It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? I know I mentioned that I was going to blog more often, but that didn’t happen, did it?
So, you’re all probably wondering what happened to me.
Well, here it goes…
First off, I recently moved…again. I was living on Staten Island again for several months before moving back to Brooklyn. Looking for a new place to live, packing up and settling in to that new place is a full-time job in of itself. So that took up my time. Plus, I was teaching, writing, enjoying summer.
That is why I’ve been MIA on this blog.
But I’m back, and intend to blog every Friday as I originally planned. My WIP is still going well, and I get more excited by it as I progress with it. I can’t wait to share it with all of you! I may share another excerpt in the future, but we’ll see 🙂
Before I start, I just want to make a couple of announcements:
First off, I will be blogging every Friday for now on. This is to gain momentum for the sequel to my first book, which by the way, is coming along smoothly. I’ve recently finished the first draft to Chapter 7, and have begun Chapter 8. That means I am about halfway, or more, done with the first draft! If all goes well – and I think it will – I’ll have the book published by February 2018.
If I do, it would mean I let five and a half years go by between my first book and its sequel. That’s a long time for an author to take a break between books within a series. I’ve written a lot about my insecurities with writing this sequel, as well as financial reasons for not going forward with it. But I had other reasons for not working much on this book.
It all started when I first moved to Brooklyn in May 2013. From there, I got busy adjusting to life on my own, and job searching. I mentioned on this blog that my job hunt was taking away from my writing, but I had to do with what I had to do. Eventually, I did find a job in the spring of 2014. At first, I was delighted with my new job at this small arts school. But very quickly, I soon realized I was in the job from hell.
And I mean, hell. Everything you can think of that can go wrong at a job happened. For starters, it was a shady place with rumors of grant money being pocketed, parents not seeing their money going where it was supposed to go, embezzlement, you name it. The owners of the school were abusive – verbally, emotionally and psychologically. There was also harassment and slander going on. The turnover rate was very high, and there was always a wonder when the IRS would show up. I was there for 15 months before leaving, or rather, running away from the place. Soon after, I sued my former employer in small claims court for tax fraud. We settled out of court, with me getting everything I asked.
Those 15 months took a huge toll on me. Everyday I would come home miserable, angry or even totally depressed. The strain of working at an abusive workplace caused me to have a mental breakdown. It also caused me to not have the energy to do any kind of writing. I believe that if I had not taken that job, I would have finished my sequel by now, and it would’ve been released by now.
So, that was 15 months taken away from writing. Granted, I was starting to have doubts about whether I wanted to continue writing anything fictional anymore when I first began the job. I was going through some personal changes and self-discovery, and was realizing where else I could point my writing skills towards. It is important not to put your talents or skills into a single box, and to know that your talents and skills could be used for multiple things. Basically, it is not the end of the world if you do not write a book.
But I still like creating characters, writing stories, making up worlds. It may not be the sole purpose to my existence, but it is a part of it. I have learned that I have other talents and abilities to add color to my life, and I intend to use them for places that deserve them.
At the same time, it is important to not waste your time at a job, or relationship, or anything, that sucks the life out of you. Life is short, and you are precious human being. There’s no reason to waste your self-worth on someone or something that doesn’t respect you.
And if you want to create, paint, dance, act…whichever, it is important that your mind is in the right place. Creativity is like a plant: If it doesn’t get sun, it withers. Bad energy blocks creativity, and it makes it wither.
So, there you go. One of the many reasons why my sequel to The Dark Proposal has been delayed. I hope what I told you here will be of help to you!
I know, it’s been a long time since I’ve blogged. I hope to keep up with blogging, but life calls sometimes. Being an adjunct professor, tutor and freelance reporter/writer does take up a lot of time. I know, lame excuses, but I honestly have been overwhelmed this past month.
Even so, I have been able to do some writing. I was able to finish the first draft of my first chapter to my new WIP. I am now moving on to the second chapter. I cannot predict when I will finish this WIP, but the main thing is not to rush anything. Rush writing a book, and you get a lousy book. I’m sure we’ve all read books where the author wrote something too quickly, only to produce a not-so-great book.
