I have a reading list that I keep in my Bullet Journal. Every time I hear about a book I want to read, I write it down so that I don’t forget. Since books are written at a far quicker speed than I can read them, the list gets bigger not smaller, all the time.

This is not my whole reading list, because damn is that long. I thought I’d just share the next six books I’m reading. Since there’s a whole series on the list, I’ll include them as one book. So this is actually the next nine books I’m going to read. If you guys like this, let me know and I’ll make a new reading list when I’m done with this one.

Clockwork Princess, by Cassandra Clare

I’m almost done with Clockwork Prince right now. I have to say, the writing leaves something to be desired. But the story is boss! I definitely recommend the whole Infernal Devices series to you.

All The Wrong Questions, by Lemony Snicket

I loved Series of Unfortunate Events. I read all the books, then read them to my children, then read them again just because. I loved the first season on Netflix, by the way. Check it out if you get a chance.

That being said, I don’t know how it took me so long to find out that there was a prequel series! I just got the first two, cannot wait to dig into them.

The Screwtape Letters, by C.S Lewis

I don’t often talk about my faith, but yes I am a Christian. I have always wanted to read this, so when I saw it second hand I grabbed it like a rat grabs pizza.

Falling Kingdoms, by Morgan Rhodes

I found this while shuffling through the fantasy section, and just couldn’t set it back down. I haven’t started reading it yet, but I keep stopping myself from starting it. I let myself get into a bad habit of starting books when I’m not done with the last one. Bonus, it’s the start of a series.

The Name Of The Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss

Confession, time, I’m a bad friend. You know how I just explained that I haven’t started Falling Kingdoms because I don’ want to get distracted and stop reading the book I’m in? That’s what happened with Name of The Wind. I was given this book as a wonderful gift by my friend and her husband in Christmas 2015! I got halfway through, loved it, then I don’t even remember what happened. But I obviously got distracted and now it’s 2017. If you’re reading this book, beloved but unnamed friend, I’m sorry. I’m getting to it, I promise.

The White Dragon, by Ann McCaffrey

I read the first two Dragonriders of Pern books and really enjoyed them. The problem is that I read most books on my tablet, and I had this in this big huge three book hard cover monstrosity that is A. hard to carry around and B. impossible to read while walking. It’s just not a convenient book to read, is what I’m saying.

I’ll go ahead and start these books so that they are the next six that I read on my list.

What’s on your reading list right now? I’d love to know. Please tell us in the comments section. And if you want to read along with me, check out my social media links. I always share what I’m reading there.

I’ve been reading a lot of business blog posts recently. One thing that keeps popping up on nearly every one of them is a simple but powerful practice.

Figuring out your ideal client or customer.

ByRegina talked about it, Lisa Jacobs talked about it.

I’m not going to talk about it, though. Why? Because for the most part we don’t deal with customers. We deal with readers.

Books don’t work like a service or a product. You can’t scan a demographic and write to them. Even if you could, it would be a bad idea. You should write what you want to write, or it’s gonna be DOA anyway.

But these Ideal Customer practices did give me great inspiration. So I decided to make a list for you. It’s an Ideal Reader list. This isn’t designed to help you cater your story to a specific person. Only certain aspects of your writing style, word choice and marketing.

• What age is your ideal reader? Are they going to be comfortable with, um, adult situations coming up? Are their parents going to lose their minds if they catch them reading cuss words?
• What education level? Writing to a certain reading or education level is important. While I’m never a fan of dumbing myself down, I also don’t need to use language that is likely to go over most people’s heads. Unless the character who’s speaking would and there’s someone else to explain it. Fun fact, did you know most newspapers in America are written to a 3rd to 5th grade level? True story.
• Where do they hang out online? Important if you want to do advertising.
• Where do they hang out in the real world? Important if you want to do advertising that doesn’t involve the internet.
• What else do they read? Not so you can mimic, so that you can understand.
• What shows and movies do they like? Same as above..
• How are they most likely to read your book? So that you can focus your attention. A lot of fantasy readers, I’m finding, like the weight of an actual book. So I need to make sure to advertise that you can get my book in physical form
• How are they most likely to hear about you? Their friend? Scrolling through social media? Wandering into a coffee shop or book store? You should be where they will see you.

I hope these questions have given you a little more perspective on your ideal reader.

How much do you worry about ideal readers? Is it a concern when you’re writing, or when you’re marketing?

Hi, my name is Nicole, and I’m a feminist. Shocking, I know. Especially with my Mormon/Catholic upbringing. As such, I was excited about the Women’s March. All over America, women stood up and said that we will fight for equality. We will fight to keep the rights we already won. Lots of women and men that I have a ton of respect for showed up and stood up.

