Fear and Publishing - M. V. Freeman's Journey of Changing Publishing Houses

Choosing the right path in publishing is one of the hardest decisions an author must make. Urban fantasy author M.V. Freeman is guest blogging today about her story of changing paths. 


Fear is an emotion that can help one move forward, complete a project, and get the job done—or it can paralyze.

I learned this with my first book—INCANDESCENT.  In 2012 I signed with a brand new digital publishing house and I was excited; but within months I realized I’d made the wrong decision. It wasn’t the fact I signed or was published – it was the kinds of stories being represented by the publisher. Their focus was on Category Romance (To be clear--There is nothing wrong with Category, and I know some fabulous authors who write this very well.) I write a cross-genre; Urban fantasy Romance, heavy on plot with numerous characters, which didn’t work well with where I signed. My word counts were higher---80- 100k compared to the 50-70k average.

What was I supposed to do? I’d  written the second book-ILLUMINATION, obtained an agent, and I knew I couldn’t send my current story to them, because it just wouldn’t fit. It wasn’t fair to them or to me; I felt it was misleading—people buying my book expected a certain type of story related to category and mine wasn’t.

The only option I saw was to get my rights back.  But, I was uncertain, if I asked for my rights was I committing professional suicide? If I stayed I knew it would be. What’s worse? Staying where I knew I couldn’t go forward or taking a chance?  Fear had taken hold and I struggled with a decision.

I was uneasy—but I took a chance and asked for my rights back—and was awarded them. Now I had my first book -- what was I going to do? For a little while,  I shelved the first book and tried shopping my second book in the series.

As many seasoned authors know most publishing houses rarely pick up a series, especially after the first book has been published.  There was interest, but I wasn’t surprised when there was some reticence about ILLUMINATION, because of my first book. Self-publishing was an option, but the truth was, I had neither the time or the funds.

I started getting frustrated. I don’t like being afraid. Sure, things are in flux in publishing. There are publishers going under and still others opening their doors. Self-publishing authors are struggling, even as others are finding success.

Who would  *want* my type of story?

At this point I could’ve just dropped it. Moved on, started another series. Used this experience as a graphic training aide of what not to do.  But I decided not to let fear rule me.  I’d been published – now I understood how important it is to make the correct decisions.  I hate to say—it’s easier to find these sorts of epiphanies after the fact.

I took a chance and pitched to a few publishers.  I was nervous, but really, I’d given up on being afraid. All it did was make me second guess myself and I stopped taking chances. No more.

I did find a publisher who liked Romances outside the box. They said yes to my second book in the series (ILLUMINATION) and agreed to republish my first book (Incandescent).  I was floored—and very pleased.  I really had thought I’d never find a book home, or that I deserved one.

Now I have my first book INCANDESCENT re-edited and published, and my second book in the series, ILLUMINATION is now out. (I love the covers)

Fear, while helpful can be a detriment— and my advice, is don’t let it rule you.  Be fearless! Take chances and never let someone tell you that you are trapped. There are always options — sometimes you have to create them if you can’t find them.

Author Bio:
M.V. Freeman lives in North Alabama. A nurse by day, at night she enjoys creating  and exploring alternate worlds within our own. She gravitates toward stories of determined heroines and anti-heroes who push the boundaries as they both fight to find their light in the dark.

M.V. is represented by Victoria Lea from The Aponte Literary Agency. Her award-winning and best-selling debut novel INCANDESCENT is the first in the Hidden Races Series. Currently she is working on the third book in the series, while plotting others. When not writing, she can be
found reading, cooking, throwing around kettle bells, or making coffee.

You can find her here: Website: http://www.mvfreeman.com/

Simon & Schuster (pre-order links) http://bit.ly/1OscWoP

 Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMVFreeman?ref=hl

Tumblr:  https://www.tumblr.com/blog/mvfreeman

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mvfreeman/illumination/

Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=65233334&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Google +: https://plus.google.com/100536411253117557991/posts

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6431724.M_V_Freeman

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/M.V.-Freeman/e/B008QYIYMS/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

About.me: https://about.me/mvfreeman

Betty Bolté's Calli has #FuzzyFriday Fun

Hi there! Calliope here. My mom, Betty, calls me Calli, most of the time, in that silly singsong voice she thinks I like. She also calls me other strange names, like Calli Alley Cat I act like I don’t care so I don’t hurt her feelings and then delay feeding me dinner or something.

I even let her pet me after I’ve ensured she’s been writing like she’s supposed to be doing. When she starts roaming the house like she’s lost or something, or maybe just refilling her water glass, I follow after her as a reminder to get back to work.

