Rejections, rewriting, edits, and my monthly book contest

It happened again. I received a rejection on one of my books.

As it went, it was probably the nicest rejection I ever received, but it was still a rejection. Or maybe it was more of a revise and send back letter. At least that's what I'm going to do: revise the book and send it back. I've already begun the revision. Maybe I'll even complete it today.

Although not an ego booster, it's all part of this business. What writer hasn't received a rejection or two? It keeps us humble. It keeps us on our toes to produce our best work.

But this isn't only about me and my feelings. This ensures that you, my readers, will get the very best books possible. You don't want to read drivel or mediocre stuff. You want great romances and adventures you can't put down until you've read "And they lived Happily Ever After" and you go away with a big smile and a big sigh of contentment. You want unforgettable characters. You want a story that will transcend the ages.

At least that's what I want as a reader. That's what I try to give my readers in each of my books.

As you may have noted, my poll ended yesterday. Historical and paranormal tied with 8 votes each to win. Vampire novels and comedy romance tied for second place with 6 votes each. I'd hoped to have more votes to get a better picture of what my readers like.

I'd love to hear from all of you what types of books you enjoy reading and what elements you want to see in stories. Kelly Kirch has been conducting reader interviews which gives us authors a lot of insight into what you want. Way to go Kelly!

Meanwhile, I will work hard to revise and edit my just-rejected story to make it be all it can be and more. Editing was never my bag. Just ask my critique partners. But it's a necessary evil.

No, it's not an evil. It's a golden opportunity to polish the story until it gleams. That's what I'll be doing most of today. Polishing the story, making a happily ever after that will make your heart melt and your knees go weak and make you believe in soul mates.

It's also that time of the month when I need to award one of my books to a lucky poster from the month of March 2008. And I've made a nifty award banner to go with it. This is also available to my past winners, so please save it to your computer, paste it in, and if you would be so kind, link to my blog. I'd really appreciate it.

Drum roll please...

And this month's winner for a free download of one of my books is:

Worn Out Woman at: http://wornoutwoman.blogspot.com/

Here's my new award banner. What do you think?








DJ Kirby and Crazy Cath please email me so I can send you your copy as my winners from the last two months.