A brilliant post....

As I was getting ready to write this post, I initially couldn't think of a topic. After a long drive taking my kids to their dad's and then home again, I came up with a brilliant idea. By the time I was in a position to write it down, my mind was completely blank and I couldn't think of anything to write!

How many times does this happen to us when we sit down to work on a manuscript? Please, tell me I'm not the only one...

Ideas can come in the strangest of moments, usually when they are least expected. Often they can disappear just as quickly. Sometimes they can be caught and used, and other times they refuse to be pinned down.

I must admit to being a little bit jealous of those authors who can just sit down and write no matter what else is going on.

Whenever this happens, I know I need to be kind to myself. The ideas will come again, the words will be added to my manuscripts, and books will be published. I need to be patient. Sometimes, I need to put whatever brilliant idea I thought I would be working on to one side, and work on something else for a while. I can always go back to the other idea when it comes back again.

I'm not going to beat myself up about the brilliant blog post idea I thought up while driving. I'm sure it will come back, instead, I'm sharing this one.

Ideas will come and go, and sometimes we have little control over them. They don't always come when you want them to... But ideas will come.

And if they don't? Then just write about the fact that they're not coming, you never know what the results will be!

Melissa Gijsbers is a Melbourne based author and the mother of two teenage boys. She has three published middle grade novels.

You can follow her writing journey at www.melissagijsbers.com and www.melissawrites.com.au

The best laid plans...

Throughout January every year, I feel like I'm being bombarded with posts and emails talking about New Years Resolutions, Five Year Plans, Word of the Year, and so on. When I was running a business, all the business coaches talked about plans and goals, including five year plans. It's hard not to get caught up in it all.

If last year taught me anything at all, it's that the best laid plans can be derailed with something completely unexpected. For me, it was my son ending up in hospital after three days of school, and continuing the year in a wheelchair, finally walking out of the hospital in November. There was no way we could have planned for this, no matter what resolutions or plans I had made at the start of the year.

I had plans for writing and publishing more, working more hours in my day job so we could afford to move house, get back to the gym, read more books, and so on. None of this happened the way I wanted it to, though hospital waiting rooms are great places to get more reading done!

In spite of my plans, I had my first book published with a traditional publisher and we had a fantastic book launch. I have so many ideas for new stories, and many experiences where I thought 'That will be great in a book one day'.

It also taught us a lesson in leaning on God and our church community. Everything we've been through, especially last year, is all in God's plan, and we can't see it at all. We have learned that prayers are answered, but not always in the way we expect, or in our time. We have learned that the family of God is more than just our immediate family, and that they really do care for us and want to support us during the happy times as well as the hard times.

These lessons apply not only in my home life, but also in my writing life. I never expected I would be writing fantasy novels for kids, in fact, writing novels for kids wasn't something I had expected when I got back into creative writing.

For this year, my plan is more along the lines of "Go with the flow", or, rather, "Let God lead me". I know the dreams I have for me and my family, and my writing. I still have plans, but I have learned to put these in God's hands, and to be flexible.

Here's to a fantastic 2018.

Melissa Gijsbers lives in Melbourne with her two teenage sons. Their family is about to expand to include a new blue tongue lizard and a fighting fish!

She currently has three middle grade books available and is working on more in any spare moment she isn't reading.

You can follow her writing journey at www.melissawrites.com.au and www.melissagijsbers.com

September New Releases

Liana's Dance by Rosanne Hawke (Rhiza Press, 1 August 2017) 

Sixteen-year-old Liana Bedford lives in constant fear. Political tensions in Pakistan are rising and terrorist attacks are becoming an everyday norm.

As a Pakistani-Australian, she could be the next target. When her school friends are taken hostage by terrorists, Liana’s world disappears overnight.

Alongside her new teacher, Mr Kimberley, she must journey through rural Pakistan in a bid to find them and bring them home. But Mr Kimberley has a secret, and to save him and her friends, Liana must overcome her fears.

And dance for her life.

An unforgettable story about one Pakistani-Australian’s will to survive.

Liana’s Dance is a stand alone novel from Rosanne Hawke, inspired by a character from Rosanne’s Beyond Borders series.

Website

Lizzy's Fragon by Melissa Gijsbers (Stone Table Books, 7 September 2017) 

When she finds an odd looking egg in the forest behind her house she decides to hide it in her bedroom in the hope that it will hatch into a lizard.  What she gets is ‘Bubbles’, the oddest, fastest growing lizard she has ever seen. It doesn’t take long for her annoying little brother to discover her secret pet. It also doesn’t take long for Bubbles to grow out of her room. Lizzy begins to wonder whether Bubbles is a lizard at all, or something even more amazing. But how will Lizzy keep Bubbles a secret? And what will happen to Bubbles if anyone finds out about him?

Where to buy.

