name out there, I started a Twitter account (@VaJewel) and this blog.  But what I've come to realize is that I absolutely suck at promoting myself.  I am so uninteresting that I have less than 20 Followers on Twitter and only one Follower here on the blog.  I've racked my brain trying to figure out what to do about this problem.  Like I said before, I don't write because I want to make money or be rich and famous, I write because the characters want me to tell their stories.  So, how do I make people notice me and want to read my books?

After thinking about this problem, I've decided that I don't want to promote myself.  I'm sure it sounds naive, and in the end isn't going to help me at all, but I don't want people to read my books because they find me interesting.  I want people to read my books because they find the characters and the plot interesting.  Who gives a hoot about me! 

So, no, I don't have anything witty or funny to say on Twitter. 

No, my blog posts aren't going to start a revolution and inspire others to rise up against the establishment, or whatever. 

But damn it, my books are good!  The characters who have trusted me to tell their stories are interesting and they find themselves in interesting situations.  They are funny, and witty, and experience exciting things that have never happened to me!  If even half the stuff that happens to characters in my book really happened to me then I wouldn't need to write.  I wouldn't have time to write because I'd be too busy being ridiculously happily-ever-after happy! 

Isn't that why we ladies read chick lit? 

We are boring!  Our lives are not filled with eccentric characters and gorgeous men who are just dying to sweep us off our feet!  We have mortgages and cell phone bills!  We live in crappy apartments or lonely old houses!  We don't have sinfully good-looking men chasing after us!  We have moderately attractive male accountants who sometimes take us to dinner! 

I suck at self-promotion because I don't want to promote me!  Of course, being a self-published author the lack of skills in the area of self-promotion sort of limits my reach.  However, I can not make myself more interesting.  I can not force myself to be witty or funny. 

To quote a great philosopher:
 "I am what I am!"
~Popeye

Review- The Paris Wife

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

I love it when the characters in a book draw me into their world completely.  That's exactly what happened to me with the characters in McLain's novel about Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley Richardson.  From the first page, she had me in the palm of her hand.  She also had me in the heart of the story; the incredible connection between Hemingway and Richardson.  Despite their age difference, and distance between them, the two main characters fell deeply in love, and McLain put me right in there with them.  I found myself cheering them on, even though I knew the relationship was doomed. 
McLain's style made is simple for me to get to know the characters and to care about them. The further into the story I read, the more attached to the characters I got.  By the end of the book I was so wrapped up in their relationship that I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room in frustration at Hadley and her completely passive role in the destruction of their marriage.  Frustration turned to sadness as I read the last words.  In the end, I cried for several minutes at the loss of Hadley and Ernest's love and ultimately Ernest's life.
The Paris Wife is not the kind of book I usually read, but what a fantastic read this one was.  I read it for my first ever book club, and it is killing me that I have to wait a whole other month before I can sit down and talk to them about it.  I have to give this book a whopping 5 out of 5 stars!