Character Monday: Meet Sean McGee from the Echoes Series

We first met Sean as the baby brother in Lifeline Echoes, when he welcomed Ryan home:

The skinny boy's frame had become lean and muscular. Glow-in-the dark blond hair had toned down some but Ryan noticed it still had a tendency to curl at the ends even though his brother kept it cut short. Sean had been thirteen when Ryan left. He'd grown into a man Ryan scarcely recognized.

Sean's tension visibly drained. His smile started slowly, in his eyes first, then spread to his mouth, where it bloomed into a full grin.

"Ry!" In two long-legged strides, Sean was in front of him. "Oh man, it's good to see you!"

In a move too sudden for Ryan to dodge, Sean folded him into a bear hug and lifted him off his feet, his carefree laughter driving out the last vestiges of Ryan's uncertainty.

…showed his brother up:

"Lost your touch with horses there, big brother?"

Ryan spun around. Sean leaned indolently in the doorway.

"Horses? No." Ry shook his head. "I can still handle a horse. That?" He jerked a thumb at the stall behind him. "Is not a horse. That is a demonic replica of a horse."

Sean pushed off the doorjamb and sauntered toward his brother. Inside the stall, the agitated snorts of the big roan continued but the kicking had stopped.

"Domingo? This guy's a sweetheart. You just gotta speak his language." He held up an apple.

"You mean you have to bribe him," Ryan said flatly.

Sean smiled and held out his free hand for the lead rein.

Ryan stood well back when Sean eased open the stall door and stepped inside, apple first. When the horse took the apple, Sean clipped the lead to the halter.

…took his brother out on the town:

Ryan took a second look at the other girl. "Whoa! Is that little Melanie Mitchell?" he asked his brother.

Sean nodded, an eager grin splitting his face. So that's the way it rolled.

Ryan whistled appreciatively. "She sure grew up well." The poke in the ribs went a long way toward making him feel like a big brother again.

…told his brother the hard truth:

Ryan winced. "I didn't think Dad ever understood any of it. I figured he'd have tried to stop us so I never gave him the opportunity, never told him much."

Violence born from sixteen years of hurt and loneliness guided Sean's punch into the wooden beam, so close Ryan felt the whoosh of air passing. Sean's green eyes registered satisfaction when Ryan flinched away from the blow next to his head.

"You don't give Dad enough credit," Sean grated.

…had his brother’s back:

He was propelled on waves of obvious aggression, his obedient wife trotting in his wake, as though on a short leash. Sean stepped into Brody's path, but the old man brushed him off, his eyes never leaving Ryan.

Sandy bit her lip. Brody MacKay had always made her a bit uneasy. Seeing him now, with obvious malevolent intent on his features, her sense of uneasiness increased tenfold. Somewhere in his fifties, he was a formidable antagonist, as big as his son but with a coldness that never failed to chill Sandy to her core.

Ryan made a barely perceptible hand motion, warning Sean to stay out of it. The younger McGee stepped back, but he didn't go far. He had his brother's back.

…and gave his brother support:

A Styrofoam cup of something hot was pressed into his hand. Ryan looked down at the coffee then up to Sean's troubled face. His brother shoved a sandwich into his other hand.

"Mel and Charlie brought food." Sean closed his hand over Ryan's shoulder, giving a little shake. "You have to eat, Ry, just a couple of bites. You're a liability if you're running on empty."

NOW…it’s Sean’s turn. Find out why frogs hold special meaning to him:

He didn’t think he’d ever be able to look at another frog anywhere without thinking of Melanie Mitchell’s underwear.

Why he’s talking about names:

When he noticed everyone was now eyeing him expectantly, he realized he’d have to say something. “Ah, um . . . well, I’ve always been partial to Grace.”

How he handles difficult topics of conversation:

“Are you and Mel doing it?” Embarrassment leaked like cherry-colored paint to stain the kid’s freckled face.

