What did I do yesterday?

I took the time yesterday to go through my file cabinet just to see what I had stored there and rearrange the files. Over the years, I have kept many newspaper articles that would make a good story or what I call fillers in one of my books. In fact I have stored these fillers for so long, I forgot what I had. Yesterday, I refreshed my memory and found I shouldn't have a writer's block anytime soon. So read the papers and cut out the true human interest stories and put in files. I have holiday files, files for certain years, the Great Depression, animals, people who would stand out as characters in my books, and human interest stories. Instead of fillers, I should call the stories treasures.
Gotta Go
Booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Iowa
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
booksbyfay@yahoo if you want to email me for a book
Lemstone Christian Bookstore, Cedar Rapids, Iowa for my two books about Alzheimer's - a very timely topic
www.amazon to buy any of my books

snow

We woke up this morning with everything outside covered in 2 inches of wet, heavy snow. Now most of it has melted which suits me just fine. The sun has been out all day and has some power to it now.
I've spent the day trying to clean my computer out. A message said I had way too many things on my computer and no room for anymore. I deleted a lot of things so I hope I didn't delete something I will regret later.
Gotta Go
booksbyfay
Fay Risner
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
booksbyfay@yahoo to buy my books
Lemstone Christian Bookstore to buy my two Alzheimer's books. This is the time to be educated about that disease. One out of seven people are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease every 70 seconds.

New Book "A Promise Is A Promise" coming soon

I'm excited. I took my manuscript to my editor yesterday. When she is done with proofing reading then I'm ready to start the publishing process. When that is done and the new book is out there for readers to buy, I will be ready to write the next book that is rambling around in my head. So here's what's in my new book. "A Promise Is A Promise"
Home Health Nurse in Wickenburg, Iowa Hallie Lindstrom, nicknamed Hal, is nervous about caring for an Amish client. Widower, John Lapp and his family of three children soon suck caring Hal into their troubled family life. Lonesome and homesick for her parents, Hal finds herself wishing she had a family to come home after work. Go along with Hal as she tries to help the Lapp family without knowing the dreadful secret that troubles them. Having the answer to the secret might help her understand the family, but she promised John's daughter, Emily, she wouldn't dig into their past. Hal could live with that promise at first, but her feelings changed when she realized she was falling in love with John. Her only obstacle isn't the secret, but the hard fact is Hal is English and John is Amish.
Gotta Go
booksbyfay
Fay Risner
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
booksbyfay@yahoo.com to order books from me or review my books
Lemstone Christian Bookstore in Cedar Rapids to buy my two books on Alzheimer's "Open A Window" and "Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad"

Cold Day

Winter is making one last gasp today and the next few. After that I sure hope warmer weather is here to stay. The robins didn't look happy today. One thing about it being so cold outside is it makes for a good day to stay in front of the computer editing my next book. Now I will take it to my editor to be gone over and then send it to the publisher. Look for "A Promise Is A Promise" Nurse Hal and her Amish family Book one. This will be the start of a series and who knows how many that might be. Just as long as I get the ideas I guess.
Gotta go
Booksbyfay
Fay Risner
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
booksbyfay@yahoo to buy my books
www.amazon to buy my books

rain

It's a dreary day with a light shower. That doesn't seem to bother the birds. They are prowling out in the yard looking for interesting fiber to make nest with. I don't intend to let the weather bother me either. I have a birthday party/supper to go to for a little niece. That means I need to get a covered dish fixed and chores done before 1 this afternoon. I'm ready for some fun time after a long winter. All of you have fun today too.
Gotta Go
booksbyfay
Fay Risner
booksbyfay.tripod.com
booksbyfay@yahoo to buy my books
Lemstone Christian Bookstore to buy my Alzheimer's books
Amazon to buy all fifteen of my books

A thrilling sound

You know what sound is better than a robin's cheer up as he hops about his territory in my yard, the pigeons chortles as they do their mating strutt in the driveway, or the cries of newborn lambs and baby goats calling their mothers.

It's the phone ringing and the owner of Lemstone Christian Bookstore in Cedar Rapids, Iowa telling me they have sold out the stock of books I left them. They need me to bring more books for their shelf.

I have my own bookshelf of my books set up by www.shelfari.com right next to my blog. How neat is that.

