Jul 12 2011

Buy your copy now!

The Earth Angel Training Academy is now on sale!! It is available from Kindle on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com and Amazon.de – just search in the Kindle store for ‘Michelle Gordon’ and it will pop up!

I launched the novel at the Heart of the Dragon Festival in West Wales which was very cool, met lots of great people and dragons! Sold a few copies too 🙂

I’ve decided to post my column that I’ve been writing for the Newbie Writers e-newsletter here, I’ll try and post a column each day, starting tomorrow with January’s so you can see the process of how I published my book.

Looking forward to Friday, can’t believe it’s the last ever Harry Potter movie!

Jun 26 2011

Five days to go!

Well, it’s nearly the 1st July, and the official launch of my novel, but I must confess, I was so excited to receive the first order of them, that I just started selling them! Have sold twenty already and have already received some excellent feedback! Still a few typos, but considering I’ve found typos in traditionally published books, Im not going to worry about it too much! Anyway, in just five days time, the book will be available on Amazon, Kindle and Completely novel as well as directly from myself! Check back here in a few days for all the links!

Jun 7 2011

The proof is in the post!

It is done! My novel is finished! have ordered the proof copy and am impatiently waiting for it to arrive! (I apologise for all the exclamation marks, I am quite excited :))

It feels quite weird to finally be at this point, when wrote it in 2009 I didn’t think it would take me so long to publish it, but I believe that everything happens at the right time, so this must be the right time to publish it!

As a preview I have attached the cover of the book here, as designed by my Angel friend, Kelly Draper.

The book will be available on Amazon, and on Kindle, and from myself directly. Just post a comment if you would like more info.

May 28 2011

The end is nigh….

The wait is nearly over! In just a few weeks my novel will finally be available to buy! I am on the last edit, and the over is nearly done, will be ordering my proof copy soon! Then the real hard work begins…

I’m launching my novel at the Heart of the Dragon Festival in Newcastle Emlyn, West Wales, on th 2nd July 2011. It’s going to be a great event, I can’t wait to take my dragon there!

I’d better get back to the editing, just wanted to post a quick update, here’s the link to the dragon festival website if you want more info:

http://www.heartofthedragonwales.org/

See you there!

Apr 25 2011

It’s oh, so quiet…. shhhh….shhhh

What can I say? I’ve been enjoying this amazing weather we’ve been having in the UK, and I have been so very busy, but I have been quite quiet on here, it seems no matter how many times I tell myself I will blog regularly, things get in the way and conspire against me… or maybe it’s just that I love to procrastinate 🙂

I have made quite a lot of progress on the sequel, which I’m sure is of no interest to anyone yet, seeing as I haven’t got the first one out into the world yet, but it feels good to know that if anyone does happen to want to know what goes on after the first novel when they do get their hands on a copy, then they wont have to wait too long because I’m planning on getting it out there hopefully before the end of the year.

I’m feeling a little strange at the moment. A little like I’m in a weird kind of limbo. I’ve got a new job, which I’m impatient to start, I’m staying on at my old job to do the odd day here and there, I’ve got a million and one things to do, and yet I feel… antsy. I feel like I need to get out there and DO something. But I don’t know what, where or who with or why. I wish I didnt have to wait until I have paid off debts and saved up money to go travelling, I want to go now. I don’t want to keep editing my book, I want to publish it now. Hmm, I think I should cure this bout of impatientness (yes, I realise that’s probably not a word) by going into the bluebell woods and sitting in my favourite spot and doing some writing. Either that, or finding an old friend to meet up with, I need to do something…

Mar 27 2011

Choose your own reality!

Well, I spent an entire Sunday writing, and as a result, I finished a mini non-fiction book titled “Choose your own reality.” Within four days I edited it and published it.

(2014 Update: Choose Your Own Reality is now a bonus book that can be found at the end of The Doorway to PAM, which you can buy in paperback and on Kindle. It is also included in the Visionary Collection Kindle boxset)

It was quite an amazing feeling, sitting in the sunshine, writing while the birds chirped away. Definitely something I plan on doing more of in the near future.

As for my novel, I have just finished another edit, but plan on doing one more before publishing, and have a friend designing the cover, so will need to rendezvous with her on that, but it seems like everything is on track to publish by the 1st July. Might even be able to do it sooner, though I’d like to get the website up and running first. Just need to work out a marketing plan too, this is definitely one of my weak points, so I may need to enlist the help of some friends to get the word out about my novel.

Well, I’m having a very lazy sunday right now, so I think I’d better be useful and tackle the mountain of washing up!

