CATHERINE MICHAELS, AUTHOR
  • Welcome!
  • Gull Island Romance
    • Sand, Sea, and Second Chances
  • Meet Catherine
  • Contact Catherine
  • Cat's Corner: Blogging About Books, Writing, and More
  • Children's Books by Cat Michaels
    • Sweet T and the Turtle Team >
      • Just Between Sam and Me
    • Finding Fuzzy: A You-Decide Tale of a Lost Friend
    • Sweet T and the North Wind
    • The Magical Aquarium
  • FREE STUFF in the Kids' Zone
  • Welcome!
  • Gull Island Romance
    • Sand, Sea, and Second Chances
  • Meet Catherine
  • Contact Catherine
  • Cat's Corner: Blogging About Books, Writing, and More
  • Children's Books by Cat Michaels
    • Sweet T and the Turtle Team >
      • Just Between Sam and Me
    • Finding Fuzzy: A You-Decide Tale of a Lost Friend
    • Sweet T and the North Wind
    • The Magical Aquarium
  • FREE STUFF in the Kids' Zone

Cat's Corner

Blogging About Books, Writing, Travel, Film & More

How I Got Unstuck and Moved Beyond My Fears

1/24/2017

15 Comments

 

After three years of trying, I (finally!) succeeded --- converting my kid lit books for digital distribution without layout being a hodge-podge of misplaced text and drawings.  Sure, I had one e-book already.  However, it took six months and a sizeable hole in my checkbook to hire the coding guru who formatted my first e-tale, Sweet T and the North Wind.

How I Moved Beyond Fear - catmichaelswriter.com
I can’t put my finger on why it took three years to accomplish my goal.  A messy confluence of factors weighed me down for 156 weeks, and I stress now just thinking about them:
  • Overwhelmed by basics of writing, publishing, marketing as a new Indie authorprenuer
  • Me, learn coding? Hah! 
    (I hate math.)
  • Beat myself up for not accomplishing my expectations
  • Hamstringed by time constraints of work and family
  • Exhausted juggling multiple writerly priorities
    (building my blog and newsletter, starting a critique group, writing two print books, establishing social relationships, finding readers, visiting schools, etc.)
  • Frustrated/discouraged after a gazillion failed attempts to do my own digital conversions
  • Lacked confidence: would e-books find young readers? Were they worth my time and effort?
How I Moved Beyond Fear - catmichaelswriter.com

But I was determined.  Over time, support from family and friends, plus attitude adjustment, tipped the scale:

  • Shifted my thinking: I can do this!  It’s okay to "fail"
  • Celebrated small victories instead of rushing off to the next challenge
  • Discovered new, user-friendly, free conversion software for Mac users:
    ibooks Author: creates e-pub files for i-Tunes; Vellum: creates mobi files for Kindle
  • Received encouragement that I can, indeed, write a good tale for kids
  • Cut back my daily work schedule and added more time for play
    Spending less time at the keyboard makes me more productive.
  • Resisted the urge to compare myself to other creatives
    This is really hard for me!
  • Turned to family and friends to recharge when I felt low
How I Moved Beyond Fear - catmichaelswriter.com
Picture
Nothing happened overnight. I still struggle, especially with accepting I’m where I need to be and not where I expect myself to be. 

​But I turned the corner.  So after three years of trying, my first Cat-formatted e-book, The Magical Aquarium book is on i-Tunes AND pre-order with Amazon for a 17 February release.  Beyond-excited and relieved!
 
Sure, there’s more to tackle ahead, but I’m moving forward instead of treading water.  And that’s a glorious feeling.

YOUR TURN: How do you keep going when you're feeling stuck?  Keep yourself out of that hole in the first place? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.

Photos: UnSplash, Creative Commons license


Thanks for stopping by.  Like what you see?  
Don’t miss a post!
Send this blog to your RSS feed or email.
Subscribe
Join the fun; join my tribe!
Updates - Special Offers - Fun Stuff
Kids: download your FREE coloring printables from Cat’s books
Young at Heart: download your FREE copy of a special Catly short story
Driving Down to Dillon: A Tale of Love & New Beginnings

Join cat's Tribe of readers

   Twitter   Facebook   Pinterest   Goodreads   Amazon   Instagram

15 Comments

beat January blues with the Colors of Winter

1/13/2017

8 Comments

 
I had a case of the winter blues....even though I live in North Carolina (southeast US), where winters are short and mild. But after reading author/poet/teacher Sarah Steele’s gentle poem, Winter, her words lifted my spirits and helped me appreciate  life's simple beauty.
 
Sarah loves using color to describe people and life around her.  Friends, family, birth, hardships, prayer.  In Winter,  she describes a season.  As you read her delicate rhyme, you’ll feel peaceful and relaxed…promise!
Winter by Sarah Steele - catmichaelswriter.com

​Winter
by Sarah Steele

Winter is blue …

like the water now frozen 
in a sea of glass

like my hometown mug of hot cocoa

that warms me through the dark, cold nights

like the way I feel
​being stuck inside
without anywhere to run.
Winter, by Sarah Steele - catmichaelswriter.com
Photo: National Park Service
Winter is ​white …

like the freshly fallen snow, 
inviting me to venture into the frost-bitten world

like the lights that wink at me and 
beg me to stay out for just a minute longer

like our supima flannel sheets that wrap tightly

around a frigid body and make me long for more of night.
​Winter is Beautiful, by Sarah Steele - on catmichaelswriter.com
Photo: Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management
Winter is silver
…
like the frost that coats the car,
​
forcing me to scrape its beauty to a heap on the ground

like the tinsel that twinkles in the Christmas lights,

inciting me to stay awake and just be
like Gramma’s stunning hair and Papa’s charming beard,

blending in with the surrounding scene.
Winter, by Sarah Steele - catmichaelswriter.com
Photo: Jacob W. Frank, National Park Service
​Winter is beautiful.

