24, 2017:

About Me: If you are fortunate enough to have an editor like mine, he will suggest things to work on while waiting for your book to work its way to the top of their list. In addition to a bio, he said work on your dedication, your acknowledgement and a blurb for the back cover. So clicking those items off in order, and after many attempts, I came up with a working bio:

Sandi Underwood was born a PK (Preacher’s Kid) in the beautiful East Tennessee Mountains, where family stories were passed down, generation-to-generation. Her love of writing was cultivated at an early age when family get-togethers and Church dinners-on-the-grounds provided an idyllic backdrop for memories that fuel her stories. Sandi’s early career included working with children in both the public and private sectors. Later in life, her path took a different direction, but her love of books was ever-present. Today, she shares a home with her rescue dog, Gus, and draws inspiration from her grandchildren as she continues to write for both children and adults. Learn more at www.sandiunderwood.net and track her writing journey at www.sandiu.blogspot.com, follow her on Twitter @SandiGCY, and like her Facebook page at Sandi Underwood/gcywriter or email her at sandiu@comcast.net.

The point of this post: always be willing to learn new things. Never sit idly by. While waiting on one manuscript, work on another. The nine months I stopped writing are lost to me. I cannot get them back. If writing is your passion, keep fine-tuning your skills. I literally learned so much from my editor about revising a manuscript—I have already been able to put some of those tips to good use in the new story. Above all, WRITE!

April 17, 2017:  

While waiting to hear back from my editor, I’ve discovered all kinds of things to keep me occupied. One of my favorites is watching paint dry-this took up a lot of time Saturday as I refreshed the door frame in the kitchen. Okay, surely there’s a more productive way to spend my time while I wait. Oh, I know! Start a sequel to SECRET…and that’s what I did. The working title of the next chapter in the life of Erin and Elwood is THE SECRET AT SUGAR AND STEAM-a mystery set in the town’s new coffee shop. In order to do research, I must visit lots of coffee shops and drink many caramel, cinnamony frothy cups of steaming coffee to make sure I can set the mood.

But one productive thing I did was to get my website up and running. You can find me at www.sandiunderwood.net. It’s definitely a work-in-progress. My editor suggested while I’m waiting, I work on my bio, dedication and acknowledgement, and the blurb on the back cover of the book. Yesterday, Easter Sunday was beautiful in East Tennessee and Gus and I enjoyed the afternoon sunshine while I worked on my bio. What I want people to know about me includes my experience working with children, my devotion to my grandchildren, and the fact I was born a PK-Preacher’s kid.  I’ll post the current version next week, but now I’m off to do more research at the coffee shop. 

April 10: Social Butterfly 

The journey continues: Someone asked me the question recently, “How much did you pay to have your book published?” I recognized the meaning right off: did I use a “Vanity Press” to self-publish my book?  No. I didn’t. But there’s nothing wrong in doing that – if you choose to do so. I have friends who went that route and are happy to have their books in print. Again, there’s nothing wrong in doing that – I just chose the traditional route. If you choose the traditional publishing route, be prepared to wait a while – it can take a long time to just get past the slush pile. Even a nod from a publisher to send the entire story is a win! But again, winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win.

So now I wait. My editor suggested while I wait I should get my social media up to speed. (What???? Oh, the irony in that statement!) I already had a Facebook account and just recently got on Twitter. Now, I have a blog. What more can I do? Well, let me tell you: my Editor suggested a new page on Facebook reserved for writing. I didn’t have a clue how to create it, but I persevered and Viola! I now have a page just for writing. The address is: Sandi Underwood/@gcywriter. I really thought I had it made until a friend tried to find me but found, instead, three other “gcywriter” accounts. She quickly ruled out the rap artist and the lady from another nationality. 

Now to design a website. I am also “developing a list of festivals and bazaars” where I can promote my book – if you are like me and thought you’d sign a contract and in a couple of months be flying off somewhere to visit the location of the new movie, think again. This is work, folks. Exciting work, but work.

