MONDAY'S MUSINGS: LEFT TURN INTO THE TWILIGHT ZONE

I know many of you have wondered where I’ve been and why I haven’t been posting.  I had every intention of posting after Labor Day and doing my normal blog with guests and all. Unfortunately, my life took a left turn into the twilight zone.  I cancelled my guests for September and October.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer, invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), on September 2^nd. Welcome to the sisterhood I never wanted to be a part of.  My life ceased to resemble anything normal after that.

Cancer.

It’s such a scary word when you hear someone has it and even more so when you find out you have it. Even with the cure rates, which are good if you catch it early enough, there is still an adjustment time of dealing with the word and its meaning. I can tell you that I had to face that basement of fear before I could do anything. Or tell anyone other than my husband.

I found a lump the third Wednesday in August. Being one who is very aware of her body I knew something was wrong inside but not exactly what. I had been pondering over what it could be. In fact I dreamed I had cancer several days before I found the lump. I think my subconscious mind was scanning and analyzing what was going on inside. It’s done it before and has been rather accurate when it does. 

My husband confirmed that no, it wasn’t my imagination, there was a lump. He was half asleep at the time and I assure you after he checked, at my request, he no longer was drowsy.  “Oh my God, there’s a lump here. You need to get this checked out.”

“I will. I’m going in Tuesday for a mammogram.” I kept it cool and easy when inside I was anything but calm. My heart was pounding. I didn’t even try to downplay it by saying it’s probably nothing because I suddenly knew, for a certainty, it was something.

I had my mammogram August 25^th and sure enough, there it was as clear as daylight. I always look at the scans when I have them done and I watch the techs. The tech’s wide eyed look was the only reaction she showed. If I hadn’t been watching her closely I wouldn’t have even noticed. She looked up at me and said, ‘you knew there was a growth, didn’t you?”   

Sure did and I had gotten to know it quite well in 6 days.

I told my sisters, first, because they are incredible women and I knew I needed them on my team. By this time I had already walked right through fear and assemble my battle gear and got my mind into battle mode. I knew I was gearing for the battle of my life. I needed, as any who fight cancer, a strong support team so I could kick ass. I had and have no intention of taking any prisoners or being taken.

   

I saw my doctor two days after the mammogram and had a biopsy on the first of September and the confirmation by the second. It was at least 1.8 centimeters by 2 centimeters. The doctor wasn’t sure whether it was still stage 1 or in the beginning of stage two. It ended up being stage 2, grade 2 and HER2 positive which is a protein based and not hormone based and it wasn’t there two years ago.

Although my local breast center was good I opted to go to Cancer Treatment Centers of America and the Midwestern facility in Zion, just outside of Chicago, for treatment. One of the considering factors was that particular center has been awarded Breast Cancer center of excellence. Not many breast centers achieve that distinction and there are only about 50 in the United States.

It’s been 18 days today since the tumor was removed. I still tire easily and don't have as much stamina but I'm healing and in pretty good spirits, over all. Just taking it slow and steady. 

Pathology reports are good. It hadn’t yet spread to the lymph nodes and is nowhere else in my body, yay. I go in for my first infusion of chemo November 6^th. At this point I will be receiving 4 cycles of chemo and perjeta and then a year of herceptin. I have no idea how I will react to all that and it differs from person to person. I’m a bit of a weeny contemplating it. I can honestly say, I wish I didn’t have to do this part and of course I can say no, but I don’t want to have to face this again so yes, I will throw back my shoulders and lift my chin and do it.

I do reserve the right to be to whine, be wimpy, and weak now and then. 

The cure rate for this cancer is excellent and I’ve met and spoken with many who have been cancer free for 5 years, several who are celebrating 10 years and two fabulous ladies that marked year 13 and 15. Very encouraging.

Life doesn’t come with guarantees. We all die at some point or another but as Gandalf says, in the Lord of the Rings, “…All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” 

I don’t choose to waste that time or live in fear.

