Banned Book Week Blog Hop

This summer I slowly lazed my way through a bit of nostalgia as I revisited Gone with the Wind.  And while I say slowly lazed - I mean, slowly.  Not that I don't enjoy the story, but I've been reading it in short bits so that, even now, I'm still only at the halfway mark.  I do that sometimes with stories that I really enjoy, read them slowly often in conjunction with a couple of other books on the go.

The interesting thing about Gone with the Wind, is that it's been on the banned book list at one time or another and is more than likely on it now in any number of places.  And if I believed in such things, I suppose I can see why.  There are many spots in the book where I have to pause.   This isn't a book I sail through without contemplating what I just read.

I believe that whether we want to read a book or not, mostly, we should have the right to read it.  And as I thought of all the banned books, I considered what they might have in common.   My thought is that they take us places that make us uncomfortable, places we may not agree with or even like,  but if we choose to read, they all make us think.

I'll be giving away a paperback copy of Gone with the Wind to one lucky winner.  To enter, just leave a comment or like me on facebook or do both, for a grand total of two entries.

What are you reading as summer officially becomes fall?

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

This is a blog hop, so get hopping - there's prizes to be had!

Another Day, Another Comma

So it's the first Wednesday of the month and time to post with The Insecure Writer's Support Group.  Check the long list of awesome blogs at the bottom, when you get to the end of my ramblings.

Today I'm thinking about how far I've come and how far I have yet to go.  I find lately, that I tend to look forward more than I look back.  Kind of like a mountain climber that isn't anywhere near the top but they're not at the bottom either.  Clinging to my rope and peering at the top and despairing about how much further.  But I should look back for that is where my victories lie. 

I've published three books and a fourth is about to be published.  The last two books are e-books only as I try a two-pronged approach to publishing.  An e-book, a print book - a book published at all is fantastic, I know that.  I'm thrilled and excited.   But four books in, I know that after all the hoopla dies down, there's the reality - a book needs readers and if I'm to succeed, it's up to me to find them.

Publishing a book is only the beginning.  Selling a book is the journey you'll be on with that book for the rest of its life.  I have to admit - I love the theory of marketing.  In reality - it's one big twisted algorithm.  Okay, not so much - but you published writers out there, you know what I mean.  It's a beast you can't always quantify.  Sometimes it's like catching a fish with your bare hands. 


Did I mention that I'm a worrier?  I could have given a class in Worrying 101, 201, never mind straight through the upper levels, before I hit grade school.  If you're offering a class on worrying hire me, I'm a natural.

Oh wait - my inbox just dinged.  My mind reels with possibilities.
a)  It could be a reject of a manuscript
b)  Some other type of bad news - who knows what but give me a moment and I'm sure I'll come up with it.
c)  Groupon again - why can't I get off their subscriber list?

So I'm learning to enjoy the moment rather than stew about what ifs and the possibilities that the dreaded Amazon algorithm will strike me in my sleep.   Because now it's not just rejection that comes in an e-mail - good reviews, a reader or two and acceptance lands there too. 

Do you look back or forward?

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com
Ryshia on Facebook
Ryshia on Goodreads
From the Dust
Ring of Desire
Fatal Intent