Happy Holidays Everyone

I like free stuff. Especially during the holiday season. In the spirit of Christmas, I'm offering the ebook version of my novel Second Chance for FREE on Amazon.com Monday, December 24 to Tuesday, December 25. I only ask that you leave a review for my book. Thank you and have a wonderful Holiday!!

Trying Something...

As of today, Second Chance is no longer available on Barnes and Noble. I'm trying something new-- enlisting my book on Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) select program for the next three months. In order to do this, I must make my ebook available exclusively through Amazon. I have been taking Second Chance off other ebook stores so if you don't see it for your reading device, I apologize. After three months, I'll see how things go. Please check back here for updates or visit my Facebook page: Novelist Ong Xiong.

Second Chance is also available in paperback on:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Second-Chance-Ong-Xiong/dp/1480250325/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354654757&sr=8-2&keywords=ong+xiong
and
Createspace.com: https://www.createspace.com/3959566

I apologize for any inconvenience.

Ong

More Mistakes I've Made...

And more things I've learned.

1. I've learned publishing is a b****! Yes, it's very exciting. When I saw my book available on Barnes and Noble and Amazon, I jumped up and down, screeching like a craze woman--at work. I love it. Don't get me wrong, I'm doing this because I love it. I get to see my work on ebookstores and I'm ecstatic.

But self-publishing is hard and lonely at times. If writing was a lonely endeavor, self-publishing is its evil twin. I get to meet new people and I've learned so much. But if you are not used to meeting new people and meeting new people make you feel awkward, well, tough sh*t. Networking is key. Talking to people is a must. It is no longer a solo endeavor. You have editors, designers, publishers, distributors, buyers--it's a business. I'm still learning how to communicate effectively.

2. DO NOT edit when you are under the influence of sleep deprivation  You never know what you're going to discover in the morning. Yep. I did this. I laugh now but it wasn't so funny when I approved my book for publication only to discover I wrote one word and meant another. Yeah. Not too bright. After discovering my error and hyperventilating with my poor husband all concerned, I decided to turn it into a contest and post it on my Facebook. If you are curious, check out my Facebook page: Novelist Ong Xiong.

3. Ahhh, talking about editing in Zombie mode--it doesn't hurt to contact your editor again and have someone else take a fresh look at your work. Sometimes, I feel like throwing my computer across the room and yell all sorts of mean things at it. It's not my computer's fault I meant "inconvenient" instead of "incontinent."

4. Take a break. That's what I need to do. I'm so stressed with getting my book to print and promotions that I can't think straight. I open up my file to work on my next story and I have no idea how to continue. I need a break--go back to doing what I love to do and take a break for a few weeks. Perhaps it'll help me get back on track. Well see. This is one of those things I know I must do, I need to do and am too stubborn to do. But, I am awake enough to realize I need to do this. So if you don't see a post for a few weeks, I'm taking a break.

5. Be nice to your significant other. After all is said and done, after reviews and sales reports, after publishing and celebrations, your significant other is the one who will tell you your story is good and your work is well worth it. It's one thing to have positive affirmations, to believe in yourself and your dreams. It is another to be able to cry in someone's arms and let them baby you. Sometimes, you just need that comfort to get you back on your feet so that you can battle another day.

6. Writing. Aside from the technical aspects--you know, grammar and all--I've learned writing is subjective. How you write, what you say, how you say it, is so you. I've had people tell me they can picture me telling them the story. Well, yeah. I know. It should. I'm the person who wrote it. I'm telling the story. You are going to hear me throughout the story because it is my writing. What I don't want is all my characters to be the same or have them speak the same. I want to bring life to the characters in the story, give them a language of their own, let them tell you their story through me. After my sister read the first draft of my second novel, she commented that the female protagonists was similar to Sue from Second Chance. Yikes. Back to the drawing board and lets take care of that! Leave me constructive criticism. I'm always willing to listen.

7. I've learned writing is a journey and it doesn't stop when you publish. When I started writing, seriously writing, to finish my manuscript, I didn't think I would be here, blogging about my self-published novel or my writing. There are so many outlets out there to get your work out to people that you no longer have to wait for others to give you the green light. Take charge of your journey. I'll check back in a year and write how this journey is going for me. In the mean time, write.

I think that's good for now. More mistakes to come, I'm sure. More leaning, too, I'm sure. Until next time, read a good book. I got my iBooks back on my phone so I can finally finish the book I started months ago. Good reading all!

Second Chance is available in PRINT

Phew! Finally! After more editing, formatting, designing, reformatting, and some more head-breaking editing, Second Chance is available in paperback on Amazon.com and CreateSpace.com for $12.95.

This project has been fun, exciting, frustrating, stressful, and the source of my current distress. In the end, I can hold onto my proof and smile proudly.

I am a proud mamma of four, LOL. 

For ordering:

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Second-Chance-Ong-Xiong/dp/1480250325/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1353682236&sr=8-2&keywords=ong+xiong

CreateSpace.com: https://www.createspace.com/3959566

Until next time, good reading!

Deal extended

Second Chance is still being offered for $.99 on Amazon and Barnes and Noble until Monday, December 3, 2012!

Please help me spread the word.

