Jan 18, 2020 | Books, Writing |
Hey, y'all! It's January 2020 and I can hardly believe I've been writing books professionally for nearly 12 years. I sold my first book to Harlequin in October 2008 and it was published in August 2009. That book, called SPANISH MAGNATE, RED-HOT REVENGE, belongs to me again — and I'm planning to refresh and republish it this year. I don't yet know how much new material I'll add, but I'm working on it as I have time in between my HOT world books. When I put it up again, it will be with a new title, new blurb, and new cover. But I'll make sure to state the book's been published before for those who don't want to buy it again.
What else is happening in 2020? This is what I intend to work on, though you never know. Things change.
BLACK OUT, Book 3 in the Black's Bandits series
HOT SEAL DEVOTION, Book 8 in the HOT SEAL Team series
HOT STORM, Book 15 in the HOT series
A HOT CHRISTMAS MIRACLE, a HOT Christmas story
SPANISH MAGNATE, which I already told you about (with a new title, though I'm not revealing it yet)
Book 4 in the Black's Bandits series
That's a lot, and we'll see how well I do. I know some writers put out a book a month, but that's never going to be me. Not if you want my plots to make sense and have depth (because I need the thinking time). Besides, I don't know about you, but if my favorite authors put out a book a month, I can't keep up with the reading. 😕
Aside from the writing, this is also the year of Lynn getting into the best shape possible. I lost 24 pounds in 2019 and that was a terrific feeling — but now I'm taking a hard look at my diet and making some changes. Less processed food. More whole food, especially plants. Less meat and dairy. So far, it hasn't been hard to choose the plant over the yummy meat. I hope it continues.
Reggie and I are entering a new division this year (5-gaited show pleasure, woohoo!) so we've been working hard at practicing our new gaits. He's the best horse and I love him. He does whatever I ask without complaint (mostly) and he gives his all. I couldn't ask for a better partner in the show ring.
And now it's time to get back to work. BLACK OUT is coming in February! Did you pre-order your copy yet? You can do that here:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3agfARo
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2rTN2vy
B&N Nook: http://bit.ly/34XtfcU
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2Pc0P8n
Cover reveal is coming soon!!!
May 15, 2018 | Books, Writing |
It's only been two months since the last HOT book came out — can you believe it? But here we are with a new story in the HOT world. HOT SEAL REDEMPTION is Book 5 in the HOT SEAL TEAM SERIES (and the HOT SEAL TEAM is part of the HOSTILE OPERATIONS TEAM – but you knew that, right?). Book 6 is coming in August – and Book 13 in the main HOT series is coming in September! Is that enough HOT for you? 😉
Okay, so you probably want to know what the book is about and what I'm giving away, right? Keep reading!!
EXCERPT
“Magic sperm, Bailey. I could father six kids before I knew what happened to me. Hell, my luck, it’d happen all at once.”
Bailey winced. “Ouch.”
“Yeah, ouch is right.”
She grinned at him. “Well, sure, ouch for you too—but I was thinking more about the poor woman who would have to carry six babies in her belly before popping them all out. What a nightmare.”
“And now you know why I wrap it tight.”
Unexpected heat flared beneath her skin. Holy shit, was that a blush? Really? But the thought of this man standing in front of her with a hard-on, his hand wrapped around it as he slid on a condom, was almost unbearably sexy.
He cocked his head. “Are you blushing?”
Hell. So much for being cool. “A little. Maybe.” Why deny what he could clearly see happening?
“Over birth control?”
Bailey rolled her eyes. “Not over birth control, you idiot. More or less the thought of you putting the condom on.”
His gaze went smoky—and then it dropped over her body, slowly, before rising again. Their eyes met. Held. Her heart pounded. No, no, no. Bad idea. So bad.
“I’d be happy to give you a personal demonstration.”
