Learning to self-edit by helping other writers

I started writing more years ago than I want to count, so that’s one number I won’t post. My first book was published 13 years ago by Westside Books, making me a published author one year longer than I have been a Genre-ista. During that time I have written two or more short stories and flash fiction each year, two traditionally published novels, one traditionally published non-fiction book, and two self-published novels. I guarantee that I most of my success, and a lot of the strength that kept me plugging away during the lean times, came because of my association with writing organizations and critique groups. 

I found my agent after I submitted an entry to an RWA sponsored writing contest. In those contests a set of judges looked over entires and sent back feedback. Those objective eyes gave me information that helped me upgrade my manuscript to make it publication ready. Not only did the agent who served as the final judge of one contest offer me representation, but the acquiring editor who published the book told me I only needed "light" editing. (But it still felt like a lot of changes, at least to me.) 

Shortly after that book was published, I began volunteering to judge in writing contests. This was my way of giving back by providing assistance to other aspiring authors. The work gave me a number of unexpected benefits. 

First, I quickly understood the role of agents better than I had before. I saw a number of great submissions, enries where I desperatly wanted to know what happened next (remember, we only looked at the first 25 pages.) Even a decade later, I remember 2  where I hoped they would be published soon. I loved those author's voices and still want to know how those books ended. 

I also saw manuscripts that needed a lot of work. I dutifully read every word, although there were often voice and other issues on the first page that foreshadowed problems that permeated the pages. I did so, because I had to give feedback, information that would help the aspiring author the way the feedback I had received helped me. 

The final thing I learned from reading judging those manuscripts  - how much my brain did its own form of auto-correct when I performed self-editing. I often saw things in the writing of others that mirrored things I did in my own writing. I tended to consider my writing "brilliant". That was my internal  auto-correct happening. When I read writing from authors who used some of the same writing techniques I did, my brain did not don rose colored glasses.  My ability to self-edit improved. 

 I did my best to give information that would be useful and yet not overwhelming.  As I said, occasionally I got a manuscript that was so awesome there was almost nothing to say other than Great Job. But there were others where being helpful and encouraging was a challenge. I would love to think those authors used my feedback to take took another look at their writing. That they self-edited their work to give their characters and plots the air of life they deserve. That they all ended up making stories that would keep readers turning pages.  And those are the stories agents and editors are asking for.

I challenge you to add to your toolbox of skills by working o help others. Become someone's critique partner, provide them with constructive feedback and see what that effort does to your own writing. I know the effort still helps improve my writing.  

Giving Myself a Present

Hi everyone! I am YA author B A Binns , writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for teens. My tagline tells you what I am about - Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them. 

I gave myself a holiday gift this year.

Was it expensive - Absolutely.
Was it worth it - Again, a resounding yes.
Will I do it again - Read further and see the answer.

What was this present - well, a little background first. As a professional author with three books behind me and two more in progress including my middle grade debut novel Courage coming in winter 2018 from Harper Collins, I attend various conferences. Some are better than others, more boring or more informative, and may be geared toward readers or writers. No matter what, there remains one constant - most suffer from monochrome syndrome, the audience and speakers are largely white. Yes, the speakers are deserving and qualified, But I, like many of the young readers I write for, sometimes need a mirror up on the stage expounding wisdom, and in the seats around me. Someone we can look at and see hope for a future for ourselves.

I belong to the Illinois chapter of SCBWI, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. They hold a one-day conference every November called Prairie Writers and Illustrators Day (PWID) - Illinois is the prairie state, get it?

The conference theme was "Calling All Superheroes." The event included portfolio reviews for illustrators, critiques and contests (no, I did not win) One of the best things for me was that this year, the conference organizers found a diverse cast for their faculty.

