July 30, 2018: Promote, promote and then promote, again! The publisher for my adult novel coming out soon offers lots of advice on how to promote your book. They are big on social media and encourage their authors to get an Instagram account, if they do not already have one. I don’t, so guess I need to look into that soon. Think of it this way…just another means of embarrassing my grandchildren. 

 July 24, 2018: Are you ready for a sequel to THE SECRET AT ONE BELMONT LANE? When a great idea for a new story lands in your lap, what do you do? You jump for joy, that’s what. That happened this past weekend. My daughter-in-law came up with a great idea for a sequel to THE SECRET AT ONE BELMONT LANE. When she told me her idea, it just clicked…and it’s one I had not thought of, but when I heard it, I just knew it was the sequel of all sequels. I’ve been asked by six different people for a sequel. Does that happen to everyone, you ask. I don’t know. I’m new at being a published author. I have made several attempts to write a sequel, but I’ve barely gotten past the first chapter…and to be honest, I wasn’t happy with it. This new idea is super-duper mega-licious and so enticing I can’t wait to read it!  But first, I have to write the story. 😓

July 16, 2018: What to do while waiting to hear from an Editor? Market research. And lots of it. The more submissions you have out there, the higher your chances of a contract. Simple math, right? I try to have ten-twelve active submissions at all times. Now to take that advice one-step farther, be sure to study the submission guidelines or you stand the chance of wasting, not only your time, the publisher’s, as well. Is your story a Picture Book? If so, there’s no need to send it to an editor who clearly states they are closed to Picture Books. Matching your story with the best publisher takes time and effort. Many will clearly state what they’re looking for. Spending a few hours studying their guidelines will up your odds. If your story checks most of their boxes, you stand a greater chance for a contract. And isn’t that what’s it all about?

June 26, 2018: 

Where do you get your ideas for your stories? That’s probably the number one question a writer gets asked. I don’t have a set answer, but I do have an answer for my latest idea--Sunday School class. You never know when an idea might pop up, or in this case, be provided by someone to you. In addition to writing adult romance mysteries, I also enjoying writing children’s books. My latest effort is a picture book about, of all things, field mice. Now I’m not personally acquainted with farm life, so I had to ask a lot of questions about behavior on the farm. One thing that kept tripping me up was where/how to position a baby goat in the barn in order for him to provide transportation for my mice when they jump from the hayloft. Do I tie him up? No, I dislike the notion of tying up any animal. Do I have him a free-roaming goat? Or do I have him in a corral in the barn? I chose to go with the latter. That scenario just worked in my mind for the goat to be the unwilling getaway “car” for my run-for-your-life, it’s them or us, mice who made their home in the hayloft. In Picture Books, where every single word counts, twists and turns often can needle your noodle for days until you come up with the perfect notion. Now let’s see if I can find an editor who will agree.

From contract to publication

June 14, 2018: This weekend I hope to complete the final read-through of BLOOD MONEY (the first book in the Baker Manor Series), and sign off on Monday for release for publication.  If you’re lucky to have a publisher like mine, they will provide helpful tools as you work toward publication. One way is through a weekly online chat for their writers. This week, they suggested I use the next few weeks to prepare for promotion of the book. Here’s my first draft:

•   Blog every week about the upcoming publication of Blood Money
•  When the book publication date is set, notify the local paper and request an interview
•   After publication, visit the local library with a free copy in hand
•   Contact the local book store and request a book signing
•  Ask local shops if you can place a few books in their stores (for commissioned sales)

In the meantime, cue the coffee.

May 29, 2018:  How important is revision? “If the story is good, I will look past the many mistakes,” said no editor ever. So buckle your seat belts, pour another cup of coffee, and hold on because after more revisions that I can possibly count, I’m fixin’ to tell you the truth. Each time I’ve sent Blood Money back, I thought it was the absolute best it could be. Each time I received it back, mistakes jumped off the page. How could there possibly still be mistakes after all these years and revisions? Still, there they were. I’ve read many times, the mind (especially YOUR mind) sees what YOU meant to write. That’s Sandi-lish, not necessary English, but the meaning still holds. So I spent the past two weeks reading though Blood Money for the umpteenth time, and I found more than 25 edits…on the first 100 pages! In addition, this time something new surfaced. I identified a weak area involving an important sub-plot, but for the life of me, I didn’t know how to tie it together. Several days later, viola! The missing piece fell into place. Only a few words were required, but the story melded into a nice little nod to our Veterans. The timing could not have been better, as it preceded Memorial Day by only two days.  No matter how many times I’ve read through Blood Money, I still find something to improve. Are revisions tiring? You bet’cha. Will it be worth it in the end? Absolutely! Don’t be a lazy writer. Don’t fool yourself into thinking somewhere there’s an Editor just chomping at the bit to receive your underdeveloped, error-ridden manuscript. I’ve been subbing for almost ten years and I never found that fairy god-mother. I doubt you will, either. If you do, please email me his/her name!

Blood Money...coming soon!

In Alex Baker’s small world, where she’s in love with Greg, the man of her dreams, everything is perfect. When she inherits Aunt Ria’s vast estate in Boston, Massachusetts−complete with a huge mansion, stables, staff, and more money than Alex could spend in two lifetimes, she finds a new interest in lawyer Kyle Patterson.

After a series of unexplained accidents, Alex fears someone is trying to harm her. Her perfect little world is turned upside down, and she narrowly escapes with her life. Could Greg be responsible?

Needing to sort through her emotions, Alex escapes to Aunt Ria’s beloved cabin in Maine—a decision that could cost her everything.

Stay tuned on release date and how to get your signed copy!