Tuesday, October 26, 2021

The Death Stare

     Have you ever had that creepy feeling that someone is watching you?  It happens to me every morning and no, I am not paranoid.  I have solid evidence I am being watched. 

    It begins at approximately 6:30 a.m.  I'm usually snuggled in my recliner under my favorite warm blanket with my hands wrapped around a hot cup of coffee.  The house is peaceful and quiet while I listen to the morning news, catching up on world events and convincing my body it is time to get the day started. 

    And then it happens.

    The feeling invades my serenity and kicks my senses into high alert.  Someone is watching my every move, most likely counting how many sips of coffee I drink.  I glance around the room to see if I can identify the culprit, to no avail. 

    And then I hear it.

    A low, soft growl sounds from the corner of the living room sectional - an insistent sound equivalent to the sound of a clearing throat. 

    I lean forward in my chair, my feet planted firmly on the floor just in case I need to make a run for it, and listen intently. The growl gains momentum, growing louder, and then a second growl joins in perfect harmony.  I wait patiently for the beings to make an appearance. 

    Almost immediately, four eyes peer around the arm of the sofa and my furbabies jump to the floor, wagging tails and shaking hineys. 

    No poltergeists here -- Welcome to breakfast time in the Dymond household.




Have a GREAT week!!

Mia 


Thought for the week:

Don't take life too seriously - you'll never get out alive. 


Connect with me:

My website:  www.dymondintherough.com

Smashwords: www.smashwords.com

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/miadymond

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com

Follow me on Pinterest

Friend me on Facebook and join my Street Team

Twitter: @miadymond

Wattpad: miadymond


Monday, October 18, 2021

I am a Murderer .... of Green, Leafy Things

            I stood at the curb in front of my house this week, determined to plead my case to the jury of curb appeal.  I tried, I really did, to add a colorful palette to the front flower beds and around the small retaining wall that borders the sidewalk but something went wrong, very wrong. 

           I bought a flat of pretty flowers and several pots, bags of soil, and even some plant food.  I strategically planned out where each would go and then got to work.  I carefully placed each flower into the hole, and then gently covered the delicate stem with fresh, new soil.  Then I added a dribble of water to keep the bloom happy and hydrated.  When I finished, I have to admit the area looked FAB-U-LOUS. 

For approximately one week. 

        Much to my astonishment, I watched in horror as my beautiful, bright flowers turned to ugly, brown stems.  I added water and hoped to high Heaven I could save them.  Unfortunately, no.  Now I had wet, ugly brown stems.  I added more soil, laced with a dab of food.  Nope.  Out of desperation, I talked to them, pleaded for them to perk up and shine.  I only succeeded in making my neighbors think I'm crazy. 

        Most people wouldn't take this personally and try again; however, most people probably haven't attempted this task five times without success.  Nor have they killed every single thing they've planted.  

            Yes, apparently, I have a black thumb and I am a murderer of green, leafy things. 


 


Have a GREAT week!!

Mia 


Thought for the week:

Bad decisions make good stories. 


Connect with me:

My website:  www.dymondintherough.com

Smashwords: www.smashwords.com

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/miadymond

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com

Follow me on Pinterest

Friend me on Facebook and join my Street Team

Twitter: @miadymond

Wattpad: miadymond



Tuesday, October 12, 2021

My Publishing Journey, Part II


            In my last blog, I told you the story of how I began my publishing journey and the hurdles I encountered along the way.  The story now continues:

             Fast forward a few days after I dismissed the first recommendation of self-publishing.  My soul sister was at it again:

 You really need to check out Smashwords. 

You just don’t realize how good you are.

Okay, that’s why I love her – she thinks I’m good no matter what trash I write.  Yet, I insist on being honest with myself.  I know my limits; I wouldn’t dream of publishing something in which I didn’t have confidence.  Honestly though, at that point, I had seven books written that I felt confident were ready to be read and I was ready to try anything. 

So, I did.

 My second mistake:  I should’ve done it sooner.

      I bit the bullet and self-published Leather, Lace & Rock-n-Roll (SEALs, Inc. Book 1) on September 8, 2011, as a free book just to see what happened.  It literally flew off the shelves and my reviews were honest and confidence-building.  I uploaded Outspoken Angel (SEALs, Inc. Book 2) on September 19, 2011 and then Freaky by Nature (SEALs, Inc. Book 3) on October 18, 2011.  By the end of October, 2011, I sold 4,754 books. Anything more than five was good for me.

 To her credit, my cheerleader didn’t say I told you so.

           Encouraged, I persevered.  By October, 2012, I sold 144,080 books and in 2013, the numbers totaled 250,532.

 I was shocked, to say the least.

