REDISCOVERING TERRIFIC REVIEWS

I'm luxuriating in a benefit small, independent publishers can offer: I'm updating the content and covers of my trilogy.

When I talk with friends who have had the privilege of being published by a large press, they are certainly thrilled at their success, but cringe at what's Out There in their name. One remarked that they felt like they were reading a first draft. Their writing chops had strengthened over the years, and although they still love their story and characters, they would love to revisit their writing and update how they unfolded their tale.

I really dug into my books, and a few surprises awaited me!

The Charity was my first endeavor in writing fiction and the first of The Jessica Trilogy. I had written pieces for Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Nature, and other outlets, and knew how to weave a narrative. But revisiting Charity, I realized how much I had grown as a writer. I have a lot more confidence in my abilities and in my readers. I was able to condense passages and add brush strokes of detail that made my story shine. Today's readers want their story to come at them at a faster clip, and I was happy to oblige them.

Readers of my first book asked me what happened to the characters. I had the answers, and their questions drove me to write The Troubles. 

I realized (huffs nails) that I had a pretty darn good story on my hands.

Even as I was renewing my writing, I noticed more five-star ratings on Goodreads. I guess that what irked me as an author didn't bother my readers at all!

I rediscovered reviews, too. One review in Horse Nation really took me by surprise as I'm not sure I ever saw it. It was published the same day my father died, so I forgive myself for not bird-dogging the blogs and reviews. It was for The Wake, the final installment of the trilogy. How could I not have remembered a review with the headline "A Thrilling Adventure, A Literary Bombshell."

I mean, COME ON!!

So, yeah. I'm super thrilled with this refreshed trilogy.

I think you will be, too.

The Author Ladder: Triumphs, Rejections, and the Real Climb to Publication

On my journey up the Author Ladder, I'm often asked about triumphs and mistakes, swings and misses.

The Author Ladder? 

Image by Pheladii of Pixabay

Yup. From the idea that pushes against the sides of your skull until you finally let it escape to the page, to the lofty heights of best-seller lists and movie deals, every accomplishment, no matter how small, is another rung upward. 

The trouble with that ladder is the very top can feel impossibly far away, shrouded in mist. Sometimes the rungs are so close together you hardly feel your progress. Other times the upward stretch feels too far, too hard to reach.

And then there are those slippery rungs that crash you back to earth.

So, when I'm asked about triumphs, I hesitate. Inside, I feel like I'm on a kitchen step stool and having a hard time managing even that. 

Then I take stock of my journey. I realize I am farther along than I thought and having a lot of fun along the way. I feel the progress in the questions people ask me, the outreach I get, the way others see what I sometimes can't see in myself.

I've been the invited moderator of literary festivals and conferences. I've interviewed NYT best-selling authors for fundraisers and major events. My books have received glowing reviews--maybe not from People Magazine or Publishers Weekly, but from respected publications that target a large segment of my readers. My stories appear in Anthony Award-winning anthologies, and my novels have won industry respect.

A recent guest appearance on a popular author blog has been getting a lot of attention, too. And I'm always thrilled when an emerging writer, someone with an idea buzzing in their head, asks me to take a look at their first chapters. 

I have a new novel on submission with publishers now. The rejections make gripping those rungs just a little harder, but they also let me know I'm on the right track.