Gypsy Shadow Releases for January-May, 2021

New GSP Releases, January-May, 2021

June 2, 2021 By Charlotte Holley Leave a Comment

Many New Releases!

The Perfect Man by Violetta Antcliff

What is the perfect man? Is there such a person? Faith would have said no, would have argued that even a saint has flaws, defects. She has given up hope of ever finding a man that can live up to her expectations. That is until James and his namesake come into her life. One is perfection personified, too good to be true. The other has all the weaknesses of the common man. Does she want a robotic yes man who agrees with everything she says, or one who is anything but perfect? Can a simple kiss be the answer to this confusing conundrum? That is the question, but what is the answer?

Word Count: 10300
Buy at: Smashwords (all formats) ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Amazon

Philip and the Boy Who Said, “Huh?” by John Paulits

Philip’s new friend Eugene has some strange ways about him, especially the way he sometimes ignores people. Philip decides to investigate, and when he finally figures out Eugene’s secret, it upends not only Eugene’s life, but also Philip’s own.

Word Count: 13400
Buy at: Smashwords (all formats) ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Amazon

Across the Faebridge by Shiloh Darke

Leanna is a widow who just wants to start over. She moves out into the country, where she feels an instant connection to the land with the little cobblestone cottage. She hopes the change of scenery and time by herself will help her take some much needed time to herself and find a way to heal.

One evening, deciding to explore a little, she crosses the cobblestone bridge that crosses the creek running across the property. One minute, she is crossing the bridge in the late evening. Next minute, she is nose to nose with a real, live dragon. In the middle of the day.

As if the dragon isn’t shocking enough, the Elf on his back has seriously got to be the sexiest man she’s ever seen. Vlameir is an Elf King who has all but given up on finding his soulmate. When Leanna stumbles through the Portal and into his life, he is shocked to feel an instant connection to the petite human female.

But there is always more to every story. Unfortunately, soulmates finally finding each other is only the beginning…

Word Count: 78231
Buy at: Smashwords (all formats) ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Amazon

Piñata Belly by Joe Novara

Harry, a retired African American high school history teacher turned D.C. tour guide, decides to explore guiding opportunities in Guatemala. On an outing to Mayan ruins, the life-long bachelor with a rapport with teens, connects with Bryn and through her, with her ex-pat grandmother, Cobi. Surprised by love, so late in life, in a cultural setting that views him as a “darker wave in a sea of brown,” he links up with Cobi as she unravels her tangled, exiled, Southern past.

Word Count: 22164
Buy at: Smashwords (all formats) ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Amazon

Vito’s Tale by Joe Novara

Vito’s Tale is a piece of creative non-fiction (or historical fiction) about my grandfather who came to this country from Sicily ahead of his wife and children, sent my father to college, worked heavy construction labor all the while longing to return to the ‘home’ he left behind. Finally, as a widower, he did go back, married again and welcomed the grandson who came full cycle to live with him for a summer.

Word Count: 19200
Buy at: Smashwords (all formats) ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Amazon

Ruby Crab by Nathan Gemmell

Bored, dreaming of a different life with adventure, success and family… Well, that’s just around the corner, but the path to our dreams is never straightforward.

Nat lives a mundane and solitary life. Day after day, nothing changes; he wakes up, goes to work, eats, then sleeps—and it all starts again the following morning. Always he dreams of a better life and to find someone to care for and to love.

Then, one day, he finds Ruby Crab. She is a beautiful childlike creature made of pure ruby. She has been abandoned! A refugee, Ruby Crab exists in a society in which she does not belong.

After spending a lot of time together, they develop a loving father-daughter bond. Will the world continue to reject her existence? Will society accept their connection? Will their love for each other prevail in this world—or in another?

Word Count: 10200
Buy at: Smashwords (all formats) ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Amazon

Psychopaths and UFOs by Violetta Antcliff

G. Baxter & Flint, Private Investigators, are two of the best who seldom turn away clients who come to them for help. But when Georgina Baxter takes on a psychopath as a client, she gets more than she bargained for and ends up fighting for her life.

Joseph Flint, her partner in the firm, is persuaded to take on a client who he thinks is delusional, a man seeing aliens and flying saucers every time there’s a full moon.

