Women in America

Posted: July 17, 2023 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: history, Nonfiction, Women in History, Writing | Tags: Women in History, Women's Suffrage, Writing to be Read | 3 Comments

How and why did women’s roles and movements change during the Progressive Era?

Prior to the turn of the century, the struggle for women’s suffrage had smoldered since Abigail Adams wrote her husband, John, asking that he “remember the ladies” as the Constitution of the United States was being drafted. John did not pay heed to her request and the battle for women’s suffrage had begun. In the following years, women lost the right of suffrage in New York in 1777, in Massachusetts in 1780, and in New Hampshire in 1784. Then in 1787, the Constitutional Convention placed the right to vote with the states and woman lost the right to vote in all states, except New Jersey. In 1807, it was lost there, as well. (2) It seemed that men were determined to keep women in the home and out of the political arena.

A portrait of Abigail Adams painter by Benjamin Blythe in 1766 — Abigail Adams by Benjamin Blythe, 1766

Women were just as determined to gain equal footing. The first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York on July 17, 1848, and Equal Suffrage was adopted in a general declaration of rights. (2 & 3) Women’s rights conventions were later held in Salem, Ohio and Worchester, Massachusetts in 1850, and from then until 1861, annual women’s rights conventions were held. Through the efforts of women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Lucy Stone, Abbey Kelly Foster, Angelina and Sarah Grimke and Susan B. Anthony (3), the cry for women’s suffrage was heard in the political arena, but the men who held the power continued to ignore their pleas, as were the ballots of the 172 women that attempted to vote in New Jersey, in 1868, and the 44 ballots cast by women in Massachusetts, in 1870. In 1886, the Suffrage Amendment made it to the Senate, but was voted down 2 to 1. (2)

Women’s roles had been mainly restricted to the home and family, but industrialization and the Gilded Age saw more women in the factories and work places, working long hours for little pay, just like their male counter parts. The Progressive Movement offered a platform that women could use to gain support for the cause of suffrage. In 1890, the formation of the National American Women’s Suffrage Association came about when the two existing women’s groups, the American Women’s Suffrage Association, whose efforts had been directed at the state legislatures, and the National Women’s Suffrage Association, whose efforts had been directed toward an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, joined forces and combined their resources and voices. (1 & 3) The group concentrated on a state-by-state approach to gaining the right to vote, and first earned the right to vote in Wyoming, with Utah, Colorado and Idaho close behind. (1) The state of Washington granted women’s suffrage in 1910, and in 1911, California also passed suffrage. In 1912, three more states granted women suffrage: Oregon, Arizona, and Kansas. (2)

Women's Suffrage Poster: A man and a woman walking together and smiing at one another
Text: Together for Home and Family, Vote YES for the Woman Suffrage Amendment Nov. 2

In the early 1900’s, the Congressional Union was formed and they campaigned for suffrage at the national level. (1) In 1911, 3,000 women ascended upon New York City in the name of women’s suffrage. During the election of 1912, Theodore Roosevelt Progressive Party included women’s suffrage in their platform. (2) While Woodrow Wilson played on progressive ideals on many issues as he strove for the presidency, women’s suffrage was not an issue that he supported. (1) On March 3, 1913, a women’s suffrage parade took place on Pennsylvania Avenue taking the cause right up to the White House, one day prior to Wilson’s inauguration. Members of the anti-suffrage movement damaged floats and attempted to block the parades passage, while thousands of spectators cheered and urged the women on. The demonstration continued only when troops were called in to restore order (1) after almost two hundred women had been injured in this mob action, yet no arrests were made. (2)

Rosie th Riveter poster: Woman flexing her muscle
Text: We Can Do it!, Rosie the Riveter.

World War I saw even more women entering into factory labor and making labor contributions in support of the war effort. Women declared that their war contributions deserved recognition of their political equality. (4) In 1916, a breakaway group from the NAWSA, lead by Alice Paul formed the National Women’s Party. They began more radical tactics to push for a federal suffrage amendment. In January of 1917, they began posting “Sentinels of Liberty” at the White House. Beginning in June, almost 500 women were arrested and 168 did time in jail for the demonstration tactics. Those that did jail time were not released until 1918, when the Appellate court ruled that the arrests were illegal. President Wilson changed his position on women’s suffrage, and in a speech given on September 19, 1819, he openly supported the cause. In January of 1919, the NWP lit a “Watchfire for Freedom” and posted a guard until the Suffrage Amendment passed the Senate on June 4^th. It was ratified by the required 36 states, with Tennessee being the final vote, and it became law on August 26^th. (2) Charlotte Woodward, who had attended the original women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls at the age of 19, was the only member still alive to see the fruition of their efforts. (4)