The Warrior Lord's Trumph by Ray Hawkins

Fourth in the Warrior Lord series, this 31 day devotional leads us to an appreciation of the wonder associated with Christ's return.

As our world becomes more chaotic, confusing and being on the edge of catastrophe, these devotions offer Biblical insights birthing hope. History's climax has been outlined. We see the scenarios taking shape. Knowing Christ's return in Triumph as the Warrior Lord and King breathes peace into our soul.

Daily themes such as 'When God Sings Solo' gives us a sense of His joy for His people. Another insight is 'Heaven's Hallelujah chorus' highlight the music and songs in Revelation.

R.R.P is $11:95 (Aus.) paper back. Ebook price to be determined
Available in Christians books such as Amazon in Australia and overseas countries.

Website

Jewel of the Stars by Adam David Collings (Tamar Publications, 31 August 2017)

The Cruise is Over

Haylee was more confident designing starships than raising an autistic child. She just wants a relaxing holiday with her family. But when Earth falls to an alien armada, she knows life will never be the same again.

Les was just a cruise ship captain. Now, he must rise up and become something greater, if he is to keep his crew and passengers alive.

Braxton never wanted to leave the space navy, but now, taking a cruise is the only way to feel the stars around him. This crisis may be his ticket to regaining the life he thought was gone forever.

Can they overcome their differences and save everyone on the ship?

If they reach unexplored space, they might yet survive, but an unstoppable enemy stands in their way…

Amazon link 

When something just clicks

Last year, my older son came down with a medical condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. This is an incredibly painful condition and much of the therapy is physio to get the limb moving again in spite of the pain.

For a long time, the physio tried everything to get him moving again - tough love, rewards, setting goals - but none of it worked until something clicked in his mind to overcome the fear of the pain that may come with walking on his painful leg.

Back in 2011, I got back into writing fiction after a long break and the following year I participated in the first Chapter Book Challenge. I wrote a story that was good, but there wasn't a goal or reason why the main character was going on his adventure.

I still love the story and the information it gives to kids, and I am trying everything to find the point of the story... so far, nothing is clicking. I'm hoping that, one day, something will just click and it will see the light of day.

This can be true for all of us when working on our stories. For some of them, no amount of hard work, goal setting, counting words, or workshopping a story will get things to work. In this situation, sometimes we just need to let it simmer until the day when something just clicks and the story comes together.

When that something clicks, it's such a great feeling and it ends up with a stronger story than it began and, hopefully, a story that readers will love too.

Melissa Gijsbers lives in Melbourne with her two teenage boys and pet blue tongue lizard. She writes flash fiction as well as middle grade novels.

You can follow her writing journey at www.melissawrites.com.au and www.melissagijsbers.com

Changing Routines

I keep seeing articles on social media that talk about how to be a "real" writer. Most of these involve routines that mean you are writing every day, the implication being that if you don't follow the steps in the article, you are not a "real" writer.

The tips to help you achieve this often include helpful tips such as getting up early, having calendars to mark off when you've written, write the same time every day, set aside hours of time to achieve your word count goals, and similar ideas.

Most of these ideas are quite unhelpful to me. They seem to assume that you have hours every day to devote to writing and that you have a supportive someone who can work to pay the bills, look after kids, etc. Or your writing is generating enough income so you don't need a day job.

One thing these articles seem to talk about is having a rigid writing routine, where you protect your daily writing time and set it in stone.

Scheduling writing time

Lately I've learned that it's great to have goals and diarise writing time, however, I have also learned that life changes and things don't always go to plan. Your writing routine has to be flexible.

Earlier this year, my older son ended up in hospital in extreme pain. There was a week when no writing happened. He is still in pain and has multiple appointments per week. Juggling that with work and getting my other son to school and activities usually results in little writing being done, and especially not every day. Getting up early to write is not going to happen either - I'm too tired.

I have found another writing routine. This usually involves setting aside some time on the weekend to sit in my favourite cafe and write. I'm incredibly productive in these times and have been known to write 2,000 words in a session!

One of my writing sessions - over dinner!

The fact I don't write every day doesn't make me any less of a writer. In a discussion with another author, she pointed out that writing is a job, just like any other job, and we're entitled to some time off or even working part time. Just like any work situation, there is no one size fits all approach to writing. Different routines work for different people, but no matter what, we need to be flexible with these routines because life can often get in the way of the best laid plans.

Melissa Gijsbers lives in Melbourne with her two teenage boys and pet blue tongue lizard.

She writes flash fiction as well as middle grade novels. You can follow her writing journey at www.melissawrites.com.au and www.melissagijsbers.com

Plans can look different to different people

When it comes to writing books, I've always been a bit of a pantser - that means I sit down and write by the seat of my pants, rather than have a detailed plan before I get started. That's not to say I have no idea what's going to happen, usually I have a vague plan and an ending, and go from there.