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→iBooks: http://bit.ly/HSeaRed5
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→Nook: http://smarturl.it/HSRedNook
→Google Play: http://smarturl.it/HSRedGP
→Amazon AU: http://smarturl.it/HSRedIntAm
→Amazon UK: http://smarturl.it/HSRedIntAm
→Amazon CA: http://smarturl.it/HSRedIntAm
→Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1941002331
Are you ready for a fabulous freaking giveaway?? So here's what you get: a Coach wallet (totally cool!), several signed books by MOI, a HOT totebag, some HOT swag, and a $100 Gift Card! You don’t have to do all the options in the giveaway, but the more you do, the more entries you gain. If you aren’t on Twitter or Pinterest or whatever, don’t worry about it. You can still enter! So what do you think about all this? Pretty cool, huh? 🙂
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Oct 25, 2017 | Books, Writing
Prologue
Wyatt Chandler straightened his Navy dress uniform collar and took a deep breath. He didn’t want to walk into that church, didn’t want to see the casket of his teammate with the American flag draped on top. Mostly, he didn’t want to see Danny’s wife and baby girl. He didn’t want Lisa to see the guilt in his eyes.
Guilt because he hadn’t been able to save Danny from the sniper’s bullet that had ended his life. Wyatt shoved a hand through his hair, cropped short in proper military style for a change, and sucked in another breath.
“Just get in there, dammit, and do your duty,” he muttered.
He shoved the door open and walked into the church. It was darker than he’d expected. It was overcast outside, and the meager light coming through the stained glass windows cast a muted glow on everything.
But of course it was gloomy. Candles flickered, but they couldn’t replace the light the world had lost when it lost Danny.
Wyatt stopped in the back of the church and took everything in. The gloom. The sobbing. The sadness. The utter despair of a life cut too short and the pain of those who had to go onward. The little girl playing down front who was too small to understand what was really happening and why her daddy was never coming home again.
A lump formed in his throat. His eyes stung. He’d sat through a funeral when he was not much older than Danny’s little girl. He didn’t remember much about it, but he remembered Gran sobbing while Gramps sat with his arm around her and tried to tell her it would be okay.
But it could never be okay. She’d lost her son and daughter-in-law. Wyatt and Gramps were all she’d had left.
Now it was only Wyatt because Gramps had died two years ago. The sobbing down front grew louder and Wyatt clamped his jaw tight at the anguish in it.
If he stayed in the Navy, would he go home in a casket too? Would Gran have to sit through another funeral, sobbing her heart out like Danny’s family was doing?
Soon he was going to have to make a decision about his future. But not today. Today was about honoring Danny, and about learning to live with this guilt that was eating him up inside.
He strode down the aisle toward the flag-draped casket. He was here to pay his respects. One last time.
Chapter One
Four months later…
Wyatt slid into the booth at No Man’s Land, the diner located on a portion of the Sentinel Bridge, and picked up the menu even though he didn’t really need it. The HALO pancakes topped with snow and drowned in rocket fuel were his favorite item on the breakfast menu. As a Navy SEAL, he’d done enough HALO jumps out of airplanes over enemy territory to get quite the kick out of pancakes named after what was essentially a very risky venture.
“Hi, Wyatt, how’s it going this morning?”
Mandy stood there with her order pad and a pen, smiling at him with that pretty smile of hers. He thought he should feel a hint of interest in her, but he didn’t. He should probably worry about that, especially since he’d been out of the SEALs for nearly two months now and had yet to kiss a woman—much less spend the night with one—but he couldn’t seem to care.
In truth, he had a hard time caring about much of anything right now. Except Gran, of course. Gran, who was at her doctor’s appointment and refused to let him join her. When he’d dropped her off, she’d told him to go get some breakfast and stop skulking around.
“Pretty good,” he said with a smile and a wink. “How about you?”
“I’m okay.”
She said it shyly and he wondered if she was sweet on him or something. He hoped not, because he was so not the kind of man for a girl like her. Innocent. Nice. Probably naïve.
She cleared her throat. “Do you know what you want or should I just get you some coffee first and come back?”
He handed her the plastic menu. “I’ll take the pancakes and some coffee. And a side of scrambled eggs.”
