It's Official! You can now buy "Honor the Pack!"

First, I'l like to send out a huge thank you to Denise Bartlett and Charlotte Holley for making the process of publishing my first ebook such a fantastic experience! You ladies are fabulous! :-)

And another big thank you to all of my friends (online and off) and family who suffered through my constant updates on the process and endless worrying over if my story was "good enough." I appreciate you all so much.

Now, for the important part. ;-)

Honor the Pack is $3.99, and available for download from the following websites.

Gypsy Shadow – http://www.gypsyshadow.com/KayceeALooney.html#Honor

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Honor-the-Pack-ebook/dp/B005NXDZ42/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317503040&sr=1-3

Barnes & Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/honor-the-pack-kaycee-a-looney/1105795249?ean=2940013418516&itm=1&usri=honor%2bthe%2bpack

Smash Words – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/89792

If you decided to buy the novella, I'd love to hear what you think. Please leave a comment here, or on my facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Kaycee-A-Looney-author/146253352115254

A Finished Cover Image and Second Round Edits

Ok, this is really late, but those of you who know me are aware of my big move and that I start law school on the 22^nd of this month. So I hope you forgive me. :-)

Where to begin? Let's go chronologically, shall we?

The Cover Image

Through the patience and skill of Charlotte Holley, I now have an incredible cover image for “Honor the Pack.” Gypsy Shadow Publishing did use the two images I found on the stock image website, and Charlotte found a third to represent my female MC in human form. For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, check out my “Author” page at GSP. When the novella is released, the page will also include an excerpt from the piece and a link to buy it. (I’ll figure out how to put up a picture and link in my sidebar when the time arrives so it won’t get buried in the old posts.)

The Second Round Edits

This was the easiest part of the process for me – and the toughest. The edits went quickly, only a couple of hours over the course of a few days. (Again, I like to let things sit for a bit before I make my final decision if I keep it or not.) So, time-wise, it was a cinch.

The emotional side was much tougher. Over the past couple of months, as I’ve gone through the publishing process, I’ve been excited. I still am! But as I sat at my laptop getting ready to send off the “final” version of “Honor the Pack” I was plagued with doubt. Had I really done the best job I could? Will people like it? Oh my God, what will I do if people hate it? :-O

I know that both will likely happen. It’s a fact of life. Not every person has the same view of what makes a good story. But, that didn’t stop my last minute panic and self-doubt.

So, how did I overcome this fear and click the send button on that email? I took a deep breath and reminded myself that this novella is the result of over a year of hard work on my part. I am proud of it. Damn proud. And this is what all that hard work was for, so that people could read it. This is a goal, no a dream, I’ve had for a long, long time. People have told me that I couldn’t do it, that it was a waste of time. They encouraged me to quit and “do something practical” with my time. But you know something? I can’t think of any better way to spend my free time than by creating. Maybe someday it will pay the bills, but even if I never publish another work of fiction again in my life I’ll always know that it wasn’t impossible. I worked hard and reached my goal.

If I, a girl who grew up in a tiny speck of a town in Southeast Alaska, can make one of her dreams come true then there is never any reason to doubt life’s possibilities. :-)

Round One Edits - Mission Accomplished?

Well, after spending my spare moments for the majority of the past 10 days on my first round edits, I just emailed the "new and expanded" version to Gypsy Shadow Publishing's editor.

Everything went smoothly, at first. I typed up a rough draft of a new ending in just a few hours. Then - the obsessing began. :-O I read it through and thought, "That's not too bad, but it could be better." So, I wrote a new scene and let it sit for a couple days. I wanted to come back to it fresh.

When I read it the second time I thought, "That is the worst piece of crap ever to pollute my computer hard drive, it must die!" But, I refrained from complete execution and only axed about a third of it. :-)

At least six versions later, I realized the scene I added wasn't working. Yeah, I know, I'm brilliant. ;-) So, I cut that scene and  wrote a completely new one, which is now my new "the end." I had been wanting to include an element that I couldn't figure out how to add, but felt it was important to have in order to wrap up all the sub-plots and give the characters a sense of closure.

I hope to hear back soon and have some more news for you all about the next step in my publishing journey.

Round One Edits; Realizing Your Story Isn’t “Perfect.”

I received my round one edits from Gypsy Shadow Publishing yesterday morning. I opened the email with a mixture of excitement and dread. Excitement for moving one step closer to the publication of “Honor the Pack” and dread of what changes might be asked of me.



Would the editor want to rearrange my story? Or change the names of major characters? Would I see more corrections than original text?


I need not have worried so much. There are corrections to make, but the majority of those are minor technical errors. And yes, some of those are embarrassingly obvious. For example: I changed “in spite of” to “despite” but forgot to delete “of” leaving behind this gem “Despite of …" – oops.  :-o


However, that is nothing compared to the glaring error in my time line concerning some of the characters’ ages. I edited this story more times than I can count (but it was at least five). I had beta readers who gave me excellent suggestions and feedback. I wanted the novella to be perfect before I sent it out for publication. I thought it was perfect.


It wasn’t.


Do you know what I’ve learned from that? I had a strong story that the editor liked and the small errors were just that – small. Easy to correct. This is NOT an endorsement to send out a sloppy manuscript with an “it’s good enough” attitude. I worked very hard on making this novella the best it could be before I sent it out. Yes, I made mistakes. I’m human. So are editors. They understand a minor mistake here and there. It is their job to recognize a diamond in the rough and help a writer polish it before the world admires its brilliant gleam.


