Time for a short, happy update on my own writing progress.

You may have noticed that I am in the process of posting another set of first-draft chapters for a work in progress.  While some have told me it’s a bad idea, the positives still beat the negatives for me so I’m sticking with it.  I’m about 21 chapters in, and there should be 30 total.  However, there seems to be a “snag.”  Unfortunately, I have not written a first draft chapter of Time in about a week.  Fortunately, there are very good reasons.

Last November I was attempting to self publish When the Mirror Breaks, my collection of 13 short stories about people who make bad choices and suffer the consequences.  Also at about that time, the manuscript was accepted by Whiskey Creek Press, a small publisher out in the mountain west area.  They were willing to allow me to keep the print rights and acquire only the electronic rights.    Win-win.  About two months ago Whiskey Creek was acquired by START Publishing, a larger media company that also has a film division.  Win-win-win. 

About two weeks ago I was contacted by an editor whose job it was to trudge through my manuscript.  We have had manuscript tennis marathon as we reviewed revisions, editions, suggestions, alterations, indications, indignations, inspirations, and incantations.  Finally, yesterday, we arrived at a final draft that was sent to the publisher and is due for release this coming January.  Meanwhile, someone is working on cover art.

In other news of goodness, they are also publishing a second title.  Perhaps you remember Connecting Flight, the story of two strangers who die in a plane crash but refuse to go into the afterlife because they have unfinished business that keeps them on earth.  Although edits have not started for that title, it is scheduled for release in December.

Additionally, another small print, Hypothetical Press, has included one of my short stories in their recent anthology, Reading Glasses.  That is available in both print and ebook directly from the publisher here.  Why am I featured so prominently on their website?  I have no idea, but feel free to click on the book cover and read my interview there.

For those who have asked, and those who haven’t, this is why I seem to have stalled on writing Time.  I’ll get back to the first draft very soon.

Also involved is a big-picture update.  In a previous post I talked about the different levels of calling yourself “published.”  I won’t rehash it all because opinions vary, but you can always read my thoughts here.  I have tried Stage 1 published, also known as the “self pub” thing, and I learned that I don’t have the time nor am I willing to do what it takes to make that successful.  I’m now in what I call Stage 2 published, which is a small press.  It is not nearly publishing in mass market, and it often doesn’t require having an agent.  

Although I can call myself a “published author,” a small press is not my primary goal.  Still, it is definitely an important step towards the primary goal.  I’m good with that, but I have a lot more work to do for Stage 3 – having a book accepted by a publishing house that people have actually heard of and can be found on a shelf in a store somewhere.

Thanks for reading.