Pages

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Coming Full Circle


Thanks Lee for having me here today!

On New Year’s Eve, a friend and I were talking about horses and my intention this year to finally get back to competing in trail and endurance events. It’s one of the things I used to do, way back when, before I got published.

My road to publication was LONG. And looking back, I can shake my head at how clueless I was. Getting published was the big goal, the huge hurdle to get over, and then things would be smooth sailing. If only it were so!

The life of a published author is a roller-coaster ride. There are thrilling highs and heart-dropping lows. It comes with plenty of drama and tension, sweat and tears. There are long solitary hours at the computer, telling a story, loving that story, hating it, believing in it, doubting it, ultimately polishing it and letting it go. Followed by the agonizing wait for editor feedback and finally…reader feedback.

On top of that, there’s the pressure to produce more and do it faster, the inevitable comparisons to other authors who can do just that. The worry about whether books and series will find an audience and survive, or if failure will mean taking up a new pen name and reinventing yourself. And along the way there’s the very real danger of losing the joy, the reason for writing in the first place.

Inked Magic is my 40th published story. As I hold it in my hands (so totally thrilled not just to have it finally out, but in awe at just how lucky I am to have such a fabulous cover) I can’t help but be reflective about how far I’ve come since writing that very first erotic romance.

Binding Krista was the story that got my foot in the publishing doorway. After years and years of rejection, often of the form letter type, as I tried one non-romance genre after another, I wrote Binding Krista for myself, not intending to submit it. I didn’t care about word counts or the possibility of rejection, much less negative reviews. I didn’t worry about all the technical aspects of craft, didn’t even plot the story beforehand. I wrote for the pure love of the story. And when it was finished, I couldn’t help myself, I submitted it because I wanted to share it.

Since then I’ve improved and grown as a writer. I’ve added some cool tools to my writer’s craft box, experimented, including moving away from erotic romance to write a post-Apocalyptic urban fantasy romance series. The first book in it, Ghostland, is still very much a book of my heart.

There have been disappointments, missteps that turned writing into pure work, a mid-life crisis averted by an empowering jump from an airplane—because if I could do that, putting my trust in fate and a complete stranger, then keeping the faith when it came to my muse and believing in myself should be easy!

Inked Magic, also a ménage, is my first erotic romance to be published by Berkley. As I work on the sequel to it, breaking away at lunchtime to go ride, getting both myself and my horse ready to compete, I realize I’ve come full circle, only it’s better and different. Maybe T.S. Eliot said it best: “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”

Now for a little about Inked Magic, and then to the question and a chance to win! From the back cover…

Skin didn’t lie to her. It was her gift, sometimes her curse. To feel what others felt. To see the things held in their memories…

With the touch of her palms to the skin of a crime victim, San Francisco tattoo artist Etaín can see the faces of the guilty and draw them. Changeling elf but unaware of it, at odds with her police captain father and FBI brother, magic and gift have put her on the path of two compelling men.

Cathal Dunne, the son of an Irish mob boss, needs Etaín’s help finding the rapists who left his cousin for dead. Eamon, a powerful elf lord, is determined to make her his consort-wife.
Her gift once made permanence impossible when it came to a lover. Now as she approaches the transition to fully Elven, her survival depends on keeping two. One of the men is willing to share her. The other isn’t—until the search for a sexual predator turns deadly—and only by paying magic’s price will there be any future at all.

Drum roll here (preceding the question). What about you? Have you ever felt like you’ve come full circle, arriving where you started and knowing the place for the first time?

One lucky commenter will win a $25 gift card from either Amazon or B&N – winner’s choice. The winner will be announced next week!




***Wicked is the winner for the gift card!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your preference of gift card vendor.  Congratulations!!***

18 comments:

Laurie G said...

I worked as an RN, stopped to raise 4 children. In the past 4 years due to the poor economy, I've had to go back to work. It was hard at first. But now I find that I like getting away from home and meeting new people. (No I didn't go back for a refresher course in Nursing)

Debby said...

I love the blurb for this book sounds very exciting. I wanted to be a science major when I first went to college but found languages easier. I did go back and am now a science teacher.
debby236 at gmail dot com

Michele L. said...

