IWSG: January 2019 Edition

Welcome to 2019. It seems like just last year when some people thought that the world's infrastructure would collapse when those clocks ticked around to 2000. A great way to celebrate the New Year is making my first blog post my contribution to IWSG. This amazing blogging group, and so much more, is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. Join us in supporting and helping each other in this crazy business of writing. Find the entire list of participants here.

The optional question this month:
What are your favorite and least favorite questions people ask you about your writing?

I guess my least favorite is people asking me if I've paid someone to publish my books. My favorite is when they ask me when my next book will be out. Nothing like a fan eager to read my books to make my day, week, and year.

2019 saw a lot of writers facing declining sales. The ebook market flooded with more books than there were readers to buy them. Marketing continued to be frustrating and ever-changing. What works with one book may miss totally with the next.

On the upside for me, I wrote four complete novels in 2018, completing the final edits for The Alien and the Engineer on Christmas Eve. I also outline the next three novels I'll be writing in 2019 and have started a longer outline for my next epic fantasy series. My first romance novel was published by New Concepts publishing in 2007. The Alien and the Engineer is the 26th novel of mine published by NCP.

A few things I'm looking forward to in 2019.

My new Old Farmer's Almanac Planner. I'll share lots of its wisdom with you starting today.
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Unknown
Next week, the new show, The Passage, based on the book by Justin Cronin premiers on TV. Even though the third book in that series was an incredible let down, the show looks pretty good.
Of course, later in the year, we'll have the last season of Game of Thrones and End Game for the Avengers.
I recently watched three seasons of The Travelers on Netflix. I had started it a while ago but stopped for some reason after a few episodes. I'm really glad I dove back into it. The last episode of season 3 has one of the greatest twists in a series ever.

Happy New Year to you all. May 2019 be filled with joy, contentment, and adventure.

"It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness." Charles Spurgeon

What are you looking forward to in 2019? Did you meet your 2018 goals? Do certain questions from readers bother you?

IWSG: November 2018 Episode

It's time for the first Wednesday monthly IWSG blog hop. Thanks to all the hard working people behind IWSG and especially to Alex J. Cavanaugh for starting the whole awesome group. Please visit the website and find the entire IWSG list of hop participants.

Each month there is a voluntary question participants can answer if they'd like.

How has your creativity evolved since you began writing?

Not sure I have an answer to that, but I'm interested in reading what other people say to this query. I would say that I've evolved a lot as a reader. I read across more genres than I did when I first started. I also am a pickier reader and buyer of books.

This past two weeks have had some ups and downs for me as a writer. Big downer was my third quarter royalties report. Ouch! Not buying that Rolls Royce yet. But then, I received a contract for my second book in my Star Ship Refugees series and then!!! two days later my publisher sent me a contract for the third book that isn't even written yet. I've never received a contract before the work is completed before. I'm thanking my small but mighty publisher, New Concepts, for their confidence in me. If you go look, you'll see my newest cover first and foremost on the publisher's homepage. Despite the low earnings, I'm plowing forward.

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." Will Rogers

One of my writer friends shared this post listing a number of writing contests covering the next few months. Maybe you can find one that interests you, and many of them are free entry.

The end of Daylight Savings Time always seems like the start of winter to me. I do get a lot of writing done in the winter, but I hate the cold. You're probably tired of hearing that. I do enjoy the scent of numerous fireplaces at work as it cools down, and the fresh air on a frosty morning.

The nose can distinguish between a trillion different smells.   The Old Farmer's Almanac

Speaking of the Old Farmer, I've been shopping for my 2019 planner. Still haven't found one I like better than my trusty Old Farmers Planner so you might be graced with lots more tidbits from it next year. Hope some of them make you smile.

"You have to believe in happiness, or happiness never comes." Douglas Malloch

Do you have a discerning nose? Has being a writer helped you be more creative? Do you love or hate Daylight Savings Time?

The Little Things

Writing is a tough business not just for the authors but also increasingly for publishers and all those who work for them. There are some small ways to help.

Despite Amazon's confusing policies on reviewing the books of people you know, leaving reviews for books you read really help authors. Don't just leave them on Amazon. Drop some lines on Goodreads, Smashwords, B&N or wherever you buy your books. It helps.

Retweet and share FB posts of writer friends who are making promotional announcements. Help them get the word out to a greater audience. It's a little thing that takes two seconds.

