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Category: Stella
All about me, my thoughts my musings
New Giveaways!
Shane’s Redemption is available now! In honor of this very special occasion Serpentine Creative is hosting several giveaways for fans of Stella Williams!
Enter at the following links for a chance to win:
A Signed Paperback Copy of Xander’s Claim: A Maura’s Men Novella
A Signed Paperback Copy of Claude’s Conquest: Maura’s Men Book 2
A Signed Paperback Copy of Shane’s Redemption: Maura’s Men Book 3
The Complete Maura’s Men Trilogy Signed by Stella Williams
Winners will be announced on the Author Talk Blog as well as the Stella Williams Facebook Page December 18th by 5PM EST!
Don’t forget to Join Stella on her FB Fan Page for the Shane’s Redemption Launch Event! December 15th, 2018 2PM-4PM PST
Season’s Greetings
December is here! You know what that means? All the holiday novels are coming! At least for other authors. I enjoy reading all the sappy romances, laden with the scent of pine and hot chocolate. I just have yet to be able to pen my own. That doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be any new releases from me this month.
Shane’s Redemption: Maura’s Men Book 3 will be released December 15th in both Print and eBook. It is currently available for PRE-ORDER so hurry up and reserve your copy! If you’ve fallen in love with Maura’s Men as much as I have, you won’t want to miss the special launch party I am having for Shane’s Redemption. Join me on Facebook Dec 15th from 2-4 PM PST for a live Q&A, giveaways and much, much, more!
Haven’t read the first two books in the series? If you don’t want to wait and take your chances in winning copies of Xander’s Claim and Claude’s Conquest. Both are available in Print and eBook Here and will be discounted the week before the release of Shane’s Redemption.
As for my NaNoWriMo Novel? Keep checking here and across my other social media for updates. I promise not to keep you in the dark for too much longer. As the recent change in my website hints, big things are on the way to usher in the New Year!
Peace, Love, and Happy Reading!
-Stella Williams
NaNo Week 1 Recap
“You came in like a wrecking ball!!!!!” – Miley Cyrus
Okay so technically it hasn’t been a full week of NaNoWriMawesomness, but it is the end of a week that included four whole days of Writegasmic adventures!
NaNoWriMo Eve/Day 1
I kicked off NaNoWriMo with a midnight write-in, hosted by the local Shut Up & Write Chapter. I got a good head start hitting just under 2k words by the end of the hour-long word sprint. My takeaway from that experience was generally positive but BEWARE DENNY’S COFFEE AFTER 11:30pm! I was so sick the next day(technically the same day) I got a late start on my writing and also missed out the official NaNoWriMo Launch Party hosted by NaNoWriMo Tri-Cities. *insert worlds tiniest violin* I still managed to push myself over the 2k word count and make some last minute changes to my outlined plot because who doesn’t.
Day 2
I was able to get some good writing time in although I missed yet another official NaNo write-in. *cue crocodile tears* I really need to write them in a calendar or something. That way I won’t keep missing out on all the fun. By the end of day two, I’d reached about 5k words so at that point I was pretty consistent with meeting and exceeding the recommended 1667 words a day to meet the ultimate 50k Goal at the end of the month.
Day 3
Thrown for a loop! Woke up to an email announcing NaNoWriMo Double Up Day. Doubling my word count in one day! Heck yes! I was so ready. 10k word goal here I come! I put on some comfy clothes (clothes is kind of a stretch but roll with it) bust out my laptop and fixed myself some coffee while it booted up. Yes, I said wait and booted up! I’m old, so is my laptop. Which leads me to the first travesty of the day. It wouldn’t open any of my writing programs. The internet opened just fine but Word, Scrivener, OneNote, Notepad, all a bunch of NADA! *throws up an angry fist* Thankfully, my wonderfully supportive partner was able to fix it for me in less than an hour and I was ready to work. I kicked it into high gear, set a timer for a two-hour words sprint (more of a reminder to eat lunch) and set to work. I made reaching 10K look leisurely, Mission Accomplished by 7pm.
Day 4
What a slog! I spent my entire morning eeking out every last word in my body only to be disappointed that I wasn’t that much closer to my goal for the day. Thankfully after a quick break to refuel I was back in action. Even finished up my writing goal well before my usual 7pm deadline.
