Welcome to 2016!

It's a new year, and that means a whole new set of "resolutions." I say it like that because I make writing goals every year, so it doesn't fit the standard model of what you might think of when someone says resolutions.

Because of my head injury last August, and the resulting recovery, I thought I'd go easy on myself for 2016. The first thing I did, with the help of my youngest daughter, was take my favorite story ideas--that I hadn't started writing yet, that was key--put them up on the dart board and whatever the dart hit was the story I'd write.

The idea stemmed from a Facebook meme, of all things, that referred to today, the first day of a new year, as the first page of your book. I thought it would be fun to write a page a day of one story, not including Sundays--because I don't write on Sundays. Including the leap day, that's 314 pages--which is a pretty respectable size book!

But one page a day is hardly any effort, and even with my head injury I figure I can do more than that. I wrote down a list of all the stories that I've started but haven't finished, figuring that by working on those stories I could feel I've accomplished something each day--except it's a sizable list. There are currently TEN books/stories I've started but haven't finished. That's a workload that doesn't exactly fall in line with the idea of going easy on myself--on my brain, which is really what I'm trying to do. Work but not overtax myself. Remind my brain that writing is something we do.

I've written in some cushions for these goals--ways to keep from overdoing it this year--because, let's face it, brain health is important. I have to strike a balance between working too hard and not working enough. I also have to give myself some leeway for bad days, days that writing even one page is too much for me.

This is that balance: While I have a lot of lofty writing goals, I have NO (zero, none) publishing goals for 2016. I mean it. If I do get around to publishing something this year it will be because the story is absolutely ready, and my only other option with it is to shelve it until 2017. Remember that at the end of 2014 and throughout 2015 I had rather lofty publishing goals--and I met every single one of them, in spite of my head injury. (of course, most of them were met before I got hurt...)

So, I plan to publish nothing in 2016. I'm going to write--which is the fun part of my job as an author--and work on the existing stories I have. Sure, I hope to have stories ready to publish in 2017, but I'm not putting a number on that. I'm not putting a deadline on it. Part of my reasoning is, as I've mentioned, to give my brain time to heal properly, but the rest of it is to help rediscover the fun of writing. This year I'm going to swashbuckle with some pirates, write a tragedy, solve a mystery in Paris, go back to Fayterra, go underground with a princess, explore the angst of a vampire with a penchant for citrus fruit, and shoot across the stars with a changeling who thinks high school on Earth will be a cinch.

Now, doesn't that sound like fun? :)

This is Me

I've probably said this before, so forgive me if you find me repetitive.

Sometimes live is a bowl of cherries. Sometimes life is just the pits.

Usually, it's a mixture of both.

Today's been kind of a pit day so far, so of course I find myself on my blog writing about well, writing.

I gotta be me. Sometimes I find myself trying to stuff a square peg in a round hole and then I step back and realize that I have to do things my way in order to be the best me I can be.

Let's get a bit less cryptic.

Take publishing my books. While I won't rule out traditional publishing in my future, I have found I really, really like self publishing. I'm not great at marketing, true, and lately it's been bugging me that my books don't get as much attention as I'd like. The real issue is--at least I think it is--that my target audience has no idea these books are out there. There are tons of great books to read and they just haven't found mine yet.

And, of course, the last thing I published was last year so I'm not on anyone's radar.

But that needs to be okay. Right now, it is what it is.

I'm working currently working on three major projects. One is the final book in my YA fantasy series. Two is a contemporary, serious novel. Three is a dystopian fantasy. There are more, but I'm focusing on these three right now. The thing is, life just threw my family a major curve ball and I think I took it right in the gut.

I'm going to take the walk. The ump said so.

So, writing my books. I still have to be me. I have to write them and publish them on my terms, in my way. It may not be the best way, but I guess I'm just one of those people who have to carve out their own niche. I'm not the fastest, even though I want to be. But setting up a bunch of expectations just leaves me disappointed and empty.

