While the mention of Florida brings thoughts of sunshine, alligators, Disney World, hurricanes and retirees zipping around in golf carts, the state also has the distinction of being the lightning capital of the world.
Recently, I attended a meeting of the Gulf Coast Writers Association (http://www.gulfwriters.org/ ) and heard this horrifying story. A fellow writer's home was zapped by lightning the previous evening. He didn't seem too upset about the TV's or appliances that were rendered useless by the bolt, but his fried computer devastated him. “I think I’ve backed up most everything,” he’d said sadly digging though a stack of papers. “And, I’m hoping I at least printed the recently written five-page synopsis of my manuscript.”
Although I have run across one or two writers that use the ancient method of longhand to record their thoughts, most of us use computers and the above scenario is enough to cause nightmares of epic proportions. I have been paranoid of losing my writing files since living in Taiwan using a knockoff of one of the first Apple computers, and hitting the delete key that was stupidly placed above the enter key, wiping out a letter (the best one I’d ever written, I’m sure) that I’d spent hours composing.
I boohooed to my husband, Kim, as if I had just erased a tome equivalent to The Illiad. From that point he has done everything he can to prevent seeing me in that crazed state again, including backups of my backups.
Recently he discovered another automatic backup option that I thought I’d share with all of you who’d like a safe method of preserving photos, music, manuscripts or other treasured bits on your computer. There are companies (type “online backup” in a Google Search for a long list) that back up any or all files on your computer. Kim selected Carbonite (http://www.carbonite.com/). Their $50.00 fee seems a small price to pay for peace of mind. Click here to see how it works (http://www.carbonite.com/howitworks.aspx ).
Now I can sit back and enjoy the lightning shows with confidence that even if my computer melts to a little grease spot, my writing efforts are preserved.
Once again I have nothing to report on the progress of The Ride. Sigh. So I’ll see you next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Carbonite, online backup, Gulf Writers, Gulf Coast Writer’s Association, Florida, lightning
Friday, July 27, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
Interview with Sandy Lender
Sandy Lender, author of the fantasy novel, Choices Meant for Gods, is a guest on my blog today.
Sandy, I’m so excited that you could join us today. My blog reflects my feelings and observations regarding the publication and marketing aspects of writing. I understand ArcheBooks Publishing released your fantasy novel, Choices Meant for Gods, in March of this year. I hope to follow in your footsteps soon so I have a few questions for you, based on some of my past blogs.
Jane: How long did Choices Meant for Gods take to write?
Sandy Lender: It took about 17 or 18 years to germinate; three years to write.
Jane: I have edited and reedited my contemporary women’s fiction novel, The Ride, so often that I have parts memorized. Were you ever able to read your manuscript without making changes?
Sandy Lender: This is kind of funny because, you see, with ArcheBooks Publishing, we get to make a final round of corrections before the “reprint” or replating. So, essentially, ummm, I’m still reading it and making changes. For instance, there’s a huge typo on page 13 and one on the very last page that will get fixed before that “reprint” happens. Oh, and I have a mistake concerning Henry’s ships that got left in due to an edit that can be a trivia question for crazed fans after my death.
Jane: How long after completing Choices Meant for Gods did it take you to find a publisher?
Sandy Lender: About three years. So, yeah, it took as long to get a publisher as it did to write the novel.
Jane: Did you ever become discouraged or think about giving up?
Sandy Lender: I certainly got discouraged by the find-an-agent process, and I gave that up. But I never thought about giving up on my dream to introduce Nigel and Chariss to the world. Chariss deserves to have her story told after all she went through…
Jane: Once you signed with ArcheBooks, how long before your book was released?
Sandy Lender: Thirteen months. There are authors who sign with other publishers who endure a longer “interminable wait,” so I consider myself quite fortunate that I had merely 13 months to prepare for marketing and promotion.
Jane: What was the editing process like once your book went into production?
