Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart

I am working on a new book called Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart. This book was actually written back in the early 2000's as a novelette. The original title was Clarissa. I restored it and started writing more chapters in the book. I have old CD Rom disc where I saved various short stories before I went through my writer's block. There were only a few stories I was able to fish out that are workable. Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart is adult fiction/drama and written as a first person narrative for the first few chapters. Categorized as contemporary, romantic fiction. The story revolves around Serena, a woman whose past relationships come back to haunt her family after her death.

NOTE:  I will post a link to the book when it is published. Similarities to people, places and things are purely coincidental. This book is not based on true accounts but written to seem like true accounts.

Update: this book will be published as an eBook in a few weeks. Please visit my Facebook page for updates. TY

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Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart

What Changed When I Revised Three of my Books?

It has been a little over 17 years since I wrote and published Chandra’s Quest. Originally the title was, Chandra’s Quest Book 1, I published it with Instanpublishers.com, a subsidiary publishing company. Two years later I published Chandra’s Quest Book 2. 

I re-wrote and changed a few things in both books, including how Chandra looks like. In the first book, Chandra (the main character) had long naturally curly hair and brown eyes. 

Picture is not a part of the book.

In the original version she was Latina, Carlos remains the same, Keeja, remains the same, Xenos remains the same and Soran had some changes done but not by much.

In the revised version, Chandra has shoulder length light brown hair, not curly but set with a light wave to it and brown hazel colored eyes and she is multiracial, Hispanic/Caucasian.

In both Chandra’s Quest book 1 & 2, I added and removed some text. I changed some chapters and added more chapters. The endings are different from the original books.

Since both books were labelled Alternative Sci-Fi/adult romance, I did a lot of re-writing to edit out the content no longer suitable. I changed the book series to accommodate 14 and over. Only a few of the original books remain in the system.

Book 3 has not been completed and frankly, it won’t be published till the end of the year—maybe. Please keep an eye out for it by visiting my website, Facebook page and Twitter page.

       picture not in book

In the Company of Elves, has some changes as well. It was meant for adults. I wrote it to be adult fiction but changed it during the re-write. Melissa’s appearance changed a bit, she doesn’t have blonde curly hair, it’s straight and long. 

The elves remain the same, Faye's appearance was changed. For those who read the original version, will like the changes I made.

 

In the Company of Elves is categorized as 14 and over.

The only books I did not or will not revise are:

Saints and Sinners: Affairs of the Heart

The Other Side of Things Part 1 & 2

The Stranger Things: Paranormal, Supernatural, and Unusual Phenomenon

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Chandra's Quest: The Birth of a Trilogy

Chandra's Quest was one of my first full length novels that I wrote back in the mid to late 90's and self-published it in the early 2000's. It is part of a trilogy.

              First copy

The story was originally adult scifi but when I revised it, I made some changes. I republish it in 2013 through Kindle Direct Publishing, a very different self-publishing company than the previous one I used before. 

 I am pleased with both versions of Chandra's Quest, however I want to let everyone know that when you visit Amazon and find the book, I encourage you to download or buy the paperback of the revised version (2013). The older version is no longer available by the third party seller that was selling it. Even though it is unavailable, the seller still has it listed. Anyways, this entry is to inform interested readers to buy the current book and enjoy it. 

Please Read, Rate & Review. TY. 

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I Made Some Changes to the Back Covers

I recently made bookcover changes to these books:

(this book is no longer a paperback)

All of these books, do not have my picture on the back. In the future, you will find the, About the Author page & Author's Notes, in the last pages of each book.

NOTE: if you have a book that I published before I changed the back cover, please consider it a collector's item.

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Why Reviews are Important

Reviews make or break a new author! It’s true. When I got my first review for the 2002 unabridged version of Chandra’s Quest book 1, I was crushed but it didn't stop me from writing. 

In fact, I was in the process of revising Chandra's Quest, so as mean-spirited as the comment was, I chose to plow forward and continue revising Book 1 & 2.  

