A Spring Baby

My husband came in this morning carrying a cardboard box. In the box was a buff colored, baby goat that was very cold. Mama wasn't too happy to have a family I guess. She ignored him. So I have been trying to convince him the bottle is his best friend. Finally just a few minutes ago, he decided I was right. Now he's sleeping. So I will be on a feeding routine now for two months. After being outside a couple days ago, a hen decided to thank us today by laying an egg. Now we can look forward to fresh eggs.
A long time ago, I attended a writer's workshop in the back of the town library. The teacher was a retired English teacher. I will always be grateful for all that she taught me in that six weeks and ever since when she looks at my writing. Her advice from the start was to write about what I knew from experiences. That's easy to do when I enjoy animals and chickens. Makes my rural stories more believable.
Today I have been compiling family pictures and stories to make into a memoir book. I will self publish this book when it's ready, but I really don't worry about it selling except to relatives. Of course, there might be a lesson to be learned from my upbringing with today's economic mess.
Gotta go before the baby cries,
Booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Iowa
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
booksbyfay@yahoo
www.twitter/booksbyfay
www.amazon.com for books
www.createspace for books
www.bookorphanage for mystery book "Neighbor Watchers"
www.camppope for Civil War book "Ella Mayfield's Pawpaw Militia"
Lemstone Christian Bookstore for "Open A Window" and "Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad" both about Alzheimer's

Nature in Iowa

Saw an eagle yesterday about five miles from home. Probably the same one I saw on Monday just down the road by the creek in the top of a tree. How neat is that when eagles are so plentiful that they can be seen by anyone. Rates right up there with me with the hoot owl's wake up call in February at about 3 in the morning when he's calling for a mate. I have grown to count on that hoot as well as the screeching of mating cats beneath my bedroom window in the night. All signs that spring is around the corner. I'm ready.
booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Iowa
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
booksbyfay@yahoo
www.twitter/booksbyfay
www.amazon.com
www.createspace.com
www.bookorpanage for my mystery book "Neighbor Watchers"
www.camppope for my civil war book "Ella Mayfield's Pawpaw Militia

Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood

This is a beautiful day in my neighborhood. For the first time since last fall, I turned the chickens loose. They are singing and the rooster is crowing his thank yous. We went shopping and bought garden seeds. Maybe it will be an early spring. Every stranger I said hi to talked to me as if they knew me. There's definitely something in the air. Came home and found I had a call from someone who wants to invite me to an author day at the library in Anamosa on June 7 and I am delighted. Now the woman I need to talk to has to call me to get the particulars. I'll spill the details when I have them. Still working on my Alzheimers speech for the Benton Community Health Class in Van Horne, Iowa which is March 25th. I put a call in to a librarian in Dysart, Iowa too but she wasn't in today so I call her tomorrow. It is so great to have places to take my books in the area. Needless to say I haven't accomplished a novel today, but getting a breath of fresh air before the deep freeze comes back, rain and ice that will be here tomorrow was worth a break from the computer. Bye.
booksbyfay
Fay Risner
http://www.booksbyfay.tripod.com/
www.twitter/booksbyfay
email booksbyfay@yahoo
www. amazon.com for books
www.createspace store
Lemstone Bookstore, Cedar Rapids, Ia
ebay for book "Christmas Traditions" amish love story
Book Orphanage on the web for my mystery book "Neighbor Watchers" first in Amazing Gracie Mystery series
Camp Pope on the web for my civil war book "Ella Mayfield and the Pawpaw Militia"

