|  As you can see by this
photo of me in my "work" mode, writing isn't exactly a glamorous
profession. In fact, it is hard work!
But it's also been
an exciting adventure. After the release of
Taking Rosie's Arm,
published by Five Star, I had the pleasure of promoting my first sale in
various states, at wonderful cozy book stores and at several conferences. The
most heartwarming experiences were the visits with two book clubs who wanted to
meet the author and discuss the book's prime categories. It was an out of body
experience...they seemed to know Taylor and Rosie better than I and talked
about the author's intentions as a third person. What great insight for
me...how readers feel, live with the characters they love!
My novel Fatal Mistake and my short
story "Oh Henry" were
featured at the
Bouchercon
World Mystery Convention, which was held in Raleigh, NC October 8-12, 2015.
A convenient place for me to attend. The fun is listening to other writers who
have inner voices and put them on paper. And...we aren't prescribed
anti-psychotic drugs for doing so! So, all you writers and want-a-bes...just do
it, put your stories on paper and enjoy the music of your words. (For more
information on the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, please see:
http://www.bouchercon.info/.)
The various
conferences, with many authors in attendance, convinced me that an author can
never let her guard down...there's a lot of competition out there. And many
talented writers with great books to sell. One can never learn enough about the
writing experience or diminish the impact it has on readers.
Rejections
The R word is the
least favorite word in a writer’s thesaurus. But it can be used to our
advantage. Often a form letter states: "Thank you but your work does not
meet our needs at this time. Good luck with your writing." Okay, that goes
in the file. Eventually it will be discarded but I keep the rejection letter on
hand as a reminder not to send the same manuscript to that particular editor
again.
When I receive a
personal rejection letter that highlights the submitted material, I sit down to
savor the response. Sure, I’m looking for "send a revision and
we’ll reconsider" but if an invitation is not offered I don’t
trash the personal letter. I take it to heart. This editor or agent has paid
attention to my manuscript. If he/she offers advice, I consider how to improve
the manuscript.
Rejections are
just another tool for my workshop. I don’t hit myself in the head,
don’t feel like I’m been shoved down the drain or lashed with a
thorny whip. I learn from each and every rejection.
Acceptance
What can be more
fun than a letter that begins with "Thank you for submitting your
manuscript. We would like to publish your work in...." Wow! Better than a
birthday cake, better than losing ten pounds, better than a day at the beach.
Wow! Every acceptance calls for a bottle of champagne.
I've been lucky.
After my Rosie publication, Crimson Dagger picked up "Dog
Gone," Senior News published "Fragrant Blossoms" and
Silver Moon released "Bone Music." "Temporarily
Detained" was picked up by Crime and Suspense and subsequently
several other short stories have been published with
SmashWords.com. You can find details and
ordering info about the latter on my SHORTS page.
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