In a number of writer's groups I'm part of, there is a lot of discussion about NaNoWriMo coming up in November. If you haven't heard of it, the idea is to write 50,000 words, the first draft of a novel, in a month. Most of the people who are planning to take part spend October doing the plan of their novel, including character profiles and maps of the worlds their stories will exist in.

I look at some of this activity and wish I could plot like that, but it's something I've never been able to do. Even in High School when we were set a story to write, I would have to write my first draft, then the dot point plan. I did it this way mostly because when I did them the other way around the story would bare little resemblance to the plan I'd written.

When I sit down to write a new story the first draft I write is quite sketchy on details, however it has strong bones. It usually has a great middle and end, but the middle needs work to make it stonger. Shortly after that first draft, I type it out again from the beginning, adding in scenes that were missing and details that need to be included for the story to make sense. The beginning and end usually remain fairly unchanged.

After doing this a few times, I have come to realise that my first draft IS my plan!

My plan doesn't look like it does in any of the books and resources about planning. I don't have dot points or chapter summaries, but it allows me to find out where the story is going to take me in a way that flows for me.

This is also showing me that there is no one way to write a book. Different methods work for different people, and plans look different for different people.

How do you plan your books, if you plan?

Melissa Gijsbers lives in Melbourne with her two teenage boys and pet blue tongue lizard. She writes flash fiction and middle grade novels, her second book came out last week.

You can follow her writing journey at www.melissawrites.com.au and www.melissagijsbers.com

The "Shoulds" of writing

Lately, I've been letting so many shoulds get to me.

• I can write a draft of a book in 2 weeks, I should be able to write/publish more books
• I should be writing more on my blog
• I should be promoting my books to get more sales
• I should be entering competitions
• I should be writing for anthologies
• I should be...

The problem with these shoulds is that they creep up, slowly, silently. At first, I can knock them aside and tell them where to go, but over time, they increase and expand until they become overwhelming. Usually they hit me when life is particularly busy and crazy, leaving me with little time to think about them logically.

Instead of spurring me on to write more, I find these shoulds make me freeze and not write much at all! I will start writing a draft and not get past the third or fourth chapter. My blog comes to a complete standstill, I do nothing to promote my books, I don't enter competitions or write for anthologies. The shoulds get completely in the way of any writing tasks! These shoulds also have me questioning whether or not I'm a "real" writer.

These should also get in the way of my faith. I should be praying more, reading my Bible, should be able to write a Christian book... and so on.

When I can take a step back, I can acknowledge that I am a working, single Mum with two teenagers with chronic health conditions. I need to be kind to myself and, at time, go with the flow of periods of not writing. It's also at these times that I reach out to others to pray for me as I find it difficult to pray. And this doesn't make me any less of a writer, or a Christian.

Taking a step back may not send all the shoulds on their way immediately, but it does help. Often, it starts with ideas flowing again, which sends me to a notebook or computer to write them down. These ideas could be for blog posts, new books, current works in progress, competition entries, or any number of other things. I also find myself going back to simple prayers that were prayed when I was a child. 

The shoulds are still there in the background. I haven't been able to get rid of them completely, but being realistic about my goals and my life helps a lot to keep them in the background, and keeps the words coming.

Melissa Gijsbers lives in Melbourne with her two teenage boys and pet blue tongue lizard. She writes flash fiction as well as middle grade novels.

You can follow her writing journey at www.melissawrites.com.au andwww.melissagijsbers.com

Find Your Writing DNA

A few weeks ago, I attended the Meet the Publishers event. This was an amazing day and I came home with pages of notes about writing and publishing.

One message that came through in every session was this:

Find your writing DNA

This may sound like a strange comment, however, it makes a lot of sense when they explained it more.

Essentially, it means write what you write. Not everyone will be able to write in every genre.

If you write for children, for example, then write for children. Don't think that you should write for adults. If you find that writing for older children is your thing, then write that and don't feel that you should write picture books.

This is true for me. I remember one time in high school we were told to write a horror story. This is not my genre - I get nightmares watching horror movies, so I don't watch them. My story ended up being a romance between a monster and a human!!

I think this is also true as a Christian author. I have tried writing what would traditionally be classed as a Christian book, one that has a strong Christian message. Whenever I do, they sound fake and forced. Instead I write stories for a general market, however they do come from a Christian point of view as that is where I'm coming from.

Whatever stories we write, we need to find our writing DNA. In doing this, we will write the best stories we can.

Hearing the publishers tell us all to find our writing DNA was so encouraging for me. There are times when I think I should write something else - picture books, novels, etc - but I know that writing middle grade fiction is where I am right now, and that's OK.

Melissa Gijsbers lives in Melbourne with her two teenage boys and pet blue tongue lizard. She writes flash fiction as well as middle grade novels.

