Lynda Styles's Blog

What a glorious summer! As I plow through the creative process of wrestling this new story to the ground (the last one took five years so thanks for your patience, the humble author with a day job says...), I grow very excited about events - this July 30th is the New England Author Expo at the Danversport Yacht Club in Danvers, MA. The event is free to the public and offers a chance to meet authors & illustrators, purchase books, and help a grassroots movement as it basks in the glow of creativity and the arts. A little bird said that Publisher's Weekly will be there, a very exciting thing!

Come join me and 129 other authors and illustrators - click here for more info!

Mark your calendars for the New England Authors Expo on July 30th at the Danversport Yacht Club in Danvers, MA. The event is free to the public and is from 4-9 pm, with a networking party beforehand. Can't wait for that!

Now even more fun: I got a note today from the Paranormal Book Lovers Club on Goodreads - they have chosen On Gallows Hill as their Indie pick for May. I'm over the moon, of course, that anyone would want to read it, never mind talk about it publicly! I was able to answer some interview questions for them as well, and here's the link! Enjoy: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Also: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY... Lord knows we've earned it! :)

Don't you love the round lights in this photo? It's called Bokeh, and it's a style of photography I'm kind of crushing on lately. Well, I say it every time - how does time slip away like that? I notice that when I have not written here in a while, I grow impatient - all these questions ripping through my head - what should I be doing? What's next? What am I doing wrong (because I must be doing something wrong!) and what am I going to do now? When is anyone ever going to read my book (despite multiple 'hey, I read your book!' messages)? When am I going to feel like I'm not running in front of a train?

When - pant pant pant - I slow down and center myself and focus on the journey. I've worked hard to get here, even if I'm only at the beginning of the path. I read, again, and I write - because that's really what it comes down to. Prime that pump or it might run dry (though we know it won't; it never has, not even through my twenties). I have been feeling the pieces of this next story come together (and of course I never thought they would - doesn't every writer believe that they'll never have another good idea again?) and it even gives me that thrill of satisfaction when I re-read my notes and don't recognize the writing. I keep looking - organizing - puttering, as my mother calls it, and slowly laying together the imagery that will be another good story, collecting information on contests and conferences, learning more tricks of the trade. Reading, always reading, searching out new resources and organizing the random writing sessions I seem to eke out lately. It's something. Hopefully, with that found diligence, now that (maybe?) spring will come and let me really pump out some good words - because that's the bottom line: butt in seat, write.

How could I forget? To celebrate Christmas & make your shopping lives a little easier, On Gallows Hill Kindle Edition is on sale this week for only $0.99 and the paperback is only $9.81 - both on Amazon!!

Giving the Kindle edition is a SNAP when you click "Give As A Gift". Love & Best wishes this holiday season!   ~  Lynda

And here we are, at that moment where anticipation meets reality and the world sparkles a little brighter. It's been raining ice here in Maine for two days and we can't leave our houses. Those of us who procrastinate, say, verses our cousins who have the stockings already stuffed, are a little panicky. But! All is right with the world, peace and love are present and I am filled with gratitude. I celebrated the birthday of my great-grandmother yesterday, the 22nd - she would have been 107. She was a very loving woman who was always good to me - and my young mother. Every year at this time we would gather extended family - all of us so close it's admirable - and have a Christmas and birthday party centered on Nana.

At a writer's conference in Salem, MA a while ago, she came through to me during a psychic-medium reading. I was blown away. She said her name, she said some particular things about my Nana - such as that she had a "lead foot" (we jokingly called Nana "Lead Foot Charlotte" after she hit the garage door one day). It was wonderful, because she said "She is pushing you hard; she says you can do whatever you want to do." At times when I am frazzled, feeling the weight of obligations and "real life", I must remember to stay on the journey... to keep my hand on the rail. Writing sets me free, gives me peace, and makes me grateful. Happy Birthday to Nana and Merry, Merry Christmas to you!

Last month was so busy, so nuts, so insane, that I had built it up and watched it go by in the blink of an eye. I had all these grandiose plans, and now that November is here I see I accomplished some great things and didn't even come close to accomplishing other things I had desperately wanted to. My book is now for sale at a great tourist destination in Salem called Witch Way Gifts. I ran a fun $.99 sale on the Kindle edition and several people took the chance and downloaded On Gallows Hill for some great scary reading. It is also receiving slow but sure attention from buyers and readers. I had wanted to do a book signing in Oct, but I did two in the summer and fall. I had wanted to set up a table in Salem somewhere, or do a signing there, but for this I was not ready. I have to be patient and tell myself that this journey has been going on a long time and there's no end in sight. I have time. Stories are timeless, and I know that everything cannot happen today. I have been working a different day job, attending to responsibilities, and I know with all my heart that my compass will point me back to this again - this destination that I want to be at with all my heart. Writing to Happiness. So, for today, I will set a small goal to have 3 pages written by the week's end for our sequel, currently being titled With Baited Breath.

This elephant painting is by Julia Watson, a wonderful metaphysical artist that I love. Throughout this journey, I've been big into elephants. Someone educated me about the goddess Ganesha, and that person opened doors for me in the metaphysical world that I really didn't know existed. Some ask Ganesha for help moving obstacles that may prevent them from realizing success. She has become a sort of focus for me, as I endeavor to realize the life of a "real author". This painting reminds me of all the different colors and efforts and strokes that go into this life, which is ever changing. Because we have to live in real life from day to day, it is hard at times to distinguish Real Life from it all.
May we all have a bit more "Real Life" than real life today. And Ganesha remove obstacles so that may we find the time to write, as we know it keeps our strokes and colors in tact, rather than letting them leave the universe untended, without our words to share.

I see a comment below that asks "Where can I find more information?" If you are looking for up to the minute updates, please check my Facebook page. I'm on there frequently and I welcome your interaction!

Best - Lynda Styles

Well, I assure you, I have not fallen off the face of the earth. Not far anyway. At the end of that incredible summer I began a new day-gig that I'm enjoying and finding challenging in many good ways, but it's also a challenge to wrangle a new schedule and continue to write the sequel to On Gallows Hill. The ideas are there, the text is there, and I'm scrawling on legal pads to get it done.

This is part of the journey, I tell myself. I want so badly to write - all the time - and yet real life gets in the way whenever she can. However! We had a fun and exciting book sale at Haverhill High School last month with the New England Authors organization. Though the event was a little slow, I had the pleasure of meeting some great teens who came and bought the book - and I sure hope they enjoyed the story.

Stay warm, stay focused, and stay with me. I'm picking up the pen today and writing to happiness - because the journey IS the destination, and smetim

I use this picture as a blog pic today because this is what my life is mostly made of. I am an author who is first and foremost a Mommy. And summer - especially my vacation week - is a roller coaster of making my children's lives a sun-tinged wonder. We swim, we hike, we pick berries, and we throw amazing birthday parties. This year was a Glow In The Dark Dance Party, and we had some fun. But it does eat up so much time that I can't get to the goals I have: such as learning why I couldn't figure out how to run a $.99 sale for the book on Amazon.
So last night at 11 p.m., as I am wont to do when the author is churning, I figured it out. And finally, today through Friday, one can order On Gallows Hill for exactly $,99 for Kindle. Huzzah! Hahahaha. Thanks for reading, friends, and as always: God bless.