That's
what I've been calling The Book of Lost
Souls, the book that started my path to publication. I’ve always loved to write.
I’ve always loved the way imagination and words blend on a page, the way they transport
a reader to faraway worlds, or right next door, where witches live. From the
time I was very young, books were an amazing world to me. There was no greater
joy than going to the library with my mother whose love of books knew no
measure. When I was very young, my mother read to me every night. As I grew
older, we’d talk about the books we were reading.
Even
as a young child, I knew I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. But, writing
wasn’t what paid the bills. I got a regular job and life went on, although I
still dreamed of writing. My father always told me to believe in myself and to
never give up on what I firmly believed in. A few years after his death, I took
up writing again. My mother, who was now ill and who had moved in with my
husband and me, was happy to read what I wrote, or to set the table in order to
give me a few more minutes of writing time.
And
so I wrote and edited and revised. Just before the book was ready to send to
agents, my mother died. I set the book aside. Writing was too painful, too full
of memories.
But,
the stories in my head wouldn’t let up, and so after a few years I started
writing again. This time, I wrote about a teen witch named Ivy and her life in
a small town, and I quickly fell in love with the story and the eclectic group
of characters. I think of it as Buffy
meets Harry Potter. When I typed the
last line, I actually felt a pang of sorrow—I didn't want to say goodbye. Ivy
and her story became The Book of Lost
Souls, and after polishing it up, I sent it off to agents. Plenty were
interested and requested the full manuscript. Unfortunately, most of them
thought the book was too light. Too cute. Too Disney. They offered to read whatever else I had, as long as it was
darker. Darker sells! Or so they said.
So,
after two revisions for two separate agents that eventually didn't pan out (they
said the book still had a lighthearted feel to it that wouldn't appeal to
publishing houses), I set The Book of
Lost Souls aside and started working on an outline for a much darker book.
It
was around this time that the economy began to collapse—hard—and I was given
the pink slip on Friday the 13th, right after I had completed a
project that saved the company $400,000 annually. Say goodbye to eighteen years
of loyal service! Suddenly, writing a darker, more dystopian book about the
afterlife on top of losing my job seemed too much to take. Still, I recalled my
father’s wisdom of believing in myself even when no one else did. I wrote and
finished the next book, Don’t Fear the Reaper,
in about seven months.
Still
unemployed despite literally hundreds of applications, I began to worry we
would lose our home or deplete our savings before I found a job. My career in
IT was gone—off shored as they call it. I also wondered if I’d ever see any of
my books published. I was so close to getting an agent so many times. Agents
wrote back: You’re a strong writer. Or,
The Book of Lost Souls is a great story and is well-written, but it’s
not for me.
Nearly
every morning, my inbox was filled with rejection letters from jobs and agents,
yet I tried to stay positive. I kept repeating my father’s words to believe, to
never give up. For every rejection, I sent out twice as many applications, twice
as many query letters. I just tried harder.
I had
been querying Reaper for about three
months when I got an editorial letter from one of New York’s biggest literary agencies
who'd had The Book of Lost Souls for
nearly a year. A year! But, the letter was so enthusiastic about the story and
my writing that I sat down and made every last revision they suggested. I
turned it in and waited. Months went by. In the end, they rejected the
story—not because they didn't love it, but because in the year and change they’d
had the manuscript, another client had submitted a proposal for a story about a
teen witch. Conflict of interest, they called it.
And
that was that. My novel, the book that was finished, was dumped for someone
else’s book that hadn't yet been written. Somewhat angry and depressed, I set The Book of Lost Souls aside. Again. By
now, I was at the end of my rope. I was still unemployed and out of unemployment
benefits. The only work I could find was the occasional short-term computer
job, some tech writing gigs, or dog-sitting. Nothing full-time, and certainly
nothing we could count on.
If
the near-miss with Super Agency wasn’t enough, I found myself running into
similar situations with Don't Fear the
Reaper. Now, agents were saying, Too
dark! But, you're a talented writer and we'd love to see other work. Or, You’re
capable of incredibly incisive scenes—the opener is still one of the best
things I read all year. And, my personal favorite, In this economy...
It
was then that I learned about self-published authors such as Karen McQuestion
and Amanda Hocking. I decided to go indie as well, starting with The Book of Lost Souls. What did I have
to lose? A lot if I didn’t figure out
a way for our household to stop hemorrhaging money. The only problem? I had no
idea where to start. I sent an email to Ms. McQuestion, in the hopes she could
point me in the right direction. She was so incredibly kind! Not only did she
reply, she sent me a wealth of information on self-publishing. Today, she
shares all that information on her blog. I’m incredibly grateful to her.
I
got a cover I could afford with the help of another indie, Sam Torode. Two
editor friends went over my work. Finally, I formatted the book and the rest is
history. I uploaded The Book of Lost
Souls in early March, and it’s been getting consistently great reviews ever
since. As for being too lighthearted? I receive emails all the time from people
who love that the book is funny, upbeat, and clean.
Within
my first five weeks of self-publishing, I hit three best seller lists on
Amazon. Me. An indie author without a publicist or a big agency or publisher
behind them. Just me, my computer, my loving husband, and the devotion of two
dogs at my feet.
I’ve
been asked if there will be a sequel to The
Book of Lost Souls. The answer is yes. Two more books, maybe a third. I
just haven't thought that far out yet.
And
the other, darker book? After some revisions, Don't Fear the Reaper debuted in late September 2011. On its first
day, the book reached lucky #13 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases, Children’s Fiction,
Spine-Tingling Horror.
I’m
only sorry that my parents aren’t here to see this. I took my father’s advice
and my mother’s faith and reinvented myself. I still dog-sit and take on small
computer jobs and tech writing gigs to help keep us afloat financially. But one
day, I hope that my hard work will pay even more of the bills. Until then, I’m
at peace with the way things are.
Henry
Ford once said, “If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
Great advice. And so, The Book of Lost
Souls, the book that nearly wasn’t,
became the little book that could. I’m a firm believer that hopes and dreams are something to
hold onto and fight for. Believe in the magic that is you. Keep your dreams close, and set your imagination free.
I’d
like to dedicate my section of this anthology to readers everywhere—words alone
cannot express how much I appreciate you believing in me. You’re every bit as
much a part of the magic as Ivy herself.
So,
thank you, Dear Reader. Sincerely. Because, every author with a story to tell
writes with you in mind.
Come
connect with me. I’d love to hear from you:
Where
to find my books:
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