Looking for Beta Readers

Hello all,

A little more than a month and a half ago I sent my book, "Dancing with Dragonflies" to a few friends and family members, I think there were around 10 people I sent to? Anyway, I've only heard back from two of them and I'm running out of time for peoples' opinions on it, so I will be finding three more people to send to.

This story is finished, however, it is not completely ready for publishing. I will go through another round or two of proofreading and editing, but before I do that, I would like some more feedback on it, from the readers. Why? Because I have my reservations about this book. I spent eight years (or more?) off and on writing it because I was bored with it a lot of the time and I didn't think it was going to be a good story.

Those thoughts have changed. It's now one of MY favorites, but I need to know if other readers feel the same. I think I thought it was boring before because it was taking me so long to write--it had always been a "back burner" story, you see--so I wasn't seeing it as what it really is, which is an exciting adventure.

I had originally planned on Cole, a teenage boy, to be the main character and protagonist, but somewhere along the way, another character stepped up and took that position (I did not have that planned, but sometimes our characters take over a story and make us write things we had no intentions of doing). I need to know if that's okay. I need to know if that's going to bug the readers. I just want to know if it progresses smoothly or if it's kind of a mess.

I also intentionally added some cliches to this story because I wanted it to have an old fairy-tale type feel to it. I need to know if readers will be rolling their eyes at this or if I balanced things all right.

I need several opinions about these issues, of course. I can't just take the word of one person (my editor), which is why having beta readers to give me feedback (brutal--but constructive--honesty) is so important.

I'm not going to bother leaving a link here because, to be honest, I don't think anyone reads this blog (lol), but on the off chance there is someone reading and that person is interested in being a beta reader, you'll find more info on my Facebook account (Author Sara Hogan).

September 30, 2016

Hello everyone,

HALLOWEEN IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER! Tomorrow is October, it's my FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR! Even the weather is somewhat cooperating! It's been in the low-mid 70s for several days now.

I wish I could say I'm going back to tradition and writing a Halloween short story, but ... I'm not. I did come across an unfinished story that I had intended on turning in to a book that I thought I MIGHT just finish as a short story, but that was over a week ago and I have yet to do anything with it. So I guess it's just not going to happen. Sorry. Maybe next year.

However, "DANCING WITH DRAGONFLIES" IS FINISHED! Finally, after eight years, it's finished. Well ... the first draft is finished, but that's the one that takes the longest, so it's reason to celebrate.

Once I have de-cluttered and finished my Autumn cleaning, I will begin working on edits and rewrites. I'll keep y'all posted....

July 17th

Hello world,

I took a little over a week off from writing because my BFF was down here for his yearly visit. Now that he's gone (*sniff* *sniff*) I'll get back on track ... once the house is clean. We partied hard while he was here ... well, as hard as you can party with a 3 year old. To him, it was nothing. To me, I'm thinking I probably won't be drinking or having any movie fests until 2am for a while. Ha!

It was so much fun. We went to the lake with the kiddos, he and I took my daughter to the zoo, and we went on many Pokemon hunts. I was never on the Pokemon scene, but he and my two sisters (twins--fraternal) have been into it since they were all little kids back in the late 90s. They convinced me to download the Pokemon Go app and we have been "going" all over the place. Friday night, my husband, my BFF, and I even did some bar hopping while Poke-hunting.

Last weekend (a little over a week ago), I got super drunk for the first time since having my daughter (don't worry, she was safe), played some board games with my BFF, husband, and other 2 good friends. At 2am, we searched the neighborhood for Pokemon and I had my first hangover in about four years the next morning. Last night, we did some more drinking with said friends (and one twin sister this time) and played more games. Didn't get near drunk, but had a nice buzz going most of the night.

And today, we said goodbye. It's always a sad time for me because I know I probably won't see him for a year again (although there are some other plans to hopefully have a few more random visits; I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they pan out), and this kid (kid ... he's a grown and successful man now) has been one of my closest friends for 12 years. He's helped me with so much and been there for me countless times. In short, he's an amazing person and I'm so glad he's still in my life after all these years.

Though I'm sad he went home today, it is nice to get back to our routine. I'm looking forward to having a clean house again, and FINALLY finishing "Dancing with Dragonflies." I will be taking another short break in two weeks because I'm going to visit my favorite cousin for a few days. Once I'm back, I won't have anything until a family reunion in October.

