L.M. Schukraft's Blog

My April into May has hit a few road bumps. If you follow me on social media, you might have seen the post about when I discovered all my S memo notes have disappeared. These notes were book ideas, titles, character information, plot notes; TWO YEARS of ideas.

Gone.

That hit me hard.

I can’t remember some of the 8 book titles I had for the Crooked Halos series or all the plot ideas I had.

I have to recreate the notes with names, hair color, eye color, Halo and wing colors. This helps me keep continuity when writing and it definitely has slowed me down.

Then there’s been spending the last three weeks dealing with first my son getting sick then my asthma knocking me flat and coughing so hard I sprained a rib.

I’m still coughing. Over a week later and my asthma is still actively making me cough.

I don’t know how many of you suffer from asthma or if you feel like I do when it kicks in but it hurts. It’s tiring. I have a ridiculously hard time focusing or following a sentence to it’s end.

My chest gets tight. My neck muscles burn and ache from straining to breathe. I get light headed. Then the coughing kicks in and my throat goes raw. I cough so hard, I get sick.

My voice starts sounding like a 70 year old smoker’s.

The wind in my area has been active the last couple of weeks. My son and I suffer from allergies. Any time we have to go somewhere and be outside in the wind, we come home sneezing and coughing.

Mother’s day I coughed so hard I felt something pop in my right shoulder blade/rib area. Turns out, I sprained a rib.

It’s a weird injury. Now on top of the limp from the hip injury, I’m walking like I had a stroke; cradling my right arm into my side with my hand curled up to combat the hip pain and rib pain.

It’s swollen. I can feel it anytime my bicep rests against my side.

It is a freaking weird injury because I can’t figure out exactly what movements make it hurt and how to avoid them. I just randomly get zapped with excruciating pain that has me swearing like a sailor.

Before the asthma hit, I decided to revisit creating the character sheets I started two years ago. I’ve been knocking them down one by one and have maybe 10 completed. Part of the reason I had stopped creating them was a concern about copyrights and not being able to use certain images. Since I don’t plan on selling these in a book or anything like that and fully acknowledge they are composites of other images, I can share a few here.

I’m happy I revisited creating these because I’ve made quite a few improvements and love the new designs.

The one thing that’s been bothering me besides the massive loss of my notes and the ridiculous amount of pain I’ve been in, is that I’m so behind on finishing Crooked Halos, Glowing Eyes, and Wings! Oh, My!

I was really hoping to have finished it months ago. I love the story so far. It’s hilarious, gripping, and I hope my readers will enjoy it once I finish it. I’m halfway there. Maybe further along. I’m hoping to find a way back to a schedule but… I don’t know. It’s been rougher than I expected these last few weeks.

Fingers crossed. I keep telling myself I’ve got this. I’m okay. Then I cough and whimper, I’m not okay. I’m not. Rib sprains hurt. It hurts to type on my cell using my thumb so I need to remember to use talk to text.

Anyhoo, that’s my last month or so and below are a few of my completed character sheets. Enjoy!

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It’s been awhile but hello to my new followers and thank you!!

I’ve been celebrating #IndieApril for #IndieAuthors on twitter and with the wonderful help of twitter’s #writingcommunity and #FollowFriday (#FF), I’ve surpassed 600 followers today.

As part of #IndieApril, my ebooks will be #free at different times this month!!!

You read that right! My ebooks will be #FREE!!

First up, is EVEN HALOS CAN BE CROOKED!! It’s free right now on Amazon. With just one simple click, you can grab yourself an ebook today!!!

Not only will you be getting a fab adventure that will have you laughing and wanting more, you will be getting an Amazon Top Ten Bestselling Paranormal Angel Romance for free!

I’m in the TOP TEN!! I’m so excited. It’s even better that I can celebrate it by already having the ebook available for free!! If you all grab a copy, we could even make… dare I say it… number one!! But – you’ll have to hurry! It’s FREE for only a limited time!!

Thank you all and I really hope you enjoy meeting Desmin, Castle, and Autumn!

Grab your copy HERE.

