So I Wrote a Novel…

Part of the revision process...
Part of the revision process…

If you’ve read my bio or happened on a Fiction Friday post, then you know that I write novels.  I finished final-final revisions of my most recent novel draft over the summer–and I’ve decided that I’m going to take the plunge and self-publish.

So today I’m announcing that this November I will be publishing The Wanderers in ebook and paperback.  And now that I’ve told all of you, I really have to do it!

I’m setting my goal for November to give myself plenty of time to work out all the details–it’s a bit more complicated then hitting “Publish” for a blog post!  And, of course, it also gives everyone time to tell their friends… 😉

The Wanderers is a Young Adult Fantasy novel about a wandering adventurer, a talking cat, and a witch’s daughter.  Monsters, fairies and princes abound, with the occasional familiar fairy tale element–with a twist.  If you enjoy the kind of books I read, I like to think you’ll also enjoy the book I wrote.

Mostly this is a head’s-up, just-letting-you-know kind of post.  I’ll be sharing a bit more about the publishing process as I go along through it–but don’t worry, I’ll tell you about the fun parts like cover design, not the dull things like getting an ISBN number!  I added a new page at the top of the blog that I’ll keep updated with novel news, including the first page.

So stick around…more to come soon!

Blog Hop: Declining a Request

book blogger hopThis week’s Blog Hop question is: How do you turn down a review request?

I try to respond to emailed requests even if I’m declining.  I don’t always, if it’s an obvious mass-email, but if a publisher or author sends a direct email offering me a copy of their book for a review, I think it’s polite to respond.  Besides, even if I don’t want this one, I might want their next one, so I’d like to have them think of me positively!

It’s actually pretty easy to write a quick email, because I end up declining books for one of two reasons.  First, I don’t accept ebooks because I don’t have an ereader and can’t focus on a novel-length work on my laptop screen–so I can’t really give a fair review to that.  Second, books I decline are mostly pretty wildly outside the genres I read.  It’s not that hard to explain refusing a non-fiction memoir about war (for example) when my blog generally covers YA and fantasy…

I’m not sure there’s a lot of variation in how review requests can be refused, but anyone else have thoughts or tips? 🙂