A New Day

What a difference a new day makes! I've sold ten books which is great for little old me. The buyer who the post office keeps losing her books has gotten back to me that she is sorry this is happening to me. I called her an angel. It is I that is sorry this has happened to her. Any rate with a good night's sleep, multiple sales and an encouraging email from a buyer and I lost the urge to kick something.
Now how do you go about coming up with a story idea? I'm faced with that all the time. Got the new garden and flower seed catalogs coming in the mail all the time now. I love to look at them for new and improved varieties. A flower called Love Lies Bleeding is one I've had before, but I wondered about making that the title of a story. There must be some lore behind the name so I did my research and now I am writing a short story by that title for one of the contests. I've often said my best asset is my imagination. That is true. I'll let you know if I place in the contest with this story. Gotta write so have a good day,
Booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Iowa
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
email booksbyfay@yahoo
www.twitter/booksbyfay

Kick Something

Ever have one of those days when you want to kick something. Preferably soft enough not to hurt my foot. So I'm an author that wants to make book sales with my books. I was so excited Jan.1 when I got an order for fifteen books - one of each. I sent the books in the mail right away. Three weeks later the buyer emailed me that the books didn't come. I hadn't put tracking or insurance on the box. Dumb I know. A few days later I get pieces of the top of my box in the mail from a recovery station post office. The letter told me to describe what was in the box and they would try to recovery my items. I sent a pic of all fifteen book covers. Never heard back. By Feb. 10th though the buyer is so very nice about waiting, I didn't feel right so I mailed out another box. This time I insured the box and put tracking on. Of course this $145.00 is on me. Friday I find out that the box is in the dead mail office and can't be delivered. Now I'm hoping that at least I can recover my money back for the books. The process is a long one I'm sure. In the mean time, I have to give the buyer the bad news that I have to order a whole new set of books because my inventory is depleted. That takes two weeks and two weeks for her to get the books. We are looking at end of March. This time I am using UPS. See if they can do a better job of delivery providing the buyer doesn't ask for the check back. Here's hoping for better days. Gotta go.
booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Iowa
website www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
email booksbyfay@yahoo
www.twitter/booksbyfay

Winter Window Scene

It's really, really cold in Iowa. I know this because I had to do the chores since hubby is under the weather. He can't figure out how I get done so fast. I say it's simple when you run. The sun is shining and the wind isn't blowing hard. I know this because the birds have decided it is safe to come out and hop in the yard. What they are feeding on is dog food bites. The starlings spent hours carrying the dog's food out of his bowl and dropping the pieces into our front yard because they were too hard to eat. When the snow melted and thawed the soggy pieces, the birds ate most of them. Now the starlings spit the leftovers back out. Spring will be here soon birds so get ready to clean up your mess when the pieces soften up again.
Internet is great for finding people with mutual interests. I just began a conversation with Helen who has a website for writing. www.hushpen.com so check her out. She has an interesting first chapter of a romance story she is working on. Give her your opinion and help encourage a fellow writer. This is the time of year that I work on my short story contest entries to see how I stand up in competition. So have to have my eight stories and essays done by the last of April. I have six of them formulated and just have to keep going over them to make sure they will pass a contest. Two more to create. Gotta go. Have to write.
Booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Iowa
website www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
www.twitter/booksbyfay
email booksbyfay@yahoo