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I jinxed myself. Completely, totally screwed the pooch when I got all happy I wrote 1000 words early Sunday morning. I was all, “Yay, I got this. I’m in my grove. I’m gonna reach my goals, stay on track, get this done! Boo-ya!! ”

And then… I don’t know what happened. I think it was Sunday. Might have been Saturday. I got scammed Saturday over diapers. I’m still angry about that. What monster posts diapers at cheap prices and screws over moms? And kids, for that matter??? Seriously?? Now I have to wait for PayPal to dispute and hopefully either get the diapers or the money back. Either way, That’s money tied up that shouldn’t be.

But, a happy moment – a shining bright spot after that distressing disaster – a perfect stranger from another Author fan page boosted me up and offered a blessing of help. I’m really grateful for the kind people in this world.

Then, I’ve forgotten my Sunday. I legit, don’t remember much beyond writing those 1000 words. I want to say I spent the day with my son and I did – but if you asked me what we did, I couldn’t tell you right now. My phone was a freaking jerk Sunday and wouldn’t stay charged after that stellarly productive writing moment.

If my phone won’t stay charged, I get squat done. Nada. And that is frustrating.

Btw, I do not like the set up for the Kindle keyboard. If I backspace after I type a word to fix it, the Kindle does some freaky ass shit where I have to delete the whole word and it takes 3x s longer for me to type anything. Just saying. Not my go -to option for writing right now. Grumble.

Then yesterday…My Monday turned up straight outta of a Lifetime drama movie. You know the type – none of that Hallmark lovey-dovey stuff, either.

Naw, I was the friend trying to help the woman in a bad situation. The one miles away, yelling at her friend she’s one step away from being a murder-suicide with her body being found three days later.

I almost didn’t share this because my friend would eat my soul alive for sharing her business but I kept her secret months ago. I listened to her tell me about this man mistreating her and I didn’t push her when she so desperately fed me paper thin lies to justify what happened with this man. She still cut me out then. I barely heard and haven’t seen her for months. I thought she had ended things until two months ago she let it slip that she’s still with him.

Now, she’s a strong, independent woman but she’s a caretaker in love with a man she just shouldn’t. And seeing her accept the verbal abuse and scary unstable behavior of this man because she knows he has a mental health issue breaks my heart. She’s afraid of his anger. She’s afraid of upsetting him and that makes my soul blaze with the desire to protect and help her because she’s being passive. She’s too afraid to get him the help he needs because she doesn’t want to set him off. She’s waiting around hoping someone else will take that decision off her shoulders and I can’t keep her secret anymore.

I couldn’t.

I can’t not say anything. I can’t be silent because I know there are other women out there doing this and that’s why men don’t get the help they need. These women get cowed by the anger. She kicked him out and kept taking him back. It’s everything a classic abusive relationship is and she got mad when I said she’s in a domestically violent relationship because he hasn’t hit her. That was what she didn’t like. What she didn’t understand is that verbal and mental/ emotional abuse is violent. It hurts your soul and whittles away pieces of you to where you are a shell of who you were.

She called me after this man ranted at her for hours. She told me he had picked up a knife and threatened to go off into the woods with it when she tried to call 911. She failed to mention the night before that he had been ranting about killing a little boy he thought was bullying his son. She knows this man is unstable with paranoid delusions and sat and listened to him rant and did nothing about it. She didn’t warn anyone. She didn’t call the police. She let him drive off after hours of enduring this with the naive belief the courthouse he was heading to for a custody hearing would see he was unstable and do something so she wouldn’t be blamed if he was stopped or forced to get help.

She knows he can calm down and appear stable when needed. That’s why she kept taking him back. After he cussed her out. After he left, probably stayed with an ex that I never believed when she said he wasn’t cheating on her with, came back. She keeps trying to stand up and say this is enough but he managed to talk his way back in like a toxic narcissistic plague.

And my soul hurts for her.

I couldn’t keep her secret. That’s how abusers control you. She wasn’t going to call. Even after she found out he ‘somehow voice-to-text recorded ‘ that rant and texted it to his pre-teen son. She was hoping the court would arrested him when he got there. That he couldn’t blame her if they finally found out how sick this man is and in need of mental health intervention. She was so afraid that she just wanted someone else to have that wrath, that blame, rather than make that call.

