The Sh*t Just Got Real.

Dio always knows the right thing to say. These are indeed words to live by...even though they're a little blurry.

Okay, so I finally got a book deal. Now that the ecstatic joy has gone down to a sane level, (okay, as sane as I can be) I need to begin focusing on what this means for me. The obvious being, no longer can I be considered by anyone (or myself on a bad day) a hobby writer.

Because, the sh*t is real now.

My editor said we have a lot of work to do: namely edits and working on my career path. As it says on their website: Sourcebooks publishes authors, not books.

Career...I haven't heard that word applied to me since I got my degree in automotive. A degree I can no longer use. However, I've been treating my writing as a career for the last two years. I've made self-imposed deadlines, gone through line edits with friends, built up a humble platform, and discovered the value of social networking (other than winning free books.)

But now it's a REAL career. The deadlines will be real, the edits will be through trained professionals who are not going to take it easy on me. My platform and social networking could impact my sales.

I know the work my editor referred to is going to be a lot more than revising BITE ME, YOUR GRACE. Speaking of, when I said that to my husband, he said, "But, I thought you edited it already." The house practically shook with my hysterical laughter.

Anyway, besides polishing that work, there's going to be a multitude of preparations before I make my debut. Namely, what project will be the next focus? No longer can I willy-nilly hop around sub-genres. Not right now, anyway. At first that sounds restrictive...until I remember the anxiety that came from: "What project should I work on next? I have one idea here, and another there!" Now, I will have guidance and help in shaping my personal brand. And that comes as such a relief.

What am I doing now, so early on my journey?

As you can see, I've deleted the progress bars for my other projects from my site until I figure out what I'm working on next. Also, I've finally figured out how to add pages to this blog. Aren't the tabs cute? Those pages are pretty bare for now, except for the one where I list my upcoming guest posts. Check it out. I got some good ones lined up already. The "books" tab is for now a source of happy daydreams of what's to come. As for the "About Me," I'm going to do my best to seem awesome. :)

Because my career is REAL now. Hey, do you think if I say that to the kids, they'll behave and let me work when they're around?

No? ::sigh:: That's what I thought.

Thanks to all who are here for me and been supportive of my journey so far. I'll pop back in and say "Hi" later. Now I gotta go to my Idaho Writer's League meeting, where Shelley Martin and I are interviewing everyone as their characters. To keep the Halloween spirit, we're also bringing some spooky goodies. I carved a pumpkin to "barf" up smoked salmon spread and made deviled eggs to look like eyeballs. Shelley's got pumpkin bread, lady fingers...and a chocolate fountain. It bears repeating: A CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN. 

Lynn Rush Talks About Editing with a REAL Editor

Thanks so much Lynn, for giving me an excuse to use this pic!

When I was a newbie writer, I used to read about how authors were deep in edits and had deadlines. I wondered if I’d ever get to do something like that. Would it really be as hard as they wrote about? Would I really disappear for days on end from the social media world to get things done?

Well, I found out pretty quick. March 11^th, 2011 was the day I signed my contract for Wasteland with Crescent Moon Press. It was an amazing day. Surreal, actually.

Within the next few weeks, I got my first round of edits.

Oh.

My.

Gosh.

I quickly found out everything I’d read about edits, especially the first ones for us newbie authors, was true.

All the mark ups, suggestions, highlights…Some of my non-writing friends questioned the need for such changes, because why else would they buy your book if they didn’t like it, why change it so much?

Because editors have one thing in mind: Make this story shine. Because if it’s the best it can be, everyone wins.

I totally get it.

But yikes, so many changes? Did I really use the word flesh 192 times? Holy Cow!

Editors come at your novel with a fresh, objective eye. They haven’t been writing the story for weeks, months, years. They aren’t close friends wondering if they’ll hurt your feelings if they say something doesn’t work.

They do this for a living. They know what they’re doing. And they say what they mean. No filters. I really enjoy that, actually! Just tell me what needs fixing so I can fix it. That’s what I need.

Usually the editing process starts with bigger issues. Giving suggestions, ideas, direction on story/plot concepts. Then the following rounds of edits get more focused until it ends with making sure every T is crossed and I is dotted.

