Monday, June 26, 2017

It's My Birthday and I'll Blog if I Want to

Hi y'all! I can't tell you how happy I am with the name change!

Whew! What a refreshing new view it is.



But enough about that. Let's talk writing. You remember my last post, Hello World, where I confessed to not writing for a year because of really stupid fears and insecurities? And how I promised I was writing  Evade (SEEK Book 2) again?

Search (SEEK Book 1)


Well, wow! I wasn't lying. When I wrote that post a month ago I had just begun [my ninth attempt at] writing [it] and I had maybe six thousand words (not much). Well...I finished my rough draft a week ago at fifty-eight thousand words.

I kicked NaNoWriMo's ass!!!!!!



Fastest I've ever written and I'm not a slow writer (when I know what the hell I want to say!).

I'm just beginning the second week of my two-week break from the manuscript (If you don't do this, you should! I highly recommend everyone walk away from their book between each revision.), but I am so excited to get back to it. It's like my brain was writing all along and it's just busting with all of the things I wouldn't let it say.



Sorry brain.



So, next Sunday I'm going to begin the revision process -- YIKES, wish me luck, that first glimpse of slop can be terrifyingly intimidating -- and I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Coming up: I'm writing another The Writer's Maze post about my recent triumphant return to writing.


Until then, lot's of love and smiles. Keep writing!

The Teenybooker

Addicted to Words is Getting a New Name!!!!

I've been doing a lot of soul searching, blog soul searching, that is. And I've come to the conclusion that ADDICTED TO WORDS is a little stale. I've decided it's time to take this blog to the next level. 

But don't worry. I'll still be keeping my posts real and authentic. I won't commercialize or sell-out. 

First, let me introduce my new and improved blog, and my new bloggy name..



 Welcome to
The Teenybooker

I hope you like it here. It feels "write" to me and that's how I roll around here, so make yourself at home and let's get to it. 
 

Monday, May 29, 2017

Hello World!

I am so sorry for my very long absence. I sort of fell right off the blog world and into a dark, lonely place called the "the hole of no writing!" It was horrible.

I wish I could tell you some magical story about how not writing for a year -- YES! one whole year -- produced a bunch of scribbles on virtual paper that amount to a book. Or that the eight, you read that right, eight different beginnings to Evade (SEEK book 2) were a year well spent...

..but alas, no. Though, I am writing steadily now, so stay tuned for more on that.

However, I am not here to talk about that. I'm writing this blog not to brag or teach, not to cheer you on or pump you up (which all writers need so "You can do it! Keep going!), but to tell you about my own personal battle with myself.

After I published Search (SEEK book 1), I dedicated much of my time to promoting it. As a good author does...

That's my job, right? I mean that's what all the big writing blogs tell self published authors to do, right? Promote the heck out of your book!!!! If you're not on twitter with at least one hundred million followers and you're not blogging everyday and you're not posting, posting, posting, tweeting and hashtagging on your Instagram, then you're never going to sell any books!

I mean...

How?

I had no life. No time to write a grocery list let alone my next three books.

I was exhausted. I felt like a complete failure. I'd social media-ed my way to #6 in my book's category (temporarily), I'd done it! Hooray. But the moment I'd take a day to spend with my kids and family, my book would slip #64, #98, #102.

Oh, no I'm off the top 100! No one will find my book here.

And then came the remorse. The comparing myself to every other writer above me.

"How are they doing it?" I'd tearfully ask my husband.

He'd say something supportive. Offer a million reasons why I wasn't measuring up to my competition...

Did you catch it?

I was thinking of other books and other authors as my competition. 

That's where I went wrong. Only I didn't know it then. I was looking at my writing as a sell-off. Of course I was miserable. And who wouldn't be depressed comparing themselves to names like Collins, Rowling, Asher and Roth? It didn't matter that they had seemingly endless marketing budgets, I still felt I should be able to measure up.

All I needed was my time, right?

So naturally I became discouraged when my kids, house, husband and school took more and more of my focus (as it should be!). I spent a small fortune publishing this book, how could I not advertise it?

Mistake number two. Again, I learned the hard way. And one more thing to drag me further and further away from writing, away from all the things I loved. Until finally, I was numb and just stopped caring if anyone ever bought my book, ever read my book. In order to protect myself from the pain of my own self-perceived failure I withdrew from everything in the book world. I canceled book signings, deactivated accounts on social media and just stopped writing almost completely (I don't know that I'm capable of not writing anything, it's how I make sense of my world) but I wasn't being productive.
 