Another thing that is a bit bigger is to buy books directly from a publisher's website. Even some of the BIG boys are selling from their own site. When a publisher sells from their own site, they're not

sharing profits with a middle man like Amazon. The publisher can offer a book at a discount and still make more money on it than when it's with a retailer. AND the author makes more money also. My publisher, New Concepts Publishing, generally offers new releases exclusively on its site for a discount for thirty days before offering it to retailers. My reissue, Keepers of Sulbreth, is available there right now.

If you're going to an event, offer to hand out bling for other writers. I have a table at the massive York Book Expo in October. Like their new Facebook page here.  If you have bookmarkers, pens, stickers, or any other promotional material you'd like me to hand out to attendees, you can send them to me. I can't sell your books, but I'll had out your stuff that has links to you and your books. Drop me a line and we'll figure it out.

Support your local indie bookstores when you can. The only one near us sells only used books except during signing events. But I still visit when I can and have found some really great 'old' books that dress up my shelves. Even if you just go in and buy an expensive and high calorie drink at their cafe, that helps them stay open.

Do you have any ideas on little things to do to help fellow writers? I know the blogging community I belong to is great about sharing blog space but are there other things we can do? Any ideas? Does your publisher sell directly from their site? Have any bling you'd like to share?

Leap of Faith

Almost five months ago, I spend many an hour thinking about my writing career. I had dabbled in self-publishing my epic fantasy series that I'd required the rights back from Medallion Press. My heart wasn't in the commitment needed to be successful as an independent publisher of my own books. A chance comment overheard at my local writers' meeting led me to Musa Publishing. After some investigation and contacting an author I knew personally who had a book reissued through them, I submitted the first book on The Futhark Chronicles. Shortly thereafter, an editor asked me to send her the complete series before they made a decision. A contract for each book in the series followed. The professionalism and organization of Musa impresses me every step of the way. The first book will be reissued in February of next year and the others shortly thereafter.

I also had one romance novel with an excellent publisher while all my other romance books, including two in that same series, were with New Concepts Publishing. That single book with the other publisher had earned very small royalties from the very start to my disappointment. Though NCP doesn't normally do reprints, I contacted them and asked them to take on this book and reissue it. To my great delight, they not only took it on, but also decided to reissue the other two books in the series with new covers.

New cover for reissue

In today's publishing landscape, it is important to take charge of your career. In my first example, I evaluated my strengths and comfort and realized I would be happier if my books were with a small publisher even if I didn't earn the high percentage royalties as I would if self-published. When my book wasn't doing well at one publisher, I made the decision to take back my rights and then trust the book to another small press. In the second example, I retrieved my work from a place where it languished with virtually no sales and put it with a publisher where my books have had moderate to bestselling success.

The amount of relief I felt after taking that leap of faith to pull my books from one venue and entrust it to another can't be described. My books were being given a second chance at life and success. There are so many options for writers right now, it is important to keep searching until we find the best place for our books' success. I could have allowed my books and all the work I put into them to wither and be forgotten while I continued to work on new novels, but the effort to find them new homes was more than worth it.

Have you ever had a book reissued? Do you work with more than one publisher? I only have three now and that's enough for me. Have you ever taken your rights back from a publisher and for what reason?

Don't forget to visit IWSG blog today.

Sprints or Marathons?

First things first. This Wednesday is IWSG posting for October. And it's the day to post your offering for IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond. In my duties as human spell checker and minor editing details, I've read some terrific posts that are going to make this book very special. It's a great way to get your name out there in the nonfiction market too. Thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh for being the creative genius behind the idea and the leader in bringing it all together.

I was very busy last week editing a book for my romance publisher, New Concepts Publishing. It was that final read through to search out any misspelled words or misplaced commas. I always take my time with that because it's so easy for one's eyes to skip over those when you're reading a book for the fifteenth or so time. Every time I go through the editing process I appreciate my small publishers more. When it comes time to submit your book to a publisher you have to decide whether to go the small press route or submit to one of the big traditional publishers. Many, probably most, of the published authors I know are published by small publishers. Working with a small publisher puts your career on the marathon path more than the quick sprint to glory path.

