Positively Moving Ahead

The best thing to do while you’re waiting for that contract to catch up with you, after submitting of course, or having you agent submit , is to KEEP MOVING.

I’m taking baby steps again, but that’s okay for me. I have stockpiled over twenty manuscripts, many of which are not just salvageable, but saleable. I’m chipping away at that frozen sculpture of alphabet art.

A book I wrote in 2006 while Heartsong Presents: Mysteries was unraveling was another mystery, set up for a potential series. I liked it. It’s first person, my first experiment with that POV, and has fancy cats, Egyptian Maus to be exact, as fun non-human characters. My first agent sent it out to a few publishers who weren’t interested in jumping into the inspirational cozy mystery malestrom, although one editor said she liked my voice. I’m adaptable. I rewrote the manuscript a few times. I like adverbs, but I can easily take them out again. Not a problem.

I wish my writing was noticeble by publishers that secure national television interviews and cross-country book trips, but I’m still building my name and reputation. That simply cannot be hurried, unless one of those unspeakable accidents happen. I check around for publishers who offer realistic, fair contracts who are dedicated to putting out good product. I ask authors I know who are with that publisher about their experiences.

The smoke, bronze, and siver Mau

After doing the above recently, I was offered and signed a contract with Janet Durbin at Whimsical Publications. She said right away she wasn’t crazy about my title. I can live with that. I had a blast on Facebook in a huge chat about the story. I’m excited to get into edits, and the editing team from The Map Quilt seems to think that the process for the re-release of the Gold Standard, book one, is coming up soon.

Here’s the initial blurb:

Ivy Preston keeps other people’s secrets for a living. When a small town mayor invites Ivy Preston and True Thompson to move their businesses to Apple Grove, can their love survive the sudden rise in crime?

After being left at the altar, Ivy Amanda McTeague Preston uproots herself and her cat, an Egyptian Mau named Memnet, from her boring and lonely life to start over at the urging of Mayor Conklin, a fellow pedigreed Mau owner. Truesdale Thompson is ready to move in a fresh direction with his life. A private man whose physical wounds are the only outward sign of a tragic accident in his past, True and his cat, Isis, open a branch of his trendy little bookstore and coffee shop in Apple Grove. When Ivy takes a mysterious message while the mayor is away on business, only Ivy’s criminology professor mom, and True believe there’s something rotten in Apple Grove. Can Ivy carry on her romance with True while saving the town from further Mayhem?

 

Although I’ve branched off into short stories and done more radio theater, and worked on magazines for a while, I’ve been working. I’ve been editing. I jumped into Linked In a bit more seriously. I’m working with Brenda Hendricks, and Clash of the Titles, and doing book reviews. I’m plodding forward.

I’ve been pleased with the reviews coming out for The Map Quilt, which was delayed until May 4. Watch for the electronic version, which will be available then, and the print book, coming soon.

In fact, I’ve almost caught up with myself and have to get crackin – back to finishing The Newspaper Code, book 3 in the Buried treasure mysteries. After all, my back list is still selling, and I’m selling my stockpile slowly and surely. Perhaps I’d better start jogging again.

How about you? What kind of things do you do while you’re in “wait” mode?