The Adventure: with author CINDY THOMSON: My Current Scribing Adventure, pt. 2

CONTINUED from Thursday:

And that brings me up to today. I just finished a new novel, one I worked on for nearly two years. When it’s polished and the book proposal is ready, I will seek out a new publisher. I could publish it myself, but I would like the support a big publisher can offer (having experienced that earlier with my traditionally published books). Maybe I’ll get another agent at some point. Or maybe not, who knows?

The publishing life is filled with ups and downs. Once I realized that, it was a little easier to go with the flow. In today’s environment, there are lots of possibilities for writers. While competition is tough, there are still plenty of readers out there. Traditional publishers, small presses, indie publishing, blogs, magazines … so many opportunities await.

One thing I’ve noticed while quarantining and observing social media posts from others is that this time of slowing down has sparked creativity in many people. Baking, painting, gardening, sewing, crafting, writing, making music … I hope you are doing something to get connected to your creative side because everyone has one. Do you agree? Keep on creating!

Bio: Known for the inspirational Celtic theme employed in most of her books, Cindy Thomson is the author of six novels and four non-fiction books, including her newest, Finding Your Irish Roots. A genealogy enthusiast, she writes from her home in Ohio where she lives with her husband Tom near their three grown sons and their families. 


PRIZE DRAWING:

Anyone who comments on either post Thursday and Friday AND comments on any post at http://cindyswriting.com/blog/ will be entered in the drawing to win this nifty bookmark, to be held May 22.

Web site: http://www.cindyswriting.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cindyswriting

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cindy-thomson

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cindyswriting

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/cindyswriting

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/cindythomson

The Adventure: with author CINDY THOMSON: My Current Scribing Adventure

Hello!

I’m happy you stopped by to hear my wee tale. I call it my current adventure because after almost twenty years of writing for publication (not counting the years I just made up stories just for my own amusement) I have learned that the writing journey is ever changing.

For me, it started with my interest in researching my family roots. I started as a teenager collecting names and dates from the oldest family members at family reunions and by writing letters. I wish now I had asked for more stories along with those names and dates. Stories are the most interesting part. I was fortunate to find someone who had traced one branch of my family back to 1771 when the family came to America from Ireland. I was hooked. Why did they come then? Why did they leave one daughter behind in Ireland? What was America like when they came and why did they keep pulling up roots and relocating across the new country? I couldn’t find all those answers other than what the reasons likely were for anyone living at that time. So … I made it up! That was my first adventure into writing fiction, a story that has never been published but led to other things.

I eventually found an agent and then a publisher for my first book. At the same time I co-authored a baseball novel that was published by a university press, a completely different experience than publishing novels. Then my fiction publisher wanted no more fiction. They did, however, publish a non-fiction book I wrote. After that I busied myself by writing a ton of genealogy articles for magazines. Then obtained a new agent, then a new publisher and two published novels. Yay, right? But then one book by that publisher was canceled. Eventually my new agent left me and I went on to self-publish several new books (including the one that the publisher had canceled, which some readers have said was my best novel thus far!)

If this sounds like I was doing a lot, remember it’s over twenty years!

CONTINUED Friday

PRIZE DRAWING:

Anyone who comments on either post Thursday and Friday AND comments on any post at http://cindyswriting.com/blog/ will be entered in the drawing to win this nifty bookmark, to be held May 22.

Bio: Known for the inspirational Celtic theme employed in most of her books, Cindy Thomson is the author of six novels and four non-fiction books, including her newest, Finding Your Irish Roots. A genealogy enthusiast, she writes from her home in Ohio where she lives with her husband Tom near their three grown sons and their families.   

Web site: http://www.cindyswriting.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cindyswriting

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cindy-thomson

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cindyswriting

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/cindyswriting

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/cindythomson

Off the Bookshelf: WRITING CONVERSATIONS: Spend 365 Days with Your Favorite Authors ... by Cherie K. Miller

Okay, big confession time: When I picked up this book on Kindle -- either very inexpensive/on sale, or maybe even free at the time (it's been so long since I went on a book-ordering frenzy when I first got my iPad...) I thought this book was about writing conversation, as in writing dialogue.

DUH!

This is MUCH more useful.

This is a collection of bits of wisdom from published authors, advice, sharing of their experiences, lessons learned, glimpses into their approach to writing. Conversations ABOUT writing. And what's really useful is that there are several indexes, so if you're looking for a specific topic, a specific author, or even reference to a specific book, you can find it.

Niftily (no, that isn't a word, but writers are allowed to make up words when necessary!) these bits of wisdom and help are divided up kind of like those page-a-day calendars, so on January 1, you get a bit of wisdom. Then move on to January 2. On through the year. Kind of like a writer's morning devotions. Of course, I devoured it in 5 days, but I'll be back. Pick it up. You never know when you'll need a bit of encouragement, a new bit of insight into a problem you're facing in your writing process, or a glimpse into how your favorite author thinks.