How long it takes varies with each publishing house and writer. For me, I signed my Wasteland contract March 11^th, and the book officially released September 6^th.

So, yeah, take in all the suggestions and work through your story, still maintaining your voice. But with the guidance of an editor, your novel becomes what it truly is meant to become.

Are you a newbie writer or author? Don’t worry. You’ll be able to do it. It’ll be scary, might sting a little, but in the end, it’s totally worth all the blood, sweat, and tears. Editors are worth their weight in gold.

~~~~

I’ve got an e-book copy of Wasteland here for one lucky person. So, leave a comment and you’re entered.

I’ll choose a winner tomorrow and contact you, so be sure to leave your email addy in your comment. If you’re not wanting to do that, just send me (lynnrush@cox.net) your email addy and I’ll set it aside in case your name is drawn.

Thanks for having me here today, Brooklyn!

Write on, my friends!

Lynn Rush began her writing career in 2008. She has both an undergraduate and graduate degree in the mental health field and has enjoyed applying that unique knowledge to developing unique characters.

A former inline speed skater and mountain biker, Lynn has been known to test the limits of her athletic endurance. So, when she's not writing, she spends time enjoying the Arizona sunshine by road biking nearly 100 miles per week with her husband of fifteen years and going on jogs with her loveable Shetland Sheep dogs.

Catch the Rush: www.lynnrush.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LynnRushWrites

Twitter: www.twitter.com/LynnRush

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/k6NAZa  

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/pavzwE

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/pbigOg

All Romance Ebooks: http://bit.ly/nujjjp

You Tube Trailer:  http://youtu.be/k-KRE1yMiNk 

Book Blurb:

Bound by the blood contract his human mother signed four centuries ago, half-demon, David Sadler, must obey his demonic Master’s order to capture fifteen-year-old Jessica Hanks. But as he learns more about her, he realizes she may be the key to freedom from his demonic enslavement.

The only obstacle—Jessica’s distractingly beautiful Guardian, Rebeka Abbott. He must not give in to their steamy chemistry, or he will lose his humanity. But fresh off a quarter millennia of sensory deprivation as punishment for not retrieving his last target, he may not be able to resist temptation long enough to save what’s left of his human soul.

Success Story! Lynn Rush scores a deal with Crescent Moon!

If you haven't heard yet, one of my fellow authors at Tribe Lit landed a book deal! Lynn Rush is here to tell the awesome story!

Hi, Brooklyn, thanks for having me here to help celebrate the recent contract for my novel, Wasteland (http://lynnrush.wordpress.com/my-novels/wasteland/). Boy, telling this story never gets old, that’s for sure. I still feel like it’s a dream!

Oh, but I do have a dorky confession…as soon as I got the email stating they were interested in offering me a contract, I started writing every detail down.

Just so I’d remember.

Dorky, right? But anyone who knows me knows I forget EVERYTHING. And I never want to forget a second of this experience.

I wrote Wasteland in December of 2009. I just loved the idea of a half-demon who was half demon against his will! Anyway, the story spent quite a bit of time with critique partners to get it whipped into shape for submissions.

On February 17^th, 2011, I pitched the book in a chat-room pitch session with Crescent Moon Press. It was organized for the Savvy Authors (http://www.savvyauthors.com) members. ***Oh, and if you’re not a member of that group, quick, go now and join. It’s worth it!***

Here was my pitch:

Bound by a blood oath his human mother signed four centuries ago, half-demon, David Sadler, must deliver fifteen-year-old Jessica Hanks to his demonic Master or suffer unspeakable torture. But as he learns more about her, he discovers she may be the key to freedom from his demonic enslavement.

The only obstacle—Jessica’s distractingly beautiful Guardian, Rebeka Abbott. He must not give into their steamy chemistry, or he will lose his humanity. But fresh off two centuries of sensory deprivation as punishment for not retrieving his last target, he may not be able to resist temptation long enough to save what’s left of his human soul.

From that I got a partial request. I sent it out the next day and figured I’d be waiting months.

But within a couple weeks, I got an email from Stephanie, another editor from Crescent Moon Press (http://www.crescentmoonpress.com/). She requested the full, so I sent it straight away.

