Multiple personality

First published in Dutch August 15, 2012

Liever in het Nederlands lezen: http://yaramarch.blogspot.com.es/2012/08/multiple-persoonlijkheid.html

Since the day Yara is born, I noticed that more and more often I talk about Yara as a person. Especially of course when I am talking about writing my books.

It feels as if every time I am going to write, I step inside Yara. Yara is a lot more creative and relaxed then I am. She doesn’t mind. I can worry about the smallest things. Yara just says: ‘we’ll see’.

To my surprise, she manages everything. I can panic,when I don’t write enough on a day. The three other stories in my head are hurrying me. She stays calm all the time. Glad that, when the writing flow stock, she has an evening for herself. For now doing something else then writing. ‘More than one book at the time I can’t write anyway, she tells me.

Yara plans my time a lot better than I would. She takes care, that I keep enjoy writing my books. And I do, even it takes all my time.

I am very sorry that Yara doesn’t like managing and organizing. I would be glad to let her do it. But still she lets it be my job. She teaches me to stay relaxed when I can’t do enough during the time I planned for it. Nowadays, thanks to Yara, when I run out of time, I don’t worry. Even when I can’t work on it for a few days.

Yara also has more courage than I have. Sometimes I think: ‘Can I write this? My parents, my children and my friends are reading this too. Yara just writes it.

Sometimes, my love, who sees a lot of my double personality, says to me: ‘ Do you know that there are people which are getting treatment for that? And he can’t help that he has to laugh out loudly. (LOL)

But I am very glad with my multiple personality. I learn a lot from Yara. Since she is in my life, I never enjoyed life more than now. At last I am much more the woman I want to be.

So Yara writes this blog. While I should break the beans.

Another late diner today. Who cares?

Long live the bookstore

Liever in het Nederlands lezen: http://yaramarch.blogspot.com.es/2013/06/lang-leve-de-boekhandel.html

I love travelling. The best of it is my urge to write as soon as I arrive on the plane. New blogs, the translation of the old ones or going on with by latest book. I don’t care. I only want to write. The flight is always too short. So I didn’t care at all when my husband told me he has to go to Barcelona in Spain for his work. Because I was allowed to travel with him!

Today at the airport I was pleased to take my computer out of my backpack. Then it hit me. As well my computer glasses as my reading glasses were still at home at the table. For a moment I thought that I would not be able to write. But I was lucky. I had still more than an hour to go before my plane would leave.

I went to the information desk at Schiphol airport and a very friendly lady thought that I could by some glasses in the bookstore. I wouldn’t think about that myself. But it feels logic.

In the bookstore I met another friendly lady. She brought me to the display where a lot of glasses smiled to me. I was glad that the glasses had colour codes for the strength; I couldn’t read the numbers at all. But as always there was too much choice for me. If there is one thing I can’t, than it is making a choice. And my husband wasn’t there to make the choice for me (he was still watching our luggage). They were also packed in plastic, so I couldn’t look how they fit with my face. Of course it was just a few Euro glasses, but even they have to fit!

I think that nice lady of the store didn’t mind to get the two pairs of glasses out of the plastic. Normally everything is shining like a mirror in such a store. Not here. Not the computer screen, not the front of the cash register, even not the glass windows. But then I saw a display case. That I could see it now, didn’t help at all. I liked them both.

For a moment I wanted to buy them both. In a crises good for the economy. The solution from my husband: buy them both He knows already that he cannot make the right choice. He would hear the for of years, that I liked the other glasses better. (Yes guys even with such  cheap glasses I would, but ladies you understand why, isn’t it?) But there are already so many glasses everywhere in the house, that wouldn’t be good for the environment.

I think that nice lady has the same problem as I have. She was very willing to look with me. But she couldn’t make the choice too. She also liked them both. We both decided that the most practical should win. A thick book made the decision. One of the two glasses proves to be the best.

Lucky with my new glasses I even get more lucky. I saw a new format book I never saw before. Maybe also good for the release of my own book.

I knew before that the bookstore is great to choose books, but now it helps me read too.

P.S. As t’s a pity. I liked them! I write this blog, my glasses are broke already. The screw fell out. So I type with leaning glasses. I

Lang leve de boekhandel!

Reizen is leuk. Al was het maar, omdat ik al op het vliegveld begin te schrijven. Blogs, (nieuwe Nederlandse of oude blogs vertalen naar het Engels, of verder met mijn boek.) Ik vond het dan ook helemaal niet erg, dat mijn lief enige tijd geleden aankondigde, dat hij voor zijn werk naar Barcelona moest. Want ik mocht mee!

Vanmiddag op het vliegveld haalde ik met veel genoegen mijn computer te voorschijn.

Om er vervolgens achter te komen, dat zowel mijn computerbril als mijn leesbril nog thuis op tafel lagen. Even dacht ik, dat mijn geplande werk in duigen zou vallen. Gelukkig had ik nog ruim een uur tot mijn vliegtuig vertrok en toog naar de informatiebalie op Schiphol. De lieve mevrouw daar verwees me op mijn zoektocht naar een leesbril naar de boekhandel. Zou ik zelf niet aan gedacht hebben, maar eigenlijk heel logisch.

Ook daar weer een lieve mevrouw, die me bereidwillig naar het rek bracht, waar een keur van brillen me toelachte. Gelukkig hebben de verschillende sterktes ook een kleurcode, lezen kan ik de getallen natuurlijk zonder bril niet. Veel te veel keus voor mij, natuurlijk. Als ik iets niet kan, dan is het kiezen. Uiteindelijk had ik er nog twee over. Vooral zonder mijn lief, die nog op de koffers zat te passen, moest ik het toch echt zelf doen. Ze zaten nog verpakt ook, even opzetten was er niet bij. Het is maar een flutbrilletje van een paar euro, maar ik ben ijdel genoeg, dat ook die bij mij moet passen.

Die lieve mevrouw vond het echter geen enkel probleem, de brillen uit de verpakking te halen. Meestal spiegelt alles in een winkel. Hier echter niet. Het beeldscherm van de kassa niet, het blinkende front van de balie: te dof. De posters achter glas: de poster overheerste te veel. Maar daar, in de verte een vitrine. Daar kon ik het eindelijk zien. Het hielp niks. Ik vond ze allebei leuk.