You can follow her writing journey at www.melissawrites.com.au and www.melissagijsbers.com






Photo Source - Public Domain Pictures

Having a writing buddy

The last couple of months, I've been participating in a number of writing challenges including the Chapter Book Challenge, Blog Your Book in 30 Days, and Camp NaNoWriMo. These challenges have been fantastic for getting the words down on paper as they all come with a deadline a supportive group of participants, but this month, I have an extra secret weapon.

This secret weapon is a writing buddy!

It all started by accident. We are both working to pitch a manuscript at a conference next month, so we need to get our drafts finished.

We started checking in with each other whenever we had done writing and it's helped us keep on track! If we haven't checked in for a day or two, then we'll ask the other how the writing is going.

Working this way, we have both hit the half way points in our manuscripts, and are on track to finish our manuscripts in plenty of time for the conference.

The groups that exist for the challenges have been wonderfully supportive, but having this one on one support has been invaluable.

The similarities between us have helped in the support we are giving each other. As well as writing for the same age group, we are both juggling kids with writing, as well as everything else that comes with having busy lives. Because of the kids, we are sending messages with word counts at strange hours, but it works for us.

I used to be jealous of people who would get together regularly with writing buddies and spend lovely weekends together writing, now I have my own writing buddy. While we don't spend time together in the same place, we still encourage each other and get our writing done!

Melissa Gijsbers lives in Melbourne with her two teenage boys and pet blue tongue lizard. She writes flash fiction as well as middle grade novels.

You can follow her writing journey at www.melissawrites.com.au and www.melissagijsbers.com

Getting into a writing routine

I know it's been 2016 for a little while now, but in many ways it feels like it's just beginning. The kids are back at school, after school activities have started, and work is back to normal hours.

So, I would like to wish you a Happy New Year!

Every year, the routine changes slightly. It could be new schools (I now have two kids in high school), new after school activities, or changing times for classes, or anything else that life throws at us.

With each new year, my writing routine needs to be tweaked.

Tweaking includes looking at what projects I want to work on, what challenges I'm going to do and what deadlines I have.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned is to have a routine that works for ME, not someone else. There are hundreds of articles about writing routines, many involve getting up early, or writing every day, or.... do a search and you'll find them. I find getting up early doesn't work (especially as I have one child who wakes at 6am most days!), and I have a day job. Most of my writing time is in the evening after the kids are in bed.

If I try and write every day, I find I have no time for editing, so I need to balance the time so I can both write and edit.

Another lesson I've learned is the need for flexibility, especially when life throws a curve ball. The day before school went back, my older son ended up in hospital with a virus. There was no writing happening for a few days as I needed to devote my time to my son. Instead of beating myself up about it, I knew I had enough flexibility in my writing routine and deadlines to accommodate this.

It's taking time, but our new routine is falling into place.

What does your writing routine look like? Do you have a new one for the New Year?

Melissa Gijsbers lives in Melbourne and writes in between working as a bookkeeper and being the mother of two active boys. She is a blogger and author of flash fiction and children's books. Her first book, Swallow Me, NOW! is available now.

You can follow her writing journey at www.melissawrites.com.au andwww.melissagijsbers.com

Why do you like books, Aunty Missie?

As well as being the mother to two gorgeous boys, I'm also the aunt to four gorgeous boys.

Every Tuesday this year, I have had the great joy of picking up my 4 year old nephew from kinder. We have some great conversations in the car...

Yesterday, we were talking about Christmas, and I mentioned that I had had a special delivery the day before - some books for Christmas presents for my nephews - and I was hoping that some books that I had ordered would arrive today (copies of Nicki Edwards books).

He was in awe that I had bought so many books for Christmas, then asked the following questions:

"Why do you have so many books, Aunty Missie? Do you read them all? Why do you like books, Aunty Missie?"

The answer to the first question was easy: Because I like books.

The second answer was a bit harder, more for the follow up question: I have read most of them...

He then wanted to know why I hadn't read all of them! I told him that it was because I had more books than time to read. Thankfully, he moved on to the next question rather than ask why...

The third answer was the biggest challenge. Why do I like books?

I had to think for a minute before explaining in a way that a very bright four year old would understand.

I like that books can transport you to places far away in space and time. They can introduce you to many and varied characters without leaving the comfort of your own home (and without you having to find a babysitter!).

I like that books, both fiction and non-fiction, can teach you things. They can open your eyes to history, science, literature, and so many more subjects. They can teach you about people and how they live, what they do, how they think.

I like that books can be both new and familiar, even books you've read a million times. A well read book is like catching up with an old friend, and a new book is the start of a new adventure.

I like that no two people see the same book in the same way. I like that we all bring our own experiences and tastes to colour the pages of a story, so that I book I love might be one you can't finish and vice versa.