Many small publishers offer either no or very small advances. If you're looking for dollars in the bank as a measure of success, you might not get that immediately with a small publisher. The income may be spread out over years and slowly build up to equal the advance you might have received from a traditional publisher. Earnings come strictly from royalties. If you receive an advance from a publisher, they will keep a reserve of earnings toward paying back that upfront money. Unless your book sells well, the advance may be the only money you ever see from the book.

Small publishers are likely to pay your a greater percentage on sales than a big publisher. Most will pay 25-40% on digital books. A small publisher usually lets an author have more say on cover design. A big criticism of traditional publishers is the length of time between contract and the actual publication date of the book. Small publishers having a much shorter turnaround time. I usually expect six months or less from my romance publisher.

Often small publishers are started by a writer who loves books and authors. When working for such a company the author can develop a very personal relationship with the owner, the editors and the other people working in the small company.

One of the dangers of a small publisher is that they can go belly up. I went through that a number or years ago. That bankruptcy clause in your contract will not prevent your books from getting tangled in the legal process. It can take years to get your rights back. It's important to investigate a small publisher before trusting them with your hard work. Also with a small publisher you're less likely to see your book on the shelves at the local B&N but most bookstores will arrange booksignings if you want to do them. When it comes to promotion, both small and big publishers expect most of the work to be done by the author.

So I'm involved in a marathon of a writing career. No big advance checks but I'm slowly developing a small steady income from the three small publishers I work with. Looking for a small publisher? Here's a list of 700 book publishers. Here's another list of the top 101 Independent book publishers. You might find something you like.

Are the other advantages you can think of for authors pubbed by smaller companies? What do you think is a reasonable percentage for authors to earn on their published books? Have you prepared your post for Wednesday's IWSG?

A Place At That Table

The war between Amazon and Hachette continues. Most of the writers I know haven't taken sides. The specific facts are being held secret but one thing we can all be sure of is that it's about the money. And by that I mean how much Hachette makes and how much Amazon makes on the books they sell. Both love writers only in so much as they make money for their companies. Both love readers because they buy the products Hachette and Amazon are selling.

Like many writers, when I started bleeding out that first novel, I imagined it on the shelf in bookstores and libraries. Book tours and signings ... and of course those lovely paychecks that would allow me to quit the day job and write full time. The dream slammed into the heavily fortified gates of the big boys of publishing. At that time, about eight years ago, they had no place for a science fiction romance though perhaps it would be labeled dystopian today. A small publisher took a chance on it and on my next ten romance novels. Shortly thereafter, speculative fiction romances took off.

I would love to sign a huge money contract with a big publisher but I'm content to be where I am, working with two small publishers. If they would ever listen to someone like me, I would tell the traditional publishers to get off their entitled asses and catch up. They jumped into the paranormal romance trend after small publishers made it popular. They dragged their feet getting into the digital market. And now Hachette is selling books right from their website? Did I hear that? Well guess what, Hachette, my small publisher has always done that. And not only do they sell them at a discount, when they sell a book directly from their website, they make more money and pay me a higher percentage. Win for them and win for their writer. Is Hachette paying their writers more if they skip the middle man? Or are they only providing links so readers can go to a different middle man than Amazon. Didn't investigate that.

It's not that I'm not concerned about the ongoing publishing war. There are probably ways it could affect those of us with small publishers too. Is Amazon a bully? Sure. Just like Walmart is to their vendors. Do most writers sell most of their books through Amazon? Sure. We all have a place at this table but we won't have much say in what is served.

So my romance books are available on my publisher's website at a discount. Here is an interesting article from The New York Times titled Amazon, a Friendly Giant as Long as It's Fed.

Do you feel like this battle affects you? Any advice to traditional publications if they want to stay in business? Do you shop at any of the 'bully' stores like Amazon and Walmart?

Don't forget to visit the IWSG site today for another enlightening post. Check out the new links found on all the pages.

So Long, February

I thought I would enjoy my first winter as a full time writer a little more than I did. Don't get me wrong, it was way better than teaching. But I lost count of how many times I shoveled snow this year. How many times has the weatherman said 'record lows?' So I'm glad to wave farewell to February though I hear another snow storm is coming our way on Monday.

There are many things to look forward to in March. I have some guest blogging spots coming up throughout the month. Some here and some where I'm visiting elsewhere. A couple of blog hops and of course I'll be preparing for A to Z challenge.


By this time next week, I'll have the third and final book in my Recon Marines series in the hands of my editor at New Concepts Publishing. Also good news, the second book, The Marine's Heiress is now available on Amazon Kindle.

