Here’s an excerpt of my nonfiction book to help aspiring authors self-publish their books. Although this book is in the revision stage, I wanted to share it here to build up some buzz before it is launched. Your feedback is much appreciated.

An excerpt from The Accessibility of Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing

After a failed attempt at being a published author, the birth of a child and a rough divorce from my first husband, my dream of being a writer got pushed aside for several years. During the time I spent recovering from the pain of emotional and verbal abuse, I felt as if God were calling me to start writing again. After discovering the blessed gift of music, I found that it could be used in many different aspects of life. For me, it was a wonderful source of healing and inspiration.

By learning how to feel the music and letting it resonate with me, I allowed myself the freedom to let my creative juices flow and write down the ideas that came to me. The first attempt at fleshing out a story idea was made on my Perkins Brailler. After I purchased my first laptop, I typed up the story, rewriting some scenes, while adding more chapters. However, about halfway through the book, the idea fizzled out. After attempting to earn my associate degree in communications through Caplan University’s online learning program, my second attempt at writing a novel from my heart and my computer going on the blink for a while, I wrote my first successfully published full-length novel. The inspiration for A Journey of Faith came from several dreams of climbing, a song or too, and a host of other books and aspects of the world around me.

I would be remiss if I didn’t give credit where credit is due. My brother-in-law, Jim Trip, gave me some pointers after I described my book idea while revising my first draft. “Hey Jim, I’m writing this book I want to get published soon,” I said to him as he stepped into the hall toward my room one night while he and Robby were over for dinner.

“Tell me about the book. He stepped into my room while I sat at my computer.

“Well, it’s about this girl named Becca Martin who takes this journey to find her way back to God. “I proceeded to describe the journey when he interrupted my monologue.

Wait a minute! You can’t simply say that she’s going on a journey to find God. You’ve got to have something happen to turn her away from God. What happened to cause her to lose her faith? What caused her to be afraid of climbing? People don’t just turn away from something they’ve believed in all their lives, something has to happen to make her not trust in what she believes in, or nobody’ll want to read the story.”

His words started nagging at me as he spoke. “You know, I never thought of it that way. You’ve got me thinking. Let me think on this and I’ll let you know what I come up with,” I promised as we went into the kitchen to eat dinner.

“What were y’all talking about back there. Y’all stayed in that room for a long time,” Robby commented as we sat down at the table.

“Ann was telling me about her book and I just told her that she had to have something happen to make readers want to read it.”

“He gave me something to think about, too.”

About the author

I am the proud single mother of a beautiful daughter, who is often the inspiration for many of my stories featuring children. I have three nieces and a nephew whom I love from the bottom of my heart.

 I have found music to be a great source of healing throughout rough and painful times in my life. I also find it to be a great source of inspiration through traditional means and through the world around me. 

About my blindness:

Although I was not born prematurely, I was placed in an incubator and given 24 hours of oxygen, when I should have only received eight. This excessive amount of oxygen caused my optic nerves not to develop properly, resulting in my blindness. I have light perception in my left eye, and none in my right. The right eye was removed when I was eighteen months old and I have worn prostheses since then, until recently. I have used a cane since I was about five years old, accept during the period from April 2006 to March 2009, when I worked my one and only guide dog named Star. She was a black lab Golden retriever mix from Southeastern Guide Dogs.

Where I live and work: I currently live in Rochelle, Georgia near my parents and one of my two brothers, when he’s not working on the road. I have worked from home for various freelance clients, while writing my novels. These clients include Mia Bysinger from Rushcube, a web development company and Earnest Dempsey’s Word Matters Blog.

Why I write: First of all, I love creating stories that will entertain my readers. Through these entertaining stories, I also hope to either share the message of God’s love or bring back childhood memories, through my Children’s books. I journal for healing and brainstorming. I am writing non-fiction to help aspiring authors self-publish their own books through Amazon

Hobbies: My hobbies include listening to music and podcasts, reading, crocheting and sitting out on the front porch on a warm day.

Music I enjoy: I love listening to classic country music, instrumental pieces such as classical, new age piano pieces and film scores. I also find that the environment is filled with natural music.

Podcasts I find educational and entertaining: I have a variety of podcasts I listen to on a daily basis. Some of my favorites include: The Author Stories Podcast with Hank Garner, The Creative Penn, I Should be Writing, Ditch Diggers, Eyes On success, how do you Write and Writing Excuses.

My favorite authors and genres: I love to read books by Karen Kingsbury, Janette Oke, Hope Callahan, and I love finding new authors. My favorite genres include: Christian fiction, cozy mystery, sweet romance and Romantic suspense. I’ll also read the occasional memoire.

My Faith: I am a Christian. I believe that Jesus died on the cross to save my soul. In God’s word, Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6, KJV)

Find and Follow Ann

Website  Twitter   Facebook   Amazon Author Page    Electric Eclectic Books

Interviews with Ann can be found on the following sites

Campbell’s World    The PBS Blog    Books and motivation    Branco events 

Also by Ann Harrison-Barnes
Click the title or images to go to Amazon

A Journey of Faith: A Stepping Stones Mystery

Twenty-eight-year-old Becca Martin witnessed a tragic accident at the age of twelve. Sixteen years later, she embarks upon a journey that she believes has somehow been chosen for her by God. During this journey, she hears a voice in the back of her mind crying, “God help me!”, as memories she didn’t understand as a child begin to resurface in her nightmares and during the journey itself. Was this tragedy a freak accident, or is there more to the incident that meets the eye? The owner of Sweet Water State Park calls Zac Johnson and Jason Miller of the Tensiltown Police to investigate various incidents out on the bike and foot paths. During their investigation, Jason meets Becca along her journey and they both feel strongly drawn to each other. She longs to help the police of this small village investigate these incidents, but in order to do so, she must face her fear of climbing the rocks at Sweet Water Park, while caring for her ailing aunt and helping her uncle to run the diner. Jason vows to stay close beside her every step of the way, but can she fully trust him and the girl in the white robe that seems to pop up out of nowhere when trouble arises? Who is the real bad guy? How does God reveal what happened on that unforgettable day on the rocks with her family? Does the memory of the incident help the police solve this rock-climbing mystery? Find out more as the author pulls you into the first novel in her spine-tingling, heart-warming Stepping Stones mystery series.

Anthologies containing Ann’s work

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