Moving day is approaching

Hello all

I have made a decision for Nicole Ray's blog! That's right, me, myself, I actually made a decision in a timely fashion! Alert the media… No applause please

I have decided that I am going to combine my two blogs. That means this blog will be moving over to playing the blind card. I hope that you all will consider following that site.  It really would mean a lot to me.

There has just been a lot going on with my life. It would make things a lot less hectic, if I only had two update one blog. I'm sure many of you out there understand what that is like. Family, writing, and normal life, have just gotten to be too much. In order for me to stay devoted to you as well as to my regular day today life, this move is a necessary evil

I absolutely love having both blogs. I like being able to keep the two worlds separate. Nevertheless, both worlds have always collided from time to time. There has always been random blindness topics discussed on this blog. Or there has always been a time where I would talk about my writing on playing the blank card. Therefore, this move is it a huge stretch I suppose.

I am going to be asking for a sighted persons help on transferring all the posts and links from this blog over to playing the blind card. Some of them, are already there. I appreciate yo blind card. I hope to see you all there as soon as you can. I don't want you to miss out on anything new. From this point forward all new posts will be done on playing the blind card. There will only be one last post on this site to let everyone know when things are official.

My YouTube channel will remain the same. I don't have very many subscribers on that yet. I hope that you all will consider signing up for that as well.  I do understand that my videos are a little boring for sighted people. I haven't yet done one that isn't completely black. The reason for this, is to give sighted people a chance to see a little bit of what a blind person sees. This is not how all the videos will be however. I plan in the near future to do an actual video where you can see me. Yuck! I admit I am not looking forward to that. I am a bit of a self-conscious person. You know what they say, we are our own worst critic.

Please continue following. I hope this hasn't caused any inconvenience. I look forward to chatting with you all in the future. I have also decided that the Facebook page for the Corprate is potentially going to be deleted. I hope that you will track down the playing the blind hard Facebook page and like that one for any future book updates

I really do love you all! You are a very important part of my creativity, my career, and my passion and reason for writing. I hope that you stick with me through the chaos patience while the rest are being transferred. I am not sure how long this move will take to be officially affective and permanent. So, it is a good idea to sign up for playing the bl

My Crazy Life

I would just like to take a moment to say I am terribly sorry. I haven't been active on this blog and am behind on deadlines. I am still here and devoted to my work. Unfortunately, as some of you know life as a single mommy sometimes takes over and things get jumbled.

It seems like lately, if it's not one thing it's the other. Have you ever stepped back and took an outside look at your life? That's what I've been doing lately. Things have gotten very distorted and out of focus. Seeings how I'm blind, that's a pretty big improvement.

I'm trying to get back in the swing of things and promise to be full fledge normal very soon. I've been working on the review process for Clandestine in audio practically none stop. I have also gotten several chapters of Sightless Spirits and the yet untitled book three of Bound In Blood. Divinity is still in the editing stages.

I've also been trying to plan a fun give-a-away for the near future as well as planning some future signings to get out in public.

It's difficult to get the word out and with lack of funds for advertising and travel, the job can be that much more combersome. This is a huge pitfall of self-publishing that I plan to adress more fully in a future post.

My goal is to start posting more here so that the blog reader base will increase. I want to talk about things you want to read about. If there is ever anything you want to hear about no matter what the topic is, please don't hesitate to drop me a line.

I am also very open to guest posts on this blog. Are you an author? Maybe you are a reader who loves books and wants to talk about them. Or maybe you are a reviewer or someone else with a love and passion for the literary world. Either way, if you want to do a guest post, I want to work with you.

Do you have any ideas for posts? Let me know what you're thinking and I'll try to make it happen.

I will tell you that I am really loving the Bound In Blood series and think you will all enjoy where it's heading in the future. There are more tweists turns magic and mayham then the first installment of Clandestine. There are new love issues and jam packed action to keep you craving more.

The audio book for Clandestine is going to be marvelous. The narrator Melissa Strom is amazing and I love love love the music by Toby Semane.

As always keep checking back for more updates. You can also visit me on Facebook by clicking the link on this site. Remember, every like the page gets, helps get the word out for free. Please help by pressing the like button for the FB page. I'm active on there and always respond to questions, comments and or messages.

I have been having Twitter issues so I admit I haven't been as active there. You can also find me on Good Reads where I host a group and am a member to several groups.

I also have my blog Playing The Blind Card where you can get more info as well. Oh and side not, I have been contemplating combining the two blogs. What do you think? I will keep you posted on that front as well. I hope that if this happens all followers will consider traveling to that blog.

Thanks for listening to my rambling and I will be back soon more:)

Down On My Hands And Knees Beggin For Help:)

I know that donating to a project or cause that you have no guarantee will be a success can be intimidating. Maybe you think your pledge won’t make a difference. Maybe you are leery of giving money to a stranger. No matter what the reason, I hope you will reconsider.

I assure you that every dollar earned will be going to this book project. My fans want it so much that it is crucial for me to get it done. That being said, there is no way I would ever back out of my end of the deal.

Kick Starter is a crowd funding website that aims to help connect people with creative projects with possible investors. A person has a limited amount of time to reach their goal. If their goal is not met, no money exchanges hands. That’s right, your money never leaves your wallet.

Second, if you decide to pledge, you will receive prizes for your generosity. Therefore, it’s kind of like purchasing something. Once the goal date has passed, all the people who supported the project will receive their items.

I plan to send people who pledge emails updating them on the progress on the production of the audio book. I am producing my books through a company called ACX. The narrator I have chosen is Melissa Strom. She is a well respected and very talented actress. She has agreed to stay on for the entire series which is anticipated to be four novels.