Flint doesn’t believe in UFOs but he investigates regardless, and what he finds out is mind boggling, unbelievable.

Word Count: 10850
Buy at: Smashwords (all formats) ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Amazon

Remembering Sunny by Dawn Colclasure

Jeanie and Mara are two cousins who grow up together and share a dream of opening their own animal shelter one day. But that dream is put on hold when, at 18, Mara announces she is pregnant and that she’s going to marry her boyfriend, Drake Preston. Jeanie knows Drake is bad news, but supports her cousin all the same. After Sunny is born, Mara can’t imagine her life without her. Then tragedy strikes and the family pulls together in mourning. It is in her grief that Mara learns how to turn tragedy into triumph and bring hope to her life again.

Word Count: 10750
Buy at: Smashwords (all formats) ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Amazon

Cagalupo Redux by Joe Novara

Nick Finazzo, a roving freelance writer, spots Carol walking a Lake Michigan beach a long way and a lifetime from their early years in Detroit’s Eastside—their adolescent attraction, friends in common and now disparate life styles—her Lake Michigan mansion, his live-in van. Can they start over?

Word Count: 5700
Buy at: Smashwords (all formats) ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Amazon

Eltava: A Sword for All Ages by Nyki Blatchley

A swordswoman with a love of wandering, Eltava lives a nomadic life in a world of island kingdoms and mainland empires, sometimes on her own, sometimes with her immortal companion, known as the Traveller. These eleven stories chronicle her life and adventures from an adventure-obsessed 14-year-old to an 84-year-old who still has a move or two up her sleeve.

From acting as bodyguard for princesses to defending peaceful communities from aggression, Eltava battles bandits and tyrants, demons and unearthly creatures. But her greatest battle is with herself, as she becomes more aware that she’s growing old, while her companion doesn’t age. A search for eternal life ultimately teaches her that life itself is a victory, however long or short—and Eltava’s going to enjoy every minute of hers.

Word Count: 78585
Buy at: Smashwords (all formats) ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Amazon

 

NEW RELEASE February 1, 2014

The Storm Prince by M. L. John

#gypsyshadow #fantasy #youngadult

http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Prince-Knight-Avalon-ebook/dp/B00I5ZF7GO

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-storm-prince-m-l-john/1118427521

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/403860

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/MLJohn.html#SPrince

A defiant prince of Faerie fights to retake his homeland and uphold the ideals for which his father was executed. The Storm Prince, by M. L. John. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at: 

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/MLJohn.html#SPrince

Beriani Quintinar, the youngest son of Faerie’s High king, is brilliant, beautiful, and spoiled as only a prince of the Sidhe can be. He has committed an unforgivable sin—he has fallen in love with the half-human daughter of a traitor. When ogres conquer Avalon and execute his father, he must convince the treacherous Queen of Summer to give him troops enough to win back his homeland. But if he makes it home, what kind of king can he be when he has already committed treason?

Word Count: 50000

Pages to Print: 165

Price: $4.99

Upcoming Releases for 2014--COMING SOON!

The Storm Prince, COMING SOON by M. L. John

Cover art by Chaz Kemp (http://www.chazkemp.com)

#gypsyshadow #fantasy #youngadult

Beriani Quintinar, the youngest son of Faerie’s High king, is brilliant, beautiful, and spoiled as only a prince of the Sidhe can be. He has committed an unforgivable sin—he has fallen in love with the half-human daughter of a traitor. When ogres conquer Avalon and execute his father, he must convince the treacherous Queen of Summer to give him troops enough to win back his homeland. But if he makes it home, what kind of king can he be when he has already committed treason?

A defiant prince of Faerie fights to retake his homeland and uphold the ideals for which his father was executed. The Storm Prince, by M. L. John, coming soon!