I was hurting. Heartbroken that I'd let myself down. I'd done my research. I knew how to sell books, so I thought. But when it came to choosing between spending time with my family or sitting at the computer to plug my book and slog my blog, I chose family.

No matter how hard I tried I couldn't find that balance.

For a long time I couldn't understand why. Why couldn't I be like other authors who are also moms. They really had it all together. They were advertising, blogging, vlogging, and they had kids. It had to be me.

I spent a good six months thinking that was true. But I was also still thinking that I was in competition with the world. But around the six month no-writing mark I received a letter. A wonderful letter. A letter from a fan. A young girl, eleven years old (my target audience!) had read Search and was so in love with it, she took the time to write an actual letter on notebook paper with purple ink. It was the most wonderful thing! And after lines of praise from my sweet fan she reminded me how much she was looking forward to the next book.

Oh, great. I've failed again. First, I felt as though I hadn't sold enough books, that no one cared about them and now I realized, while my numbers weren't in the millions (or even the tens of thousands) I had still sold a good number of books and there were people--kids, the people I started writing for in the first place--reading and liking my book and waiting for book two.

That's when I realized I'd been such a fool. A self-absorbed fool. More concerned with the numbers than the people. I was ashamed. I'd let everyone down.

But that shame on top of the guilt did nothing to pull me out of my hole. And to make matters worse, more people--more fans! I had fans? What?--kept contacting me, asking how the next book was coming.

If I'd been writing like good little author should, I would've been thrilled. Instead, I just kept wondering what the hell was wrong with me. Comparing myself to everyone else every chance I got. And yes, I'm ashamed to admit it, I even punished myself for publishing my book in the first place.

It no longer mattered that it had been my lifelong dream realized. It didn't matter that it was something I should've been proud of no matter what, because let's face it, not everyone has the Chutzpah to write a book.


But you know the real kicker about this deep dark hole of no writing I'd dug myself?

It was so unlike me. I'm not a Debbie Downer. I'm not even a frowner. I'm a cheerful and positive thinker who is always smiling and even in the midst of this sad pity party I was still happy, in real life. Until someone would ask how my writing was going.

"Oh, I'm working on a few things," I'd say without my usual upbeat smile.

So, how was I going to drag myself out of it? Where had I gone wrong? I started thinking, analyzing, critiquing my own performance as an author. And for a long time I didn't get it. And the answer to unlock my jail of wordless sorrow came gradually at first, and then all at once.

"I am not writing to impress other authors. I owe them nothing," I said it out loud to myself.

That's when I realized how I'd been viewing my work.
I finally understood why I felt as though I'd somehow failed. I had been so strong and so brave as I battled my dyslexia to learn to write, I'd kept my resolve while I studied and suffered through my degree in English Lit. I'd taken the time and money to have a professional edit my work, to have a professional format it, to have a professional design the cover with a professional model by a professional photographer (thanks, Honey for funding my dream!).

I'd put all of my book's success or failure on my shoulders. I'd hired pros to do everything else. It had to be me. Right?

I own that.

But then why was I such a wreck even when it was doing well? And if I'd willing stopped advertising twenty-four seven, why did think that it was my poor book's failure?

It wasn't until I was honest with myself that I really understood my misery. Yes, I wrote the book . I hadn't yet understood that I'd also been searching for validation, an atta boy, good job, I guess you're not dyslexic after all from the people in my past.

Which, makes absolutely no sense at all! Were my teachers supposed to come back from the dead and tell me how proud they were of me for finally finishing my nine grade project? PLEASE DON'T MR. EDWARDS, I BEG YOU! DON'T HAUNT ME!

But essentially that's what it was. I had this dream as a small child, that I would someday show everyone that I wasn't stupid just because I had a learning disability. That someday I'd be able to read and write and one day I'd show the world the wonderful stories that had been hiding in my head...

And I did. But the world didn't care.

And now that I know that's what I was expecting. I no longer care. Because that was a little girl's dream. I'm not that little girl anymore. I'm not alone anymore. I'm not trapped in a world I don't understand anymore. I can read and write and I wrote book.

That's enough.


Thanks for reading my painful awakening. And for anyone who might be out there wondering... I am writing Evade (SEEK book 2). I'm loving it so far thanks to one sweet girl who wrote to me again with her awesome ideas.

Selene, I've put your ideas to good use and I can't wait to share them with you!

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

A Snippet on Book Reviews


 

I'm honored and thrilled to announce that Search (SEEK book 1) has received the LitPick Top Choice Book Review Award! That is so amazing, I can't even tell you how humbled and grateful it makes me feel to have these amazing teens enjoy my work.