Crazy TV show

Yesterday was one of those days, I could do without. First of all, my husband has been not feeling well for a month now. We went to the hospital early yesterday morning to a pain management clinic. Had no idea what he was in for. Was told he was going to get a epidural shot to stop the pain in his left leg.
Right away I thought of the television show I just watched on Monday night. I love "The Worst Week". Does anyone else know that show? It is a fast pace comedy that reminds me of the old shows from the fifties and sixties. I love it, because the show is not based on sexual content but real life experiences gone awry and exaggerated to a great degree.
So Monday night, the wife is having a baby. Her doctor refuses to give her the epidural shot so she's upset at the doctor. Her husband is on the way to the hospital, accidentally drops his cell phone and it goes in a post office pick up box. He has his arm in the box and gets way laid by a postal worker. He's taken to the hospital with bad back pain and given an epidural. He finds he's in the wrong hospital and has to get to his needy wife. His legs are turning to rubber by the time he gets out the hospital doors. He falls on the sidewalk and elbows his body to the hospital. Now not exactly believable because other people are walking all around him and don't seem to notice, but funny. He gets in the hospital, his father in law comes hunting for him and steals an old man's wheelchair. He gets to the delivery in time and his wife isn't too worried about him. She's mad because he got the epidural and not her.
Now here I am yesterday picturing my husband needing a wheelchair to get to the car and wondering how I am going to get 200 pounds of limpness in the house when we get home. Turns out this shot was a steroid to kill pain but works different than the shot given women in labor. He walked out of the room on his own. What a relief! However, other than writing this blog I didn't get up enough passion to try to write anything else. That whole imagination gone wild experience did me in for the day.
Today is a different story. It's a white, hazy world on the Iowa prairie today with a white out happening. Instant freeze to the face when I did chores this morning so I can work on writing all day and be glad I don't have to go back out. So gotta go.
Booksbyfay
Fay Risner
website www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
www.twitter/booksbyfay
email fayrisner@yahoo

Writing Passion is no Mystery

If you like to write, you know you have a passion for putting words in the computer or on paper as often as you can. The writing passion is no mystery to me. I've been doing it for years. What really got me started wanting to write a book was when I saw there wasn't much education for relatives of people who have Alzheimer's disease. I worked in a nursing home for years as a CNA. Just retired two months ago. In 2000, I wrote "Open A Window". Examples of what to do when the caregiver is faced with a particular situation. There is an excerpt on my website.
I had the books printed and sold them at the nursing home and in the area. Word of mouth spread and some of my books wound up at a Social Worker conference in Ames Iowa. One social worker gave her book to a RN training CNAs and she bought three more to donate to the nursing homes where she trained the CNAs. In all I have six places that use the book. Now I have self published and the book can be bought on www.amazon.com and from the Lemstone Christian Book Store in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
In March 26, I am going to the local high school and talk to two health classes about how to care for residents in the nursing home when they have Alzheimer's disease. The instructor uses one of my books to help teach her class. To know that future long term care health care workers will be using my experiences to help others makes me think my passion for writing was worth it.
Booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Ia
website www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
email booksbyfay@yahoo.com
www.twitter/booksbyfay

Family Trees

I took a day off from this blog yesterday. Fact was I forgot all about it because I was so absorbed in what I was doing. The Internet is a great way to start family reunions. In the old days when I was small, we had real family reunions and family gatherings were on holidays or Sundays in nice warm weather when travel was easy. I grew up knowing and enjoying the company of Great Aunts, Great Uncles, Aunts, Uncles, great grandparents, grandparents and a score of cousins. So now we live in the computer age and do everything over the Internet including reunions. Yesterday, I helped a third cousin work on her family tree to fill in the blanks with pictures and stories about my side the family. I was blessed to have a mother who liked pictures. They are a really good way to jog the memory. Putting a cd in the computer and waiting for it to come up while someone stands over your shoulder isn't nearly as much fun as sitting on a couch with a large scrap book on your laps while you chat about the relatives of days gone by. Not that I was doing that. The conversation was via email and the pictures too. Just going over the pictures and discussing the family brings back such wonderful memories of when we were a close loving family. People lived close enough to have reunions. From my generation into the future, people move so far away, have two jobs and are so busy they get disconnected from family trees. If you really want to pass down to your children their background and stories to go with it find a relative like me and get busy before it's too late. Our history is as important as where we are heading because the ancestors are who made us the person we are today.
Booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Iowa
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
www.twitter/booksbyfay