GSP's Book of the Day September 1

Say a Little Prayer by Catherine Cavendish

#gypsyshadow #checkeditout #fantasy

Every night, Jane Furnival prays for the souls of the dead celebrities she most admires. Somewhere, in a parallel dimension, those she prays for must gather and it’s an odd assortment of stars – from Jim Morrison, John Lennon and Marilyn Monroe to Agatha Christie who’s still writing plotlines in her notebook. But can they help her resolve the biggest crisis in her life? Her formidable, long-dead Aunt Margaret decides if anyone can, Jim Morrison’s her man, so accompanied by Marilyn Monroe in a skin-tight gown, the two set off on a mission to find $5000 before breakfast.

http://www.amazon.com/Say-a-Little-Prayer-ebook/dp/B005PI7WMG
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/say-a-little-prayer-catherine-cavendish/1105937785
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/91711
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/CatherineCavendish.html#Prayer

The ghost of Jim Morrison, accompanied by Marilyn Monroe in a skin-tight gown, sets off on a mission. But can he find $5000 before breakfast? Say a Little Prayer, a short story by Catherine Cavendish. Available from Amazon, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/CatherineCavendish.html#Prayer

GSP's Book of the Day June 29

Jason and the Friendly Ghost by Violetta Antcliff

Tommy is a boy who died at the beginning of world war two, and has returned to look for his parents. Wayne, Jason’s best friend, takes some convincing that Tommy is a ghost, as he seems so normal. But the appearances and disappearances soon convince Wayne. The problem is: how can they tell Tommy that he is dead?

Word Count: 18,500
Pages to Print: 70
Price: $3.99

http://www.amazon.com/Jason-Friendly-Adventures-Foster-ebook/dp/B004UN63CW
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jason-and-the-friendly-ghost-violetta-antcliff/1030193961
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/44067
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Violetta.html#Jason2

Jason and his friend Wayne meet a new boy named Tommy. The only problem is that Tommy is a ghost. Jason and the Friendly Ghost, a short story by Violetta Antcliff. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Violetta.html#Jason2

GSP's Book of the Day June 19

How to be Almost Famous in Ten Days by Kathleen S. Allen

Seventeen-year-old Cassie Cee feels invisible because she’s a double-digit size. She finds a book in a secondhand bookstore that she hopes will change her life. Her best friend’s brother wants to make vlogs about how she is following the ten rules she found in the book, why she is doing it, and how she feels about being invisible for his school project. She agrees, but only if he promises no one but his college advisor will see the vlogs. He promises, but a friend of his posts them online and they go viral. When one of the "famous rules" puts her best friend, Rachel in a dangerous situation, Cassie makes one last vlog and Chuck posts it online. But emails begin arriving from other girls who have felt invisible, and she realizes she has to own up to being "the real Cassie Cee."

Word Count: 42000
Pages to Print: 145 
Price: $4.99

http://www.amazon.com/How-Almost-Famous-Days-ebook/dp/B00BUX4FEI
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-be-almost-famous-in-ten-days-kathleen-s-allen/1114845002   
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/296104
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/KathleenAllen.html#Famous                               

Seventeen-year old Cassie feels invisible. She finds a book with ten rules to make her famous and follows them with hilarious and sometimes serious consequences. How to be Almost Famous in Ten Days by Kathleen S. Allen. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/KathleenAllen.html#Famous

Book of the Day April 27

All Expenses Paid by Jeffery Scott Sims

Martin Cravitt thought it a fantastic deal:  an all expenses paid vacation to a seaside resort, offered to him out of the blue.  Fine accommodations, the best food, new companions; too good to be true?  The resort was strange, oddly isolated, old and a bit run down.  There were only two other guests in that big place, winners of the same offer Martin received, catered to by a small staff who certainly seemed eager to please.  Or could it be, as Martin began to suspect, that they were keen to kill?  Slowly he uncovers the truth, so incredible that he scarcely believes in the reality of the danger closing in on him.

"All Expenses Paid" is the story of a man, Martin Cravitt, a born loser, who out of the blue wins a dream vacation at a seaside resort, supposedly due to a contest he entered, although he remembers no such thing. Driven there by a resort staffer, he arrives at an old, amazingly isolated property with, counting himself, only three guests, all there as a result of the contest.  It seems they have much in common; all three are without family, all rather pathetic loners. Here, then, they will be paid back for their miserable lives.

It turns out they are in big trouble. Something sinister is going on there. Martin stumbles across certain clues, laid out so obviously that it's as if his hosts want him to suspect. Could it be? Then the third guest, the elderly Wallis Morton, disappears in the night. Martin and his remaining companion, Diana Carswell, start to believe the unbelievable: they are prisoners of a group of ritual cannibals, operating with genteel manner in the modern world. As their hosts grow ever more brazen the pair plan their escape.)

