JD Byrne is a fellow West Virginian writer. He’s a fantasy and science fiction author. Check him out if you like to read those genres. JD was nice enough to give me an author interview. I haven’t had one in a long time ha ha. Please click on the link if you’d like to read it–Author Interview Yawatta Hosby
Keep smiling,
Yawatta Hosby
As a freelancer, I’ve been given the wonderful opportunity to contribute to The Millionaire’s Digest. My first article posted today. 🙂
Here’s a snippet:
The #1 Tip For Getting Started As a Fiction Writer
Life is about creating memories. Do you agree?
Authors have the gift of capturing moments on the page. A great book has the reader forget that they’re reading. They get lost in the pages and follow the character’s journey as though they are in a fictional world.
How do authors capture these special moments on the page?
If this sounds interesting and you want to finish the article, then please click here.
Keep smiling,
Yawatta Hosby
I haven’t guest blogged in a long time, so I jumped on the chance when fellow local author, Ginger Harman, asked me to write a book review for her blog. We both love to read. And, we both agree that writing doesn’t have to be a lonely activity. I’m happy that I met her.
If this book looks interesting to you, then please check out Ginger Dawn-A Spice Below the Horizon’s blog to see what I thought of this horror short story collection. Here’s the link: Guest Book Review: Tales From the Graveyard by Susan Shultz.
Keep smiling,
Yawatta Hosby
Pursuing Your Writing Dreams Without A Support System
If you click on the link and get to the end of the article, then you’ll notice that I wrote it! The website, Success Story, gave me the opportunity to be one of their online authors. I even get to include my bio.
Slowly but surely, I’m building my writing resume. And, it feels so good. If I would’ve pursued freelance writing a year ago, I wouldn’t have lasted long. Unfortunately, I probably would’ve still been in self-sabotage mode due to fear and lack of confidence.
Now I can honestly say, I love the challenge. It feels empowering reaching out to blogs and magazines to see if they’d take a chance on my article ideas (trust me, I have plenty; my mind never sleeps). It gets even better when editors reach out to me through email thanks to my freelance website.
I’m dressing for success, looking like a professional writer with my blazers, pants, and button down shirts. You never know who you may run into. I haven’t been shy passing out my business cards.
For all the freelancers out there, would you like to share some of your experiences?
Keep smiling,
Yawatta Hosby
I’m so excited! I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the author Barbara G. Tarn. She also has a short story in When the Lights Go Out anthology (free by the way).
If you want to check out my interview, here’s the link–Sunday Surprise.
Keep smiling,
Yawatta Hosby
In celebration of the National Novel Writing Month (November), Webucator is asking authors about their writing careers. Here’s my responses:
1. What were your goals when you started writing?
For the longest time, writing was just a hobby for me. I’d create my stories in notebooks for my eyes only. Then, a few years ago I decided to take writing seriously. How cool would it be to have a career as an author? Being a writer or author was my dream in elementary school, so why was I stopping myself?
My goals became: publish books and interact with readers. Social media has been a huge step in connecting with readers. I’m a shy person, but Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Goodreads help bring my personality to the forefront. I’ll admit that I have to work on a better publishing schedule. Releasing one book a year is too slow in this fast-paced industry. Everyone knows the more books an author produces, a better chance they have in gaining a readership.
2. What are your goals now?
I’m proud of myself for releasing three books so far on Amazon and having my short story published in a literary magazine. I’m still pursuing my self-publishing journey, but I also want to see my stuff on the shelves in bookstores. In order to do that, I’ll have to look for an agent or publishing house someday.
I would love to be able to make writing full-time. That’s my ultimate goal, so I’m also looking at doing some freelance opportunities for newspapers or ghostwriting. Screenplay writing has also interested me.
3. What pays the bills now?
Unfortunately, my book sales don’t cover my bills, so I still work part-time at a regular 9 to 5 job.
4. Assuming writing doesn’t pay the bills, what motivates you to keep writing?
My motivation is my imagination, my daydreaming. If I didn’t jot everything down, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. I keep writing because it puts a smile on my face to know that someone has taken the time to leave me a message of what they thought of my book or character. I love connecting with readers and other writers. I love calling myself an artist, and life would be boring if everything was so serious all of the time.
5. And optionally, what advice would you give young authors hoping to make a career out of writing?
My advice: research, research, and research. Watch out for scam artists trying to weasel money out of naive writers. Trust your instincts. Play nice. If someone leaves you a negative review, don’t respond. Vent to your family and friends in private, but don’t say anything online. Writers must develop a thick skin if they’ll make it in the publishing world. Believe in yourself, because if you don’t, then who will?
I love Stephen King’s advice of “Don’t write in fear.” Write the story that speaks to you. Don’t be afraid to write unlikeable characters or have your plot so twisted that it’ll make a reader’s head spin. Once you write what interests you, then you’ll be able to find the right market or genre for your book.
Keep smiling,
Yawatta Hosby
I’m not complaining, but…I wish editing was finished for my short story Plenty of Fish. It’s been 4 months, and all I can do is patiently wait. The experience is worth it; P.N. Elrod is a respected member of the publishing industry. I just wish I had something to publish by now.
Even though my book release schedule is at a standstill, I haven’t been sitting and doing nothing. I think you guys would be proud of me–no procrastinating ways 🙂
1. I’ve been submitting short stories to magazines/journals. One Missed Call was rejected by Flash Fiction Magazine, so that same day I submitted to Postcard Shorts.
2. I’ve been attending writing events around the area. In fact, I’m going to the Shepherd University’s Writing Master Class to help give feedback to other writers. Plus to support Melissa!
3. I signed up for Critique Circle (my username is Yhosby) and I meet with two writing buddies once a month for feedback and motivation. The website Weekend Writing Warriors is also pretty cool. My main objective is meeting new people and having as many objective eyes on my projects as possible.
4. I’ve been a guest on other blogs and websites. This week my article “How To Effectively Interact on Goodreads and Find Readers” went live on Mash Stories. And, I signed up for a Halloween Blog bash for next month. I’ll be promoting 3 posts.
5. I’m working on new novellas and novels; plus, Melissa and I are writing a screenplay. We meet once a week, creating 8 scenes each session. Woo hoo! I can see it now–me in Hollywood 🙂 –behind the scenes, just the way I like it.
Hopefully, my next news will be my short story is published soon!!!! For excerpts and news of my book releases, please sign up for my newsletter–The Creative Mind of Yawatta Hosby.
Keep smiling,
Yawatta Hosby
