2009, a new year to ponder over last year's mistakes and then figure out a new plan for myself, my life, and my book projects. Marketing for Hostage to Her heart on my own proved very difficult. Economy made a lot of suffer and I was no exception. Money was too tight to pour into contests or other promotional sites. Even my own health took a two month decline and I became this very sick puppy. By December, I really rethought a lot of things, sort of like soul searching. I came to the conclusion to not over push myself or my book. If success happens, it will come by reaching one reader at a time and if takes several years to accomplish that, then, so be it.
It's not that I wouldn't like to walk that success road, with interviews, advertisements, book signings. Who wouldn't? But my initial intent when I began this long manuscript was to tell a story that satisfied me- that I did it- and got it into book form. Yes, H2HH is in a book form, but it's not on the shelves at the bookstore nor at a public library. So hence, my new goal. Not with H2HH, but with it's sequel.
The Texas Writers League is an organization out of Austin Texas, close to my home. I've been a member for almost a year now, but I haven't done much with it, except to notifiy them of my recent book award and about my book. This spring, they are doing a manuscript contest that will afford one the opportunity to meet with an agent at their annual summer writers/editors/agents conference. This convenes in June, a month that will be exceptionally busy for me personally, as in my real job, I am scheduled to go to a 3-day conference in Colorado for Trauma and I am also hosting a former German exchange student and her dad for a month visit. They will come at the end of June, but I'm uncertain of the exact dates. So somewhere in the midst of this, I hope to win this contest with my 2nd manuscript, When Fate and Faith Collide (working title), in order to sit down with a real agent and pump up my book.
Actually the second manuscript carries on the characters from H2HH and its a bit more in contemporary time, with the same input of flawed characters we came to love in the first book. They are just older now and still doing a lot of soul searching themselves, about their love life and their families. I think that is the most selling part about my stories, the flawed characters. They look perfect, speak perfect... and sometimes their hearts are in the right place, but they make mistakes. They are human and even if the lessons learn from their mistakes are painful, sometimes they fall victim of repeating patterns. And this is what drives the plot, to which I hope, are great conclusions.
Anyways, I'm working to revamp this website to bring more of my writing here- for sampling, for feedback. If you happen to stumble by, it's my hope that you will leave me feedback, instead of just viewing and moving on, about the quality of my work. It's also my hope that you will come back often for updates. I want friends of my site, real fans that will tell others "she's an author to watch."
Yes, it's taking this one step at a time and it's work and a thought process. Just visit often, buy the first book, give me a much needed review. And wait for the second manuscript, because if I don't win, I will manage to self publish somehow. Just bare with me as a friend.
