Was Jared inspired by a real person?
Yes and no, I am lucky enough to not have had to deal with any kind of stalking, but I do (like most women) have the experience of that guy who just doesn’t get it when you give a polite no. Fortunately, my guy was more lost puppy than bipolar stalker and after a few firmer no’s he got the hint. There are a couple lines of Jared’s that come directly from our text messages, so they helped me ground Jared’s point of view in something real. Where did the idea for the book start? The book idea didn’t actually start off with a stalker. I was looking through images (which I do all the time) and found an image of an abandoned tent in the woods. That got me thinking about who was in it, where they went and why. Laura doesn’t pack herself a tent, but that set-up turned into her little pile of items she left at the trailhead, things to make it look like she was gone for good. Then I just had to figure out what she was running from. Is Laura’s hiking spot a real place? Sort of. Lincoln is an actual town outside of Boston and there are several hiking areas nearby that could feasibly be Laura’s disappearance location. I don’t have a particular one in mind and am not sure that any are surrounded by such meandering roads as she deals with though I am familiar with many areas between Massachusetts and New Hampshire that could fit the bill, small scenic roads are easy to come by out here so I envisioned all the best parts of them for her journey. Which character did you enjoy writing more? I wrote most of Laura’s chapters first (until the timelines merge) and I expected to enjoy her most. She is a planner and analytical like I am. But when I started getting into Jared’s head, he came so easily. It was so enjoyable to let his deluded worldview paint a picture on the page. He has become my favorite character I’ve written so far. He’s an awful guy but was awful fun to write. Why use two different points of view? I like to write in 3rd person (he/she/it) and it was natural to begin that way with Laura, but when Jared came onto the scene he really took over and I felt like I needed to be as close to him as possible—he had to be 1st person. I think it is very effective to understand his delusions this way by really seeing his thought process play out. Since it’s not very common to mix the two in one book, I thought about putting Laura into 1st person as well, but it felt unnatural. She is so closed off from the world that getting in her head seemed wrong. This is where the benefit of self-publishing came in. I didn’t have to make a choice that would be safer for the market, so I stood by what felt right for the characters.
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 It’s easy to look at your book and think that once you type THE END, the writing is over. Even after several rounds of readers and editors, the process may not be finished. It may have been the best book you could write at the time, but you are always improving—even if you don't think so—and quite often, if you look away long enough when you do come back, it may be with shock.
That’s what happened to me. I wrote AtP about a year and a half ago, with critique partners, did the edits with awesome betas and revised the crap out of it. I queried it, sent out fulls, the works. I thought it was ready and when I decided to self-publish, all I needed to do was format it. So I started. And it is apparent now, that in that year and a half since finishing AtP (where I wrote/edited/published my romance series) I have learned a lot. I was just browsing AtP to check the formatting as I went and so much jumped out at me that I now know how to improve. So, it’s back to the editing floor as I glean this baby with a new level of polish. On the one hand, I’m thrilled to see how clearly I have improved, on the other—I really thought getting this one to publication day was going to be fairly easy since ‘all the hard work’ was supposedly behind me. Ugh. But also, yay? I haven’t officially set a release date, so I have no formal deadline, but I did imagine one in my head. Let’s see if I can push myself to keep it. Wish me luck! You can get your copy now -- CLICK HERE! In an odd twist of events my two writing worlds collided when my romance writer friends came to me with the idea to create an anthology to share the uber-useful process we had developed among ourselves to revise and edit our stories. Standing firmly in my romance pen name persona I was totally on board, then Cassia asked me to submit something from my thriller style too. Hmmm.... But I did! It's a story that came a bit out of nowhere and hit on futuristic, sci-fi elements that I don't venture towards often, but I liked it, she liked it and Daiva liked it—it was accepted. Getting my own stories accepted and edited was the easy part—I knew what to expect. I’ve worked a ton with both Daiva and Cassia and we work well together. The next step—helping other writers revise their stories was another story. I’ve done tons of beta trades