Sandy Lender: Insane. Oh…wait…which part of production? J Seriously, once I saw that the book was in editing and things were moving along, I waited for some bizarre phone call saying, “Oh, Sandy, you need to rewrite it all and, by the way, you suck.” But no such thing happened. No call came. One day, the galleys arrived by e-mail. So I thought, “wow, there must be nothing wrong!” Not so much. Bob Gelinas, my publisher, is also my editor, and he did have a couple suggestions for editing. I thought, “at this stage?” So I made a very substantial change to the scenes in Bellan and Tiurlang (cutting them considerably to enhance pacing – Bob is a genius – it helped immensely) and I added two scenes to the final chapter to show where a couple characters are when all Hell breaks loose. Fabulous! But it surprised me that such things can be done at that stage. You live and you learn, right?
Jane: Choices Meant for Gods has an intriguing cover, did you have any input towards the design?
Sandy Lender: I actually did! And to any other new authors reading this, that is unheard of in this industry. I got lucky. ArcheBooks sort of breaks the mold there, I believe. Bob started out with a concept that was good, including that fabulous dragon flying in the background above the ghosted image of Arcana, and we e-mailed back and forth some thoughts until the finished product is what you see. That’s Amanda Chariss reflected out of the sword, by the way. That’s her amethyst on her cheekbone…Bob and I were at the Lee County Reading Festival talking about the cover and he said, “I’ve got to get her on the cover somehow.” Okay by me. And he sent that like the next day.
Jane: How did you feel when held the first copy of Choices Meant for Gods in your own hands?
Sandy Lender: Ecstatic. And bi-polar. I knew the books would be on my front porch as I was headed home from work that day so I was exceeding the speed limit and a little bit crazed. So it felt like a dream and reality rolled up in the same moment.
Jane: The term ‘marketing’ sends chills up my spine, how have you handled this aspect of being a writer?
Sandy Lender: I’ve been in public relations and marketing as part of my editing and publishing roles for many years now, so it’s just part of the job. If you don’t brand yourself and your product, no one’s going to know who you are or what you’re selling…so…gotta hop out there and make yourself known! It’s kind of strange, though, that I’m hopping out there not really caring to make myself known (although I have to get people to recognize the name Sandy Lender), but dying to have people recognize the name Chariss. I want folks to know who Nigel and Chariss are. One of these days, I want to be watching some talk show and hear the host say, “Like Romeo and Juliet or Anthony and Cleopatra or Nigel and Chariss.” And at that moment, I will choke on whatever wine I’m drinking and go into cardiac arrest. If I die fast enough at that moment, I won’t have to live through the crushing defeat of the audience or the guest on the show saying “Who?”
Jane: Between marketing Choices Meant for Gods and a full time job, how do you find the time to work on the sequel?
Sandy Lender: Bwuahahaha. When I had the carpet of my life and future ripped out from under me last summer, I was unemployed. While sending my resume to a dozen potential employers a day, but only landing a handful of job interviews in a seven-month period, I had plenty of time to write. I completed Choices Made by Gods (working title), which I’m now editing; I wrote quite a bit of Book III; I wrote a paranormal romance novel; I started a vampire novel; and I put together a ton of marketing ideas…
Jane: How did you come up with the idea of a virtual blog book tour and has it been successful for you?