Anyway, I am just glad I completed the first chapter and now moving deeper into the book.
Oh, did I tell you what my WIP is?
Image via Pixabay
I did briefly touch on it in my last blog post. It is about a high school girl who is mercilessly bullied by her peers. She has no friends and her family is unsupportive. But things changed when she starts to notice black cats turning up on her way home from school, or sitting on her back patio.
I don’t want to give too much away, but the working title of this book is, “The Cats”. Maybe it will change, maybe it won’t. Right now, my focus is on writing the story.
The story will explore bullying and social structures. In other words, what makes a someone a target for bullying? Why do some get bullied and others don’t? Why do mean people – in this case, mean teens – get to be popular, while the nicer kids are scorned? I’m sure it is a question everyone wonders, and I hope to successfully explore that.
And don’t worry, the main character of this story has a happy ending 🙂
I’ll continue to blog twice a month: every 1st and 15th of the month. I’ll update on my writing progress, discuss bullying and black cats. I’ll talk about the inspiration behind “The Cats”, and why specifically chose black cats to be the stars of my book.
I’ll also talk about writing in general, publishing, TV shows, books I’ll be reading. And now and then, I’ll write about my old baby, “The Dark Proposal”. I have some plans about this book, which I hope to tell you all either later this month, or early in February.
I know its 17 days into the new year, but I haven’t been able to wish everyone a happy new year. So I’m taking that opportunity right now. I’ve been crazy busy this month so far with work and getting another job squared away, as well as taking steps to laying the foundations of what I hope – and expect – will be a productive year for me!
With that, I will now give some updates on where my life is now. I currently work as a part-time reporter for a local paper, and in a few weeks I will start teaching as an adjunct professor for English 101 classes at one of the public colleges here in New York. I am very thrilled by the developments in my professional life, and look forward to see them grow even more this year.
Along with those developments, I am eager to see my authorship restart and grow by leaps and bounds this year too. I recently completed book trailers for The Dark Proposal, and I am offering to do book trailers for other authors. I am excited by the prospects of helping other authors – particularly self-published authors – expand and meet their audiences in a variety of ways.
That being said, you’re probably wondering what is up with my long awaited sequel to my first book? Well, the good news is that I am still working on it. The bad news, my work stalled due to the holidays and my other commitments. But I’m finding ways to squeeze in time to write this second book, which is great because I really am excited by what the sequel has to offer. I’ve mentioned this in other posts, but I just want to reiterate that I am excited. I have to admit that I am nervous though, because I’m approaching the story of Claire and the vampires differently, even though the original story stays. I have grown so much as a person and as a writer that my approach is far from what it was a few years ago. It’s amazing how much I’ve developed since releasing The Dark Proposal over three years ago.
Anyway, I just want to say that I am still actively writing. My goal is to complete the first draft of this book by the end of summer. The sooner, the better, of course, and I know I might be compared to George R R Martin, author of the series that inspired the HBO show, Game of Thrones. But life comes first, that is the way it is.
But I will finish this story. I’m a passionate storyteller, and will always be. I can’t not tell a story, so the sequel to The Dark Proposal will be out someday. I haven’t forgotten any of you!
You’ve probably been wondering what I’ve been up to in recent weeks, since announcing I will be getting back to writing the sequel to The Dark Proposal. Well, I have been scribbling notes here and there, plus writing background stories on each character in order to flesh them out more. I am totally loving this process! Why didn’t I think of it before?
But I have also been developing something else to help the indie author scene. Some of you may be aware of my Author Interviews, where I conduct and post interviews of self-published authors. It’s been a thrill to do this, especially since the authors and the readers of this blog seem to enjoy them.
But lately, I’ve been working bringing my author interviews to the next step, and I know I am ready to unveil it.
I will be offering video services for self-published and small press authors. The services will be:
Post-production book trailers
Video interviews of authors.
