so, my poor blog! so neglected this last week! i blame things like halloween, my kids’ school, karate, hockey, and, OH YEAH, getting my book back from my editor.which is very exciting, friends! here i was, totally prepared to weep uncontrollably while rocking in a fetal position under a table over just how crappy the editor thought it to be only to find out that i had seriously gone way over to the dark side for nothing. because, hooray! she liked it, and the things recommended for alterations are all things i’d considered before myself.

so, even though i wrote a post last week about needing to get back to work on codename: mo, those characters are going to have to wait patiently while i get chloe and company in a matter of fate in good shape and ready for publication.

speaking of . . .

i’ve decided to try my hand at self-pubbing after much thoughtful consideration and discussion with a number of other authors and editors. i’d actually submitted AMOF to seven agents way back when the book was a bloated behemoth that needed much TLC, and though i was crushed to be turned down from representation with (gasp) form letters, i now actually see the wisdom in these people rejecting me. one, the book was WAY too big. the truth is, friends, i’m a wordy kind of person (any regular reader of this blog knows this). and i write like that, too. i put down a zillion words and then pare them down drastically through editing. and two, the rejections led me to overhaul AMOF and take it and the characters within in better directions. the book i have now is radically different from the one i queried with, and that’s a good thing. and it’s not that i’m terrified of being rejected repeatedly through querying again (which i know i would be, because–let’s face facts–all authors except maybe a select few get rejected up the wazoo), it’s just . . . it seems like a good thing to try self-pubbing.

would i like to see a matter of fate in a bookstore? heck yeah. of course i would. i think all writers would love to see their work in bookstores. and you have to give it to the big houses–for the most part, they do a pretty good job with packaging books. but i also have a nook, and it’s changed my reading habits pretty drastically. i still buy physical books, especially ones that i want for my collection and wouldn’t mind having in a bookcase, but i love the fact that i can store hundreds of books all on one device without cluttering my house. i love the fact that, any time of day or night, i can buy a book and have it ready to read in a matter of seconds. i like being able to take all of these books with me on errands, appointments, and trips and not worry about my bag being weighed down. it’s convenient, if not a bit daunting to my pocketbook–in the two years i’ve had a nook, i’ve bought probably twice or triple the amount of books i normally would from a bookstore. i’ve been introduced to a number of new authors that i probably wouldn’t have tried before, especially thanks to self-publication.

are they all good? um . . . no. some of the writing out there is atrocious, as are some of the stories. but then, that’s the case with some authors and books from major publishing houses with contracts, as well. and the truth is, i’ve discovered some great self-pubbed authors who make me scratch my head and wonder just why in the heck they don’t have a contract when other crappy authors do.

but then, as i’ve discovered over the last year, a lot of this is by choice. more and more writers are choosing to self-publish, because it allows them to take back control of their works. they aren’t constricted by a contract that takes away ownership of the story or creates covers they don’t like or approve or or changes within the book they may not like. when a writer self-publishes, they are in control of almost every aspect. but with this also comes a need to be careful and do things right.

a lot of those crappy books i mentioned above came without a decent editor. or proofreading. or hard work at making the book the very best it could be.

when i decided that i was going to try self-pubbing with AMOF, i knew that i was going to have to hire an editor and not merely depend upon friends to do the work for me. i know i’m going to need to get a cover done–a good one–and not just slap together some pictures and words at home in a matter of minutes. i know i’m going to have to get a trailer done and . . . argh . . . do publicity. this one is going to be hard, as i don’t really like drawing attention to myself. but, for the characters of my book, i will do these things and more! and that’s because i truly believe that i’ve got a story that may interest some of you.

so here i am, on my final final edit of a matter of fate. i’m going through, line by line, tweaking it and revising it due to my editor’s recommendations. and then, in a couple of months, i’m going to put it out there in the world to share. like, to buy on amazon and barnes and noble and smashwords.

e e e e k . . .

fyi, if you’re curious about AMOF, go ahead and check out the my books tab above. there’s angst! magic! bad guys! good guys! faerieselvesdwarvesgnomesgoblins! and love!

whew.

by the way . . . i like this picture. it’s very chloe-like.

ANYWAY.

music readers, you’re probably like, wth, girl? where are our tunes? why the blank days? GIVE US MUSIC!!! and friends, i am certainly going to do that. music is good. i’m obsessed with it. i can’t go a day without listening to it or using it to write to. so hold on, things will steady out, and regular posts will resume. just know that i’m going to start talking a bit more about writing, too. and my book (er, books, ’cause i have several i’m planning on publishing over the course of the next few years). this is an exciting time, peeps. a strange one, for me at least. so bear with me and the blog. i hope you keep coming back for the tunes. i hope you give a matter of fate a chance.

now, today’s song has nothing to do with the book, other than i think my lead character, chloe, would dig this band. because, HELLO, the bandana splits are adorbs. and here they’re covering morrissey’s everyday is like sunday. oh, goodness. can you resist a girl band doing morrissey in their super cute style?

NO, FRIENDS. YOU CANNOT.

download it and love it:

(mp3) everyday is like sunday (morrissey cover) by the bandana splits