Tue, 24 Mar 2026 05:01:13 -0700WeeblySat, 09 Jul 2016 20:34:28 GMThttp://www.kathysloanwriter.com/blog/its-all-worth-itSelf-publishing is hard work. You have to be a great project manager in order to handle all the aspects leading up to hitting "publish." You have to let go of perfectionism because things go wrong. I've been trying to fix a minor mistake in the formatting of my book for three weeks now but for some reason the problem keeps arising. It's ok, it doesn't really affect the story, but it's something that truly bothers me because I worked REALLY hard to make this book not look "self-published" and this mistake just screams "self-published"...well, at least in my eyes. I'm learning to let some things go.

But by far, the best part about publishing my book has been all the calls, text, and messages that I’ve been getting from people reading my book. I love hearing where they are in the story and what their predictions are. I also love when people text me when those predictions are way off and they are shocked at the turn of events!

I received many rejections for this book. Mostly the rejections were because agents thought the story wouldn’t be relatable – which is ironic because women (and men) are telling me that the characters are so relatable. Not only that but nearly everyone who’s finished the story is asking for a sequel.

I never saw the story as a sequel but they have certainly given me some food for thought. I sat down yesterday and wrote a little continuation of the story where it leaves off. 1500 words later, I have to admit, they might be right. I’m still working out the details of the story but I’m excited to see where it goes!

It just goes to show you that you should never give up. If you think your story will resonate with people, self-publish it!

]]>Wed, 22 Jun 2016 15:53:29 GMThttp://www.kathysloanwriter.com/blog/-in-laguna-is-hereHi everyone!

Just a quick blog to let you know that my book In Laguna is now on sale! You can buy it on Amazon right now. It will also be available at other major retailers and available as an Ebook soon so hang tight till then....

Self-publishing is hard work and it's only just begun! So, I need your help. Once you've read my book please write a review on Amazon. Even if you didn't like it - that's ok! Reviews will help me promote and sell more books.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @sloankath or Like my Facebook page: Kathy Sloan Writer for updates and giveaways! 

I'd really like to hear from my fans and fellow writers!

All best wishes,
Kathy  
]]>Sat, 02 Apr 2016 18:01:12 GMThttp://www.kathysloanwriter.com/blog/you-wrote-a-book-how-come-i-didnt-know-that I've been getting a lot of questions about the book that I'm self-publishing. People are shocked that a.) I've written a book and b.) that they didn't know I had. They are even more shocked to find out that the book I'm self-publishing is actually the second novel I've written.

I've been writing books and stories consistently since 2002. I've attended writers conferences, joined clubs for writers, and tapped into the writing community on Twitter. And none of that has been a secret. I've told people about my writing and I've shared my writing but some people just don't retain that information. The writing process is not sexy and it's not something that most people understand. It's also not something that most writers walk around discussing with just anyone. Writing is a highly personal and cathartic experience. It doesn't always need to be shared.

Some people want to know why they haven't read my book yet. That's because it's not finished. I'm not going to give someone my manuscript if I don't think it's complete. Sure, I've had some beta readers (Patty, Lauren, Sue, Karen, Jen, and Karen) along the way who've given me feedback on the story but that's a necessary part of the process. They have helped shape my novel. They are my target audience. They read the type of book that I’m writing. They are whom I’m writing for. I chose them because I trust their opinion and know that their feedback will be honest. For the rest of you, you have to wait for the finished product.

So, I’d like to answer some of the questions people ask. Here are my short answers:

When did you write it? In 2011.
What kind (genre) of book is it? Women’s Fiction
What’s it about? My book is about mother who runs away from home in an effort to discover who she is.
Why are you self-publishing it? Because I can.

 Looking for the long answers? Read on:


First, let me give you a little background about my writing.

I wasn’t one of those people who always knew they wanted to be a writer. However, I always felt I had a lot to say. For me, writing was a way to get some of those “things” out of my head. I began keeping a notebook and writing down story ideas around the time I turned 30.  

In the summer of 2002, I wrote a novel (I was 32).I didn’t set out to write a novel, I just wanted to get some tips and ideas down about running a daycare – which is what I was doing at that time. I thought I was writing an article or a non-fiction book but suddenly characters began to emerge. So, I went with it. Once I switched the focus from non-fiction to fiction, it was as if I’d opened up flood-gates; the words literally came pouring out. The characters came alive and before I knew it, I’d written 80,000 words (or about 300 pages). The name of that novel is Hindsight.

