When Your Dream Sends You Over the Proverbial Cliff

Family:

Have you ever had something sit, like literally sit on your heart, and you can't be divested from it? Not necessarily eating away at but just sitting there? Almost niggling away, reminding you of it?

I've been thinking about it hard. About my last conference with Muse 2012 (see When Your "Aha!" Becomes "Oh No" to "Hmm Ok"). Words are still ringing: I have an issue with the market - that it may not sell as well as I would like. That an agent or a publisher would be reluctant to pick it up and invest in it. And it is amazing that out of all the feedback one would get about how great your work is that the more disheartening one would stick the most.

It could be enough to send you back to hide with your dreams and bury them.

It could. As for me, I refuse to hide. I've worked too hard. So I jumping over the cliff!

The more I think about my novel The Balancer, the more I think it has to be printed. And I don't want to sound like a pretentious wanna be who can't take criticism. I can and very much welcome it. I always want to do better. But the same time, I believe that my work deserves a chance to get readers. It may not be profitable to others, but it is profitable to me.

Ergo, a new plan! Drum roll.....SELF-PUBLISHING!

Yes, I am entering into the world of self-publishing. Well more like supported self-publishing. I'll get into that in a minute. But yes my dreams are sending me over the proverbial cliff and I can't wait to see where I land. It is going to take a lot more work - a lot of self-promotion and investment into myself but I think I owe to myself to try. Some might say you haven't given it a chance. You haven't really tried to send out the work. Don't you think this is a bit premature?

Possibly.

However, I think I have something to prove to myself. I have to prove to myself that I can enter this world of publishing and novel-writing and still survive. What better way to prove it than self-imposed deadlines, nose to grindstone marketing and hard-working editing?  Perhaps this will garner attention from agents and publishers who may have been reluctant to take on my work. Besides, I think that if later on with my later novels (yes there will be others) get picked up by more traditional means, I will appreciate it all the more. :) The bottom line is don't allow nay-sayers to stop you from taking a dive that you are meant to take! Take a deep breath, run and jump!

So I have partnered with Abbott Press (really great and personable staff) and I will be working with them to design, copy-edit, polish and publish my novel. I'm so excited about I keep visiting page and asking myself, Wow I am really about to do this! In the meantime I am raising funds to cover everything. A downfall of self-publishing is the paid resources aren't there for you. But it is OK! We can still make this happen on a grand scale! Just you wait and see!

If you like to help me toward my cause, you can also donate. Check out the link. I'm already just bit over half of what I need! If you believe that I can produce great work or if you just believe in making your own dreams come  true, please do donate!

Fundraising Ideas

Friday's Music: Summa Summa SummaTime!

Hey family, I haven't done a Friday's music post so with the sun shining and the birds chirping, I thought it was a good time as any to restart the fab tradition of going nuts on a Friday.

Now, I could make this about inspiration. I could make this about pulling part the lyrics of song and getting to the insightful way the lyricist portrays love and conflict. (Enter brooding face of concentration)

HMMMM NO.

It's just not one of those days.

It's a "Pull out the Lawn Chair and Pitcher of Sangria" type of day. Doesn't that just bring out the carefree days of Summer. I love summer, not just because it's my birthday (7/11!) but there is an element of carefreeness that allows you to open up, explore and have fun in everything you do. Maybe because we are so used to having summers off back in school. But I'd like to think that summer continues to have that endless possibility. The possibility of a summer fling, of having adventure or just finding something about yourself you never knew before.

So with that, with summer fast approaching I thought it was fitting to bring out what I think is one of the many summer anthem: Will Smith's Summertime. If you are able to have a glass outside, drink a cup for me (stuck in the office today!).

What song reminds you of summer? Start up a playlist that I will post every Friday for the summer!

When Your "Aha!" Becomes "Oh No" to "Hmm Ok"

Just this past weekend, I attended the Muse Boston Writing Conference and it was a great experience. I got to sit down with teachers, writers, agents, columnists, etc. The works to say the least. But...I should have known that congregating with such people would have worked my mind grapes to another level. So much that I have begun to question the novel that I had finished back in February.

DUN DUN DUN

So here's the story, family. This was my"Aha" moment. My novel falls within the young adult fiction genre. You guys know I've was picking at my brain back in November and then on to finish this piece. I mean you knew the joy that I had when I finished it. I am still in the editing process but it was coming (slowly) along. That same day I had an editor read the first pages of my piece and she was gushing at the idea and the voice and writing.

Hence me on Cloud 9 - I have a winner here. My "Aha" moment. I'm on the right track. This could be it!

Then I had lunch with a bunch of lovely ladies including Regina Brooks of Serendipity Literary Agency. It was great talking to Regina who I now absolutely love. Very down to earth and very easy to talk to. Founder of Serendipity, you were serendipity to me. But enough of that. So when I pitched this is Regina over lunch, who by the way represents lots of work in the YA genre: A senior high school girl must decide whether she will defy her destiny or take her place along a group of Grim Reapers as a foretold ender of the war between angels and demons, I was looking for another great encouragement. Another AHA moment to send me over the edge into bliss.


But what really happened was she looked at me and said (I'm paraphrasing) "You basically just described the entire YA fantasy general in the line. All agents who have basically seen that exact thing. The market is saturated with what you exactly pitched."

Oh No. Cloud disintegrates. Crash down to earth. Imagine the Wild E. Coyote falling down the ravine.

I want to write. But the real goal is to get published. To find an agent, get out there and sell my books. So as I was listening to her give me advice, in the back of my mind I am thinking, I think going to have to scrap my book. I wasn't even tearing up about it. Maybe I was numb or maybe I was surrounded by people who I had NO intention of showing my emotions to. But as I exited the lunch and headed out, I really started to think about it. Does it have to end here?

Hmm ok. We're going to keep going.

I am going to finish my piece, mainly because I think I owe it to my characters to finish the work that I started. But at the same time, I had have two other ideas that I have been playing around with. One within the YA genre and the other an adult novel. I just gotta keep going. Whenever life throws you a prospective change, don't run from it but embrace it. It's simply a turn in the road and you just need to adjust your focus. The goal at the end of the road hasn't changed. Your approach does.

So I going to be double-fisting, stretching myself even further out. I guess all of my joking piece about cheating on your piece (see The Dangers of Two-Timing...Myself or When It's Ok to "Two-Time" on Your Work) is coming to fruition. I guess I've become a clairvoyant!