De lieve mevrouw verdenk ik er sterk van, dat ze  mijn keuzeprobleem uit eigen ervaring  herkende.  Bereidwillig keek ze met me mee. Maar ook zij vond ze allebei mooi. Even dacht ik nog, ze maar allebei te kopen. In deze crisistijd, stimuleert dat de economie alleen maar. Meestal is dat ook de oplossing van mijn lief. Als hij namelijk de keus maakt, moet hij nog jaren horen, dat die andere bril waarschijnlijk toch leuker zou zijn geweest. (Ja heren, ook bij zo’n prut tijdelijk brilletje, maar dames jullie begrijpen  het wel he).

Uit duurzaamheidsoverwegingen weigerde ik, toch maar om er twee te kopen. Thuis liggen namelijk al overal van die brilletjes te slingeren.

De mevrouw en ik gingen nu voor praktisch. Er kwam een dik boek aan te pas om uit te proberen welke bril het beste las. Toen kon ik eindelijk de keus maken.

In de gauwigheid zag ik ook nog een nieuw type boek: de dwarsligger. Misschien is deze vorm ook wel iets voor mijn eigen boek.

De boekhandel: Behulpzaam niet alleen om boeken te kopen, maar ook om ze te kunnen lezen.  

P.S.

Terwijl ik nu deze blog afschrijf, is het brilletje inmiddels al weer gesneuveld. Het schroefje van het oor is er uit gevallen. Ik typ nu met zo’n scheve bril. Toch jammer. Ik vond hem net zo leuk.

Boek op weg naar lezer (ook voor ondernemers)

Ronddwalen in de wereld van het uitgeven is als naar een vreemde stad gaan zonder tomtom, internet en reisgids.

Herkent u de volgende situatie nog:
De bijrijder zit met de kaart op schoot  de weg te wijzen als er een omleiding komt. 'Wacht even'. Verhit bladert ze door de kaarten, op zoek naar de juiste bladzijde of het juiste traject op de kaart. 'Hoe om ook al weer?' Ze draait de kaart 90, 180, 360 graden.'Is dit rechts of linksaf. Ze houdt de kaart voor zich om de rijrichting te bepalen. 'Was dat net niet de afslag die we....' Deultieme vraag waarbij de rijder meestal ontploft.. Drie omleidingen, veel gegrauw en nog meer gesnauw later, eindelijk op de plaats van bestemming,stappen twee mensen demonstratief zwijgend,  uit de auto. Het vvv is net dicht....

Af en toe voelt het ook zo, als ik de wereld van het uitgeven verken. Zelfs de kleinste dingen zijn onbekend. Zo heb ik regelmatig geprobeerd er achter te komen hoeveel  bladzijden een bepaald aantal woorden zijn. De antwoorden die ik gevonden heb, varieerden tussen de 300 en vijfhonderd woorden per A4. Zelf vind ik een boek van rond de tweehonderd tot tweehonderdenveertig bladzijden lekker lezen. Rond de 80.000 woorden dus. Gisteren kwam de schrijfbijbel met wetenswaardigheden rondom het schrijven van boeken. Meteen kreeg ik antwoord op mijn vraag. 80.000 woorden zijn 300 bladzijden. Heb ik ineens twee dikke boeken geschreven (rond de 85.000 woorden elk).

Het grootste deel van de dag ga ik vol goede moed op ontdekkingstocht. Dan slaat de vermoeidheid toe en daarmee ook de irritaties.

Als ik moe word, zie ik ook overal tegenop. Inmiddels weet ik dat ook correctors, redacteuren, editors e.d. free-lance werken. En ook voor hen geldt, dat ze nu eenmaal meer affiniteit met het ene of het andere genre hebben. Weten dat ze er zijn is een ding. Weten wie ik moet hebben en wie dan ook nog betaalbaar is, dat is veel lastiger. Ik moet een heel nieuw netwerk opbouwen. Hoe dat aan te pakken? Voor dat soort van klussen, moet ik fris en fruitig zijn. Aan het begin van de dag, dus.

Als ik fit ben kost het me geen enkele moeite te bedenken, dat ik naar bijeenkomsten moet waar die mensen ook komen, of waar mensen komen die bekend zijn met... Dan bedenk ik dat die en die toch iets doet met..... Ik weet dus nu al wat ik na de vakantie ga doen. Helemaal opgeladen mijn netwerk gebruiken en uitbreiden om de juiste professionals te vinden. De boekwinkels en bibliotheek afstruinen naar covers van boeken. Van de omslagen die me aanspreken,  bekijken wie het omslag ontworpen heeft. De colofon van de boeken lezen. Op een rustig moment die vriendelijke boekwinkel-meneer helemaal uithoren over het boekverkoopproces. Eens langsgaan bij kunstenaarsbedrijvencentra.

Ik heb er nu al zin in. (het is nog vroeg op de dag!)

Euforia or the music still going on

First published in Dutch August 12, 2012
Liever in het Nederlands lezen? http://yaramarch.blogspot.nl/2012/08/euforie.html

Yesterday we ate a very, very, very late barbecue.

It took the whole day to do the last corrections on ‘Dangerous Cupcakes’.

It was the first time I read the last thirty-five pages. Before I knew the story caught me. My teeth were curling from excitement. I recognized the same reaction, I always have when I almost finish reading the book. I can’t stop and are curious how it ends.

That is curious, because I write it myself. Of course in every love story you know that in the end they finally will be together. Still every story is exciting again. The excitement is ‘how’ they find each other.

I noticed, that I was anxious to know ‘how’ they got each other. When happened what and where in the story? I hardly could stop reading to correct the text. And when I couldn’t stop reading for necessary improvements of the story, why should I stop for such earthly thing as eating?

So a late barbecue, at the same time I feel euphoria. ‘Dangerous Cupcakes’ finally comes to the end. The last few hours I was excited to reach the end. I felt touched by certain scenes and I felt very satisfied.

This morning I woke up and knew exactly which words needed to be improved. Yesterday I was so anxious to finish reading, that I overlooked some minor mistakes. Today I really finished it. The last words, the thanks, the quotations. And I am singing, singing the two songs that are just so right for this book: ‘Dream a little Dream’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxrws7omOHQ and ‘When you’re smiling’. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYaQKKre0PA

With thanks to mr. Louis Armstrong and mrs. Ella Fitzgerald with ‘Dream a little Dream’ the book found it’s theme.