I'm still going to try to get The Lost Princess done and in print by Nov 30th. I can do that. I still have time, and I'm more than halfway done. But at the moment there's a ton of things going on in my life and most of the big ones aren't good. In fact, right now I need my writing more than I have in the recent past because it will help get me through this mess, help me focus and pour out my feelings and leave me better for it on the other side.

I did that before, back in 2002 when I miscarried Lily. Writing kept me sane then. I'm relying on it now. I did that when I finished The Tyrant King. I did it in high school when I first wrote The Peasant Queen (and other things I will never subject you to--you're welcome).

Because writing is my lifeline as well as my business, I'm focusing on the lifeline aspect of it. In a month or so I will probably be more ready to take on the business part. But not now.

Thanks for listening.

That Good Ol' Comfort Zone

Recently someone said to me, "No growth happens inside your comfort zone." Okay, so she said it to about 200 people, but she may as well be talking right to me.

Lately I've had all sorts of crazy ideas about my writing career. Most of them have to do with getting more books out to readers. How is anyone going to know they love my writing if they don't know it's out there? The simple answer is: They WON'T.

When I started down this path a few years ago (5, 6--but who's counting) in earnest, I abandoned all those things I used to love. Hiding from people. Doing my level best not to draw attention to myself. Coming in under everyone's radar as much as humanly possible. I knew I'd have to step out of that shell in order to sell books.

But it was hard. Sometimes I'd creep back in. Being "out" all the time was like standing on the sun without any SPF 3000.

Writing is what I love. It's that part of my soul that was missing. It's what makes this wife and mom a complete being. For a while I let my job and having to home school my daughter and my husband's two jobs serve as my excuses for not spending as much time out of my comfort zone as I should.

I paid for that, in a way. The Peasant Queen didn't sell enough copies to justify the publisher picking up the sequel. That was in large part due to my choices, and in small part due to the economy. Publishing is a business. They are there to make money. I understand that, and I'm at peace with it. My past choices have put me on a different path for The Tyrant King, and I own my responsibility for that.

Self publishing means an utter destruction of my comfort zone. Nobody is helping me sell books (aside from loving, caring friends and family) to strangers. I have to do that. It's up to me. There is no such thing as an overnight success. What people don't see are the years of crushing disappointments that came before. Just because you never heard of someone before they're "breakout debut" doesn't mean they weren't working toward that goal all along.

This is me. Writing is my life. Publishing/marketing is my job.

Yesterday I spoke to the local librarian about a book signing in May. I came away with a tentative offer to teach a creative writing class to kids in the summer.

Not a bad first step out of that comfort zone, I think.

Resolutions are for Suckers

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I don't do New Years' Resolutions. There's a quote going around Facebook that Resolutions are a to-do list for the first week of January.

I set goals instead. Here, on my writing blog, we're not going to mess with my personal goals. We'll explore my writing goals for 2012.

I decided I'm going to publish, or contract to publish, *5* books this year.

Whoa. I know, right? Then I got to thinking.

I'm submitting The Tyrant King at the end of the week. Cleaning up The Wild Queen to prepare for print versions (by Mother's Day per a personal request). Submitting Lizzie Lilac and the Left Socks, my children's book, (though there's no guarantee it will be published). These 3 books are almost done, and only require a few touch ups.

But, The Wild Queen shouldn't really count since I published the ebook last year. Right?

I have lined up a fabulous editor for Consequences in March, so my edits need to be done by then. That's okay, since my plan is to have it done by February. That gives me time to get it out to readers, get their feedback on it, and then make a few tweaks before my dear editor gets her hands on it.

After that, I think I'm going to work on a few rough drafts. It will be great to flex that creative muscle again. Exciting.

Five books will be great. What a fun way to spice up 2012.

Since I will be self publishing a few, I have some control over meeting this goal. The fun part will be learning how to do my own typesetting and cover art. Scary. I'm excited and motivated to get this done.

