I just pulled Blood Redemption off the market. Damn! That hurt so bad!.but it was a mess.  I spent my own $1.99 to buy it from amazon.com and actually read the book on my Kindle fire and I got so upset.  There was no choice.  Who knew  the word THAT could even fit in a manuscript so many times. Gads! But...the good news is while reading  my own book...pretending I was someone else...I discovered the actual theme to the book...and I have strengthened the theme and rewritten sentences  that were a little fuzzy and taken out unnecessary things and overall I think it is making the book better.  So,when I get it published this time...It will be something to be proud of ...always a good thing.  I have most of the work done so I need to finish it up and republish it.  I love the story.  I hope that when it is finished you will too. Join me on FB?  Thanks for your support. www.facebook.com/rosemarysmith

I finished the rewrite of Blood Redemption. I am SO glad I did it.  I found that I have learned a lot since I wrote the original book and now finally I have figured out the THEME. Every book has to have one and yet it is not always as clear as you'd think.  Now I understand what the book is trying to say...so I was able to strengthen the theme and make the whole book better. So, as disappointed as I was at finding the mistakes in the book and as upset as I was at the idea of having to fix all those glitches...now...I am very much happier about the book. Today I have to call Book Baby and have that old one yanked off the market. I will republish the book when I get it refined a bit more. I want it to be as good as possible.  

Never give UP!  Write On!

This has been an interesting week. I made a difficult decision to rewrite my Vampire book, Blood Redemption and make it a little edgier and maybe a little darker and then republish it ...probably with amazon.com under their Kindle Direct Program.  Why?  Because I have learned a lot since I wrote it and I want to put out the best product that I can. It isn't bad...but it isn't selling the way I had hoped.  The customer is always right...Something is wrong.  So I actually paid the $1.99 and downloaded it to my own Kindle to read it as if a stranger wrote it.  I discovered that it is a funny book.  I like it.  It is not as bad as I had feared.  So I went to amazon.com and changed the blurb to mention that it has a bit of Vampire Humor. We shall see.  I am going to leave it there until I get the rewrite done  and then I will  send it off to be edited and come up with a new cover and maybe even a new title and  start over from scratch.  All in the name of a better book, folks...we do what we gotta do.

I also began the second course  from The CreativeWriting Institute.  This one is  Creative writing 101.  I've already had to write two short pieces....but it was fun.  I enjoy the writing assignments.  All that citing and footnotes and stuff was what drove me bonkers in the Nonfiction course.  I know it was necessary but I am glad that one is over.  The instructor has said that she is going to make me work hard.  I don't mind that.  If I come away a better writer, I will stretch as far as I can reach.

Most of the writers I know personally ( the ones who know my name) are like me.  They have good ideas and are able to construct a sentence reasonably well, but have not made it to the top of the writing heap.  I am not making a living from book sales nor do I have agents pounding on my door begging to represent me.

  Some days I am confident and dream of the future.  Some days I wonder why I am beating my head against the wall.   

All of the articles in books and magazines as well as blogs say "Marketing is the key."   My own publishing team tells me  I am doing  the right things and to just keep doing them.  Well, ok....I will...but, it would be so nice to know  somebody out there  has actually read my books and thinks I am on the right track. 

 I want to be a good writer.  I want to put out a good product.  I want to build a "fan base"  and would not even mind becoming rich and famous.  I want to write novels that get good reviews.  To accomplish all those things, I guess I have to keep doing what I do.  I am looking at myself in my tiny lipstick mirror now and  saying the Magic words!   Don't Give UP! 


Tomorrow I will go to  The Opelousas Library and read my children's books to  the crowds of adoring little angels for STORY TIME.  They don't know or care if I am rich or famous.  They do like my Lizzie Cap and they seem to enjoy the stories.  I enjoy the story times.  There are no parents there to buy my books but I  do  have fun.  the Library ladies treat me well and I always come home feeling good.  

I am on my third self-edit of my new novella called Tiny Bones.  It is going well.  I took out huge chunks of   perfectly good information that  just didn't need to be there and  have added  more dialogue and  eliminated over 300  over-usages ? of the word "that".  Who knew such a little word could get thrown into so many places?  For the record, I just took out 6 "thats" from this one  page.  Tonight after I finish my 3rd self edit..I will put the file away for a few days and  get ready to start on self edit # 4.  I don't know how many more times it will take until I declare it DONE.
 I will  check again for ways to eliminate over usages of THAT and JUST and THEN.  Nothing makes a story look amateurish  faster than over using those little words.  By the time I finally declare it finished, I will  be sick of it.  Then I send it to my REAL editor and watch her destroy it....LOL......she will find at least 200 more over used words and probably have me rewrite  several passages.  She is called the Evil One by some of her other clients.  I don't call her that because I want my little story to shine and  she is good at helping me polish.  
 Dear Readers, I have to get back to work now.  If you do want to read my books You know  they can be found on Amazon.com.  I have three children's books and two novels.  No Earthly Boundaries  is the first novel and Blood Redemption is Number 2.  Enjoy.  and don't forget to leave me a comment  in the review section if you  liked them. 
 I won't give up.  One day you will all know my name.  now.........back to Tiny Bones.