How he handles stress:

Her lips, so warm and welcoming, her body so soft and his for the taking. He’d never felt more alive than he did as he pinned her against the bar and lost himself in the passion that always hovered between them like an ion-charged storm, ready to erupt with thunder. She went limp in his arms with a moan as he claimed the affirmation of her life that he needed for his own to continue.

And why he’s about to make the biggest mistake of his life.

Elusive Echoes, June 28, 2011, Astraea Press

Matrimonial Mayhem: An anthology where all the proceeds go to charity

Back a few weeks ago we had an announcement about how the Alabama tornadoes hit Astraea Press personally. You see several members of our house were amid the devastation. So as a group we decided to do a wedding anthology most of which are spin offs or extras of books that are published with Astraea.  Matrimonial Mayhem is an anthology of wedding stories, to benefit the Governor of Alabama's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, for the hardest hit areas of the state.We at Astraea Press will not recieve any money. With that being said we can only offer it through our site here, as 3rd party vendors want their cut, and it will only be in the form of an ebook. So for $5.00 you get an amazing collabloration of stories and help out some Americans who are hurting. 


Here is the buy link for Matrimonial Mayhem and here is a link for the charity. So here's a fun part of Matrimonial Mayhem. Authors at AP are doing a mini blog hop and if you go to each blog and leave a comment starting here. You can be entered for an amazing prize pack for Astraea Press. So check out more about Matrimonial Mayhem and at the end will be the next blog to go too. But wait don't for get that message. 

Character Monday: Three Characters One Devil in Deal With the Devil

Happy Monday readers! We at Astaea Press hoped that you all had a fabulous Mother's Day yesterday. Today we are pleased to have J Gunna Grey author of Deal with the Devil Part 1 is here talking about the characters in her book.

Wehrmacht Major Faust has a dangerous secret: he likes England. But it’s May 1940 and his Panzers are blasting the British Army off Dunkirk’s beach, so he keeps his mouth shut even though it hurts. When the Waffen SS try to murder their English prisoners of war, Faust helps the POWs escape. Now it’s treason, with his neck on the line.

Three months later, a friend gets him drunk, straps him into a parachute, and throws him out over Oxford during a bombing run. He’s quickly caught. Because he helped type the battle plan for the invasion of England, he cannot allow himself to be broken in interrogation. Two German armies depend on it. But every time he escapes, someone rapes and murders a woman and the English are looking for someone to hang. He’s damned if he stays, risking someone else’s life if he runs, and risking execution by the Gestapo if he makes it home.

Major Stoner, Oxford don turned British intelligence officer, sees three possibilities. Faust perhaps was joyriding in that bomber, as he claims. Or he’s on a reconnaissance mission for the German invasion. Or he’s a spy. Stoner must break Faust to learn the truth, no matter how it strains his old heart. He must save England, and his granddaughter.

Their battlefield is confined to a desktop. Only one of them can win. Someone must break. Someone must make a Deal with the Devil.

In Deal with the Devil, three characters are on a collision course. Two are fighting to break each other. The third waits to one side, unable to intervene and doomed to pick up the pieces. But that doesn’t make her the weakest of the three.

It’s August 1940 and the Battle of Britain is raging. Major Hans-Joachim Faust is a modern German Army officer, educated and intelligent, but not worldly. He can drive a tank, crush enemy resistance, ride a strange horse across country, recite English sixteenth-century poetry from memory--but his understanding of the human heart, including his own, is shaky. Even as his Panzers are blasting the British Expeditionary Force off Dunkirk’s beaches, Faust loves England almost as much as he loves Germany and still he considers the English his friends.

When he’s captured and interrogated, it’s a nightmare beyond any he could imagine. The gentle people he knew before the war are fighting for survival and they’re gentle no longer. Everything is used against him--his friends, his naiveté, his honor, even his dislike of cabbage. If only he could figure out who to believe, who to trust, perhaps he’d have a chance of surviving this disaster. But before he understand his English captors and interrogator, he must first understand himself.

Major Cedric Stoner of British Military Intelligence is an old-school reserve officer. An Oxford don for forty years, he tutored and lectured in English poetry at Magdalen College, alongside C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the other Inklings. (Yes, they get a mention.) He also commanded a battalion in the First World War, was injured and captured by the Kaiser’s army, and understands in his bones how to manipulate, confuse, and break a prisoner of war.