and critique swaps, but this time was a bit different. I was on the editing team and had this new thing called *responsibility*. The other authors were looking to us like we know what we are doing!? I mean; sure we do, but this felt a bit like a test. Especially because fantasy is not really my area. But… here’s the thing. Story is story, and plot is plot. When you break it down to its pieces, it doesn’t matter if it’s fantasy, or sci-fi or contemporary. And OK, there might have been some stores that were not exactly my… thing. But I begged my brain for professionalism and diplomacy and I think (hope) that even when I didn’t have anything to say on certain points, that what I did offer was useful. Now that we are closing in on the end, it’s amazing to see the finished stories and get feedback from the writers that this entire process was not awful, and they enjoyed it (mostly), and really, I did too. Who knew? I digress, the anthology is coming out soon and it feels like the perfect time to celebrate this awesome collaboration we've managed. Some really great authors jumped up to participate with us so if you are a (maybe closeted) romance fan like me, you should totally check them out, and of course stick around for the anthology when it comes out on May 31st! (I will add links as soon as I have them)   Cassia Hall Cassia Hall is the author of the Seasons Cycle, an LGBTQ-friendly series, a spin-off from her main Lake Traveler Saga. Her poetry collections include Poems of Myth & Magick and Songs of Love & Longing. She composes songs for her characters, using music – the universal language of love – to convey their messages. She believes that, just as music goes beyond barriers of language, colour and creed, stories go straight to our hearts, allowing us to understand and accept ourselves and one another. She lives in Toronto, Canada where the winters are long and the other seasons very precious. https://cassiahall.com/  Naito Diamond The author of numerous Flash Romance stories from High Fantasy to Cyberpunk, Naito Diamond focuses on prospects for our future in the technological field (esp. Augmented Intelligence series), evolution of civilization, and the existence of alternative civilizations. With a background in software development and an interest in AI, medical innovations, and neuropsychology, she adds authentic details to her stories. Her fondness for human nature enables her to create flawed but lovable characters. She lives in a small European country, in a house surrounded by forest, with a German Shepherd, a ginger cat, and a rooster. Website: https://naitodiamond.com  Jan Foster By day, Jan juggles consultancy work with her family, but by night she sneaks off into the past. Her penchant for sprinkling history with magic is fueled by coffee and Cadburys. When not writing, Jan takes her dogs and small monsters into the countryside, especially if there is a castle or historic building there with a cosy coffee shop in which to escape the rain of Manchester, England. Jan is the author of the Tudor-set historical fantasy Naturae Series and other historical fiction works, as well as the Mitch and Mooch Try childrens books. www.escapeintoatale.com  Adam Gaffen Adam Gaffen is the author of the near-future, LGBTQ-inclusive science fiction series, The Cassidy Chronicles. A prequel, Memories of Aiyana, was recently released by one of his main characters and he’s not sure how he feels about that. He’s a frequent guest at cons and enjoys sending his stories out into the world to entertain, educate, and enhance reader’s lives. He lives in Colorado with his wife, five dogs, five cats, and wonders where all the time goes. “You know me. Jump first, knit a parachute on the way down.” Kendra Cassidy, A Quiet Revolution. www.cassidychronicles.com  R.L. Fuentes As a writer, Rebecca Fuentes enjoys exploring the dynamics of human interactions and our relationship with the divine. She turns coffee and daydreams into fantasy stories, including her upcoming Oracle Trilogy. Rebecca has a background in education and child development and enjoys anthropology, history, and psychology. Her childhood interest in mythology and fairy tales fueled her love for the fantasy genre. Rebecca lives in the Rocky Mountains with her husband, six children, two dogs, and two cats. She collects books and interesting friends. When she isn’t writing and spending time with family, she draws old-school art of her characters. https://www.deviantart.com/mamaguerita  Heran Phillips Heran Phillips likes a touch of realism in her romance. She has been writing speculative science fiction and fantasy for a decade under the name Ye Olde Bard, and enjoys researching subjects to the fullest to better depict her characters and worlds. Her stories focus on the struggles of life and romance as a person with disabilities. It is her hope that such stories will help shine a light on disabled people like herself. https://gayauthors.org/author/yeoldebard/  Natalie J. Holden Natalie could never find herself in