THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS is here!

I can't believe I haven't blogged about my debut novel, THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS. It seems as though everything has gone from 0 to 200 in five seconds flat this summer. I've been spinning a lot of plates while my daughter got married, doing three rounds of edits, setting up a website and preparing for this launch. I'm afraid a couple of plates crashed to the floor, including this blog.

The great news is THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS  is now available on Amazon as an ebook for just $2.99 (cheaper than a fancy cup of coffee at Starbucks) and I'm thrilled to say it has garnered 20 amazing reviews in less than two weeks. The majority are from complete strangers! It's surreal. I know that's an overused word but it is. Don't pinch me if I'm dreaming.

My publisher is Soul Mate Publishing from New York and I'm eternally grateful they believed in me and my story. In fact, I thanked them as well as a TON of other people on the Acknowledgement Page. You might be one of them but you'll have to get a copy before you can take a peek. Here's the buy link where you can read five chapters to get a feel for my novel: tinyurl.com/l9m26ht

THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS is women's fiction at its core but has many elements of romance and mystery. I love plot twists and surprising the reader. I can almost guarantee you'll be surprised while reading it.

To celebrate the release, I had a big launch party on Facebook. It was a virtual party where I had contests to win swag and gift cards. It was on my birthday, August 14, so that added to the fun. I'll talk more about the virtual party and swag in another post. For now, I'm enjoying the ride. A huge thanks to everyone for their support, downloads, and reviews. I wish we could all meet on a Thursday at Coconuts so I could buy a round of drinks! 

Who Can I Blame?

I finally made it here to my poor, neglected blog and don't have anyone to blame but myself. However, I do have a lot of EXCUSES.

First, we're away from home and are trying our hand at being snowbirds. (Yes, we have a house sitter and are heading home soon, so no worries.) While in sunny, warm Florida, many of our cold-weather friends joined us, extended their visit or made return trips. Who could blame them?! So, we've been very busy entertaining, doing laundry, getting groceries and seeing the sights. That's one reason I haven't been blogging or writing.

Secondly, my daughter is getting married in May. I'm hosting a bridal shower for her in April, so I'm madly ordering gifts, favors, sending out invitations, working on games, and so on. It's an exciting time, and of course, you know me. I am a perfectionist to the hundredth degree.

Third, I'm getting acquainted with my fellow Soul Mate Publishing author friends. They are very friendly, informative and helpful. These conversations equal at least 30 (if not 50) emails a day. Whew. And I've been working with the cover artist on my debut women's fiction, THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS. I'll be revealing that very soon!

Finally, we're tackling some renovations which includes tile, wallpaper, paint, and landscaping. Why in the world did I think I had time for that?

So, who can I blame? No one but myself. I hope to get back to a regular routine now. What projects are you juggling? What are your excuses?

My Novel Is Under Contract!

If you are a friend or family member, you already know my exciting news but I feel the need to shout it from the rooftop of my blog. I'm under contract with Soul Mate Publishing for my debut novel, THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS!!!

I couldn't be happier. I couldn't be more excited. I couldn't be more scared.

Here's how it went down. My editor, Debby Gilbert, a senior editor and founder of Soul Mate Publishing, asked for the first thee chapters of THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS during an online pitch session in April. I edited and polished the chapters, gave them an air kiss and sent them on their way.

Then I waited.

Okay, it was only a couple of months (which is very fast in the publishing world) but still. One night I came home after dining out and checked my email before going to bed. The editor said she enjoyed my first three chapters so much that she wanted to see the full manuscript. Elation. And no sleep that night but it was worth it.

I spent the month of May polishing and editing my novel (yet again) sans makeup, dirty hair, vitamin D (sunshine) and in my pj's practically the entire month hoping one of the four editors/agents who requested a partial during April would want a full. That hard-core editing paid off because I was ready to send it to Soul Mate Publishing right away when she requested the full.

A few more nail-biting weeks passed. The editor, Debby, sent an email apologizing for not getting back to me, saying it would take a couple more weeks. More sleepless nights ensued. Then, one morning I awakened to read her email saying she wanted to sign me. She wanted to represent me. She loved THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS.

Ta-da! I was thrilled. Since it's my debut novel, it was important for me to hear from a complete stranger in the publishing biz that my work was good enough to be published. Maybe it's just me but I needed that validation. I didn't want to assume that because my mom, daughter, girlfriends and a few beta readers liked my novel that it was good enough. I'm glad I took the time to go through this process.

First, I'll have an ebook (which I've never had so that's another exciting aspect) and a print book will follow several months later. I'm thrilled I'll have both types of books available. By the way, my novel is a work of women's fiction with elements of romance, humor and suspense.

Now, I've got tons of forms to fill out, formatting to do, tax prep, cover art to consider, a SMP blog to join, review sites to pour over, marketing ideas and more to work on. I also told my editor that I've started the sequel and she was happy to hear that. Uh oh. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that. I could use a break, but of course, I won't take much of one. My novel is under contract!