I will never be finished as long as my mind keeps coming up with new ideas for stories. I think Walt Disney said it best, "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world." "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." Elle's Magical Shoes is a perfect example of how I'm not finished creating, improving, or growing. The "project" began as a gift for my niece's birthday. I took my PDF file to Office Depot and got it printed into a book. Since it cost way too much for one book, I ordered it in bulk to lower the cost per item. My friend convinced me to sell the extra books, which I did for the printing costs and no profit, but UGH now that I look back on that version of my story, I'm embarrassed so many people have a copy. The book needed a real editor (not just me) and look at my first cover - it was clip art and photos I put together myself without a Photoshop program! I wasn't planning on it being seen by anyone but family - it was a private birthday present. Sometimes I shouldn't listen to friends. Once I actually made one of my stories into a book, that got all the wheels and cogs into motion to publish it - okay, so maybe my friend's pushing me had something to do with it too. Lots of research went into figuring out how to get a published. My college education prepared me to teach, not write a book. LinkedIn author groups became a great resource for questions and answers. That's where I found my first editor, Heather Reilly, who also designed the second cover. She was a tremendous help in my progress. She made my dreams of being published come true after I had given up trying to go the traditional way. I made a handful of meager attempts at getting an agent to publish my book the traditional way, but I was so inexperienced and already way past my "youth". By then I had started writing Travelers and attempted soliciting an agent for EMS and Travelers. I wrote query letters for agents and tried to follow the submission guidelines they each had, but I still did it incorrectly. It is hard to get their attention even if you know the exact science on how to do it - by the way, that's more work than writing the book. After several rejections and reading comments from other authors who had done both self-publishing and traditional, I decided to pursue the independent route. I didn't want to wait to see my books published when I was 80-years-old. I know it can take people several years to get noticed by an agent and a big house publisher. The success of J.K. Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, didn't happen overnight and it isn't a typical outcome for most authors - just like winning the lottery isn't usual for most people who buy lotto tickets. Since that first book over four years ago, I wrote more stories and learned more about publishing, editing, and how to reach readers. In my attempt to get readers for my books on social media, I met an author, D.B. Green, on Instagram. He led me down a new path as he started his own independent publishing house - Orlando House Publishing orlandohousepublishing.com/ He not only designed my newest book covers, but he gives me help with a lot of the areas indie authors have to navigate. He has been such a tremendous resource and encouragement that I don't think I could ever repay him for his kindness or the knowledge and skills he has made accessible to me. I also got introduced to a new editor, A.K. Stein, who co-writes with D.B. Green on some of the books offered at Orlando House Publishing. She has helped me edit Elle's Magical Books and my book coming out in October, The Web of Loki, which is a change from my usual stories. I'm super excited to share it with the world. My editor said, "This story is going to mean so much to so many people." If only I could get a bunch of people just like her to read my books. I have a head full of story ideas, which is why my mind won't let me stop this journey that seems to never be finished. Sometimes I get discouraged that I haven't been able to reach more to share my books with, but I can't stop trying as my head explodes with a plethora of plots and adventures just fighting to get out onto paper. I'm currently working on a series of fairy tale retellings which will be told through the perspective of characters who don't normally have their own story. I'm having fun thinking about how each story will go and who will be the main protagonist in each tale. I may be 80-years-old before I run out of ideas, but I won't be satisfied until that happens. I am pleased that my imaginings are out there for the world to read. I continue to hope that I reach a million book enthusiasts and that I can give them a little joy plus help through difficulties as they read my creations. I will probably never be finished in this journey and that's okay, because I'm having a blast doing it.
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Ramblings on life, travels, & books
Carla Reighard Archives
December 2023
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