Sandy Lender: A friend of mine named Jamieson Wolf did a blog tour back in the winter and I hosted him for a day at my blog, http://www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com/. That intrigued me. He was very organized about it; basically made it look very calm. Faker. (He knows I’m teasing him.) But it was a very nice experience for both of us. So I sat down and made a list of all the things I’d have available for my hosts, from pictures on a group page to guest blogs to already-prepared announcements they could post to FAQs they could pad their interviews with, etc. When I had the group page created, I went around to sites that I knew hosted authors and started asking them, “will you host me?” I got a spate of “no, you’re not big enough” responses. But I also got a bunch of “sure, come on over” responses. I gave those folks access to the tour page and gave them links on the page and plugged them into the calendar on the page so they could get some promotion among each other. And each day of the tour, I’m promoting them in all the online groups that I’m a member of. Setting up a virtual tour is easy breezy if you’re just organized and methodical about it. I know. I’ve done it…for two months. And not all of my hosts were from the same group of writers. They’re from all over the blogosphere, allowing me to tap into a variety of groups and niches. It’s been a fantastic tour. From chats to interviews to e-newsletter features to guest blogs to a special author day in a Yahoo group to a feature on a website that landed in USA Today through a feed to a spot on Author Island to the Leicester Review’s network to just a host of fun, wonderful conversations with people I wouldn’t have met otherwise, this has been an amazing two months. Almost each and every day has held a different event on the Choices Meant for Gods Online Book Tour. Yes, this was an incredible success, and tomorrow, I’ll announce the winner of the flash drive that I’m giving away on http://choicesmeantforgods.wordpress.com/ and we’ll start up something new.
Jane: Do you have any advice for newly published authors or soon to be published authors?
Sandy Lender: Oh my gosh. Ummm…practice not sleeping?
This was a great interview, Jane. I hope I didn’t frighten anyone off. Just because I’m a Type A Personality doesn’t mean every writer has to jump through the insane hoops I’m jumping through. A two-month virtual tour is unheard of. One month is kinda long, but more reasonable. I’m just insane (already). I hope your visitors enjoy the info!
Please feel free to leave your own comments or questions for Sandy. Choices Meant for Gods, is available at http://www.archebooks.com/BookIDX/Indexes/Fantasy/CMG/CMGDesc.htm or your favorite bookstore.
Thanks for stopping by Sandy. I hope we can do this again some time.
No movement on the production of The Ride to report so I’ll see you all next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Sandy Lender, Choices Meant for Gods , fantasy author, sorcery, dragons, epic fantasy, book tour,
Sandy, I’m so excited that you could join us today. My blog reflects my feelings and observations regarding the publication and marketing aspects of writing. I understand ArcheBooks Publishing released your fantasy novel, Choices Meant for Gods, in March of this year. I hope to follow in your footsteps soon so I have a few questions for you, based on some of my past blogs.
Jane: How long did Choices Meant for Gods take to write?
Sandy Lender: It took about 17 or 18 years to germinate; three years to write.
Jane: I have edited and reedited my contemporary women’s fiction novel, The Ride, so often that I have parts memorized. Were you ever able to read your manuscript without making changes?
Sandy Lender: This is kind of funny because, you see, with ArcheBooks Publishing, we get to make a final round of corrections before the “reprint” or replating. So, essentially, ummm, I’m still reading it and making changes. For instance, there’s a huge typo on page 13 and one on the very last page that will get fixed before that “reprint” happens. Oh, and I have a mistake concerning Henry’s ships that got left in due to an edit that can be a trivia question for crazed fans after my death.
Jane: How long after completing Choices Meant for Gods did it take you to find a publisher?
Sandy Lender: About three years. So, yeah, it took as long to get a publisher as it did to write the novel.
Jane: Did you ever become discouraged or think about giving up?
Sandy Lender: I certainly got discouraged by the find-an-agent process, and I gave that up. But I never thought about giving up on my dream to introduce Nigel and Chariss to the world. Chariss deserves to have her story told after all she went through…
Jane: Once you signed with ArcheBooks, how long before your book was released?
Sandy Lender: Thirteen months. There are authors who sign with other publishers who endure a longer “interminable wait,” so I consider myself quite fortunate that I had merely 13 months to prepare for marketing and promotion.
Jane: What was the editing process like once your book went into production?
