Bee Our Guest: Author Fleur McDonald

How I Got My Novels Published
by Fleur McDonald

I never started out thinking I could get published. I started writing because I loved it. And because my youngest child is autistic, I was trying to help his attention span by writing kids stories about things he knew and understood, like our farm animals. When I submitted them to my mentor, he told me, "You're hiding your light under a bush! Get your skates on and submit these to a publisher." Which I duly did, but without success.

After a while, I decided I wanted to write a women’s fiction novel. I wrote half of it and submitted one chapter to Allen and Unwin through their Friday Pitch Day. I was rejected, but with a positive note that said, "Your writing is strong and commercial." I wasn’t going to let that go, so six months later I re-submitted and had a contract within a month. Allen and Unwin bought Red Dust on the first three chapters, so all I had to do was write the rest of the novel.

Red Dust sold to Germany before it was released in Australia. They also bought the rights to my second book, Blue Skies, which wasn’t even written at that stage! Both of these books have gone on to be best sellers in Australia.

In between all of the excitement of my new ‘career,’ I still work full time on our farm. I raise two children and help care for my terminally ill mother-in-law. In fact, I wrote most of my third book, Purple Roads, while taking her to Perth for doctors appointments.

The most exciting email I have ever received was when I was told that Red Dust was being distributed in the US. It’s available there now, with Blue Skies due out soon.

If you really love something, you can always make the time do it. For me, that’s when I drive 100kms to the closest town to do my shopping and spend two hours in my accountant's office, hitting the keyboard or outside while I’m working! Love it!
--


Fleur McDonald lives 110km east of Esperance on 8,000 acres with her husband where they care for their two children and a menagerie of dogs, cattle and sheep, as well as the tractors and machinery required for cropping. Fleur is convinced the machinery is as needy as the stock and children sometimes!

In 2009, Red Dust was the highest selling novel for a debut author. In 2010, it was short listed for the Australian Book Industry Awards as Newcomer (Debut) Author of the year and the R*BY Awards.

Bee Our Guest: Author Lorena Bathey

Why Indie?
Indie Writer and Publisher of Happy Beginnings and Beatrice Munson

It is true that the word "independent" can conjure up a few things in one's head. Independent can mean take-charge kind of free spirits that choose to travel their own path. Independent can mean someone or something that stands alone. Independent can also mean one that balks the usual and takes charge of how things are done.

All these aspects relate to an indie author or publisher. But I think the most important aspect of why someone chooses to follow the indie route is their work.

Writers create works that they labor over, worry about, and hope will find the right audience. Questions run the gamut of "Will anyone like my writing" to "How do I get this book out into the world if I have to wait for an agent to like me" and everything in between. These questions are what push individuals to decide to jump off the usual course to publish a book and do it independently.

Creating a finely honed book is like giving birth to a baby. It is grows within one's mind and then is brought forth into the world. Authors are careful of who critiques our "babies" and we want to teach our "babies" the right way to travel in the publishing world. But since the publishing industry has become more about making money (i.e. Paris Hilton getting a book contract) and less about showcasing new talent, writers believe they could do it better. And so they decided to do it.

When the Kindle and other eReaders hit the market it created a golden opportunity for writers to now bring their work to the world in a cost effective way. Add to that the advantages that social media has created and you have a recipe for creating a strong platform from which to launch your indie career.

However, you must keep in mind a few very important items when deciding to become an indie writer or publisher. Most important, is that your work must be of the highest standard. That means that you hire professional editors to go over your work, you create a shelf-ready cover, and your book has been correctly set up. These aspects make or break not only your book, but the indie world of publishing.

Another aspect to remember is that the marketing of the book will be your part-time job. Getting the word out there about the book, its characters, and what it is about will take a thoughtful plan. Decide where you want to focus first and then set up time and guidelines that will help you push your book in the right avenues.

If you work hard, become your book's best salesperson, and make use of the many internet options available to you, then you can begin to carve out a place in the exciting world of independent writing and publishing.

