Need a Last Minute Gift?

If you need a last minute gift idea, you can always get my debut novel in paperback. Books of Azric: The Beginning, Volume 1 on Amazon. Available on Kindle as well.

"The cast of characters that author B.M. Griffin created in this book is amazing ... you are not sure who is really the good guy and who is the bad guy. The author engages all your senses. This is a great story, with definitely lots of violence. It's bounty hunting and crimes and sheriffs." - Readers'Favorite

If you enjoy reading about violence and sex, this is the book for you. 

With a 4.7 star rating on Amazon you can't go wrong. Don't believe me, here's one of my readers.

If you’re looking for a story to give you a break from drama filled love stories, and wish to read about Castles, realms, a sheriff, and bounty hunters on a journey, this is the book for you! Griffin has smartly written characters within a creative setting. In and out of the taverns and brothels there is a lot of action. Sword fights, bows and arrows, and clever dialogue.

In between the ale drinking there was tea drinking (hee-hee, I kept picturing these manly men with weapons hanging from their belts, sipping on dainty tea cups). Of course, a character would get angry and the tea cup would be thrown into a wall, once again confirming the manly men part.

Uh, lol, there are some, uh, graphic parts that take you by surprise. Some… dismemberments to put it, uh, lightly. But there are some not so violent, plot surprises also, that have you ready for the next book in the series.

Why I Haven't Been Posting

Ok, I think it’s time for a bit of an update on why I haven’t been posting much of anything. Back in February of 2016 I went on disability due to dizziness and migraines. It started off slowly with an episode once a month or so but it became worse as time went on. Finally I could no longer do my daily job and had to go on disability. I was unsafe driving, it felt like I was drunk but without all the fun. I live in a small town and live forty miles from my job in the most dangerous state to drive in the U.S., Montana. So the fact that I can’t drive makes it hard to do anything.  I could manage sitting in front of a computer for about an hour maximum, usually way less than that, before I’d get a raging migraine.

The next several months I spent in and out of hospitals and doctor visits. Test after test and even an MRI (by the way, I think I know where dubstep came from, if you’ve had an MRI you’ll know what I’m talking about.). I felt like an alien ship came out of space and abducted me and they wanted to run experiments on me. I went through several hours of physical therapy, trying to determine what makes me dizzy. Nobody had an answer for me. I was told, ‘Dude, you’re fucked in the head and we don’t know why.’ Granted, they didn’t tell it to me quite like that but that’s what I took from it. I even had one doctor say “fascinating” maybe for them but that’s not how I feel. Hell, I could have been on an episode of House…other than I’m not dying but it feels like I am some days. Through all of this I was put into classifications that only some of my symptoms fit into. This made things worse because I was given medications that helped one and intensified the other.

After almost six months I was finally diagnosed with some kind of inner ear disease, but they weren’t sure which one because they can’t really run tests. They told me the disease caused vestibular migraines. Sounds fun, right? Wrong. I’m constantly dizzy with a fun upswing of dizziness that I have no clue when it’s going to hit me or for how long. I can feel people walking by me through the floor, kind of like in an old house, but I get the same feeling on concrete too. A car can go by or someone opens a door and changes the pressure in the room I’m in. These are just a few examples on what can make me dizzy for hours before I’m capable of functioning normally again. Heat kills me, and I was miserable all summer long. All of this is just the dizziness, the migraines were just as complicated.

The first medication I was given for my migraines got rid of them almost instantly. However, it felt like I had pins and needles in my hands and feet. Like lying on your arm too long and that feeling of numbness taking over but this was constant. I felt like a zombie shuffling through my house and the dizziness was taken to another level. A month or so went by before I realized what was going on and I hadn’t done anything. I don’t remember much from that time frame either. Thankfully my neurologist put me on a new prescription. I still get the migraines, just not as frequent. I’m able to sit in front of a computer now for longer periods of time but not to the capacity I need but we’re getting there.

