Author: K.S. Brooks

K.S. Brooks is an award-winning novelist, photographer, and photo-journalist, author of over 30 titles, and executive director and administrator of Indies Unlimited. Brooks is currently a photo-journalist and chief copy editor for two NE Washington newspapers.  She teaches self-publishing and writing topics for the Community Colleges of Spokane, and served on the Indie Author Day advisory board. For more about K.S. Brooks, visit her website and her Amazon author page.

Personal Appearance Troubleshooter

K. S. Brooks Reading from "Night Undone"
K. S. Brooks Reading from "Night Undone"

Last week I wrote about begrudingly participating in a public event. If you missed that post, you can read it here. Yes, I was a good girl, telling you all the reasons why you should pony up and “just do it.” Well, this week, I get to tell you how I really feel.

Many things can go wrong at an event. MANY. Unforeseen challenges, faux pas, wardrobe malfunctions and more are all a possibility. It’s best if you’re prepared, of course.  Here are some product suggestions which will help you prevent a number of heinous scenarios. Continue reading “Personal Appearance Troubleshooter”

Tutorial Tuesday – Klout?

Klout ProfileLet me start off by saying I am not an expert in Klout. In fact, the more I look at it, the more I question its usefulness. That is my personal observation and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of IU Management, if they in fact have one. Anyone feeling differently is welcome to educate me in the comment section below.

This past Saturday, our Jim Devitt wrote an informative post about Klout. If you missed it, you can read it here. Jim did a great job covering the basics, so I’m not going to go over those again.  I will give you, however a couple of tips on how to give someone a +K rating, and how to list them as an “influencer.” Continue reading “Tutorial Tuesday – Klout?”

Do I Have to?

K. S. Brooks at the PACA Awards
K. S. Brooks at the PACA Awards

Yes, you do.

We all have to do things we don’t enjoy. Personally, I loathe the thought of personal appearances. I’m quite happy being a curmudgeonly hermit. It’s very safe here in my secret mountain lair. But sometimes an invitation comes my way – and I know I have to say yes.

Public appearances and events really don’t hurt that much. They can be tedious, and usually the amount of time spent in preparation usurps the event itself.  So why do them? Well, unless you’re famous – or extremely eccentric – you sort of “have” to. Continue reading “Do I Have to?”

Anthems for Authors – Every Day I Write the Book

Being an author can make for a lonely life. Other than each other, many times we have no one to encourage or praise us – or even validate our existence. So when I hear a song that makes me feel good about being a writer, I turn it all the way up and revel in the fact that someone wrote a song “for us.” Now I know many times the song writer was being metaphoric with the use of “writing,” but I choose to replace their reality with mine. That’s just how I roll.

While this video is outdated and corny, the words still ring true. My favorite lines are “Even in a perfect world where everyone was equal, I’d still own the film rights and be working on the sequel.” And now, Every Day I Write the Book by Elvis Costello.

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