Word Count: 31800
Pages to Print: 96
Price: $4.99

http://www.amazon.com/All-Expenses-Paid-ebook/dp/B004UN5ODQ

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-expenses-paid-jeffery-scott-sims/1029271326

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/32932

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/JefferySims.html#ExpensesPaid

We are pleased to announce that you are a winner. Your entry has been selected as one of our grand prizes. You will receive an all expenses paid, five day vacation for one at the exclusive Caltel Ocean Resort. Enjoy your holiday in elegant, old-fashioned surroundings . . . All Expenses Paid by Jeffery Scott Sims. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at: 

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/JefferySims.html#ExpensesPaid

Book of the Day April 13

How to be Almost Famous in Ten Days by Kathleen S. Allen

 

Seventeen-year-old Cassie Cee feels invisible because she’s a double-digit size. She finds a book in a secondhand bookstore that she hopes will change her life. Her best friend’s brother wants to make vlogs about how she is following the ten rules she found in the book, why she is doing it, and how she feels about being invisible for his school project. She agrees, but only if he promises no one but his college advisor will see the vlogs. He promises, but a friend of his posts them online and they go viral. When one of the "famous rules" puts her best friend, Rachel in a dangerous situation, Cassie makes one last vlog and Chuck posts it online. But emails begin arriving from other girls who have felt invisible, and she realizes she has to own up to being "the real Cassie Cee."

Word Count: 42000
Pages to Print: 145 
Price: $4.99

Here's what we need you to do (Thanks in Advance!):

1. Login to Amazon
2. Click the link (under the picture)
3. By the title on Amazon there is a "like" button, click it.* if you wish you can stop there, but if you want to help even more . . .
4. When you click and hover over the like button it says "share this link: via Email, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest." Click one (two or all) of them and hit share, it should only take a couple of minutes.
5. Page down to the visible tags* (Tags Customers Associate with This Product) and either click on the tags you agree with, agree with all the tags or, if you've read the book, add some tags of your own. The fastest way, of course is to click on the link that says "Agree with these tags?"
6. If you have read the book, please leave a brief review!

*Amazon, for some unknown reason, keeps dropping the like button and has seemingly permanently deleted product tags, so unless you care to leave a review, there is no longer any way to help us get the word out about this book on Amazon. We encourage you to buy it at Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, or on our Gypsy Shadow website (links provided below) and help our authors succeed, despite Amazon's bizarre treatment of authors and Indie publishers!

http://www.amazon.com/How-Almost-Famous-Days-ebook/dp/B00BUX4FEI
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-be-almost-famous-in-ten-days-kathleen-s-allen/1114845002   
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/296104
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/KathleenAllen.html#Famous

Book of the Day December 22

Say a Little Prayer by Catherine Cavendish

Every night, Jane Furnival prays for the souls of the dead celebrities she most admires. Somewhere, in a parallel dimension, those she prays for must gather and it’s an odd assortment of stars – from Jim Morrison, John Lennon and Marilyn Monroe to Agatha Christie who’s still writing plotlines in her notebook. But can they help her resolve the biggest crisis in her life? Her formidable, long-dead Aunt Margaret decides if anyone can, Jim Morrison’s her man, so accompanied by Marilyn Monroe in a skin-tight gown, the two set off on a mission to find $5000 before breakfast.

Word Count: 4665
Pages to Print: 19 
Price: $2.99

Here's what we need you to do (Thanks in Advance!):

1. Login to Amazon
2. Click the link (under the picture)
3. By the title on Amazon there is a "like" button, click it. if you wish you can stop there, but if you want to help even more . . .
4. When you click and hover over the like button it says "share this link: via Email, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest." Click one (two or all) of them and hit share, it should only take a couple of minutes.
5. Page down to the visible tags (Tags Customers Associate with This Product) and either click on the tags you agree with, agree with all the tags or, if you've read the book, add some tags of your own. The fastest way, of course is to click on the link that says "Agree with these tags?"
6. If you have read the book, please leave a brief review!

