Good News! Options, We Love Options!

Wishes do come true! Indeed they do!

SNARKY RESPONSE: That's not a fortune cookie fortune

Yes, Snarky Me has called me out, but she doesn't mind because we're throwing ourselves a little party today!

Why?

Because I just got official word that COLLECTOR'S ITEM is now available in paperback! Isn't it BEE-U-T FUL?

Alpha were-jaguar, Katarina "KT" Marant is trained to protect the pride so when her aunt disappears, KT naturally takes up the hunt. Her suspicion settles on the Collectors, humans who view shapeshifters as the ultimate big game.

Peyton Allers can't believe he's got to blow his cover to rescue a shapeshifter "princess." Even harder to believe is that she wants to stage her own kidnapping in order to catch the leader of the Collectors and find her aunt.

Everything goes sideways when KT is kidnapped for real and by someone she never suspected. Will Peyton find her before time runs out? Or will she become a true Collector's Item?

Available NOW at

The Wild Rose Press

 and on Amazon

It's truly yet another dream realized. I've got a book in paper!

Novellas in paper are generally not considered a profitable price point, which is why I resigned myself to not realizing this dream for a while. THEN, TWRP, who had granted my First Wish of publication, granted my Second Wish of print publication!

I have to thank my editor, Callie Lynn Wolfe, and my publishers, RJ Morris and Rhonda Penders at The Wild Rose Press, for what they do to support me and all the Roses.

I hope that if you or someone you know prefers reading physical books, you'll consider picking COLLECTOR'S ITEM to Place On Your Book Shelf!

Wow! I actually get to say that!

COLLECTOR'S ITEM can be put on your book shelf!

Happy dancing!

COLLECTOR'S ITEM - EARLY RELEASE TODAY!

OMG!

I knew it was going to happen this month.

I knew that my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, was putting my book on the Kindle KDP program for early release this month.

I KNEW it.

But knowing is not the same as SEEING!



And today--It's There! COLLECTOR'S ITEM is available for the Kindle on Amazon.com.

You know, sometimes reality IS better than imagination.

MONDAY FORTUNE COOKIE, 9/1/12

Infinite patience produces immediate results.

SNARKY RESPONSE: Talk about an oxymoron! Infinite patience produces immediate results? Patience infers passage of time. And Immediate, well, now, I'm hearing that old joke about someone shouting at their microwave – Hurry!

Infinite patience produces immediate results.

Attempting a career of any kind requires a huge helping of patience. No one becomes successful alone. It takes time to build a groundswell of any size. Not to mention the patience it takes to produce a finished product like, say, a book.

To my knowledge, no successful writer has ever written a publishable book in one sitting. Certainly, there have been instances where a completed manuscript is highly satisfactory, but it is far from polished. After the story has been set down, there is editing for grammar and plot, fine-tuning of continuity and dialogue, filling in setting and character, to name a few. These steps are crucial and must not be skimped on if you hope to produce a polished work. Of course, if you're not interested in craft and just want to see you name in print in a self-published book, you might skip those steps, but skip them at your own peril.

Like words spoken in haste, a reader's experience with your book is something you can't erase.

Make sure that you've gone over every chapter/paragraph/word to make sure it was necessary, succinct, and factually/grammatically correct. Readers have enough books stacked up on their TBR pile that if they become disillusioned with your book for any reason, they can just shunt you aside for someone who did the work. Don't be That Writer.

All that work and patience may not result in immediate results, but it will guarantee consistent results—positive reviews and most importantly, Sales!

My enovella, The Festival of The Flowers: The Courtesan and The Scholar, took several years to finish and polish to the point where I could actually submit it to publishers. It found a home at The Wild Rose Press. And I'd like to think that all my work and then the work I did with my TWRP editor comes through to the reader.

Now, my second enovella, Collector's Item, is in the final stages of edits with my editor at The Wild Rose Press and once more I am glad that I have taken the time and practiced the patience required to produce what I hope will be a quality result.

As they say, anything worth being done is worth being done well! Or at least to the best of your ability. Short cuts only cut you short. Be patient with yourself, your writing, and your career and you will see positive results. I'm certain of it.

MONDAY FORTUNE COOKIE 8/12/12

"You will be successful in everything."

