A Fight Song--And Thanks--For You

Hey gang! Wow, what a weekend it was. Blood Fugue was released into the wild (last seen scaring small children in Arkansas, I believe), I celebrated friend birthdays, talked with relatives I don't get to talk to nearly often enough--basically, it was nuts.

The outpouring of support and well-wishes for the story had me on cloud 9 (and not sleeping) most of the weekend. Then came Monday morning and all of the eMails I hadn't answered...

I figured out how to work a Rafflecopter last week, this week I'm going to learn how to clone myself. If you see a mutant man-fly roaming around, it means I failed. Miserably.

 (Anyone remember that epic Jeff Goldblum movie, The Fly, from the 80s? Still freaks me out, and I haven't seen it in years.)

Anyway, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun chatting with everyone who wished me luck. I'd also be lying if I said I didn't get a little emotional when I had to talk my mother through how to download the Kindle for PC so she could read my story. Might be one of the more weird/special/hilarious conversations I've ever had.

But enough about me, let's talk about you awesome people. Can you love people you've never met? I don't know, but you can sure like the heck out of 'em. YOU GUYS AND GALS ARE AMAZING! I know I dangled prizes like a carrot in front of a turtle, but still.

Most of the blog-buddies who jumped in to say 'Way to go!' I've known for a really long time. And most of them are authors and writers as well. They get the struggle. They appreciate, and in many cases have witnessed, the tornado I've ridden to get this point. Heck, many of them were sucked up right along with me.

I got an eMail from one of those blog-friends asking me for any tips or suggestions on how to get over the publishing hump. My first response was, "I've got both hands firmly glued to the seat of my pants at the moment, I'll let you know when they stop dragging me around long enough to figure out if it's North or South, Spring or Fall."

That's my colorful way of saying I have no clue. I have one story out, and it's like three days old. I'm an infant who spent 4 years in gestation. I have very few answers and lots of questions myself. And I suspect it will be this way after I've published my tenth and twentieth stories.

Of course, I'll reply to that eMail in a more serious fashion, and try to be as helpful as I can. But in the end, there's really only one answer:

KEEP TRYING. If you quit you'll never make it. (Eat your heart out Yogi Berra...)

You're doing the right things. You're working at the craft, you're reading great stories, you're writing all the time. Just keep doing it. And most of all, understand you're not doing it alone.

There's so much support out there. Other bloggers, writers, friends and family--all ready to give you a pat on the back, or a shove, when the time comes. It's very difficult to see that side of it when we spend most of our free time in front of a computer, or with our noses in a book, but it's there.

That's one reason I'm going to run a couple of author interviews this week. Nothing motivates me more as a writer than to hear about how other normal authors climbed the publishing heap. And the two ladies I've got lined up illustrate that very well, I think.

I'd also like to give you a fight song. Something to play when you think your best isn't good enough, when you're only halfway through the marathon and your legs are already numb. You'll do it eventually, and who knows, maybe you're almost there...