FEARLESS FRIDAY
Please welcome Judy with a most fearless story in the publishing world!
Ten
years ago, when I first turned my attention to writing mysteries, I was
bewildered by the publication process. I had written extensively for young
adults on a variety of subjects as well as several historical novels for adults
about women in the American West. I thought I knew the ropes, but I soon
discovered the mystery world is a territory unto itself.
Take
the search for an agent: it can last years, and I heard horror stories of
authors who’d been rejected over a hundred times. My agent for westerns had
died several years earlier. I did query others, but I knew that a writer’s
relationship with an agent is like a marriage, so you better get it right the first
time (and boy, did I get it wrong at least once). I never found an agent with
whom I clicked. Besides, I was pushing seventy and did not have years to spend
looking for an agent. I had stories to tell, and, like every author, I wanted
instant publication. I’d paid my newbie dues years earlier.
When
I was active in Western Writers of America, Inc. (I’m a past president), I met
several agents, and I knew one was with Kensington, a major publisher for
mysteries. I wrote him about my first mystery, thinking he might suggest a
mystery editor. He replied that he was now editing cozy mysteries. I should
have been leery, because his letter indicated he considered this a demotion.
But he agreed to read my work. As we’re advised, the proposal also included a brief
synopsis of my planned second in the series.
This
unnamed editor wrote back that he liked the manuscript I sent him, but he
really liked the idea of the second novel better. He wanted me to revise so
that the second novel became the first in the series. I took a deep breath and
considered.
Here
it was—an “almost” offer from one of the important houses. Most beginners would
jump at the opportunity to at least negotiate with the editor. I didn’t. I said
“Thanks but no thanks.” The back story was built into the first book, and I
liked the way it flowed and introduced the main characters. Instinct told me it
was good. The editor lost interest in the first book, and I ended publishing
with a small press that went out of business after I’d done six mysteries with
them. Today I am an indie author.
Do
I regret it? Not a bit. If I’d signed with Kensington, I’d have been subject to
the pressure that goes with working with a major publisher—produce so many
books a year and maintain certain sales goals. As it is, the novel, Skeleton in a Dead Space, was the first
of a series that will, come October and publication of Contract for Chaos, have eight titles and will keep on going. In
addition, I write the Blue Plate Café Series (four culinary titles) and the Oak
Grove Mysteries (two academic titles). And I write at my own pace, without
pressure (except my own) to meet sales goals.
So
that fearless step I took almost ten years ago turned out to be one of the best
things I’ve ever done. I’m for listening to instinct every time.
Blurb
Dallas developer
Silas Fletcher sees endless real estate opportunities in Wheeler, Texas if only
he can “grow” the town. Blue Plate Café owner Kate Chambers likes her hometown
just the way it is, thank you very much, without big box and chain stores. When
Fletcher tries to capitalize on a thirty-year-old unsolved murder, Kate know
she must fight for her town, and she uses historic preservation of the old bus
depot as one of her weapons. A suspicious death and a new murder make her also
fight for her own life.
Links for Judy:
Or
Judy’s Stew http://www.judys-stew.blogspot.com
Twitter @judyalter
Amazon buy link for Murder at the Bus Depot: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Bus-Depot-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B078WFDJPR
Also available from Kobo,
Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and other platforms.
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