But as so often happens with feminism, there was a backlash. Specifically, there was a backlash from women who were not involved in the movement. With all due respect, and without naming any names, let me give you the gist of their concerns.

How dare we, as American women who are for the most part safe, well cared for and free, complain about our situation? There are women in other countries who know the real meaning of oppression. These women would be grateful for our lives. We should be grateful for our lives.

I am grateful for my life. I also support global feminism that aims to better the lives of our sisters all around the world. That doesn’t mean that the struggles we face as American women are lessened.

We have a right to be angry, but I want to go beyond that. We have an obligation to fight for total equality and total control of our own bodies. We owe that to our daughters. I will not settle for more freedom than some women have. I demand total equality and freedom. I’m no willing to compromise on this topic.

Of course, this issue is not just found in Feminism. It’s everywhere.

“Don’t complain about your job, there are lots of people who would love to have it.”

Well, maybe you should strive to get a job you like more, and let one of those people have the one you have now.

“Don’t complain about seasonal depression. Lots of people are in far worse conditions.”

That doesn’t make you feel better on the days your down.

“Don’t complain about your living space. There are homeless and hungry people on the street.”

But your home is not a source of joy for you, and you should try to do better for yourself and your family if you can.

I’m sure you can think of more examples.

Please, I’m begging you not to do this to yourself. If you’re feeling pain, feel it. Don’t tell yourself that you don’t have a right to feel that because someone else has it worse. Someone always has it worse. Your emotions are never wrong. Sometimes your response to those emotions can be, that’s true. But the emotions themselves are honest and you should listen to them.

At the same time, don’t do the opposite to other people. Don’t belittle their pain because you think yours is worse. It might feel worse, but that’s because you don’t know what theirs feels like.

So if you feel like something in your life is an injustice, unfair or just wrong, do what you can to fix it. Fix whatever is causing you pain in your life. Don’t ever let someone tell you that you should suck it up because someone has it worse.

Someone always has it worse. That does not discredit my pain. It only inspires me to help us both.

When in your life has someone made you feel guilty for feeling pain?

Everyone seemed pretty happy about my Social Media for writers series. So, I decided to keep the party going for a little while longer. I wanted to take a look at how we as writers present ourselves to the world. Of course, many of us rely on our blogs.

I wanted to start this series out by talking about SEO. (That stands for search engine optimization if you don’t know.) Here’s the problem though. Someone I love already wrote everything I wanted to say about the subject!

Here is a link to the website By Regina. Read this SEO post first, then come back to me.

Back? Awesome. Now let’s talk about what you don’t want to do when using SEO.

Don’t use misleading titles

Funny story. I wrote a piece about a poetry form called burlesque. I posted it and didn’t think much about it. Then every single time I checked my monthly stats, I was seeing that post. I didn’t realize how insane it was until I realized that it made my most popular posts of 2015 and 2016!

It’s not because it’s a super amazing post, you guys. It’s because the word burlesque is in the title.

I don’t know how many people found that post because they wanted to write a new poetry form and how many people found it because they were looking for something risque. Since I do pay attention to my most popular posts and use them to guide what topics I talk about, it’s not helping me!

I also worry that people found my blog that didn’t want to be here. And the whole point of using SEO is to help people find you who want to be on your site.

Now, I did that by accident. I know some people do that on purpose. How do I know? Because I am an internet dweller and have ended up clicking on a title that I was interested in,only to find a post that I have no interested in. You know what, it pissed me off. I didn’t want to have anything to do with that post anymore.

Don’t forget your image!

A long time ago, I was given the advice to use images with every blog post. I balked. “I’m a writer!” I whined. “I use words and language. What kind of image would I ever use for that?”

Now I use images with every single blog post. Since I’ve started doing that, my stats have gone way up. I like pretty images, they catch my eye more than just a text post. So please, if you think like I used to, that you don’t need an image on your blog post, try it. Use images on everything for one month and see if your numbers don’t go up.

Don’t use a long phrase.

The basic building block of using SEO is repeating a phrase a few times in a post. If you have a simple phrase, it’s going to be a little easier. If your line is supercalafradulisticexpialafreakinglong it’s going to be hard to make that flow smoothly. So come up with a phrase that, if searched, will bring people to your post, but is still pretty simple.

Finally, don’ shoehorn SEO in.

This is why the last ‘don’t’ is important. You are a writer. Your first concern should be creating content that is entertaining to read. If it’s secondary function is to inform, educate or persuade that’s fine. But to be entertaining is number one. There’s nothing entertaining about a clunky SEO phrase repeated a ton. It sticks out and is jarring. Even when you’re using SEO, your shouldn’t remind your reader that they’re reading.

