Just Updating

Hello everyone, I know that it's been awhile but life has been crazy around here. My oldest daughter started head start, my husband is going back to school and I am once again pregnate! That is right, I am now going to have four wonderfull babies! Inbewtween all of this I have really been thinking about this blog. And I want to be able to help others with their writing like people have helped me. So if anyone out there has any ideas for me to start with. Then please let me know! They can be just little helpers. I know that I have been getting daily writing tips from www.dailiywritingtips.com and they have helped me out. So if anyone out there can think of anything please let me know so that I can post it for other readers. I am also thinking about posting short stories of people that want some input on their stories. So if you would be intrested in that please let me know. I hope you are all writing daily!

A Slight Problem

Hello everyone, I had an interseting turn of events the last few weeks. I sat down to do some writing the other day and I went to hit a few numbers and then realized that the numbers on my keyboard weren't working. Talk about frustrating. But I managed to work around that. I just begant to type the numbers out in letters. So then my family and I decided to go camping for my husband and I's anversiery. We get back from camping and I decided to sit down and put what I had wrote while camping into the computer. I get all situated with my coffee and the kids are locked on the other side of the door and then....... half of my letter keys wouldn't work. My husband came running into the rom after hearing me yell at the top of my lungs! So I filled him in on what was going on. He just laughed at me and said that I would find a way to fix it. So I sat there for about an hour trying to see if maybe the kids had done something to my computer. But I couldn't find anything wrong. So after a few days of me being very un happy my husband went and bought me a new keyboard. But the thing that really bugs me about the whole situation is that I just got this laptop about 8 months ago, and I coudln't get the warrenty on it because I couldn't afford it! And so now I have my perfect little laptop that I truley love with an externel keyboard! Talk about slight problems. It isnt that easy to pack around anymore. But at least I am back to writing. Which has saved my sanity!

Good luck to everyone! And remember if you come across anything you would like to share with us other writers, leave a comment or email me at zanadibartolomeo@gmail.com

A new idea

I was sitting at home today, when I got a phone call from my grandpa about a article in the newspaper. It was about a man that is starting a new company and he is going to be making adiuo books. He is a local guy, so I started to think about it. And I went to check out his website www.pastastudios.com It made me rethink my ideas on books. I think it would be kind of cool to hear your book being acted out. What do you think? He is also having a contest for writing. So if you have never been published before go check it out. Even if you have been published go look around. I am waiting back for an email from him to see if he is going to count my PA publishing as an actuall publishing. Becuase I know a lot of the big publishing companies do not count it as a credit. So go check it out and also leave me your ideas on it.

Some Sites

Hello everyone, I got comments about my post about sites that give tips. And I wanted to say sorry to those who didn't agree with one of the sites. There are many sites out there that you have to look at some things and not look at others. But along with those comments I was left some good sites to check out. So I am passing them on to you. I hope that you find them helpful.

http://www.fictionfactor.com/novel.html
http://www.fictionwriters.com/tips-novel-writing.html
http://www.steampunk.com/sfch/writing/ckilian/
http://www.writing.org/html/a_agents3.htm
http://www.writing.org/html/articles.htm
http://www.agentquery.com/writer_la.aspx
http://www.writersdigest.com/101BestSites/?m_nYear=2008&m_sCategory=all

I hope everyone is getting lots of writing done.

Writer's Block

I sat down last night to do some writing, wait I take that back I was hoping I could get some writing done (I have been fighting writer's block). And my mind was every where else but writing. I was thinking about the things that I needed to get done the next day. So I began to write out a list of everything that I needed to do. And about a half hour later my husband came in to see how I was doing with my writing (since I have been suffering from writer’s block). He looked at the page then asked me what I was doing. So I stopped jotting down things and looked at the page. I had started my list but then started writing a story and didn’t even notice. All I have to say is, I am out of my writer’s block, the weirdest things can get you over it. But I was just trying to think of the other things that get people out of writer’s block. So give me some ideas on what else people can do to get out of it. I have heard that people just sit down and start writing and that helps. My problem with that is when I have writers block I end up deleting every word I type because I think it sounds horrible. I did that many times with “A Whirl in the Darkness”. So give me your ideas so I can put them up for other writers!


And if you want to check out two chapters from “Deadly Passion” my novel that I am currently working on go to my website at http://zanadibartolomeo.googlepages.com

Have a good day and have fun writing!!!

A Few Good Websites for Tips

For all the writers out there I have been searching the web for good tips. I have found a few web sites. For instance www.dickstodghill.com He a good selection of tips for writers. You should really go there and check out his site. (He is a very talented man) There is also www.dailywritingtips.com it has a very excellent collection from tips to spelling! There are a few other ones that I’ll post them later. And if any of you know about other good sites please email me at zanadibartolomeo@gmail.com and let me know about them. I am glad that I have found a few good sites. It’s good to know that there are sites out there to help us up and coming writers.
I am going to end this for now but I’ll be posting again.