In 2003, I dragged Tony to New York so I could attend an all-day writing class at Gotham Writers. Tony spent the day in the city by himself – making him the best husband ever. I was in the class with other people, like me, who’d written stories or books or who wanted to write but didn’t know how to get started. I left that class feeling so incredibly validated. I’d found my tribe – people like me who had stories (or ideas) in their heads and needed to get them out.

After that class, I continued on my writing journey. I edited Hindsight for a long, long time. I spent countless hours deepening the prose and developing the characters. I would get it to the point where I thought it was complete and then I’d read it through, see how awful some parts were, and begin editing again. I’d get to the point where I couldn’t’ stand the book anymore and would put the manuscript away and try to move on to other projects. However, Kate and Eliza, the characters in the book, would call me back. Truthfully, it was a little disturbing. They wouldn’t let me sleep or start any other writing project. They begged me to go back to them. And so I did. This went on for years.

In 2007, I decided I needed to get some professional feedback about Hindsight. I’d taken the story as far as I could and I was driving myself crazy…not to mention Kate and Eliza were driving me crazy too. I found Grub Street – a writing community in Boston – and wrote to them for advice. They suggested that I get the book edited. The cost? A penny a word. It would cost $800 to get my book edited. I just couldn’t justify that. Then, President Bush gave us all an $800 unexpected tax refund in the middle of the summer and I took it as a sign.

The editor worked on my book and we met in Boston to go over her edits. She loved my book and said it was an “important” story that needed to be told. She helped me see how amateur I really was and that I had a lot to learn, but that I was capable of taking my story from good to great. I went home and began working on making the edits.

Fast forward to 2010. I was so sick of Hindsight and Kate and Eliza. I resented that they wouldn’t let me write anything else. I had sent the book to agents and submitted it to contests. I received very positive feedback on my book, but I received many, many rejections from agents. I realized it just wasn’t meant to be. My book wasn’t meant to be published.  

In October of 2011, an old high school friend, Dave, sent me a message. He wanted to know if I’d ever heard of NanoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month. I had not. Wikipedia describes NanoWriMo as a non-profit organization that brings together professional and amateur writers from all over the world. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30. You track the words you write online and receive badges for each milestone you reach. It’s free and is meant to inspire people to write that book they have inside.

I decided to participate. I had an idea in a notebook that I’d written a few years back that was worth exploring further so I used that as my jumping point. By the end of November 2011, In Laguna was born (In Laguna is the novel that I will be self-publishing). Kate and Eliza were finally quiet and I felt ALIVE for the first time in a long time.

After writing In Laguna, it was if I’d tapped into a well of ideas that just kept coming. I wrote several short stories, two children’s books, and a play. Then, I began writing articles for Baystate Parent. Writing was something that I couldn’t NOT do. It was who I was – a writer.

While I love writing articles, I feel that I’m being called back to fiction. Which is why I’ve decided that it’s time to publish In Laguna. I need to get that book out in the world so I can free myself up to work on something new.

What kind (genre) of book is it?

I would characterize In Laguna as Women's Fiction. According to Wikipedia, Women’s Fiction is an umbrella term for women centered books that focus on women's life experience that are marketed to female readers, and includes many mainstream novels. It is distinct from Women's writing, which refers to literature written by (rather than promoted to) women. The women’s fiction category is vast. It includes everything from literary fiction to chick lit.

Women’s fiction is different from Chick Lit though. Wikipedia defines Chick lit or Chick literature as genre fiction which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often humorously and lightheartedly. Chick lit authors include Jennifer Weiner, Emily Griffin, Sophie Kinsella.
To give you an idea of what my story is like, here are some writers that I would compare my work to: Daniele Steele, Liane Moriarty, Kristin Hannah. This is not to say that I write as well as they do, but my story is similar to the stories that these women write. My book is a quick read with lots of dialogue and yes, there is a little bit of romance (and sex…gasp!) in the book.
 
What’s it about?

The short version:
My book is about mother runs away from home in an effort to discover who she is.

The long version:

Sarah has spent her life in New Hampshire taking care of everyone else - abandoning her dreams of traveling and being a photographer. She has a job she hates, a marriage that was over before it began, sons that no longer need her, and her ailing father has moved in. Then, a betrayal pushes Sarah over the edge. She packs a bag and leaves her family behind.