But Stoner has spent his career building up students, not destroying them. It’s an awful conflict and it runs deep, putting a strain on his aging heart. If only he could put aside the habits of a lifetime of teaching, then perhaps the bitter taste from this dishonorable task wouldn’t seem so overwhelming. But two German armies are poised on the French beaches, waiting to invade England. Breaking Faust could make the difference between victory and crushing defeat.

His granddaughter, Jennifer Stoner, worries over the possible German invasion and grieves for her younger sister, the first victim of a brutal serial killer. There must be some way to stop the Germans, short of her beloved grandfather destroying himself trying to break that man Faust. And there must be some way to catch the animal who murdered Harriet, who kills again every time Faust escapes.

If she could get her hands on the murderer, she’d make him pay. All she needs is someone to hold him down and she’ll finish the job.

Part one of Deal with the Devil is available now. The endgame in part two is coming from Astraea Press in June.

Criminey! That does not sound like one of our usual sweets. In case anyone hasn't noticed Astraea is more than just romance and kissing. We have an eclectic mix of authors and the list just keeps growing. Check out J Gunnar's Deal with the Devil and stay tuned for Part 2.

Writer Wednesday: How to Create a Press Release

Please welcome to the AP blog Elaine Cantrell who is going to show us how to do a press release. I for one had no idea how to do this. Elaine take it away...

All big name authors hire publicists to produce press releases for them, but it’s easy to do one for yourself if you’re still waiting to become a household name.

Begin your release with these words: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.  Put them on the top left side of your paper.

Now you need a headline just like you’d see in a newspaper.  Make sure it fits your book.

Next give your location and date.  Ex. Pickens, South Carolina, April 26, 2011

Now you’re ready to tell your story.  Use more than one paragraph, but don’t make each paragraph too long.  Two or three paragraphs is probably enough even though there’s no set number.  If you have to continue the release on the next page, write ‘more’ at the bottom of the first page.

Next, include any background information about you.  You probably shouldn’t talk about your pets and children-just things that might be relevant to your writing.

Give your contact information.

End the release by doing this ###

Here’s one I wrote for A New Dream

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Achieving Your Dreams

What happens to a man who achieves his lifelong dream and then loses it?

Pickens, South Carolina-April, 22, 2011  Award winning author Elaine Cantrell explores how the loss of a lifelong dream affects a pro-football player in her latest release A New Dream. 

Hometown boy Matt McCallum achieved his dream eighteen months when he signed a contract to play football for the Green Bay Packers.  At the end of his rookie year he kicked the winning field goal in the Super Bowl.

His dreams came crashing down one bright summer evening when a deer ran across the road in front of him and his fiancée, Stacey Thomas.  As a result of the ensuing accident, Matt’s right leg was amputated.

After a stint in rehab, he took a job managing a grocery store where he met Violet Emerson.

More

Violet worked in the bakery department, but her dreams carried her far beyond the doors of Chef’s Pantry. As soon as she could save the money, she planned to open a catering business. And she thought the new manager’s broad shoulders and blue eyes were simply divine.

Thrown together at work, Matt and Violet found a common dream for their lives, but a loose end from Matt’s past returned to jeopardize their future. Will love be enough to save their new dream before it turns into a nightmare?

A New Dream is available at http://www.astraeapress.com. 

ISBN:  978‑1‑936852‑12‑3 

Price: 5.99

About Elaine Cantrell

Elaine Cantrell was born and raised in South Carolina.  She has a Master’s Degree in Personnel Services from Clemson University and is a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary sorority for women educators.  She is also a member of Romance Writers of America and EPIC authors.  Her first novel, A New Leaf, was the 2003 winner of the Timeless Love contest.  A New Dream is her seventh novel. 

You can visit Elaine at her web site:  http://www.elainecantrell.com.