Enjoy.

More love

First published in Dutch August 14, 2012

Lees je liever in het Nederlands? http://yaramarch.blogspot.nl/2012/08/nog-meer-liefde.html

It happened today. The book that was already in my mind in Italy, today gave permission to get written. For a while it was thrilling. My mind was very occupied. Next to the non-fiction book I am writing, there are three new stories to tell. Which one will be the first? Even for me that’s the question.

Today I started and I am surprised that it is still the same as in ‘Dangerous Cupcakes’. The book writes itself. Also the same is that I write and I have to go to former passages and add some new parts of the story. Unfortunately  after six, seven hours I get tired. The next chapters are already anxious to get written. My experience (what does that sound good!) tells me that I can better stop now. From now on it takes too much time to write it down. But can you imagine that I hardly can wait till Tuesday, the day I have the time again to continue writing.

I am satisfied. De first six A4’s are written, 3354 words. A fantastic start. Certainly as you should know that this book finds its scenery in Argentina. A country I don’t know at all. That means a lot of Googling today. In ‘Dangerous Cupcakes’ the main characters know a lot of (old) music.  That was easy for me, while I know a lot of it too. Was a lot of research less. Till now two main characters have something with old (black and white) movies. That’s not my speciality. For example the next lady has a small part in my second book: Merle Oberon. I never had heard about her, but as it happens one of the main characters thinks that another main character looks like her. I found this woman on Google. Beautiful looks, with a life story that reads like a book.

A preview: http://sapnamagazine.com/2009/hollywoods-first-indian-actress-merle-oberon/

Lovely story, isn’t it?

Writing is fun, do you see? I know the strangest facts, read juicy life stories, see beautiful pictures of nature and type, type, type.

The other side of the coin is less fun. This book let me know already: it wants to get published too.

It urges me to get an agent or publisher for ‘Dangerous cupcakes’. That’s not the job I had in mind. I’m just the writer. So I’m postponing it.

It’s easier to let you do it for me. Feel free to react when you feel encouraged:

Do you love in books:

• a combination of love, excitement and unexpected events
• to get moved,
• to be so curious about the next that you bite your nails
• to laugh out loud
• that you hardly can’t stop reading

Are you curious about the first book of Yara March ‘Dangerous Cupcakes’ (till now only available in Dutch ‘Cupcakes en een koffer’) and do you know somebody who can get it published, let me know! (or sent this request to others)

Do you want to know how it is going on with Yara March and her books? Stay with her by reading her blogs on: yaramarch.blogspot.com

I tweet on @YaraMarch.1 in English and @YaraMarch in Dutch and I am on linkedin.

I am still learning publicity so wait for pinterest and facebook.

Till the next blog.

Ondernemen met passie; een nieuwe ondernemersblog

Ondernemen doen de meeste van jullie zelf al. Je zit dus echt niet te wachten op een litanie van mij over wat er allemaal komt kijken bij het zelf uitgeven van een boek. 

Niets over de vormgever die je nodig hebt, om de omslag van het boek, je website, je visitekaartjes en flyers etc. op elkaar af te stemmen. Niets over de inrichting van de website die bepaald of de kijkers op je site ook kopers worden. Niets over de opmaak, de correctie van grammatica, interpunctie en saaiheid. 

Saaiheid, zo noem ik maar samengevat alles wat een redacteur doet om herhalingen, te lange zinnen, te veel indirectheid, onnauwkeurigheden etc. er uit te halen. Al die zaken leiden er toe, dat er geen vaart meer in het verhaal zit. Niets ook over de tocht langs de boekhandels, de recensenten, de juiste releasedatum, pitches, brochures en alles wat verder nodig is om een plekje op de o zo dure schapruimte in de boekhandel te krijgen.

Al die mensen die nodig zijn om mijn product ofwel mijn boek(en) in de markt te zetten. Het duizelt me. Steeds duidelijker wordt het, dat ik een heel goed plan moet maken om er voor te zorgen, dat de kosten niet gigantisch de pan uit rijzen. De kostprijs van het boek moet natuurlijk wel in verhouding staan tot een reële verkoopprijs. 

Die planmatige aanpak heeft Yara de ondernemer natuurlijk nodig. Yara de schrijfster loopt echter rond  als holle bolle Gijs in Luilekkerland. Een boektrailer, gaaf, dat wil ik ook. De kaft van mijn boek achter op een vrachtwagen of op de zijkant van een bus, dat is pas knallen. Een webwinkel, flyers, visitekaartjes, interviews, omslagen bekijken, internet afschuimen naar informatie. Ik laat duizend bloemen bloeien en word er stuitergek van. Yara de ondernemer wordt gek van Yara de schrijfster en omgekeerd. 

Mijn lief kijkt het allemaal van een afstandje aan. Als Yara de schrijfster verzucht dat ze wel erg ongestructureerd bezig is, buigt hij haar uitspraken om. 'Ik zie enorm veel passie', maakt hij er van. En maakt Yara helemaal blij. 

Gepassioneerd, dat ben ik. Dat klopt. Alles rondom mijn boeken doe ik met passie. Niet alleen het schrijven. Ook de wereld van het uitgeven ontdekken. Niks ongestructureerd, gepassioneerd!

Het wordt er nog leuker van.

Impatience

First published in Dutch, August 8 2012

Lees je liever in het Nederlands? http://yaramarch.blogspot.nl/2012/08/ongeduld.html

Today it’s sporting day. After the start with an hour yoga, then an hour on the cross walker, I finished with a 45 minute swim. And while swimming it happened again. Words started to swing in my brain.

When I came home this afternoon, I started with my non-fiction book. Goes on fast. I aspect that this book will grow by itself also.

There is a problem with my second chicklit. (modern love story) This morning there suddenly were two story’s. Which will be the one I have to start with? Why do I always have such luxury problems?

I will wait till tomorrow morning and I will see which one wants my attention most. Maybe I should write them both at the same time. Only I probably can’t find the time for it.

One of my favourite writers, Jill Mansell, writes it on her website as follows: ‘she writes full time. Actually that’s not true; she watches TV, eats fruit gums, admires the rugby players training in the sports field behind her house, and spends hours on the internet marvelling at how many other writers have blogs. Only when she’s completely run out of displacement activities does she write.’