“Sounds great. I’ll be back with your coffee. Food will be up soon.”
Wyatt knew from experience that he was about to get a lot of food. But he’d been doing manual labor off and on for Garrison Construction the past few weeks, so he didn’t worry about an expanding waistline. Construction wasn’t the same as humping through the jungle in full ruck, but it was still pretty hard work. It was also satisfying, like when he’d helped Adam Tucker turn the boathouse into a camp dorm over at A To Z Watersports.
The door opened and Zane Tucker, Adam’s twin, wandered in. He lifted his chin when he saw Wyatt and made his way over, flopping down in the chair opposite.
“How’s it hanging this morning, Wyatt?”
Wyatt raised an eyebrow. Ever since Zane had gotten cozy with the town librarian, Miss Harper Grace, he’d been smiling more. He was smiling now, matter of fact, and while it grated on Wyatt somewhere deep down, he was also happy for his friend. Zane was the jokester of their group—they didn’t call him Insane Zane for nothing—but Wyatt had always thought the joking hid deeper feelings of inadequacy. Maybe because Zane had been sickly as a child.
Well, he wasn’t sickly now. If anything, he was radiating health and happiness.
“It’s hanging. Lower than yours.”
Zane snorted. “Asshole. I’m still not sure I’ve forgiven you for the Wonder Woman costume. You aren’t working very hard to get back on my good side either.”
“I’m still on your good side. Without me, you might never have admitted you loved Harper.”
“Oh, I definitely would have. Without the costume, though.”
Wyatt flicked a gaze at the Snake River flowing below them. Eagle’s Ridge was beautiful this time of year. The foliage was lush, the river rolled against the banks, bringing water sports and good fishing, and the Blue Mountains soared against a clear sky.
Danny would have loved it here. He was crazy for good fishing. He’d told Wyatt all about his family farm and the bass ponds there while they were high up in the Hindu Kush, searching for insurgents and tracking down a terrorist leader. They’d survived that mission, just like they’d survived so many others.
Until one day when it all went wrong.
“What’s the bug up your ass this morning?” Zane asked, frowning.
Wyatt didn’t answer because Mandy chose that moment to return with the coffee.
“Hey, Zane—you want some coffee?”
“Sure thing. And give me the Two NCOs with Train Tracks,” he added, ordering the scrambled eggs and bacon. “Add some hash browns, too.”
“Be right up,” Mandy said as she jotted on her order pad. A few seconds later she was back with a second coffee cup.
When she left this time, Zane took a sip and waited. He clearly hadn’t forgotten his question, or Wyatt’s silence.
“There’s no bug,” Wyatt said, knowing Zane wouldn’t give up. They were too close for lies, so Wyatt went with evasion instead. “How’s Harper?”
“Nice try. She’s fine, by the way. But you aren’t. We’ve all noticed it.”
Wyatt’s gut twisted. “Why would you say that? I’m exactly where I want to be, doing what I want to do. I’m the definition of fine.”
“You’ve been in town for almost two months, and all you do is the occasional construction project for the Garrisons, or odd jobs for whoever gives you something to do.”
“I spent a solid week pasting photos into Gran’s albums, don’t forget. Gave myself a paper cut.”
Zane wasn’t fooled by the attempt at humor. “What’s going on with you, Wyatt?”
Wyatt’s hand tightened on the mug. “I’m fine, Zane.”
“Yeah, but you left the SEALs—and you won’t tell any of us why.”
Wyatt kicked back as if he were the most relaxed guy in the world. “It was time, that’s all. Gran’s sick. She needs me—”
“That woman does not need you, bro. She hasn’t slowed down a bit since her diagnosis. About all I’ve noticed is she doesn’t stop at the bakery for donuts anymore. Type 2 diabetes isn’t a death sentence. It’s controllable with medication and diet, and she’s doing just that.” Zane leaned forward, elbows on the table. “So what really gives, huh?”
