Over the past few months, I have been working on a special project. I have hinted at it, but never explained what I’m actually doing. The reasons for that are complex, but part of it had to do with working out how I would be perceived. As an author who initially had extraordinary publishing success in both young adult and adult, I was afraid that choosing to go this route might be perceived as a kind of failure, instead of the incredibly self- empowering adventure that it is.
To recap, In 2008, I sold my first book to Simon Pulse—a light contemporary romance about a deaf teen. I didn’t sell again until 2012 during the wild and wooly days of massive young adult successes and massive advances for the next big thing. I nabbed one of those advances, as did several of my author friends. The YA novels Born of Illusion, Born of Corruption (an e-novella) and Born of Deception about Harry Houdini’s Illegitimate daughter, created a massive amount of excitement…among adults, anyway. The same year, I sold a 3-book series to Lauren McKenna from Gallery. An adult series, set in the fabulously popular Edwardian Era, The Summerset series went on to sell widely internationally. It did less well in the US and Gallery didn’t pick up my fourth in the series. I had a series of agent catastrophes, returned to school to get my degree and embarked on an excited new career… not to mention moving 300 miles from the place I lived in for 30 years. So my traditional publishing career wasn’t as robust as it once was.
I still wrote, but without the fervor of the early years, and the market changed drastically during that time. Independent publishing gained traction and respect. The publishing world tightened it’s belt, cautiously navigating the new landscape. Proposals my fabulous agent, Laura Bradford, thought would surely sell, did not. If the pandemic taught me nothing else, it taught me how to pivot so here I am: Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you…
After working through my angst about what PEOPLE MIGHT THINK (as if they really think about me that much!), I’m giddy about the possibilities this new chapter and am excited about the impact it will have on my writing life. Powder House Publishing LLC will allow me to publish the books I love and want to write without waiting for others to decide if they are marketable or not. This gives me the opportunity to branch out in unexpected ways in unexpected genres. In addition, I am learning so much about myself, my writing, marketing and publishing.
Right now, I am laying the infrastructure that will underpin and strengthen my business so I can create the work I want to share. In the next few weeks, I will have a pre-order for my dark, literary Lizzy Borden book, a newsletter sign up, and a free novella for my readers.
I hope you will all join me on this journey!
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