Returning to my Heartsong

 Its been a long road to get back to my blog and writing.

So here's the updated version for those who have read the past posts.

My divorce took almost 3 years to get and turned very nasty. The total financial devastation that I went through still leaves me shaking my head in disbelief. But that is the PAST!!

I may no longer have an active website, but I am going to use my blog to promote my books. 

I SURVIVED!!! That is the most important thing these last few years have shown me. A human being can survive and yes even thrive in adverse conditions and it all depends on your determination.

My daughter and I are safe. She is in grade 3 and excelling in school. I have finally gotten back to my writing and I must say I am so happy to be writing again. It feels like a part of my soul is once again whole.

So yes I am returning to MY HEARTSONG - WRITING!

What is it that makes your heart sing and brings you immense joy?

I will be keeping the blog up to date as well as updating my books and freebies here.

Happy reading and here's to finding your heartsong.

Good News

I know I was supposed to add links to my free book BUT I've got something even better for you.
My website is LIVE!
www.marietrace.com
On the home page you will find links to all vendors to download the free book.
So enjoy and happy reading.

Happy New Year everyone!

It has been too long since my last post.
Lots of things have changed and some things are still up in the air.
But I entered this year with a much more positive outlook and with renewed determination.
The real life issues of divorce in progress, protection orders, child support is all still there up in the air with no resolutions as yet but I've chosen to let them be and focus on things within my control.
At the end of last year I decided to summarize my book sales and the numbers surprised me.
My previous posts had cover reveals but they have been updated.
Have a look at my author profile at Amazon here to see my new much improved covers.
Return to Darkness is free and I will  soon update with Amazon and other vendors details for all who are interested.

At the beginning of each year I always write a list of goals I wish to achieve and this year my list included writing goals.
And I know I can accomplish it by taking it one step at a time.
That has become my mantra for the year.
Anyway Wishing everyone a succesfull, productful and happy year ahead.

When life does a 180...

What do you do when something happens to you that makes you reasses your entire life?
Here I was busy living my life happily finding help to the no sales blues. ( Needed new covers and bit more editorial work done) when life hit a pothole. Both hubby and I are unemployed, our savings is running out. We have a 16 month toddler. I'm doing my damdest to see to her while being supportive as well get my writing done and out there when hubby finally snaps.
There some things in life that you know no matter how hard it is you will not tolerate or even accept. Well for me its violence. Only after marrying my hubby did I learn of his previous violent incidents and I always told him that the day he lays a hand on me, I will leave. Well the day has come and gone all I can say is thank god I was at my mums home when it happened and that she was there. He punched me 3 times in the face while I was carrying my little one and if my mum hadn't been there and stopped him, he would have continued.

So now I've walked away, busy getting a protection order finalised and because I've 'left' him. He wants a divorce. So I guess I will have to deal with that as well. I am lucky my mum has given me a place to stay and helping out with baby, I managed to get a temporary part time job. So that will help, but it also means that the writing has come to a virtual standstill.
But I have been slowly redoing the covers. By the end of this weekend I'm hoping to have the next cover done. Then the edits.

Life has totally changed.While I battle with the nasty emotional blackmail and other things my hubby is throwing at me, my daughter and my writing dreams are keeping me sane.

All I know for is that no one believed I would leave him or be so adamant about this issue. My belief is once is enough because violence just leads to more violence and I have dreams and a child whose life is in my hands and I would lay down my life for her.

Finally its back to work

I wonder how many people breathe a sigh of relief once the holiday season is over. I know I did after the many long weekends we've had here in South Africa.Its been totally crazy. And I can truthfully say I'm happy to have a normal workday routine back. Well as normal as it is for me, with both me and hubby working from home and with a toddler around. In these last 2weeks my little has grasped the fundamentals of walking and is already running even before she can walk properly. And that made me think of my writing and life in general how many of us actually run before we have the basics down?
Well I came back from a small holiday totally exhausted physically but mentally totally revived. To the point that I now have a new young adult story line beating my brain to be let out but I also have a fantasy romance that needs to be edited and cover created for publishing and I have 2 other works I want to finish before I give my new story idea the full attention it deserves so this means I'll be knuckling down and focusing in lots of work in the next few weeks.
Take care and happy writing. Follow that dream to happines.