Wyatt hesitated for a long moment. But his pain was his alone. He wasn’t going to burden his friends with any of it. Ryder, Adam, and Zane were happier than he’d ever seen them. He didn’t know about Jack, couldn’t get him to commit to anything more than a few phone calls, but he suspected Jack was dealing with something serious of his own. Then there was Noah, who was dealing with some serious family shit, and Ford, who seemed determined to stay on the other side of the country even though his family wanted him home and had a construction company for him to run.
Nope, nobody needed to listen to his shit so he wasn’t going to talk about it.
“Nothing, man. I’m just tired. I saw a lot overseas, a lot of bad stuff…” He hesitated. “Gran is the only family I have left. I thought I should come home and be around for her.”
Zane’s gaze searched his. He could tell the moment his friend decided to quit digging. Knowing Zane, however, it was only a temporary reprieve.
“Fine. But what do you plan to do with yourself in the long run? You’re too young to retire, and you need more than odd jobs here and there to keep you alive.”
Wyatt shook his head and grinned. “I saved a lot of combat pay. I’m good for a long time to come.”
Zane didn’t seem convinced. “I’m glad you won’t be panhandling or anything, but I still think you need to find your calling. Whatever that is.”
The food arrived then and Wyatt’s mouth started to water at the sight of all those pancakes. Nobody made pancakes like these. Not only that, but Sam Tucker’s homemade maple syrup was the taste of Wyatt’s childhood in a bite.
Zane tore into his eggs and bacon, and Wyatt forked up a bite of fluffy pancakes before meeting his friend’s eyes again.
“It’s cool, Zane. I have some ideas, but I’m not ready to jump on any of them yet.” It was a lie, but Zane didn’t need to know that.
Zane nodded. “Let me know if I can help. When you’re ready.”
“I definitely will. You owe me a few.”
“Pretty sure you owe me after the Wonder Woman incident.”
After breakfast, they parted ways. Zane returned to A To Z, and Wyatt shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back to his truck. It was still a good half hour before he had to pick up Gran. He leaned against the truck, one leg crossed over the other, and studied the picture the mountains and river made.
Eagle’s Ridge was beautiful. The scenery was practically the only thing that gave him any measure of comfort these days. When you stood beneath mountains so glorious, your troubles didn’t seem nearly as big as you thought they were.
His cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He slid it out and glanced at the screen. It was a Maryland number, but not one he recognized. He thought about letting it go to voicemail, in case it was a telemarketer or something, but since he had time to kill he decided to answer.
“Hey, Wyatt. This is Hawk,” a voice said in response to his clipped greeting.
Wyatt blinked. Hawk, whose real name was Jack Hunter, had been a legendary sniper in the Hostile Operations Team, the special terrorist hunting unit Wyatt had been a member of for the past three years. Hawk had left HOT to start his own security firm protecting high-end clients like his wife, pop superstar Gina Domenico. Wyatt had met the man a couple of times, but didn’t really know him.
“Hey, Hawk. What can I do for you?”
“I understand you’ve left the unit,” the other man said. “And I was wondering if you’d like to put your special skills to use.”
Special skills was code for the ability—and willingness—to use lethal force in a variety of ways. Wyatt frowned as he gazed at the mountains. There was a peak up there where the eagles nested that gave the town its name. He hadn’t been up there in years. He really needed to go see it again…
“I don’t think so,” he said. “But I appreciate the offer.”
“You haven’t even heard the offer yet,” Hawk replied. He sounded amused rather than annoyed.
“Yeah, well, I gotta tell you the truth—I think I’d be tempted. And I don’t want to be.”
Because yeah, he did miss the high octane thrill of operations. He missed the adrenaline rush, the highs of a job done well. He missed being a SEAL, and he missed HOT, a place where only the best of the best gained entrance.
Still, he’d made his decision. He was done.
“Look, it’s pretty simple really,” Hawk continued. “I have a client who needs guarding in Eagle’s Ridge. Nothing more complicated than that. You interested?”
He didn’t want to be. He really didn’t. But he could listen, right?
“You have my attention.”