It also makes me want to write the next three books in the series even better. So, I'm sorry if my normal blogging might be taking a back burner at the moment, but rest assured I'm still here and you're welcome to reach out to me at any time. I love hearing from you and the private messages are the most wonderful surprises, keep them coming. I really enjoy connecting with you. Thank you.

If you'd like to read some of the amazing reviews Search (SEEK book 1) is getting click here.  
Search (SEEK book 1) is available now in eBook format and print copies will be available June 1st 2016. Here's a sneak peek at the full cover! Isn't it awesome? Squeeee!


 I love it so much, here's a horrible screenshot of me holding it.



Saturday, May 7, 2016

eBooks, Print and Audio--Gimme gimme BOOKS!

You have all been amazing blog followers, supporters, cheerleaders and friends. I could never say thank you enough, but I can give you a free copy of my eBook Search (SEEK book 1)!

Leave a comment below with your email address if you'd like one and I'll send you a code for Search (SEEK book 1) FREE of charge.

My Advanced Reader Copies and some bookswag arrived yesterday! Look how pretty!


In other news, I'll be attending my first author signing July 16th & 17th. I'm super excited about that. If you're going to be in the area, please come say HI! and grab some free swag.



My next hurtle to cross is making Search (SEEK book 1) into an audiobook. If you'd like to read more about my story or help in way possible please visit my GoFundMe.


Sunday, May 1, 2016

YA Superfan Street Team Hunt & $50 Amazon Give Away

Street Team Activate!

I am SEEKing three (3) Young Adult - Teen Literature Superfans to head my SEEK Street Team.

What does a SEEK Street Team Do? 


What you'll get:


  • First Edition Autographed print version of Search (SEEK book 1) Available June 2016
  • Read Evade (SEEK book 2) before anyone else!
  • SEEK Swag (Post Cards, Mood Rings, Necklaces, Bookmarks, Pins etc... Whatever I order, you get first!)
  • The Inside Scoop into the Realm of all things SEEK (Who's really the bad guy?)
  • Your Name Listed in the Acknowledgements of ALL 4 Print Books!
  • A future Khayal named after you in the color of your choice.

So, are you interested in becoming part of the SEEK Street Team?

Great!

Here's what you do. Copy and Paste the following into all outlets of social media. Then message me on Facebook with links to your posts.

To Win 1 of 2 Amazon Gift Cards and Become 1 of 3 members of the SEEK Street Team:

  • The person with the highest combined number of Likes (hearts, shares, retweets etc...) WINS a $40 Amazon Gift Card and becomes a member of the SEEK Street Team. 
  • Second highest Gets a $10 Amazon Gift Card and becomes a member of the SEEK Street Team. 
  • And Third highest becomes the third and final member of the SEEK Street Team. 
 Good luck to all who enter. Contest runs from 5/1/16 - 5/6/16 Must be at least 14 to enter.

COPY & PASTE: 

[NOTE: You may C&P any or part of the following but your posts 
MUST INCLUDE either the US or UK link to Amazon to qualify for the contest.]




ה ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ה     ה ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ה  
  Candie Leigh Campbell
ה ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ה  ה ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ה  

Search (SEEK book 1)

✰✰✰✰✰ “Action-packed and thought-provoking, while inspiring compassion and truth, this book is just a whole lot of fun!”

✰✰✰✰✰ “What a captivating read. I could not put the book down. It had the magic, the romance, the sass, and the adventure.”

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1NLrrJP
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1W0taOI
 
Out of seven billion people, there’s only one thing we all have in common.

We search for what eludes us.
We evade what causes us sorrow.
We extract what doesn’t suit our needs.
And we kill to get what we want.

WE SEEK.

In the time it takes you to read this, two lives will be revoked and one spared. Some call it divine intervention, others say natural selection decides, but no one really knows for sure.

EXCEPT ME.

My name is Keira, and this is how I saved you.


***
Seventeen-year-old SEEK agent Keira Donavan knows her job—Search, Evade, Extract, and Kill the parasitic shadows called Khayal, but when she encounters Jonathan Steed, her green-eyed fast-talking—and very HUMAN target—she learns her life is a bitter lie. With a bounty on her head and her family held captive, the huntress becomes the hunted. Now Keira must choose, save her family or band together with Jonathan and his crusade of unlikely teenage misfits to prevent the extermination of the ancient beings. In the end, no one is safe, especially not her heart.



#‎YA ‪#‎Fantasy #SciFi #Yalit #bookishtalesgiveaway#freebooksdownloads #freebooksarethebest #ebook #freebie #bookishlife#amazonfreetime #freebooks #yalit #ya #booknerd #scifi #booknerdigans #teenreads
 



Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Writer's Maze: I Wrote a Book--Now What? And a Giveaway!