“A day may come when the courage of men fails… but it is not THIS day.”
– Aragorn

I’m not sure what my posting schedule will be the rest of this year. I'd like to try Monday Musings, at least, depending on how I feel. We’ll see.

Monday Musings - The Accidental Blogger

Hi, Kat Sheridan here. First up, an update on Sia. For those who don’t know, Sia has been having a tough time lately, as she explains here.
 
I’ve heard briefly from Sia and her hubs. Surgery day last Thursday was long, but Sia is at home now, floating on a sea of painkillers, and typing one-handed, but she’s recovering! YAY! She dictated a comment for her hubs to type for her on last Monday's blog that reads:

surgery went well but a lot more damage than we first thought. Serious recuperation time and still a lot of pain--thank God for pain meds. But seeing all these comments made the pain in the heart the heart, much better.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!

~Dan taking dictation from Sia~

I’ll be keeping the lights on and the coffee hot here at Over Coffee for the month of April until Sia is back with two good arms! Sia wanted to participate in the annual A-Z blog challenge. I’ll be keeping that commitment on her behalf. Because the blog only appears three times a week, we won’t hit all the letters, but I’ll do my best to bring you content I hope you’ll enjoy, by the alphabet. Our theme is “Favorite Books and Authors.” I’ll have friends stopping by on occasion throughout April, talking about everything from Dwarves to Zombies, and I’ll be filling in with articles that reflect my weird, eclectic taste in books.

 

 

And of course, I'll be counting on all of you to help me keep the conversation going!

 

Here's a secret: I never meant to be a blogger. I admire folks like Sia, and many of the commenters here, who blog regularly. It’s a huge commitment to keep coming up with fresh ideas and to have the patience and skill to produce enticing content day after day and to build an audience.

When I first started my own website, I had to decide if it would be a fairly static site that would include only news of my books, or if I would join the legions of bloggers on the interwebs. At the time I was working 60-80 hour weeks, learning my craft, and trying to fit in work on my fiction in the odd leftover moments. I chose not to add blogging to that list. I’m grateful to Sia, however, for inviting me to join her here as the occasional co-host and accidental blogger! And of course, I love being able to "lend a hand" (LOL!) to a friend like Sia!

 

Though it may look or sound a little different in April, you can always count on this here at Over Coffee: we'll be talking about books and writing, there will alway be a pot of fresh coffee on the counter, and something good to eat! So grab a muffin and kick back!

Let’s talk:  What makes a blog appealing to you? How did you find, and start following the blogs you follow? And if you're a blogger yourself, what made you start it and what keeps you going?

 

 

GETTING PUBLISHED—WHAT MAGIC WAND?

I’ve been in marketing/publicity for quite a few years. I’ve sold, promoted, and publicized various products and services over the years. To be effective one has to know the product or service being offered—which in this case is selling you as an author and your book. Knowing the business end of the product you’re selling, which in this case would be publishing.

I write quite a bit about marketing, promotion, and publicity. I work with a couple of small independent publishing companies to promote their authors and increase sales. I am also a writer. So learning about the publishing field is a must. As I learn about it, I write about it. I get comments, sometimes emails from aspiring authors who want to be published and want to be a success. I’ve had questions from published authors on suggestions I might have on marketing.

One unpublished author wrote to me: “I am an aspiring writer. However, I am having a bit of a time getting published. I know it is nearly impossible to connect with a large publishing company. So I am trying to decide if I want to do self-publishing or use a print on demand service. Any suggestions?”

I hear things like this frequently. Everyone wants a shortcut. I have no magic wand. I share what I learn. This is actually a two-part question. The first part is how to get published and the best route to accomplish that. The second part is how to be successful as an author once you are published. I thought about it and answered.