Oh Joy! Rain, Ice Snow

I'm watching it rain this afternoon and waiting for the promised snow. Oh Joy. Had thought I would join up at Technorati so if I get a review I could use to promote one of my books I would be ready. Can't get Technorati to take my blog. Don't know why. See there's something called a ping to place in my blog so I am going to try it. http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping Now I'm going to try it.
Made another trip to town this morning. The woman in the drugstore tells me she loves Neighbor Watchers ISBN 1438246072 and Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad ISBN 1438278276 sold on www.amazon.com She checked them out at the library. I told her to go back and tell the library, she wants them to put in more of my books. Nice!
Just finished listening to Viva Visibility part five on how to stand out as an expert and get noticed. Good advice in that one.
I'd be glad to share what I know about my experiences with self publishing if anyone is interested. Doesn't make me an expert. Email me at www.booksbyfay.yahoo.com
I've been emailing about my family tree to a new cousin. anyone out there in the Bishop, Bowers family tree from Riner, Va. That's what we are working on right now. There is a website on Yahoo you can join Bishop Bischoffresearch@yahoogroups.com
More tomorrow
Booksbyfay Fay Risner
website www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
email booksbyfay@yahoo.com

Let there be light

At seven this a.m. the sun was shining and hoar frost coated the trees. Glitter danced and sparkled on every building, tree and the ground. What a beautiful sight. EXCEPT we didn't have electricity. The house was cold and the coffee had only half perked. The pot was still lukewarm so I drank the coffee anyway. I covered up on the couch and watched the time click by as I prayed to let there be light. My prayer was successful or the linemen finally found the problem, whichever you want to believe. At 9 the lights and furnace came on. Though the furnace hasn't shut off, we are toasty warm again. Yeah!
One thing I meant to mention in yesterday's blog was my first attempt at a blog. I did skim over that once, but should have stuck another reference in with my website blog. The first blog I tried was a feature of my website www.booksbyfay.tripod.com which I started the last of Dec. My blog entries disappeared to I knew not where. In a few days I gave up when the blog wasn't on my website where I thought it should be and I didn't know where to find it. About the time I was starting this blog which I have no trouble finding, I found my old blog in Yahoo. Go figure. I stuck with this one because it is faithful enough to keep popping up. I couldn't trust that I would be able to get back into the Yahoo blog. That is the fault of me that is not too computer savvy. I need it easy or it don't work for me.
Now today I think I will give you an excerpt from one of my books I may have mentioned before. Neighbor Watchers ISBN 1438246072 sold on www.amazon.com and www.createspace.com This book is a favorite of mine and has developed into four more books in the Series Of Amazing Gracie Mysteries. The character Gracie Evans is a Miss Marple in Iowa who is always in the wrong place at the right time for a mystery. Neighbor Watchers is a murder suspense, humorous and wholesome. Gracie and Melinda live in a rest home mansion for women in 1903 back in a simpler time. This is assisted living and there isn't an activity director so the women are on their own. Bored, they tear holes in the vines on the front porch and spy on the neighbors across the street. Harmless until they see who murdered one of their neighbor.

My character models were women I took care of at the nursing home. Real people with the name changed. These were characters in real life that I enjoyed being with and could see doing something like this in another life. So here is an excerpt.

Gracie watched her evidence against Mavis sail through the air and sprawl out on the grass. As badly as she wanted to go after the dress, first she had to settle Melinda down. She said hoarsely, "What's the matter with you? Be quiet. Stand still."

Commanding Melinda had no effect on her. She continued her war dance. Moving close to the squirming woman, Gracie put an arm around her shoulders to hold her still. Gracie felt the bulge trapped in the confines of Melinda's skirt move wildly back and forth, bumping against her own legs. "What the devil's under your skirt?"

Don't know, but I want shut of it. It's digging into my legs and hurting me like fire," Melinda whimpered desperately.

"Lift up your dress and let that thing loose," demanded Gracie.

Trust me when I say if you like a pleasant read you'll like my book "Neighbor Watchers."

As I related on Twitter this morning I just finished listening to Viva Visibility by Nancy Marmolego Seven quick and simple tips. She delivers them in audio to your email box. I heard tip four and can't wait for the other three. Not that I learned anything new yet, but so far her words makes me feel like I am right on target with my promoting. Believe me, that's good to know. Makes me more confident. Listen to her and see if the audio does the same for you. If not then maybe you should try her course or email me for suggestions.