I like the comfort that comes from a pile of books on my bedside table just waiting to be read and bulging bookshelves. For me, this helps make a house a home.

How did I answer my nephew? I simply said that books can teach you things and take you on wonderful adventures.

As a little boy who likes to learn new things, this answer was satisfactory and we moved on to other things. I can't wait to give him a new book this Christmas, and another one for his birthday, and every other opportunity I can. I look forward to expanding my answer to his question by showing him how amazing books are as he grows.

Melissa Gijsbers lives in Melbourne and writes in between working as a bookkeeper and being the mother of two active boys. She is a blogger and author of flash fiction and children's books.

Follow her writing journey at www.melissawrites.com.au and www.melissagijsbers.com

Crowdfunding for publication - part 2, launch

Last week, I talked about planning your campaign. If you missed the post, you can catch up on it here.

Now that you've done your planning, you will be ready to launch your campaign. Depending on your campaign, there may be a few days between hitting the button to make it live and it being launched. This is something to keep in mind when planning your launch date.

It's tempting to just make it live and then hope for the best, but there are things you can do for a successful campaign launch.

Before your launch
For a successful start to your campaign, start letting people know that it's coming up.

• Plan some blog posts with a blurb about your new book, let your readers know why you are crowdfunding, and, possibly, add some hints to the sorts of rewards they can expect.
• Post in your social media channels about your book and campaign so people can look forward to it and be ready to support you.
• Prepare announcement emails and media releases so they are ready to go when you launch.
• Line up supporters who will host you on their blogs and help spread the word (more about this in the next post)

During the campaign itself, you will be posting quite a bit to get people to support you, so don't go overboard at this stage. Let people know just enough so they know it's coming and are ready to pledge their support.

In my campaign last year, I didn't tell people enough, so there were some people who wanted to support it, but didn't have the money at that point, though they have since purchased books from me.

Launching your campaign
When your campaign goes live, this is where the work begins. Most pledges happen within the first few days, so this is the time to spread the word. Here are a few things you can do. Remember to include a direct link to your campaign so that people can easily support it.

• Plan a blog post on your blog to announce the campaign
• Post on your Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media channels
• If you are a member of any Facebook groups, post there too. Be sure to make sure these posts are in keeping with the rules of the group.
• Send an email out to your email list to let your subscribers know about your campaign.
• Prepare a media release before your launch and send it out as your campaign goes live. Don't forget about your local paper as they are always looking for local interest stories
• Prepare some postcards or flyers that you can give to your offline contacts
• Send an email to your family and close friends who may not be part of any of the above groups of people

Once your campaign is launched and you've let people know, work begins to keep the momentum going so you can reach your goal. A successful campaign is not a matter of "set and forget", there is still work to do. More about that in the next post.

Melissa Gijsbers lives in Melbourne and writes in between working as a bookkeeper and being the mother of two active boys. She successfully crowdfunded her first book in 2014, and is about to crowdfund her second book.

Follow her writing journey at www.melissawrites.com.au and www.melissagijsbers.com

Crowdfunding for publication - part 1, planning

This time last year, I was celebrating the launch of my first book, Swallow Me, NOW!. I self-published this book and to fund it, I ran a crowdfunding campaign through the crowdfunding site Pozible.

Over four posts, I'm going to share with you some of the things that I learned while crowdfunding my book, splitting it into planning, launching, promoting, and concluding your campaign. 

I'm in the process of getting ready to launch my next crowdfunding campaign, so I'm going through the process as I'm sharing it with you.

My Pozible campaign

Before you start your campaign, there is a lot of planning that needs to be done.

Crowdfunding Platform:

There are a number of sites you can use to crowdfund your book including Pozible, Kickstarter, Indegogo, and Pubslush. You will need to choose one of these, it's usually frowned upon to put your campaign on multiple platforms.

There are two main models for crowdfunding. The first is an "All or Nothing" model where you don't get any money if you don't get your target amount. The second is a "Flexible funding" model where you will get the money even if you don't reach your target. The fees are usually higher with the second model.

While deciding which model to choose, think about what will happen if you don't reach your goal. Will you still be able to publish your book? Do you have a Plan B? What is the minimum amount you need to reach.

Have a good look at the different platforms and do your research. Do they support the currency you want to paid in? Will they deposit money into an Australian bank account? Do they have other books that are being funded?

I chose Pozible for my campaign as they are Australian and I had friends who funded their books with them.

How much money do you need?

