Here We Go Again! by Mariam Kobras
Ten months ago, nearly to the day, I was in this exact same spot:
Wrestling with my inner demons about having to write these posts for a blog hop.
If there is one sure way to punish me for being an author, it’s this: blogging.
Blogging has never been, and will never be, my favorite thing in the world. It’s not even among my top twenty or thirty most favorite things.
It’s a chore, on a level with ironing, cleaning the bathroom, or maybe even, like shopping at Ikea, Hell’s frontyard.
There’s a simple reason why I hate blogging: I have no imagination.
Really.
A blog post is like a small novel, a short story, an essay, and every post should be original, entertaining, amusing, informative, a showcase for my writing, like a business card, something to entice you to buy my books.
Do you remember when you were very, very bored and exhausted at school, and you stretched out your arms across your desk, your fingers clamped around its edge, and your head resting on the desktop, you know, the universal gesture of a student’s despair?
Yeah, that’s me right now—desperate.
So here I am again, ten months after my first blog hop, and yes, I had hoped that it I’d never have to do it again. Wrong.
Enter the publisher, bright smile on her face, armed with Red Velvet cupcakes, telling me that of course, darling, you’ll have to do another blog hop, and since we’re at it, you better get hopping.
In Twitter speak, *drops head on desk*.
Yes, that was the image I meant.
Thankfully, I have really, really great friends with really, really great blogs!
So here we are again, ten months later, and off we go to celebrate the release of my SECOND book.
Here it is:
And now I’m sitting here and staring at it, and it’s still so, so hard to believe.
Really?
Second book, published? Me? How did that come about?
I remember so well when I sent off that first manuscript. I was a bundle of anxiety, a sleepless, nervous wreck (I HEAR YOU KRISTINA WAGNER!!!) who kept her husband awake at night.
Yes, I did! It went like this:
*tugs sleeve* “Are you awake?”
Grumbling and mumbling from the other side of the bed.
“What if they don’t like it? What will I do if they don’t like it, and send it back?”
Some rustling of sheets. “They won’t send it back. They’ll send you a rejection.”
“WHAT? YOU THINK THEY’LL SEND ME A REJECTION?????????”
“Of course not! I was kidding you!” Some more rustling, and an impatient sigh. Then: “Can we please go to sleep now?”
Of course I CANNOT go to sleep! My heart is in my throat, my mouth dry with panic. “And what am I supposed to do if they reject it? How can I ever go on writing?”
Sigh—a very, very patient sigh— “Go to sleep, will you? They will NOT reject it. And if they do, you’ll just have to write another one and send it out.”
“But but but...”
Gentle snoring from the other side, and me, wide awake until dawn, and that means something in March!
Of course, The Distant Shore did not get rejected. It was released nine months later, and was an instant success. It also won the prestigious and important IPPY Award.
So now, with the second book, the sequel to The Distant Shore, I’m not as nervous. This may sound blasé, but writing is my job now, and it’s a job I love and embrace. It’s like being a kid in a candy store, and no one is telling you NOT to touch anything but in fact encourages, yes, PUSHES you, to eat all the candy you like, and you’re welcome to them, too. That’s how it feels to be a published author.
That’s how it feels to be writing for Buddhapuss Ink. It’s like being in a sailboat with a steady, warm breeze at your back, not too brisk, not too gentle, just enough to keep you moving forward at a good speed.
I’m lucky, and I know it. I wish for every writer to find a publisher with just the right editor for them to work.
Oh wow, and now look! I’ve actually written a blog post for the blog hop, and it wasn’t that hard after all. Maybe I’ll just open a new page and write another one!
This was the first stop in Mariam’s Blog Hop celebrating the launch of her latest book, Under the Same Sun (Book II in the Stone Trilogy) which released and sold out in just a few hours on Amazon.com.
It will be back in stock soon, but while you’re waiting you can go to our blog and click the link to read the first two chapters, or you can leave a comment below about this blog post for a chance to win one of three copies of Under the Same Sun! You can get additional chances by following Mariam on every stop on her hop and leaving comments after each post. And hey, while you’re here, why not follow this blog. You won’t regret it.
Tomorrow's blog hop stop will be on Lisa Stull's blog, with an interview of Mariam.
