JACQUELINE KIRK

May Vlog

2015-05-04T03:48:00.001-07:00

January Vlog - catching up and change of vlog times

2015-01-05T05:53:00.001-08:00

WEEKLY BLOG #6

2014-11-30T09:07:00.001-08:00

WEEKLY BLOG 5

2014-11-19T09:07:00.001-08:00

Weekly Blog #4

2014-10-28T09:27:00.001-07:00

WEEKLY BLOG #3

2014-10-22T07:13:00.001-07:00

WRITING REFERENCE BOOKS!

2014-10-21T01:21:00.001-07:00

A video on some of the books I've used over the years in my writing! : )

WEEKLY VLOG #2

2014-10-13T06:08:00.001-07:00

Book Promises and Cheap Ideas!

2014-10-10T04:46:00.001-07:00

Another video up on my channel! Just a chat about writing in general!

Real Life Fantasy Bridge

2014-10-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

Had to share this beautiful photo of a bridge in Germany! It would not be out of place in a fantasy setting! Will definitely have to go there some day!

WEEKLY VLOG #1

2014-10-06T13:10:00.001-07:00

Sorting myself out!

2014-10-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

My writing came to a grinding halt due to financial, work and family matters. Things have got better and I now need to get myself sorted out so i can get back into a writing schedule. I've started a youtube channel where I will be uploading a weekly vlog so I can check my progress and hold myself accountable for my progress or lack thereof! : ) It's not a perfect idea but it's one that will hopefully work for me! : )

2014 already!

2014-01-02T01:39:00.000-08:00

Things didn't go to plan in 2013 but I have great expectations for 2014! I've been working on my time management so I'm more productive this year. I've been looking for an artist to do new covers for my Space Rats books, contacted a couple but never heard back so my search continues!

Here's to a productive and happy 2014!

What can I say...

2013-08-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

... except to apologise again for my lack of posting! *sigh* I'd like to say it's because I've been so busy writing but that wouldn't be true. I started a new job back in February and at first it was okay even though it was 12 hour shifts I was only doing 3 a week but then it started to get busier. Coupled with my travel time I was leaving the house at 6.30 in the morning and getting back home at 9.30 at night and this was 4 days a week sometimes more. To say I was tired was an understatement! : )
But now I've got a new job in my home town so I don't need to rely on public transport anymore - my own feet will do! This also means more time at home finishing up the next Space Rats book! I'm hoping to get it out by the end of November, I'm also looking for an artist who could do some new covers for me but someone who is within my meagre budget! I will also make sure to blog regularly from now on - every Sunday hopefully - and if I don't feel free to remind me! : )

I now have a blog for my Young Adult work. I've just been outlining an idea for a fantasy trilogy with a male protagonist. If you want to know more you'll have to go and check out the blog!

My bad!

2012-10-25T09:28:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it has been so long since my last post! In my defence, nothing really exciting has been happening. I'm writing which is basically bum in seat and typing on a computer! I have the next Space Rats book planned out and will begin that some time soon. For anyone that is interested in the sequel to Red, I have to admit I hit a brick wall with that and had to step back from it. I didn't think I was going to be able to finish it but last week something happened, I honestly couldn't tell you what it was. I was writing a short story when inspiration hit and I thought of a great plot point for the sequel and it brought back my flow on that particular story. The worst thing about self-publishing is that there is no agent or publisher breathing down your neck making sure you're working and on time to deliver. My self discipline is not good although it is getting better the more I'm writing and I'm constantly working on it. This is something all writers - or perhaps everyone who works for themselves - has to work on for themselves. Anyway, this is just a quick post to let people know that I'm still working despite a few hiccups and will have new work out next year - hopefully the beginning! : )

Couple of videos ...

2012-08-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

This next one is on the aniboom channel which has some very talented movie makers contributing their work. Worth checking out! : )

Space Rats on Monster Planet

2012-08-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

Coming soon....

