I am with a new Publisher

So, I am no longer an Author with my first Publisher, Luminosity Publishing. It is a sad, bittersweet ending and an outcome I hoped never would happen but because they don’t take the stories I write anymore, we had to sadly separate. However, I am thankful that they gave me a chance and that they published three of my books. At first, they were enthusiastic about my books and they gave me an opportunity to pursue my passion and my interest and for that I will forever be grateful.

**** But the good news is- All my books have been accepted and contracts have been signed with my new Publisher, Foundations, LLC https://www.facebook.com/foundationsbooks/?fref=ts

and to them I am grateful for picking me up during a very troubling, heart-wrenching time  in my life when I realized I no longer had a Publisher but I still wanted to write. It was one of the worst moments of my life of feeling lost and abandoned. My fourth book Apollo was under contract with Luminosity Publishing at the time but they decided to change what they would publish and unfortunately my M/F Paranormal Romance, Apollo, was not under their new guidelines of what they would take so my signed contract was defunct when I was expecting it to be published in September 2016.  

So here I was scrambling with the horrendous setback in my writing career, trying to re-focus and stop crying and figure out what to do with a manuscript that was no longer being published.  Despite my sweet friend Michael’s re-assurances that this was all for a reason, I sat at my computer between endless tears sending out query after query (after figuring out again how to write one), essentially pleading to Publishers, letting them know of my plight; however, one bit of a surprise happened for me, as a result of my query letters- I was really surprised with all I’ve accomplished in only two years of being Published.  I mean – I am Searchable – wow- when two years ago I wasn’t.  And I proudly sent query after query, outlining my accomplishments, the endless social media sites I am on, all the while marveling at the knowledge I’ve gained within the Author world that I didn’t know just two years ago.   

 ** What a painful experience for an Author to go through ** watching my books being taken down one by one when I worked so hard for them to be read and seen, watching as I was evicted from the Luminosity Authors group and my information taken down off the site, but I’m so glad my frightening period of limbo didn’t last long for me before another Publisher realized the value of my work and what I was trying to accomplish. So, a big thank you to Foundations from this one little ol’ Author who is trying to make it in this big, big world. I appreciate your confidence in me and your support!!!

 

~* I have to also thank my fans, readers and supporters, especially my Street Team members for rallying behind me and for being so patient because so many were affected by this upset with my previous Publisher  ~*.  Many read all of my books and were awaiting the Release of the next one that was under contract:  Apollo, The Guardian League, Bk 3 and now they’ve had to push back their own plans as I’ve had to and wait longer.  However, the good news is my Publisher, Foundations, also loved Apollo and snatched it up under contract within days of me sending it to them- it’s expected release date is in December 2016- just in time for the Holidays!

And to all of you who love my work, follow me and support me, I thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for sharing this journey with me.  I will have more books for you to enjoy soon!  **

The Space Between- the daily life of a writer between novels

Day 1-

Today is a tough day for me.  Not only am I dealing with the sadness of not having my mom, my best friend in my life but I also consciously aware of  the upcoming one year anniversary of her death.  I just want to cry, cry and do some more crying until I am fully spent.  To top this off, I am also dealing with my dad’s failing health problems while trying to ignore my own.   My husband and I have a new dog which we found out is more of a puppy.  We have no kids and this dog/puppy is driving us insane with sleepless nights, endless chewing of objects, play time starting at 10 or 10:30 at night every night and chasing and eating anything that moves plus eating wet grass outside, creating her own salad mixes.  She’s also only partially house trained so you never know when you might end up with a nasty, unexpected surprise in your house, like this morning, for example.

To top this all of, I am one of those unfortunate but very common authors that works a full time day job.  Things have become so stressful at work, I want to scream at the top of my lungs, run away and tell them to take their job back but unfortunately, as the bread winner of the family and the one who provides the health benefits, I do not have the luxury of leaving a job that interferes with my real career in order to pursue my writing full-time.  I will be lucky one day if I can work part-time instead of full-time but because I married for love and not money, this is my plight in life and I must deal with my lot.

As any other author, I too want to make it big but I don’t know how.  My days are filled with angst, stressing over book sales and why there aren’t more when I market my books to more than 100+ Facebook groups and pages every other day.  I am trying to reach my population- the readers who love Paranormal Romance or even Paranormal Erotic Romance since my books are fitting more and more in this category.  I crave interaction with my readers and am saddened by the low level I receive.  How does an Author make it and what are the tools?  I wish the Author community was more generous with information, too.  It seems Authors like to withhold information and this saddens me deeply for learning the trade and all that comes with it – the extensive marketing and social media platforms- is hard in itself.  If you can help someone, why wouldn’t you?  Fortunately, I’ve encountered some good people along the way, generous and giving, offering to help promote me for free- I am thankful for such loving, kind souls.