Sandy Lender: Insane. Oh…wait…which part of production? J Seriously, once I saw that the book was in editing and things were moving along, I waited for some bizarre phone call saying, “Oh, Sandy, you need to rewrite it all and, by the way, you suck.” But no such thing happened. No call came. One day, the galleys arrived by e-mail. So I thought, “wow, there must be nothing wrong!” Not so much. Bob Gelinas, my publisher, is also my editor, and he did have a couple suggestions for editing. I thought, “at this stage?” So I made a very substantial change to the scenes in Bellan and Tiurlang (cutting them considerably to enhance pacing – Bob is a genius – it helped immensely) and I added two scenes to the final chapter to show where a couple characters are when all Hell breaks loose. Fabulous! But it surprised me that such things can be done at that stage. You live and you learn, right?
Jane: Choices Meant for Gods has an intriguing cover, did you have any input towards the design?
Sandy Lender: I actually did! And to any other new authors reading this, that is unheard of in this industry. I got lucky. ArcheBooks sort of breaks the mold there, I believe. Bob started out with a concept that was good, including that fabulous dragon flying in the background above the ghosted image of Arcana, and we e-mailed back and forth some thoughts until the finished product is what you see. That’s Amanda Chariss reflected out of the sword, by the way. That’s her amethyst on her cheekbone…Bob and I were at the Lee County Reading Festival talking about the cover and he said, “I’ve got to get her on the cover somehow.” Okay by me. And he sent that like the next day.
Jane: How did you feel when held the first copy of Choices Meant for Gods in your own hands?
Sandy Lender: Ecstatic. And bi-polar. I knew the books would be on my front porch as I was headed home from work that day so I was exceeding the speed limit and a little bit crazed. So it felt like a dream and reality rolled up in the same moment.
Jane: The term ‘marketing’ sends chills up my spine, how have you handled this aspect of being a writer?
Sandy Lender: I’ve been in public relations and marketing as part of my editing and publishing roles for many years now, so it’s just part of the job. If you don’t brand yourself and your product, no one’s going to know who you are or what you’re selling…so…gotta hop out there and make yourself known! It’s kind of strange, though, that I’m hopping out there not really caring to make myself known (although I have to get people to recognize the name Sandy Lender), but dying to have people recognize the name Chariss. I want folks to know who Nigel and Chariss are. One of these days, I want to be watching some talk show and hear the host say, “Like Romeo and Juliet or Anthony and Cleopatra or Nigel and Chariss.” And at that moment, I will choke on whatever wine I’m drinking and go into cardiac arrest. If I die fast enough at that moment, I won’t have to live through the crushing defeat of the audience or the guest on the show saying “Who?”
Jane: Between marketing Choices Meant for Gods and a full time job, how do you find the time to work on the sequel?
Sandy Lender: Bwuahahaha. When I had the carpet of my life and future ripped out from under me last summer, I was unemployed. While sending my resume to a dozen potential employers a day, but only landing a handful of job interviews in a seven-month period, I had plenty of time to write. I completed Choices Made by Gods (working title), which I’m now editing; I wrote quite a bit of Book III; I wrote a paranormal romance novel; I started a vampire novel; and I put together a ton of marketing ideas…
Jane: How did you come up with the idea of a virtual blog book tour and has it been successful for you?
Sandy Lender: A friend of mine named Jamieson Wolf did a blog tour back in the winter and I hosted him for a day at my blog, http://www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com/. That intrigued me. He was very organized about it; basically made it look very calm. Faker. (He knows I’m teasing him.) But it was a very nice experience for both of us. So I sat down and made a list of all the things I’d have available for my hosts, from pictures on a group page to guest blogs to already-prepared announcements they could post to FAQs they could pad their interviews with, etc. When I had the group page created, I went around to sites that I knew hosted authors and started asking them, “will you host me?” I got a spate of “no, you’re not big enough” responses. But I also got a bunch of “sure, come on over” responses. I gave those folks access to the tour page and gave them links on the page and plugged them into the calendar on the page so they could get some promotion among each other. And each day of the tour, I’m promoting them in all the online groups that I’m a member of. Setting up a virtual tour is easy breezy if you’re just organized and methodical about it. I know. I’ve done it…for two months. And not all of my hosts were from the same group of writers. They’re from all over the blogosphere, allowing me to tap into a variety of groups and niches. It’s been a fantastic tour. From chats to interviews to e-newsletter features to guest blogs to a special author day in a Yahoo group to a feature on a website that landed in USA Today through a feed to a spot on Author Island to the Leicester Review’s network to just a host of fun, wonderful conversations with people I wouldn’t have met otherwise, this has been an amazing two months. Almost each and every day has held a different event on the Choices Meant for Gods Online Book Tour. Yes, this was an incredible success, and tomorrow, I’ll announce the winner of the flash drive that I’m giving away on http://choicesmeantforgods.wordpress.com/ and we’ll start up something new.