Gotta Go
Booksbyfay
Fay Risner
booksbyfay@yahoo to order books.
Lemstone Christian Bookstore to buy my Alzheimer's books

New bookcase for my books

Well persistence pays off. A year ago I tried to upload my books on www.shelfari.com and couldn't do it. Now they have a new improved way to upload and though it took me a while this morning I was able to get my bookshelf filled on the website and had the added bonus of putting the book covers on my blog site. Promotion takes time, but I think using the Internet in the comfort of your home is definitely the way to go when letting people know about your books.
Have more writing to do. Gotta Go
booksbyfay
Fay Risner
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
booksbyfay@yahoo to buy books
www.amazon to buy books
www.ebay to buy my Amish book "Christmas Traditions"
Lemstone Christian Bookstore in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for my two Alzheimer's books

Try a critque

Yesterday was one of those glorious days that only comes once in maybe two weeks. I raked my flower beds so I could see the tips of tulips and irises among other flowers popping through. Today it's going to rain sooner or later and for a few days after this one. Those spring showers will bring on the flowers now that they are uncovered and it isn't even April yet.

Tried something I had thought about for awhile. There are many websites that have authors work and critique each other. I kept putting off trying one. Am I brave enough to hear what my peers have to say about something I wrote now that it's a done deal and the book is self published?

So last Sunday I came across www.authonomy.com and gave it a try with four chapters "Christmas Traditions" Amish love story. I have had four offers to read other works and have started that with comments to the authors. I just put four chapters on the web since I sell the book on www.ebay I didn't want to give away the ending. Today I got a great critique from one author who definitely wanted to see more if I could put the rest on. Sure makes it tempting. This author is fast becoming another fan of the Amish way of life. This is one way to get to read a lot of different books and I love to read. If I'm going to swap reads with these author I gotta go.
booksbyfay
Fay Risner
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
booksbyfay@yahoo to contact me about my fifteen books
www.amazon to buy my books
Lemstone Christian Bookstore in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to purchase my books on Alzheimer's

Tips to help self publishers

Ever have to put up with a back seat driver. I did recently. It has always been routine that when I go with my husband, he does the driving. When he was sick recently, he let me drive. The doctor's office is a block off Main Street. I turned my signal on to go down Main Street as he always did. He says no go straight ahead and turn at the next block. I say nothing. A few weeks later, he is well enough to drive and he turns down Main Street. I didn't speak until after he turned, then I said you turned a block too soon. He said I wanted to see what was happening on Main Street. I reminded him I wanted to do that when I drove and he thought I shouldn't. Same thing happened when we have a choice of two routes out of town. Most of the time, we come in one end of town and go out the other when he is driving. First time I tried that he tells me I shouldn't have went home that way. Next time, he drove that is the way he drove home.

Where am I going with my parable? Simple. For years I have written stories that were considered good by those who read them. Publishers weren't interested in a no name novice with a out of the main stream book. So I decided last year to publish all fifteen of my books and sell them on www.amazon.com For me this is the way to go. I just intended to publish one. I got so excited when I saw that book, I had to publish all of them. Would I get excited if a publisher said to me we can sell more copies faster if you let us? Sure I would, but I also would get told to change a scene because it didn't work for a city editor that doesn't know a hoot about country life. That same editor might catch more of my editing mistakes, but so far no more mistakes than I have made, I feel as good as most authors in that regard. I read books all the time and especially books written for mass media sales have editing errors. Maybe just three or four, but I find them. Readers of my books tell me that is the sort of thing they read over and never notice if the book is good. They aren't reading to check out the writing like I am. They want to be entertain and that's exactly what my books do. They are suspenseful, romantic, humorous and human interest. So if you have been struggling with trying self publishing give one book a try and see what happens. Have friends or an editor you can afford to pay let someone edit the book if that makes you feel better. Don't think you can afford the self publishing bill, try www.CreateSpace like I did. For the price of a proof, you are published. You can order one to a multitude when ever you are ready. Add a retail price to the book and you are in business. Gotta go.
booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Iowa
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com to see my bio and descriptions of books. I have a wide range of genre.
booksbyfay@yahoo if you want to buy any of my books