My first physical therapist retired so I ended up with another one and we had to go through a lot of the same things again but now with a diagnosis we’re moving in the right direction. Recently I was told we are going to reprogram my brain to handle the dizziness (the Matrix popped in my head with images of tubes and wires running in and out of my head) because it isn’t going to go away. The doctors are saying I will have to deal with this for the rest of my life. “Well, why don’t you take a motion pill that helps with dizziness?” Asks everyone and their dog and cat. I’ve taken several and they help take a slight edge off but never helps the upswings. It’s like scratching a mosquito bite, it feels good for a moment but it comes back worse.

Anyway, how has this affected my writing? Well for starters, like I said before, I can’t sit in front of a computer for too long without getting a migraine. When I’m super dizzy I can’t think straight so it makes it hard to write. Let’s put it this way, in the beginning of 2016 I had, at max, about ten chapters left to write. I don’t write like George R.R. Martin either, before this, ten chapters would have taken me at most about ten weeks. However, I didn’t finish writing it until late August. My medical issues have added on an additional six months to the writing process. I was hoping to have my second book published by now but nooooo my head gave me the finger and said “suck it fool.”

Good news though, I have finished writing The Books of Azric: Truth, Volume 2. For those of you thinking, why not the middle, it could only be called the middle if I only had a trilogy going with this. But my characters added on a few more books because of what they decided to do in their past, present and future. I’m currently in the editing phase, wow, I actually eye rolled when I typed that. If you don’t know how much I loth editing, you can find out about it here.

I’m slowly getting better as time passes. I try and write once a day, even if it’s only for an hour but it’s still something. I’ve started writing a new story that has nothing to do with The Books of Azric, that I know of anyway, my stories tend to write themselves. It’s moving along slowly. If I push myself too hard I’m down for one to three days, unable to do much of anything. But that’s where I am and why I haven’t posted much of anything over the last year.

On a different note, I’ve grown a pretty epic beard that I’m happy with. So there’s always that. 

Books of Azric, The Beginning Free

That's right, you heard it here. From May 30th to June 3rd The Books of Azric, The Beginning will be free on kindle. Just click here and you can get your free copy today. Here's a sneak peek at the first chapter.

Chapter 1

Hiding in the shadows, he eyes over the town for an opening. The rain hinders his hearing as it pours down all around him; he has to rely on sight alone. He sees a group of drunks coming out of one tavern, heading over to another.

"They're not your concern," he says to himself under his breath.

The bag by his feet moves around a little bit. Colt looks down at it, giving it a kick with his heel. "Quiet," he snaps at it, "or I'll get the reward for dead, not alive."

He's positioned in an alley, hiding from those around him. He just entered Orcshire on the return trip from gathering his bounty. The street is muddy. There is safety from the rain under the porches of the taverns that surround the street, all the way up to the old courtyard of the castle, but he can't risk that.

He doesn't normally go for live bounties, especially in Realm 5, but he made an exception for this one. Going into Realm 5 after a bounty for dead rewards is suicide in its own right, let alone trying to drag the man back alive. This time, though, the bounty was just too good to pass up. Several bounty hunters have tried and died. Realm 5 is the most dangerous place in all of Azric.

Colt waits in the shadows, rain steadily coming down. Colt's hood is pulled over his eyes, blocking out the rain. The Portal is too far away to make it there safely. If it were just him, he would make a run for it, but carrying a body makes it harder. Even if he were to stay in the shadows and walk slowly, he is sure to be spotted. The corrupt Sheriff Blade is aware that he's in Realm 5 and Orcshire is the only way to get out of it.

Blade's minions are everywhere and can't make a move. The rain lets up a little and Colt's hearing picks up sounds other than rain. The squeaking wheel of a wagon gets his attention.

"Maybe I could overpower the driver and steal the wagon," he whispers to the bag lying in the mud.

