September 30, 2017

NaNoWriMo 2018 Novel Binder Printables

September 30, 2017/ Shayla Raquel

National Novel Writing Month is more fun with a novel binder.

September 20, 2017

Facebook Group Admins: Are You a Mentor or a Dictator?

September 20, 2017/ Shayla Raquel

Are you building a Facebook community or a prison?

September 06, 2017

Interview with a Poet: Amy Lutes, Author of Baptism

September 06, 2017/ Shayla Raquel

Amy Lutes, author of Baptism: On Sinking and Rising, talks about what inspired her poems and the lessons she's learned in writing and publishing it.

August 30, 2017

Barcode Options for the Self-Publisher

August 30, 2017/ Shayla Raquel

Barcodes can often cause a bit of exasperation for self-published authors and new book designers. Melinda Martin shows you what to do.

August 16, 2017

The Key to Building a Tribe on Any Platform

August 16, 2017/ Shayla Raquel

Frank McKinley delivers five irresistible social skills to help you make more connections, form deeper relationships, and show people you really care—on any platform!

August 03, 2017

5 Reasons Why Every Author Needs Instagram

August 03, 2017/ Shayla Raquel

The number-one reason to be on Instagram? Book bloggers!

August 02, 2017

The 2-Day Writing Marathon Challenge (PDF)

August 02, 2017/ Shayla Raquel

Can you write 20,000 words in 2 days?

June 29, 2017

The 7 Writers You’ll Meet at Andi Cumbo-Floyd’s Writers’ Retreat

June 29, 2017/ Shayla Raquel

This past weekend, Andi Cumbo-Floyd, Kelly Chripczuk, and Shawn Smucker hosted a writers’ retreat on God’s Whisper Farm in Radiant, Virginia.

May 03, 2017

Interview with New York Times Bestselling Author Elizabeth Kostova

May 03, 2017/ Shayla Raquel

Elizabeth Kostova answers your questions about writing, deadlines, Bulgaria, and her third novel, The Shadow Land.

April 20, 2017

17 Things I Learned from Serious Writers at WordFest

April 20, 2017/ Shayla Raquel

#6: Watch out for “so what?” stories. A “so what?” story is one wherein all conflicts are resolved but where’s the payoff? Where’s the emotional satisfaction? What does the reader feel at the end?

February 23, 2017

Top 10 Best Books I've Ever Worked On

February 23, 2017/ Shayla Raquel

It's important to showcase the works of indie authors, because word of mouth is the best form of advertising. So here are Shayla's faves!

February 02, 2017

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Uncovering the Truth about Vanity Publishers

February 02, 2017/ Shayla Raquel

My goal with this post and the video is to educate readers on vanity publishers so they can help stop other authors from being deceived.

December 06, 2016

10 Updates Writers Need to Make before 2019

December 06, 2016/ Shayla Raquel

#8: Have a serious conversation with yourself about your writing goals.

October 06, 2016

10 Ways to Make Your Editor Cry

October 06, 2016/ Shayla Raquel

No one wants to pay good money to a professional editor, only to leave her in a puddle of her own tears.

September 08, 2016

How to Build Relationships with Book Bloggers

September 08, 2016/ Shayla Raquel

Sarah Fox guides authors on pitching to book bloggers.

July 14, 2016

Candace Marshall: The Heroine You Didn't Know You Needed

July 14, 2016/ Shayla Raquel

Zombie Takeover: a humorous take on the zombie apocalypse.

June 30, 2016

Get Picked to Speak: An Essential Guide for Newbie Speakers

June 30, 2016/ Shayla Raquel

Are you a newbie public speaker in need of a guide?

Shayla Raquel

Editor. Author. Marketer. Speaker. Publishing Mentor.

Instagram

📅 Fact 1: The Suicide Tree took 3 years for me to finish.
🍝 Fact 2: I really did travel to Sorrento, Italy, the setting for this book. Yes, my characters eat a lot of delicious Italian food.
💉 Fact 3: I made up a virus, the Raven Virus, just for this book. I also made up a cure, NovaVita, which plays a huge role in this story.
🌿 Fact 4: Although Knox Kevel is known as the Suicide Tree in the hacker world, he liked the name because it's an actual tree . . . whose seed, ya know, kills you.
💸 Fact 5: My book is now 99¢ on Amazon Kindle. Head to my bio to grab my sci-fi adventure novel 💚💚💚

🍄🌸🐛🦋 If I could visit any fictional place in the world, I would go to Wonderland. Where would you go?

That crazy moment when you meet your twin. 😂🐴🐎 Today is Theft Day, and as an entrepreneur, it’s not a good day for me. I’m trying to stay upbeat, and this photo certainly helps. That horse was cracking me up. In the end, though, despite how much I hate April 15, I’m so grateful I get to do what I love for a living. 📚📖📘🖊

It’s a beautiful day in Oklahoma. How is it in Chicago, @richhebron? He’s the author of this phenomenal true story of living on the Chicago streets and in a shelter for six months. Certainly one of my favorite books in 2018. 📚

What’s your favorite writing quote? I’ll add it to my IG story and give you a shoutout (as long as it’s cuss-free). ❤️📚❤️

What a unique book! 👏🏻 I had the honor of working with @ericastovallwhite on her one-of-a-kind children’s picture book, A Is for Ancestors: My Black College ABCs. It even has an accompanying colorbook. 🎨 If your child has an interest in attending an #HBCU or if you’re an alumni who wants your child to see what an HBCU is like, this is the book for you. Illustrations by @camivollmerart

F I N A L L Y 😍😍😍 I can’t wait to dig into this bad boy by @bcdreyer 📚 Do you have this grammar book yet?