Let's go 2012!

But, I'm Published!

Last week, I heard from a friend of mine. We've kind of had mirror lives--our first novels came out around the same time, we sent our second ones to our publishers around the same time, we got rejected with requests to rewrite and resubmit--you know the drill. My friend, who'd worked very hard to rework her novel and has a much better book now than before, found out after 11 weeks that her publisher declined to publish it. I feel for her, particularly since I'm not as fast as she is doing rewrites, not to mention my crazy summer, and am on the verge of resubmitting my reworked novel. I'm confident my friend will move forward, but her experience has made me take a step back from my own life and think.

What will I do if my publisher declines to publish my second book?

First off, there's a reason I don't have a wireless keyboard (imagine keyboards sailing across the room to hit the far wall). My initial reactions to disappointment are sometimes unpredictable.

I know I'm not a bestselling author. I know having a published novel under your belt does NOT guarantee future publication. I've met really amazing authors with 6 or 7 published novels who still get the dreaded "no, thank you" from their publisher at times.

But, I also know I have certain obligations.

One, to myself. I'm a writer. What I love is to create stories and share them with others. Two, I have a modest fan base--actual living, breathing people who are anxiously awaiting the next installment of this series. I've heard it from them and bookstore owners alike. Granted, they aren't in the thousands, but they exist. And they matter to me. Three, I have an obligation to show my children that just because our dreams aren't easy doesn't mean we can give up. I read a great quote recently: Don't follow your dreams. Chase them!

But none of that changes the basic, economic fact that my publisher may not feel my book is strong enough to warrant their taking a risk on it. In fact, publishing my first book may have taught them I'm not as good a risk as they thought. As a writer, I have a distinct detachment from that side of the coin, and I don't know where they stand. Which is probably for the best.

The question remains: what will I do? I have options. I can try other publishers. I can search for an agent. I can self publish. In fact, in the next couple of months several of my writing friends are self publishing really incredible books. That will mean it will be harder to get my book in stores, but it will also mean I will have the book out to the public sooner than expected.

I really don't believe there's an easy answer here. Each process has its positive and negative sides. Shopping the book around could take the extra time my readers need to forget they're anticipating the next book. I need to evaluate my position, my goals, and see where I stand. What will be best for me, in both the short and long term? The other issue I have is that this is the continuation of a series, and how many publishers would be willing to pick up a series on the second book?

Decision, decisions. But at least I have options. :)

May Day

Actually, that was 2 days ago. And I'm really not in any kind of panic. Mostly. :)

It's May now, and we're winding down the school year and my writing time. I don't get any writing done in the summer when the kids are home, so I'm really not planning to do any from May 26th through August 20th (or whenever school starts again). This is a self-preservation technique to save me the stress and aggravation of trying to write and not succeeding.

But my plans have been a little redesigned.

Last week, I posted about my writing doubts while I waited for the publisher to get back to me for The Tyrant King. They did, with a list of suggested changes and a request to resubmit when I make the changes. At first, I was sad. I mean, I didn't WANT to have to do any more work on it, but that night as I was driving (another epic story for another day) to an author event one of the more inspirational songs I use spontaneously played on the radio. For me. I know it was just for me. :) And I'm honest enough to admit my writing isn't perfect, and the story DOES have issues, so I'd much rather fix them now rather than have it published full of plot holes. (slight exaggeration) So while I wait to hear back from my beta readers for my e-book, The Wild Queen, I'm going to work on fixing The Tyrant King--with the hope of resubmitting it by the end of this month.

What has changed? My 3rd planned e-book, The Price of Love, has been put off indefinitely. And I'm not going to start The Lost Princess, my (hopefully) 3rd print book, until I've resubmitted The Tyrant King to the publisher. I'm still hoping to get it all done this month, but I'm also cutting myself a little slack.