He reaches down and grabs the hilt of his dagger with his left hand. He turns his head towards the sound coming up the muddy path. The squeaking wheel is getting louder. Colt is unable to see the wagon through the fog and rain. His heart rate is calm and his grip is tight on the hilt. He eases the dagger out of its sheath.

The blade is almost clear of the sheath when he snaps it back into place. The wagon comes into view and pulling it is a young Elf. Colt looks at him curiously because he's out of place in Realm 5. He gives the bag a kick with his heel and moves cautiously towards the Elf.

"Boy." Colt nears the Elf.

The Elf looks at Colt with wide eyes.

"Boy. Come here."

The Elf looks at Colt, then points a finger at himself.

"Yes, boy, you." Colt grows impatient.

He pulls the cart over to Colt and looks down at him. Colt, not being a large man, is shorter than the Elf.

The Elf can't be more than a few hundred years old. His face is young and his long hair is pulled into a ponytail.

"What can I help you with, sir?"

"How would you like a job?"

"I have a job."

"I see that, but I have a job that can take you out of Realm 5." Colt smiles, thinking he just sold the idea to the Elf.

"No!" The Elf raises his voice. "I'm not a criminal."

Before the Elf can make a bigger scene, Colt calmly puts his right hand up.

"Neither am I." Colt cautiously shows him his bounty hunter badge.

"You're a bou—"

Colt covers the Elf's mouth with a flash of his hand. "Silence, boy, or we're both dead!" Colt shoots him a look and gradually uncovers his mouth. "I need your help."

"What do you need me to do?" The Elf lowers his head to get closer to Colt.

"I need your wagon more than you, but you can come along if you want." Colt waves him to follow.

The Elf follows Colt to the darkened alley. He sees the bag on the ground and pulls the cart next to it.

"Is he dead?"

"No. That's why I need your cart, so I can make it to the Portal. Blade knows I'm here and she wants me dead."

"Why does the Sheriff of Realm 5 want you dead?" The Elf eyes him curiously.

"No time for that, just help me load him on the cart." Colt grabs the foot of the bag.

They throw the body into the handcart with a thud. Colt puts his bow and quiver of arrows next to the body and covers them both with a raggedy old cloth blanket. He slides his sword into the cart with the hilt easily accessible. He reaches into his cloak, pulls out two throwing knives from his green vest, and palms one in each hand.

The Elf gets ready in front of the cart. He reaches down to grab the handles, tightens both hands, and lifts with little effort. The young Elf is able to move the wheels easily through the thick mud.

"Take your time. There's no need to rush." Colt looks around without turning his head, so he doesn't draw any unnecessary attention. People are going to be watching him anyway because he's working with an Elf, and there aren't very many in Realm 5.

"When we reach the Portal, boy, you—"

"Zane. My name is Zane," Zane interrupts him.

"Well, Zane, you go through first with the cart and when you get through, drop to your knees and put your hands up."

"Why?"

"Because the Portal Guards will kill you if you don't have a Guard with you, or a badge." Colt pats his left breast where his bounty badge is.

"Hey, Colt!" a voice booms from behind him. "Blade has been looking for you!"

Colt wheels around out of pure instinct and releases the knife in his left hand. The blade makes short work of the distance between them. It finds the left eye of the man shouting his name. The force of the throw makes the man fall backwards, squishing in the mud. Colt can feel eyes upon him.

"Move!" 

The formatting gets a little off when I post it on my blog. If you liked this blurb, check out the full book here, just in case you forgot to click above. 

Guest Blog Spot

The other day I was asked to do a guest blog for another writer. Here is the link if you want to check it out.

http://jimvinespresents.blogspot.com/2016/05/guest-blog-by-bm-griffin.html

My Wolf and Me by India R. Adams

As an author it's always good to allow myself to grow. I challenged myself to read things that I normally wouldn't read and I figured what better way to do this than to help other indie authors and give them a review as well. They will come in unedited because I'll probably be posting a couple a month, fingers crossed and they'll need to be done quick. I know over time I'll become better at the reviews so hang in there. Here is the first of many.

