I am doing the happy dance today. There were so many good things that happened today (and one unshared older news) that I just have to tell you.
Two of my short stories have been accepted for (paid) publication in anthologies in the US.
(SQUEAL)
One story will be published in an anthology by Freedom Forge Press, the other made it into the “Think Sideways Writers Anthology” of writing teacher Holly Lisle. Isn’t the cover just awesome?
The Adventure of Creation Think Sideways Writers Anthology
Also, my Wattpad story “Swordplay”, a YA fantasy murder mystery, made it into the final round in “The Write Awards 2013”. This contest is looking for well crafted stories on Wattpad, and the competition was fierce. We started out with nearly 100 participants and have been narrowed down to 10 by now. Mid-August, they will announce the winner.
And finally, my novel “Scotland’s Guardians” passed the first round of judging for the “Kindle Book Review: Best eBook 2013 Award” and is now a semifinalist in the Young Adult category.
All these good news make up for the fact that I don’t get much done with the kids on holiday.
I am going on a holiday to visit gardens and castles in Kent, England! It will be the first time since my marriage nearly 20 years ago that I’ll be travelling without my husband and kids. I’m scared stiff to say the least.
What if hubby doesn’t manage to handle the kids? After all, they’re both in puberty and very easily annoyed. What if they have to live on muesli and pancakes for the whole week? What if it keeps raining and our house is flooded? What if my dog stops eating because he misses me so much? What if… But probably not.
My mind knows exactly that everything will go well. It’s just this over-active imagination dumping horrors on me. I wonder how people who aren’t authors cope with these things. I can sit down and write a story where all the bad things happen increasing the catastrophes until the world explodes. After that, I can set aside my worries because my emotional side finally understands how unlikely these things are. But what do you do (no, not you, author. The one beside you)? Let me know, please. I’m curious.
Yesterday, I discovered a feature on my Goodreads profile that allows me to invite my Facebook and Twitter friends. I was reluctant to use it since it felt a little spammy to me. Then, I thought, “But they’re my friends already and if they don’t want to follow me on Goodreads, they don’t have to.” I clicked the button. This morning, I woke up nearly 100 new friends. My eyes nearly popped out of my head.
Thank you so much, friends!
Now, if some of you have actually read stories by me and liked them, please stay informed by joining my newsletter (you’ll get a full YA Fantasy novel by me plus two short stories by fellow authors as a reward). It’s guaranteed spam-free. I’ll only mail when I’ve got news for you (releases and special offers). Sign up now. Thanks.
My Monday Cup of Tea (ehm Cocoa): Pre-Publishing Blues
It’s Pentecost today, and I feel more down that I have in quite a while. Everything related to “Paralan’s Children” is ready to go. I even managed to get a few people to request a pre-publication copy for reviewing (if you want one please contact me at reviews_at_katharinagerlach.com, replace _at_ with @), and now I feel drained. All energy seems to be gone. When I look at the amount of work that still needs to be done for the next few books (I’ve got two more novels and several short stories lined up for publication this year, plus an anthology for Holly Lisle), I wonder how other small publishers manage. Don’t they have a life?
I know this feeling will pass (especially when I manage to sleep some more), but at the moment I’m feeling blue. I hope you are feeling better. Please let me know what brings you down in the comments.
I’m thinking about redesigning my website. I’ve got the feeling that this is not working the way I want it to. With these blogposts, I can tell you lots about me, but I don’t feel comfortable advertising my books.
So, I’m looking for options. What would you be interested in seeing in my weekly postings? Should I post once, twice or three times a week? Do you want snippets of work in progress? More giveaways? More book reviews? What would draw my target readers (MG and YA fantasy lovers who enjoy twisted and fast paced stories) to my site?
Please help me to find something I will enjoy writing that you will enjoy reading and commenting on.
P.S.: Since the Authors in Bloom posts have to stay visible until the 20th of April, I’ll stop posting till then and hope for many ideas in the comments.
1. Spring Jam:
Collect elderflowers in a clean bucket. rinse them lightly and soak them in 3/4l apple juice over night. Stain them the next morning and make jam from the juice with 1 packet of jam sugar using the instructions on the packet. This jam tastes even better when allowed to rest for a few months.
2. German Cheesecake:
Time needed ca. 15min
Ingredients: 1kg curd cheese, 125g soft butter (I usually melt it in the microwave), 4 eggs, 375g sugar, 1 pack. Vanilla-sugar, 2 tablespoons of semolina (you can replace this with flour but then, the cake will be less spongy), 1 pack. baking powder, 1 pack. Vanilla-pudding for cooking, a little lemon juice (you can use concentrated juice).
Preheat oven to 200°C (Gas 3).
Mix all ingredients in a bowl (I usually mix the dry ingredients with a spoon first, and then add butter, eggs, lemon and butter). Oil a springform pan and rotate it with a little semolina until bottom and sides are covered with it (the leftovers can be added to the batter), fill the batter into the form and smooth the surface. Cover with backing paper or tinfoil and bake for 90min. Take off the paper/foil for the last 15min so the cake can get brown.
Let the cake cook inside the oven (too fast and it’ll sink in too much). Put on a serving plate when cold.
I hope you’ll like it. Remember to take part in my raffle to win an eBook. For the main prize (Kindle Fire), leave a comment on the previous post.
Good luck,