Check our blog for the full calendar and more details!
Wrestling with my inner demons about having to write these posts for a blog hop.
If there is one sure way to punish me for being an author, it’s this: blogging.
Blogging has never been, and will never be, my favorite thing in the world. It’s not even among my top twenty or thirty most favorite things.
It’s a chore, on a level with ironing, cleaning the bathroom, or maybe even, like shopping at Ikea, Hell’s frontyard.
There’s a simple reason why I hate blogging: I have no imagination.
Really.
A blog post is like a small novel, a short story, an essay, and every post should be original, entertaining, amusing, informative, a showcase for my writing, like a business card, something to entice you to buy my books.
Do you remember when you were very, very bored and exhausted at school, and you stretched out your arms across your desk, your fingers clamped around its edge, and your head resting on the desktop, you know, the universal gesture of a student’s despair?
Yeah, that’s me right now—desperate.
So here I am again, ten months after my first blog hop, and yes, I had hoped that it I’d never have to do it again. Wrong.
Enter the publisher, bright smile on her face, armed with Red Velvet cupcakes, telling me that of course, darling, you’ll have to do another blog hop, and since we’re at it, you better get hopping.
In Twitter speak, *drops head on desk*.
Yes, that was the image I meant.
Thankfully, I have really, really great friends with really, really great blogs!
So here we are again, ten months later, and off we go to celebrate the release of my SECOND book.
Here it is:
And now I’m sitting here and staring at it, and it’s still so, so hard to believe.
Really?
Second book, published? Me? How did that come about?
I remember so well when I sent off that first manuscript. I was a bundle of anxiety, a sleepless, nervous wreck (I HEAR YOU KRISTINA WAGNER!!!) who kept her husband awake at night.
Yes, I did! It went like this:
*tugs sleeve* “Are you awake?”
Grumbling and mumbling from the other side of the bed.
“What if they don’t like it? What will I do if they don’t like it, and send it back?”
Some rustling of sheets. “They won’t send it back. They’ll send you a rejection.”
“WHAT? YOU THINK THEY’LL SEND ME A REJECTION?????????”
“Of course not! I was kidding you!” Some more rustling, and an impatient sigh. Then: “Can we please go to sleep now?”
Of course I CANNOT go to sleep! My heart is in my throat, my mouth dry with panic. “And what am I supposed to do if they reject it? How can I ever go on writing?”
Sigh—a very, very patient sigh— “Go to sleep, will you? They will NOT reject it. And if they do, you’ll just have to write another one and send it out.”
“But but but...”
Gentle snoring from the other side, and me, wide awake until dawn, and that means something in March!
Of course, The Distant Shore did not get rejected. It was released nine months later, and was an instant success. It also won the prestigious and important IPPY Award.
So now, with the second book, the sequel to The Distant Shore, I’m not as nervous. This may sound blasé, but writing is my job now, and it’s a job I love and embrace. It’s like being a kid in a candy store, and no one is telling you NOT to touch anything but in fact encourages, yes, PUSHES you, to eat all the candy you like, and you’re welcome to them, too. That’s how it feels to be a published author.
That’s how it feels to be writing for Buddhapuss Ink. It’s like being in a sailboat with a steady, warm breeze at your back, not too brisk, not too gentle, just enough to keep you moving forward at a good speed.
I’m lucky, and I know it. I wish for every writer to find a publisher with just the right editor for them to work.
Oh wow, and now look! I’ve actually written a blog post for the blog hop, and it wasn’t that hard after all. Maybe I’ll just open a new page and write another one!
This was the first stop in Mariam’s Blog Hop celebrating the launch of her latest book, Under the Same Sun (Book II in the Stone Trilogy) which released and sold out in just a few hours on Amazon.com.
It will be back in stock soon, but while you’re waiting you can go to our blog and click the link to read the first two chapters, or you can leave a comment below about this blog post for a chance to win one of three copies of Under the Same Sun! You can get additional chances by following Mariam on every stop on her hop and leaving comments after each post. And hey, while you’re here, why not follow this blog. You won’t regret it.
Tomorrow's blog hop stop will be on Lisa Stull's blog, with an interview of Mariam.
Check our blog for the full calendar and more details!
