Ashley Newell
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Tough Times and an Opportunity

1/16/2019

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 It's a weird time right now. Everyone seems to be doing a little worse. Every time I speak to someone, it seems like they are losing a job or working their butt off and still not scraping by. And this isn't even considering the mass of people in the US who are working unpaid right now. 

It's hitting us at home too. Even a "secure" job like teaching gets its tight spots. I was deemed about 30 hours short of being eligible for EI while on maternity leave - recorded hours, of course, not the physical hours that I went in during my off-hours for meetings, conferences, putting on the spring play, etc. And my husband who decided to become a teacher for more stable work has found himself still on the sub list. Has worked exactly 2.5 days so far this month. He was supplementing with a retail job, but, alas, seasonal layoffs. So we scramble, trying to figure out if paying $3500 for childcare makes it any better if I return to work, or if my husband can balance 4-5 jobs until our infant doesn't cost infant rates.  

When times get tough, art shines brighter. I can still be part of this. I've been mentoring, critiquing, and offering editing creative writers for years. My first job was business administration, and that gave me over 10 years of business writing and editing, not to mention the countless resumes I've had to re-write and re-format. And I've been a public school contracted teacher for over 5 years now, teaching the foundations of essays, paragraphs, short-writing, script-writing, and, yes, still helping with resumes and cover letters. 

Before I consider myself stuck, I'm going to try to lead with what I do best: make great writing. 

I started a page. MOM'S RED PEN Editing and Tutoring Services. I've spent years wondering if this is something I should get into, but it wasn't until I met up with another professional in the industry that my doubts about it seemed silly. "You're more qualified than you think." And if I really look at myself and what I've done, it's true. Do you have any idea how many aspiring writers go gaga just in finding out that I have a degree? I used to laugh it off, but looking at other people offering these same services, that is often the extent of their credentials. Not to diminish the quality work that editors without a degree can do, I know a lot of great self-made people. The point is that I've got the paper, the experience, and have earned the trust of people for years without considering myself a true professional. Now that times are getting tough, I have to use what I have, and what I have is an opportunity that I've been wasting.

So here it is, MOM'S RED PEN Editing and Tutoring Services, also available on Facebook. 
​I made a conscious decision to keep my Editing Services separate from this site. So while I may post a few Editing Tip related blog posts, this should be the extent of my advertising on here. And since that's the case, I'm just going to go ahead and plop all of the ways that you can help out:
MOM'S RED PEN Editing and Tutoring Services
Ko-fi.com/anewell
https://www.patreon.com/newellbooks


Of course, there are also the free ways you can help. You can share these pages, send them to your friends and acquaintances who you think would genuinely be interested, and brag about any experiences you've have with my work. And if you have had experiences with my work, you can also help by leaving reviews about them. Reviews make sales, so if you haven't left one yet, take a few minutes out of your day and post a review on Goodreads, Amazon, Chapters Indigo, or even on your own blog. 

Times are tough out there, and when we can help each other, we all get to grow.




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NaNoWriMo & Coffee

11/4/2018

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Already this is a strange post for those of you who know me well. NaNoWriMo? Sure, you knew it was coming and shouldn't be surprised at all. Well, maybe a little bit surprised about my doing it with a one month old and nearly three year old toddler, but then you'd also realize that the crazier it seems, the more likely I'd be attempting it. 

No, the part that has you boggled is the coffee. "But," you might begin to ask, "you don't drink coffee?" And that, my friends, is completely true (except, apparently during intense exam marking trapped in a little room in June for 6 straight hours, then I will down all of the ice caps! "But, that's not exactly coffee either," you might say, and you'd be completely right, it's pretty much a chilled melted down Coffee Crisp, which, oddly enough, I don't like eating either, not that I really enjoy the ice cap, it's more of a survival necessity that at that point...

But I digress... This post is intended to be celebratory, encouraging, and a little bit pathetic. So let's begin with celebratory!

CELEBRATORY:
I am 4 days into NaNoWriMo and have fought my way to being 2 full days ahead of the expected word count! Much rejoicing! Secondly, do you remember any of my mentioning on pretty much every media platform that I wanted to put together a parent-writer write-in where there was on-site childcare? Well, it is done. I have a venue, and I have a few willing participants. Every Monday for November I will be taking up my post, ready to greet other writers who struggle to attend regular writing events. This is a huge achievement for me; I threw an idea out into the world and I made the world respond! 