I'm almost done with this and it will be released on Sunday 12th. My son's birthday so I thought it was quite fitting! : )

Free on Kindle

2012-06-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

A funny thing happened a couple of months ago. I checked on my Kindle reports and noticed that my children's science fiction novel had been downloaded nearly 300 times that week but as a free book. At first I was rather confused as I hadn't put it for free on Kindle until I remembered that I had done just that on Smashwords and Amazon like to price match.
Both 'Space Rats' and 'The Spirit Tree' can be downloaded free on amazon.com - tbh, I'm not sure about the UK as no-one has downloaded it there yet. I was surprised that no-one has downloaded 'Spirit Tree' as I always thought that fantasy would do better than science fiction (it's my preferred genre) but as always these things just can't be predicted! : ) 'Space Rats' has been downloaded between 100 to 200 times a week for the past month and a half so this has made me realise I need to get the next one all polished and shiny and up for sale.
I have it booked in for a proper edit the end of this month and I'm looking for someone who could do a cover for me - possibly for the first one too so they have a similar cover to make them recognisable as a series. I'm quite pleased as I really enjoyed writing the first one, it was a fun adventure, and I'm enjoying getting back to these characters.

Oh happy day!

2012-04-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

Nothing to do with writing or books...

Two months ago our oldest cat Tom disappeared. At twelve years old we surmised he'd probably passed away somewhere. I hasten to add that we did look and knock on doors but no one had seen him - he's a big black and white cat yet somehow invisible as only cats can be! : )
Anyway, yesterday as I opened the door to let our last cat in for dinner (4 cats down to 1) who should be sitting on the doorstep but a much slimmer Tom! Took me a minute to take in I was actually seeing him! : ) He was quite a fat cat - active but still fat - and now we can feel his ribs and all that belly flab that almost reached the ground is gone. He's alive though and that's what is important.
Not sure what happened to him but the fact that he won't stay in a room on his own makes me think he got trapped somewhere and has spent the last few weeks alone. He slept with me last night, something in all his twelve years he's never done. He obviously missed us as much as we missed him!

Wandered a little there

2012-03-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

I've been wandering creatively lately, not really sure what I should be concentrating on. I knew I had to get on with the next two books after Red but it just wasn't happening! After a good talk with a friend of mine and a little focused thinking I've finally got a path to follow.
I'm going to write the next two books of the Daemon Moon Trilogy back to back. The first one, Red, was a fun book to write and set up Sarah quite well, I really enjoyed the family interactions and the characters I just loved - don't all writers love their characters? : ) I think the sequel was proving hard to begin because I had no story but now I have and it will span over the next two books in a clear (I hope) plot but still retain the humour I had in the first.

This is a pic of a wolf pup whose colouring I used for Sarah when she's in wolf form - plus, he's so cute!

And this little guy because I couldn't resist - I love hedgehogs!

Competitions and writing

2012-02-18T08:56:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't been updating lately, January is always a hectic month of family birthdays - me, sister, 2 nieces - plus this year we had a death in the family. Anyway, now that we're in the middle of February (already) I'm back to writing as much as possible and I've also entered Red in a competition on Createspace.
It's the Amazon Breakthrough Novel award in the Young Adult category. There are three or four stages, can't remember exactly, and the next stage will be on the 23rd. I've never been lucky with competitions of any kind but I'm trying to stay positive even though there are thousands of entrants - if I don't try I'll never have a chance.
Apart from that I've written a YA cyberpunk novel, I'm finishing up my second Space Rats novel and I'll hopefully start soon on outlining the sequel to Red. It sounds like a lot but the Space Rats novel was my nanowrimo book so it was mostly done anyway! : )
So that's it! I'm just doing a lot of writing right now which isn't exactly exciting to look at! I will try to keep a more regular update from now on.

End of another year!

