Want a FREE book? Sign up for my newsletter!

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

A Story, A New Venture, A Sad Good-bye, and Taking the Next Steps!

Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows that I'm not shy about sharing the lows of the publishing world, and I've had a lot of them lately. It's been quite doom-and-gloom around here, but not today! Today, I have some really exciting news to share. But, before I get into that...

A STORY:

When I got my license, I had high hopes of getting a car. A little red sports car, to be exact. Of course, that never happened. I was in high school still and working part-time at the local Arby's, and my parents were in no position to buy me a car. So, my first car was some clunker--I think it was a Chevette or something. LOL. As I got older, I upgraded cars, drove a couple minivans and SUVs, but still no sports car--until recently. 

This summer, my husband bought me the little red sports car I always wanted: A Pontiac Firebird!




Isn't she pretty??

Shortly after getting the car, my husband jokingly referred to it as "The Fireturd." Thankfully, that nickname didn't stick around long. So, he then affectionately called it "The Firechicken." That name did stick--my kids think it's hilarious, and every time we leave the house, they ask if we're taking the Firechicken. It has quickly become our family joke, and I love it.

So, what does this have to do with publishing?


A NEW VENTURE:

In my last post, I admittedly whined about the rejections I got for a paranormal romance I was querying. While I'm still saddened by them, I'm happy to report I have received another full request. YAY! So, I'm not giving up on that route, but while I wait, I've decided to focus on something new.

Indie publishing! That's right, I am fully committing to self-publishing. And because I don't ever do anything halfway, I have filed for an LLC and will be creating my own publishing company that will publish just my books.

I'd like to introduce you all to....


FireChicken Press, LLC

That probably sounds like a silly name for a publisher, but as I said, it's solely for my books, and it has special meaning to me. I think it's absolutely perfect!

My daughter even made a couple hand-drawn logos for me!




Isn't she so talented?? Shameless plug time: She'll be opening to custom art commissions soon if anyone is interested. You can find her on her websiteTwitter and DeviantArt.

I've worked in publishing for years, so I know how much work this will be--I'm excited and committed and a tad bit overwhelmed. Which leads me to the next section of this post...


A SAD GOOD-BYE:

Because of the amount of time and focus self-publishing will take, I made the difficult choice to resign my position at Anaiah Press. While I have thoroughly loved my time there, I know I can't give Anaiah the attention it deserves while also making FireChicken Press successful. My last day will be December 31, 2018.

And now...

TAKING THE NEXT STEPS:

It's no huge secret that I got my start in publishing in the secular market--erotic romance, to be exact. While I no longer write that (nor do I plan to do so again), I have been doing some soul searching in terms of what I want to write and publish. I love Christian fiction--it has been my focus for the past 5 years. I love to read it and edit it. Sadly, though, in terms of writing it...well, that's a different story. It's not my passion. Therefore, I will be returning to the secular market.

Under FireChicken Press, LLC, I will be publishing YA, NA, and A across a variety of genres; although all of my books will have an element of romance in them. My NA and A books will have cursing, violence (especially my romantic suspense titles), and possibly sex (but not overly graphic). My YA will be a lot cleaner. So, to all of my CF writers and readers, if you chose not to follow me on this new journey, I 100% understand and support your decision. There are no hard feelings on my end, and I wish you all the absolute best.

For anyone who sticks around, I plan to start by re-releasing an older NA title that I recently got the rights back to---Death of a Waterfall. I'm going to revise the heck out of it, add some new words, cut some words, get new cover art with a brand new title and then unleash it back into the world. My goal is to do so in March 2019. I will follow that up with the sequel (never before released), and then book 3 (also never released). Additionally, I have a book written for one of the secondary characters that I'm super excited about :-)


I have an adult romantic suspense series that I'll be releasing eventually, too. And, of course, I have a TON of YA books that are half-finished that I'll be busy finishing and publishing, starting with my Georgia Corbins series.

So, there you have it. And now, if you'll excuse me, I have some writing to do!