A huge part of publishing a book is promotion. If researching a story is a rabbit hole, creating promo material is a black hole. There is an entire universe of options, and it is far too easy to get sucked into each one and lose hours, sometimes days. Here is my latest creation. I made many versions in Canva* before settling on this one. For those of you doing your own promo (which falls on most writers nowadays, independently and traditionally published), I highly recommend Deposit Photos* for your photos. They have great sale packages, so keep an eye on their site, or sign up for notifications. (*These referrals are based on my experience. I do not benefit from recommending them.) 

When you chase your dreams, you begin to live your dreams. —Scot McKnight

Brace yourself. Long post ahead.

My team…

It’s a big day in our house any time one of my books gets published. But, today feels even bigger because I see SPOTLIGHT as “our” book, not just mine. This baby has been handled only by Keev and me, with some help thrown in from my dear friend and beta reader, Jayne. Keev and I will be raising a glass of Zanatta bubbly later today to celebrate our collective efforts.🥂

Our tasks…

I wrote the story. I revised the story. I edited the story. Then, Keev took it on and, let me tell you, he is one hard editor. I had to come back at it several times before Jayne read it. And Jayne is eagle-eyed too, even when handed a formatting nightmare of a book.

Ugh, formatting. It made the writing and editing seem like a cakewalk. Learning how to format for eBook wasn’t too bad. For paperback? Ahhhhhhh. But, after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I learned how to create different margins on alternating pages, how to block text so that there were more than five words on a line, how to drop the first letter of the opening word of chapters, and how to stop numbering pages when it was a new chapter. I have a copy of the paperback, and I’m very pleased with the look.

I also designed the cover. Learning what I needed to purchase for licensing was the easiest part. Designing it so that it was both eye-catching and fit all of the criteria of formatting was a challenge. Although, it was a much more pleasurable challenge than the interior text. From this, all graphic promos are built…another task that is mine alone. And, I won’t talk about uploading, timing paperback and eBook, meta data, creating advertising spread—which is waiting approval because it has the word “sexy” in it. 🤦‍♀️ I’m still wiping at my tears.

What I learned…

I love my publisher, Dragonblade, and have a huge appreciation for all of the work they do. I look forward to working with them again (news on the horizon). It’s doubtful I’ll go the self-publishing route again, but I’m glad I tried it. The learning curve was steep but definitely rewarding. Oh, and for the record, those who are not concerned about having a paperback copy but purchase one to support me, I make more on eBooks. So, buy that eBook guilt free! Reviews do make a difference too, so if you can bring yourself to drop by Amazon and star it (honestly) and/or say a few words, that would be greatly appreciated.🙏

Back to the story itself…

I have already mentioned that this book is not about me, but has pieces of me. Those who know me will recognize my passion for lyric writing and performing. It was a thrill to write song lyrics for the book. I dream of putting them to music. (What do you think Aldo? Jay? Wouldn’t that be a hoot? Pity neither of you live close to me anymore.)

Folks will also recognize my experience from 17 years in the hospitality industry. I know waitressing and bartending inside out and upside down. I can hear the kitchen orders, see the serving shelf, and smell the cruddy little staff room. I also remember well the orchestrated dance of busy servers. It’s a job. It’s a strategy game. It’s hard work. As for the school and learning disability scenes, it goes without saying, I have a bit of insider knowledge on those.😉

Finally, yes finally—I warned you it was going to be a long post—everyone knows that I believe in dreaming, big or small, and in chasing those dreams. I have done it my whole life. May I never stop. May you never stop.

Thank you for supporting me in my endless chase. It means more than I can truly express. 💕

US: http://amazon.com/dp/B0C3Z47XGZ

CA: http://amazon.ca/dp/B0C3Z47XGZ

UK:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C3Z47XGZ

DE:  https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0C3Z47XGZ

 

One Starfish at a Time

My latest YA novel, Spotlight, is not remotely about me, yet has so much of me in it. It is definitely more connected to who I was, who I am, and my life experiences than my other three YA novels.

I had two teachers who made such a difference in my sense of self that I am convinced they changed the trajectory of my life. Autumn, the main character in Spotlight, is also fortunate to have one of those special educators. I had such great pleasure writing that teacher through Autumn’s lens.

Those in the educational field do not often get to see the impact they have on the future of their students. And some days it’s tough for them to believe that what they do is worth the sleepless nights. But, it is the faith that they can somehow make a difference that drives the great ones. I always thought this short adaptation, called The Starfish, captured that perfectly. The boy’s words became my mantra as a teacher and as a principal, so it’s not entirely surprising that the concept has found its way into my writing.

I look forward to you meeting Autumn and seeing her special relationship with her music teacher. Here’s to all the educators who pick up starfish every day.

Coming June 1st! Available for preorder now.

Available for Preorder!

I took a breather from the extensive research involved in writing historical romance and returned to YA. It's a bit like cleansing the palate, so I can better enjoy the next course. And there is definitely a next course for me in historical writing. I'll talk more about that another time. Today, I'd like to introduce you to Autumn's story. I just love her, and I hope that you will too.

A sexy rock star, a determined songwriter, and a shared dream—

Seventeen-year-old Autumn can craft killer songs. It's an amazing feat considering she can't read or write. It's not that she doesn't understand how to, it's that the words won't sit still. Literally. They dance and swirl across the page. Mislabeled ADD and self-defined as stupid, she's managed to keep most people from knowing about her illiteracy with help from her mom and her best friend. 

When Logan, the lead singer of Midknight, falls for both Autumn and her lyrics, he encourages her to hitch onto his rising star. It's a dream come true, but she's convinced he'll dump her when he finds out the truth. She wants to pursue song writing and hold on to Logan, but figuring out how to keep the guy, and her secret, may prove an even bigger challenge than making it through senior year. 

Coming June 1st. Available for preorder now.

 US:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C3Z47XGZ

 CA:  http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0C3Z47XGZ

 UK:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C3Z47XGZ

 DE:  https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0C3Z47XGZ