ENCOURAGING:
You might also be aware that I performed a pretty sudden social media disappearing act this past year. I had a surge of writerly spirit lift me into a variety of writing support groups, and then I noticed that my writing dried up, and then so did my participation. So this is where you come in. Writing is a very isolating activity. And outside of NaNoWriMo, it can feel like a fool's errand - and let's face it, NaNoWriMo is already a pretty big fool's errand. I've got two kids to juggle, a husband facing a career crisis, and I'm am going to have to make some pretty important decisions about the future of my own career going forward. I don't want to drop the writing ball again. I want to bring you more stories. I want to get out with the other writers. I want to meet my readers. 

​I am going to need help to keep this going. I am going to need your help. I need your help already. I need just a couple of people to take enough interest to ask me how the projects are going. I need just a couple of people to remind me about the parts of my books and stories that you liked; please, gush away and often! 

As you've probably guessed, we've already transitioned into the PATHETIC:
Now, before I continue, I need to emphasis that IT IS NOT pathetic to ask for help,  but the truth is that it somehow always feels like it is, at least for those of us who would rather trudge though Hell alone than bother anyone with our problems. It's a very vulnerable place, asking people to help you feel that you matter. It's a very vulnerable place asking people to help you get through your day. I hate it. But I hate the silence more. 

This is where the Coffee comes in. I have recently signed-up for a page on Ko-Fi, a site that allows creators to be vulnerable and ask for small contributions to help us get through the day or the week, and so it is framed as a cup of coffee. The idea of supporting an artist can seem daunting when you yourself are not as financially secure as you would like to be, but one genius behind this website figured out that when you change the frame, you change minds. I have already given a few coffees anonymously to people I don't know well, but who I've encountered on or offline on a couple of occasions. I personally found it easier to justify, despite my own current lack of income, that I could still afford to buy a good person one cup of coffee. And so I am putting an idea out into the world again and hoping to make the world respond - one cup of coffee at a time. 

So I will ask, if you can spare it, for that one cup of coffee, even just one to take with me to my Monday write-in's this month. That's only 4 days. 4 cups of coffee. 

​And if you need that occasional cup of coffee, send me your Ko-Fi address. Send everyone your Ko-Fi address. We can all spare one cup of coffee.
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The End is Nigh, So Hug a Hufflepuff

3/9/2017

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So many different things on my plate that I feel like I'm neglecting more than I'm tending to, but while I have a moment, why not a blog post?

There's 3 days left on my Parish Kickstarter, and I thought that I would share some things that I've learned in this experience.

Extra Days Don't Matter
I really probably could have wrapped this whole thing up 20 days ago. Why? Well, it's been 20 days of inactivity. I think you pretty much get traffic in the first 3 days, maybe some trickles in the first week, and then some trickles in the last 3 days. I'm expecting a few more views in the final 24 hours, but that won't necessarily mean more pledges.

So Much Spam
Since launching the Kickstarter, I get so many "friendly messages" from people who just want to help get the word out, to share my project with their millions of followers, and all for the low low cost of my first born child... Okay, well, maybe not exactly that, but it's pretty much got me in the habit of feeling dread when I have something in my inbox from Kickstarter - which should be so since I almost missed an actual genuine comment from someone. 
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I guess on positive thing about my dreading of spam is that it's making me very mindful of how much spamming I am doing myself. Yes, I have posted on social media about it, but I've tried not to be on constant repeat. Maybe I'm limiting my own possibility for page traffic, but I think preserving the people who like me thus far is more important than flinging myself shamelessly at the masses. I for one will start to unfollow people who just want me to buy their crap, especially if I've already bought their crap once and they just keep begging...

People
People are always the unpredictable part of any activity. What's interesting when you're putting on a campaign like this is watching to see who comes out of the woodwork. People I've considered to be close to me almost refuse to acknowledge me and what I'm doing, while people I kind of only sort of know have stepped up being ridiculously generous - really ridiculously generous, to the point that it makes me feel super guilty. Now, I am in no way saying that money equals friendship, and in no way was I expecting anyone I knew to put out the money that I've seen pledged thus far, but the acknowledgement thing kind of gets to me. 

It takes nothing to share my campaign with others, even just once. It takes nothing to ask how it's going, or if there's something that they can do to help it along in a non-financial sense. 

Maybe it's the Hufflepuff in me that just doesn't understand the other houses. 

An acquaintance of mine is a musical performer, and she recently had a rant of her own about feeling inadequately supported. Something along the lines of how often she drops everything to help out with other people's events, whether on stage, back stage or even just buying an honest ticket; and yet while she's trying to set up her own show, she's practically begging people to even acknowledge what she's trying to do. 