I'm hoping DwD will be finished before that reunion. Fingers crossed.

Well, time to clean up after the week and a half long party :-).

Take care, friends,
Sara

It's Happening

I've been writing a little (almost) every day, consistently, for about two weeks now. The book I've been working on for the last eight years is finally nearing its first draft completion. My daughter--for the most part--allows me to write without being bothered for at least an hour most days.

Admittedly, that's not a lot; but it's a lot more than I was doing (spending MAYBE two hours one random weekend here and there).

I see it lasting ... because we also found out a few weeks ago that having a second child is "highly unlikely" due to male factor infertility. I'm coming to terms with it, trying to accept that we'll be a one child household (at least until we have the money to adopt ... years in the future). The only "bright side" I've found is that this means I won't be starting over with a newborn and losing time to write. Next year my daughter starts school so that means even more time to myself.

I have several projects in mind--after I'm finished with the current book of course (it has waited long enough). Those projects include the following genres:

--Drama/erotica
--Comedy/horror
--Fantasy

I think the drama/erotica one will be next in line as it will be the easiest to write.

I'll be updating soon. Hopefully with some sample chapters of new work.


Take care,
Sara

Is It Really Possible to Write Part-Time Again?

Today I tested something out.

I sat my daughter down next to me at the table with some coloring books and the laptop with toddler games on it. We had a movie playing in the living room. And wouldn't you know it? I was able to write a small chapter in my newest book.

I have not written regularly in at least three years. Always before I would have to wait until she was in bed because she would try and touch as many buttons on the keyboard as she could. By the time she went to bed, I was either too tired to write or had too much to do (cleaning, exercising, etc.).

It was a small chapter, only about five pages. But it got done. My plan is to write this new book a little at a time and post each chapter as it is finished on my website. It may take a while, but I'm going to do it. My new goal: at least one page per day, even if it's just a blog entry. Eventually, I'll work up to a word count.

I want to have a book published by the end of this year. I want it to be a book I've been working on since 2008. It's called "Dancing with Dragonflies." It's quite different from the other books I've published, as this one is aimed toward to young adults. There is no adult content. So when you see that title, know that I've put a lot of thought into it. A lot of patience. It's been eight years in the making so far.

The book I've started is a new erotica story that's been brewing in my mind for several months now. It won't be anything special, just a little fun. That's the one that will be posted on my website. Please bookmark the link so you can check it frequently.

I'm also on an iMac computer, which is very new to me, so I'm learning how to do everything again as far as layout and formatting. So please be patient.

Here is attempt ... oh, I don't know, 10 (?) to get back into writing. Hope it pans out this time.

Whoa. Long Time No Post

I completely forgot this blog existed, I'm not gonna lie. I wanted to get back into blogging because I have a lot of pent up anger but I'm too much of a pussy to confront the people that anger me and, whilst doing a search and trying to decide what site would be best to vent my irritations, I came across this. Weird.

Anyway. Becoming a mother in May 2013 filled any gaps of free time I had. I've starting writing again, but it's still slow. I'm currently working on three projects: a 7 year old young adult/kid fantasy novel (and no, it's not about a 7 year old--that's how long I've been working on it ... yeesh), a modern day erotica for housewives (no judging), and a fantasy tragic romance.

If anyone's reading this, I just thought I'd update you ... after all it's been 3 years ... almost 4 since I posted here; you earned it ;-).

I have a Facebook page (Author Sara Hogan) that I post to a few times a month. Go and add me or give the page a like.

Peace.

Fun Fact for the Day:

I suck at writing book summaries.

Oh, and I'm back! Trying to get everything back to a routine, but man it is it freakin' hard. It seems like no matter how hard I work or what I do, NOTHING gets accomplished. What is this tomfoolery?! Bah, I'll get the hang of it one day. I need to go through all this CRAP in the house and get rid of some stuff so I can get the place back in order. It's hard trying to figure out what to keep and throw away when you know you're going to have a permanent house within the year.

There's just not enough time in the day. I need my husband to go back to night shift so I can get more things done, writing included.

Someone come clean my house and do my laundry so I can write more, damn it! Ha ha.

Well, peace out.