At the moment I feel a bit the same. While swimming I have enough time to think how I can manage to take more time for writing.

Most of the time I deny that there are all that things I should do, I hardly look television and I don’t read books anymore. Normally my free time favourites.

Today I also found time to read the next twelve pages of my first book. I read everything so often, that I hardly can judge if my book is worthwhile to read.

Is it a book :

• o   You hardly can stop to read
• o   You are gniffle or even laugh out loud with
• o   That’s exciting because you want to know what’s going on?
• o   In which it takes you almost to the end, before you know who’s done it?
• o   You get thrilled at all the lovescenes
• o   You get that much touched that you even now and then pink away a tear
• o   You are satisfied that you buy it 

Of course I hope it is this all. Finally it is you, the reader who is making the final judgement.

I almost can’t wait. 

Love

First published in Dutch August 8 2012
Liever de Nederlandse tekst? http://yaramarch.blogspot.nl/2012/08/liefde.html

What’s a chicklit (modern love story) without love? It can’t exist. So you find a lot of love in my books. Sweet romantic love but also love my ears coloured red while I was typing it.

At first I was wondering how I could get love scenes in my book while the two main characters didn’t get together yet. I am no longer surprised that the answer to that comes from the book. It found a perfect solution all alone.

Thanks to that I can write a lot of romantic and sometimes even steamy love scenes. I am lucky with that. Nothing writes  as easy as a love scene. Before I knew I already wrote 3000 words.

And of course romantic love needs romantic songs. One of the most beautiful songs in this book is the super romantic song   ‘Heaven’ (‘cheek to cheek’  from Louis Armstrong with Ella Fitzgerald) and almost more beautiful  ‘Dream a little dream of me’  also from this gorgeous couple. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE4tnxdOAhw&feature=BFa&list=PLCA88A76BF489851A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io0uqrp9dco&playnext=1&list=PL430D2BC8E76837AA&feature=results_main

Enjoy listening!

Is time on my side?

First published in Dutch  August 7, 2012 
Liever de Nederlandse tekst? http://yaramarch.blogspot.nl/2012/08/gemis.html

Is it just a week ago that I travelled home? Full of plans and ideas for two more books? After a period that I could spent all my time at my first book (‘Cupcakes en een koffer’ English translation not available yet. It means in English ‘ Cupcakes and a suitcase’, but now just at this moment I think that the English title will be ‘Murderous cupcakes’  ).

And now a week and a lot of work and experiences later my ideas seem far away. I even have to look at my notes to know what I did imagine.

Every day I think it sucks that I can’t spend all my time at the creative process anymore. That my words are not allowed to roll. Yesterday it was the first time I could add sentences and words to MC (= ‘murderous cupcakes’). It felt so good. The words took their space. And I get space in my mind. Gosh.

Today it was the first day I had a whole day for MC. I started reading it. I feel a little bit sad though.  I read, I searched for mistakes, changed words for more beautiful ones. Controlling if the facts are correct.

But I miss something. I miss the continuing story. I miss what is coming up. Everything has already been written. There is nothing new coming. It is already finished. I can’t sit on the edge of my chair. Excited. Longing for what’s next.

But on the other side I am not sad at all. Because I had the time to read, control and add. And I read already a hundred pages. Best of all I did like it!

My thoughts and ideas for my new books are vanishing…

Yara March goes business ondernemersspecial

Ondernemen is hard werken. Gisteren liep ik rond op de week voor ondernemers in Breda. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/congres-in-beeld/9090043191/in/set-72157634206329197, 

Een kijkje in de keuken van innoverend Nederland. Vooral echter in de keuken van hardwerkende, enthousiaste mensen met hart voor hun business. U

Ik kon de hele dag kennismaken met inzichten, ervaringen en innovaties van ondernemers die het wiel al uitgevonden hebben en mij daar deelgenoot van maakten. Ik raakte er steeds meer van overtuigd. Een goede ondernemer laat zich niet uit het veld slaan, gebruikt kansen. Zij/hij overwint zijn angst en doet wat gedaan moet worden.

Ik weet nu dat ik o.a.:

• In het midden moet staan
• Met lage stem moet praten
• De gouden cirkels moet gebruiken (complimentje voor mezelf, dat deed ik al!) http://yaramarch.blogspot.nl/2013/04/lezen-als-business.html
• Game-elementen moet inbouwen
• Gebruik moet maken van widgets
• Gebruik moet maken van de weconomie

Voor dat laatste was ik gisteren op het congres. Des te meer ik uitzoek wat er allemaal nodig is voor het zelf uitgeven en distribueren van mijn boeken, des te meer zie ik hoeveel werk daaraan vast zit. Vooral het lastigste stuk, het distribueren vraagt nogal wat met betrekking tot:

• Kennis van de markt
• Vergroten van naamsbekendheid
• Aanboren nieuwe markten

Kortom de pr rondom mijn boeken. En dan moet ik ook nog iets met een corrector, een redacteur, de opmaak en de omslag van mijn boeken.

Zo veel dat ik me afvraag of ik dan nog wel aan schrijven toekom. 

http://yaramarch.blogspot.nl/2013/04/grenzen-stellen.html

Nu komen jullie, mijn medeondernemers om de hoek kijken. Jullie kennen het klappen van de zweep op pr-gebied, zijn al creatief in klantenbenadering of hebben relaties die op Yara March en haar boeken zitten te wachten.

Lieve medeondernemers, U kunt mij in contact brengen met:

Een (liefst)grote ondernemer, die zich met zijn product(en) vooral richt op 20+ vrouwen. Ik, Yara March, schrijfster van heerlijke chicklits gecombineerd met detectives, wil graag gebruik maken van uw marketingexpertise. 

U helpt mij bekend te worden bij het grote publiek. U adverteert al in vrouwenbladen, kranten, wellicht op vrachtwagens of radio en televisie. U wilt uw klantrelatie met tijdschriften gebruiken om mijn boek gerecenseerd te krijgen.

Ik stel mijn eerste boek gratis ter beschikking aan de ondernemer die  mijn eerste boek cadeau wil geven bij zijn/haar product.Wacht echter niet te lang met reageren, als ik medio augustus geen reacties heb ontvangen, begin ik met uitgeven en bent u te laat.

