It’s my turn over on Romancing the genres and this month’s topic is HOPE, something we all need buckets of right now!!!
Join me in the discussion, here: RTG
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#KeepingTheFaith
I had lunch with one of my lovely, talented, and supportive writer friends over the weekend and, of course, the subject of staying motivated to keep on writing during this tumultuous time in publishing was the dominant flow of the conversation. With only one book due out this year for me, when I’ve averaged 3 every year since 2015, I’m struggling with staying focused on writing and not worrying so much about being published.
Let me tell ya, it’s friggin’ hard!
When I look back on that first year I was published I remember being so awestruck about actually seeing my books in print. I didn’t worry so much about marketing and sales, I simply basked in the delight that a real-life publisher wanted to put out into the book reading world words I’d written, a story I’d penned. And then wanted to do it again!
Reality seeped in by book # 3 and I realized I needed to actually SELL copies of the book. Just having it published wasn’t enough ( altho it was for me!!) The publisher needed to get a return on their investment in me.
Well, dang!
Almost 3 years on from that first publication and my 10th book will go live live live on April 3. And then…nothing. I don’t have a publishing contract after that – and it’s not for lack of trying, believe you me! I’ve submitted several books and book proposals but none of them have been accepted.
And I think I need to insert the word YET here for my own sanity. If I don’t I think I’m gonna sink down into the depths of writing despair and depression.
I’m not kidding.
I’m one of those lucky writers who doesn’t need to write to put food on the table and keep a roof over my head – don’t hate me! But even so, it would be nice to actually have a publishing contract ANYWHERE that would enable me to keep my work in front of the romance reading population. Even though I don’t need to sell to live, it would be kinda nice to have a new work to actually…well, sell!
I have several dates on my February calendar circled. Dates where I have been assured I will hear back from the editors I’ve submitted to, either with a positive response or a rejection.
I’m really hoping-praying-believing that one of those responses is a YES!
Of course, I’ll let you know either way.
Le sigh.
In the meantime, I do have a book out now for Valentines Day titled 3 Wishes.
It’s a stand-alone and on sale for 99cents, plus it’s part of a Candy Heart Anthology from Wild Rose Press under the title Be My Hero.
And then on April 3, CAN’T STAND THE HEAT, book 3 in Will Cook For Love hits the shelves. Its available for pre-order now, though. ( Shameful plug!)
When I’m not being morose – or trying not to be anyway, you can find me here:Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me// Triber// Book Me
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The things I love about my favorite book(s)…
I have 3 favorite books. They are all different genres, cater to different age groups, and I’ve read each one at least 5 times ( one waaaaaaay more than that- you’ll see why in a minute.) I tend to reread them because they are such central, integral parts of the themes of my life and of what I write about.
As a child, I read The Little Engine That Could probably close to 500 times. When my daughter was born I read it to her an equal number. This is truly -in my humble opinion- the best book EVER about self actualization. Whenever I think I can’t do something in life, whether it be get a book published, or learn a new tech savvy maneuver, I remember that little train, the mountainside, and the end result of his journey, and I KNOW I can do whatever I put my mind to.
The Wizard of Oz was quite simply the perfect book for me to read as a child because I had the same wanderlust and wishes to find my heart’s desire Dorothy had. I never appreciated what I had, and I was frequently on the look out for something better. It was only when I was married with a child of my own did I realize the truth of this statement: there’s no place like home.
So, Gone With The Wind was the first complete romance novel I ever read – and I don’t think it was marketed as such when it was published. But it has everything a true romance reader loves: an amazingly strong, conflicted, beautiful heroine; a rakish, devilish and debonair hero who truly loves the girl; a sweeping cast of characters who live to show the H/H why they should be together, and a plot that continually pulls our main characters apart. Couple that with the heightened emotions of war, poverty and death and you have an historic epic of love and loss. Now, the H/H don’t end with their HEA, but like the last line says, while putting hope in the mind of the reader that they will, “Tomorrow is another day.”
So, each book has the same facets and themes that I love: a strong, central character; an internal need coupled with a struggle for acceptance; a journey or task that needs to be accomplished; a lesson ( or many) learned about self; and an ending where the main character is a better person(or in one case, a better engine!)
Why are your book YOUR favorites? Let’s discuss….
Peggy Jaeger, Author 