News

What's New?

I'm not much of a blogger, but I'd like to use this page as a record of my first journey into the world of publishing. I hope
you'll enjoy coming along for the ride!

July 10, 2010 ~ Launch Celebration in New Jersey

My husband, younger son and I traveled up to New Jersey to celebrate the book's release in our old hometown area where much of the story takes place. With lots and lots of help from a friend, we had reserved a party room at the Middletown Township Cultural Arts Center, and with MORE help from that friend and her family, we decorated and set up with desserts and drinks. Within minutes our first guests arrived, and I can only wish that I had one of those perfect-recall memories because the next three hours whizzed by so quickly, I'll never be able to remember every specific comment, every good wish. But I will remember the love, support and kindness of so many. And I will remember the hugs, the smiles, and the feeling of my jaw dropping in shock as I saw friends I haven't seen in years walk through the door. One traveled from up North Jersey, and several more from South Jersey, (which, believe me, is a scary thing on a Saturday at the Jersey Shore, from either direction!). Another hurried back from vacation, and one friend even traveled from Bermuda to join us!
The only "down" side is that I actually ran out of books! But hey, it was my first "launch"! I'm claiming ignorance as my defense, and hoping that some day there will be another party in New Jersey for a new story, where I can make amends to those who left without this one.
Please check out my Flickr page for photos!

July 1, 2010 ~ The Book is Officially Launched!

It's been a busy month! I ordered a whole bunch of books to take to the New Jersey party, in case any guests want to pick up a copy. What a thrill when that box came in the mail, to finally see all those months of work in a tangible form! Once more I was knocked out by the cover design/art, but I continue to avoid looking in the book itself, afraid I'll find typos I missed in the various rounds of edits. (And I did miss some...a few have been pointed out. I hate when that happens!!)
Friends have started receiving their copies too, and I'm walking around work a bit terrified to catch anyone's eye. What if they hate the story? What if they think I'm warped? Or even worse, what if they think the writing stinks?! I guess I'll have to learn to deal with all of the above! I am blessed though that all my friends have taken a huge interest in the book and have been enormously supportive. The arrival of the print version made such a big splash that when the official launch day arrived (June 25), it was a bit of an anticlimax, yet still a boost to see those digital copies finally available on the various sellers' web sites.
Yesterday I took the day off from work to blog on two different sites; I guess you could call it a mini blog tour. I didn't get too many written comments, but the hosts tell me it's common that more people read than post, unless you're a hunky male model or something. :-) Hey, it was free, and maybe one or two of those readers will actually pick up a copy. This promo stuff is hard work, and time consuming!
One of the amazing artists at work had designed a Meet the Author poster for the New Jersey party, and yesterday I took the file to Office Depot to have it printed. It was done by the end of the day...a full 2 x 3 feet big, and beautiful! Yet another first, and another thrill!

June 4, 2010 ~ The Print Version is Available for Pre-Order!

I opened my e-mail early in the morning, as I always do, to find a message from my publisher's print department/partner (not exactly sure what they are actually!) that the print book is available for order! Woo hoo!
Now this is what it's all about...seeing that book in tangible form, getting my hands on it...leafing through the pages...inhaling a lungful of that special "book scent"...and hoping to never again pick up the couple of typos spotted by a good friend but regretfully missed in my five or six proofing sessions!

April 25, 2010 ~ Two Months and Counting!

Today is two months to the day to the release date of Surrender to Sanctuary! My husband and I have been working hard, learning the ins and outs of book publicity. We've accomplished much...

Two branding logos have been designed, many thanks to Amber of betterbydesign, Virginia Beach, Virginia! The black with the red blood drip will signify stories with mystery/suspense elements....you know, that "gritty" kind of story that can have you cringing in your seat while you're reading.

Since I got my "new do" back in December, I've been wanting a new "official" photo, so we spent yesterday afternoon at my friend's house taking some new publicity shots. While she and I played with hair and make-up, my husband played with her dogs. Out of about 40 shots, we picked about a dozen possibilities, and of course the completely spontaneous shot is my favorite...

We have bookmarks ordered (thank you again, Amber!), and business cards. Both should be coming in the next few weeks. (4/28 update: The bookmarks arrived in the mail the other night. They're wonderful! Can't wait to start passing them out!)

My girlfriend in New Jersey is on the hunt for venues for a book launch party there, and I've been searching for a site here in Virginia.

Next on the list:

Put together a media/press kit

Write and send out a news release

Schedule book signings and blog tours where/when possible

And I forget what else!

These are exciting times! It's hard work, but I'm enjoying each step in the process, hopefully learning much and making some new friends along the way.

December 25, 2009 ~ Christmas

I had a great day with my hubby and two sons, fun and relaxing - no stress!
Years ago I decided I wouldn't cook a big Christmas dinner; it's too much work and I always missed too much of the Christmas fun. So we started a new tradition of ham for Christmas Eve, followed by my famous ham and cheese strata for Christmas Day. (Well, actually, it's Cousin Dency's famous ham and cheese strata which I adopted about 15 years ago...thanks, Dency!) :-) After we're done with dinner on Christmas Eve, I cut the ham I need for the strata, put that together and let it "hang out" in the fridge overnight. Then Christmas morning, I put the strata in the oven to bake while we open gifts.
This year my family and friends were so generous, and I was reminded once more how truly blessed I am to have so many loving, caring people in my life. My husband kept snapping away (or clicking away...whatever it's called with a digital camera!). Here are two of my favorites. (I promised my kids I wouldn't post their photos!)