Tomorrow is the monthly meeting of my local writers' group and that always gets me pumped up. I need that now as I'm gearing up to start my next series. I have three different ideas and I need to settle on one. It's always exciting to start out fresh.

Are you glad to see February end? Have plans going for March? Have you shoveled enough snow yet?

Mentioning Some Publisher Love

I recently received my quarterly statement from one of my three publishers. I've been with them for quite a while and my most recent release, The Marine's Heiress, is my eighth novel with New Concepts Publishing. Every quarter when I get my statement, I'm reminded of some of the reasons I'm glad I'm with a small publisher.

I published my first book with New Concepts at the end of 2007. It doesn't seem like such a long time ago but in book years, six years is leaning toward elderly for a fiction novel. In the bad old days of book publishing, a genre novel might get a few weeks in the sun and then might never be seen again. Thanks to ebooks, the shelf life of a book can be infinite. Every quarter when I get that sales report, that very first book is still making money for me. Not like it did in its first year or even its second, but people are still purchasing it.

Every time I have a new book released, I see a little bump in sales on my old books. Not one or two of them, but all of them. Not just ebooks, but print books also. New Concepts recently did some upgrades to their site so they can show off new releases and special sales even better. When they sell my books directly from their site, I make more money on it since the middle man is cut out of the profits.

Though my small publisher doesn't pay me an advance, with their support in keeping my books easily available I feel confident I will eventually earn an income from my books similar to what a larger publisher pays as an advance. As you've probably heard before, many books with the large publishers never earn back their advances and that is the only money authors ever see. I'm quite happy right where I am.

Do you remember the days when backlist books were difficult or impossible to find? Have you received advances for your books or do you earn only royalties? Do you have books that keep earning and earning for you? Want to shout out a 'love-ya' to your publisher?

Bestseller?

What writer doesn't want to see their names one of those iconic bestseller's list? New York Times or the USA Today? Wouldn't it be wonderful? What does it mean to you as a writer? What resources are used to determine those rankings?

I did some research on this and let me put it this way. It's complicated. Those two big name lists figure their rankings differently which is why their lists don't always match. This post would get very long even if I wrote about in even the most general terms. The USA Today lists seems to take ebook sales into account more but from my research its seems there are some mysteries involved in how exactly the numbers are arrived at. But one thing for certain about both lists. They measure the sales for one week, as one source called it, the velocity of sales.

For instance, a highly promoted book might sell like crazy on its release date. But if poor reviews come in the sales might drop off sharply. So a book that never makes the top of the lists but sells steadily over a period of time may out sell and out earn a book that hit the top ten for a week or two.

Many publishers, like mine at New Concepts, have a bestsellers list on their website. New Concepts sell a lot of books directly from their website which not all publisher do, so being on their list helps with sales.

And what talk of bestselling numbers would be complete without talking about Amazon ranking? Being on one of their top 100 lists gives an author a reason to tweet about. Getting one book on the top will lead readers to other of the author's books.

Have you been on a bestseller list? Do you buy books that are recommended by such lists? Have you ever investigated how those lists are determined?

Trust the Experts

I've been getting a little anxious about the fantasy book, First Dragon, that has a release date in November. Though it's been on the coming soon page for a while, I haven't seen the cover art. I'm very excited about the book and wanted a cover that would give life to the characters in the book. I worried for nothing.

Two days ago the publisher sent be a choice of covers, nearly the same but with minor differences, and asked me which one I liked best. What a choice! They were both perfect, better than anything I imagined.

For my last romance book, my other publisher, my editor suggested a change of title. She explained the reasoning, and I gladly went with her idea. And the book sold great.

I'm busy writing the second book in The Morbunda Saga that will continue the epic fantasy introduced in First Dragon. I have a title but I'm not  completely sure of it. If my editor suggests a change, I'll be happy to agree. Because I'm learning to trust the people who are the experts.

When a writer puts her name on the bottom of that contract, she knows she's turning over a lot of control of her work to someone else. It's an easy decision for me with New Concepts Publishing. I've worked with them for a number of years and they've been in the business longer than most small presses. They were a leader in the ebook market way back in the beginning. That beautiful cover for First Dragon is going a long way in building my trust in that publishers also.

Have you had a publisher change a title of your work? Has a publisher ever given you a choice of cover art? How long before the release of your book did you receive your coverart?