Sarah ends up in Laguna, California where she takes a job at a café, meets new friends, and moves into an apartment on the property of successful Orange County developer, Will Donovan. Sarah and Will have a lot in common and a romance develops.

Then, the day after the biggest night of her life Sarah gets a call from home. Her husband’s been in a car accident and may not survive. Sarah must go home and face the family she left behind. Will she remain in New Hampshire or return to the life she loves in Laguna?


 

 
 
Why are you self-publishing it?

I sent out both my books (Hindsight and In Laguna) to agents many times. The process is time consuming and somewhat degrading. You have to have thick skin as the rejections pour in.

I’ve met with two agents about my book. Both said that while the writing was very good the genre of women’s fiction was a hard sell in the market. Both said that unless it’s “book club fiction” that publishers weren’t interested. One said that mother's don't run away from home so people wont be able to relate to my character. She was not my target audience - no kids and almost 70. The other said, that my book would resonate with women but the reality was that my book was good but not good enough to wow the people in the industry. This is not as harsh as it sounds. It’s reality.

Getting an agent to take on your project is one thing. However, after they say “yes” they have to go out and pitch the story to publishers and if the agent doesn’t feel that the book will sell they don’t say “yes”.  

I’ve spent countless hours writing and editing In Laguna and feel that this book needs to be out in the world. The thought of my book living forever in my computer’s hard drive makes me sad. Sad because I spent so much time working on it but also because I think the story is one that will resonate with women.

I feel so lucky to be living in the era which makes self-publishing so accessible and affordable. I can put my book out there and be done with it perhaps even move on to writing another book or maybe publishing Hindsight.

So that’s my story!

“Like” my page on Facebook – Kathy Sloan Writer - for updates about my upcoming book: In Laguna.
]]>Thu, 20 Aug 2015 15:58:06 GMThttp://www.kathysloanwriter.com/blog/summer-spent-writingI have an amazing part-time job at a local university that I love for a lot of reasons, but one really great thing about that job is that I get 10 weeks off in the summer. I've spent these last ten weeks with my three kids, going to the beach, and writing - lots of writing. The first half of the summer I worked on 5 articles for Baystate Parent. I was interviewing someone every other day - or so it seemed! I got to speak with some really amazing people and had the best time writing all of those articles -all of which are due out in the September issue of Baystate Parent. During the last couple of weeks, I've been doing some deep edits on my novel.

For these deep edits, I've been taking out unnecessary adjectives and commas. Commas are my arch nemesis! My fingers love to add comas in where they shouldn't be when I type! I'm also reading the text for inconsistencies in the story and for places where the story drags. I've deleted several thousand words but have also written several thousand new, more powerful words.

My intention is to self-publish this novel. My reason for going that route is mainly because my story is women's fiction. And, while I know that WF sells, my novel isn't book club fiction and that's what the industry really wants right now. My story is about a woman's journey finding her confidence. It's also a little bit of a love story. I hope people will like it! I'll keep you posted when I begin the publishing process.

How did you spend your summer? I'd love to know! Let me a comment and tell me!
]]>Wed, 08 Oct 2014 14:49:46 GMThttp://www.kathysloanwriter.com/blog/cyberbullying]]>Tue, 29 Apr 2014 13:57:21 GMThttp://www.kathysloanwriter.com/blog/my-first-real-articleMy first "real" article has been published! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about that. I have written blogs and content pieces in the past, even some articles for Yahoo Contributor but nothing like this article. Not only was I given an article to write on a subject that I had no first hand knowledge of but I had to interview subjects for the first time. And let me tell you, I had an absolute blast doing it. I have always been a curious person and oftentimes I hold back on my questions for people because I don't want them to feel as if I am interrogating them. Being able to ask questions and turn those answers into a "story" was just magical, for me at least.

I also want to say that working with MaryJo Kurtz, editor at Baystate Parent Magazine made the task so much easier. MaryJo is a supportive and encouraging person and editor. I hope we can work together again in the future! To see the article go to my sample page and click the link.

]]>Fri, 20 Dec 2013 16:50:35 GMThttp://www.kathysloanwriter.com/blog/new-storeI have added a store to my website. In the new year I will load short stories up into the store that you can purchase and read at your leisure. I have so many stories taking up space on my hard drive that are just dying for you to read. I will continue to submit my stories to magazines and journals but want to share some with the world. Check back soon!