KDP Select

Hello, everyone. I've decided to try KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) Select, a program which I must give exclusive rights to Amazon for 3 months to sell my ebooks. As of  Tuesday, November 27, 2012, Second Chance will no longer be available for purchase on Smashwords.com. Second Chance will no longer be available on Diesel, Kobo, Sony, Apple, and other ebookstores through Smashwords. It will still be available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble until December 3, 2012. After that, it will only be available on Amazon.com. The paperback version will still be available for purchase on Amazon.com and Createspace.com.

Confusing? I know. I'm still navigating through all the self-publishing venues and testing out times and pricing. Thanks for all the support. I really appreciate it!

Working Progress...Still

Phew. Now that I'm done with Second Chance, time to move onto the next story. Here's what I have also been working on. I haven't decided on a title yet, so for now, I've been calling it Nouly and Phillip. They are the characters in my next story. I've posted the first chapter, here's the second chapter from Phil's perspective. Again, it's a working progress. Much can change, plus, I still need to send it to my editors.

Sample from Nouly and Phillip

Chapter 2: Nouly

    He had arrived before she did and waited for her. He wasn’t sure at first if she was whom he had been waiting for. But no other person waited as anxiously as she had, so he assumed she was Ms. N. Yang.

    He had watched her. A skinny girl with big eyes clutching her backpack like a life line. She had hair down to her shoulders that swayed every time she turned. Though her clothing left little to be desired, she was … pretty. He internally groaned. The last thing he needed was a shallow, pretty woman to bat her pretty little eyes, acting like a helpless damsel in need of a fricking knight in fricking armor.

    He mentally cataloged her clothing. She wore a worn sweater over a plain gray T-shirt, blue jeans and a pair of serviceable shoes. Except for a gold chain around her neck, she wore no other jewelry. Her shabby looking backpack seemed to be name brand, though he couldn't tell from the ragged appearance. It’s a wonder the straps were still intact. Okay, she’s not a Pearl after all.

    He took in her image again. What had he expected when he answered her Ad? He wasn't sure what he had expected. He wasn't even sure why he was where he was, watching a girl whom he has never met before, clutching her back pack with him wondering why her clothing even mattered to him. She looked anxious and fearful. Nervous, too. She paused and bit her lower lip in eager anticipation, he hoped, for his arrival.

    She looked much younger than the woman he had expected though.

    She checked her watch for the eighth time; bit her lower lip for the ninth time then she muttered something. He glanced at his watch. Five minutes left till their meeting time.

    She turned and paced away from him. He got up, grabbed his bag and approached her. She turned and walked right into him.

    “I’m so sorry,” she said.

    “You must be Miss Yang?” Phil asked.

    She backed up and raised big brown eyes to meet his own. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

    “Not yet.” He smiled.

     She didn't  recognize him. What made him think she would? They have never met. For an instant, her eyes lit up and he thought, like a foolish man, she recognized him after all. To his chagrin, her eyes were for someone behind him. He watched her expression turned to mortification when the Phillip Hamilton she waited for walked passed her.

    He watched her retreat in defeat and forlornly resumed her pacing. Then she stopped. “Phillip…Hamilton?” she asked hesitantly.

    “Phil, please,” he said and proffered his right hand.

    She slightly cocked her head and scowled at him. Gone was the innocent girl, replaced by intense eyes that could see straight to his soul, he thought. “Am I being punked?” she asked.

    What? His smile disappeared. “No…”

    The grief in her face was like a punch to his gut. She excused herself from him and he could hear her unsteady voice. He watched her walk away from him. She gave him the perfect opportunity to walk away from this prank. It had gone far enough. Yet, he couldn't take his eyes off the desperate girl who seemed so lost.

    She wiped her cheeks. An announcement was made and she took out the tickets.

    Ah, what the heck. He’d gone this far. He had answered her Ad on Craigslist. He had accepted her offer to help her with her trip to Thailand…and possibly Laos. If he were to walk away now, he would always think of the forlorn girl with big eyes and wondered what happened to her. He cursed himself enough to shame his father, made up his mind and approached her.

    “One for me?” he asked in what he had hoped for a cherry voice but perhaps, it came out more curtly than planned.

    “Look, Phillip Hamilton. You can tell Pa about my humiliation. Hell, tell her I cried my eyes out. Frankly, I don’t give a damn. Laugh it out with her, or whoever. I have a flight to catch.”

    “Look, Miss Yang. I came here for a job. If you are punking me, I want the money you promised and the reimbursement for my ticket here.”

    Harsh. But he figured being nice was not going to get him anywhere with her.

    As he guessed, she stopped. He could see she was fighting some internal battle before she turned back to him. “I believe I emailed stating I’ll pay when the job is completed,” she said.

    Phillip nodded. She handed him his ticket. “Are we going to have a problem?” he asked her.

    “No…no problem,” she replied with coolness.

    “Are you sure? Because I don’t have any patience for tears.”

    Her hand immediately went to her cheek and he felt just a tinge of guilt at seeing her demeanor instantly changed. She let her hand fell as she let out a breath of relief. “Don’t worry, Phillip,” she said. “I promise the tears you saw are the last you’d ever see.”

    He had a feeling she was trying to assure herself more than him. “Good, and please, call me Phil.”

Perhaps Michael was right after all, Phil thought. Perhaps, just perhaps, this was the distraction he needed. The vacation he needed. He needed to start somewhere and this, if not conventional therapy, would certainly be something better than wallowing at home. (End of Sample)

If you have any suggestions for me, please leave me a comment. Until next time, good writing!