Standing out in a crowd of new releases

Congratulations to giveaway winners, Vera Carter, Nancy Little, and Nichole Nace

Ahem. Standing on my soapbox, pulling out my bullhorn.

“Welcome ladies and gentlemen! I’m very excited to announce the release of my latest book, RISING MIST. This third in the “Mist” series (which each stand independently) follows social worker Max Maitland, who is trained to help people, not leave them vulnerable to evil. His unexpected and unwanted legacy bestows upon him a spirit beast—a cougar—to help protect him and his sister. Bound to his sister by their legacy, Max is frustrated at the prospect of sacrificing his own goals and dreams like his bachelor uncle before him.

Robin Chandler’s reputation as a mural artist allows her temporary escape from her native Sedona, Arizona, away from the ex-fiancé who cheated on her and where she suffered the horror of a cougar attack. After four months on the road, she’s ready to return to the desert landscape close to her heart, but meeting Max Maitland is a potent diversion.  When Max tells her his sister is fighting evil spirits, Robin questions her choices. This otherwise irresistible guy can’t really believe in the “woo-woo” can he?”

The paperback is available for sale NOW, but you can still pre-order the e-book (due out a week from Friday) for just $0.99! Hurry, before the price goes up!

Stepping down off my soapbox, putting aside my bullhorn.

Authors are finding it increasingly difficult to be heard in the commotion that has become the publishing industry. Why? Borrowing from a blog I read recently:

“The competition. As of this writing, 11,667 new romance Kindle books released in the last 30 days, or around 400 per day. There are 326,894 romance e-books to choose from. What's a newer author to do to compete in fields with so many flowers?”

 – RuthKaufman, Gainfully Unemployed

I no longer qualify as a “new author,” My first book was published in 2002, and my new release is number 8 (there was a break in time while I had to reorganize my life somewhere between books 2 and 3). I have been releasing two books a year for the last couple, while balancing a day job, but that isn’t always enough for voracious readers. Some of MY favorite authors are putting out three and four and SIX novels per year (without the interference of a “second” job). It’s hard to keep pace with the heavy hitters, and yet I’m seeing THEM struggling to hold onto their readers, even on the best-seller's list.

The industry has undergone numerous changes in the past years, with the advent of e-books and more authors choosing the independent route. As a reader, I’m finding it more difficult to select new books to read. My mailbox is inundated with newsletters hawking discounted and free e-books, and even many of those don’t appeal to me. Knowing that, how can I, as the author, lure a new reader to pick up one of my books when even discounting isn’t enough reason to pick up a book?

There are times when my fellow authors and I threaten to throw in the towel. It’s a challenge to write for an increasingly selective audience and to tap new readers who we hope will find we are their “new favorite author.” We all strive to write a quality product. We hire out professionals to improve our presentation and to check over our final products for errors. At the end of the day, we don’t do this for the money, we write because it is a part of who we are, so when sales lag or we get discouraged that people aren’t finding us, we continue with the next book. Because this is what we love to do. This is what we are passionate about.

So I hope you’ll consider my newest release, and maybe some of my backlist if you are new to my writing. And recommend me to a friend. If I’m not your “cup of tea,” I hope you’ll recommend the books that you have read and enjoyed to your friends to support my fellow authors who are also struggling in an extremely competitive environment. Make sure you spread the word and leave a review for the books you’ve read.

Normally, I do a Goodreads giveaway when I release a new book to give *new* readers a chance to test run my writing. This time, I'm trying something different. Three of the first fifteen people who Click here to enter have a chance to win a paperback version of RISING MIST at Amazon.com. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends when all prizes are claimed. See Official Rules.

Requirements for participation:

·         Resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia

·         18+ years of age (or legal age)

Oh, and I hope if you are one of the lucky ones, you'll let me know what you think and leave me a review after you've read it!

Moving On

I have submitted the final files for RISING MIST! Everything's on schedule for the November 6 release date, and the first review sounds positive! One reader of the advanced reading copy is giving it high praise, saying its the best of the trilogy! Music to an author's ears, especially when book 1, MIST ON THE MEADOW, won an award.

So what's next? Well, as usual, I pulled out an oldy moldy that I just can't seem to let go of. I really like my EPITAPH story, but something still feels off. Sometimes you just have to let go. I'm entertaining ideas of writing Matt's story to continue the Northwest Suburbs series. Less perfect characters are more interesting, and Matt is certainly "less perfect." I had so much fun redeeming Cinda in RETURN TO HOFFMAN GROVE, that now I have to find a foil for Matt who will put him through his paces, like Brody did for Cinda.

Fun fact: Originally Robin (in RISING MIST) was meant to be Matt's paramour. She fits the MIST series much better, and now that she's found Max, I can't imagine her with someone like Matt!

The Space Between

My blog title today is part of #MyLifeisaMusical. What does it mean? I'm filling the space between when "this" book is (nearly) finished and continuing with the next one.