By the way, my SEO phrase for this post was using SEO. Did you notice it before I told you, or are you now going back to count how many times I said it? If you’re doing the second, I did my job right.

If you have any technical questions about writing or blogging, please feel free to ask.

Have you ever tried to write using SEO (see, I did it again.)? Tell us about your experience.

Hey, guys. Welcome to week three of our Solstice Winter Blog Tour. This week, PBW is being taken over by Rachael Tamayo.

When Writing: All Those little details

As a reader, or a writer, have you ever read something that just seemed to be….missing something? Can’t put your finger on it? Grammar looks good, plot seems okay….but…..just not quite feeling it?

This has happened to me when I’m working on my own books, or reading the unfinished manuscripts of others. Occasionally I’ll see it happen in published works as well. So, what on earth am I talking about?

Those missing details. That’s what I’m talking about. The things that give the scene life. They make the blood flow in the veins of your characters and the heart beat in your plot. Don’t ever underestimate a well placed little nugget, even something simple.

Example one: He swerved to avoid the car that veered into his lane.

OK, it’s to the point. Nothing really wrong here, tells us what is happening, right? But does it draw you in? Does it make you feel what the driver is feeling? If you can make you reader feel what the character does…you’ve succeeded. You will have a reader that will turn the page to see what happens.

Example two: The headlights shone into his face on the too dark country road. Is this car in my lane? Gripping the wheel with two large hands, his knuckles went white as he swallowed and jerked his car to the left. Gravel flying as his heart slammed into his ribs. The vehicle speed by, oblivious to the fact that they were in the wrong lane. Picking up the phone, he dialed 911.

See the difference? Details. Add a couple of sentences and suddenly you are there, in the car. Your heart is pounding and your mouth is dry. The detail of the headlights, his internal thought coupled with the action puts you in the scene, in his head.

This is where you want your reader.

I’ve heard writers say that they have trouble with this. Personally, this is what I do. I sit and imagine myself watching this happen…or maybe it’s happening to me. What’s the first thing you might notice? How is your body reacting? What is your thought? What sounds do you hear? Is there a smell?

Of course, then there is the issue of character development. The same method applies. In order to create people that are real living breathing beings in your books, you have to think this way. What kind of personality does he have? How does he react in an emergency, or when he’s angry? How does this play off of the other characters? What flaws does he have? Writing the perfect man or woman won’t get you far. People want to read about people that make mistakes, because they are real. They want to relate to your story. They want to see themselves in your characters.

However, remember one thing. Don’t take it to far. Being overly descriptive of every little nuance gets old. Page after page of little details just won’t due. You must trust your reader to use their imagination. Be descriptive, but vague. Let them carry themselves there in their minds, TRUST THEM! Otherwise, they will find themselves skimming and flipping pages to get past this never-ending description of a bedroom and back to the plot.

And there you have it. Now that you know what’s missing…take a breath and open that laptop.

Rachael Tamayo is the author of the Friend-Zone series and several short stories all available on Amazon. Her Newest release, Claim me (Finale to the Friend-Zone trilogy) will be available February 14^th.

Website: www.Rachaeltamayowrites.com

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

Twitter https://twitter.com/rtamayo2004

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

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Tamayo

I feel like it’s been awhile since I did a life update. I usually just try to fit stuff like this into my normal posts, or just post a brain dump on Mondays. But I had so much stuff I wanted to talk about with you this month, and so much going on this month that I wanted to get you guys updated right away. Not only because I’m so excited about everything going on this month, but because some of it involves awesome goodies for you!

It amazes me that the shortest month of the year is packed with the biggest projects for me. You’d think it would be a longer month. Of course, it could be because I have be obsessed with getting shit done in January.

To start with, here’s what I’m working on this month.

If you’ve gotten your hands on Broken Patterns and loved it, you’ll be thrilled to know that I’m making huge progress on Missing Stitches. That’s book three, if you’re wondering. I probably won’t finish the second draft until next month, but progress is being made.

I’m starting on the rough draft of Station 86, Book Three. Actually, by the time you read this I might be working on it right now. If you’re super curious, I’ll probably post on Twitter and Facebook when I start.

But before I do that…

I am going to have to write around some pretty big things, though. This Friday, the third, I am doing my very first book signing! If you’re local, come meet me at Cumming Coffee Shop on Main Street from 3:30 to 5:00. If you can’t come in person, please feel free to send me love on social media.

This reading is so important to me. Not only because it’s my first one ever, but because it’s a childhood dream coming to life. I used to sit in that shop, scribbling stories into composition notebooks and dreaming about being a famous writer who did books signings.

If you are local but can’t make the Cummings signing, don’t fear. I’m scheduling signings at Book Nook, Saxonburg Coffee and the local library. For dates, keep your eyes on my Facebook page. They’ll probably show up there before anywhere else.