So, When people say shit like, “Why didn’t she leave?”

“Why didn’t she call someone?”

” Why didn’t she get him help? ”

This is a little insight as to why women don’t leave. Why they keep quiet. Why fear rules their actions and why they forgive and let the cycle continue. Part of it is if you are a friend and letting them lie to you and holding their secret.

I know you can’t help someone who doesn’t want it but you don’t have to stay silent. You don’t have to wait for her to call the cops. You are more a friend if you take that step. She might cut me out. I might never have her trust again. But, she’s not a murder-suicide waiting to be found today. At least I hope not. That little boy he was ranting about isn’t hurt. He’s getting help because I called. I wasn’t giving that man the chance to lie or talk his way out of this. Not that day.

So, yeah, my Monday had me starring in a Lifetime movie drama. What would you have done? No. Really think about that. Think about what you see on the daily. What we accept and turn an eye to hoping or blithely comforting ourselves that surely someone else has called. Surely, someone else will help them. Or hold on to that secret because you don’t want to upset that friend because she’s afraid it will upset the man hurting her.

Too many women keep the secret. We gotta do better. It trickles down and effects everyone. This applies to the #metoo movement too. The amount of people questioning why people don’t say anything boils down to fear. It’s based in fear and this is just one example of how insidiously powerful that fear can be.

Well, it’s already March and my lofty goal of a blog a day has not happened.

I had a plan. I really did. Prepped articles, started a note book with blog ideas to keep track of and write out when the hip pain got too much for sitting at my laptop or my cell phone refused to stay charged long enough for me to type up the blog but… I’m not entirely sure where it all went off the rails.

I have an idea it was partly due to losing my last grandparent and realizing I joined that club of ‘all my grandparents are dead’.

Then it was buckling down and frantically trying to get the most of an Adobe Photoshop CC one week trial. I wanted to first create a book trailer for Dead Princess Walking but got distracted creating an animation of my character Desmin, from the Crooked Halos Series, and – since I don’t see a post mentioning it here – creating the book cover for Crooked Halos, Glowing eyes, and Wings! Oh, My! !!

You read that right – Crooked Halos Book Two has a BOOK COVER!!!

I spent days taking short stints of time on my laptop, then breaking for hip pain time-outs, and searching for images for the cover. I wound up creating my own silhouettes again. I was going to include Damien on the cover but for right now, I think the cover works with the silhouettes it has. Once again, I almost jumped the gun and shared the cover before I really planned out how to share it.

I resisted my urge to show the cover to the world and have been holding on to it, tweaking it here and there until I’m fully in love it.

That also gave me time to figure out that you don’t do a month long cover reveal, lol. It’s actually a week long thing normally and it’s all about setting up anticipation for a one day coordinated reveal blitz. This, I also learned, is best timed with a pre-order option and while I’ve been making progress on Book Two, I’m not nearly ready to set up a pre-order.

I decided to hold back the cover reveal until I know I can commit to a release date. Amazon doesn’t take kindly to authors that push back a pre-order release date and I just didn’t want to risk an issue. I’m very hopeful that I will finish Book Two this month. ~~Squeeeeeal~ and it is WORTH THE WAIT. I’ve laughed out loud so many times when I go back for editing and I’m not even halfway through writing the book. The good news about having a cover is that I also have a blurb for Book Two.

Now, back to that book trailer I want to create for Dead Princess Walking. I had to do some massive searching for images to use for the book trailer and it was not easy. It was time consuming and I have a ton of images to use and edit for that simple 30 second book trailer. Unfortunately, teaching myself Photoshop Character Animation in under 3 days, took up all the time I could use the Adobe After Effects. Sigh…I need a Photoshop license so bad!! I definitely see an improvement in my font with the things I created during my one week trial.

I created an amazing sound track for the Dead Princess Walking book trailer and I’ve been holding on to that for way too long but I can’t get distracted from Book Two. There seriously is not enough hours in the day for all that my little over-achieving crafty heart wants to do. Being waylaid often with pain makes it take days longer to create things. Plus, my son is such an awesome four year old and the last month or two, he’s needed me. We had a few painting days where I attempted that paint pouring fad and that’s a blog for another time.