While you are choosing your platform, you will also need to create a budget for the money you will need for your campaign. Be sure to write down everything you need, including:

• All publication costs - editing, design, etc
• Cost of any rewards, including copies of printed book
• Cost of postage for any rewards
• Fees for the crowdfunding platform
• Add on 15% to that figure for any contingencies

Planning your rewards

In order to get support, you need to have some rewards. I look at crowdfunding as getting pre-sales for my book. A copy of your book is an obvious reward, but it's good to have different levels. Some suggestions for rewards include;

• A copy of your book or ebook
• Two copies of your book - one for you and one for a friend (I found this was a popular option)
• A copy of your book and some goodies - whatever the goodies, make sure they are relevant to your book. I made a pack with a notebook, pen and some hot chocolate as these were items mentioned in the book. Also, make them easy to post
• An experience of some kind for a high supporter - I offered to take people out for a hot chocolate at my favourite cafe
• If it's relevant, you could include an advertisement on your website or in your book for a high supporter

It's good to have a range of rewards starting at $5 for someone who just wants to support you, right up as high as you want to go. When planning rewards, be sure to include costs of posting the rewards to your supporters.

Telling your story

It's not enough to simply decide how much money you need and the rewards, you also need to tell the story of your book and why you want people to support your campaign.

Include a blurb about your book as well as information about why you wrote it, and why you want people to support you. To get an idea, look at some successful campaigns to see what they did.

Some platforms require you to post a video, for others it's optional. A video can be a great way to connect with potential supporters and share more about your story.

Answer all the questions set by the platform in as much detail as you can, and let supporters know what the money will be used for. Be honest with telling people about any challenges.

How will you get supporters?

When you are planning, also look at how you will get your supporters. This is something people often forget about, taking a "build it and they will come" attitude. If you have a plan, then you are more likely to succeed.

Some ideas include:

• Use your social networks including Facebook and Twitter. Be careful not to post too often or you'll annoy people
• Arrange to do some guest posts on relevant blogs during your campaign to raise awareness
• Build a team before your campaign that will help promote it through their social networks
• Print some flyers you can give to your offline contacts to let them know about the campaign
• Send out a media release to your local paper and other publications to spread the word
• Post on your blog and send an email through your email list

Where possible, do a calendar to plan your promotions so you can get supporters throughout your campaign.

When you have done all your planning, it will be time to launch your campaign. More about that in the next post.

Melissa Gijsbers lives in Melbourne and writes in between working as a bookkeeper and being the mother of two active boys. She successfully crowdfunded her first book in 2014, and is about to crowdfund her second book.

Follow her writing journey at www.melissawrites.com.au and www.melissagijsbers.com

The Magic Shower....

I've spent the last few days trying to work out what to write for today's blog post, but nothing came to mind. School holidays, a cold, work, kids, all of these could be excuses. I could just throw up my hands and say "It's all too hard, can't do it, can't come up with any ideas, I'll have to pass on this one."

But I was determined to come up with something.

The harder I tried to come up with an idea, the more it wouldn't come.

I'm sure all of you can relate to that feeling of nothing coming no matter how hard you try. It's quite common among writers.

That was until I decided to have a shower...

I was frustrated after a long few weeks, and needed steam to help shift the symptoms of a head cold, so I took a break and stepped in the shower. That's when an idea came to me.... I can write about the shower!

That may seem like a strange topic for a blog post, but hang in there.

In the last few years, I've found the shower is one of the best places to go to break through writer's block. But it's not only a great cure for writer's block...

There have been a number of times I'll be in the shower and a great idea will come to me. There are times I wish I had a waterproof notebook to record them all. My kids are getting used to me running out of the shower to write something down before I forget it! I often joke that it's a Magic Shower.

A while ago, I was pleased to see an article going around Facebook that explained why we think better in the shower. There are quite a few articles out there, here is just one of them.

Science aside, I just know from my own experience that the shower helps the ideas flow. For me, it's getting away from the hustle and bustle of life for a few minutes helps clear my head and any blocks that are there so the ideas can take the place of the clutter that's usually in there.

Never underestimate the power a simple shower can have in clearing your head and letting the ideas flow.

Melissa Gijsbers lives in Melbourne and writes in between working as a bookkeeper and being the mother of two active boys. She is a blogger and author of flash fiction and children's books. Her first book, Swallow Me, NOW! is available now.

You can follow her writing journey at www.melissawrites.com.au andwww.melissagijsbers.com

My experience with Bullying and a giveaway

By Jenny Blake

I was talking with Narelle Atkins about this book and how I believe it should be in every library and then was telling her a little about my story. She suggested I do a blog post about bullying. 

When I was in High School I suffered from bullying. It started in year 10 but thankfully a teacher saw what was happening and stepped in and stopped it. Then year 11 was a nightmare. I was bullied by one boy in particularly and while he included others he was the ringleader. I wasn't the only victim but as the class got smaller the others left so I became the main target. A lot of this was sexual harassment which escalated at the year went on. It didn't end at school either as it included stalking by phone calls, following me home and even throwing rocks on our roof. Being a christian and from a very conservative family just made it worse. 