SNARKY RESPONSE: Okay, first, Fortune Cookie Guru, you no longer "foretell" anything, instead offering only platitudes, and now you're pandering. Someone, pass me another cookie, at least I can get my sugar fix.

"You will be successful in everything."

No one believes that one, but I truly believe that you can be successful in anything you pursue with dedication and determination. Granted a measure of "realistic expectation" must be dumped into the mix, but you can't get there from here without hard work. This applies to all facets of your life, but here I'm talking about writing.

What is success anyway? Is it a measurable point in time or checkbook balance? To be successful, you have to determine first what it is, and then what is involved in getting there.

Does being a successful writer mean being on the New York Best-Seller List? Then, more than likely, you need to chart a course for one of the Big Publishers and build your platform to attract their attention. Very few folks get to the NYBSL without that kind of support.

Does being a successful writer mean being published, period? Then, determine what medium is best suited to your type of writing. Self-publishing doesn't carry the stigma it once did, but it doesn't serve the best interests of every writer. Small presses are carrying a lot of water now and could be just the team to take you over the goal line. ePublishing offers versatility and relevance in an electronic age, but is it your final destination or a stepping stone?

All of these venues are valid "end goals" and I encourage you to investigate them all as you plot your course.

For me, the goal is to see my story in print, be it on paper or electronic, and to be judged a good enough writer to be paid for it. Crass, yes, but think about it. If you've spent days/weeks/months/YEARS working on something, investing all that time and effort, you can't be blamed for expecting some recognition.  And what better recognition than to have someone exchange their hard-earned money for it. It's not crass, it's about a craftsman being recognized for his trade. And you, my dear writer, are a craftsman, be it prose or poetry, fiction or non, long or short.

Additionally, I would add that any goal you set for yourself (1) is not set in stone--you can change it at any point, it's YOUR goal after all; and (2) is a moving target in that the outside influences on attainment should be factored and adjusted accordingly. Regularly review your goals, check your target for validity, and then be flexible enough to adjust as required.

Finally, "they" say, "Success is a journey, not a destination." (I can't find a definitive citation, but it's bandied about regularly) While it may sound to the snarky like a cop-out, it's a valid point. Even if we don't attain that grand goal, the fact that we continually strive to attain it makes us different from those who don't even try.

That, my dears, is worth celebrating as much as the rest!

So, how do you measure success?

Following Through Can Win The Prize!

Any writer who has attended a writing conference has heard about pitch sessions and most have participated. In most cases, writers who have targeted the correct editor or agent for their type of writing will receive a request for submissions: a query letter, a synopsis, a chapter or two and sometimes a full manuscript.

Do Not Drop The Ball On This Opportunity!

This request is golden for writers aspiring to publication because it moves you out of the "unrequested" slush pile, into the "requested" pile, and that much farther up the line to being considered for publication. Of course, there are no guarantees regarding acceptance, but anything that ups your odds is a good thing.

As a result of this process, I'm thrilled to announce that my novella, Collector's Item, has found a home with The Wild Rose Press. Wow, that sounds so cut and dried. I'm actually loop-de-looping the moon and making noises that no woman of my age should make in public.

This all came about thanks to the Virginia Romance Writers For the Love of Writing Conference last May. There, I had the opportunity to pitch my novella to several agents and editors. I sent out my submission documents as requested and The Wild Rose Press requested the full manuscript.

I had been fortunate to make my first novella sale to them with The Festival of The Flowers: The Courtesan and The Scholar. Would lightning strike twice?

With a pounding heart, I sent Collector's Item to the Senior Editor of the Black Rose Line - their paranormal line. And after some discussion about and revision of my manuscript, they offered, and I accepted, a contract to have Collector's Item published as an enovella.

Major celebrations continue to be held, believe me! I've resigned myself to sounding like a teenager who just sighted the latest heart-throb. It would be embarrassing if I wasn't just so darned excited!

Now the hard work of polishing my novella for publication begins. Working with The Wild Rose Press on final edits, marketing information to be created, a cover to be designed, and a publication date to be set. But it's the kind of hard work we writers dream of while we craft our current Works In Progress.

May you have the same good fortune, if you haven't already. Just remember, Follow Through!