Jane: Do you have any advice for newly published authors or soon to be published authors?
Sandy Lender: Oh my gosh. Ummm…practice not sleeping?
This was a great interview, Jane. I hope I didn’t frighten anyone off. Just because I’m a Type A Personality doesn’t mean every writer has to jump through the insane hoops I’m jumping through. A two-month virtual tour is unheard of. One month is kinda long, but more reasonable. I’m just insane (already). I hope your visitors enjoy the info!
Please feel free to leave your own comments or questions for Sandy. Choices Meant for Gods, is available at http://www.archebooks.com/BookIDX/Indexes/Fantasy/CMG/CMGDesc.htm or your favorite bookstore.
Thanks for stopping by Sandy. I hope we can do this again some time.
No movement on the production of The Ride to report so I’ll see you all next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Sandy Lender, Choices Meant for Gods , fantasy author, sorcery, dragons, epic fantasy, book tour,
Friday, July 13, 2007
No news
In a perfect world when something important in your life hits a standstill, you would be able to re-boot it like a computer to get things rolling again. Ah, but this is life where house payments and birthdays roll around with the speed of light and the publishing world moves at a snail’s pace. In other words, there’s nothing new to report on the progress of The Ride.
Instead of whining, I’m going to give you the opportunity to learn a little more about Sandy Lender and her fantasy novel, Choices Meant for Gods, before next week’s interview by using one of her articles so…“Welcome A Dragon to the Blog!”
“New fantasy author Sandy Lender breaks onto the writing scene with a high epic fantasy novel titled Choices Meant for Gods. She began writing stories as soon as she learned to string words together on the page. As a child, Sandy entertained the folks in her great grandmother’s apartment building in Southern Illinois with tales of squeaky spiders and mice picking berries, and then won awards with writing projects as she moved through the elementary and high school systems in the St. Louis area. It was apparent that a career in journalism was her calling, and she found herself proofreading, editing, and (finally) writing for trade publications after she graduated from Truman State University in Missouri. Now she writes in Southwest Florida where her love of sea turtles and all things related to the Gulf waters keeps her imagination growing.
“Choices Meant for Gods from http://www.archebooks.com/BookIDX/Indexes/Fantasy/CMG/CMGDesc.htm is the story of Amanda Chariss, a young lady who’s been on the run from a madman all her life. When Chariss finally chooses to stand and fight, she discovers she’s wrapped in centuries of prophecy that demand she protect the very gods of her society.
“You see, none of the gods noticed when Chariss was born with the mark of The Protector. Now the story picks up when she and her wizard guardian seek shelter from a mad sorcerer in a household not just full of secrets and false hope, but watched by the god who will unwittingly reveal her role in an impending war.
“When an orphan sets aside a lifetime of running and fear to accept the responsibilities of guarding an arrogant deity, can she face the trials in the prophecies she uncovers? And will Nigel Taiman of her latest refuge dare to use his dragon heritage to bind her to his estate or to help her in her duty?
“The novel is written in the style of J.R.R. Tolkien, a gentler Terry Goodkind, and a more mature David Eddings all rolled into one. Basically, if you’re a J.K. Rowling or Harry Potter fan, you’ll find something in the sorcery driven Choices Meant for Gods that lights your fancy as well—plus dragons.