1. U.S. History Lesson 52 – The Progressive Impulse: Women and Blacks in America. Themes in History: Diplomacy and Foreign Policy. 4 October 2009. https://cccs.blackboard.com/webct/RelativeResourceManager/Template/multimedia/lesson52/lessonp_nroc_nonap.html

2. No Author. Suffrage Activism Enters the 20th Century. Women’s Resources. 4 October 2009. http://dpsinfo.com/women/history/timeline.html

3. No Author. In the United States.

4. Lewis, Jane Johnson. August 26, 1920: The Day the Suffrage Battle Was Won. About.com. 4 October 2009. http://womenshistory.about.com/od/suffrage1900/a/august_26_wed.htm

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For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; and book 1 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

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Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.

Review in Practice: Million Dollar Productivity

Posted: July 10, 2023 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Book Review, Books, Nonfiction, Review, Review in Practice, Writing, writing advice, Writing Business, Writing Tips | Tags: Book Review, Kaye Lynne Booth, Kevin J. Anderson, Million Dollar Productivity, Nonfiction, Review in Practice, Writing, writing advice, Writing Tips, Writing to be Read | 10 Comments

Book Cover: Hands flying across a keyboard so fast they leave trails.
Text: Million Dollar Productivity, #1 Bestselling Author Kevin J. Anderson, Get the Most Out of Every Minute You Have to Write, The Million Dollar Writing Series

I have to tell you, Kevin J. Anderson is the most prolific writer I know, but there are others. I met many of these incredibly productive authors through my studies under Kevin J. Anderson. I think they all hang out together. And honestly, when I first began to see what KJA does, putting out at least five novels a year, plus co-authoring books and screenplays adapted from his books, run WordFire Press, orchestrate his SuperStars Seminars every February and his classes at Western Colorado State University, and go to numerous Cons and writing seminars throughout each year, all I could say was, “Wow!”

Million Dollar Productivity, by Kevin J. Anderson is the book where he reveals all the tips and tricks which make him into the most prolific writer I know. So, when I received a digital copy of Million Dollar Productivity, for the 9th Stretch goal met in KJA’s Dragon Business Kickstarter Campaign last January, I had to give it a read. (I had already read the companion reward book for this stretch goal, On Being a Dictator. You can read my review here.) As I had suspected, I already knew and practiced many of the tips given in this book. After all, I studied under the author. But there were others that I either didn’t know about or hadn’t tried.

One of the ones I think have been most helpful to me was to set goals and stick to them. In class, we were required to create business plans and set goals for the coming year. I began to employ this strategy in the fall of 2021, a year in which I had published two anthologies, one poetry and one short fiction, and nothing else. When I am listening to people in the business who are telling me that you need to have a large inventory of IP (intellectual propeties), be prolific enough to put out several books each year, and have multiple streams of income to make a sustainable living from your writing, and looking at the couple of books per year that I was putting out, I knew I was going to have to do better, and I planned accordingly. I found that making a plan and setting some goals which keeps me moving in a forward progression.

As a result, in 2022, I published five anthologies: Ask the Authors 2022, Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships, Once Upon an Ever After, Refracted Reflections, and Visions. Anthologies probably aren’t as helpful as novels would be, but it was a start. In 2023, I will publish two anthologies, Poetry Treasures 3: Passions and Midnight Roost, plus two books of my own, Delilah and The Rock Star & the Outlaw, and of course, my debut poetry collection, Small Wonders. And I’ve already begun to plan out the books I intend to publish in the coming year. You have to admit, four to five books per year is an improvement on the one or two per year that I was producing previously, so that one suggestion, which is offered in this book, helped to make me a more prolific publisher.

Working on different projects at the same time is another tip which I have found helpful, although this is something that I have done for several years, but it is included in Million Dollar Productivity, and it is an effective strategy for getting a lot accomplished. I’m not talking about multi-tasking, but more like time-sharing – you work on your latest manuscript for a time, but when you seem to tire of it, you set it down and go work on the editing for the anthology you’re working on, and when you get tired of that, answer a few emails and then back to writing, for instance. Of course, KJA suggests an approach that is a little less haphazard, but it’s good advice none-the-less. He also points out other modes of writing, which can be used in various places.

