I am happy to announce that I have just submitted my second novel, The One Enlightened, to Amazon for review. It should be available for purchase either tomorrow or Tuesday. I cannot begin to express to you the joy that I have in sharing the second book of the Chronicles of the Diasodz with you all. I am truly living my dream and am so honored that you are joining me on my journey.
I remember when I was first trying to publish The One Discovered. I had such a difficult time getting a publishing company even to read my query letter. Those who did wrote back that it wasn't what they were looking for or that they were only working with published authors. After learning that several authors whose books I enjoy reading started off as independent (indie) authors, I decided that if it was good enough for them, then it was good enough for me.
I don't regret that decision for a second! I love being the only one to control the story line and my character's words and actions. I love having full control of how the cover is going to look. And I LOVE becoming part of great communities of indie authors who enjoy promoting one another and helping each other out. Two of those groups are the #RaveReviewsBookClub and the #IndieAuthorsBeSeen group. I have met some really talented authors as well as gracious, fellow writers who have been willing to either read and review my novel or help promote me. I, in turn, have done the same for them because there is a beauty in honoring others for their hard work and passion.
Although I am an independent author, I have not done this alone. My family has supported my dream of becoming an author long before I had even dreamt of the Diaosdz. My closest friends have listened to my ideas and have read my rough drafts over and over again to help me find errors. And then there are my beta readers from Goodreads.com! I love those people! They are complete strangers to me and have no reason to fluff my ego, so I know that their words of advice are genuine. I pay them with nothing more than reading my novel for free (and a signed copy after the printed version is released), and they scrutinize the life out of it just to help me make the story the best it can be. I owe them more gratitude than I can express in words for their critiques and editing suggestions.
So, on the eve of my second novel's release, I ask you all to share with your friends that this AMAZING book is about to be available! Encourage them to read The One Discovered and fall in love with my dreamy Diasodz. And then ask them to search the groups above and find other authors that they've never read before and take a chance on them. There are brilliant stories out there waiting to be read, if only a reader will take a chance on an unknown. :-)
https://clrozelle.wordpress.com/2014/12/08/10-things-that-suck-and-rock-about-being-an-indie-author-part-1/