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Jul 12, 2017 | Books, Writing |
Y'all, I just can't believe that Colonel Mendez's story is almost here! Which means, of course, that I've finished writing it. But I'll tell you a secret – I wish I'd written it twice as long.
I did NOT want to give Mendez up. I can't believe that it's over. I'm SAD. How crazy is that? But I love this character. When he first appeared in HOT PURSUIT, I had no idea he'd gain a following. He was just some old crusty full-bird colonel with gray hair who oversaw the Hostile Operations Team and ran it with an iron fist.
Little did I know how SEXY he was. How that gray hair was salt-and-pepper gray, and how he was really in his 40s rather than his 50s. That's right, I DID NOT KNOW THOSE THINGS WHEN HE FIRST APPEARED. He was a minor character to me, but with a lot of mystery. Matt didn't really know him. Nobody did.
And then he appeared in other books, always so cool and in control, always with more knowledge than his guys had. More experience. If that's not sexy, I don't know what is! And y'all started asking for his story. That amazed me, but then I started thinking about it. WHY couldn't the sexy, 49-year-old colonel have a story? WHY NOT?
For years, New York publishers told us what we could do. I wrote for Harlequin Presents (and loved those books!), and it's possible they would have let me write a 49-year-old. But most publishers wouldn't. Too old, they'd say.
Well, hell, really? Because y'all ladies certainly have wanted Mendez's story. What amazes me about that is at least half of you have told me he's old enough to be your dad, but you don't care. 😉 You wanted him anyway.
He'll be here on Tuesday, July 18, 2017. And I'm so thrilled! But I miss him. I just can't tell you how exciting his story was for me. The scenes – oh, the scenes! The things I got to write. Some of those scenes unfolded and I could barely keep up. I had the playlist on a loop (see below) and I could not write fast enough! It happened too quickly. I want to take it all back and keep spending my days and nights with the colonel.
Mr. Harris began to wonder, I'm certain, if I'd ever finish. Or if I'd keep telling him night after night that I was too busy to watch television with him. I wasn't sure I'd finish either. I kept pushing my editors off, kept on working. I hated to let go.
But I finally did. I'm happy with the result — though don't be surprised if Mendez gets more adventures in the future. For the first time ever, I understood wanting to write a character who gets multiple books. And he might — who knows! With Kat, of course, because they deserve their happily ever after.
I hope you love him as much as I do! I'm bereft it's over. But proud of the result. Not everyone will agree — but I hope most of you will. Hugs and love. 🙂
Dec 31, 2013 | Business, Goals, Writing, Indie Publishing |
Warning: Long Post
It seems as if everyone is doing a post where they review the year that ends today. I like that idea. It's a bit of housecleaning and throwing down a welcome mat for 2014. So here's my 2013, along with lessons learned, thoughts, and what to expect in 2014.
First, the good stuff for readers. In 2013, I had (counting fingers) 8 books out (including novellas and shorts). There were five stories from Harlequin (six if you count the 2-in-1 that came out this month) and three stories in my Hostile Operations Team series. There was also my freebie short story, Maddie's Marine, which I didn't count in the total because it's been available on this site for free for a long time.
I had a lot of fun bringing those stories to you, and I've heard from so many of you who seem to love what I write and want more. Thank you so much for sticking with me. 🙂
What's coming in 2014? From Harlequin, you'll get my sheikh duet about two brothers and the Crown of Kyr. In May, the first book, GAMBLING FOR THE CROWN, will be out. In July, the second book, CARRYING THE SHEIKH'S HEIR, will follow and finish the story arc. Two yummy sheikhs, y'all! I just love sheikhs.
In December (I think), you'll get an as-yet-untitled story from me featuring a Greek tycoon (my first Greek!) and the hotel heiress who works for him.
That's only three Harlequins, I know, but that's because I'm also writing the HOT series and I want to get you more books sooner in that series. This spring will see the release of DANGEROUSLY HOT, the second full-length book in the series. HOT SHOT will follow in the summer. After that, I'm not sure which story I'll write next. But I can say that Colonel Mendez may just get a story of his own!