Civil War in the Ozarks

It's getting time for the Civil War reenactors to think about getting into battlefields. Here's a new story line that might interest them or any Civil War buff. Ella Mayfield was a strong willed, independent woman. She was the oldest of the Mayfield children. The family was homesteading in Vernon County Missouri when the war started. They feared the Jawhawkers in Kansas, but those men hadn't gotten down as far as Montevallo yet. The Mayfield men joined the Confederate army, but worried so much about the women and children at home, they didn't reenlist, choosing to become Bushwhackers. Now they had to worry about Iowa soldiers at Ft. Scott Kansas. No one in the band could compare to Ella for daring and narrow escapes. The book is both fiction and fact. Life was a struggle in Ozarks just like anywhere else in the south. Battles and skirmishes are taken from the 1887 Vernon County History book that is written twenty years after the war when the sting of hardship is still fresh with people in the area. Sold on Amazon ISBN 1438235461

It's almost fifty degrees outside. We are basking in spring here already. Gotta go. I'm reading off some of my short stories to give to a blind woman. She likes my writing.

booksbyfay

Fay Risner

www.booksbyfay.tripod.com

www.blogger/booksbyfay

www.twitter/booksbyfay

booksbyfay@yahoo to order any of my books that you see on amazon

www.ebay for "Christmas Traditions" Amish Love Story

www.bookorphanage for signed copy of my mystery "Neighbor Watchers"

www.camppope for "Ella Mayfield's Pawpaw Militia"

Lemstone Christian Bookstore in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for my two Alzheimer's books "Open A Window" and "Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad"

Burrrrrr

It's a lovely sunny day outside my window. Not too windy, quiet and still. That's as far as my admiration goes after I found out the weatherman said it was only 10 above. That's about how cold it was yesterday too only with a 30 mile an wind to make a wind chill. I hope this is the last gasp of winter. I saw two flocks of geese Monday morning going north. The last couple of days I've wondered if they are confused. I sure hope they know what they're doing. Haven't seen a robin yet, but my mother in law tells me a whole flock of them landed in her yard the other day. She had never seen so many at once. When it warms up the robins will venture out in the country. I've been working on a Alzheimer's speech for the two Health Classed at Benton Community High School in Van Horne, Iowa for the 25th. Now I have a book signing set up at Anamosa Library in Anamosa, Iowa for June 7. It will be good to get back to talking about my books. Non fiction "Open A Window" ISBN 1438244991 and sold on Amazon - a training book used in that health class and "Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad" about my father - ISBN 1438278276 sold on Amazon.

The "Open A Window" cover is white so the outline of the book doesn't show but that's the front you see.

Well since it's cold outside, I intend to hurry out to see about my babies and get back inside quick. I can write a book today. Gotta Go

booksbyfay

Fay Risner

Keystone, Iowa

www.booksbyfay.tripod.com

booksbyfay@yahoo to buy any of my signed books from me

www.bookorphanage.com for my mystery "Neighbor Watcher"

www.camppope for my civil war book "Ella Mayfield's Pawpaw Militia"

Lemstone Christian Bookstore Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the two books shown above on Alzheimers.

Author's Day Event

This gloomy moisture laden morning has started out great. I just received an invitation to the Anamosa, Iowa library to be a part of their author's day. I along with a few other area authors will be able to speak and sell our books on June 7, 2009 at 2 p.m. Sounds like fun. How did a library 50 or 60 miles away from me find out I'm an author. Someone at the library was planning this day since last year to get enough authors to make it worthwhile. That someone read the press release I put in the book section of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Gazette when I self published "Neighbor Watchers." The press release was free so getting the publicity out does pay off. Must get busy writing. Gotta go
booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Iowa
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
www.twitter/booksbyfay
www.blogger/booksbyfay
www.bookorphanage for my mystery "Neighbor Watchers"
www.camppope for my civil war book "Ella Mayfield's Pawpaw Militia" Takes place in Vernon Co. Missouri
Lemstone Christian Bookstore for my two books on Alzheimer's "Open A Window" and "Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad"