You see, I have a background as a video journalist, and I would like to use the equipment that I still have to help authors reach their audiences. Book trailers seem to be the obvious route, especially since I have a video editing software. I would love to create book trailers that will include actors and cool effects, but alas, I could only work with the usual stock images and stock music. But maybe someday…
As for video interviews of authors, this is where I will take my author interviews to the next level. I will do short videos where the author simply talks about their books, the inspiration behind it, its writing process and what they hope readers will get out of it. It will be a promo video where the author voices their book’s journey to their audience. I don’t think many authors get the chance to vocally speak to their audience, so this would be a great chance for them.
However, there’s one small problem: I could only do this for authors in the New York City area. I don’t have the funds or team to do this outside of the Big Apple, so unfortunately, my target area is limited. Granted, there are many writers in New York, but it would be great for me to get those in, say, Michigan, Florida, Oregon, Canada, Europe, etc. Well, maybe next time…
Anyway, so here are my services and my rates. If my rates seem low, well, its because I understand that many self-published and small press writers have very tight budgets. I’m trying to be fair here.
POST PRODUCTION BOOK TRAILER: – 1 minute trailer       $150
– 3 minute trailer         $200
– 4 or more minutes    $250
In addition, if the author wishes for me to purchase the music or stock images, that would be added to the tab. I am willing to discuss who should be responsible for purchasing such items for the book trailer. But if it is me who does it, I will have the author reimburse me when I forward an invoice.
VIDEO AUTHOR INTERVIEWS
– 3 to 6 minutes            $250
BOOK TRAILER WITH SNIPPETS OF AUTHOR INTERVIEW INCLUDED:
– An extra $100 included to whichever aforementioned service you choose.
I will be including each video – of either service – on not only this blog, but a YouTube channel I will set up. I will also promote it on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. I will also allow the author to use the video of his or her website and author platform. There will be an agreement between the two of us over this so nothing gets confused.
Sounds interesting to you? Let me know by shooting me an email at megancashmanbooks [at] gmail [dot] com
“War is Over – Happy Christmas” by John Lennon is one of my all time favorite holiday songs because of those lines above. No matter what the holidays mean to you, it is true that Christmastime signals the end of the year and a time to reflect as we gear up for ringing in the new year.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
I’ve been reflecting a lot on 2013, especially as a self-published author. It’s been the year that I’ve really developed both as a writer and as businesswoman (really, selling books is a business). When 2012 came to an end, and 2013 began, I was having severe doubts about my abilities to write and sell my work. On New Year’s Day, I was thinking that perhaps I shouldn’t write at all because my work isn’t good enough and I didn’t do such a good job selling my book. But yet, I still wanted to write and tell stories because it honestly is my nature, so I kept going.
As I did, I learned many new perspectives on storytelling and self-publishing. I voiced these new perspectives here on this blog, and I want to take the time to say that I really loved the great discussions I had with so many awesome writers out there. They are:
To them, I say: all you guys are great, and I look forward to many more chats with you as we journey ahead in the world of writing and publishing. If by chance I forgot to name someone, rest assured that I certainly did enjoy your input and hope for many more.
I also want to take the time to mention my ten favorite blog posts this year. I am proud of these posts because they were thought-provoking and got good discussions going. They also helped build my platform:
I am looking forward to many more good discussions with anyone looking to give their two cents on the topics of writing, storytelling, and the publishing business.
I am also looking forward to completing the follow-up to my book. I’ve been so busy this year with working full-time, moving to a new part of NYC, and other priorities. I will definitely hit the ground running so I could get the sequel out hopefully by late June. I had hoped for April, but given the time it takes to edit and make sure there are no typos (like it was with the first edition of “The Dark Proposal” – yikes!), I’d say late June would be the best target time. I’ll keep everyone posted with whatever milestones come along as I tell what happens to Claire and Daniel.
In the meantime, I’ll keep blogging twice a week if I can. I’ll also continue giving author interviews and stopping by other authors’ blogs. I really need to step the latter part up. Even though it’s not easy to browse online at work, I still need to make more of commitment to support other writers by coming to their sites. So, that’s a New Year’s Resolution that I hope I can keep!
