Thursday, February 5, 2015

Something Exciting For Me



Well, I told you yesterday that I'd made a goal to have my very first book, Through Love's Trials, revised and uploaded and I made that goal!

It's such a bittersweet thing to go back and revise the very first book you ever had published.  I loved the story and it brought back so many memories of when I first got the contract, first worked with an editor, first felt like a "real" writer.

But when I read it now, I can see how very much a beginning writer I was.  I've grown and changed and know more about my craft.  I cringed so many times reading the story and was all, what was I thinking? Yikes. But it's a snapshot of where I was in my writing journey, too, and I'm proud of how hard I worked to win that publishing contract for my book.

Doing this revision has been fun, though. I've loved adding details and changing storylines. I think the revision has made it a stronger story and one that I'm proud of.  I'm excited to hear what you all think of it!  It will be getting a new cover soon, as well, so I'll be unveiling it all right here on my blog.

For now, though, the new story will be live in the next few days on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and iTunes with the old cover.  I'll be sure to let you know when I see it out there.

Have you ever gone back to something you made a long time ago and redone it? Whether it was a story, or something else?  What feelings did that evoke in you?

3 comments:

Emily M said...

Woohoo! That was the first book of yours I have read, and as of two nights ago, I have finished all of that series! I can't wait to see how the rewrite has gone! I have the rest of your books and am excited to read them!

Debra Erfert said...

I'm excited for you. Evidently, your rights to the story have been returned. How long ago was it published? I actually thought that your publisher pretty much kept your rights, like, forever. Well, I'm glad to see that that's not the case.

Yes, I have that ever-waiting paranormal/speculative trilogy/series that I'm working to publish this summer. The first book is a mere reflection of the original version. The story line has been changed so much over twelve years that it's almost unrecognizable--expect with main characters are the same. I've gone back and read the very first draft, and I cringe at the bad writing. But considering it was my first full-length novel, I cut myself a lot of slack. lol. I've learned so much over the years--valuable lessons from so many places, including the many conferences that I've attended.

Julie Coulter Bellon said...

Emily F. Thank you so much for saying that! I'm so glad you loved those books. Made my whole day!

Debra, it was first published in 2004. And I can't wait to read your new series. It's going to be awesome to have it out!