A Pet Peeve of Mine

*Random commenter sees random picture of fluffy kitty*
"To cute!"

Who is "Cute" and what are you sending him/her?

SRSLY GAIS, learn the differences; they aren't that hard!


Also,
"Your welcome."

My welcome what?

Vampire Romance, Bruh!

That's the title of the folder containing the story I have been most adamant about working on the last couple of months. A few entries before, you will see some information on this new vampire romance, aimed at lonely housewives. There, you will see I had been at about 12,000 words. I am now at 33,000. I must say I am quite proud of it so far. The characters have developed nicely and the plot is moving at a steady pace that will allow me to produce at least two books, which is what I was aiming for in the beginning.

I would like for the first book to be around 50-60,000 words, so we're a little over halfway finished, maybe more ;-)

This book has humor, sexy sexiness (but not hardcore "porn" like in "Dead Seed" and "In Aeternum," so it's teen friendly), and it has humor and REAL friendships. Writing this book, I have realized just how much I've grown since "Dead Seed." I continue to grow and learn, and forever will.

Now, if only I could come up with a snazzy title. I have one in mind, but it's kind of cheesy. I was thinking of "Dead Bedroom." Why? It's a metaphor for the beginning of the book (her bedroom is "dead" because, well, there's NOTHING going on in there, if ya know what I mean, and then ... well if I tell you more, that will spoil it, but just trust me that although it's cheesy, it could work).

I'm listening to my "EmoEmoEmo" folder of music, lawl. Time to get back to writing. I may post a sample on my website later. What do you think? Anyone? Oh, who am I kidding? No one comments on this blog -- time to copy and paste to Facebook.

Oh, What a Day

I hate days that make me feel worthless as a human being. Unfortunately, being acquainted with assholes, this happens a lot. I found myself "Emo" today and wrote in my "Emo" blog that none of my real-life friends know about. The upside to days of depression is: I write. A lot. And usually, the stuff I come up with turns out pretty good. So, I suppose, as a horror writer, being depressed can be a good thing.

In the middle of all the drama over the last couple of days, something good happened. I received fan mail from a new reader. That always makes me smile :-) She said she had discovered my work through a friend of hers, who recommended a book of mine to her. So, to all you readers who help me spread the word and tell your friends about my books: THANK YOU! You have no idea what you all mean to me.

Well, time to quit feeling sorry for myself and clean the house. I already walked the puppy, so she's tuckered out, which means she won't try to attack the vacuum while I clean the upholstery :-P

Hello, Hello!

Just thought I would give the blog a new update. One day, I will have many readers, so I want archives, dammit! Ha ha.

Halloween was good. Went to a small party with just close friends (the kind I like) on Saturday night and then I went trick-or-treating with my sisters and nieces -- I even got candy since I was dressed up! Thank you to the nice man who handed me a baggie of candy. His house was really cool, too. It had a strobe light and a zombie that actually made crawling motions. Very cool.

I'm working on a couple of projects. "In Aeternum" is almost ready for Kindle. I'm going to write a long foreword for it because I have a lot to say, mainly about how I don't think it's that great of a story, but since several of my readers have asked me to publish it, I decided to go for it. I still haven't decided if it's going to be published as a hard copy or strictly Kindle. For now, it's just Kindle. Whether it becomes a hard copy will depend on demand.

I'm also working on an unnamed vampire action/romance story. I'm about 12,000 words into it, I think (last time I checked anyway). It's about a woman who, in the beginning, struggles with thoughts of getting out of a bad marriage. Her husband is addicted to porn and basically ignores her. This problem is more common than I ever knew of, so I thought it would be a good way to get some women to identify with the protagonist. There is also a sexy vampire that comes along ;-) And that's all you get for now on that!

I'll keep this blog updated on my upcoming projects.

Here's a couple Halloween pictures of me and my family:

This is me and my sister, Stephanie, who is dressed as a pirate.

These are my sisters (minus one), brother, my nieces, and myself.

I'm Growing Tired

I just want someone to be proud of me. But no one ever says they're proud of you until you're a millionaire. Thanks, guys. Really. Thanks.

Proofreading

Well, thanks to two of my former clients (and one friend), I have decided I'm going to attempt that proofreading dream again. Out of the blue, I got two proofreading jobs even though I haven't been advertising and I shut down my website due to lack of requests.

