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The Wonder Chicks, Writers, Wrting group

The Wonder Chicks: A Writing Group

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2013-05-02 12.57.56(2)

 

     I formed a writing group a few years ago called the Wonder Chicks. At first it was just my gal pal Lisa and me. It soon blossomed into a group of five amazing women. Yes I am including myself in that. We have five members and that’s enough. A lot gets done when we are together. We can get kinda of loud. All one has to do is ask anyone at Barnes and Noble who has been seated near us. Our enthusiasm for each other and our own project usually gets us carried away.

     Last year we wrote the book, “Dragons in the Attic” which was released last December. It was a lot of work, time and effort as we did what was needed to get this out. Through the ups and downs of getting five authors to work on a project like this together was not easy. There was a lot of laughter, some tiffs and a heck of a lot of smiles. We still remain friends to this day and our group is just as strong.

     On March 12th we ran our book up the Amazon Best Sellers List and peaked at number nine which we are very proud off. On March 25th we spoke at a local library. We each read an excerpts from one of our stories. After which we each talked a bit on several topics. Mine was on the differences between self traditional publishing.

     I been told by a few people we did a really good job. I’m really proud of my ladies. Not only are they awesome writers, they are also amazing women in their own rights. They are supportive and caring individuals who gets what it means to be a writer. They celebrate my ups and listen to my downs. They are my own personal cheerleaders.

     I love how any one of us can contact the others and say, “Hey, let’s get together and write.” Or another might say, “I have a chapter I need help on.” And we circle the wagons as we work on whatever project that is being discussed. It is a great group, one that has truly enhanced me. What started out as writers meeting has turned into really awesome friendships. Lisa, Gina, Robin and Missy I have to say thank you.

 

Dragons in the Attic, Paranormal short story, Sharon C. Williams

Dragon in the Attic: An Excerpt

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2012-08-11 15.56.34

This is an excerpt from my first paranormal story ever. This is what I will be reading at the library tonight.

The Door in the Tree

Part 1

Chapter 4

Sarah had one trait that often got her into trouble; curiosity. She stood up, and wiped the dirt from her clothes and hands. She’d already forgotten the sting caused by the fall. Her mind was distracted by the door in the tree. Walking toward it, she went around the tree, carefully looking up. She’d expected the door to glow from all angles, but it didn’t. It only glowed from the front.

That was odd, but then again, a glowing door in a tree was anything but normal. She’d walked in a complete circle around the tree to return to the exact spot she’d first started from.

The door was up there pretty high, but that didn’t faze her. Scrappy. That’s what her dad called her. She wasn’t quite sure what it meant, but it had to be a good thing since it came from her dad. She liked the word.

She could climb a tree pretty well. This is where being a girl in a family of men helped. Her dad had even once said to her brothers, “You guys are determined to turn her into a boy!” She’d showed up one too many times on the back step more dirt than girl.

Her dad was forever patching up her shirts and pants after she’d spent the afternoon in the backyard with her brothers. On the inside, though, Sarah was all girl, and when not trying to keep up with the boys, she liked to behave like one. It was just one of the reasons she had so many Barbies in her room.

This tree was not going to beat her. The oak had enough branches. This wouldn’t be a problem. With no one around to know if she fell, Sarah knew to move carefully and slowly as she climbed. She was scrappy, not foolish, and there was that weird door, after all.

Sarah was glad she’d worn blue jeans as she shimmied up, reaching for the first branch she came across. She felt brave. When getting into trouble with her brothers, she held her own. Yet she would feel a whole lot better if any one of them were there with her right now, just in case she needed help.

She worked her way up, taking her time as she moved. Her family wasn’t close if she fell. It might take a while before anyone would come looking for her.

 

It was hard not to stare at the door as she edged closer to it. The glow became brighter as the distance got smaller. Sarah stopped to rest on a branch, sitting straight up as she leaned against the tree. She was careful not to move too much. Even though the branch felt sturdy enough, she was also a little tired.

I should have gone home and told someone. They could be here with me right now. We could have brought the ladder from the garage. It would have been so much easier!

She wasn’t sure if it would be tall enough, but it would have helped. Sarah looked at her watch. It read eleven o’clock. It was too late now. Time had flown by quickly without her realizing it. How did that happen?

If she turned back now, she could climb back down, and go on home. Then again, her dad might not let her come back even if one of her brothers came along. Worse, he would probably be mad at her for attempting such a feat on her own. Two bad choices and such a big decision, but she made the only one that made sense to any eight year old girl. She would continue up. Dad would be mad at her anyway, she rationalized, so why stop now?

Her stomach made a low growling sound, reminding her of how close it was to lunchtime. She’d rushed through her morning cereal, only eating half of it in her attempt to get outside to see what the boys were up to. She should have eaten more.

The sun at this angle had broken through the leaves as it bore down on her head. Between the heat and energy she’d used to climb up this far, she was starting to sweat like a pig. She wasn’t quite sure what that meant. Sarah had never seen a live pig before, but it was a phrase her brothers used a lot whenever they came in from playing outside all day long. If it meant they stank, then she understood, for she was getting a little smelly herself. She knew she was sweating, and that was enough for her.

