18 days....OMG!

There's only 18 days left until my book signing. I feel like there is so much to do. Print flyers, hand them out/stick them places, order 11x17 copies of my book covers, figure out what in the hell I'm doing, etc.

This is my first book signing. I have no idea what I'm doing. Every time I say this to someone, they just say "You show up and sign books" but there seems to be so much more than that. I've found a couple of websites that have helped me get an idea of what to expect, but I'm still running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Quite comical actually.

40+ Ways to Make Your Next Book Signing an EVENT!
How to Have A Successful Book Signing

Wish me luck!

How embarrassing

Yesterday I went out to the shooting range to do some research for Blood Moon. Sarah's going to need a bigger gun than her little P22 and I needed to find something that would suit a person like her. I fell in love with the M16 there, and I think it will work well for what Sarah has to do.



While I was there I oogled the P22 and discovered something that is extremely embarrassing; I spelt Walther as Walter in Fade to Black.

I can't believe I did that! I also can't believe that I didn't catch it AFTER I did it. At least I have time to fix it in Malevolent Dead, but still!

Ugh!

I'm so embarrassed, but at least I'll learn from this. Always always ALWAYS double check everything!

Book Signing!

I'm going to be at Here Be Books in Summerville signing copies of FADE TO BLACK and PROMISES TO KEEP!

When: Saturday May 15

Time: 12-3pm EST

Where: Here Be Books (& Games)
4650 Ladson Road, Suite I
Summerville, SC 29485
843-695-1498
www.herebebooks.com

Please comment if you have any questions. I hope to see you there!

Submissions

One of the worst things about being a writer is the submission process. As a writer, you work so hard creating and editing a manuscript. You polish it, send it out, and wait forever for a response. Sometimes a market is quick. For example, I got a 1.5 day rejection from Fantasy Magazine the other day. I don't mind that. Quick form rejection and I can send it out again. It's the rejections that you get 243 days after sending something out. By then, you think that this might be a good thing. Maybe they like your work and are trying to figure out where to put it. But usually they are overloaded with submissions and it took them 242 days to open your email.

That's was the submission process is for writers. 90% of the time it's disappointment; form rejections, cruel rejections, or no answer at all that take forever to get to you. 10% of the time it's golden; the acceptance, a positive personal rejection, or even a quick 1.5 day rejection.

Today I sent out a short story submission to Sword and Sorceress 25. I've been trying to get into this annual anthology since 2007. It's one of my writing goals. Every year I get a quick rejection, usually personal. I think I write too dark for them, but I have to try. Every year I get a rejection within a day. I can live with that. I just hate the waiting game. Hoping that this year, the editor will like a story I send her.

Hopefully this will be the year, but my jaded side says no. I'd really like to prove that side wrong.

Stats for Promises to Keep

*happy dance*

Promises to Keep is rising up the Bestseller lists!

(overall for Fantasy ebooks)
#16 - Fictionwise.com
#13 - Readerwise.com
#13 - ebookwise.com
#16 - Ereader.com

As for the Kindle, Promises isn't doing so well there. Currently ranking #162,518.

(overall for Eternal Press)
#4 - Fictionwise.com, Readerwise.com, & ebookwise.com! (unknown on Ereader.com)



Now if only I could get some reviews.... :o)

Getting stuck

For once I'm not talking about writing. Well, I am...just not the process.

I've belonged to a bunch of writing forums, all of them filled with people that have spent years and years writing. That's great right; getting advice from veterans that have seen it all. Except that they haven't seen it all. They are still stuck writing short stories for paying markets and not going up to pro. Or they are still writing ebooks and not trying to get an agent.

I think it's very easy to get into a groove and stay there. It's comfy and you what to expect.

It scares me.

Some day I want to walk into my local B&N and find my book on the shelf. I'm not going to get there writing short fiction all the time or sticking with the ebook industry (although I do think ebooks are about to boom big time. I like that I'm in it, but it doesn't mesh good with my overall goal). It is so easy getting relaxed with a certain market; short fiction for instance. I wrote short fiction for years, nothing getting published by a pro market. Stop by my website, take a look at my bibliography. It's crazy how comfy I got there. I think when a writer gets too comfortable, they forget their original goal and that's how I'm getting.

I still plan on publishing MALEVOLENT DEAD and BLOOD MOON as ebooks, but my goal is to have an agent for my longer works within 18 months.

What's your goal?

Upcoming events and bestseller info

Even though it is now April, I still have a lot of events coming up. Heck, I'm even still booking them. I have events going on through November, which can be found on my events page. So here's the line up for April and May.


APRIL

Apr 3 - Guest blogging at Fangtastic Books. http://www.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com

Apr 7 - Interview over at Page Readers at 1pm EST. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/page-readers
Live Chat at Romance Junkies 9pm EST. http://www.romancejunkies.com/chat.html

Apr 24 - Visit me at Love Romances Cafe. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveRomancesCafe
Apr 28 - Interview on Just Write! http://justwritewithannemarienovark.blogspot.com


MAY

May 4 - Interview at Rachel Brimble's blog. http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.com

May 15- Guest blogging at Kayden's World of Paranormal. http://kaydenmcleodparanormal.blogspot.com

May 23 - Interview at Wordshaping. http://amberpolo.blogspot.com

May 30 - Visit me at Love Romances Cafe. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveRomancesCafe/

__________________________________

Now that PROMISES TO KEEP is available everywhere, I've started keeping track of the bestseller lists. Here's the stats for Fictionwise.com:

#8 for Eternal Press (was #156 two days ago)

#54 for Fantasy ebooks (unknown rank before)

Woot! Let's make PROMISES reach #1!