Until tomorrow,

Booksbyfay

Fay Risner

email yahoo.booksbyfay.com

website www.booksbyfay.tripod.com

blogger/booksbyfay

books on www.amazon.com www.createspace.com and www.ebay.com for Christmas Traditions An Amish Love Story

Own A Website

Research into promotions and marketing is a must if a self published author intends to sell a book and in my case fifteen of them. I searched out every available keyword on the Internet that would give me a clue as to where I should start and continue to advertise my books.
Several years ago before I even had a clue that I could publish my own books and even with rejection slips piling up, I had a passion to keep trying. A person that figures on being a published author should have a website. That's one of the questioned asked by Publishers. So why not get at it? I did have two books I could advertise. One was my paper version of "Open A Window" that I had sold in my area. The other was a Lamb Cookbook that I wrote for the local sheep producer group years ago as a fund raiser. We did quite well in selling that but I still had a box full in my way. Whether the cookbook sold or not really didn't matter to me. That was book two in a list that made it look like I was a viable author.
I tried several different free hosts and found I wasn't computer smart enough to figure out how to set up on their website. I'd work for hours and never come up with a first page. Finally, I found tripod and that host has instructions that make a website easy to design. I have several pages which you can check out. First is pictures of my newly published books. There is a page of links, one of my home and animals, another of my accomplishments in long term health care and short story contests and excerpts from my books. Fans can get to know me. I wasn't sure how this would go over so I signed up for a Yahoo email so that email would recieve messages seperate from my regular email address. One thing I needed was a title for the website. I choose Booksbyfay. That has served me well as I signed up for everything available to a author. When I sign with Booksbyfay on other websites, it brings the search to my website as well. So keep that in mind when you're picking a website title. Make it one you can continue to use so the title ends up in search words.
Website is www.booksbyfay.tripod.com

Problem - I didn't pay for a domain site. For years getting to my website was hard to do. Google didn't carry me. Yahoo did find me if you were asked if you really wanted to go there. Once I signed up for the Yahoo email that may have helped me get notice for my website. Now I find since I have so much advertising on the search engines my website comes up easier. I just had to have patience. So go for it. Get your own website. Want to ask me questions? Email me
Booksbyfay
Author Fay Risner
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
email booksbyfay@yahoo.com

Cheer Up Spot In A Gray Day

If I could predict how a day would go, I'd have said yesterday was going to be a dreary, uneventful day with a snowstorm to finish it off. Boy was I wrong!
About a week ago, I had been to town and stopped in the drug store. As with most small towns, I've lived here long enough to know almost everyone. For instance, the woman behind the counter is one I know well. She laughingly called me a author as I paid for my purchase.
"You've read some of my books?" I asked.
"No, I'm not into Alzheimer's stories," she admitted.
So I say, "There are others like the mysteries with an Iowan female snoop (in more ways than one) like Miss Marple. The Belle Plaine Library has three of my books. Go in and ask for that one. It's called "Neighbor Watchers." ISBN 1438246072
Another clerk said, "What else have you written?"
That lead to me describing my story "Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad." I told her that book was in the library, too.
Now the plan yesterday was to make a trip after a few supplies before the storm hit. We fooled around long enough that the large, fluffy flakes sifted down on us so sparse they came one at a time. I knew that wouldn't last. Soon we would be dumped on so I should hurry up and get home.
I'm in the drugstore again, expecting to get in and out fast. The clerk says, "Still haven't got to check out one of your books, but I will."
The other clerk said, "I have your book about your dad and I love it. I'm about half way through it."
"That's great!"
"My mother-in-law has dementia and we think she may get Alzheimer's. The book really interests me."
So I suggested I would be glad to bring her in a paper version of "Open A Window" ISBN 1438244991. I sold the books for years and they are being used to train CNAs and in a Health class at a high school. Now I have the book published and on Amazon so I have a few copies of the other book left. It would be good to see them go to a good cause.
Now I am on the way out the door, knowing that hubby has his hair cut over with and I need to get to the car.
A woman came out the drug store door right behind me. "You write books?"
"Yes."
She whispers as she looks around like she's on some spy mission. "My husband has written a book. I wondered if I could talk to you about how you published yours."
That's all it took to have me rush through publisher name and different computer programs to make up the book and what else I could think of on the spur of the moment. She said she would never remember all of that so we exchanged emails.
Am I an expert all of a sudden? No way, but I like sharing what I know from my experiences. What fun to find someone in this small town who has written a book and is on their way to new experiences with their manuscript. By the time I told the woman good bye, snow was swirling over the pavement. The haze was thick in the air as I slipped into my car. I didn't care. What a cheer up those few moments had been in that gray day.

