I Think I Love You.
In this Edition:
Quote.
Update & Motivate.
The Power of Pre-orders for Authors.
Discussing books you should consider pre-ordering: IT’S ONE OF US and GHOST TAMER.
I’m doing my first “author talk:” How I Got My Agent with Melissa Collings.
Final thoughts.
If the title line freaked you out, I should clarify: I’m NOT IN LOVE with you. But you’re reading this, so let’s be honest, there’s something here.
Update & Motivate:
Happy early Valentine’s Day! It might just be me, but this “holiday” feels controversial. So if you’re hating on Valentine’s day right now, I’m with you. But don’t tell my children because they’re super excited for it. For whatever reason, they’ve been counting down the days. I keep asking them…what do you expect to happen on Valentine’s day?
I’m excited to say I met with my lovely literary agent last week, and I have a solid plan for editing The Love Pentagon! I’m also very close to finishing my psychological thriller, so before I switch to funny, sweet, and steamy, I’ll remain in this darker suspense state and complete this novel. I’m excited about all 3 novels that are in the air right now. And hoping that something comes of them.
For those of you who’ve been with me for a while, you know by now that I’m a fairly positive person, and I encourage my readers to be as well. But there are days I think it’s just fine to let yourself feel the feelings. Careful not to enter a perpetual state.
Some days I feel like this writing thing is going to happen. “This is the year for publication!”
Other days, I ask myself, You’re not going to make it, are you? All this work will be for nothing, you pathetic loser.
The bottom line, I’m not always positive.
If you can relate or might be feeling this second way, I have two words for you: “Stop it.” It’s time to re-watch my favorite therapy video: Bob Newhart’s MADtv sketch. (come back to this. In fact, I’ll link it in the bottom of the post instead of right here so you keep reading.)
It’s not as easy as Bob makes it out to be, but we can’t be thinking this negatively about ourselves.
If you’re wondering about Aerie’s little Valentine business/lesson. She had 30 orders for her treat boxes, and I have a new respect for people who own their own business and sell goods!
Finally, this must be the time for self care reminders. After I sent my self-care email last week, I ran across 3 instances online discussing the same thing. It’s interesting. It tells us something about society, I think. A lot of us don’t know how to take care of ourselves.
What Pre-Orders Mean for Authors:
“Pre-orders” refer to the number of people (or orders) who buy your book before it’s available. The book is for sale. It will arrive soon. But it’s not on the shelf yet.
Pre-orders also give retailers and readers a sense that they should pay attention to this book. There’s a “buzz,” a sense of anticipation.
From the bookseller perspective, the number of people who pre-order a book is a good early indicator of a book’s success, and can lead to those retailers purchasing more of that book to have on their shelves.
I didn’t know this until I started hanging out with authors who were getting published.
The pre-order number matters.
Here are 2 books available for pre-order that I think you should consider:
Number 1: It’s One Of Us. (Now it’s out! So just order it!)
I recently reviewed JT Ellison’s book, LIE TO ME.
She’s a local Nashville author, and she’s pretty amazing. She’s also inspiring. She’s a go-getter. I like being in her presence because she’s not a “maybe” kind of a person. She’s an “of course” kind of person.
She just does. Action.
After I read Lie to Me, I had this wild idea for a book review video. I sent JT a message and within a few days, we were filming it together at a coffee shop. You can watch the Instagram video here. Who does that?
Anyway, I have a copy of this book, and I cannot wait to dig in. This one means a lot to her because it shares some of her personal journey (book summary below).
Order here: Parnassus Or Amazon.
I’ll do an official review once I’ve read the book myself, but here’s a taste.
About IT’S ONE OF US:
Everybody lies. Even the ones you think you know best of all . . .
Olivia Bender designs exquisite home interiors that satisfy the most demanding clients. But her own deepest desire can't be fulfilled by marble counters or the perfect rug. She desperately wants to be a mother. Fertility treatments and IVF keep failing. And just when she feels she's at her lowest point, the police deliver shocking news to Olivia and her husband, Park.
DNA results show that the prime suspect in a murder investigation is Park's son. Olivia is relieved, knowing this is a mistake. Despite their desire, the Benders don't have any children. Then comes the confession. Many years ago, Park donated sperm to a clinic. He has no idea how many times it was sold--or how many children he has sired.
As the murder investigation goes deeper, more terrible truths come to light. With every revelation, Olivia must face the unthinkable. The man she married has fathered a killer. But can she hold that against him when she keeps such dark secrets of her own?
This twisting, emotionally layered thriller explores the lies we tell to keep a marriage together--or break each other apart . . .
About the Author:
J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY(R) award winning co-host of the literary show A WORD ON WORDS. With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim, prestigious awards, and has been published in 28 countries. She lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens.
Number 2: Ghost Tamer
(It’s so new, the cover hasn’t officially been revealed, so you only get a piece of it.)
Do you like stories about ghosts? I don’t typically read or write paranormal fiction unless it’s in a psychological thriller (think Behind Her Eyes, which I loved). You might not either, but I want to share a book my friend wrote that will be coming out later this year.
I have a vivid memory of Meredith Lyons, author of Ghost Tamer, texting me about a dream she’d had the night before that would make a good book. She wrote a chapter, I read it, told her she should pursue the concept because it was solid, and she did.
Now, it’s getting published!
I read the original version of her completed book, and it was good. Since then she’s been through a couple rounds of edits with her editor at an independent publisher, so I can only imagine how it’s been elevated.
It’s available for pre-order at Camcat books
You’ll hear about this book from me again because I’m proud of my friend and want her to be successful, but wanted to share now.
Book description:
Death is one thing, it's what you do afterward that matters.
Aspiring-comedian Raely is the sole survivor of a disastrous train wreck. While faced with the intense grief of losing her best friend, she realizes that someone is following her—and has been following her all her life. Trouble is, no one else can see him. For a ghostly tag-along, Casper’s not so bad. He might even be the partner Raely needs to fight the evil spirit hell-bent on destroying her.
Raely and her friend must learn why this demonic spirit is haunting Raely and how she can stop him before he destroys her life—and her soul. Which, much to her chagrin, means she needs the help of a psychic (although she’s sure they are all charlatans) and must rid herself of the pesky ghost hunter who’s interested in exploiting her new abilities.
For readers who enjoy Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House and Clay McLeod Chapman’s Ghost Eaters.
As you may remember, I belong to a large writing group. They meet every Wednesday night for writing critique, but every other Saturday, there are special topics, frequently presentations for the group to gain insight into a particular aspect of the publishing industry.
The leaders of the group recently asked me if I’d be willing to do a Q&A on how I got my agent. I love talking about this kind of thing, so I said yes.
They came up with this flyer and sent it out. As you can see from the flyer, this interview happened on February 18, 2023, but it was recorded, and you can find it on my YouTube channel here.
Final thoughts:
I hope you have a great week, filled with love, not lies, and that you are totally free from demonic spirits hell-bent on trying to destroy your soul.
Watch the Bob Newhart sketch here.
Much glitter,
Melissa
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