Once again, thank you to all for this amazing year, and I hope it will be equally amazing in 2014!
October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, and since this is the first day of the month, I am going to discuss a serious issue in our society. I know I once said authors should be wary on making non-writing related statements because it could take away from their authorship, but because my book “The Dark Proposal” focuses on the abusive relationship between a college graduate and a vampire, I feel it is best that I talk about this problem.
I know this is a controversial thing to talk about, because many do not understand why anyone would date or even marry someone who is clearly, and repeatedly, abusive. Some even go far as saying those people deserve being hit or mistreated by their partners because they ignored red flags or they ignore the age old warning: “if he hits you once, he’ll hit you again”. So, here I am going to explore why some people stay in abusive relationships, and what we could all do about it.
I’ve never been in an abusive relationship before, though I could’ve if I hadn’t stopped going out with some guys who were clearly the abusive type. I mentioned once before that I noticed the red flags early on, and while I did hesitate at first, I cut those guys off because I knew I didn’t want to be miserable and mistreated. I sometimes wonder what would’ve happened if I didn’t have the guts to get away, but I’m glad I’ll never really know.
I never had any close friends who were in physically abusive relationships, or at least I did not know. Not all are willing to admit that their partner is attacking them, but chances are we all know someone who is or has been in this situation. Let’s not forget that abusive relationships are all too common. One-third of teenagers have experienced dating abuse, and women between the ages of 16 and 24 have the highest rate of being abused by a partner. One-fourth of all women have been in an abusive relationship.
I did have some friends that were in emotional and verbally abusive relationships, which is as bad as being hit by someone you love and trust. However, I’ve worked with a few women who did date guys who were possessive, super controlling to the point of being near-stalkers, and even gave them bruises on their bodies. Even though I wasn’t close friends with those women, I got an idea of what makes some women stay with their abusive partners.
NOTE:I am fully aware that domestic violence is not just a women’s issue, I am against anyone abusing their spouse or partner. There are some men who are attacked by their wives or girlfriends, but because I never knew any guy in such a relationship, I am going to focus on the women here. I know their male counterparts may stay for the same reasons as they do but because I’ve only known female victims of abusive relationships, I’ll focus on them.
Anyway, my theory over why some women stay with a man who belittles, controls, hits and even threatens their lives, all comes down to insecurity and low self-esteem. There are many reasons why they may choose to be with that man. It could be the belief that they can change the man and make him good, or they believe they deserve the abuse, or they simply can’t accept that the guy they fell in love with now has his hands around her throat. So they stay in the relationship, dodging insults and fists, fearing for their safety while wondering if they should really leave. They probably want to turn to someone for help because they know what is happening is terrible.
This is where I think the problem with how many people view battered women arises. I remember when one co-worker years ago made it clear that she was trying to work things out with the boyfriend who beat her, many of us at work groaned and rolled our eyes. How could she be so stupid? What’s wrong with her? Is she crazy? She’s asking for him to hit her again!
Unfortunately, victims of abusive relationships do not see the world the same way other people do. Again, I link this to low self-esteem, which is more destructive than some people can comprehend. Imagine thinking you deserve to be punch in the eye. Imagine thinking having your boyfriend monitor your texts and emails is a good thing. Yeah, many of us can’t because our self-esteem is strong enough to see that this is abuse. But those who are so fractured inside are unable to realize they deserve so much better.
Here are some examples of women who found themselves trapped in abusive relationships:
Why would I stay in such damaging relationships? I stayed because I didn’t think I was lovable. I believed I didn’t deserve better, that no one would love me again. I truly believed I’d be alone my whole life if I let go of this great guy. My friends eventually despaired of me, of course. How many times could they encourage me to care about myself? The truth is, there is no one who can give you that self love. It doesn’t matter how many people adore you, or how skinny, successful, smart, talented, funny, kind, or compassionate you are. None of it matters if YOU don’t see your wonderful self.