            My point of mentioning these figures is not to boast – believe me, many, MANY authors sell circles around me – but only to prove that if you work outside the norm once in a while, realizing your goal may be possible. 

            And I didn’t have a large publishing house behind me.

            I owe my success to Mark Coker and Smashwords for not only providing me a publishing platform, but also the resources I needed to be successful.  I am completely truthful when I say you will never find a more supportive environment. 

            There will always be nay-sayers and yes, negativity still stings, but I have learned that it’s okay not to accept negative opinions.  It’s okay to follow your own rules and most importantly, your gut and your heart.  Once you find self-satisfaction, you find true peace.


    If you're entertaining the possibility of writing a novel or anything other written work for that matter, you might consider checking out these resources:

The Smart Author Podcast (I listen for free on Spotify)

Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success by Mark Coker

Smashwords Book Marketing Guide by Mark Coker

Smashwords Style Guide by Mark Coker

Have an AWESOME week!!

Mia 


Thought for the week:

If you can't convince them, confuse them. 


Connect with me:

My website:  www.dymondintherough.com

Smashwords: www.smashwords.com

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/miadymond

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com

Follow me on Pinterest

Friend me on Facebook and join my Street Team

Twitter: @miadymond

Wattpad: miadymond

Monday, October 4, 2021

My Publishing Journey - Part I

     I've been asked quite frequently how I got my start so I thought I'd share my journey with you.  It's definitely been both frustrating and rewarding and I hope it will give you a chance to know me better. 

I started my writing journey in July, 2011 with a pen and a college-ruled notebook, writing stories that bounced around in my mind and I have to admit, I thought it would be a much easier process than it proved to be.  After all, how hard could it be to write a story about two people on an adventure to fall in love?

EXTREMELY HARD!

From a young age, I put a lot of work into creative writing and even studied both English literature and creative writing in college.  I worked hard to perfect grammar and punctuation and to develop the art of putting words together to create a story that people could enjoy.  Yet, writing a book was difficult.  And, not only that, but convincing someone to publish it was nearly impossible – at least in my case.  See, when I began my journey e-books were nearly non-existent.  Tangible, paper books were still the norm.  

The “acceptable” process for publishing a book was to first develop a query letter to solicit either a publisher directly or an agent to represent you.  I found out rather quickly that the letter had to be phenomenal because I couldn’t even get my manuscript read until they received my letter and then ASKED ME TO SEND IT TO THEM.  The letter was the proverbial “foot in the door”; however, once my foot was inside, my toes still got smashed.  

So, I wrote and re-wrote at least fifty query letters and luckily, I received a few requests to send my manuscript.  Unfortunately, none of them allowed me to fully enter the door into the literary world.  But I kept writing and re-writing in hopes that I would get through eventually.  

I attended numerous writing conferences, stuffing my mind with industry information and soaking up new techniques on how to make my writing more desirable.  I discovered a whole list of rules that someone (I have yet to identify who) developed to follow in order to be a successful author.  

Fun fact:  I don't always follow the rules.  

Don't get me wrong, I am a law-abiding citizen.  I just think the rule I'm supposed to follow should be a logical one.  I know I should stop at a stop sign or a red light, but why can't my hero be a rock star?  Yes, I was led to believe rock stars are not hero material.  Well ... I broke that rule with my first novel.  What a rebel I am! 😀

I stuck to my guns and kept writing. I literally wrote ALL the time.  You know how die-hard readers read at stoplights?  Yeah, I wrote - sometimes notes, sometimes paragraphs. Finally, I managed to get a short story published in a magazine.  Baby steps, I reminded myself.

And then, a door opened.

Enter Smashwords.

            My dearest friend in the whole, wild world happened to be a subscriber of Romantic Times Magazine and saw an ad by Smashwords.  She jumped up and down, nearly turning blue while she urged me to investigate self-publishing.  But I am a stubborn woman, as she well knows, and I immediately declined.  The reason made a lot of sense to me then – I find it utterly ridiculous now:

            I had just returned from a conference in Dallas, Texas where a well-published author spoke.  When asked for her thoughts about self-publishing, she responded:

            Why would you want to do it yourself when you can have a large publishing house behind you to pay you an advance and carry most of the weight?

            My first mistake:  I listened. 



Be sure to read next week's blog to see what happened next!

Have an AWESOME week!


Mia 


Thought for the week:

If we're not supposed to have a midnight snack, why is there a light in the fridge?



Connect with me:

My website:  www.dymondintherough.com

Smashwords: www.smashwords.com

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/miadymond

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com

Follow me on Pinterest

Friend me on Facebook and join my Street Team

Twitter: @miadymond

Wattpad: miadymond




Saturday, October 2, 2021

THINGS I LEARNED DURING COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

*Superheroes come in many forms and thank God for them!