After boosting my ego, these two former clients have pulled me back in. I'm going to design a new website (since Myspace sucks now), and I will be ready for business in about ... oh, I'd say 6-8 weeks. I have those two jobs to do (halfway through the first), I want to read a few more grammar books to freshen up my skills, and then there's the whole designing the website and figuring out prices and what services I want to provide. I'm not skilled enough to be a copy editor, so I'm just sticking with proofreading for now -- that's just checking spelling, grammar, and punctuation, so that's easy.

So ... yeah, just thought I'd share that. If any of you stumbling readers are going to need a proofreader in the near future, bookmark me; I'll be back in business soon. I don't charge very much -- half a cent a word. That's not bad considering the competition. A 26k word document only costs $13.00 through me; one of my competitors was charging $2.00 per page -- that would be $278.00 for that same document I'm only charging $13.00 for. I will never charge that much because I want to be able to help out indie writers -- I know what's it like being one.

Facebooking Your Love for Jesus

This is a pet peeve of mine. I think it's great that you love God and you pray to him, and don't get me wrong here, I'm not complaining that you do love God. Posting Bible verses to help your friends out is one thing. Verses can be inspirational to those who stumble upon your status. But posting things that are supposed to resemble actual prayers to God are stupid. Excuse me, but does God have a Facebook account? Will God NOT hear your prayer if you DON'T post a status?

You are supposed to pray to God in private. It even says so in the book you worship, something about not BOASTING your love for God and that He doesn't want you to pray to him on a street corner where anyone and all can see or hear. Your relationship with God doesn't need to be displayed for Him to pay attention to you.

To me, when I see prayer statuses on Facebook  (and I'm not talking about asking people to pray when you have a sick friend or family member, that's totally understandable), but posting a status like, "God, please give me a pizza" is stupid (so is that example, but you get the idea). If you want to ask God for a pizza, then fucking ask him for a pizza, don't post a status on Facebook, like you're fucking showing off for your friends that you lurve Jeezus. It's arrogant. Keep your prayers between you and God.

Eclectica: The World of Shadows -- A new gothic anthology for the weird and creepy

 Introducing a wicked anthology by some of the hottest names in independent writing, and the first ever publication of the Gothic Creatives Association.

Eclectica: The World of Shadows -- Available ONLY from Lulu!

Ever wonder what would happen when you get some of the most twisted and just-not-right, authors, together for one masterful book of the freakish and unusual? ECLECTICA - THE WORLD OF SHADOWS, that's what you get. Stories and poems of alternate lives, revenge, werecreatures, and enough shivers and chills to last an entire night, await you in this very first compilation from the gifted weirdos at THE GOTHIC CREATIVES ASSOCIATION! Enjoy and...you just *might* want to leave a light on.


Featuring a short story and a few poems by ME! Look for "Cemetery Drive" and 3 of my poems in this little book.

Special thanks go out to Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc, the anthology's brain mother, and to Walki Freedreamer Tinkanesh for editing this wicked piece of work.
 
Everyone enjoy! OH! And when you order this book, add the code OKTOBERFEST at the checkout and save 15%! What are you waiting for?! That's a bargain!

Sara

Well, That Didn't Last Long

I told myself I was going to update this, what? At least three times a week? I guess now, I'll shoot for a more realistic goal of once a week. I think that will do.

I did my low-iodine diet (longest food-related 2 weeks of my life), and I took the radioactive iodine pill. I feel a little better now, but that could be that doc put me on some heart medicine for my rapid heartbeat and palpitations. The medicine makes me a zombie for the first couple of hours. But at least I'm starting to feel better. I have another appointment with Dr. Pons on October 11th to see if my blood levels (will be by then) are normal. I'm surprised it's supposed to work that fast.

So that's that. In other news, I made an awesome dinner tonight. My first attempt at gravy from scratch and it turned out pretty yummy. Thank GOD I don't have my mother's curse -- she could never make a good batch of gravy to save her life. I also made heavenly dinner rolls. --> These: will rock your socks off. I never knew I could be so awesome at baking. I've always been a decent cook, but I could never get the baking goods right for the longest time. I'm glad things turned around for me as far as that goes :-)

What else? I've begun (again) the hellish task of applying for employment. I had an interview with Walgreens last Thursday. The dude said he'd call either way in a few days to let me know. It's been almost a week -- typical guy; didn't call like he said he would.