If you want something more in depth, here’s Leslie Morgan Steiner at TED on her experiences and why she stayed:
So there you have it. Intelligent, ambitious women dating and even marrying abusive men. Sometimes there are red flags from the start, other times the guy is more subtle and calculating.
What sticks out for me is the fact that no one who dates abusive men likes the abuse, and I think that is what many wrongly believe. Sure, there may be masochists out there who love the degrading treatment, but contrary to what many believe, most victims do not like the abuse. They just don’t have the strength to get away.
Which leads to my next point in this topic: do they deserve it? Do people who date or marry abusive people deserve it? Especially if the abuse keeps happening?
This I think is the problem when it comes to addressing such relationships. A lot of people firmly believe that anyone who stays with an abusive partner deserves to be insulted, hit or threatened. To be honest, I’ve found myself thinking the same thing when my co-workers talked about getting back with the guy who hit them. The exasperation I felt was enormous enough for me to think that way. I also immediately thought the same thing when Rihanna got back together with Chris Brown after he savagely beat her in 2009.
But these days, I let my exasperation subside, stand back and look at the situation more closely. These people have such poor self-esteem to the point of being deluded. It is very sad to see someone think they don’t deserve any better, or are too scared to get away. The worst thing is, sometimes they are so lost in their low self-esteem that it is almost impossible to talk sense into them. You can yell and scream at them, beg them to realize that things will not get better, but they still won’t see it. It is tragic, and usually there is little you can do but maintain your own calmness. But be there for that person when they are truly ready to break free.
I think another reason why some women stay in these relationships is that they are afraid of anyone knowing they are hit or belittled. These women are likely aware that anyone caught in a nightmare like this will probably be judged harshly by others. There are people who would say to them, how could you not know he would do this to you? You don’t seem to be the type to date this kind of guy. I thought you swore you never get involved with such a person!
Yeah, those women probably thought the same thing when they fell in love with those men. It is not uncommon at all. No one thinks, hey, I’ll date this horrible abuser because it will be fun! Don’t believe me? Here’s a good piece on how it is not true at all.
And here’s a good excerpt over why some people are afraid to seek help:
If you’re a victim of abuse, you feel ashamed. You’ve been humiliated by the abuser and your self-esteem and confidence have been undermined. You hide the abuse from people close to you, often to protect the reputation of the abuser and because of your own shame – The Truth About Domestic Violence and Abusive Relationships
Now, of course there are other reasons why some people stay involved with their abuser. Finance is a big reason, where the woman can’t financially support herself if she fled. There are children involved. Also, things won’t get any better. The abuser would fight tooth and nail to get his partner back, and that is why courts are filled with restraining orders. Worst of all, there’s a good chance that the man will kill his partner if she does leave him. It happens 75% of the time.
Abusive relationships are a big problem in our society and it is best to be aware on why anyone will get caught in one. I don’t believe labeling such people as losers who deserve the abuse is the best answer. It may seem like the best way to describe the situation, but I can’t help but think that sort of thinking is like siding with the abuser, or blaming the victim. I don’t think anyone who thinks like that really believes that. But it is not the wisest way to solve this problem.
The best way is to help the person who really wants to be helped. Don’t judge or lecture them; they already feel awful anyway. Help them escape, start a new life and be there for them. If that person doesn’t realize they are being abused, again, don’t judge or lecture them; they’ll ignore you anyway. Instead, remain firm that you think the relationship is toxic and refuse to discuss it. It is the best way to maintain your own sanity and keep things civil with your relative, friend, co-worker, neighbor, etc. If the person sadly cuts off ties because you refuse to tolerate her relationship with her abuser, well, there is little you can do. You did your best. And if she comes back, admitting you were right, do not go off saying, I told you so. Their self-esteem is already beyond shattered, so why make them feel worse?
So there you have it. A look at why some women (and probably some men too) get into abusive relationships, stay in them and what to do about it. There really isn’t much you can do if someone doesn’t realize they deserve better and you can’t force them to change. But if they do want to get away, be supportive, like we all should be.
