Just Some Housekeeping

I've recently been accepted into the BlogHer Publishing Network, an advertising community for women bloggers. I know some of you must have noticed the ads at the top and side of the blog, and I hope it's not too distracting. The service is not by clicking so please do not feel obliged to click, unless of course, you find something that might be useful for you. This is also a disclosure that you may be seeing some product reviews in future. Hopefully, I'll be able to pass some of the value along to my readers too.

Some Herstory: It seems fortuitous that this opportunity comes in the month of my second year anniversary of blogging. Blogging has really given me a lot of options, and becoming a Blogher member is one of them. I joined the Blogher site in March and applied to the waiting list soon after. An affiliate approval came in June and I got the full membership just this August. While I look forward to great things, you can also join in by applying through the site's program for bloggers.

Have a great week ahead, everyone. I appreciate you all.

How I broke my hand

Did anyone try to guess how I broke my hand? One person on Facebook said something that made me go, huh? Ehmmm...no, nobody beat me up. I might be an author but my life is not that exciting yet, :) So what really went down? I'm sure some of you put two and two together from the pictures I used for the Confession Time post, helmet = biking = fall?

You can download A Love Rekindled on your iPod

For those of you who can't do without their Apple Gadgets, this is to let you know that my books are now available on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iBooks, and on your computer with iTunes.

A Love Rekindled by Myne Whitman in the UK - Download A Love Rekindled with iBooks:

For those in the US, download it HERE

Description - PRAISE FOR A LOVE REKINDLED

“…a moving love tale of first love, the challenges of tribal biases and the importance of hope, persistence and forgiveness – critical ingredients for every relationship to survive." Lara Daniels, author of Love at Dawn  

“Reading [this] is like holding up a cloth of kente: each piece rich with history and beauty. With confidence and deftness, Myne Whitman weaves a riveting brocade of friendship, heartache, and love…” Uche Umez, author of Tears in her Eyes  

“….a romance novel that affirms one’s belief in true love and that it truly does conquer all. It also proves that though external forces can cause a delay, they cannot kill love.” Folake Taylor, author of The Only Way is Up

You can also download A Heart to Mend if you haven't read it yet.

Thank you all so much for your support.

Debate Tuesday - Increasing numbers of women marry for money?

"According to a new study more women are are marrying for money than did in the 1940s.
The author of the report, Dr Catherine Hakim, tells BBC Radio 5 live 'there is this myth that women invariably choose to have a relationship of total equality'.
Speaking to Victoria Derbyshire, Dr Hakim continues: 'More and more women are choosing to marry men who are substantially better educated than them, and therefore have higher earnings capacity.'
BBC News - Are increasing numbers of women marrying men for their money?

Just last weekend, I was asking on my Facebook support page and on Twitter, (you can click on the left side bar to join both), if it is true that men marry downwards socially and financially. A lot of those that responded agreed with me, though @miafarradaily reminded me on twitter that historically, it used to be the reverse, men married upwards in order to better their own opportunities. @eightsnweights said men do still marry for money, only they prefer that it is the girl's parents and not her that has the money so they can keep their ego.

Now, someone has just drawn my attention to this study reported by the BBC that more and more women are marrying men for money. Instead of choosing men with equal education or who is on the same level career-wise, the researcher said many women prefer men who are miles ahead of them, almost to the extent of swimming in money. The researcher thinks it's because of the family values of such women, who want to stay home with the kids and so want a man who can foot the bill for the whole family.

I kind of get the sense of what she's saying. A lot of the choices we make in life are as a result of socialization. Even some of us who think we're enlightened often have to consider the views of loved ones - parents, friends, family - when it comes time to select a partner. Also, women have to consider the ability of the man to take care of their upcoming family, I would not consider such a person a gold-digger.

What are your opinions?

Do men mostly marry downwards? Why?

Do women mostly marry upwards? Why?

How would you marry or have you married? Why?

I would especially like to hear from the men as well. Thank you.

Myne Whitman Presents - 9jamom.com

www.9jamom.com is the premier online community & portal providing parenting news, articles, resources and support for Naija moms, moms-to-be and dads everywhere. Some features include:

Ages and Stages – read insightful articles on parenting stages (baby, pregnancy, pre-conceoption, toddler, empty-nesters etc) and access resources (baby names database, pregnancy calculator and more)

Forum – get and share advice about everything (e.g. baby feeding, pregnancy comfort tips, sex, potty-training and more).

