How to be HAPPY again

I think a lot of people have been going through what I've been going through. What I'm talking about  has nothing to do with whether you're a writer or not, this is a syndrome that has infected many, the symptoms manifesting as exhaustion, depression, hopelessness and anger. Here are my tips on how to be happy again, even though I haven't yet achieved that goal.

1. Turn off the news! whatever you do, don't watch it right before bed or first thing in the morning--it wreaks havoc on your mood.
2. Try yoga, Tai Chi--meditation--something that is calming and centering.
3. Focus on the little things that make you smile--the sound of birdsong, clouds, playing with or walking your dog.
4. Every time your mind strays to things you know you can't change, say an inner no and let the thought drift away.
5. Realize that this too shall pass.
6. Life is short--enjoy what you've got!
7. If you aren't a writer already, try writing--it helps to get emotions off your chest.
8. Identify those thoughts that make you happy and unhappy--give up the unhappy ones.
9. Cook good food, drink wine, look at the clouds passing by.
10. Give thanks for all you have.
11. Stand on your head.
12. If you are a writer, write! I've recently begun a book that takes place in a future time where the government has turned authoritarian. Instead of being considered the opiate of the masses, religion is mandatory, and people have to attend church or be jailed. Take your frustrations out in your writing--I guarantee it helps!
13. Take herbal remedies to help mood and sleep--Ashwaganda, gotu kola, rhodiola, siberian ginseng--look them up.
14. Don't deprive yourself!
15. Take a day long vacation, or a longer one if you can.

frustrating day

As I mentioned in the past post, Gypsy's Secret is nearly here. The Kindle version is up but has one spelling error that needs to be corrected. And there may be other small things as well. The paperback is still in process with problems with the cover. Not sure what the e-mail Createspace sent me meant but I forwarded it on to my cover designer and despite it being a weekend she sent me a new improved copy.  (Thank you Viola!) Now I'll have to wait again for the approval.

Now to the reason for the title of this post. I set out this morning with great hopes and a bag of books, heading first to find ribbon to tie around my Wolfmoon Trilogy and then speeding down the road to my local bookstores. My plan was to tie a nice red bow around the three books and offer a big holiday discount for buying all three together. Sadly this was not to be. The first one, Antigone Books, said 'they don't do that sort of thing'. I whined about how difficult it is to be a self-published author, asking if I could showcase my books somehow...the answer was NO.

The second store, Mostly Books, said I could replace the ones already on the shelves with the bow idea, but if I did so then no one would have the option to buy them singly! We talked for a while (I like the people there) but didn't come up with any sort of marketing strategy for me, although she did say she would try to get someone to read Just Another Desert Sunset--if he or she liked it, it could potentially be facing out on the 'staff picks' shelf. (I'm not holding my breath)

After that I found a new clothing store a couple of doors down and proceeded to buy myself two new items of clothing. It was my reward for at least making an attempt to market myself! Don't worry, I didn't spend much.

My conclusions from this are as follows:
1.  My books do not do well in bookstores due to too much competition and no showcasing.
2.  I will market my books in gift stores and metaphysical stores and maybe Celtic stores.
3.  I will concentrate my energy on my kindles and deal with KDP select and trying to get them seen.
4.  I will drink wine and try not to whine.
5.  I will be proud of the fact that I have 7 books out now--a major accomplishment! And maybe since 7 is my lucky number this year will start a new upward trend in sales!

Thank you for reading and I would love to hear your stories!

more wine, please...

Two ocular migraines in one day is a definite first! If you aren't familiar with these, it comes with weird vision distortion so that you can't focus (all sorts of moving lightning in the peripheral vision) and ends up with a dull headache. The up side is, it isn't a regular migraine in which the headache is completely incapacitating! I cured mine today with two glasses of wine at lunch. I've come to the conclusion that a glass of wine is better than anti-anxiety medication and definitely more fun! I bought two pairs of shoes today after I administered the antidote to the migraine--would anti-anxiety medication have offered such complete abandon? I think not. Maybe with the help of the grape I can keep my nerves from spinning out of control...

The main thing that's driving me crazy is the very weird slowing down of time--normally I'm complaining about how fast time goes but this is seriously the longest couple of weeks I've ever experienced! And three more to go until we are packed up and leaving...the house has been pulled apart, boxes everywhere, and yet it's too early to get serious about packing. I've already packed several things too early and discovered a need for them--of course they are long gone, packed away in a box that is taped and stacked with at least twenty others in the basement. My daughter asked, "Why did you start this so early? I would have waited and packed it all the last week! I couldn't live like this," she added, looking around at the chaos with a frown. Well, she's 20 years younger than I am, AND an Aries with unlimited energy. But she has a point. I did start too early. But now I'm in danger of putting it all off until the last minute...

I tried today to move the shipping date up a week. (we'll see what comes of that) After all, if the house in Arizona closes on April 6th, why do we have to sit here until the 13th? And the longer we wait, the hotter it gets out there! (although it was barely 50* today, according to the weather, and they may get a frost tonight-- maybe global climate change is in our favor..).

Meanwhile I work on the last edit of book 2 and continue with marketing book 1--I've sent copies of The Moonstone off to two sci-fi fantasy magazines for review--(they may or may not review, they told me in an e-mail...but at least I tried.) I hope to get a review up on Powell's website and a blogger with over 200 followers is going to feature a review of my book on her website, (as well as a Kindle giveaway)--I'll keep you posted.