Anyhoo, this is a long update of what happened to the later half of January into February 2019. I posted some updates on Facebook and Twitter so I definitely recommend following me there if you haven’t.

Desmin, Autumn, and the Crooked Halos crew is taking over and my blogs may be fewer during the time that I’ve gone writing.

Since I don’t have an upgraded account and can’t share video’s, here’s a link to my twitter post that I shared the Desmin animation with: Animated Desmin. You can view it even if you don’t have a twitter account. I’ve got the cover reveal promo as the header. So fear not, usually if I’m not updating here you can know that I’m doing something book/writing related.

*well crap, I just discovered tagging the Book Two title is going to be hard to do with the commas!! Note to self for future books – avoid commas in the title!!!

I’ve shared tidbits here and there about my journey to finishing my first novel and how it took years to stick with it and fight through life and doubt to complete it.

After I finished Even Halos Can Be Crooked, I skipped a lot of steps that authors take for promoting their novel and getting a buzz started. I didn’t do a cover reveal, I didn’t set up a pre-order, I didn’t promote it on Facebook book groups, or other social media outlets, I didn’t do a book tour, giveaway, or send out ARC’s. These are all steps Indie Authors take to help make their book release a success.

I was just so damn happy to have finished my first novel ever and get it formatted for print and ebook, I published it well before any of those traditional marketing steps were taken.

Once it was published is when I discovered all the extra things I’d missed in my excitement to share my first book. I started researching bloggers, joined a ton of Facebook groups, called my local libraries, reached out to our local news stations. It was slow going and painful.

One thing I did though, was make sure I wasn’t wasting my time or others by reaching out to reviewers that weren’t open to review requests, making sure the blogs weren’t dead and had no activity for a year, or they didn’t read that genre or subject matter.

Let me say it again for those in the back: I spent hours reading review requests and about reviews, how to requests, and searching for blogs that would cater to my novels genre.

It got depressing when I found so many blogs that were either closed to review requests, only wanted traditionally published authors, wanted money for reviews, had six months or longer turnaround times, or didn’t read my type of novel.

Then when I did find a reviewer that met those unicorn requirements, I had to find their name, their email address, and craft a review request.

Writing an email telling someone why they should pick your novel to read out of the hundreds of requests they probably get throughout the month is… some my most challenging writing I’ve done.

You can’t go in with an egotistically hard sell. It won’t work. The most it’s likely to do is get your email deleted or maybe staring in a ‘how not to request a review’ post.

You gotta show you took the time to read the request requirements. That’s huge in showing the reviewer respect for her time. Most of these bloggers are reading and reviewing books FOR FREE on top of working full time, raising a family, and trying to have a life.

You’re coming at them asking for a free promotional review, you can never go wrong with being humble.

Don’t go the opposite though;  some authors think it’s funny to put their work down as a selling point. Nine times out of ten, that’s not gonna work in your favor.

Take it from a bloggers point of view, why would they read your book if you don’t even like it??

You gotta sell the emotion, what’s different about your story that makes it stand out from all the other requests in their in-box. I started off saying this was my first novel ever and I’d greatly appreciate any help in promoting it.

Then I’d list why I think they might enjoy my story. I’d go off the tone of their blog and gear my reasoning towards that.

But I’d make sure to convey how much I love my characters, how much fun I had writing the novel and how much fun I have reading it. I’d list pop cultural references to give them an idea of what to expect – if you like Supernatural, then you might want to give this a try. If you like Katie MacAlister and her quirky sidekicks or humor, then you’ve gotta meet Desmin.

I’d try to compact that all into an email or form and it. Was. Grueling!!

It’s almost as rough as or worst than sending query letters. It’s pretty close between the two.

Keeping that request just long enough to gain interest – without it being so long I gave the plot away – used up a lot of my editing skills. Add in distractions of a tiny young baby and getting the email or request completed sometimes took anywhere from a couple of hours to days.