Never forget that the biggest thing you have going for you is not only a passion for your project, but the courage it takes to put yourself and your work out there and see what happens.
-- 
Lorena is generously offering 20% off of the Beatrice Munson eBook through July 27th to Chick Lit Bee readers. To receive the discount, please visit www.smashwords.com/books/view/48084 and input WD65M when purchasing the eBook. 
--
About Lorena Bathey 
Growing up in the Bay Area of Northern California, Lorena Bathey attended St. Mary’s College in Moraga, graduating with a degree in English. Then she traveled, learned about life, and developed great fodder for a book. Losing her mother to cancer and her own marriage’s demise brought her to find herself. She wrote Happy Beginnings: How I Became My Own Fairy Godmother and found speaking and empowering others was her passion. After writing her first book, Lorena found that characters were visiting her mind and wouldn't leave. She was introduced to Marissa, Andrea, Lily, Deidre and Beatrice and her first novel, Beatrice Munson, came to life. After finishing that book, she was inspired to write more novels and she knew that pursuing her passion was the best way to live her life. After meeting the love of her life, they embarked on the thrilling life to follow their dreams, bringing their families along for the ride. Today, Lorena has nine novels in her writing queue all with screenplays in the works. But writing isn't the only muse that inspires Lorena. She has become a passionate photographer and likes to push the envelope taking shots while learning how to navigate Photoshop. Travel, walking, enjoying new restaurants, and Italy are other loves and things she makes sure she has time for.

For more information and to connect with Lorena, please visit www.LorenaBBooks.com, www.facebook.com/lmbathey, and www.twitter.com/lmmtoo.
--
What do you think of Lorena's guest post? Leave a comment to let us know. Thanks!

Bee Our Guest: Emjaye from The Next Moment

Emjaye blogs at The Next Moment and she was kind enough to write a guest post for us. We hope you enjoy it! As always, let us know what you think by posting a comment. Thanks! 
-- 

“So, how did you meet?”  

That’s my go-to question to stir up a conversation, whether I’m talking to a couple or just half of a happy pair because watching people tell their love story is magical.  AND because I’m wondering how my own love story is going to start and consider poking into people’s intimate lives to be research.

In today’s society, meeting people organically seems to be going by the wayside.  I constantly hear both men AND women lamenting that it’s so hard to meet people these days.  I’m on a dating website and although I know looking for love online makes sense, I like the idea of just bumping into my happily ever after.

I have yet to read a chick lit book that focuses on an online relationship (although I’m sure they are out there).  Most of the books I read involve a random encounter with a handsome stranger, who may or may not be a pain in our heroine’s ass upon first meeting.  As the story unfolds, the encounter proves to be less random and more fated. 

If we can learn anything from chick lit (and we can learn A LOT of things from chick lit), it’s how to meet men.  I suggest trying these:

Elbow a man as you get into a crowded elevator and then to ensure you run into him again, get stranded in a rainstorm without an umbrella (Me vs. Me by Sarah Mlynowski)

Put yourself up in a silent auction to be bid on by a handsome basketball coach (Seeing Me Naked by Liza Palmer)

Wake up from a coma to find yourself married to Mr. Seemingly Wonderful or chat up the cute guy next to you on a plane (Remember Me? and Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

Get - and give - attitude to a bouncer at a hip club and soon you’ll run into him all over town and realize he’s more than just muscles. I love Sammy! (Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger)

Buy a dog you have no clue how to take care of and rely heavily on your cute new vet (Stay by Allie Larkin
)

Move to a small Southern town--I have ALWAYS wanted to do this! (The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews) or move back to your small hometown and reconnect with your high school crush (She’s Gone Country by Jane Porter)

Although not all of these turned into happily ever after for our heroines, you’ve got to kiss some frogs, right?  You never know when your love story will start. How did your favorite characters meet their love interest?

How did you meet your love?  Or, where have you been looking?
 

I have met exactly two men I’ve dated by chance (one at a bar, one at a Target) in my 10+ years of dating. The rest have been friends, friends of friends and way too many coworkers (all of which I believe are still fated in a way). But, in an effort to prove that happenstance is still a great way to meet men, I’m challenging myself to meet one every month this year in a serendipitous way. Is it forcing destiny?  Perhaps. But I’m not above trying it. Look for my kick off post on my blog, The Next Moment, soon.  If you’re single and looking, think about joining me for the challenge!