Whatev. I didn't really want that one anyway. I have my eyes set on Hobby Lobby. My husband works with the regional manager's husband so he's gonna put in a word for me to his wife and she's going to have the manager have a look at my application. Hopefully they hire me. They're closed on Sundays and close by 5:30 on all non-major holidays, and are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. I could totally rock that job. Not that I really want one to begin with -- I was always going to be the homemaker and writer, but hubby thinks we need more money, so this is my way of compromising -- getting a part-time job instead of being a full-blown, full time career wife.

Hopefully I can still do everything I like to do at the house (I'm a clean freak), work at a part-time job, take proper care of the puppy, and continue writing without becoming so exhausted/stressed out that I have a heart attack at 30. *crosses fingers*

Tomorrow: skating with the sister thanks to this BEAUTIFUL weather we're finally having. Though, I hear it's going to be back up in the upper 90s by the end of the week -- boo.

I've Begun My Low Iodine Diet

Greetings all,

As the title states, I'm officially  not allowed to eat anything with more than 50 mcg per day (to give you an idea, in one teaspoon of iodized salt contains 400 mcg of iodine). It SUCKS. I'm now allowed to have ANYTHING dairy, so I can't even have my coffee because I like all the fixin's, haha. For new readers, BTW, I have to be on a low iodine diet for the next two and a half weeks because I'm going to be given radioactive iodine to kill the left side of my thyroid, which is being bad and taking over all the production. I have a lump on my neck that's 2cm x 2.5cm  because of it, and have hyperthyroidism, specifically, an autonomous thyroid. So, doc's plan is to kill the overactive side so the side that's currently not doing anything will take over and make me "normal."

For dinner last night, I made sesame chicken, lemon-seasoned (fresh) green beans, and homemade fries. I had to peel the potatoes for the fries, which I don't normally do because I like the skin, but they turned out pretty good anyway :-) The green beans were AWESOME. I'm making them again today. I just cooked them in a little bit of olive oil and lemon juice and sprinkled this garlic and herb (salt free) mixture and added some celery seed and let them cook on low for like 20 minutes until they were tender. AMAZING.

Anyway, hubby and I are grilling today. The temps are FINALLY not in the 100s today and we got a LITTLE rain. I would love some more, so if anyone has any rain to spare, send it over ;-)

I'm almost halfway through reading Alan Draven's "Fractured Time" for the review. I don't know if I'm going to be able to write a good enough review to give it justice. Alan Draven has real talent. Makes me feel small and loser-ish ;-) Haha.

Well, I'm feeling light-headed and icky again, so time to lie down. I've been doing that a lot lately. I can't wait for this to be over.

Take care, everyone!
Sara

Dancing with Dragonflies (very rough) Excerpt

I've been writing in my new book today. It's a young adult book (my first) that I have decided to call "Dancing with Dragonflies." That title has been in my head for about five years and last year, I finally thought up a decent plot to go with it. I'm really loving what I have so far. There are 12,000 words to this new book as of 6pm August 2nd, 2011.

I have decided to post a teeny tiny (and very rough) excerpt from my new book, to give you an idea about it. I hope it piques your curiosity and you will join me on this journey when it's ready for the public :-) I'm hoping to divide this into a trilogy of about 30-40k words per book, perhaps more, since it's YA.

Well, here you go:

Dancing with Dragonflies Excerpt

Copyright (c) 2010-2011 Sara Vance-Hogan

No part of the following may be used without the author's written permission. If you steal any of these ideas, Sara Vance-Hogan has the right to hunt you down and tickle-torture you before taking legal action ;-)

A long, long time ago, the world was in peril. The lands were dead or dying in most places, and destructive fires were born daily. It was said the planet was angry with man. For man had become greedy and bloodthirsty; all he seemed to do was lie, cheat, steal, and war with one another. The blood of the murdered soaked into the grass and almost killed the planet by poisoning it.

One day, a little girl was out looking for food with her family. It had been days since they had eaten. They searched among the dead grass and trees, but found nothing for a long time.

Finally, the little girl wandered off on her own and stumbled upon a single green plant with five pieces of ripe, orange fruit – just enough for her, her mother and father, and two sisters.