Feb 7 2011

So this is what it would be like…

Well, I have the day off today, and I have spent it (once I managed to get up at 10am oops) editing my novel. Of course I have showered, eaten, done the washing up etc etc, but on the whole, I have been editing feverishly. And I am nearly there! I think, oh dear, maybe I shouldn’t put that, the last time I made such grand statements of nearing completion, I ended up doing a mammoth edit. But this time, it does feel as though I am getting closer. And that maybe I should have trusted my big sister and gone for a publishing date that’s a bit sooner. Well, it’s not set in stone, so maybe I will publish before the 1st of July.

It occurred to me earlier, that if I were to actually live my dream of being a full time writer one day, then it would be pretty much like today. I would be sat in the the sunlight, typing away, considering plot twists, playing with new ideas for charcters, and polishing my words until they’re shiny. I quite like it. I would obviously need to engage in some activities that would involve interaction with other people at some point, just so that I have things to write about, if nothing else. But this life of serenity and solitude is something that I think I would quite enjoy. Of course, to be a successful writer these days, you have to promote your book and sell yourself relentlessly, but I’m sure that there would be periods of time where it would just be me, my laptop and the endless sea of my imagination. Until that time when I can do this full time, I will just savour these moments, as they are my calm in the midst of the organised chaos that is my present life.

Feb 3 2011

The journey/quest/mission/craziness continues…

I must admit, it all went a bit quiet during January, well, in terms of publishing anyway, everything else has been super busy! I have written February’s column for the Newbie Writer’s Newsletter, just need to edit and send tonight, in time for the deadline. I’ve announced it there, so I will announce it here too – I have set a publishing/release date for my novel! It seems that I don’t get a whole lot done without a deadline, so here it is….. July 1st 2011! So mark it in your diaries everyone, that is when The Earth Angel Training Academy will be available to buy 🙂

Editing has ground to a slight halt, but thanks to a very talented friend of mine, the cover is steaming along! She has been tirelessly sketching designs for it, trying to match the idea in my head, which is not easy! But having read my novel now, she understands what it’s all about, and I’m hoping the final design will reflect that! So, I really should get my skates on and actually get the editing done, so that I am ready for my deadline. Though it seems quite far away now, time seems to be speeding by at the rate of knots, probably because in my job I have to plan everything months in advance! I’m currently planning April, so it’s no wonder I never know what day it is!

Well, time to get the column done and perhaps even some editing, along with the other million and one things on my to do list!

Jan 23 2011

Haiku!

I should be writing

But my mind is a blank page

And I am broken

Hmm, can you tell I was given a Haiku writing set for my birthday?? I’m going Haiku mad now, and will try to fit a few of them into my novels somehow, I think! I don’t think I’ve ever written any before, but they’re quite a good exercise, and as my book says, can be quite helpful on the spiritual journey. Expressing thoughts and feelings in such a tight, concise way, is actually quite liberating, because you have to be so brief and to the point. I’ve been incorporating them into my scrapbooking layouts (another hobby of mine!) and also as verses in cards!

Spent yesterday with my Spiritual Sisters, who have inspired the characters in the sequel to The Earth Angel Training Academy, and they have given me many more ideas for the sequel… I think I may have to do a bit of work on it. It’s calling to me quite urgently now. But I’ve tried to be strict with myself and focus on the editing of the first novel… we’ll see.

It is calling me

My focus is wavering

But I will be strong

Oh dear, I better go before the Haiku’s take over!

Jan 20 2011

Long time no blog!

I know, I know, I promised to update the blog as often as possible, but the thing is, you can’t blog about self-publishing if you haven’t actually done anything in the area for a while! But I have done some editing this week, I have changed on the digital copy all the errors I found in my boyfriend’s copy, though there are a few storyline things that need sorting. My boyfriend finished reading it yesterday, and gave me the best compliment I could ask for : “It would make a great movie.” Aside from books, I have always been a huge movie fan, I absolutely love losing myself in a good romance, drama, comedy, action, fantasy – any film, actually apart from horror or period drama! Well, there may be a few exceptions to the period dramas, there are a couple I like. I’ve fantasised about having my books made into movies, because when I write them, I see them in my mind as a movie. And I would love for everyone to see what I see. But I would propbably be quite an annoying writer, because I would want to be involved in the film-making process, and I think I would insist that the actors playing the characters actually have the personality traits of the Earth Angels… oh dear, I’m not sure who would be brave enough to take me on!

Well, I’m afraid this post is going to be brief, because I’m in the middle of scrapbooking a page for my birthday, which is today! I’m attempting to capture who I am in this moment, by writing down my likes, loves and passions. I think it will be interesting to look back at in a few years time!

I will write more soon, but until then, make sure you smile at strangers, you never know, you might just make their day 🙂