Tips for Aspiring Authors
My last update informed everyone that I would no longer have my second novel 'Tools of Terror' for sale as the Publisher and I decided to part ways (some of you know the real reasons, unfortunately for those of you who don't, I am no longer able to expose these reasons any longer due to a gag order 
) Sorry! However, after receiving my rights back, I sat down with a good friend and fellow author and we reviewed and reviewed my novels to find out just what I was doing wrong. Sadly, I was informed of many, many things that I was unaware of at the time. Since finding out all that I needed to work on, if I truly wanted to publish my novels, I have spent the last few months doing exactly what I was told and now I am ready to share with you, all my milestones and baby steps that finally brought me to this day...Nov 1/07.
Now, please be prepared, this was not an easy plight and I have found out that it will never be easy, not as long as writing novels is my passion.
I learned one very valuable lesson through all this though and that is that I was naive--very, very naive. I used to think writing was simple, probably the easiest career to get into, but let me tell you....it is quite the opposite. It is a never-ending battle, everyday, all night and even in dreams but if writing is something you love and want to do and you are willing to fight for it, then it is well worth it in the end.
Here is a list of things I learned....
- Even when you think you are 'da bomb' in english, grammar and spelling....you're not!
- The english language is one of the hardest languages to master and understand, not only in speaking and reading, but in writing grammatically correct.
- Use of split infinitives and passive voice are just two of the many errors first time authors make in their writing. (Once I knew just what these terms meant, I was astounded to see just how many examples my own writing had and it took many weeks to go through all three of my books to fix these major writing mistakes) See Writing Tips for help with various methods of editing and proofreading your own work.
- Publishers and Editors won't just take your novel cause you think it's great, they have to think it's great too.
- With each novel you write, you should prepare a Query Letter, which is much tougher than it looks--trust me. Here is a site I found that helped me greatly, however I still haven't mastered the art. 
Query Letters
- Create a synopsis for the novel and then re-create it over and over again until it not only explains your whole book in one page, but also makes the reader want to see more. See Synopsis Help for information on this.
- Make sure you are ready to take criticism, denials and overall bad reviews. Always think of it this way--what they tell you, whether bad or good, can help you make your novel that much stronger. Remove the words they say don't sound right because if they, the reader, don't understand it than what reader will?
- Read, read and re-read your novel until you have memorized almost every word because trust me, you will find those spelling mistakes you somehow missed the first twenty times you read it. lol.
- Make sure you check out Preditors and Editors for information on any Publisher or Editor you speak to, research first to avoid heartache later.
- And the most important advice I have for you is a two-parter. Never, ever give up and be prepared for denials, and plenty of them because nothing comes easy, unless it's worked hard for. (To date, I have received 56 refusals from agents and publishers, however, I still believe in my story and do not plan on giving up until the right person sees my works and wants it.)
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