I’m involved in the Solstice Blog Tour!

I’m sure you noticed this, because we’re a couple weeks in already. But some of the other Solstice authors and I are doing a blog tour. I was the blogger of week one, if you saw me around. We’ll be keeping this rolling all month.

You already know about this one, but in case you forgot…

You Can’t Trust The AI starts on Wednesday, February 15^th!

Just like with Seeming, I’ll post an episode a week, every week. There will be a total of eight episodes, running until April. If you didn’t get a chance to read Seeming while it was live, never fear. You can get it on Amazon.

Finally, a special gift for you.

You should all know by now that I do have a free collection of short stories available for you. It’s called Days and Other Stories, and you can get it for free by clicking right here.

But I think it was lonely.

So, I’m going to be launching a new collection on February 9^th! It’s a whole horror collection, which I’ve never done before. It’s called Spook. Stay tuned on launch day for links to get your totally free copy.

So that’s my super crazy, super exciting February! What are you doing this month that you’re excited about?

I have depression and anxiety. You know that if you’ve read PBW for very long, I’m not shy about it. Winter isn’t great for me. December is full of anxiety triggers like crammed stores and social obligations. January’s not so bad, it’s just harder to do really anything at all. I’m often walking to and from work in the dark, or at least only partial sunlight. February is the worst, though. Everything is wet, cold and dark. I tend to find myself just tired most of the time. I can’t feel happy about things I usually love and I don’t have any patience for things that go wrong. Things that wouldn’t faze me in August bring me to tears in February.

Over the years I’ve learned how to deal with these February feelings and my issues in general. Here’s what I’m doing this year to help me out.

Keep writing

Writing has always been my saving grace. If I’m having a crappy day writing makes me feel better. It helps me get out of my own past, keeps me from worrying about the future.

Writing also makes me feel like I’ve gotten something accomplished. If I don’t feel like I’m getting something done, I feel depressed. As though I’m lazy and worthless. If I managed to get a chapter done, or edit a few pages, I feel like at least I did something.

Work on projects I’m excited about

I’ve got a lot to be excited about this year. I’m eager for Steel City Con and my book signing tour. I’m excited about the comic book project and the new business I’m helping my friend build. Even though it’s hard to be excited about anything when I’m down, working on those projects help. It also helps that I’ve got partners on two of these projects. Other people counting on me gets me moving like nothing else.

I don’t miss work

Because if I do miss work, I feel guilty. Guilt leads to more depression. While I’ve been sure in the past that I needed a mental sick day, I always felt worse for it, not better.

Walk my dog

Look, I freaking hate being cold. Hate it more than anything else. My hands just hurt when they’re cold. So do my joints. I’m only 30, damn it, I shouldn’t hurt like this.

This pain discourages me from going outside in the winter. It’s not so bad when I’m out there, but trying to get my ass out is torture. It’s easier now that we have Oliver. He’s so happy when we take him out, it’s infectious. He makes me happier to be outside. And the sunlight always helps when I’m down.

Play with my kids

I spend a lot of time teaching my kids to be adults now. I harp on them about their school work and chores. I don’t spend as much time as I would like just spending time with them. When I’m down like this, I try to make sure that I just play with the kids. I’m starting to think that at least one of my girls has the same sort of issues that I do. It’s never too early to teach them self care.

Focus on my date nights

One of my personal revolutions this year has been to have date nights with each member of my family once a month. I take the girls out shopping or to a coffee shop. The darling husband and I have been going out to dinner or to trivia nights at a great barbecue place. Having those dates to look forward to has really helped me.

Keep the house picked up

Everything is just a little bit harder when I’m depressed. Getting dressed, sitting down to write, putting makeup on. Everything is worse. But if I can come into the house and sit down on my couch without moving laundry out of the way, find clean clothes in my drawer and have a clean coffee cup for coffee I’m in a better frame of mind. Nothing is more likely to send a day spiraling than having to wash a coffee cup before I can have some.

Using Walmart’s car pickup

This is not an affiliate post and I got nothing from this. This is just a shout out to a program that’s been making my life way better. See, my anxiety is set off majorly by busy shops. Even worse if I have my kids with me. I don’t even know where this fear came from, but I’m convinced I’m going to lose my kids in a crowded place. So I’m so busy looking at my kids at all times and forgetting everything I went to the store for. Then I start panicking and sort of stop being able to breath.

Having the ability to just order my food and then pick it up makes my life so much easier. It saves time, of course, but anything that reduces my anxiety attacks is a Godsend.

So that’s what I’m doing this year to make what I often consider the worst part of the year a whole lot better. If this season is hard for you too, please share how you’re getting through.