Book of the Day October 30

Jason and the Friendly Ghost by Violetta Antcliff

Tommy is a boy who died at the beginning of world war two, and has returned to look for his parents. Wayne, Jason’s best friend, takes some convincing that Tommy is a ghost, as he seems so normal. But the appearances and disappearances soon convince Wayne. The problem is: how can they tell Tommy that he is dead?

 

Here's what we need you to do (Thanks in Advance!):

1. Login to Amazon
2. Click the link (under the picture)
3. By the title on Amazon there is a "like" button, click it. if you wish you can stop there, but if you want to help even more . . .
4. When you click and hover over the like button it says "share this link: via Email, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest." Click one (two or all) of them and hit share, it should only take a couple of minutes.
5. Page down to the visible tags (Tags Customers Associate with This Product) and either click on the tags you agree with, agree with all the tags or, if you've read the book, add some tags of your own. The fastest way, of course is to click on the link that says "Agree with these tags?"
6. If you have read the book, please leave a brief review!

Book of the Day October 29

Jason and the Corner Shop Mystery by Violetta Antcliff

The abrasive love-hate between siblings eventually leads to trouble when Jason and his friend Wayne, go to the rescue of the owner of the corner shop. Unable to convince relatives and friends that Mr. Kashmir Singh is in danger, they decide to take things into their own hands. The result is a hair-raising chase round a deserted airfield in a stolen co-op hearse before the kidnap plot is foiled.

 

Here's what we need you to do (Thanks in Advance!):

1. Login to Amazon
2. Click the link (under the picture)
3. By the title on Amazon there is a "like" button, click it. if you wish you can stop there, but if you want to help even more . . .
4. When you click and hover over the like button it says "share this link: via Email, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest." Click one (two or all) of them and hit share, it should only take a couple of minutes.
5. Page down to the visible tags (Tags Customers Associate with This Product) and either click on the tags you agree with, agree with all the tags or, if you've read the book, add some tags of your own. The fastest way, of course is to click on the link that says "Agree with these tags?"
6. If you have read the book, please leave a brief review!

Book of the Day September 5

All Expenses Paid by Jeffery Scott Sims

Martin Cravitt thought it a fantastic deal: an all expenses paid vacation to a seaside resort, offered to him out of the blue. Fine accommodations, the best food, new companions; too good to be true? The resort was strange, oddly isolated, old and a bit run down. There were only two other guests in that big place, winners of the same offer Martin received, catered to by a small staff who certainly seemed eager to please. Or could it be, as Martin began to suspect, that they were keen to kill? Slowly he uncovers the truth, so incredible that he scarcely believes in the reality of the danger closing in on him.

"All Expenses Paid" is the story of a man, Martin Cravitt, a born loser, who out of the blue wins a dream vacation at a seaside resort, supposedly due to a contest he entered, although he remembers no such thing. Driven there by a resort staffer, he arrives at an old, amazingly isolated property with, counting himself, only three guests, all there as a result of the contest. It seems they have much in common; all three are without family, all rather pathetic loners. Here, then, they will be paid back for their miserable lives.

It turns out they are in big trouble. Something sinister is going on there. Martin stumbles across certain clues, laid out so obviously that it's as if his hosts want him to suspect. Could it be? Then the third guest, the elderly Wallis Morton, disappears in the night. Martin and his remaining companion, Diana Carswell, start to believe the unbelievable: they are prisoners of a group of ritual cannibals, operating with genteel manner in the modern world. As their hosts grow ever more brazen the pair plan their escape.)

 

Here's what we need you to do (Thanks in advance!):

1. Login to Amazon
2. Click the link (under the picture)
3. By the title on Amazon there is a "like" button, click it. if you wish you can stop there, if you want to help even more.....
4. When you click and hover over the like button it says "share this link: via email, facebook, twitter or pinterest." Click one (two or all) of them and hit share, it should only take a couple seconds.
5. Page down to the visible tags (Tags Customers Associate with This Product) and either click on the tags you agree with, agree with all the tags or, if you've read the book, add some tags of your own. The fastest way, of course is to click on the link that says "Agree with these tags?"
6. If you have read the book, please leave a brief review!
 

You say you want to get published?