Needless to say, I was ecstatic when I saw an email from her the very next morning.

Yep. The very next morning. 6:55am to be exact. **I’m a dork, remember?**

The email stated she wanted to offer me a contract.

Okay, at that time, my legs morphed into the consistency of wet noodles, right? Oh, and I was ironing, too. So, I set the iron down…and managed not to put it down on clothes and burn holes in them…and walked over to my hubby.

He was sitting in a chair in the living room. I think the look on my face startled him because he immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”

Yeah, I’m thinking I kinda went pale.

I told him about the email.

A smile filled his face, and he pulled me into the best hug ever.

I couldn’t believe it. Of course I texted Super Agent, Cari, (http://tribelit.com/) right away, and she pretty much took over after that. They discussed the contract, talked about changes, and a couple days later the end product was a signed contract.

What an exciting time. I couldn’t have done it without my Super Agent. She helped with all aspects of the pitch and handled everyone with the contract—all the while making herself available to my every question.

So far I’ve been assigned an editor at Crescent Moon Press (http://www.crescentmoonpress.com/), and she’s reading the story with a critical eye to get me my first round of edits. I’m looking forward to her input because I know Crescent Moon Press has great editors and will help make the story shiny!

Thanks for sharing in the excitement with me, Brooklyn. I’m honored to be a part of Tribe Literary (http://tribelit.com/) with you!

Stay in touch with me as the journey continues:

Catch the Rush: http://www.lynnrush.com

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/LynnRushWrites

Facebook Profile: http://www.facebook.com/LynnRush

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/LynnRush

Fun at the Release Party for FATED

I'll warn you now, I'm going to make a huge deal over this. I live in northern Idaho, which is a beautiful place, but  is practically in the middle of nowhere. Therefore, we miss a lot of excellent concerts, plays, and other attractions. Authors almost never come here for book signings. But this time, I lucked out. In case you haven't heard, FATED by Rebecca Zanetti came out yesterday. And what's even better is that she's from my area, so I was able to attend the release party!

It was held at The Gourmet Way, a fabulous store full of cooking supplies, spices, and wine. And I got a new digital camera so I was able to go all fan girl and get a picture of myself with the author.

I gotta say, Rebecca Zanetti is even prettier in person! And she was all cool and classy the whole time signing TONS of books for her never ending line of eager readers. I would have been blushing and babbling like a moron, I'm sure.

With all the people there, I didn't get a chance to talk to her long, but there were other awesome people in attendance. My buddy and fellow IWL member, Shelley Martin was there along with romantic suspense author, Bonnie R. Paulson. Then later I ran into author, Asa Marie Bradley who did an awesome workshop at last year's IWL conference.

I also got to sample some delicious appetizers, yummy wine, and these decadent chocolate cupcake thingies. While munching, I overheard the funniest conversation between two guys. They said they loved the cover of FATED because men could read it in public without anyone knowing they were reading a romance novel. LOL!! I was still laughing when I left to go to work.

NOW for my awesome news: Be sure to stop by on Friday, because Rebecca Zanetti is doing a guest post and you guys will get a chance to win a copy of FATED!

December is "Try a debut author" Month...'cuz I said so.

We hear everywhere that book sales are down and publishers aren't buying as many books. Who's fault is it? Well....besides the crappy economy, it is our fault as readers. We need to buy more books, especially from new authors. After all, what else is there to do when we're awaiting the next Black Dagger Brotherhood/Dark Hunters/ Etc?  When I was looking around I found this really cool site: Dark Faerie Tales and they had this nifty list.

• When Blood Calls
• Afterlight: The Dark Ink Chronicles
• Shadow of the Vampire
• Eternal Hunger
• Tsunami Blue
• Ruthless
• Blood on Silk
• Masked by Moonlight
• Assassin’s Honor
• The Wish List
• Bond With Me
• Enemy Lover
• Siren’s Call
• Sins of the Heart
• Dark Embers
• Seducing the Succubus
• Paramourtal

Pretty cool, huh? But I'm certain there's more. So, if you know of any other 2010 paranormal romance debuts, please stop by and share!