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lasera

THIS BOOK WILL BE PUBLISHED!

By | Lasera Kickstarter | No Comments

 

Lasera is going to be published! Over the past 2 years I’ve sent more than 40 query letters and got absolutely no interest, so I’ve decided to tackle publishing it myself and it’s coming out February 2015!
I’ve been putting in so many hours researching editors and cover designers and the best way to publish that blogging got pushed back. But no more! Why? I’ve launched a Kickstarter for the book! After more than 60 hours of work on a video (not to mention days and days worth of prep) the project is now live on Kickstarter!
Kickstarter is an all or nothing funding campaign which means I desperately need your help! If I don’t reach my goal in the next 29 days, I won’t get any of the funds raised. So go and click the big green button on the above page and pledge now to get some great rewards. So far the campaign has been amazing 😀 The project was chosen as a Kickstarter Staff Pick barely an hour after launch and it has already been shared on facebook almost 100 times. Keep checking back here as I update and share all that is going on.
This kickstarter is not only a great way to pre-order the book now and get some awesome extras too, but it also helps get the book into print. I love the creative journey and can’t wait to go through this whole adventure with all of you! Please share, tweet or just chat up the book anywhere you are. The water-cooler, the dog-park, the play group, the library, or even the end of rainbow. This is a -clean- young adult urban fantasy that I can’t wait to share with the world and now it’s finally on it’s way to being done.
Thank you so much for all your support!
COUNTDOWN: 29 DAYS LEFT TO GET LASERA INTO PRINT
Cheers!

Moving Past Rejections. Taking on the World.

By | Publishing | No Comments

There hasn’t been a post on here for a while, and there’s been a number of reasons for that. One of them being the fact that I was actually pouring over the Lasera Book One manuscript and trying to make it as good as possible. But the main one has been discouragement.

I sent out 8 query letters for this book at the beginning of April. 6 of them came back as form rejections, one came back with a line saying mermaids just weren’t her thing and I’m still waiting on one. I sent 10 more letters out in this past week. I’m not really hoping for much. (All this on top of the 20 letters I sent in 2012)

It’s hard to get form rejections, especially when I haven’t had any requests just to read the manuscript. I feel like the biggest asset of this book is the world building. This amazing place of Mer that I’ve built. But no one’s even taken a chance reading it, let alone tried to sell it to a publisher. So for a while there I had to step back. I had to make decisions and figure out what I wanted.

I’m still going to wait and see what happens with my queries, but I’m no longer banking on a publishing deal. My book is ready. I’m ready. This is my year. I’m ready to take on the world. Both figuratively and the imaginary world of Lasera 😀

If I don’t get any interest from agents in this batch of queries, I’m going to put this book out there myself. Maybe the market is sick of mermaids and other fantastical beings, I don’t know. But I’ve decided that I’m going to let the readers decide.

Watch out, Lasera is coming.

 

Cheers!

Why Using Someone Else’s Brain is So Fantabulous

By | Mer Archives Details, Publishing, Writing Tips | No Comments

This blog has seen a huge hiatus but thankfully, I’m back on the bandwagon. Hip hip hooray!

A little over a month ago I had the most amazing opportunity. Along with eleven other author attendees I was part of a workshop that was presented by Adrienne Kerr Commissioning Editor, Penguin (Canada). This post is written with her permission but has not been reviewed by her. The two day experience I had truly showed me the immense value of picking someone else’s brain, most especially after they’ve read your work.

With eleven other brains giving me in-depth critiques of my query letter, sample pages and my synopsis I had so many “Ah-ha” moments I lost count. It really helped that it was such a diverse group of writers. I found it interesting that sometimes even they disagreed on different aspects of my novel. But I learned quickly that if many people were saying the same thing it was time to sit up and pay attention. I’m still currently sorting through all the information and help that all of these writers have given me. It’s amazing that so much of what was specifically said helped in so many other aspects of my writing.

Never underestimate the value of new eyes coming to a piece of work. As a writer everything makes sense in your head. All the pieces fit together. New eyes can pick up on so many times where hands skipped over a crucial piece of information that is still in your head. Another person’s brain can also sometimes see themes or ideas that you may or may not have wanted in your novel. I was so excited and happy to have been able to go. This workshop will definitely have to go on my “I must do this every year for my writing” list. 😀
(Don’t underestimate the value of a good iPhone app too. So happy I used voice record and can now play back exactly what everyone said about what I had written).

In addition to all of the above it was truly wonderful to be able to work with Ms. Kerr and have not only so many of my questions answered but have her look at my writing as well.

Needless to say the workshop has really put a burr back under my butt and my writing is really starting to become part of my life again. I’m realizing how much I’ve missed it, and I’m so glad to be back!

Cheers!

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or check out Chapter One of Lasera here