Turn the Last Page, Close the Book. Open Another One

Early this morning I typed the last sentence in my second book, Blood Moon, the sequel to The Moongate. I'd been planning that particular sentence for a very long time, and writing that final scene felt just as great as I'd always imagined it would!

Next on the agenda: query The Moongate like mad, while letting Blood Moon sit on the shelf for a while before the rewrites. I still have over 200 agents in my list I haven't queried yet. Funny I should be starting another round of querying when a recent piece posted by my friend Marsha Ward, the founder of the American Night Writers Association, liberated me from the anxiety of querying. She listed the reasons she chose self-publishing and e-publishing over traditional publishing houses. Sure, a big publisher and a prominent shelf at Barnes & Noble would be great, but so is the idea of complete control over everything I write, including marketing, cover art, and when and how I'll publish. Plus I know I'm a good enough self-editor, and have some great critiquing friends, to ensure that if I do end up self-publishing you're still going to get a great read.

I'm now certain that I'll be happy with whatever road my books eventually take to publication. This feels great, because it means no more tears and self-doubt with every rejection letter I receive! I just hope querying doesn't take too long, because writing is too much fun to put on hold. Especially since I'm planning to take a break from Moongate to finish my steampunk dark fantasy!