I'm also working on a secret project that I hope to publish this summer too. I want to put up three books in that series at once, so we'll see. It's my first foray into first person storytelling and I'm loving it very much.
Now, thinking about the lessons of 2013, this is where a lot of the post centers on writing and writers.
Lesson One: Sometimes you have to explore new territory. And when you do, you discover amazing things.
I went into 2013 as a traditionally published author at a major romance publishing house. But I was self-pub curious and I was determined to explore those waters. RT 2013, in Kansas City, became a watershed moment for me in that journey. After meeting and hearing such authors speak as Liliana Hart, Jasinda Wilder, Abbi Glines, Shayla Black, Theresa Ragan (who I already knew), Jana DeLeon, and a host of others I can't remember at the moment, I felt like I'd attended a revival.
I left KC determined to become a self-published author in addition to writing for Harlequin. And I did. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Lesson Two: Eject the people who don't support your career choices.
I had to part ways with my agent, which was hard in some ways because the dream for so long had been a NY agent and a traditional publishing contract. I had what I'd always wanted — but now it didn't fit anymore. I learned that sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone and do what was unthinkable to you only a year before. My agent and I split — and I haven't regretted it for a moment. My former agent — who was and is a good, honest agent — didn't want me to self-publish. I think she would have been happy selling the HOT series straight to digital with no guarantees of advertising or support from the publisher. Why should I do that when I had the tools to publish myself? Why would I give up that kind of control?
Lesson Three: Self Publishing is a BIG job.
Don't half-ass it, because it *will* come back to bite you. So many people act like self-publishing is a gold rush and they have to get in NOW or they won't get any gold. But I'm telling you, if you get in now with a shoddy product just because you're worried about getting a piece of the pie, the readers will respond. And probably not in the way you hope. Don't rush the work to market, y'all. It won't do you any favors.
By the same token, don't take two years to polish one story. You have to keep producing product if you want to succeed in self-publishing. It works a lot like traditional publishing, except the timelines are much faster. Write, revise, send to editor, begin new story while waiting for more revisions. The difference is that at the end of the cycle, you can publish right away instead of a year from now.
I repeat, self-publishing is a big job. But it's not impossible and you CAN do it. Just remember that whatever you put out there is your first impression and now that the field is getting crowded with self-published books, readers have more choices than ever. If your book is poorly written and edited, they aren't going to buy you.
Writing is like any other skill. It takes practice. You wouldn't begin piano lessons today and book Carnegie Hall for six months from now, would you? So why do you think you can set fingers to keyboard and have something publishable, something people will pay money for, as soon as you're done writing it? It doesn't work that way. Pretty much every overnight success story you've heard comes from someone who was writing for a very long time before success came — even if they weren't trying to get published, they were writing.
Lesson Four: There will always be people who annoy you. Stop paying attention to them.
It's not worth your energy. If they drag you down, ignore them. Stop reading their posts. Don't engage. There will always be those who seek attention. They may brag about their success, or they may say things that require a “But you're smart and everyone likes you!” response so they won't sink into a wallow of self-pity. You are not required to respond either way. Eject negative people or people who damage your emotional well-being. You can't stop them, so eject them.
Lesson Five: The truly successful don't have to brag because they don't have time for it. They're too busy working.
I've met some really awesome people this year, and so many of them were willing to hold out a hand and give me advice and information when I needed it. They are the ones I admire, and one thing I've discovered about most of them is that they are often very successful — but they don't brag about it. They just keep working.
Lesson Six: There will always be someone who judges you.
This is a crazy business in some ways, and one thing there will never be less of are the judgmental attitudes. If you self-publish, someone thinks you're insane and that you're selling out. If you traditionally publish, someone thinks you're insane and too lazy to publish yourself. If you do both? Someone thinks you can't do both and you're going to have to choose one or the other pretty soon. And yes, someone said that to me. Maybe they're right, but I make my decisions as they make sense for me at the time. Which leads me to the next lesson…
Lesson Seven: Everything changes. And probably faster than you can keep up.
