Leave The Gun, Take The Cannoli

Ever find yourself thinking, "Holy Crap! Is this #@$% really happening to me?"

Well, last Friday night that was my moment and I had no Dove Chocolate, just a Tuna Melt, a Cop, a Mobster and a Writing Group.

So, what would a stay-at-home mom have in common with the original Goodfella and a cop? We all believe- if you want something, you gotta go get it!

The desire I have to become a published author is intense. I want to be there...bad. So, I listen with both ears and absorb everything I hear. And that, my friends, is what has brought me to where I am today.

Where is that? You might ask. Well, let me enlighten you.....

I've started to carve out my own little corner in the Big 'Ole Writing Pond. Sure, I'm just a pebble, but that doesn't mean my tiny ripple can't make a wave.


Over the last month or so, I've dedicated a large amount of my writing time to networking. Yes, I've sacrificed progress on my book, BUT here's what I accomplished by 'going to the mattresses.'


I started lurking in romance writing Yahoo Groups. I spent a day or so just reading the posts, gleaning information and feeling the vibe before I jumped in, but once I did- I never looked back.


The YaHoo Groups, like Sweet and Sensual Romances, introduced me to a wide variety of writers from published to prepublished. By following their links, I found blogs full of interesting topics, but all geared toward the same thing: getting published! Then, I had an Ahh-Haa moment. Why not start my own blog? BUT dedicate the darn thing to helping other new writers by interviewing published authors! What better advice is there than straight from the horse's mouth? Enter The Lovestruck Novice.

http://thelovestrucknovice.blogspot.com/

Now, I've got authors lined up clear into June- all willing to 'pay it forward' and help the new kids. As a bonus, they get free promo space in return. Another quick project was my other blog, Passion and Patter. I pick books that interest me and give the blurbs a rewrite with my own quirky style. I include the book cover pic and a link to the publishers page for the book. And I do all of this without a book of my own to promote. But there is method to my madness.

http://passionandpatter.blogspot.com/

When I get published, I will have a circle of friends who might be willing to plug my book. (Kind of channeling Don Corleone, eh?) It's all about laying a foundation.

But the biggest and I mean biggest coup from all of my networking is...(drum roll) I have a publisher interested in my WIP. Yes! You read that "write" my Work-In-Progress! How? Simple, I posted my Prologue in a Yahoo Group's WIP Folder. And the group? One I learned of from an author I interviewed for my blog. Who I met on a group!

Amazing how fate works. I would never have thought my getting into the mix would be placing me in the position I'm in now. Waiting and hoping. Sure, it could all be for nothing. BUT at least I know the proof is in the pudding.

Networking is Necessary. After all, my call to the library those months ago landed me suppin' with Denny Griffin and Henry HiLl. Not just pop icons but published authors too.

If you're on the fence about "getting out there" before you've got the book deal in hand, think back to Ole Blue Eyes and one of his great hits. Writing is 'Nice Work If You Can Get It and You Can Get It If You Try."

Author Denny Griffin



Goodfella Henry Hill