Sometimes I just lay on the sofa or snuggler chair pretending to nap while she works. She’s pretty good about it, but like I said before, sometimes I have to put my paw down and remind her to write.

I help her when she’s putting together prizes and raffle baskets, inspecting the contents to make sure they’re good enough.

My job can be challenging, but I’m the right cat for the job!

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Betty Bolté writes both historical and contemporary stories featuring strong, loving women and brave, compassionate men. Join Betty at the Heart of Dixie Luncheon on June 13th at the Westin in Huntsville! The keynote speaker is Sylvia Day. Be sure to ask Betty about her latest release, Samantha’s Secret set in Charleston, South Carolina!

Register for the luncheon here: http://bit.ly/1GH1HGz

Visit Betty here: http://www.bettybolte.com/

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J-Dog and Calliope were being chatty catties about all things feline. He learned Calliope has one of the best vets around. Calliope give four paws up and a swish of the tail to Dr. Wendy Rosenbek who works long days to ensure every animal and its human are taken care of, often calling the animal's human after the clinic closes to discuss treatment options. She runs the Ardmore Companion Animal Hospital (26889 Main Street, Ardmore, TN 38449; 931-427-8383) with loving care and genuine concern for each critter in her hands.

Catadora Tonks Tells Tales for #FuzzyFriday, and J-Dog Supports TNR

Hey, Catadora Tonks here. Or Tonks for short. I’ve taken over my Fur Mommy’s computer while she sits on the veranda with the Physicist and drinks her glass of wine. My Fur Mommy Christine Glover is the author of sensual, sizzling, emotional contemporary romances. But to me, she’s just the Treat Lady with a great lap for Fur Baby snuggles and cuddles.

I love my Fur Mommy, so when Golden Heart finalist Heather Leonard asked me to write a blog about her, I purred and said, “Sure, I’ll do anything for treat.”

Currently, my Fur Mommy is working on a story called THE ITALIAN TYCOON’S MARRIAGE BARGAIN. She’s in what she calls the “rediscovery process.” She’s been hauling character naming and writing craft books out of her awesome office and lugging them into the dining room. She likes to figure out her characters’ birthdays and personalities. What she doesn’t like is making a timeline, but ever since she sold her first book THE MAVERICK’S RED HOT REUNION to Entangled Publishing, she’s been making them because the editors like timelines. Yesterday, she told me she finds them useful in finding story holes.

Now, I’m a sweet and adorable Fur Baby and Christine spoils me so I don’t get disciplined. I’m not supposed to go on the counters or tables, but I do. She just picks me up, kisses me, and pets me. She does get annoyed at me when she prints her manuscripts out. I sit on the chair next to the printer and attack the papers when they shoot out of it. If you see a bite mark on any of her papers, that’s a Catadora Tonks’ seal of approval.

And you should see Christine’s office! It’s got a big window that overlooks the front yard, a basket of cat toys, and a sitting perch for me to look outside while she works on her revisions. If I get bored watching the birds, I jump onto her desk and knock things off (she scolds me, but she doesn’t sound mad at all. She sounds amused). I like to crawl onto her lap and try to capture her fingers while she’s typing. She tells me she’s not a toy, but I disagree. Aren’t all humans put on this planet to amuse cats? I think so.

My Fur Mommy’s process is called Crapper Pantser Fixer Upper. She does a story discovery where she builds characters, works out the story tropes (a trope is a mechanism to hook her characters together like a marriage of convenience, a secret baby, or enemies to lovers), and starts building the scene cards with times, dates, setting notes, and character points of view. Then she works out the emotional turning points because she believes characters and emotions drive the story’s plot. In the beginning she’s happy with her story but she gets mad and asks herself who the heck wrote this crap after she reads it. Then she spends days fixing it. She drinks a lot of wine during this phase of the process.

Christine works really hard to write her contemporary romances about two lost souls who find each other and discover home. Please buy her novella THE MOVIE STAR’S REDHOT HOLIDAY FLING  because Kitten Treats aren’t cheap. It’s modern Cinderella story with a cool twist. Jessie Sullivan is an ex marine who never gives up, despite the pins in her leg. And movie star Blake Johnston isn’t just a Big Screen Sex Machine. When a harmless dare leads to sizzling fireworks, Jessie and Blake generate some serious heat between the sheets. And it's more than Jessie could have imagined. Much, much more. But flings don't last forever. And in two weeks, Jessie will have to say goodbye to her red-hot Christmas fantasy...