As an aspiring author trying to get published, the main thing is belief in yourself and in your ability to tell a story. The second thing is polishing your craft. That means learning and applying—what works and what doesn't. If you receive critiques or suggested changes from editors, agents, or your writing group, don’t get on your high horse and think your words are sacred and descended from God. Be willing to look at the critiques and suggestions and see if they’re valid. Third, keep an eye on what’s selling out there. What do you see on the bookshelf—especially in your genre? How does your writing compare in premise, character development, and presentation? Fourth, as a published author, building a reader base by marketing yourself and your book.

POD (Print On Demand) isn’t a shortcut, although many think it is. A shortcut denotes a quicker way to get from point A to point B and going POD isn’t going to give you that, other than you have a book out there with your name on it. POD can be a good place for some to start. You can build a readership base, see what works with plots and story lines and what doesn't. An author has more control over their books and any profits generated, which is why some choose that route. Many POD publishers also make the books available as an E-book on places like Amazon. POD has changed considerably over the years and it's not at all like the old Vanity press of years gone by when a person could self-publish anything—most of it poorly written. They went the route of self-publishing because they couldn’t get a contract from a larger publishing house and part of the reason was the story was not saleable due to the way it was written. What came first? The chicken or the egg?

Unfortunately, some POD books out there are still poorly written and there is a reason for that. If you choose to go the route of Print on Demand, be careful which POD publisher you go with. If you have to pay them to publish your book, this is not the one for you. If you find a reputable POD publisher your work is still cut out for you. This is where an author discovers that POD isn’t a shortcut. There are very few POD publishers with an editing staff to filter your writing. That’s up to you as the author. They’ll print your book at no cost to you, they will also offer you a contract—be sure to look it over carefully—and they will offer a percentage of the profits on each book sold and send those royalties to you either monthly or quarterly. Once you receive the proof book back from the printer, be sure you really proof your story well before it goes to final print. Presentation is everything and in this case, it’s up to you to make sure it looks professional and error free.

The thing to keep in mind with POD is it will require an enormous amount of work on your part to promote yourself and your writing. You don't get an advance to work with and funding for publicity and promotion is very important. You don’t have the avenues available to you in promotion and publicity that a traditional publisher can offer. You are writer, agent, and business manager, all wrapped in one person. Getting your name known is daunting but necessary. This actually needs to be started before you have your book in print. Build an interest in you as an author, and create expectation for your book. Creating that interest can seem overwhelming to a debuting author, regardless of whether you are published traditionally or POD. But, it can be done through the Internet, via blogging and social networks such as Facebook, Gather, Twitter, MySpace, and a host of others. Keep in mind; you still have to allow for time to continue writing. Producing a product to sell. That isn’t an easy juggling act as most authors also have a day job and families.

If you don’t want to go POD, and there are many who don’t, make it a point to look into some of the smaller Independent publishing companies. There are a few good opportunities to get on with one if you write genres they publish. Still, even with a small publisher or even a major publishing house, you will be required to promote yourself and generate publicity for your book—unless you’re a debuting Dan Brown—there isn’t much in the way of dollars for marketing/promotion available for debuting authors.

Regardless of the route you take to being published, caution is necessary. Make it a point to check out the company or agent you’re considering with Editors and Preditors. Consider them the Better Business Bureau for writers. There are a lot of scams out there, predators with basically a storefront, whose sole purpose is to make money off your dream and give little or nothing back. The horror stories I’ve heard would curl your hair.
Agent Query has a good list of agents and their submission requirements and they also have a good list of small independent publishers as well the big boys. It’s worth looking at and then doing some research on them. Writing isn’t just a creative endeavor. It’s a business. You are the proprietor of that business.

So, as an aspiring author, you need a strong believe in your ability to tell a good story, spend time perfecting your craft as a writer, and keep abreast with what’s currently selling in your genre on the market. Be willing to invest time in building name recognition long before you’ve been published.

But what if you’ve already sold your book? What can you do to help sell your books? I will discuss this in part two, Being a Successful Author–Magic or Work?
***

Sia McKye has spent over twenty years in marketing and promotion. She's written and published various articles on writing, marketing, and promotion. She's a Marketing Rep by profession and also writes fiction.