A Season to Grow—a Lot

I know tons about trying to get published. But on Feb. 5, the day after signing my first publishing contract, I realized that I know very little about actually being published.

The result? For starters, the deer-in-the-headlights version of myself is writing this newsletter. Brace up :)

Here's what I do know: I should have my editorial letter in the next few days. The first page will probably tell me everything that's working in the novel—followed by several pages of things that I need to change and/or fix.

I'm actually excited about this because it'll be my first time diving into the story knowing it will really reach readers. Have I said often enough that I'm thrilled to have a publisher? I am! Oh, praise God!

Something else I know: Bling! Romance / Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, my publisher, in case you missed my many attempts to let the world know :), is keeping my original title. Super happy about that!

Cover design. No news on that yet, but they gave me a dream sheet to fill out. As an Army wife, I'm used to the Army's dream sheet for permanent duty stations. You never get anything even remotely close to what you put on that paper. I hope in the publishing world dream sheets mean more than in the Army. "Needs of the Army" don't apply to Christian fiction book covers, right?

Marketing and publicity: I'll have a big announcement on this soon. Looks like I'll be starting a new day job writing and editing for the Army. If they finalize the offer, which I expect them to very soon, I will be able to contract an amazing publicity firm to add to what I and my publisher bring to the table. Let me emphasize AMAZING! There. Emphasized. I'm thrilled they said yes to me and to my debut. So stay tuned.

The Song of the Desert Willow turned one this March, and I'm finally finishing the second draft <3

And that's the end of what I know. That was actually a lot. Hmm.

Love y'all!

Lord, help me figure out the unknowns. I'm scared. Help me find the proper balance between aggressively pursuing what's next, and slowing down to enjoy the blessings already received.

The Journey, the Platform, and the Conference That Changed Everything

A Guest Post on LivingLitUp: "Go to conferences and build relationships. It’s a long journey, so look out the window, enjoy the views, and meet the other passengers." Read more.

Let's connect! I'm a Goodreads Author now :)

Here's the debut novel on Goodreads: A Season to Dance

(Expected publication: May 9th 2017)

The Truth About Twitter

For the International Christian Fiction Writers Blog

Before signing with Bling! Romance / Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, A Season to Dance had made it to the acquisitions team meeting of a Big Five publishing house. The project was rejected there because the story wasn't an ideal fit, but marketing was very impressed with my social media presence. This is me, sharing what I know--one piece of the puzzle at a time. If you want to make your Twitter presence bigger and better, read on. I’ll tell you how to do it.

P.S. Maybe I should have called the post "The Ugly Truth About Twitter," as this one ruffled a few feathers.

A Season to Dance meets

The Song of the Desert Willow :)

Photo: NYC Dance Project. Robbie Fairchild, currently the lead in "An American in Paris" and Principal dancer, New York City Ballet, with his wife, Tiler Peck, also Principal dancer, New York City Ballet. Dress by Leanne Marshall. Hair and makeup by Juliet Jane.

The must-read book of this spring:

Close to You, by Kara Isaac

A disgraced scholar running from her past and an entrepreneur chasing his future find themselves thrown together—and fall in love—on a Tolkien tour of New Zealand.

#WritersLife

via Sara Wildes

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Visit the website: www.patriciabeal.com