Grandfather’s Whispers is Here!

Phew!  What a month?!

July came and went before I could even blink. There was so much activity that I don’t know if I even slept. Do writers really sleep?

Anyway, we received the good news that my step-dad was exiting the nursing home earlier than expected. Which meant that it was time to move my parents into my home two weeks earlier than planned. After they settled in, my little family celebrated life with a family vacation down the boardwalk of Sandusky, Ohio. You guessed it. Cedar Point!

With our vacation done and relaxation settling into our bones, it’s time to shift focus back to my debut novel. Honestly, I don’t think I ever stopped focusing on it. Even in the hotel room I was creating designs, placing ads, and updating social media posts. There is absolutely no rest for the weary.

My social media has been hopping mad with new posts as my press release hit the airwaves and newsstands locally. A surprise phone call from the fabulous McKenna Golat of the Times Herald, and a couple of emails from the dashing Choze Powell of WGRT 102.3 FM’s Limelight podcast, the incredible voice of Paul Miller of WPHM, and the amazing Bethany Wolf of Thumbprint News sent me on a whirlwind of interviews and communications for each media outlet. And let’s not forget a pre-planned photo shoot that was scheduled amid this new activity with the stellar Karen Palka of A Beautiful Me. She did a fantastic job and more of her work will be featured in future posts, advertising, and a gallery that I will soon add to my website.

The book launch event on August 22nd is sold out. Can you believe it?! We registered over 100 guests for this event, and I can’t wait to see each and every single one of you who plans to be there. If you didn’t get a chance to register, join the waitlist. You can still purchase my book on-site and get it signed that day even if no seats are available.

Speaking of events, I added another one to my tour this year. On November 30th, I will be in Milford, Michigan along with over 30 other authors at the Holiday Book Festival. I also conducted a virtual interview with the talented Mandy Jo Squires from Creative Slingers of Ink and submitted my book cover of Grandfather’s Whisper to the Book Cover Design Contest.

I have added something new to my newsletters:  Word Count.

For a book to be considered by any agent or traditional publisher, and among many other qualifying elements, the magical number of words to achieve is a minimum of 80,000 words. To hold me accountable for my next publication, I decided to include my newsletter subscribers in on my monthly word count. Now, it may not necessarily be the next book slated for publication. It could be a poem, a couple of short stories, edits that increase my word count to an already written novel, or a new work of fiction. One thing is for certain, Word Count is only for future publication of creative works.

Yep!  

My subscribers will get to see how much effort I put into this creative art form each month, and my challenge is to reach or surpass my goal. Please keep in mind that I am a working mother with a career outside of writing. So the numbers may fluctuate from time to time and may not match that of my colleagues who may have more dedicated time for writing than I do. For instance, July’s word count was extremely low which mostly came from edits of a short story or two.  Most of my writing time was confiscated by moving my parents, vacationing, and the flux of promotional work that I had been doing all month.  

Over time my subscribers will begin to see a pattern emerge. When the count is average or on a decline, please feel free to send me words of encouragement. They really do help with the motivation factor. And when the count is high, celebrate with me over a delicious sweet treat or a delightful drink. Take a pic of you with your refreshments and include #stacynelliott in the text of your social media post.

If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter yet, CLICK HERE to do so today! Not only will get insider information like you see in today’s post, but you will also receive a FREE never-before-published short story or poem each month. Join over 400 subscribers to start receiving your exclusive content each month.

In the meantime, happy reading! 😉