I may also be writing a little into June. Hopefully the kids will forgive me. :)

Having Doubts

As the weeks tick by waiting for my publisher to get back to me about The Tyrant King, I find myself dwelling more and more in the world of doubt. I know this is a normal process authors go through, but I doubt it gets easier with time and experience.

Which makes me wonder how much authors are willing to put themselves through, and why?

The first draft of The Peasant Queen that I submitted was roughly 114,000 words. The copy of The Tyrant King that I submitted is about 57,000 words. It doesn't take a math genius to see that's about half the size. Which begs two questions:

Have I really learned to be THAT concise of a storyteller?

Or is it that I've become TOO concise? Am I not telling enough of the story?

Oops--that's three questions.

Forgive me if, for a while, I try to hold my footing while the waves of doubt smash me against the rocks over and over again. Eventually I'll make my way back to solid ground--one way or the other.

Call for Submissions

My publisher, Cedar Fort Books, has put out the call. Can you answer it? They're looking for submissions in these categories:

* Prayer
* The Book of Mormon
* The Doctrine and Covenants
* Church History
* Mother's Day: short stories and gift books
* General Nonfiction
* LDS Nonfiction
* Historical Fiction
* LDS Fiction
* Social and Behavioral Issues (i.e. Asperger's, ADHD, suicide, eating disorders, body image) both nonfiction and fiction.

Check out their website HERE for more information. And good luck! :)

Lookee Me--Publishing Credit!

Last year, a member of the League of UT Writers, of which I am a part, wrote asking for inspirational stories for a series of books she was putting together for Covenant Communications. I submitted three stories to her, two of which were included in the first volume, Angels Round About.

So here's the news: Angels Round About will be released for sale this Monday, March 1st. You will be able to find it, or should be able to find it, for sale at Seagull and/or Deseret Book stores--or through Covenant's website. My two stories are under my name and my pen name, Liz Bennett.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the book.

CLICK HERE to go to Covenant's website.

You can click the Product Catalog link, and then the Purchase Covenant Products link to search for the book. It's reasonably priced, and would make a great gift for Mother's day or birthdays. :)

I'm Telling! ;)

Humor me, please? I've been gearing up for this day for a long, long time. I'm going to share my good news with all of you by way of this story:

She sat at this gathering of writers, held in a publisher's building, listening with rapt attention as the owner of the publishing company described the process they go through when selecting a book to publish from their many submissions. "This would be a good fit for me," she thought, and a warm cloak of rightness settled over her.

One year later she sat on her old, beat up blue sofa and opened her poor laptop. She had to twist the cable left and right until it registered it was plugged in, then she checked her email.

There it was. Sitting in her inbox, waiting for her, was the email that would settle her question once and for all. Would it be acceptance, or another kindly worded rejection? Did she have the courage to click it and find out?

"Come on, girl," she thought. "Nothing is worse than not knowing." And with a deep breath, she clicked.

And read, "Dear Cheri,

My name is Shersta, and I am Acquisitions Editor at Cedar Fort. After a careful review of your manuscript, The Peasant Queen, I am excited to tell you that we would like to publish your book."

"Oh, God," she said, "thank You!"

:)

Annette Lyon's detailed look at Book Publishing

Don't get excited. Seriously. I don't usually post this much. But I came across something while blog-browsing that I had to share.

CLICK HERE to read author Annette Lyon's detailed answer to a blogger who asked her why it takes so long to get a book published.

Annette is truly a gem and an asset to any aspiring author. My suggestion is to become a follower on her blog. Word Nerd Wednesday is my particular favorite--but I'm kinda word-nerdy myself. :)

And we're off!

Ok, I'm always a little off, but I like to think that's part of my charm. :)

I did it. I really did it. And on time even. I mailed off my trimmed, edited and test-read manuscript off to the editors who requested it this morning. Seriously. At 9:01 AM I walked out of the post office after paying $6.50 to mail the package.

