Day 1: Lessons From The Cave

“Whatever you may have heard, self-publishing is not a short cut to anything. Except maybe insanity." -Zoe Winters

Whew!  It's been a hell of a few weeks.

All That Glitters is officially out in the world.  The amount of work that went into making that happen is staggering.  Self-publishing is definitely not taking the easy way out.  If anything, it's taking the long road.  In addition to the writing, there's the editing, the cover art, the getting it out to reviewers, the marketing.  Dear god, the marketing.

Throughout all the craziness, there have been points of sanity.  I've discovered I have more friends than I previously realized.  I've come into my own as a businesswoman.   I've uncovered talents, strength, and drive I never knew I had.   It may have been a hell of a few weeks, but they've been some of the best of my life.

I was thinking about what I wanted to do on here for Launch Week, when it struck me.  All the things I've learned throughout this process, other people are just starting to figure out.  I've had so many allies and mentors while on this road.  I've gotten so much good advice.  I've accrued a decent amount of experience.

Why not share all that?

This week on Writing In The Night is for you guys.  It's for anyone out there contemplating doing what I did.  Every day, I'll give you a new post on something I've learned through this process.  As Ernest Hemingway so (in)famously said, "Writers must stick together, like beggars and thieves."  Especially for those of us taking the self-publishing road, if we're not going to help each other out, who will?

Additionally, you will find a short excerpt from my book at the end of each post.  You can buy the whole thing on either Amazon or Smashwords, but I wanted to include a few freebies here.  Consider it a "thank-you" for the endless encouragement and support.

Hooray!  It's Launch Week!   

Excerpt from All That Glitters:

Ethan stood on the gold dredge- his gold dredge, he reminded himself- and watched water and sediment flow through the heavy box in the middle of the deck.  He closed his eyes and imagined the inside, imagined the gold trapped in the heavy sludge.  His chest tightened with pride.  It had been a long winter, and an even longer few years, but he'd finally done it.

The Lucille was his.

He’d been an outsider long enough.  He was through constantly proving and reproving himself.  Nome was his home now, the first he’d ever had.  He was ready to claim a permanent place here.  Now, at last, he had his chance.

His mind drifted to the woman he’d met on the dock.  Ava Faraday.  Everything about her warned people to back off.  Her clothes were all black leather and faded denim, her only adornment a silver and turquoise ring, the kind sold in gas stations across the Southwest.  Her expression was cold, and she carried herself like she was ready for a fight.  Even her beauty had sharp edges.  Her long ebony hair was cut like a razor blade.  Her face was sharp and fine.

But her eyes.  A milky green, they betrayed an air of vulnerability she seemed desperate to hide.

Ethan rubbed a hand over the stubble roughening his chin.  There was more to her than she wanted to let on.  He was too much of a gentleman to mention it, but he’d felt her pulse quicken when they touched.  What could she possibly be doing up here?  Nome, Alaska hardly seemed a likely first choice for someone like her.

This was a fascinating development.

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Available for purchase on Smashwords and Amazon