Agent: Linda Pratt, WERNICK & PRATT
Executive Editor: Traci Todd, ABRAMS APPLESEED,
Executive Art Director: Giuseppe Castellano, PENGUIN GROUP USA
Executive Editor: Kendra Levin, VIKING CHILDREN’S GROUP
Assistant Editor: Nikki Garcia, LITTLE BROWN & COMPANY

Linda Pratt, Kendra Levin and Nikki Garcia discussing issues in YA and MG publishing. In addition Linda Pratt gave a presentation on the elusive thing called Voice, Kendra Levin's presentation helped attendees through exercises in character motivation, and Nikki Garcia helped us understand revising and editing MG and YA stories.

The opening keynote speaker was Don Tate, who calls himself a "visual storyteller." He
discussed his long and winding journey traversing the children's book publishing minefield, emphasizing the many twists and turns, and the length, of the journey while giving hope to those on their way. Mr. Tate will be one of the headliners at the 2017 Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural literature, spoke about his dedication to his craft. BTW, I spoke at the Virginia Hamilton Conference a few years ago. If anyone wants to go deep into diverse literature, and see a truly massive children's library, that's the conference to attend.

I want to give the organizers kudos for noting the few attendees of color they have most years and resolving to look at possible ways to change things in the future.

Which brings me to the present I gave to myself.  I resolved to do more than just attend and see and hear the mirrors on the podium and gave myself the gift of additional mirrors in the audience along with me. Writing and illustrating are solitary endeavors. Yet, we all gain dividends from having a community like SCBWI, RWA or MWA, to be part of, to learn from and gain support.

Many #ownvoices have little chance to become part of that larger community. They feel isolated. Worse, many don't even know those writing communities exist. While they too have a largely monochrome  membership, people all over the world tell stories, from every race, ethnicity and religion. But #ownvoices can't join if they don't even know these groups exist, and if they don't have the finances to join because there are hefty membership fees and even more money is needed to sign up for and attend meetings and conferences.

So my gift to myself was the gift of helping others.

Khannie Dastgah, Urania Smith, B A Binns, Jill Kuanfung, Nabeeh Bilal

I chose to pay the conference fees for others. used a contest to select the scholarship winners, Khannie Dastgah, Jill Kuanfung, and Mabeeh Bilal. Aided by fellow SCBWI member Urania Smith, I set up a scholarship to pay the conference fees so that three additional #ownvoices could attend their first professional writers and illustrators conference.  It's worth noting that almost none of the people who entered the contest did knew anything about SCBWI. Something for the organization to consider: if your current membership is largely white, and many have little interchange with any people of color, much less the subset that are authors and illustrators, those people have no way of knowing you exists.  That ignorance is costly, since the Predators in the business always manage to find those who are hopeful, talented, persistent, and dedicated to their craft...and alone. One of the contestants was on the verge of falling victim to a $20K vanity publisher trap because she had no idea of any alternative to getting her children's books published.

Urania and I ended the day having Chinese dinner at the Absolutely Chines Restaurant in Rolling Meadows, along with Jill and Nabeeh. There they let us close out the place because we couldn't stop talking and enjoying each other's company. And I discovered I don't need alcohol to loosen my tongue and embarrass myself!

P. S. My final reward at the end of the day was a copy of a book illustrated by Nabeeh Bilal:  the Callaloo books.

An autographed copy!

So my gift to myself was to help others. It's like the starfish parable, I've helped one other individual (okay three) with the hope act that will influence their lives for the better and they will keep giving forward. That makes the answer to the question at the beginning of this blog - would I do something similar in the future?

As long as my finances hold, the answer is YES!  In the meantime, if you know of any #ownvoices  out there, whether they write for children or adults, let them know to contact me at author2 [at] babinns [dot] com for a welcoming community.  If you happen to be one yourself, ditto.

Favorite Tropes - Compromised by your brother’s best friend…

What must it be like to suddenly find yourself marrying someone whom is merely a friend of your brother? In my latest release, A WHISPER OF DESIRE, my heroine, Lady Marisa faces exactly that. For some cultures there is nothing unusual in marrying a man who is a virtual stranger, arranged marriages still thrive today. However, Marisa’s marriage is not arranged, she is left with no choice because an enemy sees Maitland, the Duke of Lyttleton, compromises her.