Letting the first draft be bad and edit, goes hand-in-hand with knowing the difference between writing and editing, tips which most writers have heard many times in their writing careers, but that doesn’t make them any less true. These are both tips that I will have to work at incorporating into my writer’s toolbox. I am notorious for editing as I go, which takes extra time, but turns out a top quality draft with little editing required.

This book is filled with lots of writing tips and advice for busy authors who want to increase their productivity. These are the strategies that worked for the author, Kevin J. Anderson, and they could work for me or you. Whether you’re a full time author or one who writes on the side while working at some other job for your livlihood, this book will have something helpful for you. It’s one of those books I will have to go back and visit time and again.

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Review in Practice: That Th!nk You Do

Posted: May 15, 2023 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Book Review, Books, Nonfiction, Review, Review in Practice | Tags: Human Brain, Joseph Carrabis, Nonfiction, Review in Practice, That Th!nk You Do, The Human Condition, Writing to be Read | 8 Comments

Book Cover: That Th!nk You Do, by Joseph Carrabis

If you ever wonder about how to think like an expert, the difference between your inner critic and the actor within, your ability to be heard, the value of being a musician, how to protect yourself from liars or how to overcome fears, you will find answers in this book.

Through each chapter there is a magic wand taking you into an area of life that you may have experienced yourself or it will be something new to consider. There is synthesis between the known and unknown, the seen and unseen, the mental and the physical, the desires of the heart and the aspirations of the spirit; and the overall theme of we are all just trying to make it from one day to the next with joy, peace, and happiness.

Joseph gives his own insights throughout the pages of what he believes are the backbone of our life experiences – both the great and the not so great. He leaves it up to the reader to discern what is true for them. You will find yourself wanting to explore more of each of his analysis of life’s nuggets, many of which we create ourselves through questions, desires for specific outcomes and the need to be heard.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/That-Th-You-Do-Healthy/dp/0984140379/

It happened that I read this innovative book at just the time in my life when I really needed it. My job of eight years had just come to an abrupt end, and I was trying to figure out how I was going to carry on and where I would go from here. It felt as if my life was over, as if I were balancing precariously on a ledge, on the verge of toppling over, with no where to go but down. Okay. I know that seems a bit melodramatic, but that’s what it felt like.

That Th!nk You Do, by Joseph Carribis takes a look at human thought processes, explanations for why we do what we do, and techniques for dealing with life’s challenges. I have to admit that this book offered several ‘Aha!’ moments for me. Carribis offers unique insight into human behavior, and compassionate advice for handling the curve balls life throws at you. He is not a professional health expert, but an intelligent guy with some good ideas, which may or may not work for you, but probably worth a try.

This book showed me new ways to chase away self-doubt, overcome fear and worry about what the future holds, and set some goals for myself to work towards. Of course, I’ve been working toward taking my writing business full time as means of making my living for many years, but facing the fact that now I was at a point where I needed to make it all work was really scary. If I couldn’t, I didn’t know what I would. If I didn’t find a way to pay my bills and fast, I knew I would topple from that ledge and it would be all down hill from there.

Everybody has those times when they let self-doubt creep in, or allow their own fears to bring about inaction. It happens to all of us. That Th!nk You Do holds some insightful solutions which just might help. If nothin g else, it made me look at the situation a bit differently. Joseph Carribis may not be a professional, but he offers some great insights and suggestions that can benefit us all.

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For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

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WordCrafter Press’ Spring Writer’s Sale

Posted: May 3, 2023 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Ask the Authors, Book Covers, book marketing, Book Promotion, Book Sales, Books, Cover Art, essays, Indie Publishing, Interview, Nonfiction, Promotion, Publishing, Self-Publishing, Writing, Writing Life, Writing Process, Writing Reference, Writing Tips | Tags: Anthology, Ask the Authors 2022, Bobby Nash, Chris Barili, Jeff Bowles, Kaye Lynne Booth, Kevin Killiany, L. Jaagi Lamplighter, Mario Acevedo, Mark Leslie Lebefvre, Nancy Oswald, Paul Kane, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Spring Writer's Sale, WordCrafter Press, Writing Reference | 2 Comments

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/3LnK8e

Eleven authors share writing tips and advice on writing, publishing and marketing.

Visit the Ask the Authors 2022 page here to learn more about this ultimate writing reference anthology.