Bee Our Guest: Author Lucie Simone


Lucie Simone is the author of short story A Taste of Italy and novella The Waterdance. Her forthcoming debut novel, Hollywood Ending, is set for release on October 19th from her own independent press Simon and Fig. She also has four book projects in the works and a blog. Lucie was kind enough to write our first guest post. She discusses her inspiration for Hollywood Ending, the process of writing the book, and the ups and downs on the road to publication. We hope you enjoy reading about Lucie's journey from idea to print. 
--
Hollywood Ending…From the Beginning

I began writing my first novel, Hollywood Ending, in May 2003 right after graduating from a prestigious film school with a Master of Fine Arts. Just like my main character, Trina, in Hollywood Ending, I could not find a job even remotely associated to my very costly degree, and instead taught English as a Second Language. So, basically, Hollywood Ending grew out of my frustration with life in Hollywood and my never-ending search for something more.   

I eventually found a somewhat more lucrative day job, though no nearer to Showbiz than teaching English was, and spent my spare time scribbling away at my desk on a little 5x8 notepad and transferring all those ramblings to my computer once I got home after work. Essentially, my story started out as a long, meandering rant with a little romance and comedy thrown in for good measure. And it was pure crap.

Luckily, I recognized the garbage that was my manuscript and joined a writing group where I learned so, so much! Having studied screenwriting in Film School and not prose, I was in the head space of a screenwriter - not an author. For instance, I routinely left out descriptions of people and places (in screenwriting, this info is minimal and left up to the director to fill in visually), I did little to transition the reader from one scene to the next, and I knew nothing about how to “chapter” a book. In my original manuscript, my chapters were simply scenes, which meant I had about a hundred of them!

There were several times when I abandoned Hollywood Ending in favor of writing something else, including my short story, A Taste of Italy, which garnered me an award from the New York Book Festival for Best E-Book, and my novella, The Waterdance. But I just couldn’t give up on Hollywood Ending. I’d put my heart and soul into it, and even though I’d tried to shove it in a sock drawer and never look at it again, it just kept gnawing at me.

It took a lot of work, a lot of educating, and a lot of time to sculpt my novel into something I could be proud of. It went through four massive revisions, including a change in tense, POV, and the elimination of two main characters. Hollywood Ending went from one woman’s diatribe on the hard-knock life that is Hollywood to a tale of ambition and love and how the two are often mutually exclusive where Showbiz is concerned. So, in August 2009, I sent it out into the world where it was promptly rejected by fifty-one literary agents!

But those rejections weren’t because of the quality of the work. In fact, most of them were accompanied with glowing critiques, calling my story “fresh” and “entertaining” and “fun.” So, what was the problem? After a lot of thought on the topic, I came to the conclusion that two factors were at play in scoring me those rejections. First, I was relatively unknown. Yes, I’d had two stories published, but they were e-books. And like it or not, agents still don’t give much clout to electronic literature. Secondly, and probably more importantly, my book is Chick Lit, which, according to the publishing industry, is dead-on-arrival.

What’s a girl to do? Give up? Stuff that manuscript in the sock drawer for good? Or, put her money where her mouth is? I chose the latter, forming my own small press and publishing Hollywood Ending as my first release. I know that Chick Lit is not dead. I read it. Almost exclusively. And new books are released regularly. So, I’m putting Hollywood Ending to the test. Can it please other Chick Lit readers? Can it hold its own amongst heavy-hitters like Jennifer Weiner and Sophie Kinsella? Okay. Let’s not get crazy. I know my sales won’t come anywhere near those giants, but maybe I can make my money back. And maybe I can even make a profit – enough to publish other Chick Lit books by other authors who are getting snubbed by New York despite having a “fresh” and “entertaining” story. Only time will tell. And that time is now!
--
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Lucie! 

What do you think of Lucie's post? Have you had any similar experiences? How was your journey different? How do you know when to persevere with your manuscript despite rejections and when to let it go? Please share your thoughts with us.