What do you do once you've realized your dream and published a book? You sell it, of course!

Go. Now. Buy my book. And tell all of your friends to buy my book.

Share the crap out of my link.
Share it everywhere EVERYWHERE! 

Thank you for your support and encouragement. And thank you for your patience as I write the rest of the SEEK Saga.

Anticipated Release Dates:

Evade (SEEK #2) November 2016
Extract (SEEK #3) May 2017
Kill (SEEK #4) November 2017

As of today, I'm right on schedule and anticipate no problems during production.

Search (SEEK #1) is live. Eeeeep! http://www.amazon.com/Search-SEEK-Candie-Leigh-Campbell-ebook/dp/B01EKKTZT2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1461193757&sr=1-1&keywords=candie+leigh+campbell#customerReviews

Click the picture for the link to Search (SEEK #1).


SEEK
Out of seven billion people, there’s only one thing we all have in common.
We search for what eludes us.
We evade what causes us sorrow.
We extract what doesn’t suit our needs.
And we kill to get what we want.
WE SEEK.
In the time it takes you to read this, two lives will be revoked and one spared. Some call it divine intervention, others say natural selection decides, but no one really knows for sure.
EXCEPT ME.
My name is Keira, and this is how I saved you.


Seventeen-year-old SEEK agent Keira Donavan knows her job—Search, Evade, Extract, and Kill the Khayal, but when she encounters Jonathan Steed, her green-eyed fast-talking human target she learns her life is a bitter lie. With a bounty on her head and her family held captive, the huntress becomes the hunted. Now Keira must choose, save her family or band together with Jonathan and his crusade of unlikely misfits to prevent the extermination of an ancient mystical race. In the end, no one is safe, not even her heart.

Tweet, Follow and Enter My Amazon eBook Giveaway:

 

#‎AmazonGiveaway‬ : Search (SEEK Book 1) (Kindle Edition). NoPurchNec: https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/096163e504ac2940/…‪#‎yalit‬ ‪#‎giveaway‬ ‪#‎scifi‬

 

 

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Writer's Maze: A Toast to the Editor



In every author’s life there are always people who help us become the writer we are. Those people deserve our utmost gratitude. And among this group of encouragers there is most likely also one person who stands out in the crowd. A person who made the difference in your decision to become a writer, or not. A person, who perhaps pushed you over a hump and made you try—or try again. A person whose encouragement was so valuable that you might not even be a writer at all if not for them.

For me, that person was the Editor in chief at a small newspaper I was working at. 



But let me backup. 

All my life I’d wanted to be a writer, I wrote for pleasure and I wrote stories for my children, but I never wrote anything anyone could see.

In a way, I think my late father had a hand in the way fate changed my life, because so many things happened all at once I don’t really even understand to this day how I got here. 

This is how it happened.

I lived in Portland, OR. I worked part time at an upscale salon downtown. I taught cosmetology part time at a college and I went to school fulltime. Majored in Fine Arts. Why? Because I didn’t believe I could be a writer due to my dyslexia – I’d let my disability become my excuse instead of my reason – so I was going to be an illustrator instead, dammit. Luckily, my mother was an artist and my father dabbled in art, so I had just enough residual talent to fake it. 

Then my father died. And this is where my life takes a huge detour. I packed up and moved to a beautiful small town in Oregon to take care of my grieving mother. I got a job at the nicest salon in town, bought a cool house and let my dream of becoming an illustrator go. With no colleges to continue my degree, I was okay with accepting a simple life in my new friendly town. 

Fate had other plans once again. 

Four months later, once I was happily settled in and making friends, I was in a car accident. My neck was so messed up that I couldn’t work in the salon for close to a year. But I needed to work so I took a fulltime job at a local jewelers and a part-time job at the local paper selling advertising. I really enjoyed the challenge of creating the ads and helping people acquire more business. Plus, I got to walk around downtown (all 8 blocks) visiting with people. 

But soon, I needed something more so I enrolled in online college. And here is where my most important person comes in. Debby (I’ll give you her details later), my Editor in chief, asked if I’d like to write a column about the happenings going on downtown. A friendly gossip column of sorts. I desperately wanted to say yes, but I was nervous my spelling and grammar were not up to “publishing” standards.


“Don’t worry,” Debby said. “I’ll edit it first. I won’t put anything out there that isn’t ready.”

My whole world shifted. One column at a time. 

Shout out to Debbie Ohi! I've met her a couple of times at various writer's conferences and she is FABULOUS! 
 
