Author Picture

It is getting close to the time that my publisher is going to start asking for things...endorsements, cover art ideas, any pictures...including my author picture. I've been told that having your picture on your book helps the reader connect with the author. I'm not sure if it's true or not, but I do like to see what an author looks like when 'I' read a book...but the important part to me is the part of the jacket that tells you what the story is about, not so much the picture.
But I will take the advice and do an author picture on my book...but what type of picture do I do? I could do a serious picture and be sitting at my desk in my home office, or in front of my bookshelf full of books. Or I could do a casual picture of me at the local nature center and have a nice outdoorsy picture. Another option is to do a head shot with a solid background...
I'm not sure what I'll do, but I'll probably take a lot so I can hopefully find at least one that I'm willing to use!
Any thoughts?

Multimedia Options

Good Tuesday evening. I have been e-mailing back and forth with the multimedia department at Tate Publishing. It is time for me to pick my option that goes along with my contract. I narrowed it down to commercials or an audio book. I have finally made my decision...I'm going with the audio book!
I think it is the best choice for my book. Once the commercials air, that's it...but with the audio book, it can keep going 'forever'! Plus many people I've talked to say they prefer to listen to audio books instead of reading the book due to long hours in a car or while exercising...I think this will help get my 'book' into more hands than the commercials will.
So, keep your fingers crossed...we are getting there!

To start pre-sales or not to start pre-sells...

I have been debating with when I should start the pre-sells of 'Old Acquaintances'. I have gotten some really good advice from two people that I've come to respect, they both say it is never too early. BUT...they have both written and sold books that have been released already and didn't start pre-selling until subsequent books...They have an idea of what to expect in this area whereas I don't have a clue!
So, I know I want to do pre-sells but am perplexed on when to start them. I am currently thinking that when I start vacation the first week of June, that will give me the needed time to get things set up for pay pal and other necessities to start pre-sells. My estimate is that 'Old Acquaintances' will be available for purchase directly from me starting in October (hopeful thinking) or November (more realistic).
So would readers be willing to purchase a book 5 to 6 months before they will receive their book? I'm going to hope so and move forward with pre-sells as soon as I can get it set up with pay pal. What do you think?

First contact with my editor

I have officially meet my editor...it's kind of cool to be able to say that I have an editor! Her name is Ashley and so far I think she's great! She sent me my welcome e-mail Monday and in it is a timeline of the editing process that takes me through July 15th.
I am now waiting to get my first round of edits from her, that will be on the 31st. I will then have 2 weeks to make any changes I agree with. I like that I don't have to make all the changes if I find I don't agree with them! At the end of the two weeks, I send my revisions back. She then has two weeks to incorporate all my changes and get a 'clean' manuscript to me for approval. I have two weeks to re-read the manuscript and sign a content approval if everything is good. Once she gets it back, she makes sure I've signed the approval then it heads to layout and design. That will be July 15th.
So while it isn't the speediest process, it is moving! I sent Ashley an e-mail with a question or two and she was wonderful in her response but what made my week was her parting comment. She said that the copy editor, Ashley is the conceptual editor, recommended the book to Ashley since it is her favorite type of genre AND the copy editor said she thought she would really enjoy it because she thought it was great!!!! Now, I realize that are there to help and encourage the authors and if this is something they routinely tell us, I DON'T CARE!! ;^} It made me feel great and I can't wait to see what Ashley has to say!
So stay posted and we will find out together what happens next.
God Bless

What's your strength?

It's been a while since I've posted. Nothing new yet with the book, but I should be hearing from the editor Friday or next Monday. Which brings me to this blog topic...
What are your strengths? Are you following them? A funny thing, life...it never seems to take you the way you think it should. I was never very good in English in school. As a matter of fact, it was just about my worst subject. Spelling was okay, literature I excelled at, creative writing was always a favorite of mine, but then you had to start grammar, ugh!
I never understood why you needed to diagram a sentence, who cares if it is a noun, pronoun, adjective, adverb, etc, etc, etc...What do you mean, 'What is the author trying to say'? Doesn't everyone get a different meaning when they read it? I don't know why the author wrote a whole poem about fence posts in the snow, I'm guessing he was bored and had nothing better to say.
My point is, I hated grammar in school. Still not one of my strong points, but it's funny how many things make sense NOW that I was taught, lets just say, many years ago. But I still don't understand why I need to diagram a sentence...
So, while I wasn't very good at grammar, I loved to read and write stories. I loved to try to come up with ways to tell a story be describing the scene rather than just writing it out in plain ole, 'now he's doing this', 'now he's doing that'. I wanted to use descriptive words and paint a picture. I wanted the reader to feel like they were there witnessing the scene rather than being told second hand what was happening. So, while grammar isn't my strong suit, storytelling is.
I guess my point in all of my ramblings is, just because one aspect of a dream might not be a strong point for you doesn't mean there aren't other ways to achieve that dream. I would never of thought that I could write a book, let alone become published, but it seems that if you have a strength that also brings a weakness along with it, there are ways to over come your weaknesses but you have to try, otherwise your weaknesses control you.
Go for your dreams, you never know what you can achieve!

Book Sales

I've been doing a little figuring on when to expect to have books for sale, pre-release copies. I'm hoping to have them available for purchase by the end of October or November. Once I know how much they will be I'm thinking about advanced orders. If you order through me, the only way to get a pre-release copy I believe, I will sign it if you wish before mailing it on to you.
Once I know when and how much, I will post it to my blog and facebook page. I will also be adding a paypal to this site so you can pay that way too. But for those that don't want to go that route, you can contact me for my address and send payment that way.
I'm looking forward to having my books in hand...

What a great day!

It was a beautiful, sunny, warm Saturday that I got to spend with my family doing what I love...shopping for plants, working in the yard, bbq-ing, reading and taking it easy! What an awesome day!
I've been itching to start on a new book but I've been putting it off thinking I needed to wait until my current book, 'Old Acquaintance' was completed...or at least through editing. But I don't think I can wait anymore. I've had several idea that I've jotted down and some of them I started writing on, but I've firmly set them all aside thinking it best to wait. I think I'm going to have to revisit them and see which one is calling to me the most. Or maybe it'll be a completely new idea.
Rissa and Stone's story has been written, it's just waiting for everyone to be able to read it. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them and watching them develop in the pages of 'Old Acquaintances' and sometimes I'm sad that the story is complete. I miss them!
There might be a new story that mentions them again, but I have so many other people I've started to get to know in the ideas I've jotted down that I am looking forward to watching them grow and 'become'. I don't know what the characters are going to be like as I start writing. I only have a sense of their moral makeup...I have to have that to start. I have to know where they are coming from to be able to help them develop, but it's the dynamics, quirks, personalities and dialogue that is fun to discover as a character develops...I'm looking forward to meeting my new friends!