It is also available in PDF format.  I’m not sure how many of you will actually want this type of version but I’ve been told I need to offer it, so I did!

I am new to the whole eCommerce scenario on a personal level so please let me know if you have any problems order Creative Chaos in paperback or PDF format.  My email is: kate@kateolynch.com

If you live in the Dallas area and you see me, odds are I will either have a copy on me or in my car and thanks to my nifty little Square card reader, you can buy a copy off of me in person!  (I can’t promise I’ll have a sharpie on me to autograph it though because I still fill a little silly autographing the book.)

Of course it is also still available for purchase in the Kindle Store and the Nook Store.

Sorry to be so slow in getting the paperback version of Creative Chaos available online.

Hopefully as you’re planning your summer vacations or staycations, you’ll keep Creative Chaos in mind and then tell your friends, family and strangers to read it after you do!  Your recommendation of my book speaks a thousand words!

I am really excited for even more of you to read it and let me know what you think!  I realize this may sound redundant but I honestly cannot thank all of you enough for all of the support, encouragement and love over these last few months!

For those of you who have already read Creative Chaos, have no fear, I’m already working on the follow up novel!

With that said, I drove to Houston this past weekend and I share an audible account with my friend Emily and I decided to see what books she had on there I might want to listen to as I drove.  It’s amazing how fast a drive goes by when you’re listening to a book.  I decided to go with “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.”  I saw the preview for this movie when I saw the Hunger Games and while the movie looks a little odd and evoked laughter from 90% of the theater crowd, I actually heard the book was pretty good.

Author Seth Grahame-Smith also wrote “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” which I also could have listened to.  But somehow Jane Austen and Zombies just don’t go together in my mind.

Believe it or not, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer” is actually pretty interesting.  Now, I’m only about halfway through the book and with no road trips planned in the near future, I’m not sure how quickly I will get through the rest of this book.

I have to say, the concept of this book seemed odd to me, but as I listened to the story I could see how Grahame-Smith could come up with such a concept.  I have no idea how many of the “facts” in the book are actually facts or just details added to help the story line, having never really spent much time studying Abe Lincoln I don’t know much about his history.  The things I believe to be true about Abraham Lincoln: he was really tall, he had a beard, abolished slavery, was president, is from Illinois, was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth and his face is on the penny.  Good thing I’m not a history teacher!

It will be interesting to see how Grahame-Smith transitions Lincoln from Vampire Hunter to President of the United States and if he continues to be a Vampire Hunter once elected to office.

Anyone else out there read this book?

Now, I should preface this “review” by saying that I’m not a die hard Sparks fan, though I have to give him props for basing most of his stories in North Carolina.  His stories are such a tease.  You read this great love story (and I find myself thinking several times throughout the book, “this was written by a man?”) and then a terrible tragedy interrupts the happiness.  While reading his books I find myself mad at Sparks in the end.  Which I suppose is just him doing his job as a writer and evoking emotion.

Of course, because this book is about to become a movie I wanted to go ahead and read it.  Plus I’m not gonna lie, picturing Zac Efron as I read didn’t really hurt.  See, the second cover is quite an improvement on the first one:

I really do enjoy Sparks’ writing style and his attention to detail.  Though this was only the second book of his that I have read.  The other one was Dear John (hello, Channing Tatum was on the cover).  Though I wasn’t a really fan of that story or rather the ending he wrote.

I don’t know about you but I typically expect a happy ending for books and to be honest movies as well.  I just expect the story to wrap up all nice and tidy and with everyone happy; even if that isn’t how life always works out.

But enough about that, this would be my favorite book of Sparks’ so far and props to you Mr. Sparks you didn’t give me much time to stay mad at you.  Thank you for that!

I am definitely looking forward to seeing the movie adaptation of The Lucky One and will most likely pick up another Nicholas Sparks book though I’m not sure when or which one.

On a side note, I’ve label this book as “Chicklit” but is it really, if it was written by a man?  Or is it just a romantic fiction?

To be honest before I started this book I hadn’t heard a whole lot about it other than it was really good.  And so far I haven’t been disappointed.  I am well over half way through the book and thought this would be the perfect time to review this book so I can ensure I don’t give anything away.

11/22/63 is a day that most Americans know exactly what happened without really giving it much thought, even if we weren’t alive during that time.  Being from Dallas, I suppose the Kennedy assissination has always fascinated me to some degree.  I’ve been to the 6th Floor Museum and to see Dealey Plaza and I even remember being in elementary school when the 25th anniversary of JFK’s death was remembered.  That is when I was first introduced to this tragedy.

