This week marks the publication of my second novel, Daddy's Girl, a work of women's fiction available from Turquoise Morning Press. I'm so thrilled to set Janie free, and I hope she soars.
It feels different, this time. When Drew in Blue was released in 2010, I was lost in a haze of newbie confusion, excitement, and disbelief. He was an experiment. I wanted to share a story that wasn't quite like anything people had read before. I've listened to industry professionals tell me that my story will never sell, and then looked at the wonderful reviews from readers who begged to differ.
To those who read Drew, and to those who shared their feelings about the story: I love each and every one of you for giving my boy a chance.
Drew was also a learning experience. I was a rookie, when I wrote that story. I still am, but I'm learning. I hope I never stop learning, because when I do, I will know it's time to walk away from the written word.
I didn't come to writing to make a million dollars. I didn't come to change lives or educate with my words. My goal has always been to simply write a story that gives you a warm feeling inside when you've reached The End. The goal has always been a smile, a tear, a laugh, a bit of entertainment...hopefully I've accomplished that, and will do so again.
Writing Daddy's Girl was a different experience, emotionally. Even though Janie, and David, and every other character in that fictional bubble of Meyersville, Pennsylvania, came to mean so much to me, my heart belongs to Joe McGee. He is the literary ghost of my father...a love letter to my old man. Somebody once compared writing to opening a vein and bleeding. Boy, they had that right.
This story haunted me for years, as I mulled over it's beginnings, crawled bloodied and battered to the final chapter, edited, edited, edited, walked away in frustration, cried my eyes out over the hard decisions, found a home for it, and then edited some more. Somehow, I made it to this day. Daddy's Girl is published. Purchase links are going up. It's finally happened.
The newbie haze is gone. I'm truly excited to have reached the finish line, though really, this is only the beginning. There is a mellowness in the air as I prepare myself for the coming months of promotion and flat out begging for readers to click that buy button. This time around, I can savor the accomplishment...revel in the feeling of success. I don't need to be on the New York Times bestseller list to feel successful. It's the little things: I started. I finished. I made it. I accomplished what I set out to do.
Daddy's Girl is the love of my life. I hope it shows in the pages. And I hope my own Daddy would be proud of it, if he were here to see what I've done.
Let me take a moment to officially thank Kim at Turquoise Morning Press for taking on this story. I appreciate you so much, and knew from the start that TMP would be a wonderful home for Janie. Thank you for the beautiful cover. Truly, I have no words to express my love for the artwork. Also, tremendous gratitude to my editor, Lola, for her hard work and patience. She guided me well, and I'm thankful for her keen eye.
So, on that note, I will cease with this yammering, and point you toward the purchase links on the main page of this website. Buy a copy, and you'll earn the eternal adoration of this silly little writer. Thank you, my lovelies.
To those who read Drew, and to those who shared their feelings about the story: I love each and every one of you for giving my boy a chance.
Drew was also a learning experience. I was a rookie, when I wrote that story. I still am, but I'm learning. I hope I never stop learning, because when I do, I will know it's time to walk away from the written word.
I didn't come to writing to make a million dollars. I didn't come to change lives or educate with my words. My goal has always been to simply write a story that gives you a warm feeling inside when you've reached The End. The goal has always been a smile, a tear, a laugh, a bit of entertainment...hopefully I've accomplished that, and will do so again.
Writing Daddy's Girl was a different experience, emotionally. Even though Janie, and David, and every other character in that fictional bubble of Meyersville, Pennsylvania, came to mean so much to me, my heart belongs to Joe McGee. He is the literary ghost of my father...a love letter to my old man. Somebody once compared writing to opening a vein and bleeding. Boy, they had that right.
This story haunted me for years, as I mulled over it's beginnings, crawled bloodied and battered to the final chapter, edited, edited, edited, walked away in frustration, cried my eyes out over the hard decisions, found a home for it, and then edited some more. Somehow, I made it to this day. Daddy's Girl is published. Purchase links are going up. It's finally happened.
The newbie haze is gone. I'm truly excited to have reached the finish line, though really, this is only the beginning. There is a mellowness in the air as I prepare myself for the coming months of promotion and flat out begging for readers to click that buy button. This time around, I can savor the accomplishment...revel in the feeling of success. I don't need to be on the New York Times bestseller list to feel successful. It's the little things: I started. I finished. I made it. I accomplished what I set out to do.
Daddy's Girl is the love of my life. I hope it shows in the pages. And I hope my own Daddy would be proud of it, if he were here to see what I've done.
Let me take a moment to officially thank Kim at Turquoise Morning Press for taking on this story. I appreciate you so much, and knew from the start that TMP would be a wonderful home for Janie. Thank you for the beautiful cover. Truly, I have no words to express my love for the artwork. Also, tremendous gratitude to my editor, Lola, for her hard work and patience. She guided me well, and I'm thankful for her keen eye.
So, on that note, I will cease with this yammering, and point you toward the purchase links on the main page of this website. Buy a copy, and you'll earn the eternal adoration of this silly little writer. Thank you, my lovelies.