                                                       

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Een (vroegere) uitgever of iemand die bekend is met het boekenvak en die het leuk vindt mij te coachen bij het publiceren en distribueren van mijn boeken

Maar Yara March heeft meer voor haar medeondernemers in de aanbieding:

U kunt haar boek opnemen in uw kerstpakket, relatiegeschenk etc. (Wist U dat een pagina met reclame voor uw bedrijf in het boek kan worden opgenomen?)
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U heeft ideeën,  die ik zelf niet heb bedacht om mijn boek verkocht te krijgen en stuurt me deze toe op yara@yaramarch.com
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U retweet, stuurt door etc. deze blog of yaramarch.blogspot.com
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Ik wens u alvast veel leesplezier met mijn blogs en in de toekomst met mijn boeken.  (Cupcakes en een koffer; Tango met een knal en Geknipt voor haar)

Meer over Yara March:

Hou je van lezen?

Smelt je helemaal weg bij een combinatie van:

- Liefde

- Spanning

- Onverwachte verwikkelingen

Vind je het heerlijk als je bij een boek kunt:

- Lachen

- Ontroerd raken

- Grimlachen


Wil je graag moeite hebben te stoppen met lezen?

Dan zijn mijn boeken iets voor jou!

'Cupcakes en een koffer" (mijn eerste boek)

Inhoud:

Als vier vriendinnen met elkaar op vakantie gaan, kunnen ze nog niet vermoeden, dat weldra hun leven op zijn kop zal staan. Twee van hen vinden hun grote liefde. Voor het echter zo ver is, wordt er bij hun ingebroken, worden ze beschoten en als klap op de vuurpijl wordt een van de vier ontvoerd. Er moeten eerst doden vallen voor ook de politie duidelijk wordt wat er aan de hand is.

Een heerlijke chicklit gecombineerd met een detective net als:

'Tango met een knal'

Carry-Ann houdt van dansen. Vooral van passionele tango's . Als haar zus, die in Argentinië woont, haar hulp nodig heeft, hoeft ze niet lang na te denken.

Ondanks haar passie voor de tango, gelooft Carry-Ann niet in het bestaan van de alles omverwerpende liefde. Ze is echter ook onverbeterlijk romantisch. Stiekem hoopt ze nog eens iemand tegen te komen, die bewijst dat ze ongelijk heeft. Maar niet in Argentinië. Ze wil niet dezelfde fout maken als haar zus. Dat wordt moeilijk, als op de haciënda van de buren twee knappe broers blijken te wonen, die ook nog eens goddelijk de tango dansen.

Het gevaar blijkt echter niet in alleen in de liefde te schuilen. Brandstichting, sabotage, moord, liefde en bedrog vormen de ingrediënten voor de uiterst explosieve situatie, waar ze in terecht komt. Ineens blijkt haar leven op het spel te staan.

In mijn derde boek 'Geknipt voor haar' spelen de vriendinnen uit 'Cupcakes en een koffer' weer een hoofdrol. Net als de liefde trouwens. En een seriemoordenaar..... Een nieuwe spannende chicklit.(under construction)

Voor wie niet wachten kan op mijn boeken. The making of ...Yara March yaramarch.blogspot.com

Sorry M.

First published in Dutch August 4 2012

Finally it happened today. My characters got their new names. For days I woke up every night with another new name for one of the characters. In the meantime only a few less important characters didn’t have a new name.

This morning I decided to do it. I started to replace all the names in my book. I am curious if I know by myself now who is who. Maybe is even the story now new for me.

I am now looking forward to next Tuesday. The first day I have time to read my book. Before I start I have to rewrite a few things first. There are still some improvements in my mind.

I hope that Thursday the book is finally ready to read by others. Probably I can start next Monday with the non-fiction book. That one will not be a Yara March.

This morning, while everybody here is drinking coffee together, I sit here looking over to them having a lot of fun. Just as I have. This morning I couldn’t wait longer writing at my book.

I am surprised myself. Am I go and sit with them, or will I stay for a little while Yara?

N. B.

 M. you don’t have the name of my main character any more. But when you ever read the book, know that before Marc did have your name. I hope I can still remember your name.  

Music preview

First published in Dutch August 1 2012

There is happening a lot in my books. Not always I have the knowledge about it. So I have to discover. I like it to ask my computer (on the internet of course) and I get the most beautiful and interesting answers. Sometimes I can use it. However, most of the time the book change the story and find an easier solution, than the one from the internet. In the end I don’t need al that information. ‘But it keeps me away from doing naughty things’, my mother would have said.

The story needed a singer which sang Fado-music. But not a Portuguese, but a Spanish one.

I found Maria del Mar Bonet. Listen by yourself how the music moves you. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgDGlyBnSSM&feature=related

Not only I discovered her, but I found also Al Alba van Luis Eduardo Aute

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVRN8d2kh1g . Impressive. 

Just as the women in my book, I am a music fanatic. So for me it is an extra bonus when I discover together with my main characters so lovely music.

I search for a scanner that saves a scan file in the memory of the scanner (I needed it for the plot) I couldn’t find it. The story founds a much more easy solution.

Google shows me which countries don’t have extradition adjournments and which have. Wikipedia points me to the most beautiful nature in that country’s. This information I could use.

There is one just little inconvenience…. It looks so nice I want to go there by myself. My next book will be situated in South America, more specific in Argentina. A good opportunity to visit it, don’t you think so?

Movie

First published in Dutch July 31 2012

Somewhere halfway writing the book, I recognized that the story seems to be a movie. I see in my mind how everything happens.

It has written so filmic that it could be a script. Of course of a real feel good romantic movie.

The strange thing is, that at this time I can´t imagine which movie stars should play in it. Most of them that I know are too old for it. Maybe I should go more often to the movies.

My fantasy is wild enough to see me invited on the movie/set.

Yara March goes Hollywood. Complete with a VIP/treatment including a trailer on my own. Isn´t fantasy great. Without fantasy Yara March would never been born. And then you never could enjoy reading my book(s).

Movies and reading. It reminds me of my exam in the French language on high school. Beautiful language that French. But for me very difficult to understand. Especially reading books in French. Most times I didn’t get the meaning at all. So it takes so much time to read them, that I run out of time. To my relief they made a movie about it. At least I could see that. And as you can already guess, they ask me about that book.

