"DAISUKI." Blog Tour Day 6: Coming to a Close At Home

For the final day of the blog tour (is it that time already??) I really wanted to present you with a V-log. You know, something a little more personal than just my written words on the screen. (Like, my face and voice? Gasp!) But, come to find out, my webcam doesn't seem to understand HOW DO SOUNDS WORK anymore, so not V-log for now. Oh well! Nobody wants to see what happens to my face after I gain 30 pounds anyway. (Guess where it goes first!)

So in lieu of that, y'all will just have to settle for a super boring text post.

When I moved home from Japan late last April, I really had no idea what more I was going to do with my life. I had no other job, not even a nibble of a lead, and I live way out here in Oregon wilderness with nobody to talk to besides my immediate family and my cat. I've gained thirty pounds (wait, did I mention that already?) thanks to the wonderful American diet, and I pay about 1,000 dollars a month in student loans. Why am I going on and on about this? Because one thing I DID know I was going to do to keep myself going was publish a novel by the end of the year. Originally I wanted to publish my fantasy story CROSS//Rebirth, but it quickly went into editing hell until I figure out what to do with its massive length. Halfway through June Camp I got really sick and tired of the tone of the novel I was writing then, and decided to switch gears to something nicer, maybe sweeter. It had been what felt years since I got to stretch my romance muscles, let alone the lesbian ones! Thus I took a small story idea I'd had for a year and turned it into "DAISUKI.", a short story that quickly turned into a novel. I enjoyed writing it so much that I decided I would publish it if I felt it was up for it.

That idea turned into an entire series, what I now call the "REN'AI RENSAI" series. I managed to, in three months, write a novella, edit it to death (with the best betas and editors out there, of course!), get great cover art, and even brainstorm an entire series I hope will launch me out there and help cover my bills.

I would never have been able to do this without the great help and support of you all. (And the fact that I'm unemployed and thus can dedicate 12 hours of my day to nothing but writing/editing.) I was rather surprised to see how many people from my past contacted me after I announced the upcoming release of "DAISUKI.", showing their support and admiration. I was even more touched by the amount of people who have thus far bought the novella (although it would be nice if Amazon would give me complete, non-glitchy reports!) and told me how much they love it, that it was just what they were looking for, and how strongly they connected to my characters. Of course, I've gotten great constructive feedback too, and am excited to implement everything into future Ren'Ai Rensai installments.

If you had told me even six months ago that I would be publishing two lesbian romance novels and one short by the end of the year, I would have been surprised, but certainly excited! While I haven't made quite enough funds yet to start paying off the loans, or to pay for a trip to Japan next year, or to, gasp, move out of my parents' house, I know I will get there. Maybe even by this time next year I'll be making that author living. And as somebody who has dreamed of nothing more than that her entire life, it's amazing to have it in my reach.

I wouldn't be able to have this opportunity if it weren't for the DIY atmosphere on vendors these days, my parents putting a roof over my head and feeding my enlarging American ass, and of course, all you great Internet people who have been cheering me on. Onward!

PS. Since I couldn't bring you the V-log of me and my cat saying all of the above, have a pic of me and my cat from a few months back! Also, you can see why my webcam sucks. Woo!

She's so happy to help me~

 

Weekly Writing Check-In: idek.

I could sit here and talk about writing. Or I could regale you all with how Nanowrimo is far from my mind. Or I could perform the splits and twirl a bandana around. But for this week's check-in I think I'm going to completely phone it in and leave you with a video. A video I dare you not to laugh at.

DAISUKI BLOG TOUR DAY 5: Review Over at Vanilla Hearts

Day 6 takes us over to Crystal's blog at Vanilla Hearts where she's left "DAISUKI." a very nice four star review. I've been getting a lot of great feedback this past week, and I appreciate every single comment!

Come back on Monday for the final day of the Daisuki Blog Tour! Tomorrow will be a regular blog post, full of the usual grumbling and AAAAAAHHH that I usually spout.

DAISUKI BLOG TOUR DAY 4: Interview at Pipsqueakery

For today's super totally awesome blog tour stop,I'm over at bff, editor, and cover designer Lindsay York's blog, where she gave me an interview to write home about. In the interview we talk about the representation of gender, writing about Japan, and the fact that I'm apparently not drunk enough. WOO. PARTY.

Here's an excerpt question!


Your characters are older—actually adults. Do you find it at all difficult to write about older folks?

I’ve been writing about people older than me since I was a kid! I’ve always been fascinated about adulthood. I once wrote a huge blog post about why I’m not interested in children’s and YA fiction, but tl;dr is that I think adults get a bad rap. Everyone seems to focus on “first time” feelings, like first time falling in love, becoming an adult, and all that stuff. I mean, it has its place, but even I can’t connect to it half the time. My life has not mirrored most of the YA stuff out there in any way. People tell me I’m an “old soul” and I totally believe them. Give me bitter middle-aged women over whiny, wide-eyed teens any day.
Plus, you know, life doesn’t end once you become an adult. People may become more settled in who they are and their morals, but they’re still growing, and still having crazy experiences that will further shape their identities. And what can I say, I relate to being jaded and angry that life is different than how you imagined it would be.

That said, you should totally check out Lindsay's blog. She really loves literature and writing, and she knows her stuff! Especially go if you like poetry, as she has a poetry feature every Thursday. Also, I hear she'll be offering editing and cover design services for the small budget author soon!

"DAISUKI." BLOG TOUR Day 3: 日本語を話せます～ (Or, Guest Post at Meradeth's!)

Day 3 takes me over to Meradeth Houston's blog again, this time talking about the use of foreign languages in writing. Watch me wax on and on and ON about how I tackled writing about Japanese speaking characters in English. And come tell me how YOU (would) deal with it!

DAISUKI BLOG TOUR DAY 2 - Guest Post About Fashion at Pretty Fierce

DAY 2 of the blog tour takes us over to Leah's blog at Pretty Fierce, where I contributed a guest "interview" between myself and the two main characters of "Daisuki", Aiko and Reina. I attempted to get them to talk about fashion in Japan (since Leah runs a fashion oriented blog) but they were a bit...stubborn. ;) Step on over, say hi, and hope you enjoy it! (If nothing else, go for the great Japanese movie linked up there!)

DAISUKI BLOG TOUR DAY 1: Interview by Author Morgan Bauman

It's day one of the "DAISUKI." blog tour! Today I'm over at Morgan's tumblr doing a super short and sweet interview. Also, if you're on tumblr and would like to be Super Friends, you can still find me here!

'Til tomorrow for more touring goodness!