Marisa is a sensible woman and realizes she has no choice but to marry Maitland. At least he’s not a stranger. She has known him since she was a little girl. But think about the wedding night!

Lucky for her, Maitland is an honorable man and he does not push her to come to his bed, instead he let’s her decide. Marisa does find the ‘cold Duke’ as he’s called attractive, however, is lust and respect enough to build a marriage on? Their situation isn’t helped by the fact their enemy is still out there, targeting them.

Here’s the blurb:

Sensual heat melts the ice in the new Disgraced Lords novel from USA Today bestselling author Bronwen Evans, as a marriage of convenience leads to delightful pleasure—and mortal danger.
 
Lady Marisa Hawkestone’s nightmare is just beginning when she wakes up naked, with no memory of the night before, lying next to Maitland Spencer, the Duke of Lyttleton—a man so aloof and rational he’s nicknamed “the Cold Duke.” A scandal ensues, in which Marisa’s beloved beau deserts her. As a compromised woman, Marisa agrees to marry Maitland. But on her wedding night, Marisa discovers the one place the duke shows emotion: in the bedroom, where the man positively scorches the sheets.
 
Taught from a young age to take duty seriously, Maitland cannot understand his new wife’s demands on his love and affection. Marisa’s hot-blooded spirit, however, does have its attractions—especially at night. In retrospect, it seems quite silly that he didn’t marry sooner. But being one of the Libertine Scholars requires constant vigilance, even more so when the enemy with a grudge against his closest friends targets Marisa. Now Maitland must save the woman who sets his heart aflame—or die trying.

How does Maitland compromise her? Let’s see:

Marisa spun round and made to reach for the quilt lying at the end of the bed when a voice yelled, “Christ, Marisa, what on earth are you doing in my room?” She watched in disbelief as Maitland Spencer, Duke of Lyttleton, sat up, swiped a hand over his eyes, and muttered, “What a beautiful sight. I must be dreaming.”

Marisa grabbed for the quilt to cover her nakedness. While His Grace fell back among the pillows, holding his head and murmurring, she took a moment to look round the room. It certainly wasn’t her bedchamber. How had she got here?

When she gazed back at Maitland her mouth dried and her face heated. The sheet had slid down his body and exposed his muscled chest, and her eyes followed the trail of hair down to where it disappeared under the sheet lying below his hipbones. Looking at the cut of muscle above his groin, emphasizing his hips, was like looking at perfection. She didn’t think she’d ever seen anything so beautifully masculine. Her eyes roamed back up over his torso to meet eyes flared with passion and a quirked eyebrow.

“Do you like what you see?” he asked with a gravelly, “I’ve just woken up with a bad head” kind of voice. When she remained speechless, he added, “You know, after our tête-à-tête in the alcove this evening, I thought I’d made it clear I was attracted to you. There was no need to drug me in order to have your wicked way with me.”

“Drug you,” she spluttered. That was what the unusual taste in her mouth was. She’d been drugged. “I certainly didn’t drug you.” A terrible thought entered her head. “Did you do this to try and compromise me?”

He laced his hands behind his head, leaving the sheet low on his hips, understanding perfectly well what the sight of his nakedness was doing to her.

“I was joking, little one. We have obviously both been drugged and placed in this room. I suspect that the door’s locked.” He didn’t look any happier than she did at their predicament. He’d closed his eyes and the frown deepened on his brow. She stood silently watching him, hoping he’d come up with some miraculous solution to this dreadful situation....

I don’t have a brother, only four sisters. Did you ever fall for your brother’s best friend? Or does this only happen in books or TV or movies?

I'm running a contest for release month - a lovely gift basket including a Kindle Fire.

