Opportunities to independently publish your books are the greatest advantage writers have been given in the last decade. Still, there are moments when you want to quit. You’ve written a book. Completing the first book is often a thorny path. You don’t simply sit down and type away on your computer until your first masterpiece... Continue Reading →

Rundāle Palace is a magnificent baroque palace, originally the residence of the Dukes of Courland. Its name comes from the German Ruhenthal, which translates as Valley of Peace. Alas, the beautiful edifice’s history was anything but peaceful. It started with a manor that had stood where Rundāle Palace now stands. The mention of that manor... Continue Reading →

Have you seen many places where three castles stand at a cannon-shooting distance from each other? Welcome to Sigulda area! Built in different centuries, by different rulers, three magnificent edifices, solemn witnesses of the times long gone, still stand on the banks of the Gauja River. ·         Castle of Livonian order or Sigulda Medieval Castle... Continue Reading →

Nowadays, if you don’t leap into every “opportunity” with over-the-top enthusiasm, you are accused of having defeatist behaviour. Common sense, logic, deduction – all of these things get discarded and labelled “old-fashioned”. “Take chances”, “believe the impossible”, “what if” are new slogans you have to chant if you want to be seen as progressive and... Continue Reading →

Turaida Castle is over 800 years old. Still, despite its impressive age and versatile history, it is most famous for the tragic story of Rose of Turaida. It was the year 1214 when a man with huge influence in the region, Albert, Archbishop of Riga, decided that he needed a proper castle in place of... Continue Reading →

I don’t think I’ll deviate too far from the truth if I say that the phrases “book promotion” and “book marketing” never fail to send chills of dread down indie authors’ spines. It’s not that there aren’t options available to showcase your books to the world. Options are plenty. The main stumbling blocks are money... Continue Reading →

When it comes to indie author’s daily life, there are more, of course. Still, these two are my personal favourites among my demons. Time management. Yes, sounds rather pompous, like something those smiling, shining positivity gurus teach us, mere mortals, so we can have a chance for a better life. In fact, time management is... Continue Reading →