Indie Life: Back on Track

Hosted by the Indelibles, Indie Life is a monthly feature on the second Wednesday of the month.  This is a chance for indie authors to post about indie life, find each other, offer support, encouragement, news, helpful hints, and anything else that makes life as an indie author a little easier.

I’ve just recovered (still recovering) from a horrendous cold so if none of this makes sense – I’m sorry. T_T An eighteen hour drive and twenty six hours without sleep is hard on the body.  I don’t recommend it.  

What am I talking about you wonder?  Well I drove to Nashville TN for the UTopYA event.  ^_^ (And I drove back.  Thus the impossible to get rid of travel fatigue.)

UTopYA was fantastic.  I’ve learned so much from others in the business and I’ve met a lot of others that I wouldn’t have the pleasure of meeting face to face otherwise.  It was definitely worth going – however the drive is something I really am trying NOT to repeat. 

Next year in April I have Candy Coated Author event in Louisville that I will probably be taking the train/bus for (as it’s less expensive that way).  My body would die in protest from another long drive on my part.  Hopefully if I save the money (and have the sales) I’ll be able to fly and turn a 20 hour road trip into a four hour flight. *crosses fingers*

I’m thinking about UTopYA again but at the same time feel there probably is something closer that I can participate in.  I’m saddened a little because it was so much fun and I learned so much, but it’s not cost efficient for me to continue to go without the means.

Anyway, to continue.  

I finally finished the first draft of the second book to the Of Legacies series.  I’m going through second drafting now (I actually wrote it in first person so I’m switching it over to third to match the first book).  Once that’s done I’ll be reviewing the readers that read the first book and sending inquiries if they’d like to beta.  And then of course once betas are done and those changes are made it goes to an editor.  There’s a lot left and yet at the same time I’m excited that it’s almost beta time. ^_^

After Of Sparta goes to beta I think I’ll work on a contemporary piece to ease my mind.  Something simple, real world based with real world problems.  Probably YA but might end up being NA.  Not sure yet. 

Not that I don’t love writing in my paranormal/mythological based world but since it’s creation it’s been a wee bit of a *insert bad word here* to handle.  I haven’t even delved into true fantasy (as my world has a real world foundation) and I’m wondering how fantasy authors keep their sanity.  All the rules of the world and it’s people are noisy in my head.  I’ll be glad to step away for a bit. 

Other than that I have no really good inspiring news this month.  Just every day mundane stuff.

Oh and a question for everyone out there:  What do you think of a gender neutral cover in comparison to the “pretty girl” covers? (I was thinking on going gender neutral and want some thoughts.)