A WHISPER OF DESIRE

Amazon -> http://amzn.to/1krgxez

B&N Nook -> http://bit.ly/1My6tam

iBooks -> http://apple.co/1k9AnLO

Kobo -> http://bit.ly/1H5WSv1

Google Play -> http://bit.ly/1P8vUpx

“If you are a lover of romance and don’t mind a little heat, Evans’s novels are the way to go. She constantly reminds us what passion is all about, and because she is so on point with her facts and lively characters, you just can’t go wrong. Her latest is suspenseful, well written and a great read all around.”—RT Book Reviews 41/2 stars
 
“A must-read . . . delightful . . . I laughed out loud, I cried, I wept and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.”—Night Owl Reviews (5 stars)

Welcome 2015

Hi everyone! I am YA author B A Binns , writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for teens. My tagline tells you what I am about - Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them. 

This month we're looking at the new year.

So many things are happening in the world and my life.   I could talk about the way the Global Warming and the way the weather continues to change, only not for the better. Or about the political situation and the new Illinois Governor who apparently forgot that "raise your right hands" means the real right, not the left. I could do the state of the economy, extremist threats, any of a dozen things that are going wrong.

Instead, I'll blog about something personal.

In less than two months I will be a Grandma!! How's that for earth shattering?  The girl who never wanted to live past 50 (seriously, at 13 I made a vow to die before 50 first because old people were so decrepit and useless they probably all wished they were dead anyway. At 49 1/2 I almost went crazy from fear of a self-fulfilling prophecy) will now be a social security collecting Grandma.  Of course, my younger sister has a grandchild who just won a college scholarship, so I'm actually a little slow.

Mother & Child

We know my grandchild will be a girl. Unless she chooses to enter the world early she will be a Pisces, like me. I thought I could wait forever for this day. My daughter has some issues, and I was perfectly happy to have her delay motherhood while she struggled to mature and find herself. Now I can't wait for the kid to get old enough so I can sit her on my lap and show her the naked baby pictures I took of her mother.

This also means I have to go shopping for books. Twenty-six years ago when my daughter was born, I had a quest to make sure she had plenty of diverse books to read.  I got started early, because those books were hard to find, seldom published and marketing departments did not know what to do with them when they were published. If you wanted one it was up to you to search.  So search I did, and I amassed a collection of books with Black, Hispanic and even disabled kids (and that last was a HUGE challenge).  Those books entertained my daughter, and later my niece, the one headed for college. BTW - that one still calls me "Beloved Aunt Barbara." Not because of the books, she wasn't always happy about getting books for presents. It's because I started training her before she could talk. Her mother laughed at me but she still knows what to call me.

And now I begin the cycle again. It does feel wrong to find that, a quarter century later, finding a supply of diverse books still needs a long hard search. Big publishers still put out a paltry number, and their marketing departments still don't know how to market them. Instead they still claim "those people don't read" as their excuse for not being able to reach out to the marketplace.  As one of those people, I guarantee we, and our children, do read.  We're just not all that satisfied with what the big publishers put out.  As an adult I long ago tired of romance books where heroes extolled the virtues of women with alabaster skin. (I actually informed an editor of this once and she seemed didn't seem to understand that have only alabaster skinned heroines considered beautiful could be a problem for any reader.) I don't remember everything I thought about the book selection when I was a child, those days are lost in fuzzy pre-history, but I know I got tired of the white on the pages then too. My mission is to make sure that my grandkid never gets the feeling that books are not for her. I want her to read voraciously, no matter what big publisher marketing departments claim. I want her to see people of every race and ethnicity in her books, people with physical disabilities and from a variety of cultures. There may be a few fairies and leprechauns and aliens there too, but mostly I want her to see her world and her place in that world. So my quest for diverse kids books has already begun, even before she enters the world.

I don't have much time. By this time next year I'll have her on my lap, reading her stories. I want those stories to reflect the world she sees around her, just as I want my adult reads to reflect today's world.  I will be at both the American Library Association meeting later this month in Chicago, and as SCBWI in  February, on the lookout for diverse books and authors. I was recently thrilled to recieve and accept an invitation to join the We Need Diverse Books team at http://weneeddiversebooks.org.


CONTEST RESULTS


As part of my December post I held a contest to let a lucky reader of one of my blogs win a free spot on Adding the Spice of Diversity to Your Writing, an online writing class that begins in February. I call it adding the spice because spice doesn't change an entree, it enhances things. Diversity is a choice that allows the same plot and and adds a little something extra for readers.