Jump Right In

Good Morning,
I wager most writers start out bashful and insecure about their work. I felt that if I professed to wanting to be an author I would get looked at like I had grown horns. So I hid my work. I wrote back in the day when I had to do it by hand, then I had an old Royal typewriter. I do mean old - 1950 era. Once in awhile I sent out a short story and got back rejections. I look at those stories now and realize their construction was terrible. I sent the usual self addressed envolope with the story. I remember the day my husband got the mail. He asked me why I had written a letter addressed to myself. That was when I spilled the secret to him.
Then my father had Alzheimer's for ten years. I kept a journal as an outlet for my feelings. After he died, I turned that journal into a book written by hand with about 160 thousand words too many - "Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad" (ISBN 1438278276)
Now sold on Amazon and in Lemstone Christian Book Store in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Never thought I would ever have a computer. The day came I decided I wanted to have one if nothing else as a new toy to experiment with just to see if I could master it. What helped is my younger brother is expert at using a computer so I had a built in teacher. I bought the computer and copied the manuscript about my father into it. Step one and it was saved.
Step two: I worked at the Keystone Nursing Care Center as a Certified Nurse Aide. Had plenty of experience with Alzheimer's residents. A nurse said to me, "Why don't you write a book about what you know?" I replied, "I already have." When I explained what the book was about, the nurse asked if she could see it. Although I felt shy about the whole prospect, I printed the book out, put it into a notebook and let her read it. Without me knowing it, she passed it on to the administrator who past it on to a retired teacher who had given me and others a six week writers course in the back of the town library years ago. The book was way too big and poorly written. I knew that. Ten years later, I cut the book down to size and added tips in between the chapters and self published it. Alzheimer's is a disease that people suffering and families suffering need to hear and read that they are not alone. By reading a book like mine, they realize I hope that others are there with the same problem and need help.
How did I get up the nerve to publish this book and the fifteen others I've written? Simple. I had a support system that kept telling me the books were good. I had a retired teacher looking at my early work that edited it for me. These wonderful people bolstered my courage, fed my ego and gave me the nerve it took to keep writing other books and to take the rejections I kept getting with a grain of salt.
Here is an excerpt from "Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad"
Why would I choose to relive ten painful years of my life by writing this book? I could have let the memories fade and continued on with my life, couldn't I? I'll tell you why. Because I know there are other people going through the same situation my family did, caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease. It's a lonely disease for the people who have it and for their caregivers as well. Anyone who has been through this has the same kind of stories to tell. If as once was the case with me you are adjusting to the diagnosis, you may not have a clue what to do next. This book isn't just about what happened to us. I wrote the book to show you how to hand the situations we found ourselves in. Hopefully, it will help give you some ideas about what to do when the same thing happens to you.
So give up that hid away book you have written to someone close and let them read it. Find someone who will tell you the truth about the story's weakness. Take the criticism and construct that book to be the best it can be and find a publisher or agent. Plenty of them now that you can email and that keeps down your cost. I have a book so I kept tract of postage and rejections. For one thing, it helped me not to send to the same publisher again. For another, I thought I needed to keep track of my expenses. After years of writing down the expenses for stamps and stationary, I never added it up. No need since I didn't have anything to deduct for income tax. SO JUMP RIGHT IN!
Enjoy the day,
Fay Risner