The first question was: “Which book did you read (it seemed that there was a short, simplified version and the original version) I couldn’t answer that question, because I didn’t read it at all.

I looked a bit silly. Then they asked if there were pictures in it. I didn’t lie when I told them ´no´ (not reading the book implicates that there were no pictures in it either) The examinators took their own conclusions as they say to me before they go to the next book: ‘good girl, you read the right book.

So if you don’t like to read, we’ll meet at the movie.

Split

First published in Dutch July 30 2012

The book is ready. Thought I. Till this morning. My head is still full with parts of sentences, new words, improvements etc.

More and more gets my new book its shape in the meantime too. Moreover I have this great idea about writing a book about my daily work content.

I always tell everybody: ‘If you don’t want to get mad, do one thing at once. Otherwise you’re getting confused. Your thoughts moving like a windmill.’ As I know it so well, there is only one problem. I don’t know where to start.

And because of I can’t choose, I write a new blog. (Nice escape-behavior Yara!)

Still I feel as if I have a hangover now my book is finished. I once had a delivery with only contractions that you have at the end when you are allowed to push. One hour of contractions it seemed a piece of cake. Only I get the rest of the contractions during the following two days. It feels a bit like that now.

The book still holds me in his grip. Have I told this, did I use that sentence? Most times it is in it already, but in my mind it is still asking for attention. Especially during the night.

It feels great to have three weeks I could spend all time on writing. I’m curious how I next to my work will manage to find the time to write.

Probably by planning a lot of vacations.

It’s done

First published in Dutch July 29 2012

It’s  july 29, 2012, 17.30 and I just finished the last sentence. To my own surprise I wrote 5864 words today. Almost twice my normal best record of the day. Now it’s done. Without the thanks, motto, introduction my book finishes on 83.581 words.

Even now, 6 minutes later it feels not real. My discovery tour ends now.

But now the hard work starts.

I will be the first who is allowed to read the entire book. Even critical. I have to remove the mistakes, the clerical errors, the words that repeat too often, less beautiful phrases and so on.

Maybe I can add something here and there or I even have to remove text that doesn’t fit anymore.

Then comes the real hard part. Others are allowed to read my child. Can I stand the critical remarks? Or do I secretly think that they should review it as great as I do?

If there is an overdrive for the word proud, I am now. Superlistic proud on the book I wrote. What I read till now surprised even me.

And then the least important part of  all. Although M. thinks it is the most exciting thing of writing a book. To find an agent. An agent that knows which publisher deserves my book.

So if one of you knows an agent that fits:

My first book* is ready to get published.

Yara March, Prato Valerino, july 29, 2012

* Dutch titel: ‘Cupcakes en een koffer’ (English title not ready until the translation of the book)

Soap

First written in Dutch July 28, 2012

Writing is just real life. Full of funny, touching, sweet , sad and mean events.

As a writer to be it is fun to discover that all those mood swings in my book, happen to me too. I chuckle, I get angry, tears are rolling over my cheeks and sometimes I feel tensed, so curious I am how the story ends.

Often I am very surprised what rolls now out of my computer. Sometimes I am previous already tired, because I have to rewrite again.

Most fun is it when something totally unexpected happens. The things I didn’t think of before, and that happen by surprise.

Even more fun is it when an event I was thinking of one and a half week ago already, the day before yesterday was written down in the book. I thought they never would notice. I hope that you as a reader of my book also need till the end of the book, before you know who did it. 

Today they at last discovered the first murder. I am curious when they know who did it, I know it for three weeks already . Now the book has to discover it.

I constructed the plot weeks ago, but suddenly yesterday, something happened. My thoroughly constructed plot didn’t fit anymore. Even I didn’t know anymore how it should go on.

During the night I wake up to go to the toilet and vaguely something begins to grow. Maybe I know tomorrow what is coming next.

Nowadays I start the day with a one-hour swim.  Like every morning the story of the day develops. Will it stay like this when I write it down?

Without notice everything can change again.

Bi-name-ual

First written in Dutch July 27 2012

I always thought that my first book would have an international appearance. Not a typical Dutch book, whatever that may be. Especially not typical Dutch names.

As you already can guess, my main characters have typical Dutch names. 

Now wasn’t that a problem since I was writing for my own pleasure alone and what’s in a name.

Till this week. While I was swimming my main characters got new names, Good sounding names. As well in English as in German. Even in Dutch they sound better.

My whole life it was hard for me to remember names.  Knowing that, next to my computer I have a list with all the names of the people in my book (especially the last names are very difficult to bring to mind). Next to the ‘old’ name now stands a new name on the list.

For me they already have two names. From now on I am not bilingual, but bi-name-ual.

I am curious which names  will be the ones in the book. 

The police your friend and helper

First written in Dutch July 26, 2012

Writing for fun is writing just what you imagine, that’s what I am thinking for instance. That’s true for the part of my book that is a chicklit. The part which is dealing with the detective asks more. It asks for timelines, analytics and so on. So I have to think.

But I don’t like to think when I am writing. I just want to let the words flow. Till this week I put every event on a timeline. I thought that I did a great job already.

My love did warn me. He told me, make a analyses of your own book. You didn’t study that for nothing.

Secretly I know he is right, but doesn’t  he know yet, that what I want is to write a book, not to analyse it.

I decided that I wait with the analyses part till I finished the book. If I still like it to do, I can do it then. Naïve as I am.

But there is something I completely forgot. My book writes itself. And my book still lets me work.

That stupid detectives  in my book are going to make a timeline.

As you already know I don’t like to write it. So at first I did write a simple one.

Of course the worst thing happened. My story must be rewritten.

But it gets worse. The detectives in my book completed their timeline. And so it happened that, as well as dull as busy office days where on a Sunday and other stupid details . And again I had to rewrite. And by changing the timeline, chapters weren’t in line any more. Events that lasted two days, should happen in one day, and that was just the least.

How often  I sighed: ‘I am glad that I don’t have to do the work of a police officer.

And I realized how happy I am that I can work with a computer. I learned typewriting on a typing machine. In the old days it would have cost me days of cutting, paste , typ-ex and typing again. In the old days, I don’t think that I would have finished one single book at all. I am just too lazy for all that retyping , cutting and pasting stuff. Hard to believe that it is just about thirty years ago.