Book Review: Slings & Arrows and Gone

Posted: April 28, 2023 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Memoir, Memoir, Nonfiction, Review | Tags: Book Review, Fantasy, Gone, Julie Elizabeth Powell, Memoir, Slings & Arrows, Writing to be Read | Leave a comment

About Slings & Arrows

Book Cover: Slings & Arrows, by Julie Elizabeth Powell

Nobody expects to lose a child but when it happens what can we do? In the sea of grief that seizes the soul how can we swim against the tide? But when that loss is compounded in each minute of every day, what do we do then?

Slings and Arrows is a story about the consequences of a moment, a moment, which separates a mother and daughter in ways impossible to imagine.

It charts their parallel lives, each suffering, one knowing, one not.

It is brutally honest; an account filled with bewilderment, guilt, anger and pain yet it also holds the key to hope. That whatever happens, the bonds of love can never be broken.

My Review: Slings & Arrows

Having lost a child of my own, it is not surprising that Slings & Arrows, by Julie Elizabeth Powell drew my interest. I have to say that I was not disappointed. The details of the loss of my son are very different from Ms. Powell’s loss of her daughter, but she offers up her story in a straight forward manner, with a brutal honesty which couldn’t help but touch my heart. Tears filled my eyes as I read Powell’s words time and again, as she is torn by conflicting emotions as she awaited her daughter’s body following a spirit which it appeared had departed.

Slings & Arrows is a brutally honest depiction of the stress, confusion, loss and grief which comes with watching a loved one slowly waste away long after their ‘life’ has ended. Kudos to Powell for baring her soul so openly in this tale of a loss that lingered on for years, consuming everything she has to give, and taking all that she has left. A tragic tale which hits close to home for me. I give Slings & Arrows five quills.

About Gone

Book Cover: Gone, by Julie Elizabeth Powell

Is Charley crazy, delusional or dead?

Follow her amazing, emotional journey and emerge into the battle with her nemesis – herself.

This inspirational fantasy will take you into realms otherwise unknown, turning your world upside down while you’ll be wondering what is real and what is not. It’s an adventure, a mystery and an imaginative fairytale for adults.

Gone was a story motivated by a true event.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Gone-Julie-Elizabeth-Powell-ebook/dp/B005MAAE0Y

My Review: Gone

Gone, by Julie Elizabeth Powell, is a journey searching for answers to the unanswerable question of where we go when we are gone from here. Powell offers one possible scenario in a crazy world where her character, Charley, meets Jenny, the daughter that she lost and hopes she has the answers Charley has been looking for. To learn whether or not Jenny has those answers, you’ll have to tag along and visit this sometimes confusing, often surprising place and find out for yourself.

Having read Powell’s first book, Slings & Arrows, which is a heart-wrenching memoir where she bares her sole over the loss of her daughter and the time leading up to her death, when she was alive and suffering, it is difficult not to relate to the experiences in this fictional tale, as a way to find answers for Powell herself. Where we go when we’re gone from here is an age-old question, one we will all have to face, but Powell goes beyind that, in trying to answer “Why?” I hope Powell found at least some of the answers she was looking for in the writing. I think the answers are different for everyone, but it was fun to take the journey. I give Gone four quills.

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.

Holiday Sales from WordCrafter Press

Posted: December 9, 2022 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Anthology, Book Promotion, Books, Editing, Fiction, Ghost Stories, Nonfiction, Paranormal, Poetry, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Press, Writing, Writing Tips | Tags: Book Deals, Holiday Sales, Kaye Lynne Booth, Merry Christmas, WordCrafter Press | 4 Comments

This is a purely promotional post. All the great holiday specials that WordCrafter Press is offering this season warrent a post of their own. These are all books that you’ve heard about before, so I’m not going to offer long-winded explanations of the books, but if you are looking for a gift for an avid reader, or maybe you’vebeen eyeing a few WordCrafter Press titles for yourself, peruse the offerings below for substantial holiday savings, and enjoy.

Whispers of the Past: https://books2read.com/u/38EGEL

Spirits of the West: https://books2read.com/u/ml2Kxq

Where Spirits Linger: https://books2read.com/u/mYGyNG

Hidden Secrets: https://books2read.com/u/38RZ2O

Last Call and Other Short Fiction: https://books2read.com/u/4jL2no

Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships – https://books2read.com/u/3kP8aK

Something for my author friends

Write it Right: https://writingtoberead.com/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/write-it-right-quality-editing-services/

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Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, as a sampling of her works just for joining.

