C.J. Galaway's Blog

     There are times when I wonder why I decided to venture down the path of an indie author instead of attempting to become a traditionally published author. I had no clue about either path or what it would involve from me. I had heard the horror stories of manuscripts sent only to die unread in some editor's office because no one wanted to gamble on the unknown. I believe they call it a "slush pile" which honestly makes no sense to me. If I'm being completely honest, a lot of what's involved in the publishing world makes no sense to me. But i digress, so let's try to stay focused.

    While scrolling through my Facebook I saw an ad for self publishing through something called Book Baby. It promised my book would be published on ten different e book formats, and Kindle and Nook were the top two mentioned. It was a pay service, of course, and I went with the deluxe package as I had no clue what I was doing and I figured the extra "hand holding" might be worth it. 

    As for a book cover, I was fortunate in that department. I worked with a girl who was a talented artist and she was attending art school. She agreed to design both the e book cover and a paperback cover as well. Her price? Being able to submit it for an assignment. She got an A and some mad bonus points and I got a stunning, original cover that still gets compliments.

    Then I discovered Amazon's no-cost print on demand self publishing division for both e books and paperbacks. So I jumped feet first into something I knew absolutely nothing about let alone what the costs might be on my end and not just financially. 

    But that's a story for another day that may or may not be told.

    Here I am today, many years and six books later and if I'm being completely honest I feel as lost as I did on day one. But I still persist, learning as I go and meeting some wonderful people along the way. I can only hope that someone out there is enjoying what I write. After all, isn't that what it's all about? 

    

 Reader's Digest is an excellent magazine and when I was growing up my mom would order their line of Condensed Books. If you're not familiar they would take four books by popular authors, condense them, and then reprint them in a singular volume. This made books more affordable for my mom, and oh how she loved to read. Books were her way to travel the world and to experience new and exciting things from the comfort of her own living room. 

She passed her love of reading on to me and I found her stack of these books when I was around ten and dove in. I could read two a week as they were  designed to be a quick read. 

These are what they looked like.

Imagine my delight when I came across one recently. It was like revisiting an old friend. To my surprise not they still exist. 

I hope they continue not only to introduce people to reading, but bring them joy as well.

 Welcome to the mad, crazy world of an indie author who also happens to over think things.

I decided I wanted to put together a book that would be as different and unique as I am, so now you have this

It's a mix of the various types of writing I dabble in and have tried, along with little snippets that give you a peek into how I write and how I choose what I write.

I also decided to do an artist's rendering of my baby Pandora instead of the usual author photo. Check it out.

All credit for this amazing artwork goes to  diannaj__artwork.

If you haven't picked up one of my books yet, check out Inside the Mind of C.J. Galaway...who knows I may be your shot of whiskey.

 Fears, everyone has them whether they want to admit to them or not. 

I've quite a few of them myself...after all I've got a pulse and am still human after all.

But we will speak of only two here today: My fear of heights and being awkward about promoting my books.

The fear of heights can be a bit complicated as I love riding rollercoasters. I've joked you're not still long enough at any high point on a roller coaster to realize where you are. 

Then there is one of the things I've always wanted to do, which is to ride a zip line. It looks exciting and like it would be a whole lot of fun, except for one thing...

I'm deathly afraid of heights.

See in order to ride a zip line, one must climb up a tower after being properly strapped in and then be attached to a line and willingly step off that tower and trust that the line and the gear will carry you safely back to earth while providing an unforgettable ride and rush.

So did I do it? See for yourself.

 And now for my other fear. Go to my website and check my books out.

cjgalaway.com

Let me feed your imagination

 Hi there, long time no hear from...I've had the bleechs lately and haven't thought much about my blog.

I know the bleechs isn't exactly a word, but it's how I've felt as of late, especially when it comes to talking about my writing. The idea of social media and interacting on it tends to baffle me at times, it really does.

Like most writers, I'm a bit of an introvert and feel as if I come across as socially awkward even if I don't. Putting myself out there takes an effort I wonder if I possess. I love the writing of the books and even talking about the books with my readers believe it or not. It's the interactions on social media that baffle me. How much is too much to share? And how often?

I'm going to do my best to keep up with this blog more often as a start...I promise. In the meantime, if you want more of an insight into my writing and me check out the book Inside the Mind of C.J. Galaway. It's on Amazon.

 If wishes were horses, beggars would ride...

That's the opening line from a nursery rhyme and an old proverb a lot of people like to say. Another one my mom used to spout off when she was mad was whish in one and and spit in the other and see which fills up faster. Well she may not have said spit, but I'm sure you get the meaning. 