When I first began this book I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how the story could go from a 2011 English teacher in Maine sitting in his classroom reading a story by the school’s janitor working toward earning his GED to 11/22/63 in Dallas, TX.  Then I learned that this book dealt with time travel; but not in a lame or over complicated way.

Jake Epping (the English teacher) is quickly introduced to the portal to 1958 by his friend, the owner of a local diner, Al Templeton.  Jake learns that Al has traveled through time countless times but it is not until Al is on his death bed and realizes he needs Jake to accomplish what he never could; to prevent the assassination of JFK.  Jake is of course leery of this proposition but eventually takes on his dying friend’s mission as his own.

This being my first Stephen King novel, I am really impressed at his writing abilities.  Though I guess to write the thrillers he is so famous for would require him to be a great wordsmith with an amazing ability to stir up his readers’ imaginations.  This book contains mystery, suspense, drama and even romance.  Just when you think the book is on one path it will quickily take a twist and lead you another way.

Despite being between 700-800 pages (depending on the version you are reading), this book draws you in and is a rather quick read.  I find myself wanting to know what happens in each part of the book and wondering if Jake (who has become George in his time traveling) will be able to stop Lee Harvey Oswald and if so, what kind of picture will Stephen King paint about today’s world and the changes this makes? Or will King leave the outcome the same, because the past really is obdurate and an event this large could not be changed no matter how much advanced knowledge a person might have?

Have you read this book? I want to know your thoughts.

Sopaholic was one of the first books I read that introduced me to chicklit, so I have to thank Sophie Kinsella for helping inspire me, in a very round about way, to write Creative Chaos.  Though I have to say around Shopaholic and sister I started losing interest in Becky Bloomwood and stopped reading that series.

So I LOVE that Kinsella is writing stand alone novels.  I have yet to come across one of those that has disappointed me; and that is true of I’ve Got Your Number.

The whole premise of this book is fun and playful and it really drew me in.  In fact I was up until 2 am this morning finishing the book.  Poppy Wyatt, after losing her engagement ring and having her phone stolen discovers a cell phone in the bin (or trash as we say on this side of the pond), and has no idea what is in store for her on the other side of the phone.

Despite the storyline being a little predictable, they way it worked it’s self out was a lot of fun.  It really took no time to get through this book when I actually sat down and read it.

This is definitely a great light hearted read that is perfect for unwinding from work, reading while traveling, or even while lounging in the sun.  I’ve Got Your Number was definitely a job well done by Sophie Kinsella!

Next book is going to be a total change of pace, because it will be my first ever Stephen King novel.  I’m really looking forward to 11/22/63.  Who would have guessed Sophie Kinsella would be a segway to Stephen King? I like to keep you on your toes here at kateolynch.com!

I guess it’s too late on the first draft now…because, Creative Chaos is out and people actually have copies that I signed…how weird is that!?!?

I have the greatest friends! It was so fun to have people be just as excited as I was to get their hands on a copy of Creative Chaos! Not just at the Girl’s Night Out event last night but everyone that has requested a copy or bought one online.  I honestly cannot tell you how much it blesses my socks off every time someone buys a copy!

When requested, I did “autograph” the books…I am so not cool enough for that…and it’s really hard to write just the right thing on the inside cover!  I hope I haven’t disappointed anyone.

So if you weren’t able to come last night, I will get the book up on this site by Monday, but hopefully way sooner than that.  But, if you are looking for an electronic version, remember Creative Choas is available for the Kindle and the Nook.

For those of you that have read it, I would absolutely love it if you would go to Amazon or Barnes & Noble and post a review!  I know…kind of  a pain and for that I am SO sorry, but it helps the book appear more often and look more legit!

Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you everyone for congratulating me, supporting me and spreading the word!  You guys are the BEST!

A Sweethaven Summer by Courtney Walsh was released in just the last few months and centers on the lives of four women brought together by a scrapbook they started as teenagers.  Sweethaven is the town where they all meet when they were just children.  As I read this book I found myself wishing I knew of a place like Sweethaven, Walsh did an amazing job of painting the perfect picture of this small town.

She also did a great job of keeping you guessing and wanting to figure out if Campbell, the person this story is based around, will be able to uncover the secrets that her Mom had so desperately kept stored away.  This is a story of forgiveness, friendship and redemption that is just truly well written.

Ladies, if you are looking for a fun and easy read I definitely recommend A Sweethaven Summer by Courtney Walsh.  Especially if you are a scrapbooker, you’ll love how she kept the story based on how that hobby can truly bring a group of people together.

And if for no other reason, I think a first time author needs as much love and encouragement as they can get.  Especially when their book is as great as Courtney Walsh’s book is!

