It is official!
My first publication has hit the mass market and I can now call myself an Author.
The Chosen Angels series began as an idea for a seven-part short story series based on the angels in Revelations who pour out the seals during the end times.
A writer friend and I challenged each other to complete all 50,000 words for Nanowrimo 2017 (National Novel Writing Month) two years ago. First one to finish buys dinner. Well, I was the winner (of course).
During that first Nano, I wrote four and a half of the seven parts and finished the month excited about the story taking shape. I continued to work on it, researching, revising, editing, filling a notebook with scribbles, post-it notes and ideas.
In October of 2018, I attended my first ever Writers Conference; Breathe in Grand Rapids, MI. I set up a meeting with two editors, wrote up an elevator pitch about the entire series plan and prepared to delve into the world of networking.
One of those meetings was a blip. That editor was no more interested in me than I was in her . The second, however, made a lasting impression. The editors for this particular publishing house were intrigued by my WIP (work in progress), and although they admitted my genre was outside of their norm, there were changes occurring within the structure of their company and they asked me to send it on just in case.
My story was not accepted, but the reasons did not matter to me. I had never intended to publish the series traditionally. My thought when choosing to meet with editors was for the experience and feedback. It was enough that they were interested!
That conference was a turning point for me. Not only did that meeting fuel me, but I met with Keys for Kids and wrote a piece for them that was accepted as well (but has not yet been published) and Breathe started a journal that accepted a piece of mine as well.
The series has undergone major changes since its conception. Each of the seven parts is based on one character, and although I have known all seven of them since the beginning, the one who claimed Part One changed five times (sorry beta readers). The length has changed dramatically as well. After I handed off my first ‘completed’ Part One, the overall feedback was that it was too short. I listened, and now the series is more novella length.
Chosen Angels, Seal One published in ebook and print October 1st. Seal Two is slated for release November 1st , and I plan to release Seal Three for Christmas of 2019. I will state here for the record that I would like to have all seven published by the end of 2020.
Find out what happens by following along on the journey!
Be Chosen.