*I can clean my house every single day of the week.

*It is possible to wear a mask backwards.

*I might possibly have two or three people occupying space in my head and I can carry on an  intelligent and informative conversation with all of them. 

*I can binge-watch TV for twenty four hours .... or longer.

*It is possible to count squares of toilet paper.

*I can stretch a tank of gasoline over three weeks.

*I should stock up on mints; mask breath is real.

*Even my dogs get house fever.

*The scent of some hand sanitizer is strong enough to unclog my sinuses.






THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:

Laughter is the best medicine but if you laugh for no reason, you need medicine.



Have a TERRIFIC week!


Mia


Connect with me:

My website:  www.dymondintherough.com

Smashwords: www.smashwords.com

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/miadymond

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com

Follow me on Pinterest

Friend me on Facebook and join my Street Team

Twitter: @miadymond

Wattpad: miadymond





Tuesday, June 18, 2013

BEWARE OF THE DEMON LETTUCE

LETTUCE IS EVIL.

Seriously - for real - I know this to be true because last Wednesday lettuce put a hex on me and I will think twice before ever purchasing another bunch.

My trouble began when we decided to grill hamburgers and I ran to the store to pick up the necessities.  If only I had stuck to the list:  cheese, onion, tomatoes, and pickles.  Yet, in my haste to grab what I needed and exit the store, the green leafy demon caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.  Without a second thought, I tossed the bunch into my cart and headed for the check-out counter. 

AND FIVE SECONDS LATER THE TROUBLE BEGAN.

I stood at the end of a line ten people thick.  I looked left, then right - no relief in sight.  Every other register stood empty and no one scurried to open.  Silently, I scolded myself.  Really?  Lettuce was a necessary purchase?

BUT THERE'S MORE.

Thirty minutes into my wait, the clerk was forced to call for register tape.  Ten minutes after that, mustard wouldn't ring up at the sale price.  Twenty minutes later, change for a one hundred dollar bill.

LETTUCE WINKED AT ME AND CACKLED.

Finally - Oh geez, FINALLY, I made it to the conveyor belt and unloaded my basket.  The clerk scanned each of my items until only lettuce remained.  She dragged it across the scanner once, twice, and then three times in an attempt to record my purchase.  Not once did the electric eye read the bar code.

The clerk, by this time just as impatient as I, thumbed through her nicely-laminated price list and then poked numbers on her keypad - an obnoxious beep resonated in the tense moment.  With a loud sigh and a snap of her chewing gum, she recited the numbers out loud while she re-entered them.  Still, the machine taunted us.

I turned to the lady behind me in line.  "I'm so sorry," I groaned.
Luckily, she smiled.  "No worries," she said.  "That darn lettuce causes trouble every time."

Five minutes later, after the dreaded price check, my money was collected and my bags were loaded - except for one item.

LETTUCE.

I simply sighed, tied the top of the bag into a tight knot, poked the green nuisance under one arm, and proceeded to deposit it directly into the trash can on the way out of the door.  

So ... how was your week?


Until next week, 


Mia 






Connect with me on the web:

www.dymondintherough.com
www.smashwords.com
www.amazon.com/author/miadymond
www.goodreads.com
Follow me on Pinterest
Friend me on Facebook and join my Street Team
Twitter @miadymond








THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:

Are you as bored as I am?  Read that backwards and it still makes sense.

Monday, June 10, 2013

GUILTY!

It's official - I spend WAAAYYYY too much time browsing the Internet in the name of research!! However, I do manage to learn some interesting things.  Here's what I stumbled upon this week:  10 crazy (but true) laws:

1.     It is against Michigan state law to tie a crocodile to a fire hydrant.

2.     A woman in a housecoat is forbidden to drive a car in California.

3.     In Eureka, Nevada, it is illegal for men who have mustaches to kiss women.

4.     According to an Atlanta, Georgia, ordinance, "smelly people" are not allowed to ride public streetcars.

5.     In Mohave County, Arizona, if anyone is caught stealing soap, he must wash himself with it until the soap is gone.

6.     In Michigan, a woman's hair belongs to her husband.

7.     It's illegal in St. Louis, Missouri, for a fireman to rescue a woman wearing a nightgown.  If she wants to be rescued, she must be fully clothed.

8.     Policemen are allowed to bite a dog if they think it will calm the dog down in Paulding, Ohio.

9.     In Indiana, it is illegal for a man to be sexually aroused in public.

10.    A woman in Memphis, Tennessee, is not allowed to drive a car unless a man is in front of the car waving a red flag to warn people and other cars.



Until next week,



Mia
 
 
 
 
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:
 
     Because I'm smokin' hot is not the correct answer to
     "Do you know why I pulled you over?" !!!!!