A Time For Everything

I really was going to post about that workshop I mentioned last week, but not today.

About a month ago, I got a wild hair and decided to turn my attention back to writing with the intent to publish. Because of finances, I decided against self-pubbing for now. Editing services and cover art cost money that I can't afford right now. Plus, while I can look objectively at others' work, I can't do the same for my own. And I know there are aspects of my writing that probably need some guidance, so I decided I would submit to an e-publisher. Blah, blah, blah, a little research (and I mean a little only because I've done it all before), and I chose The Wild Rose Press as my target publisher. They accept books with as few as 7500 words. Shorter is right up my alley. And there aren't many books of that length to choose from, so perhaps I can fill that need. I hope it's there to be filled...

I dug up one of my (too) many unfinished works in progress and got to work. My target date for completing the thing and having it critique-partner/beta-reader ready was August 15th. Despite the 4th of July and my road trip to San Antonio, I'm just about ready to send it out into the world...

But am I?

Sending it to my critique partners is no big deal. They've read my work. I know them. So okay.

Posting fan fiction is not this scary. I can do that. Have done that. I still get feedback all the time even from fic I wrote and posted years and years ago. Great boost to the ego.


I read tons of stuff, e-publisher pubbed or indie pubbed and often think "I write as well as that." or "My writing is better than that."

But sending my "real" work to strangers? That prospect is a little more daunting than I anticipated. I really believe that sending my work out to non-writing readers, getting feedback from them, is an important step, and I want to develop a small group of them I can always rely on.

Anyway, there's a beta readers group at Goodreads, so I joined it and read through the listings of folks offering their services. Some are professionals, requiring payment, others are just book lovers. I contacted six people.

I figure it might take a week or two to determine if everyone is available and to come to terms. Or find someone else if too many of these people no longer beta read.That still gives me until my self-imposed deadline to finish my out loud read-throughs and search & destroy (of overused words) missions.

Keep your fingers crossed for me and I'll keep you posted!

Well, I've got one child home from camp, the other off to camp this morning. Hubby and daughters are down in Leroy, putting the finishing touches on the ol' fireworks stand. Actually, I should say new stand. It's only our second year, and hubby expanded it to over twice the size. I had orange polka dots all over me last night from painting all the new parts. I'll be picking up the girls this evening and bringing them home while hubby stays behind to start selling. Tomorrow is the first day to sell fireworks for the 4th.

Saturday, I attended my first book-signing for the Love, Texas Style anthology in which I have a short story published. It was fun and exciting to share that with seven of the eleven authors. If you're interested in this collection of short romantic stories, visit The Wild Rose Press - you can buy an e-copy (PDF format) or an actual hold-in-your-hands book.

After the book signing, fellow anthology author Marty Tidwell and I headed to North Dallas for the annual Texas JAG Meet. What's this you ask? Well, every year the Texas fans of the TV show JAG get together for a wild weekend of JAG watching and JAG discussion. There's always food, sometimes alcohol, but always, always a good time. These women have come from all walks of life, some young, most middle-age, a few older, & several nationalities, to bond in friendship - all because of a TV show. And this doesn't just happen in Texas. There are annual meets in several other parts of the country. And while JAG is a predominant topic, and episodes run practically around the clock, we have become friends, and we do share all other aspects of our lives. Despite how crazy it might sound, it's pretty amazing that such a disparate group of women have formed these ties and become such good friends.

Pre-4th of July is the craziest time of year for me. Even worse than a vacation or Christmas. It should settle down some now that the stand is up and running. But I'm the type of person who really likes order and routine in her life, and this time of year is rough. Since I know it's inevitable, I try to go in resigned, but God bless him, my husband gets wild ideas at the last minute that just completely throw life out of whack for days on end.

Well, once the girls are back home and life settles down, I'll get back to my kitchen cabinets. I'm determined to have my cabinets complete, and everything unpacked from the shed, by the time my husband comes home. Pray for me!