Also just one more thing, I have been reading on a lot of sites that its very good to put out some of your writing to get some feed back. So here within a few days I’ll be posting a chapter of my novel “Deadly Passion”. So when I do that please give me some feedback on it!

Styles of Writing

Hello Everyone, I was laying in bed last night and reading a book from one of my favorite authors, Barabra Micheals. As I was reading I was thinking about her style of writing. We all know that there are alot of diffrent styles out there in the world. She is very good on letting you know what is going on in her books. So I tried to think about my writing and I was wondering if I am the same way. And I dont think that I am that way. I like to leave a lot of it open so that the readers can fill in their own ideas! So this question is for the readers, which do you like better? Do you like it when the writer fills everything in for you? Or do you like it when you are able to fill in little things? So its all up to you! I hope you are all doing lots of reading. I know that I have been working so hard on "Deadly Passion" that my reading has gotten behind, I have way to many new books that I havent even opened yet! So for everyone sit back and think about what type of stories you like to read and let me know! Either leave a comment or email me at zanadibartolomeo@gmail.com I wish you all a great day and lots of reading!

Still Around

Sorry all, I have been working hard on my next novel! Which I am happy to say is almost done! I have to get a copy of it to the person that is going to edit it for me! Then my journey for an agent is really going to get going. I have been searching the web off and on for an agent that is going to fit what I want. Let me tell you, its not as easy as some people think! There are alot of agents out there in the big world! :) But I am ready for the challenge of finding the one that is going to work for me! So life has been fun latley. Just working on the book, raising my three small children (that are growing like weeds), and spending time with my husband! I just wanted to come on and let everyone know that I am still around and am going to be posting more often. I have also been working on a short story. I am going to try to get in published in the Edgar Allan Poe Magaizine! One way or another I am going to get noticed in the big world of writing. I have noticed alot latley that there are many writers out there trying to get noticed! I have also come to realize that alot of them are in it for the money! Writing really shouldnt be about the money, it should be about the love of writing. Even if I never get noticed or even if I never get an agent, I am going to continue to write! Writing is one thing in my life that is non-stressful! I can sit down and start to peck at the keyes and the world around me just starts to fade away! And let me tell you that is an amazing feeling. I am not writing for the money or anything else. I am writing for my sanity! There are many things in life that you need to hold on to becuase of the fact that they make you who you are. And writing is a big part of me! When I was in high school, I did things to hide who I really was. I didnt want to be known as a nerd or dork! Well now I am proud to yell out "I AM A NERD AND PROUD OF IT!" There is nothing better then being proud of who you are! I guess I am getting alittle off the subject but that is okay! I am sitting here without a care in the world. I am writing! It doesnt matter that I am not working on my next book, or doing anything really important. But I am writing! So anyways.... I am going to end this post now. But I'll be back! So if anyone out there has any good information about writing that they would like to say with the outside world, email me at zanadibartolomeo@gmail.com I am going to start posting writing tips. Even if you are not a writer but a reader I want to hear your input on what you like in books that you read! I wish everyone a happy day!

Getting an Agent

Hello Everyone, I have decided for sure that I am going to get an agent for my next book. It is the only way that I am going to be able to get noticed as an author. I have had many comments about PA and I agree with you all! I am very upset and not happy with them. My first royality check was for $3.19, and said that I only sold 2 books. When I know for a fact that I sold more then that! Other authors have been coming out of the wood work telling me about their nightmare with PA. It makes me wish that I had known all of this before I signed my contract. But its a leason learned and all I can do is work my hardest on not letting other new authors getting in the same trap! So if you are a new writer reading this think before signing with them! So I'll keep everyone posted on my journey to find an agent! If you have any good tips please let me know! You can leave a comment or email me at zanadibartolomeo@gmail.com Thank you all for your time!

Another Web Site

Once again Hello! I am adding another post to give you all my new website. I am still working daily on the site! But here is the address


http://zanadibartolomeo.googlepages.com

About a Comment

Hello everyone, I recieved a comment that I want to talk about. On my post "Thoughts about writing" I got a comment. So I think that I should rephrase my self. In the original post I said to give writers you don't know a chance by buying their book. And I know that PublishAmerica jacks up the prices on their books. I know that a lot of people out there are tight on money so I want to just say one more thing. When it comes to buying books, at least pick up and LOOK at a book by a writer that you don't know. I am not saying that you have to buy it, but just picking it up and looking at it is good enough. Buy a used book at a book sale by an author that you don't know. So please just keep in mind, that every day there are new writers out there trying to start a writing career, and if they know that you are just picking up their book and looking at it, it means the world to them. I am telling you this because I know the feeling!

