Putting It All Into Perspective

I want you to think of Ivan sticking it to social media with this sword. *grin*

I have been very remiss.  I know, and I am sorry.  I try my best to get a blog post up monthly and am constantly reminded that I haven’t done one when I look forlornly at the last post I made on February 28th, the day that Rare and Precious Things released.

We have now come to the final day of May and if I want to get in under the three-month window it’s today or nothing.  So, why have I been absent?

Pretty much because I’ve not felt very social.  Real life took precedence and I was where I needed and wanted to be during my father’s illness and eventual passing on the 8th of April.  I just didn’t have anything interesting or fun to talk about and so I took the time to reflect on lots of aspects of my life in general and I think it has been a good thing for me, and my family.

What are you talking about, Raine?  Why so cryptic?

Social media is the backbone of my business, but in the past three years since I have been really active on Facebook and Twitter (let’s not even mention PinterestInstagram and Goodreads) it has changed as much as Indie Publishing has, consuming hours and hours of my productive days to where I can no longer manage it all with an effective use of my time.  I have tried, and yet, feel like I’m treading water wearing a suit of armor.  I used to spend more hours writing than I spent on social media.  Not anymore.  I…socialize a lot, and if I’m honest, too much.  Visiting my fan page and book discussion groups, sharing any book-related or signing-event news, posting stupid pictures that make me laugh, sharing book releases for author friends and acquaintances,  while knowing full well it would take an apocalyptic event to ensure me some reading time of someone else’s book for enjoyment.  Too much socializing I fear.  I do all of that socializing and get stressed about word counts and writing deadlines, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it just isn’t very fun, and no way to live my life.

Don’t panic and think I am deleting my accounts on Facebook and Twitter because I won’t be.  I need them to do business, but I don’t need them to be happy and live my life or to write new books.  I wrote three books before I ever had a Facebook account, and I miss that innocent time very much.  I wish I could go back to it, but I know I can’t.  Real life doesn’t work that way.  It is hard work all of the time and you do it because you love it, and cannot imagine doing anything else.  Writing was my escape and entertainment when nobody much knew who I was or that I had even published a book.  I want to find that feeling again.

Another example is how much I enjoy traveling to meet fans and new readers.  I love visiting new places and talking about my books to people who want to meet me.  I love seeing my peers and catching up with them.  I just got back from the RT Convention in New Orleans and had a very wonderful and productive trip.  I love traveling…BUT…I love my family more.  I’d rather be at home with them and writing new books for my fans to enjoy, than trying to absorb the miasma of whatever is trending on social media.  And let’s face it, a lot of that miasma is drama-laced tabs on who is doing what, and to whom, and whatever.  Mostly just useless crap that didn’t enrich my life even a tiny bit while I was looking at it.  Trust me, at my age, I need things that will enrich my life.  LOL

I’ll still be checking in on my pages at least once a day, you’ll still see posts from me that relate to my books, and I’m sure I’ll still share a funny when something crosses my path that gives me a kick, but mostly I will be getting back to the basics of where I started with this whole writer thing.  Less Social Media = More Books From Raine pretty much sums everything up.

If you want to keep up with what is going on in Raine Miller World you can do that in a few ways.  I am soooo blessed to have the help of some wonderful people who pimp the hell out of my stuff and keep me organized.  They know who they are and how much I love them.

1)      Sign up for my NEWSLETTER <– here.   I promise you won’t be inundated with postings.  I will only send one when I have a new book or link for pre-order or purchase.  Think no more than once every OTHER month.

2)      Sign up for this BLOG by filling out the form on the right sidebar –> ALL POSTS BY EMAIL.  Anything important will always be posted to my blog on a monthly basis.

3)      Join the Raine Miller Romance Readers group on Facebook for daily fan fun and news, plus read-a-longs of my books.  The amazing ladies who run it know everything that is going on with me and my books and can probably answer any question you might have.

4)      Follow me on Twitter @Raine_Miller and on Goodreads.  Everything important gets posted there too, now that I have figured them out.  *You should know it wasn’t at all easy for this old woman to figure out*  😛

5)      Use the CONTACT button for email if you want to message me.  I will always reply.  Or snail mail.  If you want to send me your books to be signed, I have a PO Box listed for mailing to me.  I will sign your books and pay the postage for return.  I’ll even throw in some swag because I thank you for reading and loving my books.  You can also buy signed books directly from me using the SIGNED BOOKS tab if you want something and are not able to attend a signing event in person.

To quote a simple, but happy man:

“And that’s all I have to say about that.”

                                                    -Forrest Gump

Blessings, et al

xxoo R