PINK POODLE PIE IS ON IT'S WAY

My new book,"Pink Poodle Pie (and Other Tales of Women Getting Even), was submitted to iUniverse last week, has been accepted as formatted correctly, and today I received notice that it is in Editorial Evaluation. In other words, the editors are giving it a good going over, will find the real goofs I've made, and will help me create a better book than the one I submitted.

Why did I choose iUniverse? I did my homework. I contacted most all of the well-known POD publishers (and many of the lesser known) and made the decision that iUniverse was the best for me. I am not a smart computer person and found that many of the other publishers had confusing hoops I had to jump through in order to have my book published. iUniverse made it so much less stressful. They assigned me a great publishing rep, Amy He, who guided me through the submission process after giving me all the necessary information to choose which plan I wanted to go with.

With this blog, I'll keep you all posted on how this process works, step-by-step. I'll offer you a glimpse at the stories in this new collection (my other collection, "The Quilt Maker" can be found on Amazon.com, as well as my memoir, "Growing up Barefoot in the South."). And I will urge you to work hard at writing, editing, rewriting, and submitting your book to be published.

First of all, I'll explain how this collection came to be. I taught/led a creative writing class for about nine years. When I gave assignments or suggested prompts, I wrote with my students/members also. Many of the stories in this collection came out of that class. Most of them have been published and/or won literary contests; one was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by an editor of a magazine where it was published. It wasn't until later that I realized I had a small collection, and began the process of seeking a traditional publisher.

All writers will understand that dilemma. Not only has the publishing economy been in the tank for several years, it is also very difficult to publish a short story collection. After a pile of rejections, I began to research other ways to publish. I don't plan to make my fortune here, never have thought to do that with my work. I want others to read my work and, hopefully, as with my other works, let me know how much they enjoyed my stories. After all the searching, I've set off on this journey. I hope you will come with me.

Join me on this path, up the hills, down through the valleys, and cheer me on when I falter. Next blog will be a synopsis of the short stories contained in "Pink Poodle Pie."