Meet the Poet
Sarah Steele, author/poet/teacher on catmichaelswriter.com
Sarah Steele grew up as the oldest of ten children, and children have been following her ever since. A Hoosier English-learner teacher, then coach for five years, her hundreds of students and fellow teachers were on the receiving end of her poetry–for fun and for learning.

​Sarah believes poetry sticks to the brain and cuts to the heart. And while she loves to speak to hearts all over the world with her writing, her first books are aimed at children–delighting young minds and inspiring their creativity.

​Website  |  Facebook |  Etsy  |  Instagram

Thanks for stopping by.  Like what you see?  
Don’t miss a post!
Send this blog to your RSS feed or email. 
Subscribe
Join the fun; join my tribe!
Updates - Special Offers - Fun Stuff

Kids: download your FREE coloring printables from Cat’s books
Young at Heart: download your FREE copy of a special Catly short story
Driving Down to Dillon: A Tale of Love & New Beginnings

Join Cat’s Tribe of Readers

   Twitter   Facebook   Pinterest   Goodreads   Amazon   Instagram

8 Comments

PiBo REVIEW - learning, giggles abound in CL Murphy's selfies in the wild

1/7/2017

2 Comments

 
Kid Lit Book review-catmichaelswriter.com
Get ready for G-rated wild times and giggles with Lovable Lobo wolf pup and his forest pals. The animals find a wilderness camera in their woods and attept to figure out WHAT it is and HOW to use it in a burst of paws-on hilarity.  After tons of silly candid shots, the photo shoot comes to a sudden halt, and even the park rangers can’t figure out what happened.

​About the Book
Title: Selfies in the Wild |  Author, Illustrator C.L.Murhpy  | Publication Date:  August 2016 | Publisher: Peanut Butter Prose | Pages: 28 | Recommended Ages: 3-7
* Amazon *   
Kid Lit Book Review - catmichaelswriter.com
​
​What Kids Will Like 
Lobo is a natural kid magnet, but his experimentation with a camera in the forest brings smiles to a new heights.  Selfies pulls in young readers with Murphy’s colorful cartoon-like drawings super-imposed on actual forest photographs.  She also recreates the sights and sounds of a camera in a dark forest night as Lobo and friends figure out the trail cam and give it their best shot. 
 
 
What Parents, Teachers Will Like 
Adults will giggle along with the kids at Lobo’s antics, perhaps even more so as they appreciate the inherent silliness of the selfie craze.  In addition to its fresh humor, the book helps children learn basic colors and left/right orientation in the context of Lobo and friends struggling to master the digital camera…and kids will pick up on that technology, too.  The colorful layout is a joy to follow.  Best, kids learn colors and directions without knowing they are doing so because they are following fun digital camera commands. The author also includes a glossary of challenge words in the conclusion and a try-and-find animal picture challenge.



​Recommendation
I highly recommend Selfies in the Wild for preschool through second-grade children.  Even better: a read-aloud by older children to younger ones!  The book’s fresh humor and eye-catching illustrations score big with kids in the digital age.
Kid Lit Book Review: catmichaelswriter.com

Meet the Author
Cathy (C.L.) Murphy has been creating with and for kids for many years.  Armed with crayons and not afraid to use them, she’s faster than a speeding turtle, more powerful than a newborn bunny, and nearly able to leap tall tales in a single bound. A SCBWI member since 2012, C.L. uses her unassuming powers in a never-ending battle for good and silliness while traveling to the deepest (sometimes dark) part of her imagination. She lives in a wonder-filled forest amongst wildlife with her husband and other untamed animals. They have two wildly perfect sons and a scrumptious new granddaughter.
​
Website   |   Blog  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Google+  |  Pinterest
​

​Thanks for stopping by. Don’t miss a post! 
Deliver this blog to your RSS feed or inbox.
Subscribe
Join the fun; join my tribe!
Updates - Special Offers - Fun Stuff

Kids: download your FREE coloring printables from Cat’s books

Young at Heart: download your FREE copy of a special Catly tale
Driving Down to Dillon: A Tale of Love & New Beginnings

Join the Fun with Cat’s Tribe of Readers

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Goodreads Amazon Instagram

2 Comments

    Cat Michaels

    Blogging about books, writing, family life,  travel and  more good stuff.


    Meet Cat
    ​INSIDE the pages

    a newsletter for bibliophiles on writing, books and cool stuff readers love
    Be an Insider. Download your FREE e-short story about love and new beginnings today!
    Picture
    I'M IN! Snag my free e-short story HERE
    P.S. We hate spam and keep your email safe.. 

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    May 2024
    July 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

Proudly powered by Weebly