the real world, so she created her own. Two hundred of them. Taking inspiration from everything, from nuclear physics and evolution to anthropology and myth, she created an entire universe of magic and wonder, and then populated it with people and beings she’d like to meet. So far, she’s published a novel “The Outworlder”, a short story collection “Other Worlds”, and a novelette “Octopus Song”. When not writing, she spends her time reading, cooking, and walking in the parks. https://www.njholdenauthor.com/  Sarah Rajah Sarah Rajah infuses themes of love into everything she writes because she believes that love is the glue that holds all universes together, no matter how fantastic or mundane. Her characters realize that love in all its forms overcomes the darkness in all of us. With a background in human resources, Sarah has unique insight into people and diversity, which she crafts into her stories. Sarah has two very special boys and a husband she loves beyond words. They inspire her to push boundaries and love more deeply every day.  Isla Ryder
Isla Ryder grew up around horses but never owned one of her own, instead settling for riding lessons and every horse book she could find. When those books stopped being enough, she began writing her own. Throughout school, she loved creative writing classes and earned a BDIC degree from UMass Amherst. She has published a series of sweet cowboy romance novellas and loves working with other authors as an alpha reader and developmental editor. website: https://mailchi.mp/d07911f52f96/islaryderauthor  I write thriller/suspense and horror. That has always been my wheel-house—the stories that get you with a creeping feeling of trepidation, or ask some question about an odd ‘what if?’
Then someone suggested I write equestrian romance because I know horses. Their logic; you know the horse bits + you can write = simple... right? Well, no. Not really. That is a whole different genre with different rules, expectations and skill sets—not to mention mind set. But it intrigued me. Could I write a horse-y book where the horse stuff actually works? Hmmm. No, though. Erica could not. She (excuse the self referred 3rd person, I know it’s annoying, but bear with me) writes stuff that creeps people out. But maybe someone else could. Then Isla was imagined. She could write romance, maybe, and I gave it a shot. By creating this alter-ego I could pull out a different writing style and sweep into the romance genre with only a few missteps (sorry to those first early readers, who definitely did not get a romance!) A review on her latest book calls it ‘hopelessly romantic.’ That was the nicest thing to read, but to me, Erica, also hilarious. No one would ever use those words for me or the work I usually write. But here we were, with a beautiful review for something that did, in fact, come from my head. Thanks Isla. Here’s where it gets interesting. I’m working on an anthology—a romance anthology. So of course Isla wrote a couple of stories for it—all well and good. I know her voice now. It (largely) works. Then one of the other anthology creators said she expected something from Erica too. Hmmm. But of course, you can write romance, she said. Just do it in her style/voice. So I tried. And got quick, emphatic rejections. Twice. Not romantic. Creepy. Going to give me nightmares. Were among the critiques for Erica’s stories. And in their own way, great comments, but not for this anthology. I still needed something. But what? I was moody and annoyed that it wasn’t working. Then I just started writing. Something. I didn’t know what to call it. I couldn’t even tell where it came from. It wasn’t Isla, and it sure wasn’t Erica either—it was some strange conglomeration of the two who turned out a... wait for it… A sweet space opera MM romance. It got accepted; excitedly—quickly. Huh. I’m not sure what this new voice is, or if I can replicate it anytime soon, but it is interesting. Compartmentalizing writer voices allowed me to write distinctly in two genres/styles and now that both are comfortable in my head, they are playing nice. It’s created parts of a personality that I couldn’t have related to before, but now somehow inhabit as needed. I’m not an artist who will talk your ear off about my Muse, I don’t communicate with my subconscious very well, but I may just have found a way to pull some of that subconscious out and get her to play.  So, if you’ve been following the blog, you know I have my next novel out querying all around. Now, the plan is/was to choose however many top agents I like, query only them, then self pub if there’s no interest. I know the thriller market is tough, and I don’t mind self-pubbing. I digress. That list of agents didn’t include any who required a synopsis in the query package. Part of that was luck, part was.... well, I have never been good at a synopsis. So naively I figured, well, it’s not on their list, maybe I’ll just skip it. Here’s the thing, it might not be on their initial list, but they might ask for it!
