#publilshing

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Thanksgiving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I have been very thankful for a lot of the people and friends that proved to be there for me in so many uplifting ways. It’s been a trying month and year and we all have been struggling but when you have so many great people in your life it makes up for those hard times or the toxic people you needed to cut ties from that continue to pretend to be there for us. I def enjoy a good laugh at the antics or the fake accounts they cont to create to spy on me. ;)   A special thanks to my hubby Matty for being super supportive with my life and my writing and helping me through the passing of my dear friend Paul Mcevoy. 

In less than a year I hope to have my novels In the Absence of the Sun, Tangled, my stage play Dust in the Wind, and my 3rd novel Metamorphosis available for purchase. I am super thankful that I have the opportunity and the ability to write and share my words with so many wonderful people in the world. I never imagined that I would have gained over a 1000 followers on my writing blogs – and the number keeps on growing! I feel like I am in a better place right now with my writing and my life. Thank you again for encouraging me over the years, showing support and taking an interest in my writing. It really means a lot to me. I know Paul needs me to write just as much as I need to write for myself. So I am making a vow to him, my family, my friends, Matty, and my readers: “I will aim to finish my books and publish them no matter what stands in my way.”

Remember those that choose to silence us are afraid of the importance that our voices can have and the change, impacts and differences we can make in the world. So if you have a story to write, don’t let anyone stop you from writing it. If you want to be a writer, go out and be one. Real friends will always encourage you to do what you want. And if writing is what you want to do, they will go out and buy you enough pens, highlighters and notebooks to get you by and then supply you with more when you run out. Thanks again to everyone for taking an interest in my writing! It really means a lot to me!

Other than that I wrote a few chapters for Metamorphosis and I really love the cover I made for the story. I am truly happy with how it is coming out, but I am probably going to focus on finishing Tangled considering that the majority of it is finished. I just need to tie up some loose ends and edit it and eventually publish it.

To everyone else, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving! Remember to always follow your dreams!! And never let small people talk you out of them!!:) Love,  Joanna Strafford

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What was your reasoning for choosing to self publish your quote books? Would you use it again in the future for other projects?

I was always interested in the process of how books were created and I wanted to see how far I could go with creating a book of my own. I had a lot of fun designing the inside of the book as well as the cover. It wasn’t an easy task and there were a lot of trial and error moments, but in the end everything worked out.  The truth is that the quote books were really just a sporadic idea that escalated into 3 books over time. I was writing a lot of quotes last year and I wanted to organize them into a book format that I could possibly give out and sell. It was a great way to network my pen name and share work with other writers and readers in the future.  I also put sample chapters for Tangled at the end of each quote book. That was an idea Stephen King gave me, because he used to put the beginning chapter of another book he was working on or finished at the end of books he wrote. I thought that was a great idea.

Honestly, Createspace is a great site that an another writer (and friend) of mine used in the past and recommended to me. There was no risk involved and it was completely free even to re-edit the book and republish it in case of errors you spot. They also put my books up for sale on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other book selling sites. Would I use them again in the future for other projects, maybe … maybe not. But at least I know that the option is always there.

Remember that there are plenty of ways to network and share your work. You will always have the option to re-publish with a commercial publisher down the road whatever you choose to self publish or not. But I highly recommended Createspace if you want to self publish. :)

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Updates

To my followers, I apologize for not being able to update in a while. There are a lot changes that I am in the process of, as with work, my writing and my personal life. I am in a place in my life where I need to really put my foot down and take complete advantage of any good opportunity that I see for the future. Life is about challenges and taking risks and learning from your mistakes.

 As of now In the Absence of the Sun is completed!  I will be in the process of submitting my work to future agents as well as focusing on finishing other projects such as Tangled, Dust in the Wind and other novels I have set aside. I may create a limited time only version for In the Absence of the Sun to sell at an online store with a free gift! I will only have it avail for a short time as well as the chapters I have up on bookie will be limited as I search for a reputable agent and publisher to represent my work. 

 In the past few months or so I’ve been seeing a lot of moths and butterflies and they have been following me. I do believe in signs and I know that butterflies symbolize change and want you to embrace change in order to see better results in your life. It can be a warning or a blessing. Things cannot get better in a situation that becomes standstill, repetitive or negative. If you don’t make the steps to get away from a negative situation whether it be with work, friendships or your personal life, it will just get worse. So today I am finally listening to them. Thank you moths and butterflies. And if you are in the same situation, don’t be afraid to carry your courage, speak up for what you want and what you are entitled to. You deserve it.