All these thoughts and ideas go through my head as I sit here at Day One, with a WIP I am struggling to get through, a book under contract, expected to publish by August 2016 and three books already out on the market.  But instead of appreciating my accomplishments, I am wanting more, just like most authors.  The life of an Author is hard, it’s a struggle, it’s a dance between what you want and what you have and trying to figure out how to get to where you want to be with the resources you have.

And this is Day One.

A current list of reviews for Nightfall all in one place

Hi Readers,

 

I just found something extraordinary when I searched for new reviews for my Paranormal Romance, wolf-shifter book, Nightfall.  All the latest and most current reviews for the book are listed on one page, one site to make it easier for Readers to read the most current reviews by date.

 

This is such a great advantage, and is an easy to read format, I thought I’d share the page with you:

candidbookreview.blogspot.com/p/tk-laywer-nightfall.html

Upcoming April Author Takeovers

Hi Readers.

 

~Here’s a list of events I will be participating in during the month of April on Facebook.~

**There will be lots of goodies, prizes, giveaways and free e-books so come join the fun!!**

April 1st- There’s No Fooling Love- 2:00 -3:oopm EST

April 2nd- Nite Owl Author Appreciation & Anniversary Celebration- 11:00- 11:30am EST

April 15th- Black Magic Woman Release Party- 5:00 – 6:00pm EST

April 26th- Belong to the Night Re-Release Event- 5:30 – 6:00pm EST

3 Books Banner

Vote for my book cover and help me win**

My book cover is a top 5 Finalist to win (2)- 5 day Author Spotlights on Facebook but I need your help to win.  The contest closes Monday, January 25th.

If you have a Facebook Account, you can help me win and support a newbie PNR Author (me).

Go to:  Renfield’s Ramblings- Book Blog and “Like” the post for Jasper, The Guardian League, Book One at the top of the page that shows the 5 Finalist Book Covers.  That’s all you have to do.

Here’s my book cover.  It deserves to win.  But I can’t win without your votes.

Please share this with others.  I thank you, beautiful readers.  Let’s get me to the finish line!

Jasper

Upcoming Author Spotlight

Hi Readers!  Hope you are all staying warm today.  It is a chilly 43 degrees here in Florida but at least we don’t get snow, so can’t complain (smile)

Just wanted to let you know of my upcoming Author Spotlight on the awesome sight Redz World Reviews.  I will be spotlighted on September 27th.  I invite you to check it out and leave a comment for me.

Until then…take care of yourselves.  ***

http://redzworld.blogspot.com/

Jasper, The Guardian League featured on WordPress!

A big shout out to all my readers****

 

Check out the post featuring my book Jasper, The Guardian League, Book One on a fellow blogger’s site.

 

http://sugafootluv.com/

If you’d like to review Jasper, mosey on over to http://www.candidbookreviews.net.  Click on the tab “Books,” search for my book and click on “Want to Review” for your opportunity.  I need 15 reviewers for the book.  Thanks!

A day in the life of an Author

First of all, let me start off with…  Aaargh!!!!!   What a day this has been.  But if you think an Author’s life is all roses and pink-colored glasses, guess what, it’s not that way at all.

Life for an author is a struggle.  I imagine this continues until you make it big.  For those very few who do, I commend you for getting past the struggle and finding your own way through it- a secret that the rest of us are still scratching our heads and trying to figure out for ourselves.

As one of the majority of struggling authors, I have found that authors are just people, having the same personalities, nuances and quirks as everyone else.  The only difference is they write, hoping to make a living out of it.  Being an author doesn’t gift you with a magic wand or special powers (wouldn’t that be great, though?) to make your endeavor easier.  There’s no one to hand you a simple step-by-step “How to be famous” handbook.  Finding authors that can advise you, coach you and/ or even help advertise on their FB wall to get the word out about your book is extremely hard to find but when you find one, latch on to them for they are worth gold in this sometimes secretive, harboring precious details “special society” you have now become a part of.