They should get it Monday. And now I have to throw myself into that other project or I will drive myself mad with worry and speculation. After so much effort on this one book, it's finally looking really promising.

My test readers were amazing. Have to give them a shout out. They're great ladies who do these wonderful things for me, and don't even know that test readers get free signed copies when a book is published. ;)

These are the days I like being an author. The world is opened up to me. Anything goes. And no matter what happens, it was a great learning experience. It's all good.

It's not that I never blog...

...I've just been busy lately. Beyond the normal sick kids/sick hubby, regular life and holidays stuff--I've actually also been an author. I spent two years rewriting and polishing and making beautiful my masterpiece before sending it off to 4 local publishers. Every one rejected me. It's great, but they don't have room for it. One publisher, however, rejected it because of the length. Ok, 114,000 words is a lot. I didn't mean to create a monster, but it's just so good. The publisher suggested I trim it down to fit their printing size--under 300 pages. At first I was aghast. I mean, really. Never thought I'd actually use that word to describe what I felt, but there you are.

How on earth do I take a 440 page masterpiece and cut it down by over 25%? How do you do that? I don't have that kind of talent. How's this: let's just split it and make 2 books. And I agonized about cutting out crucial plot elements, what I was sacrificing for my art, what of my art I would sacrifice to get published, etc.

Nothing. For weeks. I figured their editor email was a one-way communication. But then, just before Christmas, I hear from them again.

They've read on. They really like it, but they don't feel the plot resolves well enough at the end of chap 22 to make a stand alone book. How am I coming with the trimming? Can I get it in under 300 pages?

So, like any other author would do, I sharpened my scalpel, scissors, razor and wit and got to work. You wouldn't believe this (came as a great shock to me), but in about 4 chapters of my masterpiece ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAPPENS TO FURTHER THE PLOT, SUBPLOT OR CHARACTER DESIGN. I mean, stuff happens, but nothing crucial to the development of the story. I condensed almost 5 chapters into about a page or two.

That felt really, really good. Wait, I can actually cut stuff out and it doesn't hurt the story? I grabbed the weed whacker and got down to it. Repetitive (slice), redundant (hack), boring (chop)--and on it went for almost two weeks. And I watched my word count reduce in wonder. My page numbers went down. It was magical.

The manuscript currently stands at 81,018 words (weird, huh?) and is 295 pages long. Being a practical, logical person I want to trim it down a bit more, maybe another 10-15 pages, for wiggle room during the editing stages.

That's if, after all this, the publisher signs me. :)

And the Seed of Doubt Returns

Here I am again. I've returned to the doubt that plagues all writers, despite their accolades and successes. I hate this, but I cant' escape it.

What is the best way to publish my book? Which book should I publish first? Should I hold out for something that can be fantastic, or take publisher suggestions and get the book published? Should it be one, or two? Can I make the second half follow the format acceptable to today's publishers?

What to do, what to do?

The only thing I can't do is the thing I sometimes want to do the most--give up. Quit. Stop writing. Live a "normal" life.

But then, if I was normal I wouldn't be extraordinary now would I?

Supporting Each Other

I've been thinking about this a lot today, and here's where I express myself.

This year I connected with an awesome group of authors. I know this because they are snatching up publishing contracts left and right. They're suddenly living their dreams; my dreams. And that's okay.

I learn more about myself every day. While I won't lie and say there's not even a tiny part of me wondering when my turn will come, I'm pleased to say that I'm happy for my friends. I rejoice in their successes. My words are backed by genuine feeling--they aren't empty praise. I really am happy their dreams are coming true.

It's like this--I just met these ladies this year. Without asking them, there's no way for me to know how long they've struggled, waited, been rejected, submitted and submitted and submitted. And I've learned this year that writing--being an author--is a journey. Some of us start young. Some of us don't hear their call to write for years. And some of us, like me, fight it tooth and nail until finally accepting it. I've always known I love to write, but making a career out of it is impractical. A few are able to do it. Some have spouses who can help balance the family budget. In my case, I'm the "balancer" and in this economy nothing balances.

