Going Indie, Baby!

Tonight we're skipping the official 3000 Questions. After a long day at work and not enough sleep, I need a Netflix break. Plus, I wanted to sneak in the writing update I started the other day.

My self-publishing research has led me to Kindle's publishing arm, KDP. They charge nothing up front, and take thirty percent of sales. I will have to hire a professional editor and a cover artist. I think I can get by without an interior designer/typesetter—Reedsy has a virtual book editor that will format my content for free.*

Over the last few days, I've received nudges from several editors on Twitter. One is even in Ojai, CA, my old stomping grounds. I'll be looking into each before making a decision. I also met a delightful graphic artist who's branching into cover design. She's building a portfolio and guess what? The first cover will be gratis! So far I'm loving her concept, and if it works out, I'll be using her for all three.

I also scored a new critique partner. She'll be reading Awen Rising in February, so that's another pair of seasoned eyes upon my manuscript, pre-editor.

As for Books 2 and 3, the hand-edits for Awen Storm are complete and waiting to be entered. And while having a lone lunch at Freddy's on New Year's Day, (rather than sitting in the theater with half of Nampa), I got an idea that unstuck me on Book 3, Awen Tide. Not that I was stuck, so much as needing free mind-time to let the creative juices flow.

But you know what that means, right? It's time to finish the last book of the Awen trilogy, yeehaa! New words!

So, to recap:

• I'm going indie and have likely found my publisher/distributor—KDP.
• I'm working with a cover artist and LOVE her concept/first attempt.
• I'll be doing my own interior design/typesetting.
• I scored a new reader/writer critique partner (another set of eyes pre-editor).
• I have the names of a slew of professional editors from whom to pick.
• The hand-edits are done for Awen Storm, and awaiting entry.
• AND finally, the roadblocks to completing the final book, Awen Tide, are disintegrating.

Thanks for stopping by! We should be back to our 3000 Questions tomorrow. Until then, ta ta!

~ That Rebel, Olivia J. Herrell, writing as O.J. Barré

* If you're interested, check out Reedsy's article, it was the simplest and most comprehensive I found on the costs of self-publishing.

O.J. Barré is author of the upcoming Awen trilogy, an urban druid fantasy set in 2042 steeped in current, ancient, and future history twists. Book One, Awen Rising, will be released October 1, 2019. Book Two, Awen Storm, is currently in edits. And the first draft of Book Three, Awen Tide, is in process.

3000 Questions - What is a Promise You Won't Break?

Welcome to 3000 Questions About Me. Or rather, About You. The rules are, if you stay to read, you have to promise to answer the questions yourself. You can share* with us if you so choose. Or you can not share, too. That's entirely up to you. But do read the comments, if any are there. That's often the best part.

Alrighty then. Time to dive into today's questions.

For me, the first was one of those, "hmm, let me think" questions. The second was more of a no-brainer. So we'll do them in reverse order, which means second one first.

Question #2067: What news story are you tired of hearing about?

All of them. No, seriously. I haven't watched or listened to the news in years. I used to say that if the world was coming to an end, someone would have to tell me. That's not true today. I see events in my Twitter feed, or in the Twitter news of the day, and if I want to read more, I surf the hashtag for related items.


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As a writer, a medical professional, and an otherwise curious sort of person, I've done a lot of research over the years. What I invariably find is that every station, webpage, article, etc, is a regurgitation of what someone else reported. Oftentimes, it's impossible to tell where the story originated. But after reading the same words over and over, it can get frustrating.

I am certainly not a news expert, and I'm not here to debate fake news, faux news, whatever you want to call it. We know it's happening, and even real news can be suspect. But I tire quickly of newscasters' (or organizations') endless speculation and opinions. I admire the BBC and similar stations for reading bullet points without commentary. But let's face it. The news is depressing. And I'd rather not dwell in depressing things. Not when I've got enough on my own plate.

What news stories are you tired of hearing about?

Question #2062: What is a promise you know you'll never break?

