As part of the blog tour for The Syndicate, which is a very exciting and unbelievable read, author Shelena Shorts is here today to tell us how her writing life began and how she continues to inspire young readers.
MY PUBLISHING JOURNEY. The journey for almost all writers is to become published. To have their books in print, on the shelves of bookstores and libraries, and in the hands of readers. They work so hard to make that happen. And then when they do get published, the reality hits that people are actually going to read it. There comes this naked feeling.
Suddenly reviews start coming in and one minute someone really likes the story and the next, someone doesn’t. It’s easy to start questioning everything you’ve done up to that point. Then, there will also be the issue of bookstores not rushing to order your book for their shelves. After all, they have thousands of books to choose from, so why yours? Then you discover a store or library has it and you’ll be ecstatic and then the next minute, you learn a store wants no part of it, even though they’ve never heard of it.
And so the rollercoaster begins. It can be incredibly exciting and fun, but also stressful, and it’s so easy for writers to lose sight of actually writing stories and instead focus on fitting in with the industry and making people like them, because if they don’t, they may not find success. It’s a harsh reality but it is a reality. The important part is not to let challenges deter you as the writer you are and want to be.
For me, having books published has been eye opening to all of these things, but I’ve learned to accept what I cannot control and to focus on what moves me forward, not backwards. It’s those readers, who like your stories and encourage you to keep writing that drive you. It’s them that you seek publication for because you know that if you write the best book you can, someone else just may enjoy it too, and that’s what publishing is all about—to share words, and worlds and ideas.
We shouldn’t lose sight of that no matter what our fears and stresses are. So if anyone is considering publishing, but unsure because of the risks that come with it, I would say write the best book you can with characters that mean something to you. And then share it with the world whether it’s with a large publishing house or an indie route. Learn to feel confident and believe in what you write and expect the unexpected without letting it pull you off course and writing will be the most rewarding!
ABOUT THE BOOK
RELEASE DATE. July 9, 2012
PUBLISHER. Lands Atlantic Publishing
SYNOPSIS. For centuries, the Petrescu family has been protecting society from a danger that moves among the population undetected. Eighteen-year-old Vasi Petrescu has never had a problem carrying out his duty, but, when ordered to eliminate an eighteen-year-old girl, he is immediately taken out of his comfort zone.
The Syndicate has never targeted a female before, yet somehow this one has ended up on more than one hit list. Vasi would like to find out why, but there may not be time.
Now, he’ll have to decide whether or not to keep her alive even if it means going against his own family.
The action, mystery, and conspiracy in The Syndicate will take readers on an immersing journey in which decisions are not only life changing, but irreversible.
