What to do when you finish a book

In the past few weeks I have:

-Attended oodles of end-of-school-year activities and programs
-Refinished a dining room table and chairs
-Cleaned out my kitchen
-Traveled to a family reunion and slept in a yurt
-Painted a desk

That really doesn't look like a lot of things, but it was, trust me!

Anyhow, I'm sorry I've been away and haven't been focused on writerly things.  Right now, I'm desperate to start a new book--two weeks away is about all I can handle.  All the other things I planned to repaint and clean out will just have to wait.

How is summer treating you?  Are you writing?  Doing house projects?  Vacationing in Maui?

How to Write a Book in one CRAZY Month

In May I wrote a book.


(I'd started it in March, so I guess I didn't write a WHOLE book in May, just 150 of it's 180 pages).


And I revised it.


And I edited it.


All while planning Jayden's auction, working on another huge writing project, and doing all the regular stuff a mom of four does the last month of school.


IT WAS INSANE.  I slipped writing into every spare minute, early in the morning, during nap times, and late at night.  At the beginning of the month I didn't think I could even finish the first draft, much less get the whole thing done, but luckily this was a book that wanted to be written. It's a book I'm really proud of, and it's been a long time since I could say that about anything I've written.


Now I need a few weeks to catch up.  My kids have their last week of school next week and there are about a million other things I let slip through the cracks during this crazy time.  I promise to be back in a few weeks with a lot of exciting stuff to share.


Jayden's Auction finishes SUNDAY!  All the stuff is posted now, so bid away!  We've been so thrilled with how it's gone.  This really is an amazing community and I know everyone's donations are going to make such a huge difference to Jayden's family.  Thank you SO MUCH.

Auction Starts TODAY

Come and check it out!  We've got some awesome stuff up today and tons more to come.

Bid on agent and author critiques, art, crafts, jewelry, signed books and much more!


And Stephanie, Jessica and Keisha win a books!  Email me to let me know what book you want and where I should send it. :)

Jayden's Auction Starts Soon

Just wanted to remind everyone about the auction starting Saturday, June 2.

You'll find the usual must-haves like agent and author critiques, signed books, and jewelry, and also some fun new things like original art, customized portraits, and even a special little something from the new HOBBIT movie.  Yeah, it's going to be super cool.

Make sure to follow the Help Baby Jayden blog (where the auction will take place), Facebook, or Twitter so you can get all the updates.

And if you'd like to help us out by tweeting or posting about the auction (you can let me know in the comments), I'll add you to the drawing to win a 2012 debut of your choice! I'll pick 3 winners Friday.

Is Blogging Dead?

Most of you know I'd been away from the blogosphere for a while before I started up again a few weeks ago.  It's been at least a year since I've done a decent job of it.

Over the past three weeks as I've read blogs and tried to do a bit of blogging myself I've noticed some interesting things.


1. 75% of my old blogging friends are no longer blogging.

2. When I visit the blog pages that I used to frequent, I notice that blogs that got 10-20 comments per post a year ago now get only a handful, and blogs that used to see 50-100 comments per post now receive only 10-20.

3. Even BIG POSTS, like agent and book deal announcements, seem to be getting way less attention than they did a year ago.

4. Last Thursday, I posted a little book giveaway.  I promised to send three commenters ANY DEBUT NOVEL THEY WANT if they spread the word about a charity auction that will start in 2 weeks.  I got almost no response--even when my rock star agent, Sara Megibow, retweeted the post.  A year ago I'm pretty sure a post like that would have had at least a little interest.  I've noticed that giveaway posts on other blogs seem to be light on readers and commenters too.


I'm not going to lie.  I kind of get it.  Blogging takes an incredible amount of time if you're going to do it right (thus the year long blogging vacation).  There are many easier ways to keep in touch with other writers. But at the same time it's sad to see blogs I used to love close up shop.  I felt like I actually got to know people through their blogs in a way that really isn't possible through other social networks.  If blogging writers really are becoming a thing of the past, I'm going to be sad.


Am I missing something here, or did blogging become a dying art during my year away?  What has replaced it?  Twitter?  Tumblr?  Facebook?  Pinterest?  I do a decent job on Twitter, but I don't have clue about how to use any of the others.  I guess I'd better figure them out.




And feel free to comment on my book giveaway post if you'd like a free book!  Right now you have a 100% chance of getting one, as there are only 2 comments and I've promised to send books to 3 winners! :)

Win a 2012 Debut OF YOUR CHOICE!

Hey everyone!

Since Jayden's auction is just 2 weeks away and we're still hoping for a few more donations, I thought I'd try something fun.



We need to make sure everyone hears about all the awesome things that will be offered at the auction.  You can stay informed by:

-Liking Jayden's Facebook Page
-Following him on Twitter
-Following his Blog (this is where the auction will take place)


We also need to spread the word.  You can do this by:

-Tweeting or retweeting about the auction
-Blogging about Jayden
-Posting something about Jayden and the auction on Facebook


And we could use a few more donations.  You can help by:

-Donating a book, critique or art item (you can email me donations at nataliebahm (at) yahoo (dot) com)
-Passing this along to a friend, agent, or colleague who might be willing to donate



Anyone who does two of these things (you can pick ANY two) and tells me about what they did in a comment below is eligible to win a 2012 debut of his/her choice.  I'll even pre-order one for you if the book of your choice doesn't come out until later this year.  There are so many awesome debuts this year. I know there's something for everyone.  I will pick THREE winners on Thursday, June 1, the day before the auction begins.  And yes, I am happy to ship internationally.

Thank you SO MUCH for helping.  I'm hoping the auction will be a great success and take a little bit of the financial pressure off Jayden's family, so they can focus on helping him get well.

A HUGE Thank You!

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who have donated items, critiques, money, artwork, jewelry, etc for Jayden's auction.  It's been a very sweet experience to get emails from people I've never met before who are willing and anxious to help.

We'll be accepting donations right up until the auction on June 2, so feel free to email me--nataliebahm (at) yahoo (dot) com-- if you have something you'd like to give.

Also, a huge thanks to all those who've been spreading the word! We couldn't do this without you.