Editing Day

I'm ready to start a final read through of my latest novel, The Marine's Heiress, before sending it to my editor at New Concepts Publishing. I'm still worried about the balance between my science fiction and the romance in the novel, but I expect it to be a clean manuscript.

Clean means it will have a minimum of spelling and grammatical errors. I will also try to make sure it is formatted in the manner my publisher likes it. Many small publishers operate on thin budgets and the less work I cause them, the quicker they will get my book ready to put in the lineup for release.

Editing is work for me, even more so than writing a first draft. I do best when I do this last read through with few interruptions. I will spend hours on it and every hour I'm away from it I'll be thinking about it.

I'm not an editing expert but there are lots of places to go where experts have shared their experience with the rest of us. Just goggle editing tips. Here's one I read over before starting a new edit.

Sometimes editing can be overwhelming so never hesitate to ask for advice. If you have critique partners and alpha or beta readers they are invaluable but when it comes to the end, you must take the responsibility for getting it all right.

On the other hand, I enjoy the editing experiences I've had with New Concepts Publishing and Crescent Moon Press. It will be a relief to hand it all over to the professionals.

Do you keep editing tips by your side when you're working on revision? Any favorites that you turn to again and again? Ever have a bad experience with an editor?

Genre Blending

Most writers pitch their book at one time or another, either in person or with a query letter. In order to do, you have to be able to label your book. Where will it fit in on the shelves of a bookstore, be it a brick and mortar store or a virtual store?

I remember going to my very first writers' conference having just completed my very first novel. I didn't know it at the time, but it was in a really, rough draft form. I signed up for pitches to an agent and an editor. Before deciding which agent and editor to speak with, I investigated their areas of interest and made sure my book fit into their purview. I had to fit my book into a genre accepted at the time.

My book was a fantasy romance. The editor asked for a partial but the agent told me there was no market for that genre of book. Fortunately, a small independent press, New Concepts Publishing, worked with me and that book was published as The Greater Good. It continues to earn money every month.

I can't fault the agent who didn't want to represent such a book. That was right before the fantasy and paranormal markets took off. But my point was the blending of the two genres, fantasy and romance. So many books today don't fit into exact niches as was once required of them. Many books have multiple genres, paranormal and romance, fantasy and romance, dystopia and fantasy, historical and fantasy, and the list goes on and on. More publishers are open to those blended books, especially smaller presses.

But a writer still needs to categorize their books. Why? Mostly for marketing and promotion. My fantasy books have some romance in but no more so than Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. They are epic fantasies. The current romance series I'm working on have a futuristic science fiction setting but they are first a romance. Even though they did better on Amazon as science fiction, they are published by a romance publisher. Two genres blended in different ways and by different percentages.

Every writer needs to be able to label their work both generally and specifically. I write epic fantasy, fantasy romance and science fiction romance. What do you write? Do you have trouble putting your book in a niche? Have you ever read a book promoted as one genre but you felt it should have been labeled as something different?

No Golden Ticket

In a recent online discussion, a hopeful writer shared her discouragement because an agent told her that she didn't want to represent her well-written book because it couldn't be sold. It was a 'niche' book and unlikely to fit into any needs of the 'big' publishing houses. Those rejection letters are disheartening and most writers have received them at one time or another. Some of us have a nice collection of them.

Of course, many people joined the discussion and described similar experiences and offered lots or suggestions on what step to take next. The discouraged writer also posed the question about there being a secret to getting published, a magic ticket to the world of being a published author. Again, many of us have heard amazing stories about people being in the right place at the right time. But even if we save the life of a grateful agent or editor, no one is going to publish our work if it isn't a good story, well-written and structurally ready for publication. There is no golden ticket into the publishing world (unless you're a celebrity just getting out of rehab or prison).

Hard work and persistence will help you write your own ticket. You're probably tired of hearing about my book, The Marine's Queen, that is remaining in the top 100's, even the top 10, in three different categories on Kindle. I pitched that book years ago in a face to face with an editor for one of the big houses. She rejected it, never asked for the full manuscript even. I kept working and contracted numerous books with other indie publishers. Last summer I dusted the Marine manuscript off and did some rewrites and contracted it to New Concepts Publishing. Now it's the best selling

book I've ever had. And NCP pays me better per book than any big pub company would.

