Welcome to Tracy N. Jorgensen, this week’s Blog Ring of Power guest author. Tracy and her cute hubby design products for a living in beautiful Washington state. Her bucket list includes writing a novel (check!), shaking hands …
Part 1 @ Emily – Friday, Jan. 17
Part 2 @ Sandra – Monday, Jan. 20
Part 3 @ Vicki – Tuesday, Jan. 21
Part 4 @ Terri – Wednesday, Jan. 22
PART 5: WORDS OF WISDOM
Tell us about your route to success –did you use an agent? How did you land your agent and/or publisher? Who’s still with me, reading all of this? Comment below so I know. Anyways, I didn’t get an agent. I had a great request rate and a long search, but eventually I ran out of people to query. So I looked at all my options. Yes I could have self-published and done the same but I had no money for an editor or marketing. Plus it wasn’t my dream. I was already talking to Rebecca Hamilton about the self-publishing process, but then my husband suggested I just ask her if she was interested in publishing my book. She’d already read parts of it and loved it, and yup, after finishing it, she did take me on! So that was it for me.
Why did you choose to go with a small/independent press? See above. Really it was about money. They had 50% royalties for the author, and they would invest money in marketing my book. Something I could not do. Plus the professional editing.
Is there anything you would have done differently during the querying and publishing process? Like I said before, just that i had waited longer before querying. I got so impatient, and in the end it cost me two years!
What are the most important elements of good writing? Voice, Emotion, and Technique. By technique, I don’t mean editing. That’s well and good and anyone can learn that. I mean the weaving of a story. The pacing and flow that draws someone in. And you have to keep your reader emotionally invested. They have to feel something or they won’t keep reading. Even if that something is hate; emotion has to be there. And of course, the ever talked about VOICE. If we’ve heard it all before or it doesn’t fit the story, the rest doesn’t matter. So VET guys. VET.
Do you have any advice for other writers? Well, it’s worth about as much as you paid for it, but here’s what I’ll offer: a tip on voice. For me, the voice is its own character. With my first novel, I imagined someone telling a story. What would they know, who recorded it to give those details, and who is their audience? The voice took on a life of its own. Maybe that’s why people liked it so much. If you are using first person, then this should be easier, but not a pointless endeavor. After all, your voice is still talking to someone. Why? Who? How are they revealing things? Think about this as you’re editing/writing. It helped me at least. Maybe it will help someone else struggling with this.
What do you feel is the key to your success? My support system. No one does this alone. If they say they do, they are giant liars or going nowhere. My husband watched the kids sometimes, made sure I ate, pushed me to keep going. Agent Query Connect pushed me to get better and to become professional. Particularly RC Lewis, Clippership, MarcyKate and Tibby on that forum are ones I remember. But also DCRich, Stephanie Diaz, and MeiNu (not her username, but I call her that). Lots of people just give something to you to help you keep going. And of course Rebecca Hamilton right? She edited my work for free a few times as part of her blog, then later she gave me a shot. She believed in me. So what success would I have without that?
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? Please be my reader? Sorry for begging. Whoever you are that actually read my story, I love you! Even if you hated it. If you have any questions, ever want to interact with me, I’d love that too. I love hearing if you liked anything in particular. I’ll talk about stuff, listen, whatever. I’ll just be grateful you even exist!
What are your current / future project(s)? I have the sci-fi mentioned above, but I’m also working on a sequel to this book. Just in case you all want more. 😉
Is there anything else you’d like to share? Anyone who has read through all of this is a real gem. Thank you. No matter if you read my book or not. Thanks for listening to me ramble for a while.
Is your book in print, ebook or both? Ebook or Print on Demand
Please let us know where your readers can stalk you:
Blog: http://tracynjorgensen.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Impending-Demise-of-the-Girl-with-Brown-Eyes/1423853574496733
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18655328-the-impending-demise-of-the-girl-with-brown-eyes
Twitter: @TansyRagwort
Other: http://immortalinkpublishing.com/books.php?id=25
THE IMPENDING DEMISE OF THE GIRL WITH BROWN EYES: Even in a world without names, where neighborhoods are built on giant pillars and magic lurks in dark corners of humanity, usual people meet in typical ways—at work or by hiring a matchmaker. Boys do not meet girls sitting on their own headstones, or while running from giant cougar-like creatures. However, the Girl with Brown Eyes is not a usual girl. And the Boy, still with no title, is about to find that out for himself.
The Boy has no idea why mutant beasts keep attacking him. It’s possible he spends too much time strolling through cemeteries. But, maybe these attacks aren’t random at all. Perhaps they are attempted murder, though nobody believes his claims. Yet. That all changes when the Boy plummets off his home pillar while being pursued by a flying monstrosity. The Girl with Brown Eyes is there – if not to save his life, then to at least verify his tale.
Now, unsure if she’s trustworthy or even where she came from, the Boy must make his way back up the pillars and discover who his assailant is . . . lest they learn the dangerous secret of the impending demise of the Girl with Brown Eyes.
Buy/Book Links: Coming soon. To get ONE email and no spam to be notified when that is then use this link: http://immortalinkpublishing.com/notify.php?book=25
