[Book Tour] Winter in the Soul by Jennifer Novotney #Rejection guest post

Blurb:

In a world divided by power and greed, seventeen-year-old Lilika harbors an intense desire to return to Winter in the Soul, the place her family left to escape the darkness that was manifesting from a coldness of the soul.

When she meets Talon, their connection is evident right from the start, and together they travel through the Black Kingdom to recover Lilika’s stolen locket. And in search of an answer to the mystery behind Winter in the Soul.

Lilika holds the key to stopping the darkness from spreading. The fate of their world lies in her hands. Will she stop the Black Kingdom before its darkness overtakes them all, or will they succumb to the darkness that is spreading across the land?

Release Date: July 15, 2014

High Goals and Writer Rejection

As a writer, my work has been rejected. It's just a fact of life. I once heard that if you're not getting rejected on a daily basis, then your goals are not high enough. I'd like to think that's true in my case. Even if you're not a writer, yet you have high aspirations, rejection is imminent.

Here's why I don't let rejections stop me. Some people just like to say no. I know that sounds silly, but it's true. I've been teaching English for eleven years. When I was in school to get my teaching credential, one of my professors, who was also a veteran teacher, had some words of advice. He told me that whenever a student asks to use the restroom, always say no. If they ask again, tell them to wait. If they ask a third time during the same class period, then they probably really have to go and I should let them, but not before rejecting them a couple of times first. For some reason, even all these years later, that story has always stuck with me. Here was a professor teaching us to say no without even thinking about the individual situations.

As a writer, I've experienced rejections. Most writers have. I recently read two stories about authors who couldn't get an agent, couldn't find a publisher, but went on to be successful anyway. Both of these authors hit #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list all on their own. After their manuscript was rejected by literary agents and publishers, they just said forget it and did it themselves.

These stories give me hope. They make me realize that just because I get rejected or someone says "no" to me doesn't mean my work isn't good. It just means that my goals are high.

I learn from rejections, each and every one. If I get personal, specific feedback, I take a good hard look at my work. If it's true, I learn and grow. If it's not, I move on. That's really all I can do with a rejection. The other thing I do is keep writing. Just because one manuscript didn't catch an agent's eye, doesn't mean another one won't. I'm young. I have tons of stories in my head just waiting to be written. I am not done evolving and learning as a writer. I don't think I will ever be done. I continue to learn, create, and write.

Sure, the initial sting of a rejection might hurt, but in the long run, it's not important. It only takes one yes and sometimes, that's what keeps me going.

I aim high, know that rejection is a part of the process, and keep going anyway. That's what I've always done and my first book, Winter in the Soul, comes out this month. I've been writing my whole life, but I only just started pursuing publication seriously last year and already my dreams are coming true. I can't wait to see what this year brings.

Author Bio:

Jennifer Novotney was born in Burbank, California and lived in Los Angeles for most of her life until settling in North Eastern Pennsylvania with her husband and daughter. She attended California State University, earning a bachelors degree in journalism, and Northern Arizona University, earning a masters degree in English. After college, she spent several years writing and teaching, including at Pennsylvania State University.

Website: www.jennifernovotney.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jennovotney

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jen.novotney

Links:

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20869515-winter-in-the-soul

Anaiah Press: http://www.anaiahpress.com

Giveaway:

includes 5 autographed posters and 5 keychains

How to Beat the Rejection Blues #Wwow #writingtip

Face it! Rejection and writing go hand in hand, be it with a publisher, an agent, or from a bad review. 

Having just lived through another rejection last week, Here's what I did (and normally do.)

1. Cry. Yep, I'm a sap.

2. Play computer games... to hell with that manuscript waiting for me.

3. Put my Kindle in the drawer... why did those authors make it and I didn't?

4. Drink some wine... and more wine... and WHINE.

5. Wake up and try it all again.

I've had to rethink about how to get past those rejection blues. If I could skip the whole day of feeling blah, I would, but I personally think it's good to get it out of our system.. Then what? What can we do? Here's my advice.

1. Let it sink in, sit there for a few minutes and then move on. If you dwell on the pain for too long, it will destroy your motivation, will power, or kill off your muse. We don't want that!

2. Learn from your rejection. Sometimes an editor/agent will give you advice in their rejection letter. Use these suggestions to improve your manuscript. It's all a learning experience!

3. Review a publisher/agent guidelines carefully. Sometimes your manuscript can simply be rejected based on not following directions.

4. Know you're not the only one. We all face rejection. Check out this great blog post. 50 Iconic Writers Who Were Rejected

5. DON'T STOP WRITING! If you stop, they've beat you. You are a winner. You can do it. Fix it. Make it better.Move on.

Some great author's advice:

“I tell writers to keep reading, reading, reading. Read widely and deeply. And I tell them not to give up even after getting rejection letters. And only write what you love.”
—Anita Diamant

“Every rejection is incremental payment on your dues that in some way will be translated back into your work.”
—James Lee Burke

Chin up! Keep writing! Move forward!

Follow along and read all this week's posts.

Tammy Dennings Maggy http://tammydenningsmaggy.blogspot.com

Lacey Wolfe http://laceywolfe.com/blog.html

Paloma Beck http://romancebeckons.blogspot.com

You can follow us on twitter at #WWoW. Or find us on facebook at Words of Wisdom. And soon we'll be opening our official WWoW blog - details to come!

How to Pitch Your Book Online

Last Saturday I guest blogged at From Corsets to Bustiers, Christina McKnight's blog. If you haven't checked it out, follow the link below and read my story about Rejections to a Contract. 

I give advice on how to do an online pitch. I'm not an expert, but that is how I contracted my upcoming novel, Time Changes Everything with Entranced Publishing. There are live pitch challenges right now! See what I did and push yourself to get out there.

I love to read comments. Please let me know your experiences with online pitches or what you think about them. 

Insecure Writer's Support Group - May

My First "R"

I would like to say I truly belong to the Thick-Skinned Club. Most of the time, I do. But, there are days where I am a baby and any type of critique of my WIP drives me to tears. I admit it! Insecurity is always there, I think, for any writer. Will readers like our work as much as we do? We can’t please everyone.

I’ve decided to aim my writing for the publishing line I have read for so many years, a Harlequin category. Category romance is a special type of writing… readers know what to expect when they pick up the book and it includes tropes. In fact, in most cases, a reader will pick up a book because it comes from that particular category, even if they don’t know the author. I do anyway. I know what to expect from this type of romance.

For that reason, I sent off my first WIP to this publisher´s book pitch challenge.  Actually, they only asked for a one-page synopsis, which was hell in itself. In this challenge, I had only one week to hear back from the editors. They would pick five lucky winners to pitch their book. Well, I didn’t make it, so I guess this was my official first “Reject.”

It was bound to happen. Which author has never gotten a reject, especially on their first novel? Well, it still hurts. You always have that hope….and actually I still do. I am proud of my work. I am not proud of my first one-page synopsis, though. So, I will take this all as a learning experience and continue to work on my “baby” and send it off again. This time with the normal query letter, 2-page synopsis (easier said than done), and first chapter. That is a real indication of what type of writer I am.

This morning I found a great article that spoke to me. I’d like to share it with you. The Positive Side of Rejection.

I actually will take this rejection as a positive. I don’t feel down anymore. It has all been a learning experience. I will move on.

But, there is always that little doubt nagging me on the inside… so I think you for letting me share my insecurities and allowing me to move on.

 

If you are interested in joining the Insecure Writer's Support Group, please follow this link. Each month writer's share and support each other. We are in this journey together!

Happy Writing,

Melinda