The winner of the free spot was Patricia M. You can see the results here.
 Contest results

Patricia has been contacted and will be enrolled in the class for February. 

The Christmas Tree Alliance

Make sure to enter the Christmas Tree War contest—see details at the end of this blog.

Inspired by Book Cover

To celebrate the launch of my holiday novella on December 10^th, I used Debbie Taylor’s cover art as inspiration for one of my three personal Christmas trees. While I’m not exactly thrilled with the results of my blue and white creation, I do like it.  I am however, pleased with my other trees. I really enjoyed decorating all three.  In fact, I like decorating trees so much, I start planning a new theme each January (yes, I know I should be in a program). Worse, I’ve infected several of my friends and they, too, start planning eleven months early.

This year, I fashioned a green and pink tree—inspired by a hydrangea display I saw in a store window in Asheville, NC. Normally, I only design one “new”  
tree each year and simply recycle designs from prior year favorites for the other two. Did this obsession inspire The Christmas Tree Wars?

Not exactly.

Pink and Green

Pink Tree without Lights

In the past, I always felt a bit odd for my multiple tannenbaums—until I met my friend Pam.  She had twelve Christmas trees--or maybe the number was even higher. Of course, she counted the small tree on the tank of her bathroom toilet (the woman was ahead of her time). Pam had a wonderful assortment of Radko decorations and lights for every color of the rainbow.  Since I have a new theme each year, I must be more budget conscious about my ornaments.  Not only do I modify dollar store decorations and paint inexpensive boxed ornaments, I also create a lot of folded ornaments. Yep, the very same ones you made from Christmas cards as a kid. Except I use Wonder-Under and shiny/lacy/metallic fabric to give them a more grown-up flavor. You can find the instructions on my website, www.AuthorRobinWeaver.com.

Sometimes art imitates life and sometimes it doesn't. The effort my friends and I expend on our trees each year certainly ignited the idea for The Christmas Tree Wars, but there are no battles. Ours is more of a Christmas tree alliance; we each keep an eye out for ornaments befitting the theme (both our own and others).

Some might say spending so much time on a tree that’s displayed for only a month or so is a waste of effort. I say it’s a thing of beauty.  After all, isn’t that what makes life worthwhile—those moments of beauty?

Wishing all of you a very happy holiday!

Robin

Don’t forget to enter the Christmas Tree Contest.  Send a picture of your Christmas tree to ChristmasTreeWars@yahoo.com.  I will be posting the pictures on my facebook page and will select at least one winner on December 15th. The winning entry will be selected on December 15th and will receive a free copy of The Christmas Tree Wars AND a copy of Ashantay Peters holiday tale, Dickens of a Death. Also, one lucky person leaving a comment on either of my Facebook pages (Robin Weaver OR Christmas Tree Wars) will win a copy of the novella--so leave those comments.

Cat People/Dog People

Hi everyone!
I am YA author B. A. Binns out here on the snowy tundra of the land that was once called Chicago but has now been renamed Chi-beria. In the words of one of my favorite songs, There must be dome kind of way out of here!!! 


I have always wondered if my antipathy towards cats springs from an incident in my childhood. I was in second or maybe third grade and I found a kitten left alone out in the cold (at least it wasn't as cold as these last few days or I would have had frozen kitty) I took it home, but I already knew what my parents would say, so I tried to keep it hidden. I think I had two days before I was caught.

The cat had to go, and no questions would change anything. No tears either.

I remember bundling the kitty inside my coat and taking it to school with me. That wasn't a real solution, but I was young and the only thing I really knew was that I would not just toss it out int he cold again. Instead I left her in a stairwell inside the school.

I never heard any commotion. There were no announcements on the intercom, no gossip about the stray cat. I went home and made myself believe someone with more understanding parents than I had found her and she was happy.

That's probably true.

But I never had or even wanted another cat. Never even wanted to be around them. I hate the purring, the staring, the obnoxious way they walk. I don't want to see another cat, not ever.