I made sure to include I’d cross promote the hell out of that review if they chose to read my book. Later on, I even put the reviews in the back of my future books.

I’d instantly be a mess of nerves and worry after I sent a request. More so if I went back, reread the request, and discovered typos! I’d immediately think ‘crap, there’s goes that chance!’ Especially if I spelled a name wrong!!!

I’d debate on would it make it worse to send another email correcting the mistake and then, even worse, have another freaking typo. I started crafting the requests in a Word document and then when I’d paste it in the email, the font would blow up.

Legit, it was just as hard as writing the novel was!!

When I finally got bloggers that agreed to review my first book, I was on pins and needles waiting to find out if they hated it, couldn’t finish it, or loved it!

It was depressing when a few that agreed to read it never posted a review, never followed up, nothing. I’d wonder, did they even read it?

I sent out a number of free copies knowing I might never get a review. I knew it was a chance and part of promoting myself all on my little lonesome.

I figured for the ones that didn’t review my novel, maybe that was for the best. You know what I mean?

Getting my first couple of reviews definitely started some friendships. When I say I’ll share and promote, I don’t mean just my review. I try to be supportive. These bloggers need the love just as much as we need review hugs.

Today, one of my awesome blog reviewers-turned friend shared a post about how to correctly request an honest review and I was honored to make the list of authors she shared that followed her requirements and took the time to do it right.

It validated all that time and effort I spent and showed it’s been appreciated.

Just because they are a blogger that’s not getting paid, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a professional approach.

I have mad love for book bloggers and greatly appreciate all their help in promoting, not just my novels, but all the books they share!

Here’s a link to my book blogging supporter that posted the blog ‘Honest Review Requests Done Right’ by Erica Robyn Reads! If you’re just getting started, this is something to keep in mind.

It’s amazing how a simple thread on Twitter connected me with someone that had never read an Indie Author’s book before. Donna mentioned she reads over a thousand traditionally published books a year. She decided to check out my Goodreads author page and was intrigued after reading the reviews for Dead Princess Walking. She said she’d love to read the story. I was pretty honored to be Donna’s first Indie Author and excited to send her a copy in exchange for an honest review. I really believe Dead Princess Walking is a story that needs to be shared and people are missing out on. Plus, I wanted to see how my writing stood up next to traditionally published books! I wasn’t disappointed! She loved it!!!

Below is Donna’s review! Please take a moment and find out what she loved about Dead Princess Walking

 

Dead Princess Walking is a tale waiting for you to discover it! I’m all kinds of wiggly-excited-pooch-rainbow-sneezing-unicorns level happy to share this Goodreads review. Please take a moment to find out why Elle Esse ‘read it in one sitting’ and feels fans of Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, and Michael Scott will delight in reading Dead Princess Walking.

You can read her review here: Goodreads review. I’ve copied it below as well for those that don’t like to click links. Enjoy! Grab your copy today, share, like, and check out my other books if you haven’t yet!

Goodreads review below:

Elle Esse rated a book as ‘really liked it’

Dead Princess Walking by L.M. Schukraft

Dead Princess Walking

by L.M. Schukraft (Goodreads Author)

Read in February 2019

Dead Princess Walking | L. M. Schukraft ****/5

I have to admit that I rolled my eyes a bit when I first started DPW. I figured it was gong to be another fairy tale knockoff attempting to capitalize on the fame of Holly Black, Disney and any other book about the Fair Folk out there.

I was pleasantly surprised however, to discover that Snow is quite her own character and, as I read, develops into a girl I could actually visualize and watch grow. In a rare moment, I found myself cheering for her out loud as she fought one of the baddies near the end.

Written in first person, DPW is the classic tale of Snow White with a few extra twists and turned designed to delight anyone who has a love for fairy tales. However, L. M. Schukraft adds fun word play right along with her swordplay.

In 100% seriousness, this book is a delightful treat. A book you can easily read with young children that grown adults will adore as well. Her character development is realistic as any non-fiction book while still creating a tale of epic proportions that both sucked me in and made me message her immediately to let her know how much I enjoyed this story. [ and to drop a hint or to that I wouldn’t be opposed to reading them all!]

