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Oh no!

Said editor didn’t like my characters this time around and felt my police detective heroine was too mean to the hero without justification. Normally characterization is my strong point. I tell myself this is only a mild setback—yeah right! Conventional wisdom says submit that puppy elsewhere...everywhere.

But no, I have to take into consideration the editor took the time and trouble to tell me what the problems were with my submission. Does it matter? Is she right or wrong? Whether she’s right or wrong in my mind doesn’t matter. What matters is she’s the one with the power to say yes or no to my project. While I was completing revisions on this submission, I took a class on Empowering Characters’ Emotions and it was a fabulous class designed to intensify my writing, especially getting my characters just right. Guess I need to take that class again.

I’d also just completed massive edits on my July release, HOLDING HER OWN, and that editor was thrilled with the edits. I learned a lot from those edits as well. It’s very frustrating: the more I feel like I’m learning and accomplishing, the worse I do. Moral of the story: if you find an editor who loves your voice and characters and just have some plot problems, revise and resubmit to that editor.

Rejection isn’t easy no matter how often it happens. One thing I’ve learned: it isn’t personal. Of course it feels personal, but it isn’t. It’s a business decision. What I should’ve already done is take some time to read through the submission again. At that point I either need to revise and submit to agents or other publishers.

I’ve been very fortunate. One of my fellow MCRW members, a RITA-winning romantic suspense author, has offered to brainstorm with me on something new. The amazing thing is she has the same feelings of insecurity I do. How can that be?

The majority of writers are insecure about their talent. In the beginning I was convinced of my storytelling abilities and talent. Now that I’ve been paying my dues a while, not so much.

Or maybe that’s just how I feel today.

Whether or not I feel confident, I have to put myself out there/here and promote my work. LOVE ON THE RUN is available in print.

Promotion is one of the givens in getting your name out there, especially at a smaller publisher. Last night I attended an online chat for Samhain authors. There were more authors than readers, but it was a lot of fun to spend time with the two readers and the chat moderator. It was more personal and comfortable than one of those frantic chats with multiple authors and readers. At least I didn’t have any trouble keeping up.

Promotion takes time and money. I signed up with Author Island to help with my promotional efforts. I’ve already seen a dramatic increase in hits on my website. Whether it will translate to a dramatic increase in sales remains to be seen. Definitely keeping my fingers crossed.

So what am I going to do today? I’m going to take my angst and insecurities, bundle them in a kerchief and stuff them away somewhere. Then I’m going to have another look at the rejected manuscript and tinker away.