Self-publishing today is not the self-publishing of last year or even the year before. Things are constantly in flux and it's up to you to keep abreast of the changes. Some things that worked last year still work phenomenally well. Others don't. The only way to know is to keep your ear to the ground and your head out of the sand. Self-publishing isn't going away. I don't think traditional is either based on the sheer number of writers I know who are still writing and submitting the old-fashioned way. Writing is a business, now more than ever since so much of it is in a writer's control, and you MUST act like a business person, not just an “arteest” who types all day while little birds sing and festoon you with garland. Head in the sand is NOT a viable option for growing a career. I am constantly reading books on business, on publishing, and I follow several blogs where conversations are taking place every day about what the future of publishing holds.
Lesson Eight: Be kind to everyone.
This isn't really a lesson from 2013. It's a lesson from life. My personal code of conduct demands that I be nice. I can't tell you how many times I've heard from writers who say that someone was nasty to them and therefore they won't ever, *ever* buy that person's books — or recommend their friends buy that person's books. Writers are readers too. Why would you look down your nose at someone who is a potential customer just because they also write? I get that we all have personality differences and that when we get together in our local chapters, for instance, some annoy us more than others. But be nice and approachable and you may be surprised. You could gain a new fan, a champion for your work to others, and a friend all at the same time. By the same token, give someone a break if they are less than gracious to you — you never know what's going on in someone else's life. If they are always snotty, well, that's different.
Lesson Nine: There are no excuses
Do you know how you get ahead in this business, especially today? You write A LOT. You don't have to be fast, but you have to be consistent. If you don't want to write a lot, and you don't want to put out more than two books a year, that's perfectly fine. But you probably won't get the success you want as fast as you want it. Again, it's all relative. But writing is my full-time job, so if I write two books a year and complain I can't get ahead, I'm stupid. I've done a lot this year to look at my productivity and see how to increase it. I wrote eight books this year of varying lengths, and I'm planning to write that many or more in 2014. There are no excuses not to work hard if this is what you want. (Okay, there are some excuses: illness, death in the family, relationship issues, etc. Not writing because you had to clean the house first is not an excuse.)
Thoughts
And now I come to thoughts. The above lessons are my opinion and not gospel. The only writing police in existence are readers and they vote with their wallets. If you can be nasty to other writers, throw up first drafts, half-ass your way through self-publishing and readers STILL buy your books in droves and demand more, then you are a frigging rock star. So don't listen to a word I say.
Final thoughts for 2013 are that writing is a tough, rewarding business and I love it even when I hate it. Also, life will throw you curve balls and some of them will devastate you. Not writing-related, but if you've been following me for a while you know I lost my most beloved cat back in February and it devastated me. She was only 5 years old and no way did I think I could lose her to heart disease at that young age. I still cry over her sometimes.
But I look forward to 2014 with hope and excitement. It could rock or it could bring devastation. We just never know, do we? I hope and pray that your 2014 is awesome.
For my readers, y'all are amazing and I will continue to write as many books as I can and I hope you will continue to read them.
For the writers who are visiting, I hope you get something out of this post. To some of you, I am wildly successful. To others, I'm doing okay — or maybe not all that good at all, LOL! It's all relative, y'all, which is the point of this post. I want more success, which is why I'm all about working harder, but I'm grateful for what I have, too.
Here are a few posts I've read lately that got me to thinking. Your mileage may vary.
Joe Konrath's Publishing Predictions
Ten Things I Learned About Independent Publishing in 2013
Three Things I realized in 2013
Five Mistakes Killing Self-Published Authors
Have a safe and happy New Year's!!
Aug 15, 2013 | Books, Business, Writing, Indie Publishing |
This post is for the writers among you. Publishing is changing and there are more opportunities for authors than ever before. We finally have the ability to take charge of our careers in ways we couldn't before Amazon brought out the Kindle. Seriously, the Kindle was a game changer. Add in all the other e-readers, and the invention of the iPad, and we're rolling along into a revolution that finally gives authors the means to reach readers directly in far greater numbers than they ever could before (printing books and selling them out of your trunk will only get you so much exposure).