🗡⚔️🗡⚔️Yes, that’s an actual sword! My dad @dayspringunlimited let me borrow it for today’s photo of this HILARIOUS and super-captivating dark fantasy novel by @bfmccurry 🧙🏻‍♂️👸🏽📘🌳 Seriously, I love this book. I laughed out loud so much while editing this. I even got a copy for @g_air_e because I was like, “YOU MUST READ THIS.” 😂 Available on Amazon, my friends. (Check my IG story to see the sword in full!)

I’ll be with @writingworkshopsdallas to talk about villains today 😈☠️😱 Odette Cleary is my villain in The Suicide Tree. She has this thing where she wants to save the world from the Raven Virus, but she kind of kills people along the way to meet her goal of a germ-free society. 😂 What’s the name of your antagonist?

I don’t even know where to start. 😭😭😭 You all know my greatest obsession is the JFK assassination. Today, my mom and I took my nephew to see that famous grassy knoll and thankfully, the experts on the topic, Marshal Evans and Robert J. Groden, were there to answer questions for Justin. It really made his day and mine too. Then, Evans asked to do a call with me to discuss his upcoming books and I nearly passed out 😂 So what do you think? Did Oswald really do it? Who was behind the whole murder?

I love it when my nail polish matches my book 💚 Speaking of green...☘️ Here’s a preview of when Knox Kevel goes to @mcguirespensacola to meet Arlo Jenson. Yes, McGuire’s is real and it’s my favorite restaurant.
Irish music blared from a green and beige building adorned with gold shamrocks and the words Feasting, Imbibery, and Debauchery across the top of the walls. At McGuire’s, pictures of famous people lined the walls inside, and dollar bills with names scribbled in Sharpie hung from the ceiling, accumulating to a staggering one million dollars. The waitresses wore white button-ups and long green skirts, while the men wore tuxedos.
Inside the dimly lit restaurant, on the wall hung a photo of a sickly man consuming their famous Garbage Burger—“it’s disgusting,” the menu bluntly proclaimed. I thought it was tolerable. The key was to ask them to hold the peanut butter.
“Dining for one?” the hostess asked.
I hovered over the host stand, looking for the list of names. “Actually, I’m waiting for someone else.”
She pulled the list closer to her. “Name?”
I whispered, “Knox Kevel.”
She lifted her eyes to mine, accompanied by a suspicious smile, and in a hushed tone replied, “Your party is waiting for you in the Politician’s Club. Please follow me.”
Past the gift shop, past the booths, and right before the wine cellar was the Grand Hall—reserved for wakes and weddings and other gatherings. Before we reached the event room, the waitress opened a door with a sign that read Politician’s Club. Invitation Only.
Opening the wooden door, the hostess led me to a matching wooden booth in the back, where a man in a suit sat waiting for me.
“Mr. Jenson? Your party has arrived.”
A shamrock-decorated menu covered my potential employer’s face, but his hand gestured for me to sit.
Cautious, I sat down in the booth, accepting the menu from the hostess without opening it. I faced Arlo Jenson, I assumed, the strange man who had sent me a letter with an even stranger job offer. He dropped the menu to the table, revealing his face. An older man, his leathered skin greeted me with a sincere smile. His eyebrows matched the color of his hair: stark white.

Every time I started to write this, I teared up and realized I couldn’t put into words what these people mean to me. I dreamed about being a part of a writing group like this since age 16.
Saturday was the @yukonwriterssociety Publishing Summit. I’ve been the organizer since May 2017, and I promise you it has absolutely changed my life. Without it, The Suicide Tree wouldn’t exist. Here are some of my favorite moments.
💁🏼‍♀️ @42amybrewer, literary agent, skipped the podium, grabbed a chair, and sat in front of us like she was having a cup of coffee with her friends. She answered everyone’s questions about working with an agent and had us work on our elevator pitches.
🐸 Carolyn Blevins read chapter one from her upcoming middle grade novel, Frog Boy. It was so good!
🖌 @tbethlambert of @fawkespress kicked us off with an incredible lesson on query letters. Our YWS members sent in their query letters, and then she reviewed them on the spot and even rewrote some. Wow!
🙌🏻I stood in front of everyone and saw new faces and familiar ones. These people aren’t just YWS members. They’ve become my friends.
🌮Sweet Lord above. Tacos.
💖These people. @janeymerry and @g_air_e. They are my best friends, and I’d go crazy without them. They help me nonstop and made this conference possible. They always encourage me. ☕️The laughs shared with my friends. Yes, we’re there to learn, but with Janey’s Literary Jeopardy game and the funny props for photos and all that coffee—man, we had a blast.
😂 @loreleisawte11e was asked to do a testimony on how YWS has helped her writing. She did that, but she started it off with a hilarious analogy.
🔪 @luciesmoker, my friend and client, taught us about mystery, crime, and thriller genres.
📖My friend and client, @astoldbyasiaj, spent the day with us. She’s writing one of the most important books I’ve ever seen: The Soul Balance Devotional.
💯My word of the year is generous as a tribute to @lauren_delarosa2. When @natalieogriffin won our second-place prize (Scrivener), she gave it to her friend who attended that day. It really touched my heart. 🍗Finally, after 4 hours of sleep and a successful day, I went to @thelokalyukon and ate!

Shayla Raquel

Want to fail at writing? Here's a how-to guide: https://t.co/J1M6ousQVR https://t.co/VpEgcrurtm
about 8 hours ago

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