NFReads author interview

Check out my author interview with NFReads!

Please introduce yourself and your books:

My name is Paula Howell but I write under my nickname, P.J. Howell. My current published titles include a mystery series, as well as a few short stories and a non-fiction. The Jorja Matthews mystery series is about a female private investigator. The reader tags along while Jorja works as a PI on legal cases and attempts to unravel mysteries surrounding her own family history.

What are the real-life stories behind your books?

I’ve worked in the legal field for 30 years, 15 of which were as a private investigator…

You can read the complete interview here.

NFReads is an online publication which began out of a love for learning new things and later morphed into a general interest website with a focus on stories behind creative works and people’s lives.

There are other author interviews on the website you can also review under the “writing and literature” section. The link can be found here.

I hope you take a moment to read the interview and if you know of anyone who might also enjoy it, don’t hesitate to pass the link on to them.

Take care and happy reading!

Improving life, day by day, bit by simple bit

Price of Betrayal - the 5th novel in the series - find it here

FUN FACT: There are officially 100 more days left for the year. What will you do with the remaining days of 2019?

Last month I shared about the fact that I was challenging myself in an attempt to make better morning habits to start each day off right. I used The Morning Sidekick Journal to track my daily morning habits and after 66 days, I felt accomplished and ready to continue with my newly formed morning routine, even without the book as my daily guide.

While I was filling out the journal during the 66-day challenge, one of the daily questions was to list one way I could improve life by 1%.

Just one idea per day.

I was going to store the journal away but before doing that, I decided to add my list of ideas to my bullet journal, where it could be in one place and I could refer to it whenever I wanted. And because fall is said to be a good time for change, reflection and self-discovery, I thought I’d also share it here. I’ve tamed the list down to just 31 items, something for every day of the month.

Here’s my list of one way per day I believe I can improve life by 1%:

1. Stick to a morning routine
2. Be mindful and present in the moment
3. Meditate, even if just for five minutes
4. Use morning mantras
5. Reach out to family and friends
6. Craft/color/draw for the fun of it
7. Drink more water
8. Exercise regularly
9. Walk in nature often
10. Laugh every day
11. Use positive affirmations
12. Listen more, speak less
13. Schedule in self care
14. Do something out of your comfort zone
15. Work on forming a nighttime routine
16. Enjoy more sunrises
17. Be open to change
18. Forgive yourself
19. Forgive others
20. Eat veggies every day
21. Spend less, save more
22. Reduce screen time
23. Stay positive
24. Stay focused
25. Journal and reflect on the day
26. Don’t overstress
27. Think before speaking
28. Be open to possibilities
29. Take advantage of every day
30. Be grateful
31. Continue to build on good habits

Sticking to just half my list will improve my life by a huge percentage and I had a difficult time paring it down to just 31 because so many of the ideas I had felt important! But you get the idea and I’m sure you’d have a number of things you might add that would resonate more personally for you.

If you’re using this season to reflect and make changes, working on a list of your own might not be a bad idea. When I was building my list, I didn’t think much of it until I went back through and combined all of the items together. What seemed like simple, daily tips morphed into a motivating roadmap that I can easily follow and build upon.

While I’m glad to say I’m focusing on many of the items on this list on a daily basis, there are a few that I knew would take some work before I’d be able to put them into practice. One such item is #14. How many of us really enjoy pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone? Not me. But it’s a necessity in order to grow as a person and a professional.

So I finally pushed myself and I tackled a project that I’ve been putting off for way too long and which completely took me out of my comfort zone. This particular project was to finally build an author website. Yes! I finally have a website. During the process I had to keep reminding myself about #17 (because I enjoy using Blogger and it’s been my “home base” for so long) and #26 (easier said than done!). It’s going to be a WIP as I work out any kinks and change things I might not like, but it’s up and running and soon I’ll also be sending out regular newsletters. This is another jump away from my comfort zone – I’m on a roll! J

If you want to check it out, view my website at www.pjhowellauthor.com and be sure to sign up if you want to receive my monthly newsletters via email. If you spot any issues with the website or signup process, please let me know. I think a website is a lot like a child and it might take a village to raise it properly.

So what will you do with the remaining 100 days of this year?

I know what I’ll be doing…writing, editing, playing with my new toy (the website), building my email list, having fun with newsletters, and preparing for a large speaking event. I believe those tasks will keep my days full and productive. Don’t you?

Let the 100-day countdown begin!

Yearly Writers Conference…check. So, now what?

I look forward to this time of year, not only because I enjoy the arrival of fall (and wearing boots again J), but also because I look forward to a yearly writers conference not far from where I reside. The Southwest Washington Writers Conference is an easy drive and a great price for an all-day conference. In addition, all participants can appreciate the fact that money is donated to the Centralia College Scholarship Foundation to offer scholarships to students. It’s a win-win situation for all, in my book.

This year the conference had the addition of a master class for a half day before the actual event. The instructor we had the benefit of spending the afternoon with was New York Times bestselling author Hallie Ephron. I enjoy meeting authors who have been in the trenches and who are willing to share their experiences and expertise while they offer tips on the craft of writing from their perspective. I especially enjoy hearing from authors, like Hallie, who have been writing and publishing books for some time and who have experienced the change in times when it comes to the publishing world.

I’ll never assume to know it all when it comes to writing and I’m a total nerd when it comes to learning on a regular basis. I also thoroughly enjoy the inspiration I gain after attending a class or a workshop and this weekend was no exception. When it came to craft, I attended the master class and a workshop with Hallie while she shared tips on writing character-driven plots and character voice and point of view. The rest of the conference I focused on attending workshops related to marketing, my absolute favorite part of being an author. Um…not!

While I admit marketing isn’t my favorite part of being an author, it is an extremely important part, beyond writing the book in the first place. Marketing will forever be a WIP, especially when the online rules of engagement seem to change on a daily basis. During the conference, I enjoyed a workshop with one of my favorite speakers, Veronica Noize, where she discussed social media marketing. I’ve attended a couple of workshops over the past two years or so with Veronica and she is not only knowledgeable in her expertise, but also highly entertaining.

Beyond social media marketing, I sat in on a workshop on book launch tips offered by speculative fiction author Jill Williamson, as well as a workshop on email marketing tips offered by cozy mystery author Traci Hilton. And…now I have quite a few notes to review and websites to check out, forms to download, ideas to follow up on and some to-do’s to follow through with regarding my current WIP.

   

While I do enjoy attending conferences and workshops, and I leave feeling inspired, I’ll admit that I also feel a bit overwhelmed. There is so much to being an author beyond just writing the book and as much fun as it would be to only focus on writing, the book won’t promote itself. Attending workshops like these only confirm I still need to continue to do more when it comes to marketing. That fact can either put a sour taste in my mouth, or I can swallow the deed like a champ with a chaser of determination.

Case in point? Newsletters and email marketing. I’ve been working on the idea, I have a huge to-do list, and I’ve received so much advice I think it’s only paralyzed me when I think I’m finally ready to pull the trigger. However…I know that email marketing is the strongest and best way to keep in touch with readers and continue to gain sales. Should be a no-brainer, right? But it has been the one task that I keep putting off.

So, I’m taking responsibility for not yet having completed that task and I’m tossing it here on my blog so those who follow me can help keep me accountable. Go ahead…keep me on my toes and ask me every so often how I’m doing with that task. Tell me you’d like to join my list and receive regular newsletters from me, if I’d just get it up and running. J

Until next time…