Contact:

Elaine Cantrell

PO Box 1516

Pickens, SC  29671

Email: elainecsc@aol.com

Trailers...Trailers...Trailers....

No not that kind of trailer. Dork. We are talking book trailers. It is a industry standard now if you have a book you need a trailer. Today we are going to feature some of the Astraea Press authors and their trailers. Enjoy.

Terrific Tuesday: New Release: Matching Wits With Venus

We are so very happy to release Matching Wits With Venus to our library of books. Please check out Venus and add her to your TBR pile on your reader.

For centuries, Cupid has longed to be more than Venus’s arrow boy.  When he’s sent to eliminate “Happily Ever After by Amelia”, the matchmaking business threatening Venus’s status as the goddess of love, Cupid decides to steal Amelia’s methods and make his own matches.  While spying on Amelia, Cupid accidentally shoots himself with his magical arrow and falls in love with her.  But bereaved Amelia doesn’t believe in the existence of Roman gods, and she’s certainly not looking for romance.  She’s too busy perfecting the patented personality profile that’s made her Hollywood’s favorite matchmaker.

Disguising himself as a mortal financial advisor, Cupid manages to break through Amelia’s guarded exterior.  As their passion deepens so does Cupid’s guilt about deceiving Amelia.  Cupid’s interference with Amelia’s life causes her business to falter, leads to a sterile spring that threatens the animal kingdom and shatters the longstanding peace between the Roman and Greek gods.  With the fate of the natural and under worlds at stake, Cupid must decide whether to reveal his true identity and risk losing the chance to live happily ever after with Amelia.

Therese Gilardi – Release Questions – « Matching Wits With Venus »

1.       Do you have a playlist or special songs for different situations? Absolutely. I adore music and use it to set the mood and pace of my work, as well as to evoke different emotions. I listen to everything, from sweeping piano concertos to experimental indie music.

 2.       How many emails do you receive a day? Several hundred. I am not sure how or why, but I suspect it has something to do with being on the west coast – the rest of the world is already humming along at quite a clip by the time I’m sitting down at my desk.

3.       If this isn’t your first release how is it different than your first?  Well, I feel like every time my work appears in print I have a reason to celebrate! I have framed copies of my clips in my office and a picture of myself  and my daughter at a book signing as my screensaver.  I think I’ll feel the same sense of joy and gratitude when « Matching Wits With Venus » is released.

4.       If this is your first release what did you find surprising? Easy? Hard? I’ve had poetry, essays and short fiction in print since 2002. Since my work has appeared in magazines, literary journals, and anthologies, I was certain I knew a lot about editing.  However, this is my first novel. I’ve been surprised at how much formatting is required for a full-length book.

5.       Do you have a writing routine? I’m not a very organized person but I do have one rule: I must write every day. I just don’t feel like I’ve lived  a day if I haven’t put pen to paper. For years I’ve kept a tiny notepad with me at all times. And I always keep paper in my car. I write anywhere and everywhere.

6.       What is a typical day for you like? My weekday routine is dominated by the school run. After I return from the morning drop-off I walk one of my dogs while listening to the music I think will inspire me for my current work. First I write the rough equivalent of Julia Cameron’s « morning pages » (I know it’s cheating not to do them first thing, but come on, who can think without coffee), then I try to read through some of those e-mails that have found their way to my inbox. Next I usually work on my new novel.  However, I’m also working on a chapbook of poetry and a memoir of my years as a writer, wife, mother and ratatouille fan in Paris. That means there are times, especially when those Santa Ana winds are blowing, that I abandon fiction in favor of poetry or memoir. No matter what I’m working on, I always eat a proper lunch. I don’t understand this skipping meals stuff – to me constant access to the stove is one of the perks of the writing life.

7.       What does you family think about your writing career? I wish every writer could have a family like mine. My fabulous husband framed the cover of « Matching Wits With Venus » as a Valentine’s Day gift. My son gives me a lot of constructive ideas. My parents and in-laws have shared my success with their friends. But my daughter … she’s been my biggest fan and most loyal supporter, ever since she passed around my work for show and tell when she was in the third grade.