“Sandy’s fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods is now available from ArcheBooks Publishing at http://www.archebooks.com/BookIDX/Indexes/Fantasy/CMG/CMGDesc.htm. You can get information about grammar and writing from her main blog at http://www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com/.”
Remember visitors to my blog can interact with Sandy on July 20, 2007, when she stops by as part of her online book tour. It promises to be an intriguing interview with Sandy responding to visitors’ comments and questions as well as my own, so be sure you mark your calendars to be back here July 20th for the antics.
See you next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (release date, by ArcheBooks Publishing, to be announced later this year)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Sandy Lender, Choices Meant for Gods , fantasy author, Tolkien, Goodkind, Rowling, Harry Potter, sorcery, dragons, epic fantasy
Instead of whining, I’m going to give you the opportunity to learn a little more about Sandy Lender and her fantasy novel, Choices Meant for Gods, before next week’s interview by using one of her articles so…“Welcome A Dragon to the Blog!”
“New fantasy author Sandy Lender breaks onto the writing scene with a high epic fantasy novel titled Choices Meant for Gods. She began writing stories as soon as she learned to string words together on the page. As a child, Sandy entertained the folks in her great grandmother’s apartment building in Southern Illinois with tales of squeaky spiders and mice picking berries, and then won awards with writing projects as she moved through the elementary and high school systems in the St. Louis area. It was apparent that a career in journalism was her calling, and she found herself proofreading, editing, and (finally) writing for trade publications after she graduated from Truman State University in Missouri. Now she writes in Southwest Florida where her love of sea turtles and all things related to the Gulf waters keeps her imagination growing.
“Choices Meant for Gods from http://www.archebooks.com/BookIDX/Indexes/Fantasy/CMG/CMGDesc.htm is the story of Amanda Chariss, a young lady who’s been on the run from a madman all her life. When Chariss finally chooses to stand and fight, she discovers she’s wrapped in centuries of prophecy that demand she protect the very gods of her society.
“You see, none of the gods noticed when Chariss was born with the mark of The Protector. Now the story picks up when she and her wizard guardian seek shelter from a mad sorcerer in a household not just full of secrets and false hope, but watched by the god who will unwittingly reveal her role in an impending war.
“When an orphan sets aside a lifetime of running and fear to accept the responsibilities of guarding an arrogant deity, can she face the trials in the prophecies she uncovers? And will Nigel Taiman of her latest refuge dare to use his dragon heritage to bind her to his estate or to help her in her duty?
“The novel is written in the style of J.R.R. Tolkien, a gentler Terry Goodkind, and a more mature David Eddings all rolled into one. Basically, if you’re a J.K. Rowling or Harry Potter fan, you’ll find something in the sorcery driven Choices Meant for Gods that lights your fancy as well—plus dragons.
“Sandy’s fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods is now available from ArcheBooks Publishing at http://www.archebooks.com/BookIDX/Indexes/Fantasy/CMG/CMGDesc.htm. You can get information about grammar and writing from her main blog at http://www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com/.”
Remember visitors to my blog can interact with Sandy on July 20, 2007, when she stops by as part of her online book tour. It promises to be an intriguing interview with Sandy responding to visitors’ comments and questions as well as my own, so be sure you mark your calendars to be back here July 20th for the antics.
See you next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (release date, by ArcheBooks Publishing, to be announced later this year)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Sandy Lender, Choices Meant for Gods , fantasy author, Tolkien, Goodkind, Rowling, Harry Potter, sorcery, dragons, epic fantasy
Friday, July 6, 2007
Encouragement Fizzled
Last weeks boost of encouragement didn’t last very long. Shortly after writing the blog and before I even posted it, I received this comment from Sandy Lender, author of the fantasy novel, Choices Meant for Gods, and I quote “…I have to fight and attack and struggle (I'm sure these are words you found in that marketing book) to get every inch of ground I've gained. Any day that I don't post to my blog is a day I lose an inch. Any day that I don't make a new contact is a day that I lose an inch. Any day that I don't send out a press release is a day that I lose an inch. It's high-pressure, high-stress, high-worry...and it's probably killing me…”
Sandy went on to say that she survives on four hours of sleep a night and that’s increased by an hour from when her book was first released.
