This Week's Featured Author: Loretta Porter

Loretta Porter

 Loretta's love for writing began in junior high when she was asked to write a story about anything she felt like. It was a very short murder mystery, but the love of writing was born. It wasn't until college, however, that she realized she has a bit of talent for it. She wrote her first novel two years ago and Just My Luck this past January. Loretta stumbled upon the world of indie publishing through Elsha and Lindsey and has been so grateful for their help and advice. Loretta plans on releasing another novel, Emma's Choice, at the end of August 2013.


 Who or what inspired you to become a writer?

I've always had an overactive imagination, but didn't realize until I was a teenager that not everyone has stories constantly flowing through their minds.  When my parents divorced in 2006, they were deep cleaning the storage area and found a short (we're talking two or three pages) story I'd done in junior high.  As juvenile as the writing was, I thought the concept was still intriguing and began to finish it.  The problem was that I had started it thinking it would be a crime novel, yet the more I wrote, it kept turning into a romance!  I eventually gave up, thinking I couldn't write at all because I couldn't keep my crime novel from turning into a sappy romance.  I eventually learned to embrace the sappy side of myself and things just clicked.  Nicholas Sparks has definitely been an inspiration.


When did you begin writing your first book?

The first book I wrote that I finished was in 2011 and titled Emma's Choice.  It took me about 2 1/2 months of writing at my kids' nap times and late at night.


Are you working on anything right now? Can you share?

I'm planning on releasing my first novel, Emma's Choice, sometime in late August 2013. You can check my website for updates: lorettaporterbooks.blogspot.com.  I update it a few times a week, so it's the best place for information about my upcoming novels.  It's still going through some final editing, but here's an excerpt:

My brother pulled out his cell and pushed a number on speed dial.  As he waited for an answer, he walked over to the sound system and pushed mute.  “Hey babe, how was your day?”  He listened for a bit and responded with, “That’s lame!  How often do they need you to work late this week?”  He paused again to listen, then said, “Well, fine then.  Good thing I’ve got my hands full babysitting, eh?” He winked at me as I scowled at him, “Em and I were wondering if you could bring us some food?” 

“Liar!” I shouted towards the phone. “HE is the perpetually hungry one!  I’m fine!  Don’t worry about me!”

He turned away from me and said, “Yeah, I know, she’s delirious from hunger.”

What is your all time favorite book/author?

Why do I have to choose just one?!  Okay, fine, if I had to choose one book it would be The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks.  The ending wasn't what I'd expected, but there was a poetic beauty to it that made me realize it couldn't have been more perfect.  Go read it and you'll understand.


If you could travel back in time to any place or event, when, where and what would you choose?

I would go to Hollywood in the 1930s and just watch all of the amazing movies being made.  It was a time of class and talent, both with the actors as well as the content of the shows.  Plus, the clothing was fabulous!  I'd also make sure to stop by the I Love Lucy set and be in the audience for a taping.  And then steal one of Lucy's polka dot dresses.


Any advice for new writers?

I still feel like a new writer myself, but one thing I've learned is to not let the rejections from literary agents get you down.  I know that's easier said than done, but it's going to help you a lot in the long run if you can just see each one as a stepping stone.  Also, realize that the market is changing and literary agents are slowly being pushed from the picture.  Publishers can just go to Amazon's best seller list of indie publishers and take the middle man out of the mix entirely.  And always, keep writing and exploring the world around you; ideas for books are everywhere.

                                                                                      

 Loretta's Book: Just My Luck

When Gabby went heli-diving for the first time, she never imagined the real adventure she embarked on: a luxury summer vacation with the handsome Adam Tucker and his family, but how would they react knowing about her hideous and terrifying past?

Gabby uses extreme sports to hide from the pain of her haunting past, but her trip to the Bahamas after high school graduation turns out to be more than she bargained for...staying with the Tucker family who offers her compassion and acceptance at every turn. Adam seems to be falling for Gabby, but will he still care for her after he knows the darkest secret from her past? From her mother's past? Gabby’s path towards learning to trust and love is filled with obstacles, and before she can move on and heal, she must face the demons that fill her nightmares.  

Get Loretta's Book

Just Write It’s in You

“You write your first draft with your heart, and you write your second draft with your head.”

                                                                                                                        -Finding Forrester (The Movie)

               

Funny that I should find inspiration from a movie to write a book, although those words were originally written by someone to inspire the movie. We are starting to cover more depth in these posts that we feature on the blog. This is still the number one question I get, how do you write a novel?

               
The answer is so simple, you sit down with a computer or get a pen and paper and put write words down. ‘But I don’t know what to write about,’ is the usual response. Get one idea in your head and just begin tapping at keys or scribbling on the page, the keys and words seem to take on a life of their own once you begin writing.

There are days I have written chapters for my books that I never thought about, and some characters I introduced that ended up being the best twist in the plot that I hadn’t even thought about. Don’t think, don’t stop to correct the grammar, don’t watch the TV while you do it, and then talk to your cat, just write.