I hear footsteps… got to go…

Catadora Tonks

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J-Dog has a crush on Tonks, so he dressed up. He wanted to remind you of the good work the Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic does. They provide much needed low cost, high quality spay/neuter services. You can learn more about them on their Facebook page. 

One of the great things the Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic does is a TNR program.  Trap-Neuter-Return involves trapping the cats in a feral colony, getting them spayed and neutered, adopting out kittens and friendly cats, then returning the adult feral cats to their territory and providing them with food and shelter.  TNR significantly reduces noise from fighting, odor from spraying, and more litters of kittens.  

J-Dog does all his shopping through AMAZON SMILE. Through this program, Amazon donates 0.5% of eligible purchase to a charity of your choice, like the Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic.  J-Dog is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card (purchased through Amazon Smile to help the Spay Neuter Clinic) to one of the people who leaves a comment. Check back Wednesday to see if you won.

Up next week, Betty Bolte's fur baby takes over. It is going to be awesome. Can't wait! 

#FuzzyFriday Interview with Cecilia Dominic's Timothy Mouse and Giveaway as Part of the #12DaystoPerfect Blog Tour

Timothy Mouse

J-Dog is welcoming Timothy Mouse to Fuzzy Friday! The wonderful Cecilia Dominic (urban fantasy, romance, mystery, steampunk, and YA paranormal author, and connoisseur of irony) is out on a blog tour, and her fur baby decided to get in on the action.  I'm turning over the keyboard to Mr. Timothy Mouse:

My world came into existence ten man-months ago. They say I’m skittish because I had a traumatic kittenhood, but all I can remember is bright lights and noise and then my three siblings and I were alone. My human mommy says I fell into her life by accident. I say, as I touch my paw to her face, that I found the perfect situation for snuggles and playing, and she obviously needed me. I don’t know how she got along without me. Dad even has a comfy chair for me, which I leave covered with gray and white fur so he knows it’s mine. He thinks he can keep it as his by putting a blue towel over it, but I just move that out of the way. Sometimes. I like to keep him guessing.

What is Mommy currently reading?

A story about cats, of course! It’s called 9^th Life – The Naming of Legends, Book One. They change into humans – I don’t know why. Being a cat is much better. Why would I change into a human except to have access to more food? I used to get squishy food when I was little, but now all Mommy gives me is the hard stuff. If I could change into a person, I could find out where the soft food went or try some of the human food that smells so yummy. She eats things called crow-sants. I don’t see any birds in them, but the crumbs taste good.

What was the most recent thing I did to get in trouble?

The humans have another boss named Tabitha. She’s old and gray and grouchy. I try to play with her and sometimes get so excited I miss it when she gets annoyed. I got grounded (put in the office) today because I wouldn’t stop trying to play, and the old kitty growled at me. That’s okay. I’m going to drink some water by licking it off my paw and then make sure the desks have lots of kitty footprints on them.

What are my observations of Mommy's writing process?

The humans have mind control devices they call lap-tops and tab-lets. I call them bor-ing. The people sit there and make tapping noises with their fingers while they watch the tops of the machines. I have to try very hard to be cute and playful so Mommy will pay attention to me and throw the ball for me to fetch. I’ve found through repeated experimenting that the noisier the toy, the better. If she’s really paying attention to the lap-top, I have to rescue her by knocking one of my favorite balls under the couch and meowing piteously until she gets it out for me. Then we play!

Sometimes she says she’s writing stories. I’ll make sure she doesn’t work too hard so she still has the energy to play with me. If I’m tired, I’ll sit on her lap and purr so she pets me. It’s hard work, but someone has to do it. Otherwise she’d pay attention to the stupid thing all day.

What is Mommy currently writing?

Daddy says that Mommy’s current book and she are not speaking at the moment. Maybe she stopped giving it squishy food, too.

I heard her talking about it when the other writer people came over for something called crit-eek-groop. The book has something to do with steampunk and a theatre and a musician and an actress, and there’s kissing (eww), and it all sounds very complicated. Except for the steampunk part. That sounds like it might be edible or chase-able or both.

Why you should buy my Mommy's most recent book b/c pet treats aren't cheap.

Mommy’s most recent book is about writers and the things they will do for their stories. Writers are weird. That’s why I always hide from them. Well, them and everyone else. There’s nothing more terrifying than someone coming in the front door.

But writers - they do strange things for their books, like talking to weird people. She says she wrote it so both readers and other writers would enjoy it because life is often stranger than fiction.

From Cecilia:

Thank you so much for hosting Timothy Mouse today, Heather! He had a great time.

