The Embrace Series &
Challenging Destiny
Welcome Cherie! First, please give us a
brief summary of how you got where you are and why you chose that path.
Lots and lots of practice, patience, and perseverance. Writing
isn’t easy and finding a home for our beloved stories can be difficult, but it
is well worth the journey. I’m traditionally published. I chose this path
because my targeted audience isn’t online as much as adults, or at least they
weren’t when my first book came out. After querying several agents, hoping to
find representation for my YA paranormal romance/thriller, Embrace, I decided to query smaller publishers. At the time, my
publisher was a growing company and I was thrilled when they loved my story.
Readers’ response to the first novel led to books two and three in the series,
so, of course, I stayed with the same publisher for these books.
AGENTS
Do you have an agent?
I did, but recently I decided it was time to part ways, which is a scary
thing to do. But in my case, I believe it was for the best.
How many queries did you send?
For Embrace, I had revised the book a few times. So for the version that
sold, probably ten to fifteen.
If you don't have an agent, is it by choice?
It is, but I have a new story ready to be submitted, and I hope to find
an agent to represent me.
TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING
How did you (or your agent) find your publisher?
I have two publishers. I found my first publisher by checking who
published the book I had been reading at the time. I felt my paranormal
romance/thriller, Embrace, would fit
nicely into their YA catalog, saw they were actively seeking new stories, and that
they accepted queries from unagented authors. I don’t remember how I found the
Wild Rose Press, but I’m glad I did.
How long did it take to find a publisher?
For this question, I’ll focus on my first book. If you count the agents
I queried, about a year. I would send out a few queries and if I received
feedback, revised based on that feedback, and then queried a few more agents.
After several months, I decided to queries a couple smaller publishers also.
What do you like about your publisher?
At the time my first two novels were published, Omnific Publishing had a
great editorial process and I absolutely adored working with my developmental
editor. They also assigned each author a marketing representative who helped authors
build their online presence, coordinated book launches, created book trailers,
and sent out press releases. Their in-house designer also created bookmarks and
business cards upon request. Being a new author, these little details made a
huge difference. Sadly, by the time the third book in the series came out, they
were cutting back and no longer offered most of these services and things have
changed even more since the release of Entwined.
The Wild Rose Press also has a great editorial process and they
keep in touch with their authors, providing marketing opportunities and new
offers as they become available. They're also very responsive to emails and they
have several forums for both readers and authors that offer a ton of
information.
What do you dislike about your publisher?
Because they are smaller publishers, it’s harder to get my books in
bookstores and to get reviews from larger book reviewers like Kirkus, which help
librarians and booksellers find books.
Did traditional publishing get your book(s) in Barnes & Noble or other bookstores?
Yes, but not as many as I would have liked.
Did your publisher produce a hardcover of your book or just paperback?
My books are in just paperback.
Did your publisher create an audio book for you?
The publisher for my series did not, but the Wild Rose Press did.
Challenging Destiny will be available on audio book this spring.
MARKETING
What marketing tactics worked for you?
This is ever changing, I think. Bookbub is great, and then I also had good
success with blog tours and book blasts.
If
you are traditionally published, what did your publisher do to market your
book?
I’ve already
mentioned what my first published did. The Wild Rose Press has a list of book
reviewers they share their books with. And they are constantly sharing new
promotional opportunities with their authors.
ADVICE
Looking back would you do anything differently?
This is a hard one. In a perfect world, an agent would have gobbled up
my first book, sold it to one of the Big 5, and booksellers and librarians
everywhere would be highlighting it on their end caps and favorites’ shelves.
But that just didn’t happen for me. Although, about a month after I signed with
the smaller publisher, one of my dream agents had replied to my queue (ten
months after I had sent it) to say she just saw the query and liked what she
read. She also saw I had recently sold the book. I do wonder if she had
requested a full before I had signed
the contracts with my publisher, would she have wanted to represent me? But
alas, that’s something I will never know. So, I guess my advice to authors is
to try different avenues and don’t look back once you commit to an agent,
publisher, or to self-publish. You can always choose a different path for your
next book.
What lessons have you learned? Any advice for those about to go down your path?
This is going to sound cliché, but believe in yourself, read a lot, join
critique groups, keep writing, and enjoy what you do.
When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, her rumor-laced notions are shattered. Handsome, considerate, and seemingly sane, Wallace Blake doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, screaming and banging on the walls of his dorm room. Hell, he doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, period.
Too curious for her own good, Rena vows to uncover the truth behind Wallace’s madman reputation--and how two seconds of contact had left her with bruises. Of course, there are a few setbacks along the way: guilt, admiration, feelings of the warm and fuzzy variety…
Not to mention the unwanted attention of Wallace's powerful, supernaturally-gifted family.
They’re a bloodline divided by opposing ideals, two soon-to-be warring factions that live in secret among us. When Rena ends up caught in their crossfire, Wallace has no choice but to save her by using his powers. Now they’re really in trouble. With war on the horizon and Rena’s life in the balance, he needs to put some distance between them. But Rena won’t let go. If fighting is what it takes to prove her own strength and keep Wallace in her life, then that’s what she’ll do--even if it means risking a whole lot more than her heart.
