Welcome back to all of you that took the time to read my first post a few days ago. As a beginning blogger, I really had no idea if I was doing it right (still don't), so your kind words of congratulations and encouragement have left me feeling both humble and blessed. I feel very lucky to have so many supportive people in my life. Many thanks to each of you!
To those of you just tuning in, I started this blog to chronicle my journey from debut novelist to published author. At least, that is the ultimate goal. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to write a book and see it sitting on a bookstore shelf next to some of my favorite cozy mystery authors. I'd love to see my name in amongst the books of JoAnne Fluke, Susan Wittig Albert, and Laura Childs. Now while I love to write, I wish someone had warned me how difficult and frustrating this process can be. Someone who knows alot about the literary world told me I needed an agent to represent me, so I set out to find one and learned many things along the way.
First, I've learned that patience IS NOT a virtue- it's torture! I began this process immediately after the completion of "MURDER BY THE BOOKS" (shameless plug here),
and that was over a year ago. I've queried more than a hundred agents and waiting to hear back from them is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Some agents reject you right away with no reason whatsoever. Others take months to respond, then tell you that while your writing has many strong qualities (that's a direct quote from a rejection I got), it's just not what they're looking for at this time. Some agents never respond to you at all!
The literary business is not for the faint of heart.
Next, I've learned that no matter how self-confident you think you are, one rejection after another will start to make you doubt yourself? Why don't they like my book? Why won't they take a chance on me? What's wrong with my writing? Maybe I really can't write, and my friends and family are just humoring me! All of these thoughts have run through my head multiple times in the last year. The literary world can be cruel; but yet, I'm crazy enough to still want to be a part of it.
This might be a good time for another book teaser so that you can decide for yourself if my writing has many strong qualities-
It’s finally here! The Grand Opening of Kidz Korner, Jillian’s beloved children’s bookstore. With the help of her family and friends, Jillian has worked hard to pull this all together, and she is looking forward to a perfect evening. Then, her rather eccentric Aunt Grace makes a dire prediction that something awful is going to happen at the store that could spoil Jillian’s plans.
The night is perfect until a scream pierces the air outside the bookstore. A speeding car has run down a guest from the party in the middle of the street, and everyone, including Jillian, run to see what’s happened. Looking upon the face of the injured woman, Jillian realizes that it’s Maggie, a young teacher from the elementary school. Jillian’s best friend’s husband, Ethan, is a detective on the local police department, and he takes charge of the scene. Sadly, Maggie does not survive, and now Ethan has a homicide to investigate.
And that leads me to the final thing that I've learned on this journey. No matter how much you like the story you've written, it's the opinion of others that really matters- the agents, the editors, the publishers, and most importantly the public. You have to be brave enough to put yourself and your writing out there for feedback and perhaps, even criticism.
And that brings us full circle to the main reason behind my blog. I'm putting myself and my writing out there for your feedback, and yes, even criticism (please try to be constructive).
Subscribe to my website, send me messages, and let's enjoy this crazy ride together!
I'm going to wrap it up for now, but I hope you'll come back next time as I reveal some
more details about my debut novel. Thanks for coming along on this journey to the bookshelf. I truly love your company!
Until next time,
Jodi
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