Hello April (month, not the Giraffe)

Well, the first revision is done and the ball is back in their court (a little Final Four humor). Now what? I guess I wait. But what a whirlwind week I had. Work was crazy, but every night, I spent revising my manuscript. I’d wake up in the middle of the night and think of a new twist or struggle with a weak spot.  Now all I can do is wonder: Did I make every edit the editor requested? Was I able to provide the background he wanted? If not, do I get another chance to polish the story? Will there be more editors with even more revision? Since I’m a newbie at this, I really don’t know the next step and waiting is not my strong point. And so I wait…

I think back on this time a year ago and I wasn’t even submitting. Heck, I wasn’t even writing. If I’d stayed vigilant, would I be farther along? Probably. Would I be more successful? Maybe. Who knows? Two things I do know for sure:

1).          my success/failure is a direct result of my actions - if I don’t try, I’ll never succeed, and

2).          the first step is BIC 

March 27th 

Woo hoo, again! 

Last week I received notes from my publisher. Notice how that just rolls off my tongue, “my publisher.” (Still pinching myself!) Anyway, these notes were from the submissions editor and excitement filled my soul. He made me feel good about the whole process of re-writing. His comments spurred new story lines and understanding of my own manuscript. He pointed out I would be able to see what my readers would think and feel. He was quick to point out what worked and what didn’t. Rather than take offense, I was elated! Now, I’m used to getting good feedback from my critique partner and I’ve come to expect honesty – I don’t need someone to pat me on the back and tell me it’s good, when it’s not. That’s the difference between a good critique partner and a bad one. Me, I’ve got a good one. So when my editor apologized if he came across as tough and critical, I took it as positive feedback. So here goes. Someone send me toothpicks for my eyes.

Stress. The word for the day. Will the editor like my revision? Am I on the right track? What does he mean by that comment? Heaven Help Me! But when I read the revised copy, my heart sang! The changes made my story so much better and probably made me a better writer. After all, if I can’t commit what I see in my own mind to paper, how will anyone else see it?

Take away: Editor’s Note: I can feel your excitement in the story, because you know what happened; but unless you write it down--what you actually saw and felt, the dark versus light, the dampness and smell, I have to take your word for it. Make me experience it, too.

A Surprise In The Mailbox

The contract finally came by snail mail, and I’m ready to sign on the dotted line! I can’t wait to begin the process of rewrites; and then, I understand, I’ll actually hold my book (my book!) in my hands sometime in 2018.  From my first submission in 2007, to now, March 2017, it’s been a L-O-N-G journey—not exactly an overnight success. But today, I’m celebrating. The only possible downside to my week was reading the Obamas inked a contract for their books for $64 MILLION DOLLARS. That’s Million with an “M.”

The take-away here is never give up. Never stop writing. Keep on trying. Remember: “A winner is a loser who tried one more time.”

Now if I can get these characters inside my head to quit talking, I’ll get some sleep. Stay tuned as I continue my journey to holding my first MG Mystery in my hands. This story is about Erin and Elwood who embark on a journey of their own. Only they foil a bank robbery and meet some pretty unsettling characters along the way—there’s no such thing as shape-shifters, right?

THE SECRET AT ONE BELMONT LANE— coming soon!

“A winner is a loser who tried one more time.”                                            March 13, 2017

I’m thrilled to announce that after a L-O-N-G dry spell from writing, but with the constant encouragement from my wonderful critique partner, Nancy Allen, (author of The Riddler and Forty Winks and Coming Soon:  Gone Cuckoo and Hiram’s Gifts);  not only am I writing again, I received my first offer of a contract! The quote above is how she summed up my efforts

During 2016, I submitted to three publishers. That’s it. Three! That’s almost begging for failure. And fail, I did. Oh, I had a near miss from a story I submitted in November, but after a couple of attempts of going back and forth, it was clear to me we were not a good fit. I was able to walk away with no regrets.

Then lo and behold! I submitted a different story in late January 2017. On Feb. 3rd, this publisher requested the full manuscript and six days later offered a contract! I didn’t believe it at first and even when it began to sink it, I still had my doubts: what if they want too many revisions and I can’t deliver? Or what if they change their minds after they work with me for a while? Or what if they made a mistake and really meant to offer the contract to the next person on the list?

Words of Wisdom: when you’re not writing something new, re-write something old. There’s always room for improvement, a better word, a sharper description, a fix for that dangling participle. Plots come, plots go, back-stories grow more important, and characters take on a whole new identity. So even if you are not writing new stories, spend time sprucing up old ones. It’s a process. I knew it in 2016 during the L-O-N-G dry spell, and I know it today.