Thoughts on Torquere Press and its anniversary

It's the 11^th anniversary of Torquere Press, and just a little more than the first anniversary of my first novella being published by Torquere. Ghost's Sight was released in August 2013 as part of the Birthstones line, and it was thrilling. I've published online, but this was the first time I'd gotten up the nerve to submit anything to a publisher, and I have P.T. Walden to thank for it, so thank you, P.T.!

So, what's it like? Humbling. Extraordinary. Frustrating. Euphoric. Terrifying.

It's humbling, much like the way being a parent is humbling. It's an exercise in confronting how little you really know about writing, as you look at the first rounds of comments from your editor. My editor was brilliant, but at the time, I whined with all the verve of a frustrated three year old. She marked up the first couple of chapters to show me the common and repeating mistakes I was making, and then told me I could find the rest myself. She did mark the chrono lapses and inconsistencies, with instructions for me to fix those, too. I whined louder, but she was definitely made of sterner stuff.

So I went on to make the changes, and it was extraordinary. What my editor recommended worked. The story was stronger, and better, and I didn't "gut it" as I'd feared I was doing. The second round of edits was not quite so bad, and I threw myself into them with something approaching glee. I could see the story taking shape.

Of course, there was the writing of the dreaded marketing blurb, which was frustrating. I am abysmal at such things. I couldn't sell fur coats in Alaska. Back to the tugging of hair, and moaning as I struggled with condensing a novella into a pithy two hundred words. Alas, no one took pity on me, and I still cringe when I read that blurb to this day.

I was euphoric when I got the cover art, followed by the proofreader's edit. Things were taking shape, and I could barely wait for Release Day to arrive. I was on the edge of my seat when I checked the Torquere page, and there it was. My novella. For sale. For SALE...

I honestly had no idea how terrifying that would be. Was I a flash in the pan? Would I be able to write something else that was worthy of publishing? Would people like it, or would they leave such scathing reviews that I'd feel obliged to change my pen name and pretend to leave the state?

All I can say is keep your eyes peeled for the sequel. My new novel, Ghost's Dilemma, is slated to be published in February 2015. In the meantime, if you haven't read Ghost's Sight, what are you waiting for? Especially since it's on sale right now, along with everything else. Get 25% off at torquerebooks.com and prizmbooks.com/zencart with code TORQUERE2014 through Sunday. And check the specials for selected books on sale for 99¢, books by authors we love: Julia Talbot, BA Tortuga, and Sean Michael.