But don’t waste their time. Edit extensively before you submit. Have beta readers go over your work, they will notice inconsistencies and errors you don’t. It's important to be as professional as possible.

After I read through the edits, I understood what the editor meant with her corrections and I agreed with them. So I replied to her email, letting her know that I would have the edits back to her as soon as possible. I was a bit surprised by her reply. She asked if I could add to the ending because it felt a bit abrupt.


I’ll let you in on a little secret here. I ended the story where I did because I was afraid it would be too long for any publisher to accept from an “unknown” writer if I kept going. And now I not only have the opportunity to expand it – the editor requested it of me! :-) It won’t be a huge addition, maybe just a couple of pages, but I’m excited about the scene I have planned.



Another step closer to my first publication and it feels awesome!! I can’t wait to have a release date to share with everyone. :-)

Next Installment: (To be determined.)

Captured: the elusive acceptance. :-D

Part 1: I am not dreaming – this is real.

As fiction writers, we are subjected to rejection after rejection. Some of them are encouraging, others disheartening. But we keep submitting our work, driven by faith in our talent and the hope that someday that ever-elusive acceptance will happen.


I have, at last, captured my first acceptance for a YA Fantasy novella, “Honor the Pack.” I began this tale last July after a drive home through the mountains from my nephew’s birthday party. The full moon was so large it captured my imagination as I came around a bend in the road and it got me thinking about werewolves. That led me to the idea behind this novella, which I call my “reverse werewolf” story.


I will be writing a series of blog posts chronicling my experiences as I move through the process – from acceptance to the release of my novella as an e-book.


The contract has been signed, and “Honor the Pack” will be available through Gypsy Shadow Publishing (though I don’t have a release date yet). I hope you will check it out.


So, what happens after the acceptance is official and the contract is in your hands (or inbox)?



Part 2: After the Acceptance


After the acceptance, the real work begins.


I am what’s affectionately known in the fiction writing world as a “pantser” or “seat of the pants” writer. While I love this style of writing, and find it works best for me not to plan ahead when I create a story, it did have its drawbacks when that long-anticipated acceptance came through. Suddenly, I found myself in the grip of panic – I didn’t have a “back cover blurb” or a “one line hook” for this story. Why? I hadn’t “planned” the story, so I couldn’t summarize it before it was completed. Then I’d told myself I had plenty of time to work on the summaries while I subbed out my tale. It would take months, possibly years, to get an acceptance. Right?


Never tell yourself you have “tons of time.” Just don’t do it. I had myself convinced I’d be able to go about creating my promotional pieces at my leisure. Funny thing though – life likes to throw stuff at you, eating up the time you thought you had. And so I spent three frantic days working on the paragraph which will be the introduction to my story potential readers will see when they click on the cover image for my novella and the one line hook which will be used in press releases.


Talk about pressure.


Pressure I could have saved myself if I’d just written them before I started subbing out the novella. Learn from my mistake and write up your promotional pieces before you sub. Have people you trust to give you an honest critique (read: not your super-supportive family member/friend who is afraid to hurt your feelings) go over them and tell you if they would want to read your story afterward. These pieces are so important to how your work is perceived – give them your best effort, and give yourself a break by planning ahead (even if it goes against your usual writing vibe).


Another part of the package Gypsy Shadow Publishing (GSP) sent to me was less stressful, but something I hadn’t put a huge amount of thought into. They ask for a detailed description of your main character(s) so they can use it to help them seek out cover images. As part of my writing style, I do not usually give a detailed description of my main characters. I want the reader to create the picture for his or herself. But, I had put a little thought into what the “cover” would look like if it were to have one – yet I hadn’t expected it to because it’s not a full novel. One problem, my ideal cover image would require hiring an artist to create it and because this is a small publisher they use stock images for their cover art. Therefore, my ideal wouldn’t be possible. This time, I didn’t panic. GSP provides its authors with a link to the website they use for finding stock images. I sat down at my laptop and started searching until I found an alternative that I thought would work well. There is no guarantee that what I chose will be used, but I wanted to go the extra mile and give them a concrete image to start from.


What my point is in sharing this is – be flexible. Be ready to provide your insight, but not before it’s requested. I don’t know the policies of other publishers (this is my first publication, after all) but I felt very fortunate to have my input requested for the cover image. But what I had dreamed of wasn’t going to be possible. I had to find another route. In short, have not only one idea in mind have two or three or . . . . ;-)



Next installment: Round One Edits.

Now is the hour.

I just arrived home from a trip to Florida for the wedding of one of my best friends and on the plane I read the July/August issue of Writer's Digest - PUB 101. I must admit that I was one of the innumerable newbies who had no idea how much work goes into taking a book from acquisition to bookstore shelves. I need to do a LOT more research before I start querying again. Like brushing up on my contract law, looking at private publicists and track down the resources mentioned by the authors who contributed to this issue. All of this while trying to juggle a part-time job at a bookstore(which gives me an edge on the market research suggestions I read), start a new part-time job, this blog and keep writing creatively. Sure, I'll just pencil that in right after I fly around the world really fast to reverse the Earth's rotation and go back in time.