“My Wolf and Me” by India R. Adams is not your typical love story. This isn’t the usual story I would read either but I was intrigued by the synopsis. A lycan that doesn’t turn into a man until later in life and needing to save his friend. I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed it, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

Now, when I say this is not your typical love story it’s because all the love is not shared between the two main characters. India Adams nails the love of best friends, not just lovers. The love only a parent can have for a child. This story to me is not just about romance, it’s about life and remembering all the little things that truly make us happy. The innocence that we are born with and have lost over time.

She was able to build a set of characters, different from one another without making them flat in a short amount of time in this novella. As an author, it can be difficult to do and I applaud India R. Adams for her incredible talent with character building.

India Adams was a thrill to read and cannot wait for the next story of hers to read. I have learned from what she has shared with all of us and I hope that it will make me a better writer for it. 

How I Develop Chapters

Chapter development is an excruciating process when it comes to writing. Not really but it sounded like a good thing to say. This is kind of my process on chapter development.

The Beginning, it’s where I have to start.

The beginning is where I set which characters are going to be in the particular chapter, obviously. Like I’m telling you something that’s life changing as an author. I also create a scenario for them to start in, wow, another mind blowing revelation.

At this point in time it’s all about setting the rest of the opening scene. Am I starting off of a cliff hanger and need to finish that off first? Do I need to create a point with this chapter? There are a lot of questions that I need to answer before I can really write.

Once these are answered I can move on to the middle, but I don’t go to the middle right away.

The ending in the middle, kind of.

I don’t really start writing until I figure out the beginning and the end. The ending is important because you either create a cliff hanger or come to a conclusion. Creating the ending is a lot of fun for me, especially with a cliff hanger.

Before writing this post, I just finished writing this cliff hanger in my second novel that will probably upset some readers but it was so worth it. The entire time I was almost giggling with excitement. I really want to be there when someone reads it so I can see their reaction. It will be marvelous.

That’s why it’s so important for the ending. You want the readers invested so they continue on with the book. Cliff hangers and plot twists really keeps that going. Dropping a plot twist in the middle and finishing it at the end, where’s the fun in that?

The middle, where the guts are.

I never really plan out the middle. It usually just happens. Once I have the beginning and the ending I just let it flow, but how? Getting out of the beginning can be tricky at times. I found the best way to get out of the beginning is using dialogue.

Dialogue helps drive the chapter with conversation, whaaaa? Right, *explosion* mind blown. I wrote a chapter in Books of Azric: The Beginning with minimal dialogue and it was tough as hell. It was so hard to keep it going. In the end it was a great chapter. I got so many compliments with that chapter. I don’t think I’ll write another like that any time soon, mainly because it’s a singular character not interacting with anyone.

Anyway, dialogue helps generate movement and sometimes it changes the ending when my characters take over. I try and mold it one way but that doesn’t happen all the time. Letting it flow more naturally creates a realistic feeling to the chapter.

The finished chapter doesn’t turn out the way I think it will.

When the chapter is over I always look at it like, wait, that’s not what I intended but that’s how it turned out. It gets me excited when I write something that surprises me. Adding new characters to the story is pretty awesome as well. I never know when someone new will show up and when they do it adds to the story, giving it depth.

My chapters always start the way I want them to, but they don’t always end the way they’re supposed to. That’s what writing is all about, letting it flow. The good endings stay the way they are, usually or get twisted to another form of ending but still delivering what I desired, more or less. The way I look at it, if you control every aspect, it never turns out right, but that’s just my opinion.

My Marketing Journey

I’ve finished my book. It’s been edited and published. How do I get it out to my millions of unsuspecting fans? Marketing. Yep, that’s right, it’s time for me to market. It’s the ongoing struggle of all independent authors. It’s time I share my struggles and victories I suppose. More importantly I want to share what I learned and what I’m going to do differently on my second novel.

