Many people have been asking about when Torn will be released. I’m sorry that it’s taking so long, but the novel is not to the point yet where I’m ready to put it out there for the world to read. I know this is frustrating to many of you and a little disheartening, and I’m truly sorry. But I’m not ready to put it out there until I feel that it is 100% worthy. You all became fans of Angelic, and for that I’m am truly grateful. Words cannot express how much it means to me that you all liked, possibly loved, what I created. Because of your devotion, I’m going to put down all the reasons why Torn isn’t, and why I’m not, ready for publishing. I could’ve left my apology at the single paragraph above, but I know and feel you all deserve more than that. The Angelic Series is a part of me. I first started this novel when I was in high school thirteen years ago. Originally it started out as just a short story I wrote for a creative writing class. But I knew it was meant to be more when I started writing it back then. Somewhere along the line I packed the notebook I originally wrote it in away and didn’t rediscover it till 2009. Sorry, I can sometimes go off on tangents. All of Angelic’s characters, from Mrs. Valentine (who only makes a brief appearance when Ariel’s deciding whether or not to pursue a relationship with Liam) to Ariel, are a big part of me. My head is sometimes a little crowded with all the voices (Yes, I believe authors are schizophrenics to some degree). It’s because of this that I feel I wouldn’t be doing Angelic justice if I were to just say good enough and release it without another thought. It wouldn’t be fair to me, Angelic, or you the fans. Angelic is going to be a four book series. I originally wanted it to be a trilogy, but as I began writing the second I realized Angelic couldnt be contained to just three books. It would leave to many questions unanswered and a multitude of holes in the plot line. Because of this I’ve had to think and think, and rethink, where everything is going. The ending I had/have in my head when I first started is still the same, it’s just everything that needs to happen to get there needs to work. Because of this, I’ve had to go back through the second book and rewrite big chunks of it. The first book was easier to write compared to the second because it was introducing everyone to Angelic. With all the events to come, the first novel just scratched the surface. The good news is that because the second novel is so pivotal to the rest of the series, I’ve had to make extremely detailed outlines for the succeeding books. This means I get to spend less time planning/outlining and more time writing which hopefully translates into a shorter waiting time between novels. Another process I have to go through is editing. I am doing this entire series myself at the present moment. I don’t have a literary agent or a publisher which means I don’t have an editor to do all the tedious, but very necessary, grammar and spelling checks. I have had help from friends and family along the way, big shout out of gratitude to Lenore Swalheim and Audrey Peters for your help. So I go through the manuscript multiple times to check for errors and word usage (I’ve lost track how many times I’ve gone through Angelic and Torn). And, even though I do this, I still miss a lot of errors according to some of my reviews online. As I mentioned before, I don’t have a literary agent or publisher. Television and movies make it sound so easy to get a book published. Celebrities even make it seem easy. I mean seriously, if that Snickie or Snookie or what ever her name is from MTV can get a book published, why can’t I? Sorry, another tangent. Getting a literary agent is tough. First you have to take your 500 page novel and sum it up in two very short paragraphs. Then you have to write an introduction, what makes you a good author, and a conclusion. Then you send out this five paragraph letter to hundreds of literary agents with the hope that just one will be interested enough to just read your manuscript. I’ve gone through this excruciating process three times, two times were before I finally decided to self-publish Angelic online. Every time I’ve sent out query letters, I’ve either gotten a polite “no thank you” form letter or no reply at all. Makes one doubt whether or not they have what it takes to be a novelist. Thankfully all the good reviews from my fans help keep me positive most of the time. As of right now on amazon, I have 54 five star, 17 four star, 8 three star, and 5 two and one star reviews. Over 50% of my reviews are above three stars (That’s not counting the fourteen out of seventeen reviews on amazon.co.uk that are above three stars). Yeah, I think I have what it takes to be a kick butt novelist. What not having a literary agent or publisher also means is that I have a full-time job other than writing to pay the bills. I wish all I did to make a living was write. I could write a novel a month no problem. Not quite as good as James Patterson who seems to get one out every week. Because I work full-time, I have less time to write. Even though I have a goal of writing/editing five to ten pages a day, sometimes I just can’t do it. Some days I’m so mentally and physically exhausted that when I sit down to write, I have to keep having to go back because I forgot what I wrote three minutes earlier. That’s counterproductive because I end up having to go back and reread/redo it the next day. So, again, I would like to say thanks to all of you, the devoted fans. I am grateful to you for buying Angelic, reading it, and enjoying it so much so that you cannot wait for the second in the series. I know waiting for Torn isn’t ideal and can be frustrating. I know it is for me. I thought it would be ready by last August but when I went I started getting into writing the third book I realized there was so much I still needed to do/explain. Alright, I’m off to work. When I know without a shadow of doubt when Torn will be ready for release, I promise you all will be the first to know. Indebtedly, Eternally and devotedly yours, -L.P. Swalheim
Posted on: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 21:06:42 +0000
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