Smaller indie presses take chances on niche books, new writers and books off the mainstream. They can help you design your own golden ticket.

Have you ever had someone ask you what the secret was to getting published? If you're with a small press, do you still dream of one of the NY biggies calling you? Can you guess where publishing might be in five or ten years?

Liebster Award and Titles

I just came from updating my Goodreads list of books. I was adding Breaking Point by CJ Box to my TBR list since I have it sitting temptingly on the edge of my text. I'll probably start it later this week. When I searched for it on Goodreads, I just entered the title and was shocked to see around a dozen books with the same title pop up. Didn't anyone Google their book title before settling on it?

My romance publisher, New Concepts Publishing, changed the title of my last book during edits. The title I had selected was too close the title of another book. They asked me to come up with a few choices. I like The Queen's Marine. My publisher suggested The Marine's Queen instead. I won't go into their reasons but they must have been right. It's been my bestselling book ever and has spent the last two weeks in the top 100 for military romance and even had a short stint in science fiction military top 100 for a while. I guess the lesson here is to listen to your publisher if they suggest a title for your book. They know stuff.

I want to thank Barbara White Daille for giving me the Liebster Award. We met during the recent A to Z. As part of this, I'm supposed to answer the 11 questions she's provided. Instead of passing this award on, I'm going to just ask for you to share some of your own answers in the comments. That way I get to know a little about you.

1.  What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? It has to have peanut butter though I'm not a big ice cream fan.

2.  What type of book do you like best? Probably epic fantasy but I enjoy so many other things like scifi, romance, suspense, historical and just about anything except celebrity books.

3.  If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? I really want to live a little closer to the equator. I love the heat and hate the cold. But if I have to be cold give me Ireland or Scotland.

4.  What would you do with the money if you’d won a million dollars? Mundane answer but I would make sure my children are taken care of and then I would fund some scholarships for deserving students because I know how expensive college is these days.

5.  Which actor would play you in the next blockbuster film? Sandra Bullock though she's younger and much more beautiful. I think she could capture my attitude.

6.  What’s your favorite book from childhood? The very first book I owned was the true story of Smokey the Bear. I still have it. The first books I read over and over again were The Black Stallion books by Walter Farley.

7.  Would you like to read about a cowboy or a CEO hero? Cowboys!!!

8.  What do you want your grandchildren (or friends, if you have no grandkids) to remember about you? That I lived up to the last and loved well.

9.  What’s your favorite quote? Kind of a joke in our family but...Plan your work and work your plan.

10.  What do you like best about yourself? I'm a good mother and an actually kind person.

11.  What’s the most important item in your bucket list Don't have a bucket list. Maybe I'll make one now that I'm retired.

Would you share some of your answers to the above questions. Has your publisher ever suggested you change the title for your book? Have you encountered books with the same title by different authors?

A to Z Blogging Challenge: P

The 2013 A to Z Blogging Challenge is rolling along. Don't get stressed if you're not keeping up with visits and comments. Just do the best you can. You might not have time to visit everyone on the list. It's okay.  Below is my offering of writing advice and something I feel I already do in my part time career as an author but I will do it even more.

P: Persistence. We do some character education as part of our drug education unit at my school. One of our emphasis is on the characteristics of successful people. Number one is persistence. Successful people don't give up. They try and try, and then try again.

I queried dozens of agents and editors until I found a small press who wanted to publish my first romance novel. After having four romance novels published by small presses, I wrote my first fantasy novel. Again I searched and searched and this time earned a contract with a medium sized publisher. Then that publisher decided they were changing directions after they published my second book. I didn't want to change with them so I took that four book series back from them and self pubbed it. Now I've found another independent press to publish my second fantasy series and have also had three more romance novels published by the wonderful small press who believed in me first. I'm not on the USA today bestsellers list but I'm not giving up. I'll never give up.

Are you persistent? What frustrations have made you want to give up?

A to Z Blogging Challenge: I

Rolling along with the A to Z Blogging Challenge and still lots of stops to make and new friends to meet. Check out the list and you'll be sure to find a blog you want to follow.

I: Independents. The world of publishing is undergoing rapid change. I think one of the best things that has happened for writers in the number of small publishers, staffed by professionals, that are willing to look at our work. Often the small independent publishers will take a chance on a new author that the bigger houses wouldn't consider. They'll work with new writers and help them develop their careers.