I don't mean to sound harsh at all, but a career in writing is a hard way to go! Breaking into the publishing world is difficult and often heartbreaking. Once, a really good story had a fair chance of getting your foot in the door, but these days, it's next to impossible to find a publisher, even if you do have a fantastic story. Collectively, publishing houses receive literally thousands of submissions per day. You have to interest them from page one and do it professionally, or they won't read past the first few pages at most.

Today, the would-be author has to have a killer story, possess a better than average command of the language and know where and how to market herself. More than that; you have to have raging tenacity, get used to rejection, be willing to continue to submit your tale aggressively to dozens, maybe even hundreds of publishers and not be at all attached to the belief that your story is perfect as it stands. You may think you have written the next New York Times bestseller, but in all honesty, it isn't always the best story that makes the cut. Aggressive promotion and lots of very hard work go into making a book a bestseller. Often it's the author's own "elbow grease" that gets a book into that highly coveted position.

My advice? Unless you love writing so much you would do it even if you never sold anything, quit NOW, before you get turned down 100 times. Still want to be a writer? Okay. Some of us HAVE to write, just like we have to breathe. If you are one of us, here are some tips:

1. READ a LOT, especially in the genre you are interested in writing. If romance is your "bag" for example, read all the bestselling romance novels you can get your hands on--not all the novels out there, just the best ones! But don't just read. Absorb the way the authors write, the things they say and how they phrase their sentences. Analyze everything.

2. Proof your manuscript for spelling, grammar and dum-dum mistakes, and then proof it again . . . and again. Keep a good thesaurus and dictionary by you at all times (or use the online ones). If it isn't professionally presented, it won't get read past the first few sentences, and it certainly has very little chance of being published. Inexperienced writers think editors are there to rework their books. Not true. Editors will rake you over the coals, make you re-write it until you get it right and still not ever lift a finger to help you whip it into shape, beyond making a few suggestions. After all, this is your book; you are the one who needs to write it. If you need someone to make your work shine and you can't do it yourself, you need to hire a professional ghostwriter. Your editor is too busy to re-write your book for you, so don't expect it.

3. Join a local writer/critique group (or several) and get their feedback. DON'T be insulted if these people tell you all kinds of ways to improve your writing. Just follow their advice! Join online groups and read all the tips of authors who are making making their way out there (avail yourself of the many writer's resources these groups post to their files), because it's a tough business (have I mentioned that?) and only the fearless and strong make it. These would be the ones who kept on keeping on until they got published, so follow their examples.

4. When you think your manuscript might be ready, look through a new (as in up-to-date) copy of Writer's Market and find a dozen or so (for starters) publishing companies you want to submit to. Read their submission guidelines and do exactly what they say. Warning: this is likely to be somewhat different with each different publisher, so don't think you can put your manuscript together and just shoot it out to everyone. If you want their attention in a good way, tailor your submission and query letter just for them, as though you wrote your book with them alone in mind. You will have to rework your submission and query for each different publisher, probably; and many publishers don't want you to submit to more than one place at a time, so get ready to WAIT . . . three to six MONTHS just to be rejected and start over. Here's a hint: Don't submit to the big guys until you have made your mark with a book or two sold to less prominent publishers, unless you long to start a collection of rejection letters. I know plenty of authors who have had a dozen or more books published and they still have trouble finding a home for the next one in the world of the traditional publishers.

5. Write and write and write. Read what you have written aloud and see how it flows; check to see if it sounds dull or plodding . . . Look at it like it was someone else's work and ask yourself if you would continue reading it if it wasn't your baby. Be honest, even if it hurts. Writing is a skill which can be learned and improved on with practice, but you have to write a LOT, re-write even more and accept the critiques like they pure gold, because they may be that valuable in terms of improving your style and technique. Successful writing (and selling) begins with hard work: start with a good concept for a story; create strong, memorable characters who are real, compelling and believable; hone your presentation with sentence variety, correct grammar and immaculate usage; find a way to grab and keep your readers' interest, because if you don't, your book won't sell. Sounds simpler than it is, and it sounds like a tall order, because it is.