I'm reading through the proof copy of RISING MIST one more time to see what was missed on the gazillion times my editor and I have read through it already. (Something always slips through.) Until I have that one "out of mind," I hesitate to move forward on the next novel, so I'm doing those things I haven't had time for while pressing forward to get RISING MIST done. Reading. Cleaning my house. I've also been working on marketing (you all have pre-ordered a copy, right?)

Social media these days is more visually driven, so I've been working on memes (on what? DH asks me). Memes are pictures with snippets from the book (or cute captions when not book-related). Here are a couple to acquaint you with Max, the hero of my story.

And now I have to get back to the deadline at the day job...

The final countdown

That fits in with my #MyLifeisaMusical life...

I'm waiting for the final galley of RISING MIST so I can read through it for the umpteenth time and make sure everything has been addressed appropriately.This is where I tell you my newsletter is going out this afternoon - it's not too late to sign up for exclusive offers (but you have to do it NOW!).

So while I wait, I have a day job deadline to contend with, as well as some special projects requiring my attention. For that reason, my post today is brief (and boring, sorry).

I hope you'll take advantage of the low pre-order price on RISING MIST ($0.99), which will revert to the regular price ($3.99) after release.

Why You Need an Editor

I have the new book back from the editor for fine-tuning, and the good news is that I'm still on track for release day!

Each and every time I start a new book, I take a deep breath and ask myself how in the world I think I can do this, mold an idea, a concept, into a full-blown story that anybody would be interested in reading. What if it sucks? What if it falls flat? What if it doesn't resonate with ANYBODY? And then when I finish the writing process, I wonder where I found the right words to bring the story to life. It surprises me every time.

Many indie authors are highly-skilled proofreaders and grammarians. They may be good at catching their own mistakes, although it takes multiple reads to make sure you've found them all. An editor is beneficial to not only back up with that process (even traditional publishers expect you to hand them a "clean" manuscript), but also for the copyediting issues, the details that don't jive. The missing pieces. A professional editor also has a pulse on genre and market and how the manuscript fits the mold.

As I consider the suggestions, I realize there is one question I never answered for myself in this story. My readers will want to know! One of my common mistakes is forgetting to put information on the page. I assume the reader knows things or can read my mind. HAH! I know better.

In spite of numerous read-throughs, in spite of input from my very talented critique group, I once again left out some crucial details. Granted, the fixes are relatively easy, but without the editor to point them out, I'd be carrying on as if everyone knew exactly what I meant when I never told them what the heck was going on! She adds so much to the process, pointing out those things that get overlooked to make the story stronger.

My eternal gratitude to my very talented editor. And now I have to get busy and fill in the blanks.

When creativity interrupts your sleep...

That moment when you wake up and can't get back to sleep ... because you have this amazing plot that you've been dreaming about and wouldn't it make a great story? Except you really need to get more sleep. But you end up working through the plot line instead.

Learning to Over Share

Funny author moment. At least from my viewpoint.

I'm the youngest of four girls. All my life I've had to deal with "be quiet." Writing was my way to express myself. Obviously, at some point in time, I outgrew the childhood taunts. A frequent comment on my writing is not being deep enough into point of view. Do you suppose that comes a little bit from "be quiet?"

Authors are an introverted breed for the most part. We tend to hold things back, to silently observe. Well guess what? That's a problem when it comes to writing. While we give voice to our withheld ideas and imaginings when we write, there is still a part that we hold back. That "be quiet" part.

When I write, I can see my characters clearly. I can feel their pain. See their struggles. Understand what they're going through. While trying to convey that, sometimes an author's personality steps in and blocks some of the information necessary for the reader. While I might know what's going on in the character's head, the words might not have made it onto the page.

It's okay to over share.

I know of an author who is horribly introverted and shy and fabulously successful. I have been watching her progress on her latest book, only to hear that she's setting it aside to move onto a different project at the request of her agent. Her communications have shown that she's struggling with the personalities in the stories, and they're distracting her. I wonder if she's having some trouble with the oversharing part. And then there are other authors who might be slightly less introverted, who share their personal issues as easily as they discover them in their characters. I read a book recently where the main characters were mortified by the amount of their personal lives that was on display. Sorry, characters. It's necessary to the story line for people to understand who you are.

I'm circling back to an old story one more time. This is the last effort I'm going to make with it, but I can't seem to walk away from it. I finished it once, but the story didn't feel "right." I've had other stories that I've written that are beyond help, but this one continues to tap me on the shoulder. One of the issues with it is that the characters are too superficial. They have strong personalities, but none of that made it to the page the first time around. As I'm rewriting the story, I'm seeing the parts where we didn't know what the hero was thinking and how he got to the decision he made. Likewise with the heroine. How did she get where she is?

Time to overshare. We need to know their deep, dark secrets, what makes them tick.

As an author, I'm always learning new things, gaining new insights, seeing things in a different light. Looking back on an old manuscript shows me how far I've come in my career, and reminds me there's always room to grow.