One agent that I had written off finally replies over 100 days post query—to ask for a full! Yay! And (problem #1) a synopsis. Shit. So, I obviously want to reply asap, which my book is still on their mind. After several lists and pages of how to write a synopsis that doesn’t suck (they say I can do it in a morning!) I get to it, problem #2—I haven’t read my book since I started querying, back in September, and I’ve been busy on multiple other projects. What the heck is my book about!? Turns out, here is the silver lining. It’s WAY easier to condense your book down to 700-ish words when you only remember the major points! So I did whip that synopsis out in a morning after all and got it sent out along with my manuscript just after lunch. Now it’s back to a waiting game. Who knows, maybe it’ll wow them, or maybe they will hate it (the initial query was only a couple pages and didn’t include what I think is the ‘hard sell’ part of the book). I am just happy they want to read it, and hopeful that even if it’s a no, it will come with some feedback. But, moral of the story, or maybe insane advice—you decide. You definitely need a synopsis if you are querying ANYONE, but if you wait long enough and get far enough from your manuscript, it just may be easier to write.  I’ve hemmed and hawed about moving books to Kindle Unlimited. I originally went with a wide distribution for Excite and my shorts after lots of research. Now it’s been out for a year and I did some more delving into numbers and results. When I put out my romance novella as Isla Ryder, I went straight to KU as that is more or less the genre norm, and it was eye opening. I did no more marketing for Twin Springs Ranch than Excite and it opened even better.
A year’s worth of Excite sales on other platforms don’t seem to be warranted versus the bonus I can get from the KU program. So, to celebrate Excite’s first book birthday, I have pulled it from the other sites and enrolled it in KDP Select, making it available for free to KU subscribers. You can find it here (as always - https://amzn.to/3ozCAUA) and if you were on the fence before, maybe having it available in KU will push you to give it a try. I’m very interested to see how this change goes, and if I see some numbers going up, I will look at moving my shorts and flash over as well. Do you subscribe to KU? Do you like it? I’d love to hear reader thoughts and opinions!  So, last week I made a vague comment about being busy with other things, and I promised to be more specific soon. Well, soon is now! You’ve seen before a brief mention of designing horse journals and activity books, and that is still going strong. But I’ve now taken my equestrian side and my fiction side and combined them.
Tomorrow my first equestrian romance novella comes out! To keep from confusing my thriller/horror audience, I will be writing and release all things horse-y romance under the pen name Isla Ryder. I won’t post about it much, if at all beyond this, here, but if you are a fan of that genre you can follow my page for Isla on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/IslaRyderAuthor) and/or join the mailing list (https://mailchi.mp/d07911f52f96/islaryderauthor) Twin Springs Ranch is an enemies-to-lovers contemporary western romance and is the first novella in the Harris Twins series. It can be found on Amazon HERE, and is free with Kindle Unlimited subscription.  It can be hard to stay positive during the querying process. Sometimes it seems like, at best, you get a form rejection. So often queries go unanswered and waiting out (and double checking) the agent’s timeline for assuming rejection is a tedious trudge through the swamp, only to discover...more swamp. Alright, so maybe that’s not so positive. BUT, sometimes you get a personal rejection—feedback! Yay! At least they have proven they actually made it past your query and read your pages. That’s a good start. You might even get a full request. I got my first one for AtP about a month ago; they wanted it on exclusive for 3 weeks. I eagerly sent my baby out, and waited and waited for what felt like months... when I went and checked the send date...8 days ago. Oops. So I went back to waiting. After 13 days, I got an email. They weren’t interested. However, it came with feedback, like solid feedback. And while obviously it wasn’t all good, one thing they pointed out enjoying was my biggest worry for the story—its POV changes. So, after letting myself be sad for a minute, I was happy. They ‘got it’ even if it ended up not being for them. They read the whole thing and understood my intention. There’s that positivity again!  Now off to finish sending it to my agents list. I’m still being very strict with myself. I see no issue self-pubbing so if my short-list of agents are a no-go I’ll move on to the next step myself. Hopefully, though, at the very least, I can collect some more actionable feedback.