WEB SITE

EVERYONE, JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU MY WEB SITE AGAIN. AND BOOK MARK IT BECAUSE I'LL BE ADDING NEW THINGS!!!!!


WWW.FREEWEBS.COM/ZANADIB

Thoughts About Writing

Hello everyone, the other night I was sitting around talking to a few people about writing. It was a very good conversation, filled with alot of insight. But then we got on the topic of publishers! And Publish America got brought up, since they are my publisher. One of the poeple in the group pretty much said that I wasn't a good writer because of the fact that I got published by PA. Which didn't sit right with me. I mean every writer out there doesn't want to hear the words "YOU ARE NOT A WRITER" So when I got home that night, I sat down on my bed and thought about this. Just becuase I made a mistake with signing with PA, doesn't mean that I am not a writer. You can be the wrost writer in the world but you can still call yourself a writer. So then I began to ponder the idea of getting published by PA. I wonder if people arent going to buy my book just because of the fact that I am published by PA. If that is true, than I don't know what to do about readers out there these days. I made a mistake with signing with PA, I am not scared to admit that. But I dont think that people shouldn't buy my book just because I got published with a bad company. I have met a lot of authors that are published with PA but they are very talented! (Check out my website for them!) So for all you readers out there, take a risk and buy a book that you dont recognize the author. And post a comment on this post and tell me what you think. Tell me if it was worth the risk! The other thing is when you buy a book, don't look to see who published it! Look at the back of the book and if you like what you read than buy it!!!! Try to give us unknown writers a chance!

PublishAmerica VS Amazon.com

Well Everyone I have something that I want you to all read!!!! I am very upset by this, I am no longer going to be doing any bussniess at all with Amazon.com!!! And I hope that my friends out there are going to be doing the same! As it doesn't just affect one writer it effects everyone that is trying to get books sold!!!


So here is what I want you all to read!

Today PublishAmerica has issued the following news release. All authors are receiving a personal email from our support team as we speak. Feel free to debate!

---------------------------------------------------- For Immediate Release Contact: Shawn Street - Public Relations pr@publishamerica.com
www.publishamerica.com
PublishAmerica Confronts Amazon Frederick, MD
March 27, 2008 - As it continues to revolutionize the book publishing industry, PublishAmerica finds itself confronting Internet retail giant Amazon.com due to that company's strong-arm tactics. Recently, Amazon presented the Frederick, Maryland based publishing company with an ultimatum, demanding the right to print each of PublishAmerica's almost 30,000 titles via their recently acquired in-house digital printing facility, BookSurge. If PublishAmerica does not comply, Amazon said it will retaliate by disabling the "Buy" button on all of its PublishAmerica listings. This demand would force PublishAmerica to submit 60,000 separate book files (text and cover), and redo each of them in order to conform to Amazon's complicated technical specifications. Additionally, Amazon is also demanding a larger profit-per-book amount of each P:ublishAmerica book that they sell. This move would result in dramatically lower royalty payments for PublishAmerica's family of authors who sold books through the Internet retailer. When it attempted to increase its charges at earlier occasions, Amazon representatives suggested that any such extra expenses be passed on to authors. This is a suggestion that PublishAmerica executives find unacceptable. In a letter issued to the company's authors, PublishAmerica's management said, "Not surprisingly, PublishAmerica refuses to be swayed by anyone's strong-arming tactics, big name or otherwise, especially given the fact that budging would mean an additional expense on the publisher's side of tens of thousands of dollars, on top of the unacceptable royalty losses for our authors. PublishAmerica never charges its authors as much as a single penny, ever. We are not going to change this winning policy under the threat of anyone's intimidation, nor are we willing to involuntarily accept any royalty cuts on behalf of our authors." PublishAmerica will not comply with Amazon's ultimatum, and will not allow that company to dictate who will print PublishAmerica's books, and at what conditions. Each of PublishAmerica's titles will continue to be available to Amazon, as will future releases. Amazon may access to PublishAmerica books in the same manner it has in the past through at least four separate venues. One of those venues is Lightning Source, a daughter company of the world's largest book wholesaler Ingram, which prints PublishAmerica books for retailers. PublishAmerica prints its additional sales volume in its own in-house digital printing facility, also located in Frederick, Maryland. PublishAmerica will continue its strong relationship with other retailers including Barnes and Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks, Books-A-Million and many other chain and independent bookstores, plus other major online vendors such as BarnesandNoble.com. PublishAmerica is the home of 30,000 talented authors. PublishAmerica is a traditional publishing company whose primary goal is to encourage and promote the works of new, previously undiscovered writers. Like more mainstream publishers, PublishAmerica pays its authors advances and royalties, makes its books available to all bookstores in both the United States and Europe, and never charges any fees for its services. PublishAmerica offers a distinctly personal, supportive alternative to vanity presses and less accessible publishers.