Somehow, the girl knew the fruit was like no other and would make her and her family’s bellies full with one just piece. It is said the little girl became overjoyed at the sight of the beautiful plant and cried before picking the fruit. She knelt beside the plant and said a small prayer:

“If everything could be as beautiful as this, I don’t think anyone would ever be sad or angry again. Please cover our planet with colors this bright and food this filling so we may be given another chance to flourish and keep this planet alive and beautiful.”

She picked the fruit and showed her family, and for that night, their bellies were full.

Hours after the family had left, something wondrous happened. The little girl’s tears that had fallen to the dirt gave life to something grand. In each spot where a tear had fallen, a creature was born: the first of the dragonflies.

The dragonflies quickly grew and flew all over the planet, gathering seeds and water and planting them everywhere. They used their power of life to make everything grow in only a matter of days. They worked and worked until the planet was beautiful and abundant once more. The four wisest of the dragonflies also made the Four Lands of Season where, no matter what the planet looked like elsewhere, the climate and life would always be certain, so that there would always be a chance of rebirth for the other parts of the planet; for here, there would always be life or unlife and the planet would never cease because there would always be creatures and plants.

Right before the four wise dragonflies died of old age, they gave a piece of their heart to each Land of Season, so that if ever the planet was in trouble again, the four pieces could be put together to give life once more, in any way the heart was needed.

It's Monday -- Boo

Even though I'm not employed, I still hate Mondays. Especially the Monday after a lazy weekend. I feel so sluggish and blah that all I want to do is lie on the couch and take care of this headache I have. Allergies. I hate them so. Even when it's 107 degrees outside and everything is practically dead BECAUSE it has BEEN over 100 degrees for God knows how long, my allergies are still bad and giving me a headache.

Of course, it could be the hyperthyroid making me feel crappy, who knows?

Other than complaining about how I feel and the weather, I have an update on the book I'm currently reading to (amateurishly) review: "Fractured Time" by Alan Draven.

I've only just finished chapter sixteen, but I can tell this is going to be one of the best books I've read in a long time. Alan sure does know how to write mystery, thriller, and horror. So far, he's used all the key elements for each genre. I'm very much enjoying it and already recommend it to those who like this type of book (mystery/thriller/horror with an "old style" feel to it), I just wish I could read more than a few chapters at a time, but I just can NOT read a PDF on my computer for very long I'm discovering. If only you could put a file like that on your iPhone. Maybe you can? If you can, and if any stumbling readers know how, please leave this brainless technophobe a comment.

I think I'm going to go lie down for a few minutes to try and make this headache go away. I'd like to read more of the aforementioned book, and then write some more for my own three books I'm working on, which means I have to feel well. They are:


-- Dancing with Dragonflies (a YA fantasy)
-- Unnamed Vampire Horror (with real horror, no vampire love interests, and no sparklepires)
-- Unnamed Vampire Romance (this one DOES have a vampire love interest (or two), but no "I love humans, so I don't eat them." It should be a blast)

So far, my favorite is Dancing with Dragonflies. But that's because I'm already 36 (8x11) pages into that one ;-)

Happy Monday, everyone.

Hmm, What Should My First Post Be About?

Well, first of all, I created this blog and will also be heading over to Twitter to tweak my account there, in the hopes of bringing my fans back to me. I've been in a funk for a year or more and haven't been totally committed to my writing and therefore, my readers have kind of abandoned me it seems (except the most loyal ones, and for them I'm thankful). Not that I blame them.

I put together a little website that features my most recent writings, including long and short stories. But even that hasn't seemed to bring people back to me :-/ I've made my books cheaper on Kindle as well. My only wish is to expand my fan base. I love writing and am finally getting back into it. I plan on posting more stories on my website for stumbling readers' pleasure. Maybe even a new book or two on Kindle, who knows? I have ideas for two (that's right: TWO) new vampire books. One will be strictly horror, and the other will be vampire romance ... oh yes. Though, this time, I think I will try and leave it at a YA level instead of writing erotica into it like "Dead Seed." I'm going to try and stray from the goodie-goodie brooding "Edward" type vampire as well. He won't be evil like Aimeric, but he's not going to resist his instincts either. I think people will like him ;-)

Well, off to Twitter.
*Salutes*

-- Sara