 I will keep this blog open and will update it here and there and you can always message me if you need to. Thank you for taking an interest in my writing and following my blogs. It really does mean a lot to me! Love Joanna

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In the Absence of the Sun

In the Absence of the Sun is almost done!!! Only a few more chapters to go!!!!!!  :)

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Dead Poets Society

A little over 6 or 7 years ago I wrote a fan fiction piece for Dead Poets Society that I had posted on a website and received some good reviews. My version of the story had a happier ending regarding Neil Perry’s demise, unfortunately the situation with Robin Williams didn’t. It had struck a chord with a lot of us, but I think recognizing depression and suicide and writing about it will help us understand it better. The death of Robin Williams isn’t something written in writing or acted out on a stage or in a film. It’s very real and very scary and very permanent. The only thing we can do is to stay strong for each other, remember Robin’s life and be there in supportive ways. I never thought I would be sharing a story so many years later regarding a death of a celebrity I used to look up to for so many years. I grew up watching re-reruns of Mork and Mindly and Popeye was my favorite movie at age 6. As I grew older every flim he played in touched my chilhood. From His role in The adventures Baron Muchasem as the king of the moon, Aladdin as the genie in the bottle, Jack, Mrs Doubtfire, Good Morning Vietnam, Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, the list goes on and on. Still to this day,  I sing along to Aladdin, laugh over Jack and Mrs Doubtfire and shed a few tears as I watch Dead Poets Society. It’s crazy that I found Mrs. Doubtfire just a few days ago when Matty thought he lost the movie and we watched it and laughed till our sides hurt and then found out he passed away a few days after that. 

 It is very heartbreaking, but I am slowly making peace with it and letting go of the pain. It will be an even longer process for his family and friends and co-workers who were blessed to know him personally, so we need to show respect towards the situation. There are so many cold-hearted people in the world, the internet brings out the worst in some people. The best thing for his children is to stay off of it for a while if it is regarding negativity about their father’s death. We need to be there in a supportive way for them. Celebrity or not, they are people just like we are.

So I decided to take the time to upload my fan fiction piece in memory of the life of Robin Williams, include a few articles I written as of late about depression, share insight on my novel as well as my favorite pictures of Robin Williams.

If you haven’t seen Dead Poets Society, you should check it out when you get a chance. It is a very inspiring film. Robin Williams plays, John Keating, a teacher that makes a difference in many kids lives. He is the kind of teacher (we’ve all had a few) that you wish you had the chance to visit and tell them just how they had an impact in your life. They deserve more than just an apple and a pat on the back. They might include that they were only doing their job but deep down knowing they are reaching out and helping people recognize just how important they are is a gift that keeps on giving back. 

 If you have a muse that inspires you than that’s a good thing but most muses don’t even know that they touched you enough to make you feel better about yourself and someway or another encouraged you to be the best you could be and if they do find out how they had a positive impact in another’s life, that truthfully becomes a moment where they question their own path and find that they are immensely flattered that you even noticed them. Muses are real people who go through real things. They are the best kind of role models, because they struggle with their imperfections, but keep going on. They aren’t self-centered or judgmental and when they make a promise to be there for a ‘friend’ that promise isn’t broken.  There  were many people that inspired me to keep on doing what I love and I am grateful for having the chance of knowing these people. 

My favorite thing about Robin was not just his voice or intellect, his compassion and love for animals and the human race but his eyes. They were truly beautiful. The eyes are the windows of ones soul.

Read more here! http://www.booksie.com/young_adult/novel/joanna_strafford/depression-sadness-recovery-and-robin-williams/chapter/1

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In the Absence of the Sun

I really have been having a great time writing and re-editing In the Absence of the Sun. It is coming out so well and I have had some great feedback on Booksie where I have been sharing some of the chapters for it. I posted up to 14. Once both Tangled and In the Absence of the Sun is finished I am def going to focus on sending out again to traditional  publishers. I need to work on my synopsis, book pitch and query letter for each of them which could be a pain but I feel I have enough material to make it work! And I am very confident with the work so far although I know that their job is to make it even better. There is always room for improvement! Thank you all for following me, being awesome and taking an interest in my writing. It really means a lot to me! :) Have a great day!!!

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Writing, books, Publishing

Thank you all for following my blog and taking an interest in my writing! The 2nd and 3rd editions from Becoming Joanna Strafford: will be avail very soon! Each book will have a short story as well as a few chapters from my novel Tangled if you are interested in reading those. I thought it was a good idea to share some of those chapters with everyone considering the good feedback I received on them in the past. I cannot wait to finish that book!

Other than that I usually complain about certain changes Tumblr makes but this time I was really happy to be given the option to create a cover for my blog. I used my cover from the first book and it showed up so great! I am going to make some changes to my blog here and there to make it look nicer and once the books are ready, I will also include the links in the about me. Writing and publishing takes a lot of time, but once everything is done the road from then on becomes super exciting! 

I def now have the motivation to stick to all of my projects and finish them and I am very hopeful about the future whether it will be with staying positive, finishing future work or getting a new home with my Matty love. I am ready to face some important changes in my life.

And remember you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it. Believe in yourself and stay awesome!   Love, Joanna

:)

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Cover design

I was having problems with the cover for my 2nd book being sent to the Kindle format, so I decided to design a completely different cover with the same concept. I am still using the sunset pic my friend took, but I really like the option that they let me add a quote on the front of the cover as well as in the back of the book. I used typewriter letter font and it looks pretty awesome. I can't wait to share the cover with you guys here! Soon both versions of the 2nd and 3rd book will be avail to purchase in both Kindle and paperback formats. I am really so excited! :)