News! And a cover!

I recently revised and submitted this old short story I had in my files. The problem (as I so often have) is it was too romancey for a lot of markets, but I wasn’t sure it would be romancey enough for others. The thing was it had romance, but again, not the lovey-dovey variety. It wasn’t a pretty story. It’s harsh — some might even say dark. (Okay, yeah, it’s dark )

When I first wrote it, “Of Course I Try” clocked in at somewhere under 1300 words. It was super short, but I wrote it for a challenge with a 1500 word cap. The revision brought it up to just under 2k.

I got a response from the e-publisher I'd selected to sub to the same day I sent it in. They liked it, but it was too short. Did I have a longer (5k+) version? I didn’t, but I emailed back that I’d work on it. That was Friday. I spent that night and the next developing the story, adding some history and the entire thing more depth. At first, I was nervous. I liked the original story. It was tight and fast and had a very high tension level. But when I was done, I realized that while the original worked on one level, the new version gave so much more.

Then again, I still wasn’t sure how other people would feel about it. I sent it to a couple beta readers who were speedy and awesome (Thanks PJ & Janelle!).  So, Monday rolled around, and I had a shiny new version of the story (5600 words) and a longer synopsis. I sent it wondering if I’d just wasted my weekend.

Monday night I got a response along the lines of “great story”, but there was no contract or deal attached. I stared at it for a long time trying to figure out what it meant. I lasted until the next day when I sent an email asking if that meant they wanted it — LOL. The answer came back as a yes, and I started filling out the contract and paperwork immediately. Everything was sent in Wednesday.

I’m happy to say that not only has Decadent Publishing acquired “Of Course I Try”, but I even have cover art to share with you! Dara managed to capture Max almost like she stepped into my brain and snapped a picture.

I want to thank Lisa, Heather, and (the super-speedy) Dara. This is a great opportunity and I get to be published alongside some really good friends. I can’t wait for the August first launch.

And before you ask, I don’t have a release date for the story yet. Though if Lisa or Heather happen in here, maybe they could help with that.