WordCrafter News

Posted: November 28, 2022 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Anthology, Book Covers, Books, Cover Art, Dark Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Fiction, Ghost Stories, Horror, Nonfiction, Poetry, Science Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Stories, Western, Women's Fiction, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press, Writing | Tags: Anthologies, Ask the Authors 2022, Books, Delilah, Kaye Lynne Booth, Once Upon an Ever After, Playground for the Gods, Poetry Treasures, Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships, Refracted Reflections, The Rock Star & the Outlaw, Visions, Women in the West, WordCrafter Press | 4 Comments

A look back at 2022

Before we begin to look forward to the coming year, we must first look back to assess the successes and failures of the past year. It’s been a busy year, and we’ve accomplished much

For WordCrafter Press, we published 5 books in 2022.

In April, we released Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships, with an eight day blog tour, which did well enough that I’m looking forward to the release of Poetry Treasures 3 next year. Robbie Cheadle hasn’t shared with me what the theme will be for 2023, but I’m sure it will be a good one.

In May, we released Ask the Authors 2022: Writing Reference Anthology, with a ten week long blog promotion series. Seven of the contributing authors for this book, including me, editor Kaye Lynne Booth got together for a round table discussion on the Stark Reflections Podcast to share writing wisdom and promote the book, here. And it is still available in Kevin J. Anderson’s Writing Career Toolkit Bundle, which you can purchase here. The bundle is only available until December 1, so be sure to grab one while you can.

In July, I graduated from the Master’s program at Western State Colorado University with an M.A. in publishing, and I saw the publication of both my student projects, Gilded Glass: Twisted Myths & Shattered Fairy Tales, which I was on the editorial team for, and Weird Tales: Best of the Early Years 1926-27, which I compiled & edited with Weird Tales editor and award winning author, Jonathan Maberry.

In August, WordCrafter Press published the first of three short fiction anthologies, Once Upon an Ever After: Modern Myths & Fairy Tales, with a six day blog tour and giveaway. Featuring contemporary stories in the classic fairy tale tradition which I handpicked.myself, to create an exceptional by-invitation-only fantasy anthology. This anthology has been our biggest seller in 2022.

In September, the second of the three WordCrafter Press anthologies, Refracted Reflections: Twisted Tales of Duality & Deception, with a five day blog tour. Also, by invitation only, these reflective tales may not be what they seem.

October was a big month, with the release of Visions, the 2023 annual WordCrafter Press anthology. In addition to contest entrries from the annual WordCrafter Press Short Fiction Contest, this year’s anthology had more contributions by invitation, making it the largest anthology WordCrafter Press has ever published. We ran an eight day blog tour with three days of double stops. It was quite a production. Then, we joined up with Sonoran Dawn Studios for the big Halloween book event, All Hallow’s Eve – The Web We Weave on Facebook, where we promoted all 2022 WordCrafter Press releases, with games and giveways, music and movies.

In November, I’ve been trying to do the NaNoWriMo thing with The Rock Star and the Outlaw, a time travel romance adventure novel, inspired by the music of The Pretty Reckless and other artists. It’s not finished until the last day of the month, so I’m still hard at it. I’ve written 28,940 words since the beginning of the month, so I’m not even close But I started with 21, 175 words already written, and I passed the 50,000 word mark this morning.

Also in the month of November, Ask the Authors 2022, is available in the Writer’s Career Toolkit Bundle currated by Kevin J. Anderson. Also included in this bundle are writing references by David Farland and Kevin J. Anderson, Joanna Penn, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, L. Jagi Lamplighter and Aisley Oliphant to name a few. You decide what price to pay for five core books and/or ten more bonus books, all valuable author references, and you can still get it for a few more days.

Preparations and plans for the year ahead

December is pretty much dedicated to the prepartions for the coming year, and I have some really cool things planned. This past year, WordCrafter Press published a total of five anthologies involving around 30 different authors, which was amazing. In 2023, I plan to focus more on my own writing, and I only plan to do the two annual anthologies WordCrafter Press publishes each year; one poetry and one short fiction. The poetry anthology features the guests of Robbie Cheadle’s “Treasuring Poetry” blog series, and she also acts as my co-editor of the Poetry Treasures anthology.

The short fiction anthology is connected with the annual WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest. However this last year, for Visions, I combined the contest entries with stories acquired by invitation, and the other two anthologies were by invitation only. I liked the results of including the invitations, and plan to do the same thing in 2023. The themes for these anthologies will be announced after the first of the year.