Give a good review

Another beautiful day in the neighborhood. I was up early this morning, went for a haircut and checked the new babies in the barn.
Found on my email a good response to my Amish love story, "Christmas Traditions". I find it a thrill that people want to buy my books and an even bigger thrill when they respond back after they read the books to let me know that they liked the book and what they liked about it.
Keeps me knowing I'm on the right track, I have readers out there that like the type of books I write and it's a boost to my ego. So my advice is if you want to help further an author's career, ready books by new authors and if they have a website email let them know how much you liked their book.
My good problem is that most readers of my books tell me they would like me to write a sequel to which ever book they read. I'd love to do that and when I run out of ideas I just might get to it, but even with as much time as I have, it's not easy to whip up a book fast enough to please everyone.
The one I just finished I wrote in five weeks. That is a record when it usually took me a year with working at a job. Now I know that book can use some improvements, but I entered it in a contest. By the middle of March, I will know if I am in the first cut. If not I have an editor I want to query. If that doesn't pan out, I can self publish and have buyers waiting for the book. Title is "A Promise Is A Promise". It's an Amish story. I'm finding there are lots of readers that like Amish stories because of the simple life style. So if they like this book, I am thinking about making it a series. Gotta go. Need to get out another chapter on my memoir and enjoy the spring weather. I saw two flocks of geese going over this morning headed north. Love those geese for telling spring is near. Planted a container of tomato and pepper seeds yesterday so with any luck the plants will be ready by the time my husband has the garden tilled.
Booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Ia
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
booksbyfay@yahoo
www.twitter/booksbyfay
www.blogger'booksbyfay
www.bushwhacker museum to buy my civil war book
www.camppope to buy my civil war book
www.bookorphanage to buy my mystery book
Lemstone Christian Bookstore to buy my books on Alzheimer's disease

It feels like Spring

One of the nicest days yet for this year is going on outside my window so I need to be out there enjoying it. Now I have twin lambs and twin goats and expect more babies any time so keeps me busy checking to see the mothers to be are all right.
I took a couple hours last night to work on a new book. Saved the first hour I am grateful to say and the next hour was for nothing. Tried to copy and paste a picture. What I got was scribble for several pages. Message said I could not delete any of it so I had to close down without saving to get rid of it. Not the best use of my time, but I will learn from that and go on to get this book done one day.
Update - finally got a set of my 15 books to the buyer after three tries. UPS got the box to her in 24 hours and the postal service has tried from Jan. 2 until now and failed. I have a complaint lodged with the postal service. I don't want to quit mailing with the postal service as I explained in my email. I just want an inspection done of the area that loses mail. Doubt anyone will pay attention to me, but I don't mind trying to correct a situation like this.
Best get some writing done on that book. Gotta go.
Booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Ia
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
www.blogger/booksbyfay
booksbyfay@yahoo.com
www.bookorphanage.com for my mystery book "Neighbor Watchers"
www.bushwhackermuseum for my Civil War book "Ella Mayfield's Pawpaw Militia"
www.camppope for my Civil War book "Ella Mayfield's Pawpaw Militia"
Lemstone Christian Bookstore for my Alzheimer's books "Open A Window" and "Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad"
ebay for my amish fiction romance book "Christmas Traditions"

Waited too long

I started a task that I should have been doing all along for ten years two days ago and still have several days left to work on this off and on since it brought on a writing project. I must confess to being a saver like my mother. I found things she had saved like documents for when my father was let go from the airplane plant as soon as world war 2 was over. The draft paper that said Dad should appear at the draft office. When they found out Dad repaired airplanes to be sent back to war as well as made new ones, they told him they needed him right where he was so he didn't have to go to the army. So I save every family event - wedding, birth, birthday and holiday gathering I took pictures. But instead of putting them in the scrap book as I went, around 1999 I started throwing the mementos in an old laundry basket. Determined now that I am retired to get done things I let go over the years I made scrap booking my task Saturday, thinking I could do it in one day. Of course, I was fooling myself. In the process I took the dozen picture books out of the closet and looked through them and that brought back memories. Made me remember my mother's oldest scrapbook that she loved to show us and reminisce about her younger days with friends and family. So now I'm scanning a bunch of the black and white pictures to use in a book about me with a look from my view about family. May be a while before I get all the pictures back in the scrapbooks and plus I am now reinforcing some of the books pages that had torn out. I'm glad I picked winter to work on this project. I piled each year out on the floor and then put the year in sequence when I put the pictures, cards and napkins in the book. So many pictures and cards came from people I worked with at the nursing home over the years, I placed them separately and have enough for a scrapbook of them. So there's another project.
So do you have a book in your life. Go get those pictures of your parents and grandparents and yours and look at them. So got to get back t0 the pictures. Bye
booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Ia
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
booksbyfay@yahoo
www.blogger/booksbyfay
www.twitter/booksbyfay
www.amazon.com to buy my books
www.bookorphanage to buy my mystery book "Neighbor Watchers"
www.camppope to buy my civil war book "Ella Mayfield and the Pawpaw Militia"
Lemstone Christian Bookstore Cedar Rapids, Ia for "Open A Window" and "Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad" Books about Alzheimer's
Otherwise try my email and buy from me. I have fifteen to pick from.