Dead Princess Walking is the first in what is surely to become a saga to rival that of Cassandra Clare or Laurell K. Hamilton (though far more reader friendly than the later). I read it in one sitting, hated interruptions and practically threatened the life of anyone who dared bother me while I was absorbed in Schukraft’s work.

Fans of Holly Black or Michael Scott’s Alchemyst series will delight in a book that is clean, virtuous and honest as well as completely and utterly relatable.

 

 

Dead Princess Walking is a tale waiting for you to discover it! I’m all kinds of wiggly-excited-pooch-rainbow-sneezing-unicorns level happy to share this Goodreads review. Please take a moment to find out why Elle Esse ‘read it in one sitting’ and feels fans of Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, and Michael Scott will delight in reading Dead Princess Walking.

You can read her review here: Goodreads review. I’ve copied it below as well for those that don’t like to click links. Enjoy! Grab your copy today, share, like, and check out my other books if you haven’t yet!

Goodreads review below:

Elle Esse rated a book as ‘really liked it’

Dead Princess Walking by L.M. Schukraft

Dead Princess Walking

by L.M. Schukraft (Goodreads Author)

Read in February 2019

Dead Princess Walking | L. M. Schukraft ****/5

I have to admit that I rolled my eyes a bit when I first started DPW. I figured it was gong to be another fairy tale knockoff attempting to capitalize on the fame of Holly Black, Disney and any other book about the Fair Folk out there.

I was pleasantly surprised however, to discover that Snow is quite her own character and, as I read, develops into a girl I could actually visualize and watch grow. In a rare moment, I found myself cheering for her out loud as she fought one of the baddies near the end.

Written in first person, DPW is the classic tale of Snow White with a few extra twists and turned designed to delight anyone who has a love for fairy tales. However, L. M. Schukraft adds fun word play right along with her swordplay.

In 100% seriousness, this book is a delightful treat. A book you can easily read with young children that grown adults will adore as well. Her character development is realistic as any non-fiction book while still creating a tale of epic proportions that both sucked me in and made me message her immediately to let her know how much I enjoyed this story. [ and to drop a hint or to that I wouldn’t be opposed to reading them all!]

Dead Princess Walking is the first in what is surely to become a saga to rival that of Cassandra Clare or Laurell K. Hamilton (though far more reader friendly than the later). I read it in one sitting, hated interruptions and practically threatened the life of anyone who dared bother me while I was absorbed in Schukraft’s work.

Fans of Holly Black or Michael Scott’s Alchemyst series will delight in a book that is clean, virtuous and honest as well as completely and utterly relatable.

 

I don’t know about you, but I love when authors include pets in their stories. The animals can add comedic relief as well as a safe place for the main character to curl up and cry or recoup after a traumatic scene. Some authors plan entire series with an animal theme such as Pet Sitter series, dog breeders, or Cat who series, This is my short list of My Top 10 Reads With Pets!

*in no particular order

Laurien Berenson – Melaine Travis series – Faith the Standard Poodle
Linda O’Johnston – Kendra Ballantyne series – multiple pets
Blaize Clement – Dixie Hemingway series – multiple pets including Cleo the cat
Elaine Fox – Guys and Dogs series – various dogs including a Bischon Frisee
Victoria Laurie – Abby Cooper Psychic Eye series – Eggy and Tuttle the Dachshunds
Katie McAlister – Aisling Grey series – Jim the Newfoundland
Kim Harrison – The Hollows – Rachel’s Gargoyle, Bis
Adele Abbott – Witch P.I. series – Winky the cat
Kim Harrison – The Hollows – Rachel Morgan as a Rat and Red Werewolf
Victoria Laurie – Ghost Hunter series – Doc the Cockatoo

And I’m going to throw in a plug for Kruffles! He’s the crazy food stealing cat in Locked Out!

I have that one friend that will happily quote movies with me late at night when I’m feeling silly. Sometimes, I’ll quote movies when the line fits the moment to perfection. Other times, I quote movies for the heck of it. I’m a fan of a lot of movies and I just realized most of the Deadpool quotes I’d share might not be for all audiences