I am no longer stumped on this, and there are likely other answers. But I'm going with the one that came first to mind. In 1991, after my third DUI in fifteen years, the judge sent me to AA. It took months of several meetings a week getting a court paper signed, but AA's principles took hold. I finally got that if it looks like a duck, it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck. And that those who are not alcoholic, generally don't wind up in an AA meeting.


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My mom was an alcoholic. My dad was an alcoholic. Both their fathers were. And most of my aunts and uncles on Mama's side, and all my dad's brothers, were alcoholics. The disease took my daddy in '79. My brother in '92. And my mother in 2006.

So, yeah. I'm an alcoholic. But I'm in recovery, and haven't had a drink in twenty-eight years come January 8th. Did I promise someone I would never drink again? No. But I did say I won't drink today. And as long is it's today, I won't be drinking. That's as good as a promise, right?

What is a promise you know you'll never break?

Please leave your answers in the comments below and read what others have to say. And don't forget to check back tomorrow to play another round of 3000 Questions About Me.

~ That Rebel, Olivia J. Herrell, writing as O.J. Barré

* If you'd like to share, click on the comment link, select the option of how you'd like to share (Google account, name/URL, or Anonymous), then type your comment and send. If you would like to receive a notification when others comment, there's an option for that, too.

O.J. Barré is author of the upcoming Awen trilogy, an urban druid fantasy set in 2042 steeped in current, ancient, and future history twists. Book One, Awen Rising, will be released October 1, 2019. Book Two, Awen Storm, is currently in edits. And the first draft of Book Three, Awen Tide, is in process.

3000 Questions - Have You Googled Yourself?

My New Year's day was fantastic! How was yours? The energy shifted, can you feel it? There is a landslide of momentum and I'm riding it, baby. Here goes!

It's time to begin 3000 Questions About Me. I'm picking them at random from the book of the same name, and will answer them here. If you'd like (and I hope you do), you can share your own answers in the comments section at the end of the post.

My plan is to tackle a couple each day. Here are the first two, neither of which are extremely personal. But there are plenty of those to come.

Question #1038: Have you ever googled yourself or a family member?

Yes and yes, though not lately. In the past, I've mostly encountered references to my chiropractic practices, including crap that's been out there since 1999. There is waaay too much out-of-date junk on the net.

Years ago, I lost track of my ex-husband. By googling, I found that he'd been diagnosed with Parkinson's, but no contact information. I have no idea what Mike's up to these days, or if he's alive. I'm a bit afraid to google, but maybe I should.


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I have also googled prospective dates to make sure they're real people (i.e. not using an alias, etc). The last was one I met when new to Twitter. His profile said he was a doctor doing a stint in Afghanistan. He followed me, then struck up a conversation via direct message. One day in, he told me he loved me.

HUH?? You don't even KNOW me, dude. How could you possibly LOVE me? On googling him, I found absolutely nada. Not one darn thing, other than his Twitter profile. Then the scam came. He told me he couldn't get his money out of Afghanistan and needed to send it to someone independent. Someone with a bank account.

UH. NO. Just, no. I blocked and reported him to Twitter and am the wiser for the exchange. Now when those scammer-types follow me, I ignore them.

How about you? Have you ever googled yourself or a family member? Do you have a story similar to mine? We'd love to hear about it. It could help others in the same situation.

Question #1041: How many times a day do you check Facebook?

Once or twice, though there was a time when I was off and on Facebook all day. There was also a year or two (or three) when I only checked it once a week, or once a month, or never. Facebook is no longer my go-to social fix. Instead I use Twitter, and mostly follow writers and other creative types.


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How many times a day do YOU check Facebook? Please leave your answers in the comments below. And don't forget to check back tomorrow to play another round of 3000 Questions About Me.

~ That Rebel, Olivia J. Herrell, writing as O.J. Barré

O.J. Barré is author of the upcoming Awen trilogy, an urban druid fantasy set in 2042 steeped in current, ancient, and future history twists. Book One, Awen Rising, will be released October 1, 2019. Book Two, Awen Storm, is currently in edits. And the first draft of Book Three, Awen Tide, is in process.