6. Don't think just because you have a book (or even a dozen) published that you are going to be rich and famous. Over 99% of the authors out there never get rich or famous, even though their work is worthy of recognition. Besides that, once you are published, that's when your work begins. You have to hustle to get readers, because no one will buy your book if they never heard of you or your book. You have to eat, drink and sleep promotion, and it still may not get you the results you want. If you can't promote yourself, you probably won't sell your books; and if you don't sell your books, publishers won't publish any more of your work. A publisher--even a big, established traditional publisher--can/will do only so much to promote its authors, and only authors who are already bestsellers will get a lot of promo from the publisher. You gotta do it yourself! You want to be a bestseller? Go for it, but know in advance it's going to take all the courage, stamina and consistency you can manage.

In the world of eBook publishing, the outlook on getting published is not quite as bleak . . . yet, although competition is very stiff and getting more so every day. Face it, probably more than half the people you know have written, are writing or will write a book, and they all want to see their work out there. So even eBook publishers have to deal with a lot of submissions. You should take no less care in submitting to a small indie eBook publisher than you would submitting to the cream of the top traditional publishers. Attention to detail, correctness and consistency will eventually get you where you want to be, so don't skimp in attention to details. You want them to think the best of you, so give them your absolute best.

My publishing company, Gypsy Shadow Publishing, is a small, indie publisher. We have been open since September, 2009, and to date we have 75 authors and about 150 eBooks under contract. When I say small, I mean two women read, proofed, edited and produced all those books (125 are out right now; the other 25 are in various stages of completion) in less than two years. We've had to turn a lot of stories down, just as all publishers do. It didn't mean they weren't good stories; only that there isn't enough time, energy and enthusiasm between the two of us to accept all of them. Check out our Submission Guidelines, and if you want a more detailed description of the dos and don'ts of writing and getting published. I invite you to check out a new book we just released by Jim Woods, titled: So You Want to be an Author?

Another Year, Another Move . . .

Wow, another year has come and gone (almost!). Hard to believe, but we have less than a week of 2010 to go and it will be 2011.

I’ve been thinking about New Year’s Resolutions, but I’ve yet to come up with anything adequate. The first thing that comes to mind is to make this upcoming move my last . . . EVER . . . but I know better. Even the best laid schemes of mice and men, not to mention my own, often go wrong, so I’d be kidding myself to think this is positively my last move. Still it would be nice . . .

Maybe it’s because one of my major life goals is to continue growing and learning that I find myself moving on every couple of years. Could be in a short amount of time I manage to grow as much as I can in my current location, though I have to believe I can never learn everything a certain place can provide the opportunities to master. Somehow I feel I can never learn everything there is to learn, no matter where I am. Thirst for knowledge? Yes!

Nevertheless, I confess to growing tired of being a rolling stone. I long for a “home” I can claim for the rest of my days. For one thing, my strength and energy levels are not what they once were. Back in 1986 my barely teenaged daughter and I packed the back of our hatchback full of boxes and began our migration from West Texas to Central Texas. Every couple of weekends we made the 325 mile (each direction) drive to load the car again. We actually managed to get everything we thought we had to have with us moved, one carload at a time.

Now I find I’m not even capable of loading the back of the car and taking the boxes a few miles to storage by myself. Not only that, but I’d be so hard-pressed to decide which of my things I have to have with me and what I can store that I am rendered almost unable even to begin the task. Does this mean I have become officially old, or merely that all my possessions are indispensible now? I prefer to fight the idea I have grown too old to make these kinds of decisions; yet, I must admit I probably haven’t managed to weed out all the unnecessary things from my life, so what gives?

I have to stop writing now, because I can tell there will be no suitable resolution to this post, let alone any forthcoming New Year’s resolutions. Happy New Year, everyone. May you have a beautiful and bright 2011!

Testing . . .

Okay, I was trying to link my blog to my Facebook Page, did it work? It's been more than a year since I posted (hmmm . . . seems like I should have prefaced that with, "Father, forgive me, for I have sinned . . . ") . I was just looking over past posts and I had posted on September 9, 2009 about starting Gypsy Shadow Publishing. I proudly posted we had six authors and twenty e-Books to start our little business. Just over a year later, I find we now have FIFTY authors and EIGHTY-THREE e-Books, plus SEVEN print books. Is it any wonder I haven't found the time to post to my blog? Wow! What a whirlwind year it's been! Please check out our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/Gypsy.Shadow.Publishing!