Keep at it everyone! It was my 45th (or so) query that got the request, and even if you aren’t down to self publish; there are always more agents to try.  Excite is going to turn a year old soon (December 1st) and I want to make the book birthday special! It is stagnating at 9 reviews, while it’s nice that all are four and five stars, I’d love to get the review and rating numbers up!
That is where you all come in, and where the prizes come out. The first goal is 20 reviews. Ratings are great too, but a review can be as simple as a few words, so let’s shoot for those. When we reach that everyone (you must be on my mailing list) will get to see my Excite vision board from when I was writing. One winner will receive an ebook copy of Turn on the Light, my collection of horror and thriller shorts, and two runners up will get Excite stickers! The bigger goal is 50 reviews. At that point, Amazon adds books to their marketing material, and how cool would that be? For that big goal, of course, we have big prizes! Everyone (again—mailing list) will get a BRAND NEW story set in the Excite universe. I really want to share this one, so please help me reach this milestone! One winner will get a signed paperback of Excite and there will be more stickers for runners up. Remember reviews can be short—I liked it—is totally acceptable. “Fun story” is also cool. “Great read” you nailed it. See? Not hard at all! Here’s the Amazon link if you are ready to help meet these goals: https://www.amazon.com/Excite-Erica-Damon-ebook/dp/B08MZBPWYJ and if you haven’t yet, be sure to join my mailing list here to get in on the prizes: http://eepurl.com/hpBfb1  As a self-employed person, especially one that works from home, it is easy to blur the lines between working and not. Am I on the computer to relax and mess around or am I checking emails and working on social media posts? Am I editing or am I chilling with some ice cream? I have always been a person with too many ideas. Writing both helps with that and encourages me to overdo it. I write thrillers and horror here; I do some ghost writing, and I publish equestrian journals and non-fiction fun books. I love getting ideas for one or more of those ventures at all hours of the day. But I know better, and I am trying to be better. This spring I quit my horseback riding instructor/horse trainer job because it had become all-encompassing. I worked every day and was expected to be on call, even when I did go home. It wasn’t healthy, and I definitely burnt out. I needed to change, and it wasn’t easy. I took a full two months off of riding—cold turkey. No riding, no teaching, no horses; nothing. Then I started back up in an amateur role. I now lease a horse that I go ride a few times a week and just have FUN. I realized recently that I was getting in to the same cycle—for myself this time—but still working every day, at any hour, on multiple projects. I can’t turn my brain off for all the different projects, but I can set limits. I now have a ‘No Work on Sunday’ rule. The only exception being writing fresh words if inspiration strikes—I won’t ignore a blast of motivation. I have some social posts scheduled, as well as this blog, but beyond that (and maybe one check in to be sure there’s nothing important in my inbox) you won’t see me in a business capacity on Sundays. I want my writing to work; I want to keep loving my job(s) and to do that means I have to take a break. Will there be weekends that I have an event to sell books, sure, and maybe that week I’ll make Monday my day off. But there will always be a day off, not just a few hours here or there. You can only be so productive. I’ve learned that the hard way and I am recognizing the path now and trying a different route. Have you experienced burn-out? What do you do to stave it off? Sharing stories is the best way to help other people, everyone goes through it! It can happen at every level and in every profession—it can happen everywhere there are people who want to be better. |
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