Ask questions

Cloudy and cool, snow on the way. That's why we say in Iowa to stick around. It's Iowa.
I'm learning to file neatly and keep an accounting book. What a challenge!
While I'm keeping the account files I also have stored up the reviews for my books. Comes in handy when I need one to advertise. Works as a morale booster for me as well when I begin to wonder what I have gotten myself into. For instance, I realized when my Amish story "Christmas Traditions" sold on ebay that I have a customer base for another Amish book. So I wrote one which I can always sell if I choose to self publish down the road.
Also I have a book full of writer sites I've posted short stories on so I can get viewers for my books. Does it work? I have lots of viewers but these are other writers so I don't expect buyers to come from that. Google me and those sites have submitted my Booksbyfay name so two pages of me show up. That's great if you know what to type for the search. Another site for writers to enter is reddit. Anyone want to ask me questions or comment just do so. I have learned a lot about the marketing end just from trying everything I thought would work for me on the Internet. Each day I will add another self publishing tip I have used. State tuned.

Dreary Day

Light rain is falling outside my window. Temp is 38 degrees. Dampness makes it feel much colder. I find myself looking forward to a day when the temp is 80 and with humidity and the weather man says it feels like 90.
I'm working on some short stories for contests I've entered for years. Arkansas Writers' Conference. There's a long list of poems and story contests to be entered for one fee. I've been fortunate enough to place most years. I love the competition of trying with other writers to see where I stack up. With so many stories, I decided to turn them into three small books. One is "A Teapot, Ghosts, Bats & More. Another is westerns - "Wild West Tales and the third is essays about women I have known and admired in my life time titled "Butterfly And Angel Wings. Now I'm working on a whole new set of stories to turn into another book in a few years. These books are on Amazon. Put Fay Risner in the author search. My whole library will come up.
I sell my books from home so I can sign them, too. Yesterday I went to the post office in town to mail a box. Ran into my former boss, Sue Meyer, administrator of the nursing home. I retired from my job as a CNA on Dec. 31. I like to say I quit so I could be a writer. Some would say that is a pipe dream except at my time in life the adventure is a fun one. I don't have to depend on selling my work to make a living. My biggest fan may be Sue Meyer. All along she has supported my writing and pushed me to try getting books out to the public. Since she hadn't seen me for about six weeks, first thing she wanted to know was did I have another book out that she hadn't read. Sure I do. In five weeks I wrote a book that while I was working would have taken me months. I entered the story in Amazon's self publishing author breakthrough contest. In March I will know if I made the first cut. If I didn't I will send the manuscript to publishers. If I'm rejected I now have the option to self publish and buyers that are waiting for the next book. "A Promise Is A Promise" An Amish Love Story. State tune for updates.

Contests

Another pretty day in Central Iowa although a little too windy. But hey that is Iowa. I've been working on short story entries. I've entered the same contests for years and place with a few of my entries. Even won first place once with a chapter from one of my books.
Just finished another Amish book and sent it in to the Amazon book contest for self published authors. With ten thousand entries, I don't expect to make the first cut, but now I have another book to put on the market one of these days.
I published with Create Space. Since I had fifteen books, it seemed that was the cheapest way to go. Amazon sells the books since Create Space belongs to that company. Though I have sold quite a few in the last few months, an unknown author doesn't get brought out of the slush pile of books at Amazon unless you have some interesting keywords. That's why the word Amish gets my book Christmas Traditions noticed.
Well, sounds like some snow on the way. I have some errands to run so intend to do them this morning so I'm off the roads when the weather changes.
Tip for the day. If you are a new author looking for places to post a book, try Booksie. I have all of mine posted there and the first chapter of each. You can check back and see how many viewers you had and read comments left about your book. The comments can be very helpful.

