Book Two Has Hit The Shelves!

 Finally, after some family issues and health issues I have book 2 of my High King's Sword series, Memories of Stone, up on Amazon.

If you search for Memories of Stone by Heather Woodhurst on Amazon it should come up, but if not, the link is below:

Memories of Stone: Book 2 Of the High King's Sword: Woodhurst, Heather: 9798325112829: Amazon.com: Books

I'm excited to finally have the second book done and published and I am moving on to the third.  It's my bucket list to get all four books published before I go.  I may not be a big hit or anything, but the idea of having my name on a book and people actually looking at it is awesome!

Remember, keep writing and follow your dreams!

Happy Writing!

Those Old Stories...

 As I clean up and go through everything from my mother's house, I realized there are a few things I want to finish before I go.   A lot of them are personal projects or simply trying to organize things so my kiddos won't have to do it when it's my time.  But one thing is for sure, I wish to hell my father had finished some of his stories he started as he sat up in his lonely fire lookout stations.  Which got me thinking, how many stories have I started and not finished?

I decided I can't finish all of them right off the bat, but I'd like my kids, (or grandkids) to know how things should have gone, so here are a few things I'm doing:

1) Picking one story I started and actually finishing it.  Even if I never mean to publish it, I want to feel like I completed it, and it's a nice distraction from editing! At the moment I'm finishing the story I wrote in college about Lady Noshi.  She's just a supporting character in my main story line, but at one point she was my main character. (Yippee for Warhammer roleplaying, right?)  I had a trilogy planned in my head, but I never got it down on paper.  So, now is my chance.

2) Outline the stories you aren't working on at the moment and put it with your scribbles.  I've got way too many started but never finished stories, but I figured at the very least I could outline it so my kids can one day say, hey, mom had a great idea, at least we know what she wanted to do with it.  Plus, once I get the one story I'm trying to fully flesh out done, I can go back and start a new one!

3) And outlining and looking over old stories may give you a good idea to rewrite or even start a new story to turn into a novel.  And that is, of course, the reason we want to write!

Happy Writing.

Get Your Book Out There!

 I talk about writing goals and then forget to do what I preach.

I have been writing and almost have book 2 set up for Amazon.  Stay tuned on that!

As I work on getting my second book out to the public, I think on how I can sell my story to the wide world.  Here are a few things you could do once you have your book ready to go.

1) Take advantage of what your self-publisher offers.  I'm bad about this one.  I know there is an author page I should work on and other features Amazon has that I should use.  But I suggest, unlike me, look into what you can do on these sites to get the word out.

2) Craft fairs and swap meets.  It sounds weird, but it works for some authors.  Piggyback at a table with someone you know.  Our grange has lots of members who work the craft fairs and I'm going to ask a few if I could help pay for the table fee and put a stack a book at their table.

3) Use your friend groups, or groups you are associated with, to spread the word.  Most of my sales have been because they have found out about my hobby and then told other people.  Free advertisements are great!  

4) A Youtube channel!  My son streams and has convinced me people do talk about just about everything on Youtube.  You just have to find the right mix that catches those search engines.

Happy Writing!

The Unfinished Ideas

 

As we go through life we make plans, goals to reach as we continue on.  Like you, I have goals, such as writing a book or getting published.  Meeting those goals seems like a good thing to reach, but it isn’t always at the forefront of my mind.  But sometimes those things become very clear.

 

When someone passes that is close to you, it brings to mind what you want, no, need to finish.  This Christmas was one of those times.  My mother had a wonderful day with us, talking, eating, and opening presents.  And then she went home and we never were graced with her presence again.  She died of a heart attack that night, and all we are doing now is picking up the pieces.

 

It makes you think of wanting to finish your goals.  Apparently, my daughter thought the same thing because she suddenly had my second book cover done.  When I finish with my mom’s stuff, I will get that second book on Amazon.  Because time is short, and you need to do what you want to get done.

 

So, don’t give up and give your hobby a good try.  Don’t let time pass you by.

 

Happy Writing.

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

 

Sometimes you need to expand your horizons because sometimes we all fall into a rut.  I mean, I like High Fantasy, it’s my favorite and I like the idea I can add anything I want without having to deal with science and physics.  I mean, I still have to take into account a dagger is not going to do enough damage to hurt a dragon, but I don’t have to know the diameter in kilometers of how big the nuclear blast zone will need to be.

So, I encourage you to try something new.  If you are into fantasy, write a short sci-fi story.  If you like mystery, maybe a romance. It doesn’t have to be the genre you write in forever, but it will help you strengthen your writing skills by getting out of your comfort zone.  It doesn’t have to be in-depth or even long, just something to get your creative juices flowing.

My own example is I’m working on an end of the world story.  There is a lot of tech, science and rules of modern day living that I have to stay within.  Luckily, I have a science degree, so that helps, but it pushes me to think differently then when I’m writing fantasy.

 

So, my writing prompt for this week is to write two pages about a character being chased by the bad guy of your choice.  Write the short chase scene but use the surroundings, terminology and character descriptions that would fit with this different genre.