9ja Mom Blogosphere - 9ja Mom bloggers are moms just like you, sharing their insights and discoveries about parenting, tidbits on organization, healthy living and more!

9ja Mom Groups - join a group based on shared interest (e.g. breastfeeding, reading, arts & crafts, working-moms, stay-at-home moms, fashion, food) or location.

Giveaways – in partnership with sponsors, we periodically give away great gifts we know our members will love.

Product Reviews and 9ja Mom Shop - begin here for list of products recommended by Naija moms for a baby shower gift or personal items. Shop directly on our website for products.

9ja Mom Market – is a listing of businesses that give 9jamom.com members-only discounts.

So, I got the cast + Love is in the air

Yes I did.

But there is good news, I won't need surgery.

And my cast is so colorful and H-A-R-D. Did any of you ever hear that phrase, one blow - seven akpus? Akpus is supposed to be bruises, or swellings or something like that, lol...

The guy who put on the cast was very nice and I was happy that I have two fingers free from that hand, that means I can type more easily now, yay!

How is everyone? Hope your weeks are going well so far? I saw two blogs in my wanderings that made my mushy romantic self go aww...Love is so sweet!

Angelsbeauty is enjoying love in Edinburgh with her beau. She says; "He is so amazing (sorry) – I can’t forget the smile on his face when he saw me and the smile on my face and in my heart when I saw him too! He had a flower bag on him so I knew he got me flowers! They were beautiful and two lovely cards which he clearly said were for my eyes only *sigh* – to summarise he is truly amazing and I am soooo blessed to have a man that constantly says he is blessed to have me in his life because I am blessed to have him in my life as well."

MimiBarber invites a love struck blogger to talk about how it feels to be in love from a man’s point of view. He says; "Well, I am not sure I can actually describe the feeling. All I know is I have finally found someone who completes me, who makes every effort to understand me and is perfectly willing to take me “as is” (all major flaws included). Never mind the fact that I met her in January, 2010 and we didn’t start a relationship until May, 2011. The wait was worth it."

As one who started my love in Edinburgh just over three years ago, and who hears from Atala everyday how much the love is still shacking him, I hope everything works out for our blog lovers. And for all of you guys going through one stage or the other of love and relationships, enjoy!

Love you guys, and here's to a great week.

Confession Time

Yes, I've been keeping something from you all along, two things actually.

1. I have started on my third book *big grin* and I'm over 20,000 words after a month. It's a bit slow going for my liking but my next secret will reveal why. Anyway, I've decided to start sharing some bits of the first draft here with you guys starting this Monday. I hope you like it. This also means that I'll be cutting back my posts to maybe just twice a week cos the story is really calling me to finish it. What are the particulars? Below is a pitch I made to an agent recently.

Frequently Asked Questions: Comparing Createspace and Authorhouse

First off, I know this FAQ series is not for everyone but please bear with me and those who may find it useful. My replies are not meant to be gospel or comprehensive, they're only from my experience. Do feel free to chip in your own thoughts in the comments. Today's post is another question I get asked quite a bit since my second book, A Love Rekindled was released via Createspace.

*****************************

Hi Myne,
I have a collection of short stories published as Ebook. I am thinking of publishing it in hard copy but I don't even know where to start. I am currently working on a novel. I just want to know stuff about publishing in hard copy. I just knew you would be able to advice me due to your wealth of experience. Thanks & God bless u.

_________________

Hi,

There are several ways of self-publishing the paperback of your books. I have used two of them myself and went for the second after I was not fully satisfied with the first.

1. Authorhouse.com
2. Createspace.com

I would say it was much easier going with Createspace than Authorhouse, especially on being able to have a more affordable book. When you go with the least expensive publishing package, both are about the same price at an average of $600. My biggest issue with Authorhouse is that cost of producing your book which was around $10 for me, and also this price is fixed so you can't change it along the line. This translates to highly priced books and especially if you want to get any appreciable royalty.

On both I went with the paid-for service and did not have to worry about interior layouts or cover design issues. However Createspace has a completely free option where you design the cover, interior and do everything else yourself. The publishing consultants at CS were helpful and the customer service always on call. However I was a bit impatient with their time lags when any change needed to be done, it is usually 5 working days and no earlier. That said, that give me the leeway to be sure of what I really wanted.