Touch bases with aunts

Another day! I'm quite proud of myself for sticking to this blog. At least I have managed to find my blog. I started one the first of the year and lost it. Not much need to blog if you have to start a new one somewhere different every day. I'm a learn as you go type that has to fail sometimes to learn. Computer skills do not come easy for me. Sometimes when I finally succeed at something, I'm not sure how I did it later. Hasn't stopped me from continuing to try yet.
Just called two of my aunts. One 600 hundred miles away and the other not so far away. They remind me of my mother, their sister, who passed away six years ago. A good way to start my day, touching base with loved ones.
Signed up on Twitter. Have no idea what I'm doing but am looking for some marketing help for self promoting books. Have four interested in following me. That's a start, looking at their website to see what they know and do.
Thought I might put in an excerpt from "Christmas Traditions" and then move on tomorrow.
Chapter Two Page 19
The kitchen seemed more dismal than before if that was possible. Very quiet in the strained silence with only Levi, full of gloom and doom, left at the table so very close to her. When Luke left, it seemed to her that the room's bright light had been snuffed out. She watched the glum man out of the corner of her eyes and sipped her tea as she waited for some response from him. Any words beat his silence.
The fire snapped and crackled in the cookstove. The half empty tea kettle whistled a screeching tune that grated on her raw nerves. She braced herself for their once a year talk about Luke. This might be the only time Levi and she would be alone. The problem was how to begin now that she risked Levi's wrath, contradicting him like she did by sending Jeremiah and Luke after a Christmas tree.
Suddenly, the man's head reared up. "Why didn't thy husband come with thee this year?"

There you have it a taste of the 210 page book.
How about tomorrow, I put on my to do list to tell you about some of my favorite free ad spots for books.

Today Is Better Yet

I knew there would be a down side to what I saw out the window yesterday. Good thing I was smart enough to put on boots. The melting snow pooled and created mud bogs in all the places I needed to be: in front of the barn doors, the chicken house and the dog kennel.
Today was much better. Last night the ground froze. Made walking easier this morning, but then maybe I went out earlier. Now I can sit on my front porch or by my window and watch my taste of spring.
I'm blessed to have my back to nature place. It fits my personality. Makes me feel a little more secure in the termoil in the country. This peaceful place that makes it easy to think and write had aided me in coming up with short and book size material for years. So last summer I began a new adventure. I self published fifteen books. That was the easy part. Marketing is the hard part. It takes time away from my writing, but so far I have managed to do both.
My best books sales are from ebay, and I don't think I will ever lose the thrill of a good review from buyers of my books.
What possessed me to publish fifteen books at once. My idea was that with so many different genres, I could catch the interest of more buyers. It took my Amish love story "Christmas Traditions" to get buyers attention to some of the other books.
Want to see my library. Search Fay Risner on amazon.com or
ebay for "Christmas Traditions" an Amish love story
check out my website www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
contact me for a signed copy of my book at fayrisner@netins.net
That's just for starters. Look out. Here I come.
Fay

False Spring

Looking out my window, I see water running down my driveway and more brown grass then snow piles. I'm ready for warm temperatures and blooming flowers, but know I have several months to wait.
So while I'm waiting, I write what pops into my head. With several books under my belt, I have more stories to go. I'm apprecative of the readers who get back to me with such good reviews. Who knew that there is such a following of Amish stories. My book "Christmas Traditions" proves that to me.
The fact that there are still people who like to read wholesome stories that aren't full of the violence of urban settings is not lost on me, either.
So join me here for more on my idea of good reading and what I'm up to with a new book. I have plans and promotions to do. Hurray for better weather coming in Iowa.