Savannah's Blog

I saw it in a documentary first. Minimalism. These two guys talk about the trappings of a busy life and walk around in misty scenes with acoustic guitar music in the background. I feel my soul yearn for the, whatever the documentary is trying to sell me on. It speaks to me. And then come the tiny house programs. I've toured a few. Some make me roll my eyes. Who wants a automated bookshelf? Nothing simple about that, sorry. Life happens. Once upon a time I considered writing a blog called "Failing Minimalism." Because as much as I embrace the concepts, life manages to hijack my plans. Ask my daughter how many black cardigans I own. She'll tell you too many. And then I go and find another one. But I am pretty good about getting rid of stuff I don't like. I just like to keep several versions of what I do like. Coffee mugs are another weakness of mine. I am currently banned from acquiring more. So my daughter just brings them to me so her dad can't find ...

A few months back I had the honor of talking with Michelle Raab for her blog, Michelle Raab Writes. She asked me why I write and why I decided to begin this journey as an indie author. Check out our full conversation here.

Readers, I have a question for you. Do you typically choose the books you read based on the genre alone? So, here's why I'm asking. I have a soft mystery series (two books) in revisions right now. But like many of my other novels there is a bit of a hybrid nature to it. Many of my books straddle the line between cozy mystery and just plain ol' soft mystery. But these books have a bit more of a romance element to them. So, how would you describe the genre then? And does it really matter when you plan on a new purchase? At some point as an #indieauthor the book requires a specific genre description. When I go to check that box (or category) I'm not sure if this belongs under mystery or romance. But I have to wonder, does it really matter that much to the reader? Of course it matters in terms of the platform I pick to sell the novel. But for the reader themselves, I want to know how much the genre plays into their choices. I read a lot. For me, the genre doe...

I just figured out a title, and there isn't anything exceptional about it. I've settled on "Stetsons and Strangers." There we go. It's a title. And sometimes, it just has to be finished. My best friend's little boy made that statement once and it has stuck with me since. (Out of the mouth of babes?) It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be done. And sometimes, done is better than perfect. Perfect is a demanding master. Perfect makes it difficult to a place where you can look back on your accomplishments, because nothing ever gets accomplished. So I have a title, and while it doesn't necessarily "pop" it is sufficient. On another note, I have reached a point in the revision of the novel that I can smile and think to myself: "You know, this isn't half bad." Perfection isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I am struggling to name the book I am currently revising. I wrote it int he last six months. There is even a second novel in this short series. And since I wrote this untitled novel? I have written a novella, two novels, and started on a third for another series. Yup, got titles for all of the books in the new series. But this one? I came up with the name of the series. (Middle South Mysteries.) I tried to be cute. "Cowboy Jake Me Away." That lasted about two minutes before I knew it sounded off. I even tried those gimpy online title generator websites. That was a bust. I got: "The Captured Roses." <no roses in the whole entire book> "Nothing in the Snake." <wut?> "The Lonely Spark." <I have nothing for this one> Right now I think I'm going with "Stetsons and Strange Corpses." Because why not? Only problem? I still have to figure out a title for Book 2.