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For so long I was just aiming to FINISH my novel. I could only see as far as ‘the end’, and oftentimes even that seemed impossible. I thought that even mentioning the word ‘publish’ would jinx me. Only after finishing the draft (and a second and third draft after that) have I begun to dip my toes into the publishing process. It’s a totally different world. As they say, writing is an art, but publishing is a business. We can all write whatever/however we like, but if we want our work to be accepted by a publisher, we have to abide by their rules.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past couple of months trying to figure out those rules. Luckily there are a lot of resources out there, but there is such a volume of information it would take me months to wade through it all! I’m sure many new authors can relate.

So far, the most helpful resources have been podasts focused on writing and publishing, like TSNOTYAW, The Manuscript Academy Show, Writer Writer Pants on Fire, and Queries Qualms and Quirks. These are all fantastic, and since I can listen to them in the car they don’t take away from writing time.

Social media is another deep well of info, but it’s so deep I often fall in and get stuck. Twitter so far has been most helpful, both because a lot of agents post their MSWSs (manuscript wish lists) and also because the other new writers are actively sharing information and advice.

Keeping up with writers tips or maintaining an author platform online seem like a completely separate career/hobbies. How is there time to do and that, write/edit a book and also pursue publication?? Please, someone?

There is so much about writing a book that doesn’t involve writing at all. At the front end of it there’s the dreaming, the planning, the researching, the READING…. and more reading. In the middle there is an awful lot of second-guessing and scratching out. And now that I have actually managed to write an entire novel, I’m discovering a whole load of new non-writing tasks, including re-learning how to make a website!

I’ve been doing a lot of snooping online lately to see what other authors do online, and it has given me a ton of ideas about fun ways to interact with other writers, readers and publishers. I know it won’t happen overnight, but I would love to see this site, along with my social media feeds, form part of a meaningful literary community. So let’s get started!

P.S. The photos have basically nothing to do with the posts. I just like sharing photos of my garden, which is one of my happy places.

Thanks for stopping by my website. I actually can’t talk much about the real reason for this site — to share about my novel! Fingers crossed that soon I’ll be able to tell you more about the book, its characters and the history that inspired it, but in the meantime I hope that this will be a fun place to connect over books, writing, and publishing. And if a little bit about my other hobbies (especially my succulents, my garden, my animals) gets thrown in too, all the better.