What a great feeling, to see another of my stories listed in The Wild Rose Press ‘new release’ section. I openly admit to more than a twinge of excitement as 9 March creeps ever closer. I feel like dancing a jig, badly, I admit, so definitely never in public. While I haven’t done half the promotion I should have, I hope the little I managed to get my name out there into the ether does have some benefit. I still struggle with the whole idea of promotion and will continue to learn from those more experienced than myself. I’ll continue to ask any friends/fans who read my stories to please consider writing a review and placing it onto one or more of the major book websites, eg. Amazon, GoodReads, LibraryThing, Manic Readers. A new friend, Jenny Twist, has been very instrumental this last month, in giving me ideas. I appreciate her advice very much. I hope the contacts I am making through her will become true friendships where a wealth of ideas can flow back and forth.
I’ve started a workshop run through RWNZ which I hope will help me. Susan Meier is teaching “Can this ms be saved” – a subject very apt for me at this time. Once I can get my teeth into her lessons, I’m hoping to resurrect, (or kill off for all time), the second story I wrote while still in Maryland. I think most of the story is okay, but the scenes and words definitely need a lot of work. I think its time I aimed for digital release only, because in ‘fixing’ this story I’m sure I’ll be chopping many scenes/pages. While there is a ‘warm, fuzzy and fun’ sensation of holding your published book right in your little hand, I think its time to bow to the inevitable. E-readers are so popular now I am about to invest in one myself. I know it will not be quite the same, my 97 yr old Mum might have trouble reading my stories, but we can’t keep burying our heads in the sand. Print books are definitely sliding into oblivion. Ignoring the march of progress doesn’t stop it.