Release Day.

What a joyous occasion this was for me. I was so excited to finally be getting my book out there. I put it on createspace.com, went through everything I needed to and bam it was available for the general public. Alright, here comes the sales, the reviews, and the money.

I was so wrong, I got minimal sales right off the bat. I think I sold four copies. Hey, that’s okay. That’s not bad for the first day. Or the first week. Or the first month… Okay, what am I doing wrong? I had no clue what I was doing, or what I was going to do. I guess I was just hoping that once I released it people would just be like, “Ooh, a new book”, and buy it up.

Selling on my own feels like a used car salesmen.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to get money to get my own books. I was hoping my online sales would give me the money for that but I was wrong. That’s when my amazing fiancée agreed to let me take out a loan to buy fifty books to sell on my own. It was the best thing I could do at that point. Who better for word of mouth than me?

I got the books and gave copies to my BETA Readers like I told them I would. Next step, everyone that told me, “Oh yeah, I’ll buy your book, just let me know when.” I thought they would go online and do it anyway, but that didn’t happen. It was time to call them on it.

I started selling finally. Everyone that said they would buy, was just waiting for me to bring it to them. In retrospect, I could have charged a delivery fee too. I wouldn’t, but it would have been funny. I now had some sales under my belt, but what should I do next? I turned to the internet. I already did a lot of research in the beginning but it’s a ton to take in and learn. After searching, I found having a professional review would be beneficial.

Reviews are awesome.

I didn’t think I could afford a professional review until I came across Readers Favorites. They are a low cost reviewer that hires everyday readers to review your book for you. They offered a free version but there was no guarantee it would be read. I jumped on that. Woo, what a rush, posting it for a review.

Weeks went by and still no review. Well, that sucks. Guess there needs to be a plan B. Good news, plan B came the next day after making a few more sales. I had enough to pay for the review. I was jacked. So jacked that I did my happy dance (looks more like convulsing mixed with laughter) and I submitted my novel with payment.

A few weeks went by and there, in my email, was the review. I was glued to the screen, reading and rereading. It was amazing. The entire time I was so nervous they wouldn’t like it but it was awesome. The review was a 4.2 out of 5 stars. I couldn’t be happier, well 5 stars would have been even cooler. I was ecstatic, it went all over social media, I was proud of it.

Now that I have this awesome review, what was I going to do with it? Readers Favorite already posts it on Nook and several other sites. I post it on Amazon but what else can I do? I know, I can advertise.

Advertising, expensive and the wrong kind won’t work.

I went to my author’s page on Facebook and posted my book on there for like the hundredth time. This time was different, I was going to pay to have the post be seen. Yeah, this felt great. I set my budget, it wasn’t a high budget, but it was mine so there.

I figured I’d sit back and let the sales come to me. After all, I just got this fantastic review, this should be a breeze. Yet again, I was wrong. Thousands of views and more page likes, but one thing I didn’t get was a sale, not a single one. What a waste of money, or was it?

It would have only been a waste if I didn’t learn anything from it. Maybe if I had a larger budget I might have received a few sales, but would it have been worth hundreds of dollars to receive a handful of sales? I don’t think so.

However, I did find that social media marketing is great to get an email list going on a website. Advertising used correctly will be more profitable. Used wrong, it’s a waste of money. Well, I don’t have a lot of funds at this point, so what’s my next option?

Book signings have been my best friend.

I found that I’m pretty good when it comes to book signings. As many people who know me, I’m pretty loud, in a good way, I think. I’m personable, funny, charming (Fiancée will laugh at this) but I can sell in person better than anywhere else.

Book signings have been my number one seller for me. Getting out and meeting people. Talking about your book is amazing. If your eyes light up about the book, someone will want to read it. They’re also a lot of fun, especially if other authors are there too.

What have I learned in this process?