What this means to me is—I’m in serious trouble. For one thing, I need sleep. Three to four hours is just a nap, I need a minimum of eight or I become cranky. Also, I’ve been living the ideal life of a retiree consisting of morning walks in the park or along the beach, maybe an hour or so of reading by the pool followed by an afternoon of writing, which means that words like stress, fighting, attacking and struggling are no longer part of my vocabulary.
Don’t get me wrong, I know I need to do some self-promotion and I’m even looking forward to it (I think), it’s just that I don’t want it to be the primary focus of my writing career and I certainly don’t want it to kill me.
With Sandy’s comment in mind, I realize I should be enjoying this time before the release of The Ride instead of bemoaning the fact that the publication process is taking so long. And, I guess that I still have a while to ‘enjoy’ because the Archebooks Publishing schedule did not move at all during the month of June. In May, they released four books and I was so excited because there was only one manuscript ahead of mine. In June, no books were released and there is still one manuscript ahead of me. Editors must take the summer off.
Fortunately, something wonderful happened this week to counterbalance the panic attack that was close to surfacing. My daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, in the process of moving from England back to the states, are currently staying with us. Granddog is in Michigan with his other set of grandparents because it was too hot to fly him down here. So right now, I think I will put all the scary aspects of marketing out of my mind and simply go enjoy being a grandmother.
First, I want to let you know that Sandy is going to be a guest on my blog on July 20th so please mark your calendars and stop by. Sandy is always interesting to talk to and will be happy to answer your questions. In the meantime, you can visit her blog at http://www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com/. Her book, Choices Meant For Gods, is available through http://www.archebooks.com/BookIDX/Indexes/Fantasy/CMG/CMGDesc.htm or your favorite book or on-line store.
Have a good week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Sandy Lender, Choices Meant for Gods , Jane Sutton, fantasy novel
Sandy went on to say that she survives on four hours of sleep a night and that’s increased by an hour from when her book was first released.
What this means to me is—I’m in serious trouble. For one thing, I need sleep. Three to four hours is just a nap, I need a minimum of eight or I become cranky. Also, I’ve been living the ideal life of a retiree consisting of morning walks in the park or along the beach, maybe an hour or so of reading by the pool followed by an afternoon of writing, which means that words like stress, fighting, attacking and struggling are no longer part of my vocabulary.
Don’t get me wrong, I know I need to do some self-promotion and I’m even looking forward to it (I think), it’s just that I don’t want it to be the primary focus of my writing career and I certainly don’t want it to kill me.
With Sandy’s comment in mind, I realize I should be enjoying this time before the release of The Ride instead of bemoaning the fact that the publication process is taking so long. And, I guess that I still have a while to ‘enjoy’ because the Archebooks Publishing schedule did not move at all during the month of June. In May, they released four books and I was so excited because there was only one manuscript ahead of mine. In June, no books were released and there is still one manuscript ahead of me. Editors must take the summer off.
Fortunately, something wonderful happened this week to counterbalance the panic attack that was close to surfacing. My daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, in the process of moving from England back to the states, are currently staying with us. Granddog is in Michigan with his other set of grandparents because it was too hot to fly him down here. So right now, I think I will put all the scary aspects of marketing out of my mind and simply go enjoy being a grandmother.
First, I want to let you know that Sandy is going to be a guest on my blog on July 20th so please mark your calendars and stop by. Sandy is always interesting to talk to and will be happy to answer your questions. In the meantime, you can visit her blog at http://www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com/. Her book, Choices Meant For Gods, is available through http://www.archebooks.com/BookIDX/Indexes/Fantasy/CMG/CMGDesc.htm or your favorite book or on-line store.
Have a good week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Sandy Lender, Choices Meant for Gods , Jane Sutton, fantasy novel
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