The only drawback for me so far is that they only sell on Amazon.com. I had assumed this meant all the Amazons like AH did for me, but CS is basically American. They said my book may later be for sale on Amazon.co.uk and others but I won't be getting the Amazon royalty but the third party one which due to my low price is almost next to nothing. I have complained about this to them and hopefully with time, they will rearrange it. The good part about them too is how responsive and willing to meet you halfway the staff generally are.

One final thing to remember is that bookstores will rarely stock your book as they regard CS and Amazon as competitors. And it's not just CS, they do not like Print on Demand books because it's usually non-returnable so this also affects Authorhouse and most other self publishers/vanity press. I later learnt that a way to go behind this is to also publish with Lightening Source at the same time since they distribute with Ingrams which the bookstores use.

Hope this helps. Best of luck with the book.

My books are Amazon UK and Canada Bestsellers!

Thank you to all my friends and supporters in the UK and Canada.

I was so happy yesterday when I found out that my first book, A Heart to Mend was at the top of the UK free kindle bestsellers list for romantic suspense. The novel is still #1 as I write with almost 5,000 ebooks downloaded through the promo. Go to the book page to read the reviews, and download your copy.

Also, A Love Rekindled is doing very well in Canada, at #43 on the paid paperback lists. And guess who and who I am outselling? LOL...Nora Roberts, Maya Banks and Nicholas Sparks! Of course they have other books also ahead of my own, but who cares? :) These are romance writers that I admire so much, and it is heart-warming to be counted among them by you readers.

Thank you all so much!

Answers from "400 Posts" + ALR Winner

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you had a good weekend. I know some of you thought I would never get round to doing this... sorry for the delay.

The winner of the copy of 'A Love Rekindled' is... Bunmi! Please send your postal address to myne@ mynewhitman.com to arrange delivery.

Below are the questions and answers... I hope I answered everyone.

how was your childhood like? was it fun? wre you a happy child? did you feel pretty? what were the challenges you went through on your road to adulthood?

I was born in Enugu, a very playful, studious tomboy. I was happy, I had three sisters and a brother. I felt pretty, but maybe not beautiful - I felt my sisters were prettier than me. However, I think my parents did a good job; they didn't do favorites.

are u a professional writer? if yes, did you/are u study(ing) anything that has to do with writing? single? married?
Professional writer? I belong to a professional association of writers (Pacific Northwest Writers Association), but I don't consider myself a professional writer, because I did not formally study writing. I write full-time, and I am married.

If we could get a personal profile *why you started writing, what u studied, interests etc* childhood, where u grew up, bullied?, bully, pet peeves lol

I've always written; I remember writing as a preteen, and beginning to write again when I was about to finish university. I decided to change careers after moving to America and took up writing full-time. I studied Applied Biology for my first degree, and Public Health Research for my Masters. My interests are varied, but the main ones are reading and travel. I was bullied in primary and in secondary school; maybe it was because I was small, and I did well in class, so bullies felt that I was a teacher's pet.

My question is how do you deal with situations when you have brilliant ideas but seem too busy to pen it down? That is if you ever do.
I do procrastinate and become demotivated, but I have an encourager in the Holy Spirit and my husband is very supportive. I only have to mention something, and he will hold me to it, if not immediately, then soon. He will go as far as reminding me and providing a conducive environment.

Question - 3 things you wish to achieve in the next 10 years..
I hope to be a mother, I hope to have more books written, and I have big dreams for Naija Stories. Let's see how it goes in ten years.

I'ld just love to know how you started and what were the challenges you faced then. Did you ever think of quitting?
I started my writing by joining a writing group. Along the line, one of the members suggested blogging, and I started this blog. Through this blog, I found out about other bloggers and writers who became self-published authors, and after considering it with other options of publishing, I decided to take that route. My first book was published in December 2009 and since then, I've faced the challenge of bringing it to the awareness of the general public. I do sometimes doubt myself and wonder if I'm putting myself up for a big fall, but I didn't think of quitting because I got a lot of good feedback from bloggers, the Nigerian community and generally from readers.

As for my question, what is your real name?
Ask your nearest Igbo friend to directly translate 'Myne Whitman'. I'll give you a clue; my first name is Nkem, which means 'Mine'.

PS, Have a great week. Mwah!