Lessons Of Publishing...

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I had a blast!

I'm working on a short story for the Ladies and Gentlemen of Fantasy, which, is still looking for submissions. My friend Jenna works on an annual anthology, Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror, which the newest edition will be out around Halloween.

I'll give you the link, much easier that way. Information is on Facebook, if you need me to send you details, by all means, contact me.

But that isn't the purpose of today's topic. I just keep forgetting to mention it and my head hurts enough without the added pain of facepalms...

No, today's topic is more of a reminder to newbie authors out there, just stepping into the publishing world. Before you sign ANY contract with ANY publisher, CHECK. THEM. OUT.

There are lots of small presses out there. Lots of creepy scam artists just waiting to take advantage. No one likes to feel like an idiot after all is said and done, but remember, even the smartest people can still be conned.

There are lots of available resources out there for you to use. One of them being Absolute Write's Water Cooler. They have forums where there are lists of posts of who's good, who's bad. They also link you to Preditors and Editors.

If all else fails, check the Better Business Bureau, or even better, the Bad Business Bureau.

But nothing can beat good old fashioned word of mouth. With Twitter and Facebook and all these other social media places out there, just simply ASK if any authors have heard good or bad about anyone you might be interested in submitting your life's work to.

Sometimes, even after you've done all the digging you can, you still might end up having issues. Just remember that no contract lasts forever and you can always find a better fit somewhere else. But listen to your instincts, see if you're a good fit. Talk to other authors. Don't listen to petty gossip, because sometimes you won't get the full story, so make sure you do your homework.

Research. Research and more research. It's just like writing, you have to look hard when looking for someone to help promote your 'baby'. What are they going to do for you that you can't easily do for yourself?

Good luck!

Have any links to share of places to get info? Post in the comments below and as always, feel free to share your advice.

Powerful Scenes...

I was helping out with dinner the other night.

Okay, so all I did was pull the leaves off of the cilantro. But still!

While pulling off those leaves, my mind suddenly began to crank and turn as it usually does when I'm right in the middle of something messy...

And a scene was born.

Mind you, this is for book three. Not TWO, but THREE.

Just so we're clear on that.

But the scene was so powerful, and the images formed in my mind so effortlessly, so seamlessly. I was floored.

Then, I had to talk to two people in particular. First being my husband. It involves Black Rose, the character he had created and allowed me to use for these books. Then I had to hop on Facebook and message my friend Liz, because it involves Laria, who is her baby.

Would they do something like this?

The response was affirmative. Which made it even better, because that means I know these characters (and people) that well. But I suppose it really shouldn't surprise me when a powerful scene plays into my mind, yet it always does.

I'm very thankful to have this gift. I'm also very thankful that I finally got over my initial shyness and have decided to share my gift with all of you. It is something I told my daughter, once, when she was hit with nerves about performing in front of people. (She sings and plays guitar.)

I told her, "Honey, you've got an amazing gift. But no one will ever know unless you share your gift."

So if you're just getting into the writing biz, please share your gift. Even if you inspire just one person, then it won't be for nothing.

Not Fun...

Wow, I was totally unprepared for anything last week. Had maybe two posts go up and then I got sick. I thought I'd be able to post a couple little bits, but sadly that didn't happen.

I'm feeling much better, but now trying to play "Catch Up" on everything!

My desk still looks like a bomb went off on it. That is one of the things I didn't get to.

I did a lot of reading... well, more like "trying-to-get-past-these-first-few-pages-oh-please-let-this-book-get-better", rather than reading. I think I dumped six books off of my Kindle in one night before I found something I could actually get into.

Here's the thing. I love reading indie authors. I really do! I just don't like how when I choose the books, I have to filter through twenty of them before I find the gem.

Here is why I dumped those six books:

1 - There was one book where the author told me everything. I was sitting through a six page narrative and being shown very, very little. I didn't connect with anything in that book at all. And before I got too invested in it, I skipped ahead and was still being told. So I dropped it.

2 - One book started off great and hooked me, then flopped because it wasn't getting to the point. It more or less was beginning to be all about the teenage girl ogling the "strange, mysterious" boy beside her. I suffered through several chapters with no more information than I had when I started.

3 - Flat, flatter and flattest! No substance to the characters, the story and even the world they were presented in.

They wrote such great blurbs for the books! But once I started reading, it all fell apart very quickly. Typos, grammar errors, lots and lots of mistakes. One dimensional characters and lifeless dialogue.

Maybe being sick made me a bit more grouchy and snarky than usual, but I really had to look at these books, and the authors, and wonder... what the heck?

I know my writing isn't perfect and that I tend to repeat phrases a bit too much. (I'm not the only one!) But I care about what my story is going to look like once it is out in the real world. I'm even ashamed when I come across a typo. (I surely should have caught that before it went to print!!!) But it does happen. I can't fault anyone for being human. But I can sigh and be exasperated at people who do seem to have a talent for writing, but are in such a rush to get their work out there that it is riddled with mistakes.

Sad thing is, that could have been me at one point last year.

I was in such a rush to get my story out there, to put it in the hands of everyone I knew would love it, that I didn't want to take the time to fix it. But I had to. I didn't feel comfortable self publishing my book because I was afraid it, too, would have so, so many errors that people would get through the first paragraph and then just remove it from their e-reader.

Again, I say this: If you are going to self publish your book, polish that baby up! Be proud of what you have created and take the time to dust off the mistakes and clean around the edges to make it shine and be something you can be proud of, not something you want to shun later on down the line.

What turns you off about a book? What advice do you want to give to authors in a rush?

Insecure Writer's Support Group...

It's the first Wednesday of the month! You know what that means, don't you? That's right. Insecure Writer's Support Group brought to you by our very own Ninja Captain himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh. That is the link you click if you want to be a part of this wonderful, helpful blog hop.

On to the insecurities! And I have a plethora of them.

Mainly, these days, I'm worried about my book. I have to use this time to vent a little bit, guys. I can't help it. But that's what this blog hop is about, right?

I submitted last year. On my birthday to be exact and was accepted right away. Best birthday present ever! I was cautious about things when they mentioned a May release, but I was hopeful. However, it didn't happen and that was cool with me. I know how things can get screwed up.

My release date has been pushed back a few times, through no fault of mine or my publisher. Things happen. Accidents, sickness and deaths in the family all overshadowed book releases. Completely understandable and don't get me wrong, I am NOT complaining about my publisher.

So what is my insecurity? My own personal jumping-the-gun, impatience and oh-my-god-people-must-think-I'm-insane-ness. Meaning, I wanted to be as organized as possible for when my book did release. I wanted to have a schedule for everyone involved in the blog tour/book launch. Then, to my dismay, I had to inform those people that the book just wasn't going to be ready. Not once, but twice.

*sigh*

So my apologies to all of those involved. I've been silent the past few weeks simply because I don't want to say, "Hey the book should be out on such and such date!" and then have it not happen. And in all of this, I don't want it to reflect poorly on me for wanting to be prepared. I'm not THAT much of a flake, I don't think. I'm just overly excited and anxious to have my book available to the world.

So that's my insecurity for the month. How do you handle it when you have to push back a release date? Does it hurt your reputation as a writer or do people just not focus on it like I do? Thoughts and encouragement is always welcome! Have a great day and I'll be hopping around to read your posts.