Many of the Indie authors who've paved the way have been so generous with sharing their numbers, so I decided I'm going to do the same. I am what is properly termed a “hybrid” author. I'm self-publishing and writing for a traditional publisher. I believe there is sense and value to both things, so I'm straddling that line and having some fun. I'm learning a lot too.
Today is officially one month since HOT PURSUIT has been for sale on Kindle. It went live on Kobo and Apple on July 17th, though it was in pre-order at this stage. And it was live on Smashwords and B&N around the same time as Amazon. HOT PURSUIT is a departure for me in terms of the kind of books I am known for with Harlequin. I write for Presents, the line that's all about angst, passion, glamor, billionaires, etc. I love those kinds of stories! I also love romantic suspense, and I love anything to do with a military special operations team. Which is where my HOT series goes.
I am a known author and I have hit the USA Today list back when they only counted print sales. So how would that translate to my self-published books? Pretty well, it turns out, though not well enough to propel me onto any lists. Everyone says you need more than one book in a series to really see an effect, and I only have one book out there (plus a free short story that's military but not in the same series) but I cannot complain about the numbers thus far. In one month, I've sold 1800 books and made nearly $4k. No, that's nothing like my Harlequin numbers (which are still primarily in print), but self-publishing is long tail and this is only one month worth of numbers. In the same amount of time with a Harlequin, I can expect to sell far more books. And, in some respects, the Harlequin sales are long tail too because of the foreign translations. And now, with ebooks, if someone discovers you, they can go back and read all your books. That's a nice departure from the days where you could only get the books for a month and then never again.
HOT PURSUIT was a Golden Heart finalist in 2008. I had hoped my agent could sell it for me, but she didn't think it was ready. And it wasn't. I had some hard work to do first, and once I did that work, I decided I'd rather put it out there myself and see how it went than sell it to a publisher and take my chances. At least this way, if the book (and series) failed, it was all on me. But I don't think it's failing. Your emails, blog posts, and reviews tell me it's not. You seem to like this story and you seem to want more. And that makes me *very* happy!
So, one month, 1800 books sold of a book I was told that New York wouldn't want, and sales show no sign of slowing down. This is only the beginning. HOT MESS (Book 1.5) will be out sometime in September, and I've been asked to contribute to an anthology of holiday novellas by some of your favorite Indie authors. That story will be a HOT story, and then I'll follow it with DANGEROUSLY HOT, which is officially Book 2 in the series (though maybe I need a new numbering system since there will be another novella before that, LOL!).
If you are a writer who is looking at self-publishing, there are a couple of things you need to do. First, you have to spend money to get a good cover and good editing. You're going to need developmental edits, not just copy edits. I've written nearly 20 books with Harlequin and I still paid a developmental editor for my HOT books. I need editing and so do you. Readers will notice if you give them crap and they won't buy you anymore. There is a difference between not liking a story because it's not your thing and the story being poorly written and edited. If you don't have a lot of money to invest, save money until you can afford the editing at least. Trade services with other writers who are good at things you aren't (like cover design, maybe). Do everything you can to put out the best product you can. Self-publishing is NOT a get rich quick scheme. It takes money, time, and a commitment to the process to do it right.
Here are the things I did for HP: hired a developmental editor, hired a copy editor & proofreader, hired a cover designer, hired a formatter. I've not really advertised HP, other than on my Facebook and Twitter feeds. I decided not to advertise yet because I only have one book in the series. I might do something when the next story comes out next month. Or I might not. This is a marathon, y'all, not a sprint. If HP continues to sell at the level it's selling for an entire year, well, that's a living. I can't predict that, of course, because things happen and books fall off the radar. But I hope readers are excited enough about this series to try the next one and to recommend the books to their friends.
So there it is. My Indie Journey, one month in. Any questions?
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