There is nothing wrong with having wishes and dreams, only if you do not act upon them. Acting upon them can be the difficult part though. Some people are afraid to try while others have failed so often if keeps them from trying again. I know I've had both happen to me and it can be difficult to try again.

But try you must because trying and failing are a part of this crazy little thing we call life.

 We are a week into 2022 and not a resolution has been made by me. But I can't help but wonder if anyone even makes resolutions anymore? I know that I haven't seen the usual banter of resolutions on any of my social media feeds. I myself haven't made any in a very long time after resolving to never make another one many years ago...so I guess I'm still keeping that one.

But yet as humans we have an urge to make lists and resolutions to do better, even if the intent to keep these never quite manifests itself. Apparently the act of making lists satisfies some inherent need we have within us, though what that is completely eludes me.

And the ever popular to do list, does anyone even use them anymore or has the smart phone taken over all aspects of what is considered being organized? 

What methods do you use, if any, to stay organized?

 My favorite holiday paws, well hands, down is Halloween. When I was little my favorite aunt would take me trick or treating and I always came home with a bag bursting at the seams with candy. I loved carving jack-o-lanterns with my parents and would try to see witches flying across the moon on their broomsticks. 

As I grew up, I learned about the traditions associated with the holiday and the history behind it and fell even more deeply in love, if that's even possible. I was even enamored by the superstitions and fears wrongly expressed about that night. I grew up during the "Satanic Panic" of the 1980s so you can imagine what was shown by the media to sensationalize things.

Adult me still loves all the innocence of the trick or treating and dressing up as your favorite spooky characters, though I'm the one handing out the candy I will always dress up to do so. I have those must-watch movies that have to bee seen several times in order for the holiday to be complete. I've begun to delve more into the spiritual side of the night, honoring loved ones who have passed from this life into the next and contemplating what the year ahead will hold.

Remember, the night is magical...Happy Halloween 

 Dreams...Everyone has them, whether they admit to it or not. They are what can fuel the imagination to chase goals unheard of...if you chase them and catch them.

But what does it mean to chase your dreams? The chase alone won't make things happen, but it will start the process. Dedication and work, hard work, are the fuel needed to chase dreams. Persistence is also needed, and that can be the deciding factor.

For me the things needed to catch my dream are also my obstacles. Daily I work to overcome them, to use them as weapons to fight this battle to breakthrough and be noticed. But what do you do when the dream both inspires and frightens you at the same time? 

I wish I had the magical answer for that, I really do. But there is no magical answer, at least I don't believe there is. So I write my books and put them out there for you to enjoy. I learn what I can about the industry and surround myself with people to teach me what I do not know. 

Daily I step out of my comfort zone to talk about my books and look for ways to promote them, some traditional ways but mostly non-traditional way as I have never done anything traditionally. 

Will my dreams come true? If I can help it they will...one day.

Keep chasing your dreams.

 As a writer it is my job to create fictional worlds where people can escape reality if only for a little while. When I was a child I loved to read like a lot. I wish I had the time to read as an adult like I did as a child. What I'm trying to get at is that I didn't care about the person that wrote the books I read, I only wanted to read the day away.

Flash forward to the adult me who decided to pursue my dream of being a famous writer. I wanted to do things my own way so I decided to try self publishing as opposed to traditional publishing. With zero knowledge of what would happen next I put my first book into the world.

There was a brief honeymoon period where friends and family wished me well and continued success. And when that ended it was time for the demons to introduce themselves. Let me introduce you to them one by one.

Doubt 

This one was the first, in the form of what was I thinking? What have I done? Will people like it? Will people hate it? Where do I go from here? These questions hit me on a daily basis and sometimes I don't win the battle, but it doesn't keep me from trying every day.

Fear

This one came as people started to read my book. I'm sure it's different for everyone, but for me it was in the form of what will they expect of me next? Will I live up to my readers' expectations? Will they want to read my next book? I don't know how to combat this one but I try every day.

Failure

To be honest, I feel like this one is my best friend right now...because I feel like I have failed on so many levels. There are no questions from this one, they just sit silently judging me as I sit and do nothing at all. No writing, no editing, no promotion, no fixing my website...you get the picture. Good grief it was April when I wrote my last blog entry and heaven knows how long it was before that one. I need to do but I can't seem to move...but I will try.

Success

This one goes hand in hand with failure in the fact that if I succeed then expectations will be placed on me to continue producing quality fiction to feed the imagination. What if I stumble? What if my new project isn't as well received as the last? Why do my readers want to know so much about me? What do I do next? The questions come like bullets and keep me from finding out if I can succeed or not.

So what does one do to combat these demons? I'm not sure, but as I figure it out I'll share with you so stay tuned...