I'm fortunate to work with a number of different small publishers. My romance publisher, New Concepts Publishing has been in a business for a long time and was one of the first successful ebook publishers. I can't say enough things about them. They did an excellent job on my most recent release on the cover. Like many small pubs, they have a quick turnaround from signing that contract to getting the edits done and then publishing the book. And they pay on time, every time. They're always open for submission.

Crescent Moon Press is my newest independent publisher that I'm working with on edits. I can't wait to see my cover for my upcoming epic fantasy.

As an author contracted by independent publishers, I also believe in supporting them by purchasing lots of books produced by different small houses. And I'll be doing more of it when I retire and have more time to read.

Do you buy books published by small presses? Have you ever submitted to an independent publisher?

Always a Writer

I had my first romance novel published by New Concepts Publishing almost six years ago. I had two children in middle school and two in high school. I was coaching field hockey and all my children were playing sports year round. Did I mention I was teaching full time also? I still don’t know where I found the time to write and edit that first book.

 Since that first book, I’ve had six more romances published and three epic fantasy novels. In the course of the next few months, I will have two more fantasy novels published and a new romance novel. My youngest two children are now in college and my responsibilities at home are much, much less than they were during the hectic times that first book came out.

 If someone had asked me six years ago what my career was I would have said I was a high school teacher. I’ll be retiring in June. Will I then answer that question as ‘a retired school teacher?’ Almost every writer I know also works at a ‘day’ job. Is that their career? Many of us love our day job, but is it our career? Teaching is one of my careers, but not the first one in my heart.

 Too many writers, me included, think of that day job as our career instead of calling ourselves writers. We’re writers all the time. How do you know you’re a writer?

 *You find those strange quirks in your relatives are perfect personality traits for one of the characters in your novel.

 *You watch the news and wonder how you can fit the depravities of your fellow man into the current antagonist you’re creating.

 *At a friend’s party you’re introduced to a new, lovely Chablis and figure out a way to work it into an intimate scene between your hero and heroine.

 *You’re flipping through a magazine in the dentist’s waiting room and come across a hot guy in a cologne advertisement. Looking around to make sure no one is watching, you stealthily tear out the page and put it in your pocket. You tack it up near your desk so you can refer to it as you create the hero of your next book.

 *Some posts a picture of a classic 1890’s wedding dress. You save the picture so you can describe the dress as the one your heroine wears on her wedding day.

 *You watch hours of the History channel as they describe medieval warfare or ancient superstitions. Oh, and those angels and demons segments or how about the specials on making bread in a stone oven or ancient cooking techniques over an open fire?

 *The patch of woods behind your house take on a sinister air. And is that large hawk actually a real raptor or something else? Is it watching your family?

 Writers see possible plot twists, interesting characters, and descriptive scenery everywhere. Being a writer isn’t a hobby one works on like a weekend warrior. The job is everyone and all the time. Ideas, plans and even the word we want to use in a scene, come to us at all times. In the middle of dinner, while watching a TV show, while negotiating traffic and often during those hours on the day job.

 My challenge to you and myself is to announce bravely to the world that we are writers. We’re writers all the time not only when we sit down at the keyboard. Even when I’m teaching those rowdy teenagers, I’m a writer. When I’m throwing together dinner for my husband and me, I’m a writer. Writing is a job that never takes a rest. Even we when say we’re taking a break, our typing muscles are the only thing resting. The next time someone asks what you do, tell them you’re a writer who also works at another job.

Can you add to the list of how you know you’re a writer? Do your fellow workers at the day job know you’re a writer? Even tear one of those ads out of a magazine?

This Time of Year

I hate the cold. I hate getting out of a warm bed in the morning. Like many of you, I'm sure, I keep my house in general on the cool side to save energy costs and the bedroom is a little frosty in the mornings.  But...there's always on of those...I do get a lot of writing done in the winter because I stay indoors as much as possible.

My editor at New Concepts Publishing shocked me yesterday with the return of my manuscript with all the first edits done and ready for me to go through again. I wasn't expecting it until next month. Guess that makes my plans for this weekend pretty solid. And the temperatures are going to dip again so it's inside for me.

But next year at this time, I hope to take a mini vacation/writing retreat of sorts to a warm weather location and do some writing in the sunshine. Did I mention I hate the cold? I'm  not a huge fan of the beach because the ocean is so durn noisy and so are the people lounging about there. But early morning walks and digging my toes into the sand sound pretty good right now.

