Reading and writing

Laurell K. Hamilton caused me to loose sleep again. I read about 120 pages of "Guilty Pleasures" last night. I love a book that pulls me in and keeps in their world.
Every time I read a great book, it gives me that extra something to do my own writing. I'm not saying I use their stuff but reading gets my writing mojo on. So I go from reading to writing and then repeat. I learn so much from reading others work. I wonder if others get that inspirational push from reading?

Laurell Hamilton

Today while walking through the library, I realized I hadn't read Laurell's first Anita Black novel. I find that amusing because I've read lots of her books. So...yes...I checked it out and am reading it now. I'll let you know what I think.
I also picked up for my reading pleasure...Blue Moon, and Seduced by Moonlight. I haven't read any of the Meredith Gentry series so I'm going to give it a good read.

Signing the contract.

Today is a big day. I'll be signing my publishing contract. Dark Forgiveness will be in print this year. This dream of mine is coming true. It's so close I can touch it. The fear and everything that comes with it is worth it. Now I'm working on the second book, Demon Goodness.
I'm going to start something new here. I'm going to grab a book and let you know what I think of it. Let me know if you have an suggestions on a good read.

Publishing and the like

The publishing world is sometimes a confusing on to sort through. I've been researching publishing companies and the like for about a month now. It has my head spinning. Which are the good ones and which are the bad?
As a new author, my choices are to wait and hope that some one picks me up. Or take matters into my own hands and cause a wave. Me being me, I'll go out and make a big wave. The trouble is shorting through the best way to do that.
My novel, Dark Forgiveness, is in editing. I have a cover designer and a promoter. Now, my big question is...what company do I use to print the book? There are so many scams that it's hard to find the repeatable companies. I'll find one and be on my way but in the mean time...I have to wonder...is there honesty left in the business world?

To self-publish or not.

I'm doing what I'm supposed to do but as we all know, these things take time. Getting an agent and then a publishing deal takes time. Especially for a new author. I'm thinking about doing some self-publishing, accompanied with a full marketing plan. I know my path is to become a full time writer. I've never been more sure of anything. The big question is...which way and how do I get there? Do I do the big waiting game like all of us writers are forced to do? Or do I step outside of the box and take things into my own hands? Now, I'm not too much on the waiting around game. I like to make things happen. Movement causes movement. Either way, I know that some day I will have a publishing deal. I just need to figure out which direction to go in the mean time.
What are your thoughts on self-publishing? I'd love to hear your ideas and thoughts on the whole thing.

Ditching writing that you've already done.

So chapter 6 kept bugging me. Really, I didn't like it from the get go. I ended up deleting the last half of the chapter. We're talking about 5000 words down the drain. Gone. Deleted. Yes, I did it on purpose but it was hard. Rewriting once I got started thought was so much better than the first trip. Now that it's finished, I couldn't be happier. Love it! I'm so happy with my work I could do a little dance. Always keep going no matter what falls in your way. You might be surprised at what you might get if you have to redo part of it.

Looking at the contract.

I have a contract that I'm looking at considering. I think it's the best way to go for me even though it's not exactly what I was hoping for. Really, though, there's lots of things in this life that isn't exactly what we were hoping for but we use it and hopeful build on it.
When I write - I write from my soul. There is so much of me in every word that I write. My feelings, my hopes, my fears, my believes, my everything. It's frighten to put myself out there like this but I know that it will be worth it in the long run. So I say to you..."please be gentle." My writing is me.

Studing...to find out where I'm going...

Writing a novel is one thing but I have to tell you that once you get that done is when the hard work begins. It's not enough that I've written a great novel but I also have to be a promotional guru to get anywhere. Wow!! There's so much that I have to learn and figure out. What a great merry-go-round that I've jumped up onto. Please don't get me wrong I do love every minute of it but how can I possibility manage to hit all of the targets that I need to hit to become a best selling author? One step at a time...right? Well that's how I'm taking it and I do love every fun filled minute of it but wow, there's a lot to learn.

Publishing Dark Forgiveness

I received an email today that the publishing company is discussing my book and coming up with a offer. Needless to say that this week as been a whirl wind of excitement around my house. I submitted four letters last Thursday to the different companies that I had an interest in and on Monday, I had one of the four asking for my full manuscript.
I sent it off as quickly as my little hands could move and on Wednesday I received an email stating..."We would sincerely like to publish your book"... I had to read it four or five times just to let it sink in. I never thought that a published would grab me up this quick but I'm thanking my lucky stars and working feverishly to get the edits done.
Wow...what a journey. I'll keep you updated.

The email!!!!

Well today I received an email from the company that I was hoping to publish with. In the first of the email I find...."We sincerely want to publish your book and market it in the US and around the world."
My heart jumped up into my throat and I had to read it a few times for it to sink in. They want to publish my work. This has went so quickly that I'm having to pinch myself to make sure that I'm awake. Yes...here it comes...I'm going to be a published author and I get to share my stories with the world. Geee...what should I wear? Just kidding.
So I'm super stoked and am soooo excited. There's so much to do but I'll keep you updated. I want you to take this journey with me so I'll tell you about as much as I can.