It’s a struggle and unless you’re a celebrity or have connections, the sales will be slow to nil but don’t stop.  Keep plugging along, at least that’s the wise advice I got today from my good friend, Michael, when I was ready to ball my eyes out for all the frustrations I’ve endured, lately.  I know now why authors self-publish.  As much as I like traditional publishers and crave the status and camaraderie of an agent to help me with my work, having one book published a year doesn’t keep up a momentum to increase one’s fan base or does much for one’s self esteem.

As the year draws to a close, think about your goals and focus on one big one that can start the flow going for the others.  For instance, I want to sell books but in order to sell, I also have to write.  I have marketed, participated in Author Takeovers, spotlights, interviews, book tours, contests and giveaways until I can turn rainbow colors but if I don’t have any books to talk about, I can’t promote, market or advertise and my readers will have nothing to look forward to.  So, the key is write, write, write and don’t forget it.

The more books you get out there, the more you can talk about, the more you can generate a fan base, and the more known you will be (we hope).  This is what I’ve learned from today’s frustration.  That and the confirmation that every author needs a strong, dependable friend or a support group.  Mine today was Michael, quoting to me words from the song “Gone, gone, gone” by Phillip Phillips, “Like a drum baby, don’t stop beating.”  Don’t let my passion die.  Don’t stop writing.  That’s pretty much Michael’s words to me, in a gist.  And for you, my dear colleagues and friends, don’t you stop either.

Here’s to a better, more profitable New Year for all of us!  Cheers.

It’s been one year and I still love writing

October 24, 2015 marked one year since my first book, Nightfall, was published.  I was lucky enough to win the faith of a traditional publisher, Luminosity Publishing, who took a chance on me.  Thank you!

Since publishing my first book, I have published one more, the first in a 5-book series:  Jasper, The Guardian League, Book One and I am awaiting publication of my third book:  Centurion:  The Guardian League, Book Two.  And, I am writing my fourth book:  Apollo, The Guardian League, Book Three.

It’s slow going for me, compared to other authors who seem to whip 5 or more books out a year, but for me, working a full-time job and writing on the side as much as my energy and body are willing to do, I have to say I’m doing pretty well and the good part, the most important part is I still love writing.  I won’t say there aren’t hard times.  As a new author, you encounter barriers and challenges everywhere, ending in days where you’ll question why you keep hitting your head on a wall (because that’s what it feels like in the struggle to market yourself).  It matters that your book is good but what seems to matter even more is getting the word out about fantastic you and sales of your book.

In the past year I have learned how and where to advertise, how to search for reviewers, contacting countless of them for reviews of my books, hosted three contests for free books, and have experienced a virtual book tour.  I have also connected with several fans (I love speaking to fans and interacting with them) and some amazing fellow authors.  I am trying, I am learning and I am still in the running- yes!

What matters is to:  keep writing, keep interacting, and keep marketing yourself wherever and whenever.  Whatever you do and no matter how few fans you have, keep the faith and write, write, write because the fans will come.  That was what one writer told me and she was correct.  The more you write, the more you have to market and the more readers you will gain.  And if all else fails, self-publish.  I have a short story book that I will most likely have to take this route as not many publishers want to publish short story books.

Whatever you do, don’t stop!  If writing is your dream, keep doing it.  Live your dream.  Do what makes you happy and have faith in yourself that you can achieve all you want to be.  In fact, take a break right now, sit down in your comfortable recliner and relax and visualize the amazing success you want with your books.  This is good advice for me too for life gets crazy and complicated and we forget to take care of ourselves but do it because you are worth it.  Just a few minutes is all you need to re-energize and re-motivate.

So, a year has gone by but I’m still going, still loving it and still writing.  You should be too!

Take care, friends and be safe.

Paranormal Romance Authors and Halloween

Paranormal Romance Authors unite.  This is our time of year!

No, it’s not sweet Spring or even Sultry Summer which gets us excited, it’s Alluring Autumn and Halloween- the magic, the freakiness, the “anything can happen” crazy stuff we write about in our novels that our readers eat up and relish by volumes.

This time of year, when things go “bump in the night”- that’s our thing and that’s what we love.  That’s what we write about.  It is the spirit of who we truly are.  Open to anything, sharp and aware, creating stories from what we see, feel, hear.

If you follow, NaNoWriMo, that’s what you need to write about next month:  the wonderful, exciting stuff that gets our mind going and makes us think…what if?  So stretch your arms overhead into shoulder circles, crack your knuckles and get yourself ready because this is your time to shine!

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