We had a little snow for Christmas and that's enough for me. I'm ready for a little warm weather and outdoor exercise.

So this weekend, I'll be watching some Dr. Who and editing a manuscript for what feels like the 1000th time. I'll also be wishing for warmer weather.

What are your plans for the weekend? Is winter dragging on for you or you one of those cold weather fiends? Are you keeping your house cooler than you used to?

Goal Setting

As a health teacher, I do a lot with students about setting goals. I know this audience doesn't need to read any of my lectures on the importance of working toward something. Many of my fellow bloggers have already publicly shared their goals for 2013. Putting it out there is a great motivator to help one strive to meet those goals. My turn.

First my excuse for not doing this right at the start of the year. I was too busy with a deadline. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I really did have an artwork questionnaire and other work hanging over my head for one of my contracted books. The fact that my children were home from college and I wanted to spend every possible minute with them is only incidental to the lag time in my goal setting.

Goal #1  Finish my last read through on The Heir of Futhark and send it to my editor. Get the artwork ready. Make changes suggested by my editor. Publish this last book in The Futhark Chronicles on Kindle and Smashwords. My self-imposed deadline is February 28th.

Goal #2 Complete editor suggested changes for my newest futuristic romance novel, The Marine's Queen. New Concepts Publishing has set a tentative publication date as March 29th.

Goal #3 Complete editor suggested changes for First Dragon, the first book in The Morbunda Saga. Crescent Moon Press has contracted this, my second epic fantasy series. I've  very excited about it though I don't know the publication date yet.

Goal #4 Set up blog tours and do mega promotion for all three books above. My biggest challenge.

Goal #5 Use my new camera to take more pictures I can use on my blog.

Goal #6 Complete two more futuristic romances for New Concepts Publishing.

Goal #7 Complete the second book in The Morbunda Sage. It's about half finished now though untitled.

Goal #8 Do some traveling. With my son doing an internship in Colorado Springs from May to November, I'm heading west. Then my daughter is at Boston University. Seeing her every two or three months isn't often enough for me so I'll be heading north on occasion. I have a sister in Washington State. I've always wanted to see those mountains. I have a sister in Mississippi, a very warm place to visit in the winter. I have a sister in New York State, pretty much on my way to Boston.

In case these goals seems ambitious, remember this is the year of retirement for me. I'm going to try and be a full time writer starting in June. I hope it works.

Did you all set your goals? Any place you're intending to visit this year? Is your family spread out like mine?

A Lid for Every Pot

I might have mentioned I finally threw away all those old rejections I had filed away when I cleaned my desk. Though cleaning my desk is a form of procrastination, it's something I always do when I finish a project before I move onto the next. But this time I went deep into the stacks and files.

I have some thick and battered manila folders where I'd carefully stored rejections. When I received them my email, I used to run off a copy. I told myself it was a good way to keep track of editor and agent names as well as keep their words of advice and encouragement close. As I tossed them into the trash, some were over five years old, I reread the ones that weren't just form rejection letters. And laughed.

Some editors and agents were kind enough to remark on my work. Let me give an example for the very first romance novel I shopped around, The Greater Good. One editor told me the world building was wonderful and my characters lovable, but my writing needed to be tighter. Another editor told me my writing showed talent and a strong voice, but she found my world building needed work. If I had combined all the praise I'd been given on the book into one letter, it was the perfect novel. If I combined all the criticism, the was nothing right about the manuscript. Fortunately, New Concepts Publishing, thought the book worthwhile taking a chance on.

Reading through the rejections reminded me of a lesson I learned back when I received my first contract. Tell a good story, edit your work to as perfect as you can make it, and you'll find a way to get it published. Yes, my contracts are with small indie presses, but I like them. I love the personal contact. I love the way they teach me more about the industry. Recently, I found another small press who is taking on my newest epic fantasy series. As my grandmother used to say, 'There's a lid for every pot.'

Perhaps the 'lid' for your work is to self-publishing. I'm involved in that also with my first fantasy series that I took back my rights for from a small publisher that wasn't helping my career along. It was the right path for me.

So have you found a 'lid' for your writing? Do you think the state of the industry provides more opportunity to new writers now than in years past? Have you learned anything from your rejections? Ever get conflicting rejections?