8.       Where do you hope to be in a year in your career? I would love to sell a screenplay. I would like to finish the dark mystery I’ve been working on for five years. I would also like to complete my contemporary romance, and write a YA. And of course the memoir and the chapbook ….

9.       How do you define success in your career? It may sound crazy, but I like to know I’ve been able to make someone laugh or cry. To me the reason we read and write is to connect. I have to admit, I do have a fantasy that one day one of my poems is nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

10.   Have you ever thought of giving up? If so what stopped you? I can’t imagine not writing, because it gives me such pleasure. That’s not to say that it’s not challenging at times. Yet I would never give up. After all, I’m a romance writer. I believe in « happily ever after ». 

 To find out more about more about Therese Gilardi click here. 

Character Monday: J F Jenkins and the Oceina Dragon Saga

Legend of the Oceina Dragon

Darien Oceina is the youngest son of the Great Dragon Lord of the Water. For years he's loved and cherished Tai Dawson from afar. Tai is a simple, ordinary girl who doesn't even know Darien exists. On his eighteenth birthday, he chooses her as his wife. But there’s one problem: She thinks his choice means she's going to be offered as a sacrifice to the Dragon Lord, but instead, she’s forced to move to his home, far away, to give up her life and be his bride.

When she first sees Darien after the ceremony, she doesn’t expect to feel anything but hatred toward him. The two are struggling with the complications of a new marriage when their nation is attacked by a rival dragon species. Together they learn to love one another while they struggle to stay one step ahead in a game where the prize is their survival.

"All about Dragons: An Interview with Darien Oceina"

J.F. Jenkins: Darien, thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions from your fans! For those of you who don't know, Darien Oceina is one of the great water dragons. A couple of weeks ago, fans of "Legend of the Oceina Dragon" were given the opportunity to ask him some questions. Almost all of them were about the dragon species. So let's get started!

Do dragons shed their skin like lizards and snakes do?

Darien Oceina: We don't, but my kind also do not stay in our dragon form for long periods of time. I bet if I spent a significant time in my dragon form, I would start to shed it off. When I transform though, my dragon skin refreshes itself.

Is the Loch Ness Monster a dragon, or some other mythical creature you’re not related to?

DO: I don't know what the Loch Ness Monster is.  Sounds scary! I don't think I've ever seen a monster that isn't scary. I would say though, if it looks like a dragon, it probably is one.

Are baby dragons born knowing how to swim/fly/do whatever else dragons do, or do they have to learn how, like birds?

DO: They have to learn how. Some of it is instinct. My kind, being so in tune with the water, we go into the pool with the young ones and let them explore. They learn that they can breathe underwater and how to swim - even in the human form. Flying is harder to learn, especially since we don't become solid in our transformations until about five years old.

How big are your scales?

DO: About the size of a dinner plate. Keep in mind, I am small in size for my kind though. On average, they're about the size of 14" pizza. These are the big main scales of course. They vary in size, based on the location and function of the scale. Some are small and flexible. The big ones are for plating and protection.

How close can you get to a princess before you singe their hair off?

DO: My fire can project about thirty feet or so. I'm not sure if that answers your question or not? I guess it depends on if I'm breathing fire!

What are your weaknesses?

DO: Magically speaking, I'm weak against Earth magic. All of the dragons were created with balance in mind. Water is weak to Earth, Earth weak to Wind, Wind weak to Fire, and Fire weak to Water. Now if you mean me as a person, that's something different all together.

Do all dragons have magical abilities?

DO: Yes!  All the dragon species have an element, and their magic reflects said element. My spells all revolve around the water and life. There's a theory that we can combine our magics together even, but no one has tested this recently. It's kind of a myth. I'm certainly curious.

 

 

Wow Darien thanks so much for sharing all this info and thank you JF for allowing him to come visit. If you want to fine out more about the author JF Jenkins and Darien click on her name.

Feature Friday: Astraea Press Collaboration of a Short Story Continues...Part 3

Part 3 of the continuing short story collaboration of Astraea Press author is by J.F. Jenkins author of Legend of the Oceania Dragon.

