What qualifies as unique?

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else. ~ Margaret Mead


I started my writing path because I didn't find heroines I could relate to. It's really as simple as that. I was a 50-something woman with a high tech background who lived in the Midwest and did not desire a sheik, an urban career involving stilettos, or a hidden baby. God forbid there should be any babies, hidden or otherwise.

So I started writing about 50-something heroines in small towns or suburbs who get embroiled in likely but not necessarily realistic homicides. Things just kinda happen to my heroines and along the way they find a guy. Sometimes they settle down, sometimes they don't.

It took me a few years to sell the idea to a publisher. None of the big publishers would touch it, of course. I had a couple of offers from editors who suggested if I changed the heroine's age or the location, they might consider it. Uh, no thanks.

Eventually my books found homes, with 3 different publishers. I'm not a NYT best-seller, but I didn't really set out to be that. I set out to write books I'd want to read.

Am I unique? Sure, in a sense. But a lot of other writers have taken new paths down trails that publishers said had no future. Sports novels, divorce novels, novels about heroines with disabilities. So you see, it's true. We're all unique, in our own way.

J L Wilson
Look for my Goodreads giveaway, ending soon! A springtime book for spring-loving people!

I never imagined this ...

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. ~ Henry David Thoreau

 I've always been a writer. I write professionally (technical documentation), I have 2 degrees in English (Masters Thesis), 2 in Information Theory (Masters Thesis), and a degree in Horticulture (final project: landscape maintenance handbook for homeowners).

In 2004 I decided I wanted to learn how to write fiction. I always wrote fiction, but badly. I decided to learn to Write Good. Long story short, in 2007, three of my books were published and here I am today, 25 books later.

One part of the Writing Life I never imagined was the promotional aspects. I guess I figured I'd have books published, people would discover them and everybody would be happy. I didn't count on the constant need to sell myself and my books. When you're with a small publisher, you don't have large distribution (i.e., in every bookstore in the country), so you need to lead people to your books rather than let your books be found.

I've tried various promotional activities over the year. This year is the Year of Good Reads. I'm a member there but haven't done much with it. This year I'm dabbling in giveaway (details below) as well as a few other activities. Will it affect my sales? No idea. It's hard to track what helps sales because royalty reports trickle in so slowly. But if I see a bump in sales next year, I think I can safely assume it's because of GR.

My first giveaway is up now. Check it out right here. I timed it to coincide with spring because, hey, this is the first book in my Deadly Landscaping trilogy, and in spring a person's thoughts turn to gardening (and, in my case, murder). Feel free to share the link, share the info, share it all -- the more the merrier. Good Reads will choose the winners and I'll send 'em a book.

I'll report back later if I see a bump in sales -- stay tuned!