Here are some links to further educate yourself on abusive relationships, how it happens, why it happens, and what you can do if you know someone who needs help:
This is just a post about random things about this blog and myself.
First off, I want to give a shout out to Melissa Maygrove and thank her so much for her very successful Follow Fest, which I took part in on Tuesday. It was so great to meet so many new writers and to see their work. I tried to get to as many blogs as possible, and I’ll try to get to those I missed. If anyone participated in Follow Fest, and I didn’t stop by yet, I deeply apologize.
As for those who did stop by mine, I want to say again, hello and great to meet you! It’s cool for authors to supportive of each other, especially since writing requires solitude and the only time we work with others is when we’re getting ready to publish our work. I hope we can all remain in touch!
Now how is life going for me? Swell! It’s finally autumn, so it’s getting cooler out and darker earlier. But that means Halloween is around the corner!
At the same time, though, I’m also thinking that it will soon be one year since Hurricane Sandy ravaged my hometown of Staten Island. My gosh, what an event that was! Even though I am living in a different part of New York City now, I still feel pride over how Staten Islanders came together during that time. Even though we sadly gained national attention for having the highest death toll in the city, we also gained it by coming together. That was amazing.
But in the meantime, I’m getting ready for the fall season of my favorite shows. Season 3 of “Once Upon A Time” is starting this Sunday, and I am really looking forward to it. Last season was a bit of roller coaster because some episodes were good but others were puzzling. So here’s hoping this season is better.
Sadly though, one of my favorite shows was cancelled one week ago. BBC America’s “Copper” was cancelled literally two days before the finale of Season 2 aired, so I, along with devoted fans of the show, watched it with a heavy heart. Oh man! I heard there were budget issues and the ratings weren’t that stellar. But that was very good show and it promised for a storyline evolving to ever more intrigue at Five Points. I wish all the actors, writers, and everyone involved the very best 😦
I am still writing, as well as reading. I read during my morning commute. In case you are wondering why I do not write or take notes during then, keep in mind I take the subway to work, and it will not easy to get out a pen and pad to write amidst the chaos. Writing takes a different concentration for me than reading, so such a fast pace wouldn’t help me much. Also, I need to read because I need to learn from others, and well, because I love it!
I’ll be posting a review of the last book I finished next week.
I’m taking part in a blog follow fest this week, which was created by fellow author Melissa Maygrove. She’s really cool and has that no-nonsense personality I admire, which also works to create this networking opportunity for authors. Check out her blog to read about her and her books!
And here’s my Follow Fest post…
Purpose: A platform building opportunity for writers of all kinds.
When: September 23rd thru 27th.
How: Create a blog post using the guide provided and sign up on the Linky list for the day you plan to post. There will be a separate Linky list for each day.
It’s not to late for you to participate. You officially have until 11:59 PM CDT on Thursday, September 26th to sign up for the last Linky (Friday’s).
Name: Megan Cashman
Fiction or nonfiction? Fiction
What genres do you write?Right now, urban fantasy, but I plan on fantasy and historical fiction in the future
Are you published? Mm-hmm, thanks to me, myself and I! I self-published The Dark Proposal September 2012
Do you do anything in addition to writing?
I do some freelance journalism aside from my full time job.
Yes, I am working on the sequel to my book. I also am open for any authors looking for interviews upon the release of their current book. Here are the guidelines.
Yep – I’ve been blogging here for 1 year…and 8 days.
I knew I started this blog a year ago, but I thought I began right before Memorial Day. But last night I re-checked, and sure enough I started on May 7, 2012.
So…hooray for me! I’ve been having fun with this blog and its been a great way to share my thoughts on writing, vampires, self-publishing and other topics. I’ve also been enjoying interviewing authors on Wednesdays, which is a good way to not only help promote their work but also to personally connect with them. Its always good to get know fellow authors and share experiences with them.
As I mentioned in a very recent post, I will be trying to blog more often. I will be aiming to post three times a week, though I can’t guarantee that with my busy life. But I will do my best.