As for my own books, I have quite a few planned. I plan to re-release Delilah as a part of the Women in the West adventure series, to be launched with a Kickstarter with lots of cool stuff available for your support around the beginning of the year, so be sure and watch for that. If things go well, I may also be able to release Sarah before the end of 2023.

Also, of course, I will be launching my NaNoWriMo project, The Rock Star & the Outlaw, in the coming year. This western time-travel romance adventure will keep readers on their toes. Based on the music of The Pretty Reckless and other artists, it’s a wild ride that will keep readers guessing.

I’m also planning to put together a collection of my own poetry, which I think will appeal to all the poetry lovers out there, and I am working on several short stories which I hope to find homes for. As always, at least one will go into the annual WordCrafter short fiction anthology. And I’m planning to start a Patreon, and I’m thinking of serializing my science fantasy Playground for the Gods series for that.

2022 was a really good year, and 2023 promises to be just as good, if not better. I would love to hear your thoughts on any of my plans for the year to come. Which potential covers do you like or dislike and why? Which books will you look forward to? What would you like to see offered as rewards for my Kickstarter, or my Patreon? Let me know in the comments. Your feedback is appreciated.

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The Awesomeness of Ask the Authors 2022

Posted: October 27, 2022 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Anthology, Ask the Authors, Book Promotion, Books, Interview, Nonfiction, Podcasts, WordCrafter Press, Writing | Tags: Ask the Authors 2022, Bobby Nash, Chris Barili, Jeff Bowles, Kaye Lynne Booth, Kevin Killiany, L. Jagi LAmplighter, Mario Acevedo, Mark Leslie Lefebrve, Nancy Oswald, Paul Kane, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Stark Reflections, WordCrafter Press, Writer's Career Toolkit Bundle, Writing, Writing Reference Anthology | 2 Comments

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/3LnK8e

Ask the Authors 2022 in the ultimate writing reference anthology, with writing tips and advice from eleven talented writers at different stages in their writing careers. Each brings unique perspective to the table on all stages of the writing, publishing and book marketing processes.

To celebrate this awesome writer’s tool, seven of the contributing authors, including myself, are gathering on Mark Leslie Lefebvre’s Stark Reflections podcast to exchange writing wisdoms, much as we did for the anthology. Joining us was fantasy author L. Jagi Lamplighter, media tie-in writer and fiction author Bobby Nash, science fiction author Kevin Killiany, paranormal and horror author Roberta Eaton Cheadle, and speculative fiction author Mario Acevedo. Call it a meeting of literary minds… or maybe just seven authors hanging out on a podcast. No matter what you call it, you can catch the episode on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/4069021703323990 or on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQrhSouh5aU. Of course, you can wait for it to come out on the podcast, if you prefer to just listen, too.

Just in time for NaNoWriMo, you can get this wonderful author’s reference in Kevin J Anderson’s Writer’s Career Toolkit Bundle along with fourteen other great writing tools at a special bundle price. It’s a great deal. You can’t beat it. So grab your bundle today!

Purchase Link: https://storybundle.com/blog/writerscareertoolkitbundle/

Ask the Authors 2022 is featured in KJA’s Writing Tools Bundle

Posted: October 1, 2022 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Anthology, Ask the Authors, Book Promotion, Books, Nonfiction, WordCrafter Press, Writing, Writing Business, Writing Challenge, Writing Inspiration, Writing Life, Writing Process, Writing Tips | Tags: Aisley Oliphant, Ask the Authors 2022, Kevin J. Anderson, L. Jagi LAmplighter, Mark Leslie Lefebrve, WordCrafter Press, Writer's Career Toolkit Bundle | Leave a comment

Where can you find publishing industry experts willing to share their secrets?

Ask the Authors 2022 is the ultimate writer’s reference, with tips and advice on craft, publishing and marketing. Eleven experienced and successful authors share what works for them and offer their keys to success in traditional publishing, hybrid, and indie. You’ll learn industry wisdom from Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Kevin Killiany, L. Jagi Lamplighter, Bobby Nash, Paul Kane, Nancy Oswald, Chris Barili, Jeff Bowles, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Mario Acevedo and Kaye Lynne Booth.

This book offers up-to-date and tried-and-true ways to improve your craft, explores current publishing and book marketing worlds. Take a peek inside and find out what works for you.

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Every year, Kevin J. Anderson curates a Writer’s Career Toolkit Bundle in coincidence with NaNoWriMo, because we all know that those crazy writers who knock themselves out at this time of year to produce 50,000 words in 30 days, need all the help they can get.