What appealed to me about self publishing was the low cost.  Since I had written my book a few years back; with all of the resources available online it just seemed foolish to not get my book out there.

When I decided to self publish online, I started with a blog announcement and it went from there!  Luckily I have experience with Photoshop and Illustrator and was able to design the cover of Creative Chaos on my own.  Next I had to file the copyright.  This can be done online really easily for approximately $35.

Then I had to obtain ISBNs, this is where the cost picks up.  I went with Bowker, I know there are several sites that will issue ISBNs and even take over and get your book published online for you.  I read that it is best to have an ISBN for each different version of your book you are putting out: Kindle, Nook, iBooks, PDF, physical book. When Bowker offered 1o for the price of 2, I figured that was the way to go.

Just as I was about to set out on the quest to self publish online, my friend David Yates at Ropewalkers called.  We’ve worked on a few projects together and he had experience with online publishing and asked if he could help me out. I of course said yes!

This means, I’m not going to be able to walk you through getting your book into the major online bookstores.  David formated it into the proper ePub form that works with your iPad, iPhone or iTouch.  But my understanding is, that much like the Apple App store, you have to be approved to distribute books in their iBook store.  So thanks to David the iBook version was made available on my site.

Next David got my book submitted to the Kindle store and within about 7 hours it was available for purchase.

After reading about how to self publish online to the Nook store, I ended up formatting Creative Chaos myself and submitting it to the Nook store.  Once again it took about 7 hours and bam, there was my book available for the Nook.

In the midst of getting the book online, I started having people tell me they wanted a physical copy.  Initially I was attempting to avoid doing this because of the cost to print.  However, I have lucked out in that department because my sister-in-law Tiffany works for a printer and her family has been in printing for years, and the company she works for uses a digital press so I can print as many or as few as I’d like without breaking the bank. In book form Creative Chaos will be available starting this Tuesday.

The one last thing place I need to get my book is iBooks, but that should be really soon.

To self publish online has been relatively pain free.  Like I have mentioned before one of the greatest things about this venture has been all of the encouragement I have received from so many people!

Need help to self publish your book online? Feel free to contact me.  I’d be happy to help!

This is the 2nd Edition that was released just about a year ago.  It is a quick read that is pretty easy to follow and gives some great strategies to help you rank higher in search engines.  I think it is just over 100 pages so if you have any interest in learning about SEO this could be a good place for you to start.

Michael H. Fleischner does a good job of simplifying the different types of optimization needed (on-page and off-page) as well as the importance of inbound links. If you do not work on or with websites you may want to skip this one.  However if you are trying to grow your twitter or facebook presence many of the same principles apply.

Or (shameless plug), if you know you need your site optimized but don’t have the time or patience, visit me at Kate O Group and I’d be happy take you on as a client and help you out!  I’ve been pretty preoccupied with making Creative Chaos available that I haven’t been updating my company’s site as I should, so check back often for updates on services and completed projects to see my work.

Back I go to a “fun” read!  I was going to read Sophie Kinsella’s new one next but I found out about a fellow self-published author who wrote about a scrapbooker and I want to check it out.  I just downloaded it to my Kindle last night and I’m excited to read: A Sweethaven Summer by Courtney Walsh.

Being a Dallasite, what I enjoy about this book is trying to figure out Kim Gatlin’s code and what the real names of things and places are supposed to be.  That is also what I enjoyed about the pilot, the fact that it was filmed here in Dallas.  I’m disappointed they moved filming back to California, even if it was to be expected.  Would have been fun if more filming in Dallas had taken place.

While I’m sure that there are people in real life like Carlene and Cricket, I have a hard time believing these characters are real.  I’ve got to believe that their personalities are exaggerated for entertainment purposes in the tv show.  I haven’t gotten far enough in the book to know if Gatlin really portrays them this way in the book.

Normally I would probably skip on finishing this book since I am told that by watching the Pilot of GCB I already know what happens; but this year I am turning over a new leaf and finishing all the books I start!  Plus I need another book checked off for my reading challenge on Goodreads.   I went with a pretty low number, only 20 books and this will be number 7, so I just might fulfill the challenge.

My goal is to finish Good Christian Bitches this week and get started on my next book. My friend Misty (you can follow her at @MSFJones) keeps posting the daily Kindle book deals and I keep buying the books, so needless to say my Kindle shelves are getting full and I’m not keeping up.  I need to get on that!

My biggest hurdle for reading has been working on Creative Chaos.  I still need to get it up in the iBooks store and I’m almost finished getting it print ready.  Laying out a book for print actually takes a lot longer than one would guess.  But I’ve got to get that finished ASAP so I can have some printed by the end of the month for an event.