Update

If you've been reading this, you know from my blogs and the blog description that I'm trying to pitch Midnight's Song to agents for publishing. I sent out my query letters in September or October, and so far I've only received rejections. I've received two or three rejections so far on queries via email. None on the queries I sent with excerpts as of yet - so perhaps that is a good sign. I can only hope that means that my writing is a little more effective than a simple pitch! Maybe it is time I revised my query letters, though. I won't give up. I need to keep on getting this out there, sharing it with others, and pitching it to agents and publishers! I have high hopes for this book - it's like my baby (and it's sooooooo much better than Renegade...), and I'm not giving up yet.

I've had numerous friends and family members asking how and where they can buy the book. It is indeed the Christmas season, so I need to do an overhaul if I want to get copies from Lulu in time for the day. The issue is, the copies I do have are really only proof copies. I have edited my butt off since then (even though I felt as if I'd edited my butt off when I ordered the proof copy). There's a lot of reformatting I will have to do  before I can make it book-ready again. Alas, I will try. Perhaps I can put it up for sale in a couple of months. I am counting on building a dedicated fan-base for it to help get the word out in both publishing and the general public. So far my fan base is limited to about...10 (?) people. All of which I'm pretty sure I know. That's why getting a real copy for sale would probably be a good idea.

As for rejections, I know that one of the challenges is in fact length. When I finished Midnight's Song, I believe it was close to 200,000 words. I have since cut it down to about 150k. I am a very descriptive writer, so you can guess what makes it so lengthy. Well, that and the complexity of a dystopian sci-fi high fantasy magical YA almost-futuristic steampunk adventure. Another challenge is genre. You can obviously see that from what I've just listed, I'm sure. According to my readers, somehow I've combined them all without creating something totally contrived. It is, though, loaded. Very loaded. Loaded with what - I'll  leave you to decide. Personally, I wanted to write something that would read as a female odyssey. (BUT GUYS CAN READ IT, TOO)! I wanted to write a strong female character who was average but extraordinary in many senses, not over-sexualized, and not flatter than the paper she was written on. Keeping my fingers crossed that the world will enjoy Elissa just as much as I do.

As an author, I have so many inspirations. It's hard to condense them all, but there are so many authors who have impacted my writing - from Ann M. Martin to the great C.S. Lewis. I would list them all if I could, but I can't. To keep this post short and sweet, I want to share with you one of my favorite quotes of all time. It reflects my heart and the fire I try to put into my writing fully and completely.

"Fairytales are more than true, not because they tell us that dragons exist; but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." - G.K. Chesterton

Midnight's Song Playlist #4

The dynamic between my heroes and villains is a little complicated at times. The villains are deep and complex, and my heroes have inner demons of their own. All of this, along with a perilous plot, can lead to extreme strife sometimes. Nowhere is this better expressed than in an Adele song....everyone's favorite, Set Fire to the Rain. Notice the key lyric: "And then you kissed my lips, and you saved me." That reminds me of some kind of twisted Snow White/Sleeping Beauty, and the rest of the song feels like she's realizing that he's not really Prince Charming after all.

Now, Prince Aurelian is certainly charming, devoted, and I really can't say that I would express this kind of angst over him. BUT, I might have plans for Faolan's character that fit very well with the idea of disillusioned strife.

Adele - Set Fire to the Rain