When a Small Press Closes its Doors

...or how checking your email is better than caffeine or an alarm clock at waking you up.

I woke last Friday to the news of another small publisher closing down. What made it unique is that it was MY publisher.

On March 1^st, 2015, Musa Publishing will be no more.

Over two years ago, Musa took a chance on this dream-laden writer. The small press showed me the ropes, how to publish, download, edit. I learned what a line-editor does, the meaning of the term Galley Proof, and how to format. When I stressed over nothing, they gave virtual pats on the back and laughed with me when goofy things happened.

In other words, the Musa was family, friends, and colleagues. They shoved me down the right path and gave me the chance to succeed.

So what happened?      

                                                    

Don’t know and I’m not going to speculate in public. That only feeds the rumor mill. What I do know is how we were treated at Musa.

Paid on time. Every paycheck was there for us. Other publishers aren’t so quick, withholding funds especially after they go belly-up.

Contract for everyone to see. Their website had a link to their contract, out there, in the open, in front of God and everyone. No hidden legalese to muck things up.

Rights revert to authors. If you’ve done your research, you know the stories about defunct small presses selling the rights to others, withholding paychecks to fund themselves, splitting without informing authors. Musa is doing none of that. On the same day we received the email, Musa sent the letter to revert our books rights back to us on March 1^st.

This is Closing-the-Doors done right.

Musa Publishing might be leaving town, but from start to finish, they are a class act.

“May God grant you always...a sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm you, a sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you. Laughter to cheer you. Faithful friends near you. And whenever you pray, Heaven to hear you.” – Irish Blessing.

“May you have the hindsight to know where you've been, the foresight to know where you are going, and the insight to know when you have gone too far.” – Another Irish Blessing

Out of Magic, Released Today. 50 States of Pray Link is open

Released today.

Out of Magic
Magic can't fix a broken life. Just ask Sable.

Prequel to Wilder Mage, a stand-alone short story about Sable’s introduction to magic.

Sable Rounds has every basic need a seventeen-year-old girl could want. Shelter, food, and an education. She is safe. Clean. Provided for. Nothing is missing. Except parental affection.

Her parents’ attitude changes on the day she speaks to a whirlwind. And it answers. 

Now they pay attention to her. They were only waiting for her magic. And the end of their obligation to raise her.

Go to Musa Publishing for the free read.

Did I mention it's free?

**

Mark Koopman's 50 States of Pray is an event of devotion and inspiration. 

"On Dec. 24, 2013, take a moment, (and in about 100 words), share a prayer, a thought, a memory, a hope, a regret about the past and/or a wish for the future."

Follow the Linky List and sign up. Sounds like a wonderful event.

Out of Magic and 50 States of Pray. Quite a combination.

Wilder Mage. It's on Sale!

Two months after its release, my first sale for Wilder Mage.

The earthquake wasn't his fault. 

Not this time.

Musa Publishing is offering Wilder Mage 30% off for this week. 

It has a direct link to all eReaders so download it straight to your Kindle.

For everyone who enjoys speculative fiction, horror/occult, contemporary/urban fantasy.

Wilder Mage Released, Amazon, and a TV Show for Patrick Rothfuss

Musa Publishing announces their newest author. Me!

Amazon link is now up,

* * * * 

Fantastic news about Patrick Rothfuss, one of my favorite authors. He wrote The Kingkiller Chronicles, a series of epic fantasy books starting with The Name of the Wind. Wise

Man’s Fear continued the series with the last book coming out next year.

Fox announced that they have optioned the trilogy as a television show. If they keep to the storyline and give the author creative control, they will have a winner.

* * * * 

Movie quotes. Who said this?

"I'm a little busy at the moment."

Ah Shucks – It’s my First Interview

I like to read ‘em. 

I like to give ‘em.

Now, I’m the subject of one.

My first author interview. 

Fourteen days and counting. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE

The Earthquake Wasn't his Fault. Not this Time

Please tell me, when did it become real for you?

After you sign the contract? 
Saw the cover?

Or get the release date?

August 30, 2013

Reality hit me last week. Until then I figured I'd wake up soon, discover that it was a good dream but definitely a mistake. Then I'd find another reason to write.