Constructive Criticism:

The one thing that a person should do when writing a review, is not discourage buyers from buying or downloading the book they've read. I’ve learned that leaving a review is important, better than none.

You should leave a review, whether good or bad but you should end it with something like this, “whereas this book did not appeal to me, it might appeal to those who are interested in reading it,” or “I did not like the book but you can buy it or download it,  judge for yourself.”

It's only fair to give others a chance to read, rate and review.

On Twitter, a reader asked everyone if they should leave a bad review on a book they read but didn’t like. They feel bad in leaving a negative review. They fear that the person will figure out who they are. 

As I stated before, all reviews are important, no matter if they are good or bad, as long as they are constructive, and it does not discourage others from reading the book and posting their review/opinion. In addition, people can remain anonymous. 

In conclusion, please do post reviews on any book that you've read from an author. Do it in a way that it does not discourage others from buying or downloading the book!  

You're not only helping the author but you're giving others a chance to read it too. Remember, that what you don’t like, the other person might. Keep that in mind.

Enjoy your books.

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Please consider donating a small portion to support Indie authors. TY

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What Would You Be If You Weren't a Published Author

On Twitter, one of the other authors whom I follow, asked everyone: What would you be if you weren't a writer/author?

Well I can't speak for all authors but for me, I would be as I am now with one exception--not an author/writer. I probably would still have a presence on social media/online, I would still create handmade gifts to sell on Etsy or eBay but there would be no books, no Chandra's Quest, no In the Company of Elves, et cetera. I strongly believe that my life would be the same except that I wouldn't have published a book/books, I wouldn't have thought about becoming an author at all; I would not have the inspiration to do so.  

Since I love making handmade gifts, that would have been the only creative outlet I would have going for me. I often wonder though, if I didn't become a published author, would the people who blocked me on social media, have still blocked me? Would they have been just as critical of what I sell online?

So many questions, so many 'what if's.' My children took inspiration from my creativity and if I had denied or ignored my passion, what example would I have set for them? If I had not pushed forward, been assertive pursuing my dream, would that show them that keeping their creativity bottled up inside is better than having others critic their work? 
My creativity is a way for me to put my imagination out there and it eases my mind, makes me happy. I enjoy writing, letting others read my work. Money isn't the issue for me because when I create something, I want those people who are interested in my work or items I've created, to like/ enjoy the things I've done; to own something I've created with my own two hands. 

When I write in this blog or in one of my other blogs and someone actually reads the entry, I am grateful that they took the time to read what I've written. Perhaps, that person agrees with what I've written and enjoys it. I really don't know the type of audience/readers I attract but it is for them that I write, it is for them that I create my stories and publish my books and it is for my children that I pursue my endeavors, so they will be encouraged to pursue their dreams. When I pass away, I would leave something behind, something precious to my children, memories and my books so they can continue selling them and giving readers my gift, my creativity, my books. Just saying. 

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New Decade, New Projects

New Decade, New Projects? Well, actually I decided to drop one of the  books I'm working on. It's called, Finding Loretta. I feel that I should concentrate more on completing Chandra's Quest book 3: Immorality, the final installment of the trilogy. 

 I will delve more into book 3, completing the draft & editing it. I might publish it by the end of next year--hopefully. As for my other books, well I finished the draft for Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart. Not so hard to do since it is a novelette. I plan on making it a prequel to a book I have been mulling over in my head. Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart is loosely based on a real diary. That's all I will say about it.

Out in the Open, is still on the agenda but no rush on finishing it anytime soon. The book is a prequel to the Phoenix Files. This new decade will be one of wonder, determination, and hope. 

Last Words:
Write what you feel and know. Everyone has a unique gift to writing a good book. For every book you write, there is an audience you'll attract. What might not appeal to some, might appeal to others. Find a category you are comfortable with and just do it.

Write the draft then go over it a few times, then edit it. Most of all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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