Writing in the Tropics- Lori T. Hurst

What more satisfying for an author than receiving great feedback from your readers. I have always been confident in myself as a writer BUT have to admit to being a tad scared that maybe people wouldn’t like my work. Of course all of the feedback I’ve had has been positive the people who hate it have kept it to themselves. Thank you!!!! Still I’d love to hear from those of you who have read my book(s)  I really would welcome your feedback. Please share comments with me on any of my posts. Sarah Jorgensen 9:26 PM (19 hours ago) to  me Hi Lori I just wanted to say I have just finished the first book and I LOVED IT! I couldn’t put it down. The attention to detail, the story, the journey of Emmaline was so amazing and seemed very real. What a story, I can’t wait to read the next instalment. It should be a best seller! (you can use that as a quote if you like  ) Yvonne Scott Dec 4 (10 days ago) to  m...

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY.LAID IT ON THE LINE. had everyone talking. Sold a trillion (???) copies like The Story of O (going back more than a few years.) it really topped the charts. And more than a few writers have jumped on the bandwagon. Good on them. It provides readers with some pretty steamy escapism, adding a bit of spice to the mix surely adds to the flavour.  Probably quite a few would disagree with me here. When I argue that It’s not all about sex . In our society sex makes the world go round Sex sells:  Sexy car, chick or guy magnet, fashion, lingerie, aftershave. You name it SEX SELLS IT. If you don’t drive a Porshe, wear a size 8, look like Elle Mcpherson or at least wear Victoria’s Secret underwear how can you be sexy? And if you don’t feel, look & act sexy you’re a loser. Right?  This is one of the issues I’ve addressed in A Hint of Darkness & The Journey of Emmaline: female image. It’s not all about proving how sexy you are so that you will be ...

I'd be happy to share what I've learned over the past six months and to hear about your own experiences. We Indie authors are a unique but steadily growing tribe. From dedicated writer to published author. IT 'S damned hard work but oh so worth it. I've just about been glued to my office chair for weeks- months on end. My family are practically starving to death. Not true.  They are all quite capable of cooking for themselves (& me). Hmm sometimes more than others.  Soo many things to learn about branding. promoting & marketing. Soo many sites to check out. And while I'd love to say I've sold thousand of books- I'm quietly confident it will happen. And in the meantime they are selling slowly. So for those of you who have bought my books I'd love to hear from you. Please leave  a comment (whether you've read my books or not)  My personal facebook page is www.facebook.com/lorihurst.581 For those fellow authors out there I've just star...

Butterflies & Beyond. I guess I'm not alone in suffering from the New Novelist's Nerves. What if people didn't like my book? What if nobody buys it? I am generally a pretty confident woman & over the years I've faced my dragons & had my fair share of wins. But this. This was totally beyond scary.  I am reminded of the Dr Zeus story I used to read my kids; The Monster at the end of the Book. When you got to the last page it was lovable old Grover. Nothing at all to be scared of. I'd love to hear from other authors or anyone facing stage fright.

This has changed my world. I'm now officially a published novelist.  The truck pulled up in the driveway, the dogs barked & I held my breath. They are here . My books are here. How to describe my emotions. Disbelief, excitement, absolute terror; what if they didn’t look good, what if they looked awful?  I waited until family arrived before opening. That’s how off the scale I was. I kept circling the boxes. Started ripping off the tape & stopping myself. Calm down Lori. Just calm down.  The big moment arrived. Hugs & kisses, congratulations glasses clinking & what can I say? I’m over the moon. They look absolutely incredible & I can’t wait for people to start reading them. This is what it's all about. You spend years researching & writing & all the while in your head you're sharing with your readers. I hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I've enjoyed writing them I'd love to hear from you. 

A HINT OF DARKNESS & THE JOURNEY OF EMMALINE ARE ON THEIR WAY.  Bottle of bubbly on ice . Doing the final proofs & then ordering copies was exciting enough but holding my own published books is the stuff of dreams.  I have ordered twenty copies of each, but have no doubt there will be a follow up orders almost immediately. I have so many friends & fellow writers (not to mention family) all demanding copies. I don’t expect to have to make changes (fingers crossed) I have proof read the print off them. Just about.

TAKING THE PLUNGE: INTO INDIE PUBLISHING  MY JOURNEY WITH CREATE SPACE  From December to September: so what was the big holdup? Genuine nerves! Cowardice! Procrastination!   All of the above plus a liberal serving of self-doubt . Not as an author or editor or fear that my books wouldn’t cut it simply my lack of expertise/ experience in publishing.   The weight of responsibility. When you self-publish. It all comes down to you. There is no one to edit your final work, no feedback on plot foul ups, repetitions, typos, bad grammar its all the same to publishers such as CS (CreateSpace )    While I was completely confident there were no issues in any of these areas; both   books had been edited &   gone over with a fine tooth comb , still little errors cropped up.   So my MS(s) were read, re-read, & then over it all again.     Most books these days have minor errors even when published by big publishing houses. Eve...