I often wondered why some of the other girls didn't stand up for me or why others didn't step in and do something. I knew a couple of teachers knew but they were scared of this boy so did nothing. It wasn't until almost the end of the year when something happened and I got trapped and when I left I was so upset and crying a Christian teacher asked what had happened and I broke down and told him everything. He did enough to let it be known if it happened again there would be trouble and I was left alone. It also stopped the bully from picking on anyone else. 

We are looking at having a school year reunion next year and since talking to some of the other class members I have realised the reason they didn't stand up for me was the fact they were getting bullied themselves when I wasn't there. I also now realise if they had stood up for me they would then been the target. Another reason for not speaking up was seeing how one person who did tell suffered more, as back then telling wasn't always helpful depending who you told. Its sad that this is the case in so many incidents of Bullying. I have also heard from some who said he didn't stop at my class but also targeted people from other year levels. I have also been assured at the reunion people will protect me from having to deal with him.

My bully had a huge impact on my life which has been with me most of my life since high school. It has caused a lot of issues and up til the past year or so I could not be in the same store as he was in. (Yes he still lives in the same town). I have heard he was sorry for what he did but he has never said sorry to me and I am not sure how true it is. He has had chances to say sorry. In all reality he probably hasn't given it a second thought while I have had to live with what happened and been scarred because of it. It has only been through counselling when mum passed away that I was able to bring many of the issues up and was able to start to finally put some closure on what happened.  I am hoping my story will help others who have been bullied or are being bullied. Speaking up really can help and if you see a friend being bullied help them. If you are like me and still dealing with the effects of being a victim don't be afraid to seek help from a counselor as for me being able to forgive him has helped me move on as I was the one being hurt not him.

A book like Melissa wrote is a book that deals with bullying and would be an ideal book for teachers to use as a tool to combat bullying. It could also be used as part of initiatives to combat bullying. We need these books in the system and I would encourage every parent and school to get a copy of this book as a tool to fight bullying. I am including my review here also. 

My Review
Swallow my, Now! by Melissa Gijsbers

Spoilers for children in this review.

This is a lovely book. It should be in every primary school library in Australia. The book deals with bullying. Sam starts a new school and wants to make friends. Right from the start things are not working out how she wants. She does connect a story which gets out of hand but things were bad before this happened. When She makes up the story it just makes things worse and the bullying gets worse. It gets to the point she lashes out and then is the one in trouble. Finally she does tell someone and the 2 grade 5 classes have a joint class on what is bullying and how it happens. This is where we learn the different types of bullying and how it can happen so easy. I could see this book used in an anti bullying campaign to show what it is to be bullied and how to deal with it. I hope this book will make it to school libraries and places were children who are suffering from bullying will read it and know they are not alone and will know how they can make it better. Telling someone does help. Great book.

I am giving away a Kindle copy of this book to one reader. This is open to all including blog participant's as I believe this is a book that is a great resource for everyone. The drawer will be open til next Friday June 12.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

JENNY BLAKE (aka Ausjenny) is an avid reader. When not reading she enjoys watching cricket, in fact you could call her a cricket fanatic, scrapbooking and jigsaws. She volunteers at the local Christian bookshop where she can recommend books to customers. Her book blog is where she reviews books and interview authors. Her goal is to help promote new books and encourage authors. Her blog is athttp://ausjenny.blogspot.com and is Co-Founder ofhttp://acrba.blogspot.com

Book Review: Swallow Me, NOW! by Melissa Gijsbers

Book Description:

All Sam wants to do is to fit in at her new school. Feeling alone, and desperately trying to find her place in the world, she concocts an AMAZING story - BUT it backfires on her, and she becomes known as the 'Evil Genius's Daughter!' Can her life get any worse?

Narelle's Thoughts:

I enjoyed reading Swallow Me, NOW! and I read the whole story in one sitting. The story is easy to read and the target audience is children aged 7-12 years.

Sam is in Year Five and the story starts on Sam's first day at a new primary (elementary) school in suburban Melbourne. Sam's parents were missionaries in Nepal, and she recently returned to Australia after many years abroad. An Aussie school is a culture shock for Sam. We follow her journey as she struggles to fit in at her new school. The story addresses important social issues that confront many children. I highly recommend Swallow Me, NOW! for children who are looking for a fun story with a positive and inspiring message of hope.

My daughter's thoughts: I liked how the story is realistic and shows how hard it can be for kids to adapt to a new school. Even if you're not starting at a new school, bullying can still happen to you. I also loved how Sam was very creative and was brave enough to talk about the mean things that were happening to her. I understood why she finally fought back and didn't just let it keep happening to her. The story was fun and exciting. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author. 

ACRBA Tour Swallow Me, NOW! by Melissa Gijsbers

2 - 6 March 2015

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

Swallow Me, Now!

