November Update 2022

It’s been a hot second since I have been able to post on my blog! Being a mom to a toddler, an English teacher, and an author leaves very little time to do much else besides survive. I’m going to do my best, however, to update this space semi-regularly as a place holder for my “Newsletter” until I have that up and running.

Right now, I am primarily active on Instagram and foresee myself continuing this moving forward. Although I love the depth of WordPress, there is simply not enough time in my day to create and post quality blog articles as I used to. If any of my friends on WordPress have an Instagram, please come find me so that we can reconnect! If any of my friends on Instagram are reading this, please follow my WordPress in case anything should happen to my Insta account (as we all were affected by that major, scary glitch that happened last week)!

Enough background, time for the update!

I am currently focusing all of my creative energies into my WIP The Runic Saga. Here’s a short blurb:

In a world brimming with Norse mythology, ancestral magic, and mystic runes, Larissa has no time to dwell on the stories of old. Not with a monthly quota to meet and a second-born sister to hide.

-Kayla Ann Author

I have completed book one, WELL OF DREAMS, at a whopping 118,000 words! …Unfortunately, that is apparently a major turn-off for most agents as I have learned from my various rejections over the past couple of months. NOTHING about the querying process has been easy, but I am grateful that I finally had one agent help me narrow down the problem. Apparently, for debut authors/novels, most agents won’t risk it on a mansucript that is beyond 80,000 words. So let’s just say, I’ve got my work cut out for me to start trimming!

In other news, I am currently drafting book two, WELL OF ASH which is at 65,000 words, and only at the half point. So, unless I’m allowed to have more words in a second book, it looks like I’ll need some major edits for book two as well!

Moving forward, I am going to dive into some deep edits of book one while continuing to draft book two. If you are interested in joining me on my journey or watching me make of fool of myself with author reels, check me out on Instagram @kaylaannauthor

Happy Writing Everyone!

GIVEAWAY (A Book of Your Choosing)

Don’t miss out on this Giveaway that I’m hosting through my Instagram page celebrating 1k followers! You could win a free book of your choosing (read requirements and restrictions)

Find me on Instagram under @kaylaannauthor

Launch Party TODAY: Tune in on Instagram!

I cannot believe that today is finally here. For those of you who have walked alongside me for the past two-three years, I’m sure you can’t believe it either. After all this work, and waiting, and revising, and more waiting, and editing, tweaking, deleting, improving, and yes, more waiting, today is finally here.

Today is the Book Launch Party for Agency in the Hunger Games!

Not only will I be hosting an in-person Launch, but I’ll have an online launch as well and I hope to see you all there! In fact, it starts RIGHT NOW!

Trivia Question #1: Can you name the tribute who was killed by long-beaked birds in the second Quarter Quell? First blogger to answer correctly gets a shout-out on my blog in the form of reposting my favorite post from your blog!

At 3pm, PST, I will be announcing the winner of the free book GIVEAWAY! Don’t worry, you can still enter! Click this link and follow the directions. One lucky reader will be the happy owner of their own Agency in the Hunger Games by the end of today! Be sure to tune in to Instagram @KaylaAnnAuthor to follow for more trivia questions, launch party details, and announcement of winner!

See you all soon! I’ve got a few finishing touches to put on this party . . .

5 Days Until Book Launch & Giveaway!

Hello Bloggers, Hunger Games enthusiasts, and fellow tributes!

I have been hard at work these past couple of weeks, working alongside the publishers, planning the Book Launch, and working on Giveaways. So here’s what I got:

On February 23rd, I will be hosting my in-person Book Launch Party! There will be a costume contest, games, book signing, movie viewing and so much more. However, please do not think that I have forgotten about this wonderful blogging community!

On February 23rd, please join me for my online Book Launch Party on Instagram @KaylaAnnAuthor.

Through my Instagram page, I will be hosting an additional costume contest (send in your best picture of you favorite character to be featured in my story), trivia questions, and going LIVE with the winner of the online Book Giveaway (click here for more info on how you can win a free copy of “Agency in the Hunger Games)!

A special thank you and shout out to @Fictionista for being the first person to read and review my book on Amazon!

The countdown begins today! So practice your Mockingjay whistle, assemble your best costume, and brush up on your Hunger Games trivia knowledge!

Only five more days until the Book Launch! I hope to see you all there!

 

Cinquain Poem

Too much

I cannot breathe

Too much inside of me

Inhale, Exhale, Inhale–It’s not

Working

@KaylaAnnAuthor, 2019

Social Media & Authors

Hey Everyone!

Today, I’m going to talk a little bit about social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and WordPress (my primary author-outlets). There are other sites such as Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Snapchat that can also be used for an author’s page but because I am not as familiar with them, I will only be talking about the first three today.

Social media can be a huge help to promoting one’s own platform but it can also be very time-consuming. An author’s platform can be a confusing term to throw out there so if you need some background information check out Jane Friedman’s explanation of the phrase: author’s platform.

Social media can be helpful in promoting your platform in two primary ways, increasing your visibility and discovering your target audience. Jane Friedman explains each here:

• “Visibility means: Where do you or your work regularly appear? How many people see it? How does it spread? Where does it spread? What communities are you a part of? Who do you influence? It’s typically not enough to say you have visibility. You have to show how and where you make an impact and give proof of engagement. This could be quantitative evidence (e.g., size of your e-mail newsletter list, website traffic, blog comments) or qualitative evidence (high-profile reviews, testimonials from A-listers in your genre).
• Target audience means: You should be visible to the most receptive or appropriate audience for the work you’re trying to sell. For instance: If you have visibility, authority, and proven reach to orthodontists, that probably won’t be helpful if you’re writing a book meant to target to Fortune 500 companies.”

In my experience, WordPress has proven to be the best social media site for up-and-coming authors working to establish themselves in the world of writing. Your blog is the perfect place for you to develop your personality as a blogger and writer. It also helps you determine who is listening and what people want to hear. It is a great place to interact on a real level.

I believe that Facebook will prove to become more useful after an author is already established. Now, I’m not saying that if you are not an established author that you should not have an author’s page on facebook. I have one, even though I am still a year out from my first book’s, The Agency Games, publication date. I think it’s good to have and let it grow slowly. However, once my book is published, facebook will prove more useful for setting up Events like Book Releases and Signings. If you haven’t visited my facebook page and you would like to be kept up-to-date with my future events, please check it out here!

Lastly, Instagram is a great place for visibility. While I don’t expect to have any in-depth conversations like I do on WordPress on Instagram, it is a fun place to post visual interactions. I consider Instagram to show the every-day-life moments of an author. It helps to show the audience who this author is as a person. For me, Instagram displays my more whimsical side with photos of my various tea mugs alongside my Writing Tips. You can find my author’s Instagram on my home page or by searching @KaylaAnnAuthor.

Instagram is also great for taking polls! Speaking of, stop by my Instagram and take the polls if you have the time as I try to determine what social media sites authors find most helpful!

What do you guys use for social media? Which do you think is the most productive and which is the least? Should I be incorporating additional social media sites?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Happy Writing!