The Seven Year Itch!

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By: Marcia King-Gamble

www.lovemarcia.com

What a difference seven years makes. Who would have thought that seven years ago the world of traditional publishing would have changed. The difficult decision was to keep plugging away writing proposals that were either rejected, or if accepted, the advances were abysmal.  It was either keep at it, hoping advances would increase, or wait out the rejections.

By then, I’d traditionally published over twenty five books, and admittedly I was something of a snob. I’d been published by Kensington, BET, St. Martin’s Press and Harlequin. I had come a long way from the woman who’d read for the Harlequin/Silhouette line in the early nineties. I was one of their readers (freelance) for seven years. I took  a deep, hopeful breath and went the Indie route. What choice did I have? It was either remain a snob, accept the paltry advances the publishers were offering, or not get published at all.

In 2012 my first self-published book Real Temptation was released.  Real Temptation was a story I hadn’t been able to sell.  I’d come up with the idea of a romance set in the world of a reality television show. Here’s the blurb you’ll find on Amazon - http://a.co/8SBUnXN

Rae Tyson is way over her head in credit card debt. Her personal assistant’s salary isn’t covering the bills.

Kael Whittingham’s ex wife turned him into the IRS. Now the IRS wants big bucks.

Can shopaholic, Rae and no-nonsense, Kael share the same living space?

$100,000 is the deal maker. But is the reality television show's reward more tempting than their sensual encounters? 

Encounters that leave them wanting more...much more.  

Following that effort was Truly Mine. This time I took the easy way out.  Rather than starting a new book, I republished my first book.  I’d gotten the rights back and with a little sprucing up, a change of cover, and title, Remembrance became Truly Mine.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Hey, Girlfriends!” The shout came from above. All four looked up and there she was. True to form Kimberly Morgan-Smith-Goldberg-Daniels-Rosellini – Morgan was surrounded by men. Even now Kim’s elaborately braided head peeked over the shoulder of a man so amazingly handsome, he made movie star Denzel Washington look like a troll. Rendered speechless, Charlie’s lips formed into an 0. Oh, God! Devin Spencer!

Time and place ceased to exist. Charlie no longer saw Kim. She’d been transported to a balmy spring day at Mount Merrimack. She’d sat next to that same man on a rolling green lawn, enjoying his kisses. Back the he was only a boy, barely nineteen and as gorgeous than ever. Plain old Charlie Canfield, zits and all had snared Mount Merrimack’s most eligible jock.

I had no idea what I was doing when I wrote that first book. I just knew I had to write it from the heart. Filled with mistakes, it remains one of more popular books.

Following that, I released Mine Forever, another book I had written and gotten the rights back to. It was the sequel to (Remebrance, re-titled Truly Mine.) In my traditionally published life, Mine Forever was titled A Reason to Love.

Several other self-published books and novellas followed, and not necessarily in the below order:

Baby, I want you          http://a.co/f8restY

Just You                        http://a.co/hpm3ZiL

Seducing Circe             http://a.co/6FVurHG

Islands Apart                http://a.co/aZS2TA0

His Call                        http://a.co/hKCjONp

Tempting Andie           http://a.co/i1cOjBr

His Golden Heart         http://a.co/4ZrQ2if

Loose in Las Vegas      http://a.co/hQCSPM

Naughty in New York  http://a.co/eADACoj

Rockin’ the Rockies     http://a.co/9MYnQ8z

And By Design,  http://a.co/eN0PQg my recent collaboration with Sandra Kitt

Going from traditionally published to Indie was a huge change, and a challenge. I was a business owner which meant I was in charge of marketing, promotion and distribution. But it was a change for the better, and a change that has helped me grow as an author.

A year and a half ago, four of my books were bought by Audible, and I continue to collaborate with several authors to produce books that would never have been published traditionally. When you traditionally publish, you are asked to produce  work that fits the guidelines of a particular publishing house.  .  

Now I enjoy the freedom of writing about topics that are near and dear to my heart. Yes, change is good and frees you to create projects you never thought you could!

About Marcia King-Gamble

Romance writer, Marcia King-Gamble originally hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. This former travel industry executive and current world traveler has spent most of life in the United States. A National Bestselling author, Marcia has penned over 34 books and 8 novellas. Her free time is spent at the gym, traveling to exotic locales, and caring for her animal family.

Visit Marcia at www.lovemarcia.com or “friend” her on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1MlnrIS