Just to feel save, I saved a copy before all I made all the changes. First I have to control if all the changes are really improvements.

I hope that I have completed  an accurate timeline now. Thanks to the persistent police. So today I am allowed to write again.

What’s in a name

First published in Dutch July 24, 2012

Yara March. I am so proud of my name.

It fits like a glove.

The name I was looking for, must be ME. With Yara March it is.

First I played with the letters of my name in real life. But I wasn’t satisfied.

Then I gave myself more space. March was easy to find. I am born in March. My first name gave me more trouble. Just as for a new born I looked it up in a dictionary of names. That didn’t work.

More brainstorming. New way of searching.

My motto is: What’s the end for a grub is the beginning of a butterfly. Butterfly it must be. But that’s only in Dutch a nice name. It should be also a nice name in other countries. More neutral. More international.

Googling with the topics girls names and butterfly gave me 5 names. Yara was one of them.

Yara: The meaning is water lady and small butterfly (Arab and Brazilian)

I always have had a fling with water. This name became better and better. According to Google there was only one Yara March and so the domain name was still free also.

Yara March could be born.

Nota Bene:

In English Yara means ‘princess’. My love speak up loud: ‘that fits also. You are my princess’. And that even sounded not at all too sweet.

For this blog I needed the exact text and I found something new. According to the Brazilian Mythology: Iara was a beautiful goddess with green hair and fair skin.

My hair have had all colours of the rainbow, except green. Here it is.

gaming

First published in Dutch July 23, 2012

Besides that it’s fun to write, I have fun about a lot of other things that happen to me since Yara March is born.

Writing this blog for instance.

Or the very interesting people I meet. M. the journalist who already published a (science) book.

Curious as I am, I want to know how many words his book has. Open, as he is, he tells me proudly: 50.000. With pictures and notes it became quit a voluminous book. For Germany it even was 10.000 words too voluminous.  Science, what else.

We were on a camping site together, so I met M. and his wife every day. I couldn’t help telling him every day how much I did write that day. When I almost did write 49.000 words I boasted to him, that I was going to defeat him. I just could stop me from stabbing my tongue.

He did, as he said: ‘But I’ve been published and you didn’t.

His wife supported me and said: ‘But she will within a year’.

M. as big a boaster as I am couldn’t help himself as he said to his wife: But I was in the bestseller list and that she (pointing at me) should proof .

His wife looked amazed as she said ‘I didn’t know that, you never told me. A bit ashamed he had to admit that it only was place 70 or so. And only for one week.

Secretly I thought: somewhere in the future I can do better. I hope it isn’t just boasted.

Fast

First written in Dutch July 22, 2012

Lately I got mail. In that mail I was pointed to a book titled ‘How to write a book in 14 days.

The sender didn’t understand me at all.

I write because I love to write. And when you have fun in what you are doing, you don’t  want to finish it as soon as possible. I want to let it last as long as possible.

Compare writing to making love. You don’t want that to rush, don’t you? (Maybe here is a slight difference between men and woman, but still)

I know that book and learned from it, that you start with a structure. In that structure you should make little parts. Each part with a max of 5 sentences. You have to write  part by part. Each till it is ready. Before you know it is a book. Non-fiction of course.

But what I love so much is that I don’t have to think about structure, content, and so on. It happens. The book writes by itself. And I discover that without notice, there is a lot of structure already in it. Just as figures of speech. Different storylines are coming together as if it is the only way it can happen.

Unnoticed they are suddenly in. That’s real fun, isn’t it? 

Counting words

First published in Dutch July 21, 2012

Many years ago I wrote poems. It was e real challenge to me, to say as much as possible with less than lesser words.

That’s totally different now. Sometimes it seems that I should use a lot of words to hide that I don’t tell you anything of the plot at all.

As I started to write, I often was disappointed. So much happened in only three  pages. Till my love reminded me that I write A4-pages and that is almost two pages in a book (A5)

I immediately searched how many words make a page in a book. I found, on the internet where else?,  somewhere between 300 and 500 words. I counted: if the average is 400 words a page and I love books with about  200 till 250 pages, I may write 80.000 words before my story ends.

Still a lot of words to go.

Did I before think that I didn’t have words enough.  I knew the outline of the story. I wrote the  outline without the plot down in only 9000 words. Now after 51.000 words I didn’t write more of the outline than in the beginning. Still the plot isn’t written yet. But that outline from the beginning did grow to a more complete story. And it still grows.

At the end of the day, I stop writing because I am tired. The words don’t flow any more. Sometimes , at these moments I become scared. Scared that I never will reach that 80.000 words.

But the next day I wake up and know a few new developments. And then the words flow, flow, flow and most times at the end of the day I wrote  about 3000 words more.

I am curious when the book thinks that it is finished.

Book

First published July 20, 2012

Sometimes I tell people lately that I write.

Immediately they ask: ‘What do you write: a book?’

Till now my standard answer was: ‘No, just for my pleasure. I don’t know if it will be a book. I will see. I don’t mind if it becomes a book. For me  the pleasure is in the writing. When it is finished, I have had my fun already.

This week I met M. Is it a coïncidence that he has the same name as one of my main characters?

M. said to me: ‘But you don’t know yet how many pleasure you get, when your book is published . When you see for the first time that  it  lies in the shop window’.

As I asked him if he had experienced that feeling, he had to admit. But he did it with a big and happy smile. Of course it was just a science book, but whatever, it was a real book.

I noticed that his remarks hit me. Since I do talk about writing a book, has my book got a title and I do have a real writersname.

Suddenly it becomes very real 

Words, words, words

First published in Dutch July 19, 2012


Writing is fun.

But why al those strange green and red lines underneath the words. For me its a kick when I use an oldfashioned word.  Words can be vintage too, don't you think so?  

Sometimes a word deserves to get a  fresh new life. To be known again. 

I feel happy that I can reanimate a word. That only by using it, it gets a new life.

Only that stupid comment in the spelling corrector: oldfashioned language, no suggestions.

How it began …

This blog was previously published in Dutch on July 18, 2012

Have you ever wanted to write a book?

Well, I did.

But what should I write about? What kind of book would it be: a thriller, a chicklit? Would I be able to write an excellent literary masterwork? Or should I write a nonfiction book as I  am an expert in my profession.