The biggest thing I learned is getting the book out there to readers. On my next release, I’m going to try a couple of other tactics. I think the main thing, will be setting it as free for the first five days. This will help me get the book out there and get reviews from readers.

When it’s all said and done, getting more material out into the world is the best thing an author can do. It’s not anything I’ve learned, it’s just a proven fact. Keep writing, write some more, when you think you’ve written enough do it all over again. 

My Experience Writing My First Novel

I have been asked many times at book signings, and just around by my friends and family on how my first experience was writing and how long it took. I have answered many times on this, so I decided to write it out.

Writing the book.

I found that writing the book was the easiest part of the whole process, I just didn’t realize it at the time. It was definitely the longest part, but not the hardest.

I started with an idea, a thought that had come into play about a year before I started it. A bounty hunter set in a medieval, fantasy setting. I created the world, writing down everything that I could think of. Created portals to travel between realms. Had a good handle on the characters. I knew exactly what was going to happen with each character, and why.

Then I started writing. Other than the names, pretty much everything went out the window. Characters that were supposed to die gave me the bird and survived their impending doom. Characters that were to live, died in a tragic but needed way to propel certain characters. I always read articles about characters writing themselves, but I never believed it until they did it to me.

Their personalities came out early on. I was trying to make it more of a teen novel, but one character changed the course of the book. I tried rewriting his scenes but he just wouldn’t allow it to happen. He was the first character to drop the ‘F’ bomb, the first to have more of a graphic love scene (not too graphic I suppose, but still, it was there), and became my favorite character to write.

I was surprised on how my characters reacted and how the story unfolded. It felt like I was floating above them the entire time, just writing down what I saw.  This whole process went on for about three months. Three months of writing just about every day for ten to twelve hours on some days. I’d even get home from my full-time job and write for three or four hours. It was long and intense, and drove my fiancée crazy, but the results were amazing.

Self-Editing, oh the dreaded editing.

Self-Editing, how I loathe thee. I even wrote a post on my blog about how much I truly hate self-editing. It’s long and takes almost as long as writing the damn story. I mean come on now, who really wants to search for their own mistakes all the time?

During the writing process, I thought I was nailing the grammar and punctuation of it all. Oh, how wrong I was. I read it and was like, “What the hell was I thinking here?” After I was done, I handed it over to my fiancée. This was the first time I had ever let someone read it.

I was nervous to say the least, she was annoyed. She read it, with me looking over her shoulder almost the entire way (like now). I put so much work into this that I couldn’t bear what she was going to tell me, or find. After a few days of me harping she finished it.

I got it back littered with the red markings of Track Changes. I was mortified, I thought I did an amazing job editing just to find out I suck at it. Good news, everyone is terrible at self-editing, so don’t worry about it. I went through it, made some changes, rejected some suggestions and in the end, there were still issues.

So I went through it again. Changing, fixing, rewriting, and then she hits me with a bomb. I have a plot hole. I have failed as a writer. “I’m just going to scrap the whole fucking thing,” this is truly what I said. At first, I was mad at her for pointing it out. How dare she do this to me? I’ve spent months writing this, and now I have this major hole in the entire plot.

Then, after realizing it’s not her fault, I got through my angry panic and I sat down to figure out how to fix this major road block. After all, this is why I had her read it first. I relaxed when I was able to fix it with three sentences. I couldn’t believe it, three sentences to fix it all. Whew, crisis averted! Next was my BETA readers.

BETA Readers, a must.   

I had many people ask me, what are you working on? When can I read it? How much longer is it going to be? Shut the fuck up or I’m going to smack you in your fucking face, uh, I mean soon and it’s a book.

BETA Readers are one of the most vital steps an author can take. They help you determine if all the time you’ve spent writing was worth it. I had ten people lined up, that’s friends and family of course. I sent it out to them, with a disclaimer stating to have it back to me within one month with what you thought of it in detail and you’ll get a free autographed copy of my book once it’s published.