The journey from idea to finished book

When I first started writing I had no knowledge of the writing craft. I just knew that the story had to have a beginning, middle and end. So there I was busy writing my first story and madly using Google to find out more about the writing process. Along the way I picked up a lovely c.p. and later another but I always seemed to be battling to finish a story. I would keep hitting blocks and loose interest in what I was writing eventually one of my c.p's challenged me to look at a online call for stories and meet the deadline.
And what did I discover? I needed deadlines to work too!
So I started work on the novella and once I outlined it I found some days it would take longer to meet my personal words targets but if I refused to get my butt of the chair till I had met my minimum word goals I would eventually still be writing after I had reached it.
So there you have it set goals even if it is as little as a paragraph or 500 words a day and eventually they add up.
Once I had completed the first draft my c.p took over it and gave me an excellent critique and from there I polished it.
Them I subbed it and waited and waited. Only to finally one day to open my email to see the dreaded rejection letter.
I tried sending it to various other publishers but always had good comments but they weren't interested in it. I knew I had a good story on my hands but couldn't find a home for it.
One of my c.P's had mentioned self publishing to me but I hadn't been paying much attention and when I lost her after she moved countries i decided to give it another look. I found amazon kindle direct publishing and realised I already had all the skills I needed to publish my own book. I took the plunge and I am extremely happy about it. I am still learning but its an adventure that I'm loving.

So in summary the steps I took and keep using:
1. Great idea
2. Outline. I tend to write an overview of the entire story the break it down into chapters as well as character descriptions and anything about characters that comes to mind. But i'm also flexible in that as I write if something happens in the story and it feels right I go with it.
3. I set daily word goals and self imposed deadlines. But for me I have stopped beating myself over not meeting them. I used to get depressed and very upset if I never met my goals but I have come to realise that being a mum with a one year old my time is no longer my own and I need to be flexible with my personal expectations. As long I can get some writing down on a daily basis I am very happy.
4. Polished/rewrite and get my c.p's involved.
5. While the book is with c.P's I start looking at images to create a cover.
6. Do edits and send it off to c.p again this stage sometimes is repeated several times till I'm sick of even looking at it that's when I know its time to format for publishing.

The journey begins

As we all know some of our biggest dreams are just goals that we are too scared to reach for often thinking them unatainable. But if life throws you a curveball and you suddenly realise those dreams are worth chasing would you do it? This is my story and my journey as I take on my dreams and turn them into reality. I am a reader. I love books. ask anyone who knows me and that would be the first thing they would generally comment about. Yet there came a time in my childhood when I read the entire library in my small rural town. So what to do with nothing to read I started creating my own stories with me often as the star of those stories. Time passed and I grew up but the stories always remained. I always dreamed of being a writer but never had the courage to go for it even though I did major in English and followed the creative writing stream at university. What changed? Suddenly within a week my dad had to have an emergency triple heart bypass! I still don't remember everything of that terrible time but the one thing that I take away from it was life is too short to follow your dreams no matter how out of your reach you think they may be. My family pulled together to help my dad with his recovery and I was single so I became his night nurse. I didnt mind, those nights of running to make toasted tomatoe and brown bread sandwiches while we watched discovery chanel or cartoons or quietly chat while trying not to disturb anyone else will always remain with me. It brought us closer and it opened my eyes to the possibilities of a positive attitude. My dad inspired me to reach for my dreams. and here I am. I love fantasy, scifi and romance. and I'm proud to say my very first book is avalible on Amazon.

And is available to purchase here http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IIS24VE