This year, Ask the Authors 2022 is one of those books to be included in this useful bundle of books for writers! We are in great company. L. Jagi Lamplighter has a book of her own in the bundle, The Art and Craft of Writing and Mark Leslie Lefebrve has a book co-authored with D.F. Hart, MBA, Accounting for Authors. Also included are books by big name authors such as Joshua Essoe, Joanna Penn, Kevin J. Anderson, and David Farland. There’s even a book by one of my cohorts, Aisley Oliphant, Booked to the Gills, which is aimed at writers of 30 day writing challenges, and will be helpful to those preparing to participate in NaNoWriMo. (You can see my “Review in Practice” for Booked to the Gills, here.)

The Writer’s Career Toolkit Bundle – Curated by Kevin J. Anderson

This is the time of year when a lot of people turn their thoughts to writing. Challenges such as the National Novel Writing Month (November) and other writing groups and workshops encourage you to push your craft and productivity. So, each year I put together a big writing StoryBundle packed with insightful books on a wide range of topics relevant to writers, both newbies and old pros. I include craft books, basic advice, time management and productivity, careers planning, publishing, and marketing—the complete bag of tricks!

This year we have fifteen titles, enough to keep you busy planning your next project and your entire writing career.

For basics, I’ve included Kaye Lynne Booth’s comprehensive Ask the Authors 2022, the ultimate writing reference anthology, with writing tips and advice from eleven different authors on everything from pre-writing rituals, to character development and world building, editing and revision, publishing, book marketing and more.

L. Jagi Lamplighter’s sharply insightful The Art and Craft of Writing delves into the nature of storytelling itself to discover simple and practical steps that can bring our writing to the next level.

And if today’s most successful publishers, editors, and writers wanted to share the lessons they’ve learned, would you listen? Here’s your chance in Titans Rising: The Business of Writing Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror in the 21st Century by William Alan Webb and Chris Kennedy.

Next, if you’re ready to write that novel, Joanna Penn will get you started with How to Write a Novel, everything you need to write your book from idea to finished final draft.

David Farland’s Million Dollar Outlines is the seminal writing manual on outlining and structuring a book to make it reach the largest audience, written by well-known master and teacher.

And Kevin Ikenberry’s Mercenary Guide to Story Structure gives a great overview of your story: All stories have structure—learn the ins and outs of the most common modern structures and how they enhance your characters and thestories they inhabit.

And you can’t get anything done unless you learn how to find and organize your writing time. Booked to the Gills: How to Crush Thirty-Day Writing Challenges for Busy People teaches time management, workload distribution, and other skills for writers who feel they have no time to participate in writing challenges such as National Novel Writing Month. Now to more specific skills, depending on what you’re writing.

Joshua Essoe continues his series of Guides with Worldbuilding, written by an editor from the perspective of tackling all the most-common issues writers struggle with when creating worlds.

On Writing (and Reading!) Short by Ron Collins is a celebration of writing, reading, and living short fiction.

Interested in writing scripts? My own book of Clockwork Angels: The Comic Scripts contains nitty-gritty inside examples of how to write a comic script, all six complete scripts for the BOOM! Studios comic series from bestelling author and award-winning comic writer.

In The Non-User-Friendly Guide for Aspiring TV Writers by Steven L. Sears, a veteran successful TV writer shares tips and inside knowledge on how to break in to writing for TV.

Once you have your masterpiece completed, you need to turn your mind to the business. If you decide to go the indie publishing route, a vital guidebook is Chris Kennedy’s Indie Publishing for Profit: How to Get Your Book Out of Your Head and Into the Stores, which teaches both the craftand business of writing.

Sarah Painter’s Stop Worrying; Start Selling:The Introvert Author’s Guide to Marketing shows you how to take control of your success as an author and build your readership through authentic, low-stress marketing.

Christopher D. Schmitz sells thousands of paperbacks every year by identifying his fanbase and targeting where those folks go… and he shows you how to replicate his success in Sell More Books at Live Events.

And finally, you can’t forget about the numbers. Read Accounting for Authors by D.F. Hart and Mark Leslie Lefebvre. Regardless of how you are publishing, having a solid understanding of basic accounting principles allows you to make the most out of your author earnings and calculate your
pathways to success. With this StoryBundle, you’ll be well equipped for your writing and
publishing journey. – Kevin J. Anderson

For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you’re feeling generous), you’ll get the basic bundle of five books in any ebook format—WORLDWIDE.