But writing does not come without challenge. Like most artists, what we do is tied into who we are. Setbacks are easy to see and hard to fight. Someone criticizes our work; we are completely overlooked in contest after contest. And, of course, we're our harshest critics. I applaud published authors who can go through this over and over again.

For me, writing is a walk of faith. I know it's the right thing for me. I know it's my calling. I do the conventions and workshops, I write when I can, I read whatever I can get my hands on to hone my craft.

I get how the publishing world can be competitive. There are hundreds, thousands of authors with books and only so many can go into print. But, as a reader, I also know nobody reads just one type of book, or just one author. If you love books, if you love to read, then you will read a variety of things. You might prefer one genre over another, but you're still going to read a variety of books. There's room for all of us. It doesn't detract from my course or path to be happy for my friends.

I just think it's awesome. I'm so happy for these ladies. It's the coolest.

Jumping in with Both Feet

I've just recovered from a severe case of not seeing the forest for the trees. And it was a bad one. (dang. I just stopped typing to listen to my girls eat lunch and got another story idea)

Here's the thing: I have let finalizing and polishing my book for printing through WriteWise blind me to the big picture--placing the book with a publisher. I've let opportunities slip by because I forgot part of my contract includes their acting as a liaison or agent on my behalf to PLACE THE BOOK. Good grief; that's a huge forest to lose sight of.

This point was brought home to me Thursday when I attended UVU's Book Academy for Readers and Writers. Fantastic stuff. I wish they had it monthly. My WriteWise Book Producer, Karen, was on the panel of publishers for our open Q&A and she spoke about our cookbook author Nancy Miles. She's fantastic at self marketing and has taken local Costco stores by storm. (I mean it--at her last book signing she sold 60 copies!!!)

Oops. Seriously. I've been trying to clean something else up to submit to the local publishers in Utah when all along I already had something to send them.

So here I go. Jumping in with both feet. I'm sending out submission packets this week.

Do all LDS authors go through this?

I've hesitated posting this, because it is intensely personal, but here goes. Do all LDS authors face such spiritual adversity trying to get published? And does that adversity ease at all once you've published one or two books?

I've been on a roller coaster of highs and lows ever since accepting my place in Heavenly Father's plan last April. At least the role of my writing. It wasn't an easy acceptance. I've done a lot of kicking and screaming to get to this point. But finally I accepted what He has in store for me, and the blessings I've been getting all say it's going to be big.

I have a book on the cusp of publication and have been smacked down by direct opposition more times than I care to count. This is personal you guys. I'm talking misdirected emails, flagrant red herrings--and not just at me but at the people involved in seeing my book in print.

Case in point: A few weeks ago I got an email from the designer who did my cover and is also doing the interior book design. She wanted me to send her the most recent draft of the book. She didn't have it. A MONTH BEFORE I had sent it to my liaison who had then sent it to her and wrote me back saying she had. And it vanished into cyberspace. In utter exasperation I vented to my husband that it felt like I was being targeted, like little gremlins were purposely sabotaging my work. He immediately felt impressed to give me a priesthood blessing, during which I was told I was right. After that I started saying a little prayer every time I sent an email even remotely book related.

Three weeks ago my liaison started her final read-through of my book. She has to read it before it goes into print. Call her my editor, for these purposes. The next week I emailed her for an update and she said she was on page 200 and really liking it. She sent me a couple more emails saying she was really enjoying it and asking if another author could also look at it. After two weeks of silence I emailed again; she's still around page 200. Work and family keep distracting her. And I know why.

I'm fasting tomorrow. I've asked my kids to pray for the book to be published soon. I've got people asking almost daily when it will be available for purchase. And I've started responding by asking them to pray for it. There's nothing short of divine intervention that's going to see my book published now.

So I ask again. LDS authors, is it always like this??