Now, BETA Readers need to stay focused. I had to stay on top of them a bit and the ones I lined up no longer had the time to put in it. I stopped harping on them and turned my focus to the ones still reading it.

I asked them many questions throughout the process, getting responses like “Leave me alone, I’ll email you when I’m done.”

“Who are you again, just kidding, like I could forget.” Regular comedians they were. In the end, only about four of them sent back a response, which, from my understanding, is typical. I got a lot of positive feedback. Some negative, but that’s how we grow as writers. If you can’t accept the bad and learn from it, then you’re in the wrong line of work.

I thank all of my BETA Readers. They were extremely important in the process and I couldn’t have done it without them.

Cover design, my bad.

I found the cover design to be a tricky situation. I can’t color, let alone draw, to save my life. I needed help but I was broke. “My brother is a talented artist, I’ll ask him.” He was more than happy to do it but told me he’s super busy with work. He runs his own construction business if you were wondering, if not, whatever you know now.

Anyway, I gave him the details on what I wanted and he went to work on it, kind of. He got really busy. I started hassling…months went by and still no cover. He was doing it for free so I can’t complain about this, to him anyway (if he reads this it’s going to be “Look here fuck stick,” or something along those lines.) He finally found some time to work on it. His art work was great but there was something wrong with it. Something was missing. The portal looked weird, it needed a stand instead of being free floating. “Told you so,” is what he basically said and he didn’t have the time to help change it or start over, which was fine. He did more than I could ask for. To be honest he did exactly what I asked for. I just apparently didn’t know what I wanted.

“A new artist, oh no, I don’t have money. This is going to cost me, what do I do?” Then a friend came up to me, “Hey, I have an artist for you. They owe me money so I’ll have them do it for free.” I was taken back by his generosity. I didn’t know what to say. He put us in contact. I ended up giving her full artist discretion, which I didn’t give my brother at all, my bad. Sorry, kind of set him up for disaster on that one. You live and learn.

So, my artist comes in and makes this amazing painting, but it won’t fit on a cover. It won’t upload or anything. “Dammit, what am I going to do?” Same friend swoops in (he was my savior with the cover so yes he swooped.) and does some cool things with Photoshop. He wouldn’t accept a single payment for it either. Next go around he won’t have a choice in the matter.

Cover done, I’m ready to publish…wrong. What do I have left? My fiancée suggests I follow through with a professional editor.

Editing, of the professional kind.

How was I going to afford a professional editor? I mean hell, they can cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars and I was sitting there with like fifty bucks. I know…Kickstarter. Let me tell you, if you don’t have a following or money for advertising, you’re not going to have a successful Kickstarter campaign. At least, that was my experience anyway.

All of a sudden I got a message from someone who donated to my cause. She was an editor and didn’t charge an arm and a leg, which is great because I like having two of each. I talk it over with my banker (that’s another thing I call my fiancée) and I send off my manuscript to some unknown person.

She was professional and made a ton of corrections, I was thankful. At this point I also had a lot of experience understanding that I may not be the best self-editor, I might possibly be the worst, so I wasn’t as mortified seeing all the red. It was like looking at a slasher movie. I made changes then sent a payment and the manuscript, again.

In a timely manner, she sent it back to me, and I sent my final payment. She allowed me to make payments. This was super helpful and allowed me to get a professional edit on my book. A huge life saver for myself and my book. Finally, I was done with it all.

How long and what did I learn?

So how long did this take me? From start to finish it took me about a year and half to two years to get to publishing. For my next novel, I don’t think it’ll take me as long, fingers crossed.

Everything I learned in this process was necessary. I didn’t realize how much went into it all. The big thing I learned is that if you give someone a deadline and they don’t make it, find someone else. It’s probably better for both of you anyway. No reason to keep harping on them to finish something they don’t have time to do.

I want to thank everyone again on how much they truly helped me.

I guess the work is never really done. My next step, marketing, but that’s another article down the road.