Not just the difficulty to choose what kind of book it had to be,  stopped me from starting. The genre gave me a lot of thought  too, as did things like first or third person, past tense and so on. I could not get myself to begin.

For years I had more than enough reasons to postpone. Till march 2012. I decided I didn’t care anymore about the how, the kind of book, the grammar. I just wanted to write. So I began.

If it would become a book? Who cares, the least myself.  I write because I like to. Nothing more or less. For my own fun only.

Dear readers, I discovered how much I love to write! I just sit down and let it happen. I write parts of a story and this story develops while I ‘m writing.

My husband is very curious and asked me if he could read what I have written so far, but I have to disappoint him. It is just not finished yet.

It would be allright if it would be at the end of the book, but even I don’t know where in the story it isn't finished. I ‘ll have to write and rewrite. It happens in the beginning,  in the middle and sometimes  in parts of the last chapters. And I like it that way. The words just flow from my fingers to the laptop. Interesting to discover that a new part of the story often also means that other parts have to be rewritten.  So he’ll have to wait.

And now 18 July 2012 I already wrote 49.437 words and the story  grows to a combination of a chicklit and a detective. One of the main characters  writes in the first person and the others from the third person.

And I, I write and gleam. Gleam because I love writing. Gleam because I know already who did it.  But the way you , my reader, will explore who did it, with hints and clues in the book, I  discover myself every day a bit more. That is really fun!

As I need music,  as part of the story, it is essential, I discover the most beautiful  songs.  I now know many facts where the story requires it. Discoveries I made from behind my screen. That is fun too.

Yesterday a title suddenly appeared. I will write about that in one of my next blogs.

The story has become a  book. Now it deserves a writer.

This morning was born March, Yara. The pseudonym where my writings will feel at home.

In my blogs you will learn more about  the new world I discover: The world of writing.

From now regularly new blogs in:

The Making of … Yara March 

Enjoy reading

Yara March makes the difference

Today I  discovered something amazing.

I am a writer!

Of course, I already wrote two books in Dutch, and I am writing my third now. I did write more than 80 blogs, so I already considered myself as a writer

Why my surprise and hapiness?

On twitter, facebook and linkedin I get more and more native English speaking friends. I also have friends abroad who don't understand Dutch and they are curious about the things I write. So I  decided to translate the blogs I wrote earlier.

There was only one problem. When I talk English everybody knows the meaning of what I try to say. But when I am writing it down, you see how poor my English is. How very wrong the grammar is used and so on.

I need someone who can correct my English. I found him!. My love agreed to help me. I translate my first blog and give it to him to correct.

Aai, tttt, all that clicking noises that came out of his mouth. It didn't sound very good. I became more and more scared about the results. And I was right to be scared. There were so many things wrong, that he did ask permission to rewrite the whole blog.I was very pleased that he wanted to do it for me.

Less than half a day later I did receive the result. In correct English. No doubt about that. But there was something else wrong. At first I didn't know what bothered me. Suddenly it became clear to me.
It was no longer me.

The way I use words, the way I construct the text, that makes my blogs special.

A lot of discussions about the text later, he admitted. He not only corrects my English, he corrects my way of writing too. He had to admit that he isn't the right person to correct my English.

I have to make a decision. I translate my previously published blogs in not always correctly written English, or I only publish new ones like this and use google translate.

But still I am happy. It is now very clear to me, that I am a writer. I do something special with words. The difference is me.

Enjoy reading  The making of....Yara March

Vertrouwen

Op een leuke manier word ik heen en weer getrokken door de wereld rondom mijn boeken. Steeds vaker hoor ik dat mensen nieuwsgierig zijn naar mijn boeken en ze willen lezen. Steeds langer zit ik ook te wachten op een reactie van een uitgever.

De prachtigste ideeën hoor ik van lieve mensen in mijn omgeving, die me zowel allerlei soorten van uitgevers  als soms heel verrassende verkoopideeën aanleveren. Van sommige wordt ik laaiend enthousiast. Krijg ik zin om er aan te beginnen. Liever vandaag nog, dan morgen.

Er zit echter een addertje onder het gras. Ik moet het zelf doen. Zelf een corrector inhuren, zelf laten opmaken, zelf pr maken, zelf uitzoeken hoe je recensies in relevante bladen krijgt, hoe het zit met de verkoopkanalen, bedenken of het een e-boek of een 'echt' boek moet worden, een kaft bedenken etc.
Kortom uitgever worden.

Ik heb vertrouwen genoeg in mijn boeken. Ik weet zeker dat als jij van chicklits houdt, je zult genieten van mijn boeken. Ik weet ook zeker dat ik leuke interviews kan geven, boekpresentaties kan houden en alles wat er aan publiciteitsdingetjes nodig is kan invullen. Ik weet voldoende van ondernemen om een goed businessplan te maken voor het uitgeven van mijn boeken. Ik ben bereid te investeren in een corrector, een vertaler en opmaker. Al die dingen hoeven geen probleem te zijn. Maar ik mis de contacten om mijn boeken op de juiste plekken onder de aandacht te brengen. Ik moet eerst een beeld zien te krijgen van de verkoopkanalen. Uitzoeken wat een goede corrector, vertaler etc. is. En dat kost tijd. Kostbare tijd. Tijd die ik wil besteden aan het schrijven.

Net nu ik meer tijd begin vrij te maken om te doen, wat ik geweldig leuk blijk te vinden, het schrijven, lijkt die tijd weer opgeslokt te gaan worden, door plannen om mijn boek zelf uit te gaan geven. Het liefst maak ik dan ook gebruik van de kennis, kunde en vakmanschap van een uitgever. Een uitgever die geen beren op de weg ziet, maar de mogelijkheden kent en de contacten heeft, om mijn boeken in de markt te zetten.
Een uitgever die mij het vertrouwen geeft, dat hij of zij over voldoende vakmanschap beschikt om van mijn boeken een succes te maken.
Een uitgever ook, die net als ik zelf vertrouwen heeft in mijn boeken. Die mij het vertrouwen geeft, dat wij samen  het voor elkaar krijgen, dat mijn lezers mijn boeken gaan ontdekken.
Die uitgever moet net als ik zeker weten, dat jullie van mijn boeken gaan genieten. Die uitgever is het waard, dat ik hem of haar mijn vertrouwen geef.