On Writing (and Reading!) Short by Ron Collins
The Art and Craft of Writing by L. Jagi Lamplighter
Essoe’s Guides to Writing: Worldbuilding by Joshua Essoe
Indie Publishing for Profit by Chris Kennedy
Booked to the Gills by Aisley Oliphant

If you pay at least the bonus price of just $20, you get all five of the regular books, plus ten more books for a total of 15!

Million Dollar Outlines by David Farland
Clockwork Angels – The Comic Scripts by Kevin J. Anderson
The Non-User-Friendly Guide for Aspiring TV Writers by Steven L. Sears
Stop Worrying; Start Selling by Sarah Painter
Accounting for Authors by D.F. Hart, MBA and Mark Leslie Lefebvre
The Mercenary Guide to Story Structure by Kevin Ikenberry
Ask the Authors 2022 edited by Kaye Lynne Booth
How to Write a Novel – From Idea to Book by Joanna Penn
Sell More Books at Live Events by Christopher D. Schmitz
Titans Rising edited by William Alan Webb and Chris Kennedy

This bundle is available only for a limited time via http://www.storybundle.com .

It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file
transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub, .mobi) for all books! It’s also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.

Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.

• Get quality reads: We’ve chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.

• Pay what you want (minimum $5): You decide how much these fantastic books are worth. If you can only spare a little, that’s fine! You’ll still get access to a batch of exceptional titles.
• Support authors who support DRM-free books: StoryBundle is a platform for authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Supporting
authors who let you read their books on any device you want—restriction free—will show everyone there’s nothing wrong with ditching DRM.
• Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to the Challenger Center for Space Education!
• Receive extra books: If you beat the bonus price, you’ll get the bonus books!

StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.

For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com, tweet us
at @storybundle and like us on Facebook . For press inquiries, please
email press@storybundle.com .

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The 2022 Writer’s Career Toolkit Bundle launched on September 29th and will be available thorugh the end of November. So, before you sharpen your pencils and limber up your fingers for the upcoming writing challenge, grab you bundle and warm up your brain cells to do your best writing ever!

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In celebration of this momentus event, eight of the contributing authors to Ask the Authors 2022 are getting together to tell us more about this great bundle and offer more writing tips and advice. Contributing author Mark Leslie LeFebrve will host myself, Bobby Nash, L. Jagi Lamplighter, Kevin Killiany, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Nancy Oswald, and Mario Acevedo, on his Stark Reflections podcast. I’ll keep you posted as to when that podcast session will air.

Review in Practice: Booked to the Gills

Posted: September 30, 2022 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Book Release, Book Review, Books, Nonfiction, Review, Review in Practice, Writing, Writing Tips | Tags: Aisley Oliphant, Booked to the Gills, Kaye Lynne Booth, Nonfiction, Review in Practice, Writing Challenge, Writing to be Read | 4 Comments

Purchase links: Barnes & Noble Amazon

Booked to the Gills by Aisley Oliphant is designed to help those participating in the National Novel Writing Month challenge to write 50,000 words in thirty days. Many writers who would like to be more prolific may find the advice and strategies outlined in this book to be quite helpful. In fact, many of the time management tips, such as time blocking, can come in handy for any writer who juggles several projects along with a day job, and relationships with family and friends, and ‘me time’.

For many of us, that ‘ me time’ is what is forfeited when things get to hectic. And the author openly admits that she has not a fun person to be around during previous NaNoWriMo challenges. For others, relationships might be strained when family and friends are put on the back burner and writing takes the forefront. And the author openly admits that she has not been a fun person to be around during previous NaNoWriMo challenges. This book is packed full of strategies to salvage relationships and keep your sanity, while still cranking up the word count.

Topics which are covered include time management, setting boundaries, adjusting wordcounts, prioritizing…

I have mentioned before that I am not a prolific writer. Authors such as Kevin J. Anderson, who can crank out right or ten books in a year, totally blow me away. But in these pages are strategies which will certainly be useful in increasing my writing output and helping me be a more productive writer, as well as giving me organizational tools that will be helpful in managing the numerous writing and publishing projects which I always seem to have going.

I attempted the NaNoWriMo challenge once, back in 2010, and failed miserably. When I picked up this book, doing this challenge was the furthest thing from my mind, but thinking about putting some of the strategies in Booked to the Gills to the test, I’m thinking it might be worth another try this year.

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