I'm now a dog person, through and through.

That's why the main character of my work-in-progress, tentatively titled Duet owns a cat. Her pet has to die and I won't kill a dog. Not even an imaginary one. I had to put my dog down over twenty years ago. She was an American Eskimo and she knew me better than I knew me.

I named her Melinda B. When I bought her she was just a few months old and could fit in my hands. She grew up to be about twenty pounds, the perfect pet (except for the shedding issue). I called her my mini-Samoyed. Smarter than me, she could be left alone and handled herself well. After one aborted bout with a great dane she decided friendship was the way to go with people and dogs. And especially with kids. I was warned the breed could be a little snippy with small children, but she loved them, even when they pulled her tail or her ears. She was my companion through college and my "New Adult" years, and then my real adult years.

But all good things come to an end, even really great dogs.  She lived for 17 years, unusual even for a small dog. But her legs got wobbly and she developed cancer. The vet said I needed to let go.

I couldn't. I took her home. And I watched struggle to keep being a good dog. I could tell walking was painful. She had lost control of her kidneys, but she kept trying to walk with me, to play ball. She was relieved when I sat down and just let her lay in my lap.

We went back to the vet. I chose to sit with her while we waited for the drugs to end her suffering. I stoked her and talked to her and I hope she didn't get that I was unhappy because she always wanted to cheer me up when I was sad. I didn't want her to feel she had to do anything except relax and fall sleep. And then stop breathing.

I managed to get all the way home before I burst into tears. And even though it has been almost thirty years, I have to push back tears to write this.

So I guess I'll stop.

But I hope you won't. Instead enter my Goodreads Give Away for an autographed copy of my new release, Minority of One. I promise you, no pets die in this story.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Minority Of One

by B.A. Binns

Giveaway ends March 01, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

P. S. You can also win a copy by liking All The Colors Of Love.
Five additional winners will be chosen from Facebook.

Here's to 2013 and a fab year!

Happy New Year!

Did you have a great beginning to 2013? It's summer in NZ so it was nice and hot. I'm holidaying in the Hawke's Bay a small wine growing region on the east coast of the North Island of NZ, about 4 hours drive from where I live.

It a new house just completed, except for the landscaping around the pool, but in this heat we're simply happy to have something to swim in. I'm here for about two weeks and I plan to relax, write and do some walking in the vineyards.

I don't normally make New Year resolutions but I do set myself goals for the year. How else will I know if I've achieved anything when I get to the end of the year? However, life sometimes does get in the way, so I try to make realistic goals.

2012 was a busy year for me. I had 5 books released, the last was my first contemporary romance, THE RELUCTANT WIFE, Entangled Indulgence 20 Dec 2012. It's a book very personal in nature - read it and you'll probably guess why. I can't say too much or it will give the plot away.

She married the wrong man, but has to pretend he’s the right guy…

Abby Taylor walked out on her irresistible husband three years ago. Now she has no choice but to return to Italy to ask him for a favor. To pay for her grandmother’s heart operation she needs his money, but it comes with strings attached.

Conte Dante Lombardi has it all—an Italian villa, a successful family business, and a noble title. But he needs a child to carry on his legacy and time is running out. He also hopes to satisfy the desire Abby rouses in him.

As Abby uncovers why he’s in such a hurry for a child, she falls in love with him again … just as she realizes it might be impossible to keep her end of the deal.

...an intense, passionate rollercoaster of a love story—just perfect!

- USA TODAY bestselling author Natalie Anderson

I hope my historical readers will take a risk on my contemporary and enjoy the change.

2013 is going to be just as busy because I have signed a three book deal with Random House Loveswept for 3 Regency romances (one is already completed) and I have the third Regency in the Invitation to series to complete and another contemporary, The Nanny Trap, to write. I'd also like to do another novella series this year too. Gosh, that sounds a lot. I'm starting to panic already and it's only the 3rd Jan.

I have just written my goals and here they are:

#1 To be healthy – lose weight, get a bit fitter – nothing is as important as your health. Can’t do anything else without it.