Story Time

Here is what happened last night at Story Time!

Last night I was laying down my four year old daughter. Earlier in the day we were talking about my writing. She had wanted to know what I was doing on the computer. So I told her that Mommy was writing a story. So I was picking out a story to read her, which takes awhile since she has so many books (I am hoping to make her a book worm). Finally after reading more titles than I wanted to. We finally settled on a book, I laid next to her on her bed, and began to read. Once the story was done she looked up at me and said. "Mommy I dont like that story. You need to fix it." So I asked her how could I fix it. She batted her blue eyes at me and said, "Mommy, you need to write a new story!" So I put my mind to work and began to tell a new story. Once it was done, she got up out of bed and ran into the bathroom she came back a few moments later with a bandaid. I asked her what she was doing with the bandaid. "Mommy, you fixed the owie on the book, so we need to put a bandaid on it." I was confussed so I asked her if she liked the new story. "Yes Mommy, and that is why I love you!" I walked out of the room feeling high and mighty! Granted its not very hard to please a four year old most of the time. But it made me feel better to know that she liked my story better than she did of a writer who has been writing children's books for years!!!

What a joy kids can be when they want to!

People #2

In a previous post I talked about my down stairs neighbor! Well I am going to talk about her again! She is a really weird woman. After a few weeks of nothing strange going on, the world decided to change. She is going crazy again! She tried to fill me in on that fact that she is going to try to get our Governor impeached!!!!n Also that cops and judges in Douglas County are all on the take! And she is going to get them fired! She also filled me in on her ideas about students from other countries coming over here on student Visa's. I am telling you that this lady really needs help! She is a strange one! She is always yelling at the top of her lungs at nobody! The other day I watched her walk out of her place and just start yelling. Than one other little thing. I have a friend that has a mentally challenged child. Well this last weekend, they came over. He was downstairs running around and playing. She called the cops on him!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT???? She told the cops that he was pounding on the door!!! Which is a big pile of you know what!!! (If he would have been pounding on the door we would have heard it upstairs) Than the next day he was outside again running around in our part of the driveway, and as she was leaving she yelled at him to stay away from her house!!!! For no reason she just started yelling at him about it. He wasn't even any were near her house!!! We have been trying to catch her to talk to her about all of this! But she stays in her place when she sees us. Or if she is walking out to her car and we are coming or going she runs back into her apartment! Maybe since she called the cops for no reason I should call the cops on her cats!!! They are crapping and pissing on my porch and spraying the tires of my van!!!! I just don't understand why she could be like this! Oh and than she complains about my kids making to much noise. What does she think that my kids are going to do? Just sit around and be quiet all day long? I don't think so! Its not okay for my kids to be loud but its okay for her to blare her TV and Music until 11 at night!!!! So what do you all think? Does it make sense to you????? Because it sure doesn't make sense to me!!!!!

NEW WEBSITE

Hello everyone! Just a little post to let everyone know that I have a new website! Its www.freewebs.com/zanadib

Also I would like to say one more thing, in my last post I made a comment about my publisher. And I take that all back. I was having a rough day and I needed to take it out on something. So I took it out on them. And my problems with my book are my own fault no one elses. I should have done a better check on spelling and gramar! So for any PublishAmerica author that is reading this and got offended by it I am truley sorry! PublishAmerica helped make my dream a reality! So once again I am very sorry!!!

Finally Back in Action

Well I am finaly back online and ready to go after a few months of being offline. And in that time I realized that having the internet at my disposal has helped alot getting through the hard days of being a parent. Its my escape from my children and as much as I would love to say that I dont need an escape from them, it isnt like that and any stay at home mom is going to agree with me. Or at least that is what I think.
But anyways, since my break from the pulls of online, I have finished the first draft of my next story. Its difrent from "A Whirl in the Darkness", this one is more of a suspense. It takes place on the Cape Cod, it name for now is "Deadly Passions". But that could change at anytime. I have a history of changing my titles all the time.
In one of my previous blogs I talk about publishers. And yes I still think that you should judge someone's writing by who they got published, but I have to admit that going with a vanity publishing company is the worst mistake that a begning author could make. I am sorry to say that I feel victim to one of those publishing companys that said they were traditional but they are just a vanity publisher.Thats right I am talking about PublishAmerica. I am not saying that they are bad, I am just saying that I should have done more research about them. But its okay, I'll do better with my next book. My goal is to try to get on with a big publishing company. But we'll see. Because its really hard to be able to get on with one of them. But you have to just keep trying. Because if you dont than you'll never know if you are good enough to do it. I know that I have talent as a writer, not sure if they are up the big publishing company's but I am going to give it a try.