Here’s what I designed earlier –
I was never very happy with these.
While cleaning out the basement I found an old sketchbook and this wonderful bear. I really feel he represents me much better. I used to have a drawing of him in the window by my front door to greet people coming to visit.
He’s smiling and happy and he wants to share my stories with you. What do you think?
I just finished printing a paper copy of the first draft of my Christmas adventure story. What an exciting tale with Santa Claus and the SPRING team in action again!
My hope always is that my readers will enjoy my stories as much as I enjoy writing them. This one was a wonderful, magical ride!
Here’s an update on the four books I wrote this year:
INSIDE A WISH – Jacob and I are finishing off some changes to the cover and content before ordering another proof. (A proof is the first copy of a book so everyone involved can check it over before going to print).
I estimate maybe another month before it is ready for sale. (As always, it will be a print on demand book so no copies are printed until someone orders a copy = NO wasted trees)
Kindle edition at amazon.com
CRISIS COMPANY– now that I can see a little better I am hoping to illustrate the cover myself. Once I am happy with it, Jacob will set up the cover design, and I will recheck the inside the book before we order the first proof.
Again, the printing process takes time so perhaps another six weeks.
Kindle edition at amazon.com
2 Tonnes of SISU – first draft is written. I will not even start my own editing for several weeks, and then my wonderful volunteer editors will read for me.
This story introduces the SPRING team of Anu and Aino with Kari and Anni, the cats. They promise me many more exciting adventures.
SPRING – Society for the Protection and Relocation of Intelligence in the Near Galaxies!
So far, I only have their missions on Earth.
WARNING: this story is very real and sometimes painful. My other stories are just for fun, but 2 Tonnes of SISU deals with child abuse and bullies.
SPIRITs of SPRING – the first adventure. EXTRACTION: Santa Claus
What a very LONG title!! lol
Just finished the first draft today. Originally I hoped to have this story out for Christmas 2011 but obviously I cannot do that.
Will keep you posted on the progress of sharing my stories with you!
From the time I started writing, at age five, I dreamt of one day holding my book and sharing it with everyone. And today that dream came true!
No matter how old you are or whether anyone else believes in your dream – keep going forward. I am blessed with some wonderful people in my life who helped me be brave enough to take my stories out of the closet and share them.
Here’s some photos of a dream coming true. I hope all your dreams come true. Never give up.
Look at the AWESOME art work for the cover – designed by my buddy, Jacob! Thanks!
The first copy of Inside a Wish got lost in the mail for several weeks. The printers sent me another one a few days ago but this morning the original one showed up!
I finished the first draft of 2 Tonnes of SISU and am writing the first draft of my Christmas story. I had hoped to print them for Christmas but I now realize how much time and effort is required to finish a book ready for printing.
I will be making some changes to Inside a Wish before I approve it for printing and then work on Crisis Company. My other stories will have to wait for a while.
Life is always about choices. I planned to enjoy my retirement, but I have started another career instead! I still want time to relax and have FUN so I need to be careful not to do everything all at once!! (Even though I want to).
I promise to keep writing and publishing my stories, just take a little longer doing it!
A proof is the first copy of a printed book. Everyone involved checks it over: the printer, the author and a few editors to make sure everything is perfect before the book gets printed for sale. You do not want mistakes immortalized forever!
Once we check over and approve the proof, Inside a Wish will be for sale as a paperback! YES! A REAL book you can hold in your hand, share with a friend and display in your bookcase!
Once I found the right system for getting my book into print, everything came together perfectly and very quickly!
So here we go again – waiting waiting waiting. Sometimes I wish for Jenny’s gift!
After a lot of research, I have found an easy and inexpensive way to bring my stories to you in REAL book form – a paperback book you can hold in your hand! I will still be offering the E-book format, and am considering an audio version as well, where I read my story to you!
I expect the process of setting up the “print on demand” books will take at least a month as the printers send me a copy through the mail for my approval before setting my book up for sale. Print on demand means they only print a copy when someone wants one. No wasted trees or throwing out copies no one bought.
I am very excited about this. I planned to spend two weeks checking out my choices and updating everything. Looks like everything is coming together beautifully.
At this point, I cannot give you a price for the printed books, but my main focus is on sharing my stories, not making a profit.
You have a few weeks to purchase Inside a Wish and Crisis Company for 99 cents. I have copies of both my books, using the free Kindle App for my pc and am pretty happy with them.
I will, of course, keep you updated with how the printing process is going.
Thanks for all your support – special thanks always to my wonderful husband, my supportive daughter, and to Jacob for being there when I need encouragement to keep going!
I am spending some time investigating and considering my publishing options.
I would appreciate any feed-back you would like to share with me.
Here are some choices:
1. Print on demand through amazon.com – they only publish a copy of my book when someone orders a copy. No wasted trees.
2. An audio book with me reading my story. This would be on a CD and I could sell it through e-bay. Would be easily convertible to MP3 format.
3. Self-publishing – I pay a printer to print copies of my book and sell them through e-bay with PayPal.
If anyone has experience with any of these options, comments, suggestions or opinions please let me know. You can contact me through Twitter @chucklebeary, e-mail mrs_chucklebeary@yahoo.com or by leaving a comment here on this site.
Thanks for the help!
My latest book, 2 Tonnes of SISU introduces AINO (pronounced I know) and ANU (pronounced I knew) who are agents of SPRING: Society for the Protection and Relocation of Intelligence in the Near Galaxies.
Agents of SPRING only visit Earth for exceptional people because humans (as a group) are not very intelligent! lol
I plan to spend the next few weeks enjoying life (and catching up on some house and garden work), then start my next story which will follow Aino and Anu and their buddies on a Christmas adventure.
My wonderful news is my eyesight has improved. Hopefully I will be able to finish some illustrations for my SPRING series or at least the book covers!
Took me 2,867 words today to finish off the last two chapters!!
This was a difficult book to write. My hero (main character) is an abused teen. Some wonderfully good and funny things happen too, but hard to write about harsh reality.
My next story is already waiting for me to write it. This one is just FUN and is about Christmas. I LOVE Christmas so looking to starting writing it in a few weeks.
While writing chapter 25 of my latest story 2 Tonnes of SISU today, many bizarre things happened. First of all Word decided I was writing in Finnish and absolutely refused to believe me when I checked US English five times!
Then the computer took over and starting writing even though I was not typing!! Finally my husband and I figured out the microphone was on and the Word program was taking dictation! It did not do a very good job –
That all that one in, swearing-in: fin that all is not funny and making life and death of the around and we’re not what’s been soliciting planning board one of the home of the”I suspect you;re right. I don’t want to stop the boys from going to church by forcing them,” Maija agree sadly.
Good thing I can see well enough to type! Dictation programs still have a long way to go. I have used a few of them. As long as I speak calmly and clearly, we do pretty well. But as soon as I get excited because something exciting is happening in my story – the program cannot understand a word I say. And laughing causes a complete breakdown!
Chucklebeary Tales 