Here's me with one of my new Wild Got Toby's new CD - American Ride!
Rose Press promo items--a T-shirt
from the Crimson Rose line.

December 23, 2009 ~ New Release Date

I received e-mail today from my editor advising the publication date was moved up a whole month! The new date is June 25. What a great early Christmas gift!

October 22, 2009 ~ Publication Date Released

I received notification of the release date for Surrender to Sanctuary: July 23, 2010! Seems far away, but there's so much to be done--decide on promotional items to use (e.g., should I create a book trailer?). Between that, my current W.I.P. and (oh yeah) a full-time job, it'll be a busy few months!

October 14, 2009 ~ Production Galley Approved

Edits were completed, and the final version of the manuscript (production galley) was approved. (And I promised Ally that I would STOP reading...since every time I do, I find something else to change!) Now we wait for the next couple of weeks for the production (publication) date to be issued. Ally advised new releases are running about a year out, but at least we'll know!

August 30, 2009 ~ Preliminary Galley

My editor sent me the preliminary galley, which is the updated version after we both edited, formatted to look like an actual book on a page. (I printed it and showed it off to everyone I could at my day job...although, of course, I didn't let them read more than a page or two!) I now have to read the entire manuscript to catch any remaining typos or small things to edit. I'm not sure how many galleys we'll go through in the life of the book, but once we're both satisfied, I believe then I'll get a production/publication date, so I'm anxious to move forward. Of course life keeps getting in the way, but I'm determined to get it off of my computer, back to hers, in the next few days.

August 3, 2009 ~ Edits

I received edits from my wonderful editor at The Wild Rose Press. As you can imagine, I was more than a bit nervous...and more than a bit horrified to see that I had a few spelling errors. (Never again will I misspell the word "discreetly"!) All in all, though, it wasn't too bad, and I learned much. She had left me lots of comments/explanations/suggestions, and all I had to do was accept or reject with Word's "track changes" function. (As a side note, I'm not a fan of MS Word, at all, but that feature did come in handy!) I sent them back three weeks later, my fingers firmly crossed that all would be okay.

July 10, 2009 ~ Toby

No, this entry has nothing to do with writing...other than to fuel a fantasy or two...but I wanted to share! As I anxious wait for edits on Sanctuary (due sometime around the end of the month), I had the chance to meet my favorite country singer, Toby Keith, before his performance at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater on July 10. I headed to the Beach early, accompanied by a fellow Toby fanatic from work, and after strolling the boardwalk for awhile, we drove over to the arena where we promptly got in the wrong line for me to pick up my pass for a meet and greet with Toby! (Many thanks to Toby and the fan club for the opportunity!) Eventually we figured it out, I got my pass, and waited.

The opening act was good, although I unfortunately can't remember his name, then Trace Adkins came on. He was great, but I had to leave after a few minutes to get in the meet-and-greet line, which was relatively painless, thanks to the entertaining trio of inebriated young women who were ahead of me (trying to decide just where to place their self-stick passes to most effectively catch Toby's eye). Once Toby arrived, the line of 100-plus people moved quickly, and before I knew it I was standing with him. I said, "Happy birthday!" (his birthday was July 8), and after a pause, he said (sounding a bit surprised), "Well, thank you, sweetheart!" I'm still grinning.
The show itself was wonderful, a typical Toby show with lots of rowdiness, singing and cheering, the crowd on its feet the whole time. (Tip to novice country concert-goers: Expect to stand when the headlining act comes on stage!) We left with our ears ringing and big smiles on our faces.

June 10, 2009 ~ The Cover

I received the book cover much sooner than expected, and "I love it!" seems too mild a statement for what I'm feeling! It's so much better than I envisioned. First I'd like to thank my very talented artist friend Dana for helping me translate the pictures in my head to a tangible piece of art, which I then relayed to the publisher. Many thanks as well to The Wild Rose Press for allowing that input, and a huge thank you to the cover artist, Kimberlee Mendoza, for bringing my heroine to life!

May 31, 2009 ~ The MIS

The "Manuscript Information Sheet" has been finalized. This is the document that contains things like the back cover blurb, the excerpt, and the author's vision for the cover. Many thanks once more to Ally (my editor) for guiding me through this process!

May 6, 2009 ~ The Call

I'm thrilled to announce that "Surrender to Sanctuary" was accepted for publication by The Wild Rose Press. I received "the call" (in my case, "the e-mail") at approximately 5:30 a.m., at which point I began jumping up and down like a kid on a pogo stick...a fact which might not have thrilled my downstairs neighbors. But hey, they should be awake before dawn, shouldn't they?? Then I galloped into the bedroom to tell my hubby, who in turn began jumping up and down like a kid on a pogo stick. We are more than excited, and very grateful for the opportunity. A big Thank You! to my editor, Ally Robertson, Crimson Rose Line, for her support, her encouragement, and her help in getting to this point. I can't wait to see where this next path in the journey leads.