Ellea walked towards the tall, thin man cooly. Confidence oozed from her as her shoes echoed on the floor. He didn't notice her until she sat next to him, and even then it was only a brief glance. She pulled out her badge, and then the picture of Mary Jo.

"Do you know this woman?" She asked.

The man studied the picture, slowly running a hand over his rough, unshaven, chin. "Psycho, yeah, I know her."

"I heard you two were involved. Is that true?"

"Yeah, we dated." He said cooly, and then took another drink from his beer. "It lasted a few months. I didn't like her too much, but she did some pretty kinky things if you know what I mean." The man glanced past Ellea and at Deuce.  His smirk widened when he watched the other man bristle slightly. "Yeah, you do know what I mean, don't you. I recognize you from all of the pictures she carried. You and the little brat she obsessed over."

Deuce's fists clenched at his side. Ellea reached a hand out to his arm, in an effort to calm him. Fighting wouldn't be productive.

"The boy is missing. Mister?" Ellea raised an eyebrow, hoping this man would offer up a name.

"Mister Eli Stover," he nodded at her. "He's missing you say? Too bad. I wouldn't put it past her to have taken him. I meant it when I said she's psycho."

"Do you know where she went Eli?"

"I haven't seen her since we broke up about a month ago." He downed the last of his beer, simultaneously waving the bartender over to fill him up again. "I may have had a brief encounter, but the details are getting a little fuzzy."

Ellea rolled her eyes.  "I'm guessing they'll be less fuzzy after I pick up your tab."

"It would help."

"Fine, now tell me what you know."

"When I met Mary Jo, she was pretty unstable." Eli explained, grabbing his newly filled mug. "She stopped taking her medication, so she was all kinds of a walking disaster. She just wanted to feel good. Who am I to deny her?"

Ellea nodded, but said nothing. What a pig.

"It felt good helping her out. She started to relax a lot more. Things were going good. I actually kind of like her when she's sane." He took another large gulp. "Then it went south. She found religion. Those were her words at least. In my opinion, she found a cult. They call themselves the Natural Assembly. They didn't sound bad at first. She told me how they preached peace and understanding, acceptance of all. They're in touch with nature and respect the Earth. Kind of hippy sounding, but to each their own right? Well, my opinion changed pretty fast."

"Why's that?"

"Because she killed my dog for one of their witchcraft rituals." He stated, his dark eyes meeting Ellea's. Their expression dead serious and filled with intensity. "Naturally, that was kind of a deal breaker. I dumped her so fast her head spun."

"What kind of ritual was this?" Deuce asked in disgust, beating Ellea to the punch.

Eli shrugged non-chalantly. "She said she stopped something bad from happening to the county - something big. Mary Jo was all kinds of honored because the leader had told her it was her responsibility to protect everyone. Only she could do it. She was to use it as practice for the bigger picture. She believes she's the chosen one. The one who will save the world."

Wow that's a great spin JF! To see what happens next come back next week for part 4. To find out more about JF and her books check it out here. 

Tremendous Thursday: It's a Double Header of New Releases

Well Astraea Press is on fire...no not like King of Leon's Sex Is On Fire! We are on fire with new releases. It's a double header so be sure to check out both novels Promise To Laura and Spartan Heart 2.

Writer Wednesday: Right Here Write Now...the words of Cheryl Grey

Right here, right now

“The times, they are a-changin,” Bob Dylan sang in his inimitable style back in 1964. (Never did like that song, personally.) While you could argue that perspective for just about any era, it’s particularly apropos for the publishing industry right here, right now.

The state of the industry

Epublishing is changing the game. In January 2011, ebooks outsold hardcovers industry-wide (not just through Amazon.com and yes, including university textbooks). That font of all things digital, Amazon, currently sells three times as many ebooks as hardcovers, a balance that’s likely to continue shifting and consume paperbacks, as well. And while everyone debates just when ebooks will comprise the biggest portion of the entire reading market, no one doubts that it will ultimately happen.

