Tag: romance

Living for These Moments

Being Brave Enough to Risk Rejection

You never get what you don’t ask for in this life. That has been my motto before it was even a thing. It is the truth though, and sometimes it takes enormous strength and courage to ask for not only what you need, but for the things you truly want. Right now, I want for my book to be successful, and that takes a village.

I remember back when I had my day spa in the small town where I live in Lower Lake, California. I was a young mother with small daughters, but wanted to work outside of the home again. It had been a decade of staying at home and I was thirsting for human connection with adults who ate things other than PB & J sandwiches, and wore clothes other than sweatpants.

So I started a business in a little 1940’s bungalow that sat on Main Street. I got the landlord to lower the rent, tear out the carpeting to refinish the hardwood floors, and install a more efficient heating/cooling system. When the previous tenants came into my shop and saw the improvements, they were surprised to find out the landlord paid for it all. A bit pissed off, they asked, “How did you get him to do that?” I simply said, “I just asked.”

If you have a compelling enough argument, or kind enough request, you’d be surprised at how people truly want to help you. With the launching of my book, Wildflower, I’ve asked people to not only buy the book, but recommend it to their friends, leave a review or rating, and share pictures of it online. As an indie author, (this means I’m not traditionally published or represented by an agent), I’m the whole show on my own. So I literally need to ask for help wherever possible, and this means I have to get over myself, when it comes to feeling awkward and vulnerable.

My current event schedule at the time of this post.

Going into independent bookstores, or any retailer, to ask the management if they would be interested in carrying my book is still very intimidating to me. I get nervous and worry of the sting of rejection, should they turn me down. It could happen. Luckily for me, so far it hasn’t. Still, I know that day will come when I’m met with a, we just aren’t interested, comment. But it won’t stop me. Because a NO, only means it’s not a good fit. And afterall, who wants to be partnered with someone that’s not a good fit?

The other thing that is scary is putting yourself out there for interviews on podcasts, book groups, and social media events. It’s crucial though in this day and age, to be open to all kinds of platforms that could possibly get your book circulated. I mean, let’s face it… we don’t want to just sell a dozen copies to our closest family and friends as authors. And readers are literally everywhere, but you gotta know where to look. There has to be some kind of risk involved in order to get a return. That means, you have to get uncomfortable, and I’ve been willing to do that for quite some time now.

Shared picture of Wildflower
Another shared picture of Wildflower

I love that people are kind enough and excited enough about my books that they share their pictures with me on social media. The love they share just makes my heart grow. I would write no matter what, because I cannot keep myself from writing. But knowing people are out there anticipating my words, brings me a kind of joy that cannot be properly expressed. There isn’t vocabulary that describes that kind of feeling, but it lights me up, and fuels my spirit.

If you haven’t read Wildflower, it is about a young woman finding her worth in the world. It’s about mothers and daughters, about addiction and redemption, and forbidden love and romance. It’s about stopping at nothing to build a better life, even when it feels like the world is trying to tear you down. I love Charlie Kane and Jack Connors, my two main protagonists. But there is a whole cast of characters that I am in love with, and some I love to hate. I hope you will grab a copy from either Amazon (in both paperback or ebook), or from one of the retailers I’m holding an event with. Look at the above list. Soon there will be an audiobook out, and I’m always making new contacts with stores, so follow me on Instagram or Facebook for current details on where else Wildflower will be sold.

Thank you so much for all your support. And if you have already read either of my books, please leave a review on Amazon, or Goodreads, because that helps the algorithms put my book higher in the lists online, making them easier for others to find.

Here’s hoping I see you out there at one of my events. Cheers to the last part of summer.

Xoxo ~ Patti

* Feature photo is mine, along with schedule pic. Photo credits of shared book shots are from Yvette Sawle Guillory, and Darcie Jordan.

Deadlines and Distractions

Keeping My Eye on the Prize for Book Launch Day

As I look at my over-filled calendar that’s chock-full of obligations, fun events and outings, to even doctor appointments, I realize I’m just a little over ten weeks away from book launch day. Time surely flies.

The surprising thing is, I’m not very nervous. I think I’ve given myself plenty of lee-way in the off chance that something holds up the project. Publishing can be tricky when there are so many wheels in motion. So many people to rely on to do their part. I’ve been fairly lucky thus far that all of my team, that I’ve had to assemble in order to get this book out, has been on the ball and quick to address their role.

In case you missed what book I’m speaking of, I’ve written a new novel called, Wildflower. It is set to release on July 8th, and I feel that excitement of a new mother all over again, giving birth to a precious gem that’s been twenty-two months in gestation.

The cover design came out better than I could have dreamed! And with the interior being formatted now for both the print version as well as ebook, I’m just waiting for the final product so I can review it.

But I tend to get distracted and unsure of what to do next. With all the deadlines I have for each step to be completed, sometimes I can get overwhelmed with the checklist. The marketing is the most cumbersome. From social media posts, to making videos, creating cards, and bookmarks, to lining up interviews with influencers, book groups, bookstores, and podcasters…it seems endless. Do I hire a PR person? Do I continue to do it myself? For now, I’m doing ok, but self-publishing is a lot.