Want to follow me and my characters on the #12DaystoPerfect blog hop for the chance to win more prizes? Join the event on Facebook for daily updates and please consider liking my page while you’re there. https://www.facebook.com/events/472007642953392/

There’s also a Rafflecopter giveaway for some grand prizes: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Of course Timothy feels like he’s the perfect pet. What would your perfect pet be? Comment below for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift certificate (to be emailed, so please leave your email with the comment).

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J-Dog, my feline host of Fuzzy Fridays, wants to remind you of the good work the Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic does. They provide much needed low cost, high quality spay/neuter services. You can learn more about them on their Facebook page. J-Dog does all his shopping through AMAZON SMILE. Through this program, Amazon donates 0.5% of eligible purchase to a charity of your choice, like the Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic.  It is a simple and easy way to support a worthy cause.

Writing Wisdom Wednesdays - Query Letters and #FuzzyFriday Winner Announced

Thanks to being a 2015 Golden Heart® finalist, I am sending out query letters to agents (and keeping fingers and toes crossed for positive results). One of the best resources I had in drafting my query letter was a workshop put on by Lisa Maxwell (her Young Adult novel Sweet Unrest is fabulous!).

Here is a video excerpt from the workshop. I hope her advice and guidance help you as much as it helped me.

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J-Dog asked me to announce the #FuzzyFriday winner of the $10 Amazon Gift Card (purchased through Amazon Smile to benefit the Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic).  The winner is . . . Gail Hart! Gail, please email me at MagicCityWritingBlog@gmail.com so we can coordinate getting you your prize.

Feline Destroyer of Toes, Rocket and Blix, Report on Debut Author Sally Kilpatrick and The Happy Hour Choir

Welcome, loyal subjects! We, Nelson J. Rocketfellar and Dietrich Bon Blixenhoeffer, Destroyer of Toes, are taking over Fuzzy Friday. You may call us Rocket and Blix. We haven’t even lived with these humans a whole year, but we have learned much about human behavior that we can report back to the feline community. We are particularly fond of our servant, The OneWho Taps. She feeds us, buys us treats, fishes our toy mice out from under the sofa, and is most likely to clean out our litter box.

What is your momma currently reading?

Rocket—She is reading all sorts of things. When she isn’t tapping on the odd folded thing, she always has a book. Sometimes we have to step over her Kindle or step between her and the book to remind her to shower us with the love and attention we truly deserve. At the moment we have interrupted Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal, Sweetwater Blues by Raymond Atkins, The Perfect Man by Cecilia Dominic, and Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. She’s also trying to read this book with almost all of the works of Flannery O’Connor, but we keep chewing on the fancy ribbon bookmark.

The most recent thing we did to get in trouble? Who, Us?

Blix—Well, *I* am a very good cat, but my sister Rocket is always into some mischief or another. She has taken to singing the song of our people in the wee morning hours, and I don’t think the humans like that. She also managed to swallow some string resulting in quite the predicament for The One Who Taps. I, as noted above, like to pounce upon unsuspecting toes, but that is the extent of my vices.

What are your observations of momma’s writing?

Rocket—Yes, well the Destroyer of Toes likes to nap in a chair beside The One Who Taps, but I prefer to waltz over her laptop keys from time to time in order to ensure quality control of her writing. Once, she spread a manuscript out by chapters on the floor. We helped her put those chapters in a new, more interesting order. Sometimes she reads aloud what she’s written. For the most part it’s pretty good, but we lay our ears back from time to time if the prose isn’t flowing properly.

What is your momma writing now?

Blix—The One Who Taps has been doing lots of revisions and edits this spring. We can tell. When she drafts she wears that blanket thing, but when she revises she paces and mumbles to herself a lot. She’s written some articles and is working on something she calls The Baptist Wife Swap. I don’t think the publisher is going to let her keep that title. I preferred the book she finished in January, Better Get to Living, and the one she’s doing copy edits on, Bittersweet Creek, because both of those have cats. Bittersweet Creek even has a cat on the cover.

Ah, Yes, Our Momma’s Latest Release and Why You Should Buy It

Rocket—We are rather fond of The Happy Hour Choir. I like to climb into the boxes of Advanced Reader Copies. Both my sister and I especially like to chew on the boxes. You need to buy the book by The One Who Taps is because then she will be able to buy us more treats and maybe more of those toy mice we keep batting under the couch and the entertainment center. We also want her to keep writing so she’ll keep getting boxes for us to chew on. Here’s a little snippet of a scene. Make sure to do the voices when you read—that’s what The One Who Taps does.