All of a sudden, she heard a low hum. She looked up. It appeared to be coming from the door. Without meaning to, Sarah started to hum along with the unfamiliar sound, imitating it the best she could. Even when the sound grew in volume, she did the same without even realizing what she was doing. It was automatic to her.

For the next few minutes, they sang as one. Sarah was oblivious to anything around her. The song enveloped her like a safety blanket. She would not be able to explain this if anyone asked. Yet, she felt comforted none-the-less. When the hum returned back to its low tune, it left Sarah smiling, though she didn’t know why.

Feeling rested, she went back to the task of reaching the door. It was so close. If it wasn’t for the glow, Sarah wouldn’t have given it a second glance. It spoke to her just like the hum had.

Reaching the branches that held the door captive, Sarah pulled herself up. She took a moment to rest. The glow was still present, and the hum continued, though it had become even louder at this point.

Sarah rubbed her eyes, and looked again. Nope, the light was still there. Placing one hand on the door knob, she tried to turn it. The darn thing wouldn’t budge. It was either stuck or broken. She didn’t come all this way for nothing.

Sarah spit on both her hands, rubbed them really good, and tried again. This time, using both of her hands, she wrenched the knob with all her strength. That did the trick. The knob turned, making a squeaky sound as it did so. The light grew brighter as it landed on Sarah’s face. She squinted as she opened the door completely, and stepped through.

Author talk, Library, Publishing speech

Publishing Speech

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Jasper
Jasper

Next Wednesday I will be reading a small excerpt of the book “Dragons in the Attic.” After which I will be giving a small speech on self publishing versus traditional publishing. This is what I have so far.

Am I on the right path?

Good evening. My name is Sharon C. Williams. Last March, a publishing house out of San Francisco contacted me. They wanted to publish my book. “Jasper, Amazon Parrot; A Rainforest Adventure.” In September of last year it was released. Last December, along with the Wonder Chicks, we released “Dragons in the Attic.” This month I will be self publishing and releasing my novel “Squirrel Mafia.” I believe in not placing my eggs all in one basket. I do fluctuate between traditional and self publishing.

But before I decided how to publish my manuscript I first needed to write my book. After which came editing, critiquing, revising, and editing some more to get the manuscript in the best shape I could. Now there are several writing groups in town. If you are serious in releasing a book, I strongly urge you to join one of these groups. For there are horrible books that have been self published. There have been horrible books that have been traditionally published. You want to be neither.

Once I was done it was time to decide which route I was going. This is where ou have to decide what is your goal or dream for your book. For Jasper I wanted to have it picked up by a publisher. I was determined to keep trying until I found one who loved it as much as I did and also believed in it as much as I did. For you have to believe in your book. If you don’t, why do you expect others to?

There are some differences between self publishing and traditionally publishing.

Self publishing

-Your book will be released faster.

-You get all of the royalty.

-You will get paid sooner.

-You have final say in everything, this is your book.

-You get to choose the release date.

However,

-You are in charge of all the editing whether you do it yourself or pay to have it done.

-You are in charge of finding the cover and paying for it.

-You have to upload, format and distribute it to the markets online.

-You will have to do all of the marketing.

Traditional publishing

-You have to decide whether to get an agent or not. I flew solo in the sense I don’t have an agent at the moment.

-You will need to send query letters, cover letters, and synopsis of your manuscript to potential publishers or agents This will all take time. Your reward for all of this? Rejection letters. They will come. No one is immune to that Your feelings will get hurt and your emotions will get stepped on. This part of the process takes a lot of time and effort, it’s not easy. So many people stop at this point

-Your book will be released later.

-You will get a lower percentage of royalty.

-You will get paid later.

-You will do a good portion of the marketing. No longer is it the norm for publishing houses to carry the bulk of the marketing. Times are different now.

However,

-My publisher did the book cover for me, which I had a final say in.

-They edited the manuscript to get it in better shape. I had final say in what edits were kept.

-I was able to choose the release date

So it is very similar to self publishing Why go with traditional publishing first, if at all , when self publishing will bring in more profit? The answer is simple. I wanted to see my book in the stores and in the libraries. That was my dream.

With my publisher I have copies of my book in bookstores on the West Coast. I also have it in five libraries. These are two options that are not so readily available, if at all, to self publishers. Also my publisher has contacts and distribution lists that I don’t have access to. This is huge and something I would not have had if I went the self publishing way. But also I can say to my family I was traditional published. An accomplishment I am very proud of for the hard work and time I placed into it. It is not easy, it will challenge you to learn and educate yourself on the process of getting your book in the hands of a publisher or agent. It is work. But it is so well worth it. I truly can’t put into words the feelings I felt when I learned last March my book was being picked up.

But whatever you decided, only you know what goals and visions you have for your book. Whether you self or traditionally publish is up to you. If it works for you and you give it your all, I applaud you. So many people say they want to write a book. So few do.

Good luck.