My most recent endeavor has been to pull together pictures to create a book trailer. Yes, that’s a thing. Like watching a movie trailer, seeing a book trailer can give people a better idea as to what the book is about. A visual aid to pique their interest. Something that eats up a lot of my time but will last forever, and I can use it again and again. Still, it gets exhausting, and once you are on the internet merry-go-round, looking for usable photos, time slips through your fingers faster than a slippery bar of soap. Time management hasn’t always been my greatest strength either.

So the good news is, I am on track, I’m feeling great, and spring is here! This is my favorite time of year and I am the most energized during spring. It’s glorious to get up early at sunrise, breathe deeply in that dewy grass outside with a steamy cup of coffee, and listen to the music of the birds showing off for one another.

I hope you are getting just as excited for my new book as I am. Wildflower is the story of Charlie Kane, a girl living in Sebastopol, California, and her evolution to becoming a woman, struggling to find her worth in a world of turmoil and chronic dissappointment. It’s about mothers and daughters, about addiction and redemption, and forbidden love and romance. It’s about stopping at nothing to build a life when it seems everything wants to tear you down. A heroes journey of sorts. Heroine, actually. And the book will take you from Northern California, to the busy cities around Los Angeles, New York, and other travel destinations as well. I’m thrilled to share it.

Wishing you all a lovely spring full of joy and adventure. Don’t forget to tell your friends about Wildflower, (and maybe this blog), so more people will be enticed to grab my book once it is available. I’m also working on getting it ready for pre-orders. More on that to come.

All the best ~ Patti

*Photos belong to Patti Diener except bird picture is provided by pexels.com.

Sitting on the Fence

Why did it take me so damn long to figure this out?

I just want to have fun. That’s it. When I turned 50, I told myself I just wanted to follow all the things that made me feel happy and filled me with joy. Writing is one of those things.

Over the past few years, I’ve written three books and published exactly ZERO of them. None. I have had this idea in my head that I was holding onto them to wait for the “perfect person,” (a.k.a. Literary Agent), to find it irresistible and want nothing more than to partner with me and champion it into the world.

With the amount of people out there trying to publish a novel every day, I might have better chances at winning the lottery. Some years ago, there was this statistic that literary agents get an average of over 300 emails a day. A DAY! How is that possible? How could I expect to be picked out of that pile? And that’s only the beginning. An agent has to SELL your book to a publishing house. And even if they love it and buy your book, it takes over a year after their editors get a hold of it and want you to do more re-writes, before it will ever even see the light of day on a bookshelf in your neighborhood bookstore.

So when my lovely writing coach asked me why it was that I was so set on getting a traditional publishing contract, I thought it was so I would get a bigger team behind me and that I’d have my books in more libraries across the country, and in the bigger stores, she smiled. Apparently, most of the marketing and book tours are no longer hosted by the publisher anymore. Also, advances are strung out over a two year period and often, royalties aren’t as much as if you’d have just published the damn thing yourself.

I knew this somewhere in the back of my brain. There was more to my holding back than I was willing to admit.

I needed validation.

If I am traditionally published, I was feeling that THEN…and only then would I have “made it,” in the industry. That self-publishing only meant that nobody worthy really liked my book.

THAT IS TOTAL BULLSHIT!

I have a following. YOU are reading this and you matter. I love you readers that have supported me and YOU deserve to get my book now. Not when some yahoo out there decides I’m worthy. And I have the knowledge and power to get this done. Waiting for outside validation is only my ego talking, and as Dr. Wayne Dyer always said…EGO is when you Edge God Out.

So…I’m going to hire another editor, (my lovely Jen Graybeal is coaching now but no longer editing), I’m going to self-publish my books as soon as I feel they are ready, and will for the forseeable future.

If I decide to try my hand at traditionally publishing again, I’ll do it all on my terms, and not wait around and hold onto something for years again. As of now, I have THE CLOCK TOWER OF MAPLE CREEK, ready to be edited and it will publish in 2025, along with the second book in the series, probably around this time next year. That’s right… two books will launch in 2025 by Patti Diener. I’d imagine the final third book in the series will publish early 2026.

Damn, that feels good.

So if you liked what you read on WILDFLOWER, from my previous blog post, know this; I will do a few re-writes, (as per Jen suggested I do), but if after that, the agents don’t have time for me, I’ll self-publish that too.

I’m in the freakin’ driver seat.

I love you all so much for putting up with my doubt, ramblings and indecisiveness on how to get my books out to you. It’s a journey, learning what and how to proceed in publishing. But I can’t wait around forever, and I have a shit-ton of books in my head I want to write before I meet my maker. And now, I’m super excited I’ve made this choice.

PLEASE…if you want to support me, just share my already published book, AFTER THE FIRE, with anyone who hasn’t read it, and please keep looking out for more of my books in 2025.

Xoxo ~ Patti

*PHOTOS were courtesy of pexel.com, other than my featured photo.