Excerpt from The Happy Hour Choir

…I was playing one of my favorites from Ginger’s old New Orleans records when he walked in.

            I had eyes. I could appreciate a superb male specimen just as well as the next person, but this guy wasn’t your garden variety Fountain patron. In his polo and khakis, he stood out like Dom Pérignon and caviar at a Yessum County High School football game. He also stood about a foot taller than everyone else in the place.

             Despite my superior powers of observation—and that while playing the piano—the guys and gals never noticed but went on playing poker and pool, laughing and clapping. Old Man MacGregor took another drag of his cigarette, and Pete Gates picked up his brother Greg by the collar, indicating they were ready for their first fist fight of the evening. Bill, of course, would serve a bull moose without batting an eyelash as long as said moose had cash. He passed the new guy a beer.

            Then Mr. Dom Pérignon looked my way, and he did one of those subtle double takes that never gets old. His eyes didn’t leave mine as he reached for the beer Bill offered him. I missed a note as I took in broad shoulders and how his bicep flexed when he reached for the bottle. A new guy in town could be just what I needed to liven up the summer.

More About Happy Hour Choir

From debut author Sally Kilpatrick comes a hopeful tale of love and redemption in a quiet Southern town where a lost soul finds her way with the help of an unlikely circle of friends…

Life has dealt Beulah Land a tough hand to play, least of all being named after a hymn. A teenage pregnancy estranged her from her family, and a tragedy caused her to lose what little faith remained. The wayward daughter of a Baptist deacon, she spends her nights playing the piano at The Fountain, a honky-tonk located just across the road from County Line Methodist. But when she learns that a dear friend’s dying wish is for her to take over as the church’s piano player, she realizes it may be time to face the music…

Beulah butts heads with Luke Daniels, the new pastor at County Line, who is determined to cling to tradition even though he needs to attract more congregants to the aging church. But the choir also isn’t enthusiastic about Beulah’s contemporary take on the old songs and refuse to perform. Undaunted, Beulah assembles a ragtag group of patrons from The Fountain to form the Happy Hour Choir. And as the unexpected gig helps her let go of her painful past—and accept the love she didn’t think she deserved—she just may be able to prove to Luke that she can toe the line between sinner and saint…

Links

Indie: You can call Cat Blanco at 770-427-4848

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/qdwhwmx

B&N/Nook: http://tinyurl.com/oyzhfpa

Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/qjol9qh

Target: http://tinyurl.com/o2l3tm9

Biography of The One Who Taps

Sally Kilpatrick lives in Georgia with her husband, Ryan, and her two children. We shall call these precious and precocious children The Hobbit and Her Majesty.

Her debut novel, The Happy Hour Choir will be released by Kensington on April 28, 2015.The Happy Hour Choir won the Duel on the Delta, finaled in the Maggie Awards for Excellence and was a 2012 Golden Heart® finalist. Sally has two other novels coming down the pike—think Shakespeare with cows (Bittersweet Creek, October 2015) and It’s a Wonderful Life in a funeral home (Better Get to Living, a 2013 Maggie finalist under the title Giving Up the Ghost).

A former Spanish teacher—because that’s what you do with an English major—Sally took an extended sabbatical when her husband gave her an application to Kennesaw State University’s Master of Arts in Professional Writing Program for Christmas 2007. (Best Christmas Present Ever!)

Sally is also the current president of Georgia Romance Writers.

For fun, Sally likes to read, write, run, and—you guessed it—sing in her church choir.

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J-Dog wants to remind you of the good work the Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic does. They provide much needed low cost, high quality spay/neuter services. You can learn more about them on their Facebook page. J-Dog does all his shopping through AMAZON SMILE. Through this program, Amazon donates 0.5% of eligible purchase to a charity of your choice, like the Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic.  J-Dog is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card (purchased through Amazon Smile to help the Spay Neuter Clinic) to one of the people who leaves a comment. Check back Wednesday to see if you won.

Writing Wisdom from Suzanne Johnson and #FuzzyFriday Winner Announced

In honor of yesterday's release of Pirate's Alley (book four in the Sentinels of New Orleans series) by one of my favorite authors, Suzanne Johnson, I wanted to share a video of her Q & A with my local RWA chapter. She answers the much asked question "what is the difference between urban fantasy and paranormal romance" as well as discussing story bibles, writing two series at one time, world building, and other writing topics.

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Also, J-Dog and Lola asked me to announce the #FuzzyFriday winner from Friday. Annie won the $10 Amazon Gift card.  Please email me at MagicCityWritingBlog@gmail.com so we can coordinate getting you your prize.