  
 My inspiration seems to come from different times in my life that I merge together and then I play the what if game. For example, what if my high school boyfriend met my college boyfriend while I was still in college? Alternatively, what if I run into an old friend from school that used to be nerdy but is now successful. On the other hand, what would happen if a mountain man settler suddenly was transported through time into our world and wound up in a car what would his reaction be? 

  
 Or if you ever need inspiration for story ask a child; they are never ever short on ideas. Sorry, this is a short post, but the point is a lot of you aren’t becoming authors because you aren’t writing. Try your luck at any genre. Even if you wish to keep a journal, you may be surprised after all how interesting your life really is on paper. Keep writing.

Pitching Lessons

Rachel Tolman Terry

There have never been more publishing options available to writers than there are today, which can be both exciting and overwhelming. I'm going to talk today about getting your foot through the door with traditional publishers; the way to do that is by pitching your manuscript to agents and editors. The big six publishing companies generally won't look at manuscripts that aren't represented by agents. Agents act as their first line of defense, weeding out manuscripts and authors so the big publishing companies aren't swamped with unsolicited manuscripts. Most smaller publishing companies will look at manuscripts that are sent directly from authors.

I worked as an acquisitions editor for several years, and I've been represented by two different agents, so I've seen how the process works. I've sent out plenty of query letters of my own, and I've also read hundreds of letters and had to decide which ones to accept and which to reject. I can tell you that it's not easy to be on either side of the desk, but the process seems to work.

The process is essentially the same for sending your manuscript directly to a smaller publisher and for securing representation through a literary agent. Either way, you'll need to take the following steps.

1. Polish your manuscript.

2. Update your online presence.

3. Do your market research.

4. Write your pitch (query) letter.

5. Send it out.

6. Send it out again. Repeat.

Let's take an in-depth look at each of these steps.

1. Polish your manuscript. If you're at the point that you're thinking about publishing, I'm assuming your manuscript is looking good. But just to make sure, go through it again with relentless, unforgiving eagle eyes. If editing is not your strong point, find someone else to edit it, whether you pay someone or swap editing jobs with a writer friend. It's tough to polish off your own writing, but it has to be done before you take any more steps toward publication.

1.  Update your online presence. Once upon a time, publishing houses had big marketing budgets. They spent lots of money on glossy posters, book tours, and fancy catalogs. Those days are gone, and today, publishers expect their authors to do the lion's share of marketing. That means you need a substantial online presence. So dust off your Twitter account, start writing blog posts, and get your voice out there. If you give public speeches, record them and put them on YouTube because publishers love to see eloquent writers who are willing to get out there and tackle in-person marketing opportunities. Some people love this part of publishing, and others wish they could just stay tucked behind their laptops, writing and writing. If you want to sell books, either through your own Indie imprint or through Random House, you're going to have to learn to market.

3. Do your market research. Blindly sending pitch letters out into the cyber-universe can be a waste of time, but if you take some time to research the agents or publishers, you'll have far better luck. That's because you'll be pitching your manuscript to agents and publishers who actually specialize in your genre. It's a waste of time (for you and the editor or agent) to send your collection of poetry to an editor who only publishes biographies.  You can usually find this information, along with instructions on how and where to send your queries, on the publisher's or agent's website. Double check the spelling of the person's name, and know whether you're addressing a man or a woman (sometimes it's hard to tell just from names). I find it's best to use a spreadsheet to keep track of this information while I'm doing my market research.

4. Write your pitch letter. Also called a query letter, a pitch letter is your chance to get an editor's or agent's attention. In less than a page, you need to offer a small, tempting taste of the book, explain the grand scheme (how long it is, whether it's one of a series, what kinds of readers would be interested in it, and how it will be marketed), and leave the reader hungry to read the actual manuscript. At the end of the letter, you also need to explain why you are the best person on earth to write this book. End with, "Thanks for taking the time to consider my work. I look forward to hearing from you," or something equally polite. For a great article about writing an agent query letter, take a look at this site. [link to http://www.agentquery.com/writer_hq.aspx]

5. Send it out. It takes courage and faith to send your query letters out. Most of them will be rejected, and that's okay. Editors and agents often have very specific ideas of what they're looking for based on current market trends, and yours might not fit. When I signed with my agent, I sent out 17 query letters. Two agents replied that they'd like to see my manuscript, and only one offered me a contract. But one is all you need.

6. Keep sending it out. Maybe every single publisher or editor rejects your letter or just plain doesn't respond. Is it time to give up? Of course not. You can handle this situation in several ways. You can continue your market research right away and find some more people to send your query letter to. You can make some changes in your query letter and try and improve it. You can lay that project aside for a while and get to work on something else until you feel ready to dive back into it. You can publish your book through CreateSpace and send the published book to publishers to see if they'd like to take it on. As I said at the beginning, the publishing options today are vastly superior and more diverse than they were just five years ago. There's never been a more exciting time to be a writer. Whichever road you take, be persistent enough to continue, confident enough to represent yourself well, and humble enough to take criticism, and you'll be just fine.