This I understand. I'm the kind of person who will feel obligated to help if I have any association with the person or group involved. Even when I don't have the funds, I've always been a cheerleader, because, again, it takes literally seconds to share a page link. Even just last week I found myself out $50 to help a Kickstarter that was based in my home town. Honestly, it didn't look like they were going to make their goal, and while my pledge wouldn't make-or-break anything, I thought I could at least show a bit of support to keep the campaign active, and of course, I shared the link. Within 12 hours that thing was over-funded. And while I thought about going in and reducing my pledge since they didn't really need me anymore, it seemed like a dick move so I just left it at that.

Would I Do It Again?
Probably. But I'd be more strategic about it. I'm still learning about which promotional avenues are more effective than others. I've put my faith in some that have done nothing, and, let's face it, the only reason that this campaign is succeeding is because people who love me want me to do well regardless of what I'm peddling. I couldn't be more thankful for them! And I did reach a few new people, which is the whole point, really. 

Overall, this year has been a year of risk-taking. I've been networking more. I've been sending inquiries to be a part of writing groups, to get access to writing tools, and even promotion platforms. For little introvert me, those are some big steps! 

Anyways, if you wanted to give your karma a boost, the Kickstarter is still running. Have a $1? I would really appreciate it. Don't have a $1? That's okay, just hit that "share" button. I will think of it as you having hugged a Hufflepuff today. Believe me, Hufflepuffs need hugs, lots of hugs.

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January Goals

1/14/2017

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So many new things starting up this month, and I'm trying to keep motivated and positive as I plunge through it all. Not that it's been very difficult within these two weeks. I'm more so trying to keep from getting ahead of myself and announcing things too early. 

I will leave you with a little teaser though, at least for those of you who can answer the following question:

What is the significance of January 26th?

If you know this, then you have one hint as to the theme of some up-coming news.
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No Nook

1/6/2017

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It was recommended that I add Galen and Freakhouse to Barnes&Noble's Nook ereader before I move forward with other project advancements. And since both books are already sold through that company in print, I figured that adding the digital copies would be no big deal. So I started with Galen, which I'm not sure is the better idea or not. Again, it was never intended to be an ebook, in fact I don't think ebook devices were a thing when I started to pen it, so formatting it for a digital platform is always a huge pain in the butt. But eventually I got it up there. Next was Freakhouse which took no time at all (the way that it should be!). 

So there I am today, all ready to go, I just need to officially identify myself as a vendor and then I can press that little "publish" button...

...turns out I'm not eligible to be a vendor for Nook. I mean, they sell my print editions, but no ebooks for them apparently. Only 6-ish countries as actually eligible outside of the US, and Canada is not one of them. So, sorry folks, no Nook. But I will, however, keep everything uploaded in the event that the policy changes. 

In the meantime, enjoy the Kindle and Kobo editions, and if you don't have those devices, the old-fashioned paperback will ship to just about anywhere...

... just please don't ask me to deal with customs about it. I had enough of that last year!
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3 Day Novel Contest

9/1/2016

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I must be crazy. In two days (well, one and a half I suppose), I will undertake the daunting task of completing a full first draft novel within 3 days. I can barely pull this off in 30 with my annual participation in NaNoWriMo. I don't know what compelled me to try this other than the fact that this is the first year that I'm not school planning over labour day. Hopefully it won't hurt me to try it just once... I feel like there is a whole history department out there dedicated just to the people who proved that statement wrong...

Anyways, in order to prepare, I have completed a rough outline, and consulted the Survival Guide. I won't share the whole Guide, after all, you can just click the link to read all 8 pages of it, but I will share the conclusion, because that was the one that I think I'll need to keep with me over the weekend - and it was too big to put into a tweet!

"Take three deep breaths.
Don’t punish yourself. You can do that on Tuesday.
Get back to work.
Take phone off hook.
Pull drapes.
If you feel lonely—an outcast—you are. It’s OK, you’re trying. That manuscript is now your only friend, the only thing that matters. Come to think of it, the only thing that has ever mattered.
Finish it. Let it, at least, have a life."
I don't know if I'll make it. I don't know if the novel will. But I'm sure I'll have a lot to rant about when it's all over - if I can write in complete sentences that is.
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Back on the Shelves

8/26/2016

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Release day is upon us! ​Freakhouse is live and ready to go! Thank you to everyone who has shown interest. You won't be disappointed with the 2nd edition. It's like the 1st edition, only prettier!

So for those of you wanting to see Freakhouse in your own hands, remember that ordering online is just one option. Both Galen and Freakhouse are registered for library and bookstore distribution, so if you are willing to wait just a little longer, go to your local library or nearest bookshop and ask them to order in a copy for you. The more you ask, the more will be available!

And remember, there are 25 giveaway copies floating around as well. I'm sure there's one or two of those that would gladly be loaned to someone else. 

