Scammed again, darn it! Sometimes the writers' world makes me want to scream.

So, it's official. I have been scammed out of money. Again. It's a part of being a writer. You not only have to be creative. You also have to watch for warning signs of potential scammers. But what happens if none are given? I've worked with someone in the past and I've loved their feedback with editing and cover design. When they ventured out on their own, I was quick to follow them. I wanted my second story in the series I was working on to be edited by her.

When we talked, she said she would work on my cover design, as well. When she texted me, telling me she usually takes payment at a certain point, I eagerly paid. Sigh. Many months later, this person has dropped off the radar. The money wasn't the big thing. It was the idea of this great partnership going down the drain.

Where does that leave me? Trying to pick up the pieces and edit again. This wasn't the first time I've been taken in by a writing scam. It probably won't be the last. I have found the perfect cover design that, if I don't say so myself, works better than the cover she found for me.

That is one thing I've found in the twenty-plus years in writing: perseverance.

If something gets you down, take it in stride and take notes. It's the only way. If you let it get you down every time something does something says something bad about your, or takes your money by subterfuge, you'll never get anywhere. So, just remember, keep your head about you, and tell yourself if it sounds too good to be true, it might well be.

Stay weird!

Penny

Howl's Moving Castle 15th Anniversary

Fathom Events brought Howl's Moving Castle to theaters this afternoon, so I took myself to the movies. I've never seen this anime, but the premise intrigued me greatly. Wizard, lonely girl, witches...what's not to like, right?

I checked Rotten Tomatoes and the audience gave it a 92% - so another good thing going for it. I had my small bucket of popcorn, a medium Coke, reclining seat, and NO neighbors! Excellent.

And I fell asleep. For shame, I know! But honestly. I was expecting a little more wizarding...
The beginning started out well, the movie progressed. I loved all the side characters: jumping scarecrow, strange little dog with red feet that didn't exactly bark. Okay, Howl can turn into a bird. In the very beginning when he rescued Sophie from some soldiers he used magic to move them along. But no other magic was busted out really. Now, it was possible all the cool magic happened when I was sleeping. But I must say, the only other movie I fell asleep in was Groundhog Day and I've seen A LOT of movies.

I really liked Sophie's character. She was spunky. But Howl, um, he certainly wouldn't be my idea of a leading man. I wanted mysterious. Instead, I got whiner who complained about beauty.

I don't doubt this was a great movie in a lot of eyes and I was really disappointed that I didn't like it as much as everyone else. It's possible the Ghibli Studio just isn't right for me. I wasn't crazy about Spirited Away.

So stay tuned for next time, hopefully it'll be better (Dumbo or Shazaam!) and I'll let you know!
Stay paranormally weird!
Penny

Brought down by my annual case of the flu!

So for the 2nd year in a row (flu shots both seasons), I can claim to officially have the flu. Boo. Not exactly the record I was striving for.

Photo courtesy of clker

I'd like to think that is the reason I've pushed my bigger novels to the back burner. I've been really concentrating on a children's book line (Angie McPherson) and haven't devoted much time to getting my girl going in an alternate universe.

I've been running story ideas past my husband and there are some really exciting things that are getting imagined. Now I just need to open my file on the story and start typing. I'm trying not to get discouraged by the fact that my editor for the 2nd story in my Girl's Guide series has disappeared from the face of the earth. That's part of the business.

Pick up and move on. So, after my fever settles down, I will be starting on the Bermuda project. It's going to be fun, I just need to believe it.

Stay paranormally weird!
Penny

Stuck in a portal

 I started on my newest novel immediately after finishing my last one. Year after year, I finish one and start another. I had some downtime this Christmas, but was busy designing coloring books and getting my first children's book published (visit AngieMcP blog - if interested). But now that things have slowed down, I don't want to work on it. People are waiting for it and it's kind of needed to make my series better. Three books are better than two, and all that.

I have an outline (sort of) and I kind of know where it's going, but I still don't want to work on it. So for now, I'm hedging around it. I think once I get back into it, everything will fall into place. I hope so. I think it's because it takes an entire year to complete. That's so much time. I'm not saying it's not worth it, but I have been testing new writing styles. Some can be completed in a month (or even less).

I will continue to write full-length novels, also look to the future for different audiences.

Stay tuned and stay paranormally weird!
Penny

Why does KDP hate me and my ability to design book covers?

Oh, CreateSpace, how I wish you would come back!!! I miss you Cover Creator.  I cannot make a cover that doesn't get kicked out of KDP repeatedly to save my life. I download templates, re-download templates, pray to the gods... nothing seems to matter. My cover gets past the initial proof stage. It looks great. then I get the dreaded email from KDP stating my cover doesn't fit how it's supposed to.



I am ready to pull my hair out and not sure how to fix it going forward. Now I know why I'm happy to have some traditionally published work. Someone else can deal with this headache.

So here's to hoping for some good luck!
Stay paranormally weird!
Penny

My Fair Lady!

I went to see the Fathom Events My Fair Lady this weekend. I thought for sure I had seen the movie. I mean, who hasn't, right? Yeah. Apparently, I've never seen the movie. I knew some scenes and songs, but the movie was new to me. Crazy, I know! In the beginning, they related facts pertaining to the movie. I didn't know that Audrey Hepburn didn't sing the songs, and I didn't know that Julie Andrews was the lead in the Broadway play.  Andrews wasn't cast as the lead in the movie because she hadn't done any movies.

Which luckily that happened or we might not have gotten our beloved Mary Poppins! I did enjoy My Fair Lady and so glad I got to finally see it!

Ready for spring and ready for a sequel!

My sequel to A Girl's Guide to Time Travel will be out in the next few months. This story doesn't involve any characters previously met before. I realize people want sequels and publishers know this, but I wanted to create a series where the situations might be similar but each story contains completely different people. The pitch I could use would be: My main character finds themselves in strange situations.

Pretty simple, huh? Well, why did I pick something that requires so much research? I'm a glutton for punishment. The second story, A Girl's Guide to Purgatory, still needed research, but not as much. For purgatory, I could use my imagination and didn't have to rely on so much book work. And now that I'm working on the third installment, I'm back up to my neck in research.

I don't hate research, but it's hard for me to keep it all organized. Sometimes I find myself spending hours on background info, but in the end it will make the story more well-rounded.

Stay tuned for more Purgatory info!
Stay paranormally weird!
Penny