About Rachel

Rachel Tolman Terry started freelance writing shortly after graduating from Brigham Young University with a B.A. in English. She has written articles for magazines such as BackHome, Health Money & Travel, Parent:Wise Austin, The Old Schoolhouse, and Practical Homeschooling. She worked as Acquisitions Editor and Managing Editor for Mapletree Publishing Company and has ghostwritten books and web content for many years. She recently published an LDS novel, Sister WhoDat, NY Agent, which is available at Amazon.

Rachel recently moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, with her husband and three children. Since moving, the Terrys have acquired one rabbit and three chickens, which provide hours and hours of backyard entertainment.

- Rachel Tolman Terry

racheltolmanterry.com

Twitter @_rachelterry_

Book Launching Option

Elsha Fornefeld

I wanted to address a few issues/questions that I have been getting about Lindsey’s Best Seller’s article. Her idea is a great one and a very successful tactic to launch a book and get it noticed right away. However, when it is not free sales can drop off quickly.  It does get your name noticed quickly if that is your goal. I think we all know people who just browse the free section for books on Kindle. There is nothing wrong with this, but for those of you who do not feel this is your style there are other ways to launch a book. 

 For example, my own book that I just launched I did it for $0.99 a day for the first 48 hours and I got up to 200 downloads. Now this is not bad but I can tell you I didn’t get nearly as many download as my friends that have done it free. Still word has gotten out and my book is taking off as I had hoped. It is a slower tactic, but I’m not losing any money. It does require patience and consistent marketing. Statistically 85 percent of people that see an app or book is under $1.99 will download it without thinking twice if it appeals to them. Then there have been other authors who have done it just for the steady low price of around $2.99 that Kindle allows for maintaining their 70% royalties, and can then go on to be rated in the top 100 of their category. It can take time but you can still do extremely well.

                I had a friend die this week and she had always talked about publishing a book and she was only 29. She would talk to me about writing and maybe someday publishing. Her passing makes me want to let all of you know not to put it off. Whether you receive 50 downloads or 50,000. I just encourage you to do the research and get your book published. 

Elsha Fornefeld

This Week's Featured Author - Patricia Reding

Patricia Reding

Following her dream to study the law, Patricia (Trish to her friends) finally met her goal, then spent the next years trying to juggle husband, children, home and career—and to fit in time for her hobbies like, performing in musical dramas, gardening, cooking, reading, and . . . .  With her oldest having flown the nest and the two younger coming closer to doing so by the day, Trish turned her attention to new endeavors—specifically, to creating new worlds.  OATHTAKER, Trish’s first published work, began as a challenge, but Trish discovered along the way, the joy of storytelling.   Currently, Trish is working on SELECT, the first sequel to OATHTAKER (when not taking care of her home or practicing law, or trying to figure out how to create a world in which she can be in two places at once).

Patricia's Book: Oathtaker

                                                                              An Oath Sworn.

                                                                           A Struggle Engaged.

                                                                          A Sacrifice Required.

When Mara, a trained Oathtaker, is drawn by the scent of the Select to battle beasts of the underworld that were summoned by powers of evil to destroy the guardians of life, she swears an oath for the protection of her charge.

Armed with a unique weapon, her attendant magic and that of her Oathtaker cohorts, the knowledge of ancients and the assistance of a spymaster, Mara seeks safety for her charge from one who would end Oosa’s rightful line of rule and from assassins who endeavor to bring ruin to the land

As Mara puzzles to decipher ancient prophecy concerning her charge, as she is haunted with memories of her own past failings, she discovers the price her oath will exact.

To renounce her word would be treasonous; to fail, ruinous; to persevere, tortuous.

Abiding by an oath requires sacrifice.

Get Patricia's Book

Links

Website and blog: http://www.oathtaker.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PatriciaRedingAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Oathtakers
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6983212.Patricia_Reding 

Reviews 

Patricia Reding has created a wonderfully, enjoyable story filled with a spectacular array of characters that are so rich and vivid that you will wonder if you can still hear them talking to you even after you have finished reading this book. I hope that your heart will be just as captivated as mine was as you partake in this thrilling journey. Patricia Reding is a marvelous new author that you simply have to discover for yourself!  — Amber (Shadowplay)

I have but one question. . . when does “Select,” her next novel, come out?   — Donna.

. . . You feel like you’re right there with the main characters. . . .  I also like the theme of the book—keeping your word, no matter what, in the struggle between good versus evil.  I’m always a sucker for a strong, female lead character and Mara doesn’t disappoint. . . . I can’t wait for the next novel in the series!   — Kc2013

I was hooked before the end of the first [chapter].  There’s magic and secrets, prophecy and discovery, and a fierce heroine you can really root for. . . .  — Madeline