Each week I’d get to do exactly what I’m doing right now, talk about nothing but gibberish. And people liked it. The locals would actually make it a point to tell me how much they enjoyed the column. 

No one was laughing at me. At least not to my face.



My mother was in shock. I don’t think she ever dreamed that I could read, much less write. Remember she’d watched me struggle all my life. She’d gotten my cards and letters over the years—chicken scratched and littered with errors because I couldn’t write to save myself.

But it turns out all I needed was to type— and type a lot. Debby gave me just that chance when she asked me if I wanted to start covering some news also. Let me tell you, you haven’t truly written until you’ve covered a City Council meeting. Ha! I joke. 

It was about a year later that I was standing outside on my back porch, waiting for my dog to do her business, that the universe revealed its ultimate plan for me. It was like a voice, somewhere in my own mind, yet not my usual monologue voice. This voice was important and it made me pay attention. 

It said, “You’ve always wanted to be writer. To write books. In five years, will you still feel the same?”

“Yes,” I answered back, looking to the clouds rushing across the sky.

“And in ten years, twenty years, will you still wish you had written a book?”

“Yes, yes.”

I walked around in a daze that day. And that night I dreamt the end. Not the end of my life but the end of a story I’d been writing in my head for as long as I could remember.

The next morning, I woke up before the sun and began to write. 

That was seven years ago this month. 

Seven happy years spent hammering words onto paper. Seven hard years trying to figure it all out. And seven years of learning who it was I really wanted to be.

So I raise a virtual glass of champagne. “To Debby! Thanks for changing my life. You made me believe I could.”


To find out more about Debby Schoeningh, a witty and talented writer, go to:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/debby-schoeningh-76ab8251

Want to know more about Debby's books?




 Have a mentor you'd like to give a shout-out to? Leave their link below (NO SPAMMERS! I'll delete you!) so we can check them out.

http://candieleighcampbell.com/home/search_seek_1

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Self Published Author Keeping it Real: Simple Marketing

Hello, you wonderful group of followers! You guys are absolutely amazing!

I've had this blog for close to five years now and I can't tell you how much your support has meant to me. It's been a long journey, one I've shared openly, of the many ups and downs to becoming a YA author. And now, as my release date approaches and I try my hand at self marketing (NOT as easy as it sounds!), I thought I'd share with you some of the social media posters I've been creating and sharing EVERYWHERE I can.

If you follow me on social media and you're already sick of seeing these, I apologize. I'm trying really hard not to be THAT author who just bombards you with their crap. I'm trying to mix it up by still posting my usual stuff and sneaking in my commercials on the side.

So here we go, my fabulous whatever-they're-calleds...







If you feel so inclined to share them, thank you! I love you! You're my hero!

Check out the fan made "SEEK Saga" fan page!
It's pretty friggen awesome and I stop by from time to time.

Friday, April 1, 2016

Search (SEEK #1) COVER REVEAL


It's time to share my beautiful cover! It's been a long road getting here and many of you have been with me from the start. Thank you! Your support and encouragement have made it possible.

And for those of you who've accidentally stumbled on this blog and thought you were going to play a word game...I'm sorry, but welcome. I'm happy you're here too.

All right, let's get to it.

HERE

SHE

IS

http://www.amazon.com/Search-SEEK-Candie-Leigh-Campbell-ebook/dp/B01EKKTZT2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1461291535&sr=8-5&keywords=Search+%28SEEK+%231%29
Picture Opens a Link to Amazon

SEEK
Out of seven billion people, there’s only one thing we all have in common.
We search for what eludes us.
We evade what causes us sorrow.
We extract what doesn’t suit our needs.
And we kill to get what we want.

WE SEEK.

In the time it takes you to read this, two lives will be revoked and one spared. Some call it divine intervention, others say natural selection decides, but no one really knows for sure.

EXCEPT ME.

My name is Keira, and this is how I saved you.


Seventeen-year-old SEEK agent Keira Donavan knows her job—Search, Evade, Extract, and Kill the Khayal, but when she encounters Jonathan Steed, her green-eyed fast-talking human target she learns her life is a bitter lie. With a bounty on her head and her family held captive, the huntress becomes the hunted. Now Keira must choose, save her family or band together with Jonathan and his crusade of unlikely misfits to prevent the extermination of an ancient mystical race. In the end, no one is safe, not even her heart.

Read Chapter One Here!

 

  Search (SEEK #1) release: May 1, 2016

 

Stay tuned for more details and awesome giveaways.

Don't forget to follow me on Goodreads!