#2 To publish 4-5 books this year

#3 To sell my house so I can move to the Hawke’s Bay permanently

#4 To earn enough off my writing to give up the other day job

#5 To have fun and enjoy life with friend and family

I'll let you know how I go at the end of 2013. Doesn't that seem far away and yet 2012 whizzed by.

What are your goals for this year? Feel like sharing?

For the release of The Reluctant Wife, I'm running a contest over at Romance Wrangler - WIN a Kindle Fire or Kindle Touch. Check it out.Closes 15 January 2013 and it's open internationally.

http://romancewrangler.blogspot.co.nz/2012/12/bronwenevans-thereluctantwife-bookreleasecontest.html

Control

Hi everyone.
B. A. Binns here, back for a December round with the genre-ista's.

In honor of RTG's focus on self-publishing this month, I thought I would share the highlights of my 2012 journey. Two years ago I would have sworn I would never self-publish. My debut novel had been picked up by a traditional publisher. Pull was published in Nov 2010, won accolades including a National Reader's Choice award, and won spots on School Library Journal's 2011 Top Picks for Youth in Detention and YALSA's 2012 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers lists.  But sales were not what the publisher expected. I never found out their target, only that my book did not meet that target.

Still, by the end of 2011 I was still determined to stick to the traditional publishing route. My publisher was no longer accepting new manuscripts, and preparing to close up shop. My agent could not find anyone interested in my next three manuscripts because of the less than stellar sales of the first one. I began thinking about self-publishing, but still felt it was something for my far-distant future.

Then, early in 2012, by publisher declared Pull out of print, and, after some goading, returned my rights. Yet, people were still asking for the book. I received inquiries from a school who wanted copies for one of their classes, and from a Library Services Wholesaler who said they had orders, could I fullfil them.

So I became a self-publisher. For me, that meant going into things full-throttle. I chose CreateSpace as my printer and as one of my distribution channels. I do not consider them the publisher and purchased my own ISBN's to ensure the company I created, AllTheColorsOfLove, would be listed in Bowker and Books In Print as the publisher of record. When my attempt to purchase rights to the origional cover from the former publisher were ignored, I rolled up my sleeves, purchased a new photo of the same cover model to preserve continuity, and taught myself Photoshop. With a few tries (okay, lots of tries) I created my own new cover. By the end of October, I was up and running. Since then I have sold paperback copies on Amazon, eBook copies at Amazon's Kindle store and on Smashwords, sent copies to that classroom, and fulfilled three orders from the library services wholesaler I signed a contract with.  And it's only December 12.

Then I grabbed a number of short stories I had written, and bundled them together in a new book, Die Trying and other stories, used my new Photoshop skills to create a new cover, and self-published that in mid-November. Die Trying has sold on Amazon and Smashwords. Last, but certainly not least, I have a local bookstore carrying physical copies of both books, just in time for Christmas Shopping.

I couldn't forget marketing, even though I am lousy at it.

• I put together a Facebook page for my publishing company, please LIKE me at Facebook/allthecolorsoflove. There you can find information on a contest giveaway for Die Trying on Goodreads. Three winners of autographed copies will be selected on December 20, so enter soon.
• Being God is now in the hands of a final editor that I hired, and will be available once final changes are done. You've heard the saying, the quality goes in before...  My name will be on that book, it will be the best I can make it.
• I have updated my website with a new page just for teachers, librarians (and any other interested parties) and access to teacher's guides  for Pull, something my old publisher promised, but never delivered on. Both the guide for Pull, and now for Die Trying, can be downloaded for free from the site.  I would love having teachers and librarians and parents give me feedback on the contents.
• I am trying my hand at creating a newsletter. Wish me luck, I truly don't know what to say, but I want it out this month.
• I am arranging a book tour for next spring to publicize these books. So far, that includes judging a teen writing contest in Illinois and providing a workshop for students, presenting at an RWA conference in Luisiana, conducting two workshops on Diversity and Multicultural Books at a conference in Ohio, and speaking on Reluctant Teen Readers at the American Library Association's convention in Chicago. (I'm ehausted just thinking about next year) I'm on the lookout for other locations, stops, and potential blog-hops.

