Challenges for an INDIE Author

This weekend has been a bit challenging for me. There were lots of really great things that happened, like on Friday, I had a good interview with a participant for the Tattoo women's project And on Saturday, my son had a final soccer tournament and they won gold. So some of the weekend was totally awesome. But what took me for a tail spin was when my book Ursula’s Umbrellas was delivered on Friday night to my door. I opened it thinking it was going to look exactly like the copy I had already proofed. Nope. For some reason, for god only knows what reason, my computer had glitched and eliminated the whole copyright section and glitched one of the pictures making one character disappearing between the pages. Now this was devastating for three reasons. One, I had worked on re-doing the illustrations for the past year and this was to be the final copy. This book has been in a state of perfecting since 2007. That is a long time to be tweaking a children's book. But because of new programs being developed and the self publishing industry always on the change, Ursula’s Umbrellas changed with it. Second reason, Indie authors are frowned upon by many people because the quality of our work isn’t always on par with the traditionally published authors. Truth is, many indie authors do not have the funds to compete with the big publishing houses. Most writers struggle financially and to have a publishing team...you have to put out the money. So for me to have a book that is now flawed, I am horribly embarrassed. And third thing is that I really wanted to be done with this book. I was done. Oh, and a fourth thing, this means my computer is completely messed up. I knew it had some issues, but this!  Good grief.

Of course I went crying to my Oracle cards, “Why, why did this happen? “  Its reply, Reversed “by the book”.  Lol   Yup, and ya can’t make this shit up...it actually had “by the book” in protective position.

Well, It is in the Amazon and Barnes & Noble bookstore and I am leaving it there. Still the same great story and illustrations, just the technical book info is gone. Sigh. Kids will never know the difference. It’s done, I’m done, and moving on to my new project.

Did I mention, I caught the flu.

Thanks for listening!

#indieauthor  #books  #failure  #computers #challenges

The Forward

Now that my book Flight of the White Crow is available to the public, I will be talking freely about the content within the book. To open the gateway, I am posting the Forward of the book 

Forward

It always amazes me at how far our civilized world has come in technology, modern medicine and the collective communications, and yet at a macro level, we are not much farther ahead at solving the natural mysteries that surround us. Perhaps we have not found our answers because we are so engrossed in the human linear evolution that we tend to overlook the magic of what is truly in front of us and within us. There is a whole universe just waiting to reveal itself, and that universal quest begins here on earth, and within each and every living thing. Missing links, UFO's, spirits, angels, and strange unexplained creatures taunt us to explore the hidden world that is not really hiding, but rather, waiting to be found. And it might be interesting to ask ourselves what part of this world did we co-create or manifest? I've always felt that, "if the devil didn't exist, he sure in the hell does now."

When people ask me if I believe in paranormal activities, I've often replied that my life is a paranormal activity. Coming from a line of superstitious sensitives, the doors of the unknown were opened up to me from a very young age. I actually didn't have to go looking for strange occurrences or mysterious mishaps; they came to find me. In my home it wasn't unusual to have a ghost or spirit sharing the house. It was normal to search the skies at night for UFOs. And we were taught to ask the question, "What if?" Our environment and the people surrounding us have a great impact in contributing experiences and information into our lives and our belief system. Therefore, I had always thought it was rather strange for a person to not believe in ghosts, or Bigfoot, or UFOs. And if there was one thing I had learned from this upbringing is that there is always another mystery around life's invisible corners. 

Some people may find it difficult to believe that all these things can actually happen to one person, which is perfectly understandable. But the truth is the truth, and I will not betray my authenticity to please another's doubts. These stories are my truths. These stories are the spiritual and paranormal stepping stones of my life. It is your free will to take it or leave it. 

Patricia Travers

#books #paranormal #angels #ghosts #UFOs #paranormalactivity #matrix #author #writer #mystery #aliens #truestories 

Flight Of The White Crow

I just received the first copy of Flight Of The White Crow and can now do the last edit of the book. One thing I have learned about creating books is that there are always some kind of a flaw in the book even after all those great overviews of editing the paper and on line format. Although the book looks fantastic there are a few cosmetic adjustments that need to be taken care of before I unleash it to the world. 
So here is a sneak peak of the book cover. This picture covers the front and the back of the book. I took the photograph and then did a few Photoshop adjustments to the picture. That is the real sky and real birds, although I did turn one crow white. 

My Top Pick for a Book to Curl up to This Winter

   A really wonderful book to help you let go of your past and help you move into your future, is a newly published book called Uncharted by Colette Baron Reid. Not only is Colette an author, she is also a mystic, oracle and has had her own tv show as a medium. Colette is one of the most grounded authentic spiritual people that I have come across on the internet. I have been following her for the past eight months and have been intrigued with her life story that she so generously and bravely shares with people. You can hear some of her stories throughout the book Uncharted, or by listening to some of Colette's videos. Clean and sober for over thirty years now, she really is a wonderful spiritual teacher and understands what life is about. 

   The book Uncharted is an easy read that is layered with wisdom that can help guide you through the times of not quite knowing where you are going, but definitely not wanting to remain where you have been. But it isn't a book that you just read once, in fact, the book has many tools for coping with stress, releasing old baggage, letting go of old patterns and developing new and healthy ways to create your future. It definitely is a self help book for women and men that want to embrace transformation. I highly recommend it for those who would like to find their creative side and dare to redesign their lives. 

Sharing Ghost Stories

Last night I was hanging out with two of my teenagers (I have three) and we were talking about You -Tubers that go to creepy places to look for creepy stuff. For example, a couple of them went to a closed down building, and during their time there a cart had moved completely on its own, sending this group of kids running. Well, I started to laugh and said how it reminded me of a time when I was working a night shift in a large retail store. It was just me and one other person. As we admitted that we both felt uneasy, a creepy mumbling came over the intercom and then we heard shopping carts crash. We got the hell out of the store and phoned the police. When the police came, they found no one. I wasn't surprised because that area of the city had a lot of paranormal activity. Wonder what was buried there?

Then I told them about my time in a closed off part of a hospital that my father took me through. He was a security guard and had to do his rounds. At one point I felt a spirit go right through me and identified it as a nun. My father told me that particular wing of the building use to be where the nuns stayed.  At this point my sons says, "What the 'bleep' mom, I just watched the Conjuring recently and now your telling me this. How am I going to sleep tonight?" My daughter and I laughed of course. So I told them to make sure they read my book when its done. I am really happy to be finished the chapter on ghosts and spirits.  Kind of creeps me out too!  It's not something you become completely comfortable with. There is a big difference between having a personal experience with a spirit whom you have known and loved and having an experience with something impersonal that is invasive or intimidating. 

Moments In Time

This poem is from my first poetry & prose book Moments in Time.