If you stumble across a copy on your travels and want to know if it was an advanced copy or not, just look at the print date. All books are made to order, so only the giveaways were made prior to today, August 26th, 2016!

So happy reading to all, and remember, a short review never hurt!
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The Last Golden Ticket

8/13/2016

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The last Golden Ticket has been found! And by that I mean that the last of the giveaways have been won. 
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Top Left: USA; Top Right: Canada; Middle Left: UK/Ireland; Middle Right: Australia/New Zealand; Bottom Left: "Everyone Else!"; and Bottom Left was the whole world together. 

Look at that, USA. You nearly beat the whole world. I don't think that surprises anyone. 

All of the books are shipped, have a shipping order ready for Monday's mail, or are safely in the hands of their new readers. So far only one book was unable to complete it's intended journey, but thankfully my printers covered the cost of returning the book safely to me. It was a bit of a pickle since they aren't allowed to store copies, so "return to sender" really meant that the book would be lost forever. Luckily we caught it right away. I'll see to it that it finds a good, loving home!
I know many of you are probably sick of all of the number updates. Especially if your giveaways had already come and gone. Or worse, if you had no interest in any of the giveaways at all! Well, that's it for this summer. And probably this year. As an independent author, you don't want to know how much money I just spent on 25 books shipped between Vancouver Island to Russia, all in USD which is not friendly to the Canadian wallet. This is why I have to be very blunt about the random messages I get for mailing you free books just because you want one. I'm happy to have been able to do this, but really, that's me asking you to mail me 4 years of your hard (unpaid) work for free. I understand that everyone like free stuff. And artists generally like the stuff that they make. So it sounds like it could be win-win. But it just doesn't work that way. It's one thing for me to choose to gift something, but please don't be that kid who demands a birthday present because it's someone else's birthday. "But you gave Billy a present!" Yes, I did give Billy a present, because it's His birthday, and I Chose to acknowledge that. Plus, he probably isn't a greedy little jerk, thus I felt proud to give him a present that I put my little heart into...
...You get the idea. 

So happy reading, winners! I look forward to your reviews. And seeing how many "used" copies are floating around for profit. I'm serious. I see them. If you want to know about approved sellers, check the book pages I have for my titles. And if you see a copy somewhere, you can just shoot me a message to verify. If it's a-okay, I'll add it to the webpage. If it's this guy:
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...just "No". Please just "No". I mean, you can spend $300 however you want, but since I wrote it, I'd rather you give me at lease a portion of what was probably a giveaway from 2013. (This has totally been listed since my 1st edition Freakhouse giveaway so I promise you that this isn't even the cover of the book he has.) Is it sad that I probably spent $20 to have him make $300? So, again, please, just "No".

Besides, Freakhouse will be released on August 26th for a much more reasonable price. And then I can make like, maybe $2.00! Don't forget, e-books are also available on Kindle and Kobo, also for much more reasonable prices.
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...and by that I mean "tomorrow"

8/9/2016

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So remember yesterday when I was talking numbers and said "before Friday"? Well, I wasn't wrong, but I didn't expect to reach those targets so soon. 
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That's US on the left, Canada on the right. As of 11am this morning. 

Should I be more optimistic and go for a big number this time?

Let's say 400 and 200 before Friday! Why not!
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Final Week of Free Books

8/8/2016

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 This has been incredible! The global interest for Freakhouse has been wonderful to see. Already over 1000 people have added it to their to-read shelves, and well-over 1000 people turned out for the giveaways so far.

So, the numbers so far...

These are the giveaways that have actually ended:
"Rest of World": 617
Australia/New Zealand: 158
UK/Ireland: 353

And this time I can say "yay, Ireland!". Despite the majority of entries being from the UK, one book is flying overhead to Ireland as we speak. County of Mayo to be specific. Land of my husband's people, so that was a neat surprise. 

No books flying to my family's regions. Not even my old haunt in Sussex :( 

This is why the giveaways are random. Clearly I'd have favourites!

So on we go for the last leg of this promotion. The US's numbers are steadily rising. I imagine that we'll break 300 from them before Friday. And the my humble home country is working its way up to 150. We'll see what happens on Friday when Freakhouse gets closer to the front page!

Thank you everyone for your continued support. And remember, if you're still looking for a free book, pop over to your local library and make a request for order. Galen is already available in print and e-book, and Freakhouse is on pre-order until its release on August 26th

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Freakhouse by Ashley Newell

Freakhouse

by Ashley Newell

Giveaway ends August 12, 2016.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Freakhouse by Ashley Newell

Freakhouse

by Ashley Newell

Giveaway ends August 12, 2016.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway
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