My follow-up books are no longer gathering dust. In addition to the tour I am finalizing the third book, Being God. While I have ARCs printed and going out to reviewers now, the final book will not be available for sale until the end of January, 2013. I really wanted it out this year, but it's still in the hands of an editor I hired to take one last look.  As the old saying goes, the quality has to go in before...

And my name will be on that book.

It's a name I want readers to remember in a good way. Because I have already started book number four, Minority Of One.

My life grows more full every day. And I'm loving it.

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cel•e•bra•tion!!

In honor of the Blog-o-versary of “Romancing the Genres”, I will be giving away two pieces of jewelry to two different commenters.  The rule is: as long as you leave a comment, you will be in the drawing.

I think back a year ago to the first Blog post I did, and baby I’ve come a long ways!

When Judith and Sarah, Blog Queens Extraordinaire, asked me to be a part of the baby blog they were giving birth to, I knew nothing about blogging.  I had never been to a blog, I had never commented on a blog and it seemed like a difficult thing for a relatively shy person to be involved with.

Me?  Put my thoughts, ideas and words on a blog that the entire cyber world could check out?  Could comment on?  With a push from my sister I did just that, I became an original member of the “Romancing the Genres” blog.

And I haven’t looked back or regretted joining “Romancing the Genres” blog.  I’ve learned so much about not only the process of blogging, but also, about myself, my commenters and my fellow writers, many whom I’ve yet to meet.
This is the perfect way for a shy person to enter the cyber world and have her/his voice heard.

I know from our number counter that many, many more visitors check out our blog than leave a comment.  If you enjoy our blog, tell us what subjects you’d like us to cover in future posts and if you are a lurker, why don’t you comment on the blog?  Do you comment on any blog ever?

Come on don’t be shy!  You could win a wonderful piece of jewelry!!

Holidaze (& a Contest)

It’s hard to believe next week is Thanksgiving (for those of us in the U.S). Seems like just yesterday we were ringing in 2011, now we’re about to ring in 2012. The years rush by so fast, it’s enough to make your head spin, ala Linda Blair in the Exorcist but on speed.  I’d barely grabbed the candy off the shelves for Halloween when the stockers started pushing me aside to make room for the Christmas displays!  Even the local radio station has started its round-the-clock holiday music….which doesn’t quite help with the Christmas spirit when it’s still 80 degrees outside. And, the department stores, along with the grocery stores are a mad house…almost makes me want to lock myself away until it’s all over…almost. 

Okay, I confess, I’m not really complaining too much. I--like 99% of the world--love the end of year holidays, because it means lots and lots of great food and sweets! My kitchen is going to be a wonderland in itself because of all the baking my kids and I will do.  In fact, I’m planning to include some fresh baked treats in two baskets I’m giving away in a contest.

From now until December 15th, I’m having a contest to help promote my novel Forget Me Not. You don't have to go to my blog but if you want to enter the contest you just have to email me the answer to this question:  

In the story Forget Me Not, Casey is on the phone with her sister-in-law. With Scott on the extension, Casey says something in Spanish to Jennifer. What does she say?

 Again, email me the answer at TerriMo2 @ yahoo.com (remove the spaces) and you'll be placed into the drawing to win one of two gift baskets. Basket one will contain a Kindle, some chocolate and the yummy baked snacks and Basket two will contain a $25 VISA gift card, a mouse pad, chocolate, and some yummy home-baked snacks. ;-)

The drawing will be midnight, December 15th and the baskets will be mailed by the 18th to arrive by Christmas....hopefully.

If you haven’t picked up your copy of Forget Me Not, you can order it here: http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=361&osCsid=3ef4da97661f7125bf680f5f9fb4e060

Or here:  http://www.amazon.com/Forget-Me-Not-ebook/dp/B005T4XVC6/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_1

Have a wonderful and joyous holiday season!!