*sidenote new laptop suggestions are welcome, not sure how much longer old faithful is going to keep up with my furious writing.
Shut Up & NaNo!
Not Your Average Halloween/ NaNoWriMo Eve!
I had the honor of co-hosting a special Shut Up & Write! event last night. A small gathering of eager writers, ready and willing to stay up until midnight to get a running start on their NaNo Novels. As well as a few who were just crazy enough to stay up after all the Halloween festivities to join in on the hour-long writing sprint (Costumes Optional). We had fun conversations while waiting for the opportune hour and great progress was made towards our individual writing goals. I myself was able to reach a whopping 1300 words! Just a few hundred short of my daily writing goal.
Giveaway Time!
“Give it Away, Give it Away, Give it Away Now!” – Red Hot Chilli Peppers
If you haven’t already, head over to Facebook and check out Paranormal in Color Online Book Fair. There are plenty of Black Paranormal Authors strutting their stuff, answering readers questions and most exciting giving away free stuff! Who doesn’t like free stuff, especially books! So pop on over and support some fabulous Authors of Color in their creepy and steamy endeavors!
Also if you haven’t had a chance to get your hands on books from my Maura’s Men series. I am hosting a giveaway as well! Prizes include both print and digital copies of Xander’s Claim and Claude’s Conquest. One lucky winner will also have a chance to win a digital ARC of Shane’s Redemption, the third novel in the series which isn’t set to be released until December 2018! So GO NOW and Check Out my booth. Run! I mean it!
Or you can Just enter my giveaway HERE.
NaNoWriMo Survival Kit!
Survival Status Level 1
Since this is my first year participating in National Novel Writing Month, I have scoured the internet for advice from past participants on how to cope with this major undertaking. In my research, I stumbled upon numerous posts and blogs about Survival Kits. Things that would help to calm my nerves, provide pep talks on my low days, snacks to keep me energized on the long haul. So many interesting and fun ideas that it was enough to make me want a little bit of their magic for my own. Luckily I also came across an Instagram post from Second Star Books advertising the sale of their very own NaNoWriMo Survival Kit. Bonus it was also a mystery box. I am kind of a sucker for a good mystery. Want to know what was inside? You can watch my live unboxing HERE on my Facebook Page and follow along with me the month of November as I post about what I actually used, what I didn’t and how it all worked out for me.
Online Book Fair! Paranormal In Color
I am super excited to announce that I will be participating in the Paranormal In Color online book fair! The event will be hosted on Facebook by Priscilla’s Bookshelf Saturday, Oct. 27th, 2018 and Sunday, Oct. 28th, 2018 from 11am to 11pm both days.
Join me from 2:30pm-3pm EST Sunday for insight into the world of Maura’s Men as well as giveaways of Maura’s Men Novels! One lucky winner will receive an advance copy of Shane’s Redemption the third installment of my Maura’s Men series which isn’t set to be officially released until December!
Paranormal in Color Event Page
Preptober Day 1
All About Me!
I am a simple girl really. I like to write (obviously). I have self-published two out of three novels in my paranormal romance series, Maura’s Men. I love to binge watch TV and SyFy Monster movies. I have an adorable Min Pin as a Sidekick and I am totally looking forward to making the 50K goal on my first try!
Stereo Goals Day 6
With all of my re-recording finished it was finally time to export my audio files! It was a very exciting moment but still a tedious one. Part of working with my father is that he loves to teach as he goes. That meant while I would much rather be catching up on some market research I’m huddled over his computer screen listening to him go over every detailed step of his music editing software and how it processes my voice to be turned into my glorious audio book. No harm no foul considering one day I may need the knowledge to create a truly DIY audio book.
Finally with all my files edited and converted to the proper format it is time to upload it! I chose to use Audible.com to distribute my audio book. I uploaded each file individually and once completed, clicked submit for their final review. The website says it will take 10-14 business days to review my files to ensure their quality and that I will be notified immediately of any faults. Let the waiting games begin!
Lessons Learned Day 6:
- Listen and Learn- If your sound tech/engineer/whoever is recording is willing to teach you the tricks of the trade, GO FOR IT and be GRATEFUL!
- Be prepared to wait- It seems I spent more time waiting than recording during this whole process.