(Lilly Pilly Press, October 2014)

By

Melissa Gijsbers

About the Book:

All Sam wants to do is to fit in at her new school. Feeling alone, and desperately trying to find her place in the world, she concocts an AMAZING story - BUT it backfires on her, and she becomes known as the 'Evil Genius's Daughter!' Can her life get any worse?

About the Author

Melissa Gijsbers started writing when she was in High School during the 1990s, even winning some awards for a short story and a script. For many years, life got in the way of creative writing, however she did start blogging around 2006.

She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia with her two sons and a pet blue tongue lizard.

Creative writing prompts

Last year, I had the great honour of being invited to run a writer's group for teenagers at my local library. One of the questions that keeps coming up is about finding inspiration. To start each session, I try and think of a writing prompt to get the kids creative juices flowing.

I find that writing prompts are great to clear any blocks that are lurking to stop  you writing.

Some of the prompts I've used may be useful for you too.

Chocolate:

Get a bar of chocolate, we had a box of Favourites, and use this as your prompt. The colour of the wrapper, the taste of the bar, the words on the side, anything can be used to start a piece of writing.

Jewellery:

Pick up a piece of jewellery. Your prompt could be anything from the story of the item to a descriptive piece to using it as an item in your story.

Toys:

A toy can start an adventure. Pick up a toy and use it to tell a story. It could be anything from some pieces of Lego to start the story of a building to a telling the tale from the point of view of a teddy bear.

Fan Fiction:

Using the characters from some of your favourite TV shows or movies, write a piece from another point of view, or putting the character into an unusual position. This can be a fun exercise to clear any blockage.

Photograph:

Find a photograph - it could be one of your collection, or something you find on Pinterest or even a stock photo - and write its story.

Object:

Grab the nearest object to your left or right (excluding your computer mouse!), and that becomes your writing prompt. Is there a strange way you can use that item, or write the story of where that object came from.

These are a few of the writing prompts I've used for the teen writer's group, and used them myself. The results have been fantastic and went in more places than I ever imagined. If you have some blocks to writing, or even just to have something fun to write to get started in your writing time, give some of these a try. You never know what may come of them.

Melissa Gijsbers lives in Melbourne and writes in between working as a bookkeeper and being the mother of two active boys. She is a blogger and author of flash fiction and children's books. Her first book, Swallow Me, NOW! is now available.

Follow her writing journey at www.melissawrites.com.au andwww.melissagijsbers.com

Crowdfunding as a step to publication

A month ago, yesterday, the crowdfunding campaign I was running to publish my first book was successful. I decided to publish Swallow Me, NOW! earlier this year, the biggest factor was hearing teachers tell me they needed more books about bullying now.

As it's a book for kids, I knew I'd need to have illustrations and a layout that would appeal to kids, and printing. It would all take money, and money I didn't have in the bank.

I researched crowdfunding for a while, from long before I decided to self-publish. The way I looked at it was I was pre-selling copies of my book - as a result, I've already sold 68 copies of Swallow Me, NOW!. A friend of mine pointed out that my campaign was a pre-pre-launch.

Here are just a few of the lessons I've learned along the way:

• Crowdfunding is NOT easy money - it takes a lot of work to promote the campaign and engage with supporters, write blog posts, thank people who are sharing the campaign, and anything else that needs to be done during the campaign.
• Have a variety of rewards - start at $5 for people who just want to support you and go up from there. Where possible, make them relevant to your book. I was giving the opportunity for a hot chocolate with the author as my main character shares stories of her day with her mum over hot chocolate.
• Let your network know it's coming - if you have a social media following, email list, blog or any other fan base, let them know your campaign is coming. I didn't do enough of this, and it's something I will do differently in the future.
• Spread the word - during the campaign, spread the word far and wide, and invite your fans to help spread the word, even if they don't support your campaign.
• Don't overdo it - there's a fine line between spreading the word and bugging people to support your campaign. Try and post different messages, such as an update on your progress, answers to questions people have asked, sneak peeks of the book, or explanations for your rewards. This also helps so you don't get bored posting the same things! Also, be sparing posting in Facebook groups you're a member of.
• Enjoy the ride - it's easy to get caught up in the stress of waiting for pledges to come in, counting the days, spreading the word, and everything else that's involved. Remember to take time to sit back and enjoy the ride, and celebrate your little achievements along the way.

The books have now arrived, along with bookmarks and other goodies for rewards. The next step on my journey is about to start - sending out copies of my book.

My campaign is now over, if you want to check it out, click here.

Melissa Gijsbers lives in Melbourne and writes in between working as a bookkeeper and being the mother of two active boys. She is a blogger and author of flash fiction and children's books. Her first book, Swallow Me, NOW! will be launched on Saturday 25 October.

Follow her writing journey at www.melissawrites.com.au and www.melissagijsbers.com