I’ve been with the same publisher for some years now. Through thick and thin, and a rebranding from Second Wind Publishing to Indigo Sea Press. They took a chance on me, a complete unknown with no experience in the world of writing and publishing.
They edited and formatted my books, while I continued to focus on writing and marketing.
Now, as the publisher is revisiting another major change with a restructuring of their business model, I found myself again with the choice of what to do now.
As an author, there is only one way to go with your writing, and that is to improve. It doesn’t matter how good you are, there is always room to improve on yourself.
Research is key to opening the world of writing. Researching little details in your stories to make them pop more, pulling the readers in with those tidbits and keeping them real. Researching writing, editing, and the publishing world in whole and in parts.
The old saying “practice makes perfect” never gets old, even for someone like me who believes there is no such thing as true perfect. It doesn’t matter how many times I edit a piece; I will always find something to change. Even if it is written by a well-known famous author, and it doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with it. I’ve just spent so many hours editing that my mind automatically looks for things to change and attempts to improve on whether it needs improving or not. Art is subjective and writing is an art form, making its valuation subject to the views of each individual.
A great deal of practicing writing is, of course, a given. Your writing talent is in a state of constant flux as you improve. Your voice evolves. My writing now is different from that first published book. And from the second. I find my voice is different with the different feel of my stories. If I lose passion for a story, the story loses its luster and the voice falls flat.
So what to do when your publisher is changing their business model and you have the choice to opt in or out? To each the choice is their own.
For me, I chose to take advantage of the opportunity to revisit old friends. Freshen up and perhaps rewrite sections of my books. Make them better, since my writing is better.
I know, it’s not always best to keep worrying at that old bone when you need to focus on writing, editing, and sharing with the world new stories. And I have more stories in various stages from an inkling of an idea to a full first draft than I can probably write in this lifetime.
But, they can be better. I’ve found a new voice since writing them. And, I’ve cringed at a few minor things during my re-exploration of these stories.
So, soon the McAllister series will vanish. Where the Bodies Are, the McAllister Farm, and Hunting Michael Underwood. But they will re-emerge. Better. Fresher. And I must continue working to finish the final chapter, Killing David McAllister, for in all stories someone important must die.
But not Nathan. Nathan lives on. Nathan will have his own story and it will reveal the dark and twisted world of a mind even more troubled than a serial killer lost in a blurred reality between past and present with a compulsion driven by a dark secret locked in a fractured mind.
So, watch for the re-emergence of the McAllister series, freshened and improved with new covers.
![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000035_00023]](https://lvgwriting.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/mcallister-farm-cover-052316_edited-1-front-cover.jpg?w=131&h=202)
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy Garden Grove, a bit of a quirky and fun to write story. The scene at the end came from an actual dream I had. A dream about the story. There is always something in the woods, isn’t there?
And my newest just released, The Gypsy Queen. This is a story I wrote years ago, and finally focused on editing that first draft to complete it. Her dark past will not be forgotten. And, I am already being pressed by a fellow book lover to write a sequel to this one. I love the art for this cover. This is an artist I definitely will use again.
