Beyond Words

I'm departing from my usual routine of posting author interviews to share with you some of what I've learned so far about publishing. I've got one book published. A coming of age story titled Invisible . Invisible only took four months to write. I was very lucky. I wrote it while on a break from writing my paranormal thriller, Dark Angel , which I am still working on (big sigh). After finishing Invisible , I tried for a time to find an agent and though I came close, was ultimately unsuccessful. Lesson number one, it is extremely hard to land an agent. My advice to new authors is to skip the agent. Go directly to an indie publisher. Invisible was rejected by only one indie publisher before finding a home. Now here comes lesson number two - don't expect to make a lot of money. I can hear hearts breaking from here, but the sooner you realize this, the better. Having t hat first book published by an actual publisher (indie or not) will bring you credibi...

Forster's Book Garden is a fixture in my home town of Bolton, Ontario. Donna and Paul Forster have made a success of their business despite the changing landscape of publishing. Donna was kind enough to chat with me about her thoughts on the future of publishing, e-books, publish on demand as well as a few other things. Tell us a little about your store and how long you’ve been in business. Forster’s Book Garden www.forstersbookgarden.ca is an independently owned and operated “mom and pop” type general bookstore. We sell books in all categories and for all ages, including teacher resources and driving manuals. We also carry gift items like products from the Unemployed Philosopher’s Guild which we like to call “intelligent cutesie”. Things like disappearing mugs (pour in the hot liquid and King Henry VIII’s wives disappear, or the TARDIS disappears from one side of the mug and reappears in space, on the other side). They also have some really neat watches and famous people fing...

It's been quite some time since I've posted on my blog. Truthfully there wasn't much to say. However, since my last post I've written a young adult book entitled Invisible and have almost completed my first novel Dark Angel . I'd put Dark Angel aside because Invisible was bursting to be born. And now, I'm thrilled to announce Invisible will soon be published by Solstice Publishing. For all those who are interested, I'd like to take you along on my journey to publication. Invisible is the story of seventeen-year-old, Lola Savullo. Lola's not only freakishly tall, she's a BIG girl and when forced to wear a bathing suit at her summer job as a camp counsellor, she literally wishes herself invisible. Lola struggles with her newfound super power and realizes it isn't about to go away until she finds a way to love herself. I began writing Invisible in October of 2010 and was finished four months later. This is certainly a record as I've been working...