2011-12-31T10:29:00.000-08:00

I began 2011 a little frustrated at my lack of progress where my writing was concerned. I had one completed children’s novel - Space Rats - that had no success with finding an agent or a publisher. I thought, and still do, it was a great adventure story and that there was an audience out there somewhere for it. It wasn’t just with trying to find an agent though, it was also my lack of discipline in getting anything finished, something I promised to rectify in 2011, which I did.

I continued writing another children’s book, a fantasy this time, with the idea of shipping this one out to agents and publishers again. Never give up, never surrender! Right? : )

When it was finished and almost ready to send out I was having some doubts. Reading blogs and websites it all seemed a bit bleak for new authors trying to get published the traditional way. The recession had made publishers even warier than before and cut backs had been made so it wasn’t looking good really.

Then I started hearing about writers that had self-published and were doing quite well - J A Konrath, Amanda Hocking. Now, self-publishing was something I had thought about doing myself before while discussing getting published with a friend of mine. She had a brother who was an established writer but even he was having difficulties when trying to go in a new direction. My first thought was ‘no, not for me’ I wanted to be published by a traditional publisher, it felt more ‘legitimate’.

That discussion was a couple of years ago but this year I felt rather differently. Doing it yourself had become so much easier and the stigma was much less (but not gone completely) especially for me after reading a few self-published works that were very good and a few traditionally published novels that were less so. The thought of self-publishing seemed a viable option.

After much deliberation I went for it with my first novel ‘Space Rats’ and a month later with ‘The Spirit Tree’ both children’s novels. My latest was ‘Red’ a YA paranormal that is the first in a trilogy. Sales have not been great but I’ve not really been surprised by that. I tried to be realistic and give myself a couple of years to see if this would work for me - continue writing and get more books out there. I’m starting from nothing - no readers, no established platform - so I realised that it’s going to take hard work and determination.

So far it’s been enjoyable, sometimes frustrating. I still haven’t got the knack of networking and self-promotion, that doesn’t come naturally to me and I don’t want to force it because I think people can tell! So I might not be the most chatty but I’m always just me! : )

My plans for 2012 are pretty much the same. I have a fantasy novel - for adults this time - almost completed, another one in the outlining process. Two YA novels plus the next in my trilogy. Yes, that’s a lot but I plan to at least have the bare bones of a first draft for most of them. What is it they say about plans? : )

I hope each and every one of you has a great year! Happy New Year!!!

New cover looking good!

2011-12-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

Finally, my updated version of the cover for Red is okay. My copy has finally come but I was worried there for a bit. Instead of ordering it through Createspace I used Amazon.com thinking it would be quicker, I could also check on the website and track order. So, you can imagine my confusion when it apparently arrived in the destination country (UK) twice! Then it was out for delivery about four times to finally arrive at my door on this cold miserable day of Saturday 10th.
I'm pleased to say it looks fine, no weird alignment of the front cover or anything and the inside looks great too! Phew! I was getting a little anxious there! : ) I have some very kind book reviewers who have agreed to take a look at a print copy so I can finally get those sent out.
Another bit of news is I got an early Christmas present - a Kindle! My very first ereader and I've been having lots of fun playing with it! I only got the cheapest Kindle because all I need to do is read books on it so didn't see the point of getting a more expensive one for that. I had a gift voucher too that was just waiting to be spent on ebooks, which it very quickly was! My first thought was it will be so much easier to read in bed!

Finished!

2011-12-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

As you can probably tell from the sidebar I finished Nanowrimo successfully. I now have the first draft of a new Space Rats story to work with although I suspect it will need a LOT of work to get it shiny! I've been lazy for the rest of this week and not written anything else, just playing around with my clay and making myself a new necklace.
I'm going to spend the weekend reading, finish up Christmas shopping - I'm organised this year for a change - and then starting from Monday it's back to work. I will be working on a book for adults up until Christmas and then I'll dust off my Nano manuscript and start tidying that up. I've also been thinking of getting a proper artist to do a cover for me and if I can find someone with reasonable pricing I might just redo the first book too!

So cute!!

2011-11-26T10:31:00.000-08:00

Still love these videos!