Publishing industry and bookstore profits are down and not merely because of the dawdling economic recovery. Paper printing costs aren’t likely to fall, which will continue eating into those profits, and Borders shot itself in the corporate foot by releasing control of their ebook commerce to Amazon just as the party got started, back in 2002. The big publishing houses, the so-called “Six Sisters,” are nervous and growing even more unwilling to take a chance on new authors, even those who have successfully wooed and won agents. Ironically, it seems both agents and editors are using digital self-publishing and epublishers as a proving ground, offering lucrative multibook deals to those authors who demonstrate they don’t need them.

So tell us some good news

But it’s not all doom and gloom (to exercise an embarrassing cliché). For writers the good news is, there’s a growing demand for their output. In particular, novelists who never stood a chance with the Six Sisters are seeing their work being snapped up by epublishing houses. This past week, at least four of my Facebook writer friends signed ebook contracts, most of them multibook arrangements. No, there’s no advance. But they’ll be earning more with their writing through epublishers, no matter how small the amount, than they’ve ever earned from New York.

Now here’s where it becomes seriously interesting. For decades, writers have been told to write the book, get it critiqued, rewrite it, and then polish it until it outshone a polyester suit. Everything had to be excellent—plot, characterization, story arc, pacing, tension, style, voice, and especially grammar—or the agent or editor would shoot back a form rejection. And all of these elements had to be demonstrated as excellent in the three sample chapters, bolstered by an equally riveting (and time consuming) hook, query, synopsis, and chapter outline.

“Wait a minute,” we said. “Not everyone is good at everything, much less excellent. We’re storytellers, not grammar Nazis. Isn’t that what editors are for?” Nevertheless, agents and editors expected, and accepted, nothing less.

That expected writerly balance, between the storyteller and the grammar Nazi, is something else that’s shifting in publishing. Right now.

Okay, here’s the good news

As my friends and I discovered to our delight, ebook publishers don’t expect excellence in all things because they haven’t forgotten the definition of the word “editor,” nor what the job entails. Nor have they forgotten that a writer’s first job is to tell a flat-out good story. Therefore, the balance between storytelling and grammar is something else that’s shifting within the publishing industry—back to where it should be. Epublishing editors are showing a willingness to accept manuscripts that aren’t grammatically or stylistically perfect, so long as the flame of a good story is there.

Does this mean you can haul out your convoluted NaNoWriMo attempt from ten years ago, send it to an epublisher, and expect a grateful acceptance? No world is that perfect. And writers should not be so unprofessional. Your submissions should still be finished manuscripts which have been through critique partners, proofreaders (even if it was your coworker’s nephew), and the entire polishing process. But when you do send it in, you’ll know it’s being judged on the story’s merits, not on your sense of pacing or ability to differentiate between their and they’re.

Nor does this mean all our problems are over. Instead, it presents epublishing writers with a series of entirely new problems—marketing the novel, creating a book trailer, building a web presence, attracting readers and reviewers, etc. But these problems were being shrugged off by the publishing houses onto their authors for years now, in any case, through the phenomenon known as “the incredible shrinking marketing budget.” This is merely addressing it before you land a New York publishing contract (which could follow) rather than afterward.

The other good news

For those writers who don’t want epublishing as their entire career, another option is to consider it an apprenticeship. It used to be that budding novelists signed on with publishers as pulp writers, churning out short (45,000 to 60,000 words), fun-to-read books sometimes as quickly as two per month. They learned the trade, they earned not a lot but some money, and many of them graduated to “real” novels, such as Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Upton Sinclair, and H.P. Lovecraft. Now writers can serve a similar earning-and-learning apprenticeship with epublishers. (Allow me to give a nod to Chris Stout, who first brought this parallel to my attention.)

With the news that Amanda Hocking has signed a four-book deal with St. Martin’s Press, this theory gains credibility. Remember, she couldn’t sell to the Six Sisters until she proved she could sell.

Thank you so very much Cheryl for imparting your experience and wisdom with us this Writer Wednesday. To find out more about Cheryl and her books click here.