I love the arts and got my degree in Architecture. I worked in a architectural office for 18 years and was laid off. The best thing that happened was getting laid off because I found a job at an art/office supply store. I have worked there for 9 plus years now and love it! I get to see all the new art products that come in and get lots of samples. I love it!

Wow! You wrote some amazing books. I really like Ghostland.

traveler said...

What an interesting and thought provoking post. Sometimes when we are young we think that we know what our career and choices should be and are satisfied with the decision. Later on though, due to circumstances or a new perspective things change. they did for me. I became a librarian and worked in that field for many years which wss gratifying but decided a change was necessary. Now I work in the linguistics field. Best wishes. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

Na said...

I think at this point in my life, I'm still within the circle. It's not a bad thing but it means I'm exploring options and making decisions. I think I've come full circle in smaller things in my life and these experiences are what I carry with me. It helps shape who I am.

Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com

Laney4 said...

As my daughter would say, "Sort of, not really." Tough question to answer....
When I was 13, I saw my eldest sister typing from home with a newborn baby, and I decided that I wanted to be a secretary so that I too could do that when I had a family. I have always had secretarial jobs since then and indeed started my typing business after the birth of my firstborn in 1985. I have had to go back to working in outside offices through the years when money was limited, but I was lucky enough never to need a babysitter for more than 2 hours a day (naptime from six to nine months of age). Since my son graduated college about six years ago, I am back to only working from home. My home sweet home. I love the flexibility of this, as I'm of an age when lots of friends have funerals, my MIL needs help/drives to the numerous doctor appointments, etc., so I can work through the night instead if necessary.

blackroze37 AT yahoo.com said...

im just starting a new life, so a new circle

Lil said...

As a kid I wanted a career in the health field, but family finances were strained and my father's health was failing. So I got a business degree instead in order to have more probability of being hired after fewer years of study. It worked fine. I took a break from the workforce in order to be a homemaker and then the kids grew to an age where they didn't need me so much anymore. I stepped back into the workforce by being hired into an entry level position at an assisted living facility. Loved it and shortly after being hired they promoted me into management in the health serives dept. I feel like I have come full circle.

Di said...

I was a business major in college, but did the minimum with computers - that was for math majors. When I applied to a major corporation & was tested, they suggested I enter their computer training program. I declined. A few years later I accepted. Wished I had done it sooner. It was a good career & mostly interesting - until my position was outsourced & offshored. So I took some time with my elderly father. Now that's he's gone, I feel like I'm back after college trying to decide what to do for a job and who will hire me.

Maureen said...

I find that with two kids in college it feels like another phase of my life is coming and, after many years, it will be time to make decisions based on what I want.
mce1011 AT aol DOT com

Linda Henderson said...

Well, as a lot of people know, I lost my home in the May tornado that hit my hometown. So for all intents and purposes, I'm starting all over again. We saved very little, dvd's, pictures, a Starbucks coffee mug, some of my lighthouse things and other than that, everything else was gone. So I guess you could say I've come full circle and starting all over again. Ever once in a while I stop and think, been there done that. Maybe I can do it better this time, who knows.

seriousreader at live dot com

Jennifer K. said...

I think (hope) I'm near the end of one circle and close to the beginning of a new one as I wait to be accepted into a program at the community college that's pretty far away from what I'm doing now. I'm ready to move on and start a new chapter. If only the college was on the same page as I am!

Loved Inked Magic (and all your stories), by the way.

petite said...

I think that we have to adapt to a new world and a new era. What was comfortable years ago is no longer relevant. It is strange to feel that we have to learn once again but it is important. Computer skills are something that I have learned and need to understand. Being older and wiser I realize I must adjust to fit in. Your stories sound compelling. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

Mary Preston said...

I can't say that I have ever come full circle. I'm still traveling along the forward path. It's quite a journey.

CrystalGB said...

I can't say that I have come full circle. It seems life is always changing and we evolve with it.

Eli Yanti said...

i think i'm still in the circle and still couldnt pull out, still find the way out and hope i can find the way soon ;)

Renee said...

Our kids are almost all in college. I feel like my husband and I are coming full circle. We'll be by ourselves again.

wicked said...

Your book sounds great! My life hasn't come full circle yet but hopefully soon!