Again, I know it seems risky. Just know that I will never receive any of your financial banking information. All transactions are completed through Amazon Payments. This is a secure way to ensure your financial protection.

The reason it is so important to me to have my books done in audio is because… well, I myself am blind. I know what it’s like to look for a novel on Audible and have it not be there. That is one of the most frustrating things a book lover can go through. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, fans have written to me wanting to know when the series will be available in audio.

The only reason I haven’t done it by myself is because I haven’t had the money. My first book only just came out in August and the second will be out in December. Therefore, right now my funds are limited. I would never ask strangers for funds if it wasn’t completely necessary. This is the only way I can carry out this portion of my dream in a somewhat timely fashion.

I am a single mommy to two great little girls. I want them to be proud of their mom. Most of all, I want to build a career that will give them a better life. Yes, money can’t by happiness, but it is a big part of life.

I don’t want to depend on Disability income anymore. I want the pride of standing on my own two feet knowing that I’ve worked my buns off to get there. When I received my first royalty check of fifty dollars, you would have thought that I had been given a mountain of diamonds and gold ripe for the picking. I cried, knowing that this was my first real pay check. I earned it all by myself and not because of something that was beyond my control.

The town I live in is a difficult one for finding regular employment, especially when you have a disability. I have tried on numerous occasions to get a job. On all of those occasions I was turned down. They of course couldn’t tell me the real reason, but I knew what it was. They were intimidated by my blindness. They didn’t think I could handle the job, though I was more than qualified. I was never given the proper chance that I deserved and wanted so desperately.

You see, I have never been someone that enjoys getting something for nothing. That’s why it took me so long to decide on creating a Kick Starter project. I finally decided that it wouldn’t hurt to try. If someone didn’t want to pledge, they didn’t have to. If they did, then awesome.

I didn’t want to wonder for the rest of my life if it would have worked. It’s the what if’s that keep you up at night and kicking yourself in the end.

The great thing about a Kick Starter project is that you can back out at any time if you change your mind. The minimum pledge is one dollar, so breaking the bank is not a problem. You will have comfort in knowing that you helped in making someone’s dream come true. Someday when I’m as famous as James Patterson or any of the other great authors out there, you can say you helped me get to where I am.

I don’t plan to take your money and run. As I’ve said, you will get some really cool prizes for each of your donations. I will send you update emails and I’d like to keep in touch with you long after the project is completed. I want you to know that your contribution means a lot to me and I will never forget it or you. I will also be happy to respond to emails anytime, even if the project is done and the productions complete. After all, if it wasn’t for all of you, it wouldn’t be possible.

I only have until November first to reach my goal. That is less than two weeks away. So I am before you on my hands and knees begging for your support. Pretty please consider helping me achieve my dream. It would mean a lot and I’d be eternally grateful.

If I Knew Then What I Know Now

It’s less than two weeks from the release of my first book Clandestine

I’m so excited, nervous, scared and happy, all rolled into one overcrowded package. There are so many emotions running through my head that I am not completely sure what to do with them all. This has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember and it’s finally becoming a reality.

When I first became blind I never would have imagined I would have been an author. It’s not that blind people can’t write, because obviously they can. It’s just that I was in such a different place back then mentally, that I thought anything I desired was unattainable. I was so bitter, angry and negative that I truly thought I’d never accomplish anything bigger than making a sandwich.

Looking back on that version of me, I think… wow, what the hell was I thinking? When something in life happens to you that alters life as you thought you know it, the road can seem treacherous. I was such a Debbie Downer back then and I wish my present day self could have had a heart to heart with the me of the past.

I would have said” Guess what, your life isn’t that bad. You still have your health and people who love you. You still have all of your other senses. Yes this is hard. It’s probably the hardest thing you’ll ever go through, but it’s not the end of the world!”

Then because the me of the past wasn’t an agreeable person, she would have said, “Bite me.”

I still have my bad days when it come to my vision, or lack there of. The difference is that now I have learned to cope and accept the things about myself that I can’t change. Being blind has taught me so many things that I wouldn’t have otherwise learned and I’m eternally grateful for that.

If I had it to do over again, would I choose to have never gone blind? Honestly, I have no idea. The bigger part of me is screaming DUH!! OF COURSE YOU WOULD CHOOSE NOT TO BE BLIND!! The smaller part knows that if I hadn’t gone blind then several things that I’ve accomplished might not have happened.

For instance, I would have never started my blog Playing The Blind Card I may have also given up on the path of writing for a different career. Would I have been as happy as I am now? I don’t know.

I have been written about in the newspaper twice. I’ve gotten the opportunity to have a guide dog and meet several amazing people at the school where I met her.

I get the opportunity to appreciate the sound of my children’s laughter way more. Granted, the flip side of that is that I also get the ear splitting pleasure of listening to them fight and argue with me, but still.

I’ve always loved the expression “Go big, or go home”. It’s finally happening to me where I get to officially say “I’m going big!” Clandestine will be the first of many books to come. It is the first book in the Bound In Blood series. It’s a great Young Adult Paranormal read. I love it because it has the suspense of vampires that people love, but also has a humoring banter that will hopefully keep you laughing. It’s dark, but has a deeper message and it truly is a coming of age, rite of passage kind of story. People of all ages will love it and I hope you will all give it a go.

In the beginning, it will only be available online but hopefully soon you will find it in book store shelves everywhere. If you have a book store near you, request it. The more people that do will help get it on the shelves.

Once I have the exact book page links from the websites where it will be sold, I will post them here. So be sure to keep checking back!