The Magic Withheld - urban fantasy, release date 8-30-13 by Musa Publishing, Urania Speculative Fiction.

Book Trailer:

Holy Talking Cats, I'm gonna be a Published Writer.

Stages of Writing: Where are you?

When you began this journey to Published, did you know what you were getting into?

Did you expect the way stations and rest stops, the bumps and ditches that you would encounter?

And the wipeouts. Did you expect rejections?

The first time a person sits down to compose a story, the door of the writing minivan slams shut. You are rumbling down a highway with many obstacles. The smallest juncture of that trip is the actual manuscript. The hard part comes with editing, finding good critiquers, research, re-writes, querying and finding an agent.

So, where are you?

• Are you at the street of IamSoGood and MakeABunchaMoney? Or the corner of Realistic and Hardwork?Endlessly circling a cloverleaf? Or at a dead end cul-de-sac?   
• Are you in the realm of Research, still intrigued by the workings of the publishing world and discovering the query? Or what a query is? And the mysterious synopsis?
• Do you have self-help books crowding your workstation like On Writing by Stephen King? Or Post-Its with suggestions and reminders stuck to your computer monitor? Are you in the stage of understanding the difference between the ellipsis and dash?
• Have you reached the editing phase, reading out loud all dialogue, and learning. Always learning. Are you a member of a critique group?
• Do you have a polished manuscript ready to submit? Maybe with several mss under your belt all lining the road to Published.
• Are you a published or soon-to-be published author?

I see a long highway ahead of me. It curves out of sight around obstacles like the washout called Rejections and the steep hill of Hard Freakin’ Work. 

Whether I stop and complain is up to me. Whether I make defeat into an impediment or an insurmountable barrier is my problem. It is my choice whether to stop and give up. Or go around, over, and bull my way through.

I choose the later. My motto: 

Persistence + Humor = Published

You can’t be in this business without either one.

How *not* to Use the Internet and *big* News

The internet is the biggest time suck of them all. Just think if the internet were available when Einstein was around. 

He formulated his theories of gravitational forces and the relationships between mass and energy during his Dude! years, late twenties and early thirties. If he’d had the ‘net, he'd been cruising websites and making Youtube videos of dogs eating peanut butter rather than working on the probabilistic interpretation of quantum theory. 

And Heaven only knows where we’d be today if that'd happened.*tongue firmly in cheek*

Time suck aside – or ignored in my case – I love the Urban Dictionary. It is a wealth of timely phrases, crude and rude words, and teenage-speak that sometimes does a flyby.

Examples:

Clicker’s Remorse –

“The internet analog of buyer's remorse, wherein one comes to regret having clicked on a link of interest after they look up at the clock minutes or hours later and realize that they have invested an inordinate amount of time reading an article, playing a game, conversing with someone, looking at photos, etc. which they would not have spent had they resisted the impulse to "check it out"...

Upon looking up at the clock and realizing he'd spent the last 2 hours choosing the cuter kitten after clicking on the link his sister had emailed him Danny developed a strong feeling of clicker's remorse for not having resisted the urge to click on the link.”

Sneeze Freeze –

“The frozen and contorted, usually mildly retarded looking, facial expression one makes for a few seconds before they let out a sneeze or when experiencing a "Sneezus Interruptus".

Check out his Sneeze Freeze. Take cover, it's going to be a BIG one! Dude, you have an extreme squishy face you're sneeze freezing! Bob: You were going to sneeze but it got away, huh?  Dave: How did you know?  Bob: I saw your sneeze freeze.”

Sincerely, the examples would fill a whole city. I could go on forever with these monumental…

Time Suck –

Something that's engrossing and addictive, but that keeps you from doing things that are actually important, like earning a living, or eating meals, or caring for your children.

"Ever since I got on Facebook I haven't been able to stay away. I'm spending hours on it each day -- it's a total time suck, but I can't stop! Grocery shopping and laundry will have to wait."

*must resist temptation*

Drum Roll. Time for my *Big* News.

Messy Magic in the Making

It took me over a year to call myself A Writer. Now I can add the label Published Author to my brand.

I signed with Musa Publishing, a small pub in Ohio, for my urban fantasy, The Magic Withheld.

Confetti anyone?