]]>Tue, 26 Nov 2013 17:38:50 GMThttp://www.kathysloanwriter.com/blog/fear-of-plotAs a writer how many times have you been told: 

“Your story didn’t pull me in.” 

Or,

 “I didn’t feel connected to the main character.”

Or (the worst),

“It’s just not for us.”



What does that mean?!
 
 
It feels like a cryptic message that I am supposed to decode and I don't have the decoder ring.
 
I'm sorry, I know that this is taboo (writers criticizing other writer's work) but I have read the most horrible short stories recently and I am frustrated. Not only that, but books are equally frustrating to read lately.I'm not sure what is going on out there in the publishing world but I have found many type O's in books published by the major publishing giants. And, I've read books that defy all the "rules" that I am trying so desperately to follow. 

Back in the spring, I had an agent slam me because I used the word "anyways". She went on and on about how that word is not something a "real" writer would use because a "real" writer knows that anyways isn't a "real" word. Funny, because the very next week, I read a novel by a very well-known and
successful writer that had the word "anyways" peppered throughout it! Every time I saw the word, I wanted to copy the pages and send them to the agent that
berated me. 
 
Recently, I have read shorts that are so bloody awful and yet are in print while mine are being constantly rejected. Some of these "stories"aren’t stories at all but musings. Here I am trying so hard to flush out my plots and develop my characters and someone writes an entire piece on things that are lost, in a list form and calls that a "story." WORSE….someone published it! It “drew” someone in! I just don't get it. 
 
 
I know, I sound bitter and jaded. I suppose I am but most of all I’m frustrated because all of these damn rules have killed my mojo. I am so stressed out that I can’t even write anymore. Let alone the fact that reading has also become stressful because I am too busy finding the mistakes.

 I need to get my mojo back. And, my love of reading. 

 
I understand that an editor or an agent has to “connect“with something if they are going to represent it but when rejecting a writer because of that lack of connection it would be helpful if the writer knew why. Heck, it would help if you knew why. You (agent/editor) aren’t connecting with a story because the writer (me) didn’t set up the plot correctly.
 
If an agent or an editor simply said, your plot is non-existent or even, your plot needs work it would be so helpful! 


 You could say something like:  "Hey writer person. Your story stinks because your plot stinks! Do you even have a plot? Can you list your plot elements?"


 We writers can work with that!

 
I think plot is theme’s evil step-brother that no one likes to talk about. Why is everyone so afraid to talk about PLOT? I think it's because even agents and editor's don't really understand plot either. 


I've read all sorts of books, articles, and blogs about plot and I find it about as easy to grasp as calculus. Then, I had a revelation. When I was in college and taking calculus for the, ahem, second time everything finally clicked and I got an A in the class. What happened was I stopped trying to understand it. When I stopped applying logic to the problem and just "solved" the problem suddenly the world became clear. I simply used the formula and ultimately got the answers right.

 
I'm hoping that I can apply this to my writing and my understanding of plot. I have a long, hard road ahead of me but knowing that plot is my problem is something I can fix. 
 

 
  Anyways (see what I did there?)…..I will be spending my Thanksgiving break thinking about plot and how I can better develop some of my stories.



Wish me luck!



]]>Sun, 27 Oct 2013 18:27:17 GMThttp://www.kathysloanwriter.com/blog/writing-i-cant-quit-you
 I’ve had some great discussions with a writer friend of mine recently about who “makes” it as a writer. Of course, one must first define “make it.” Perhaps making it to you means that you give a story that you’ve written to a friend and that friend loves the story. Or maybe, you need that recognition from a professor, an editor, an agent. It is different for everyone, I suppose. For me, making it means being published. I don't even mean that I have to have a huge contract or make millions of dollars. I want to see my name attached to a story that I've written in print. 


I have submitted articles and short stories to magazines and journals and I have queried agents for both of my novels but have not yet received that YES that I am seeking. That YES that would make me feel as if I’ve made it. I’ve been wondering if it is worth it to continue writing if I never make it, aka get published. Am I just hobby writer? How does one know? 


I often wonder about athletes whose dream it is to play on a professional team. They work really hard in high school and college because it's their dream to play professionally. The may even get on a team only to be cut again and again. What makes them different from the players who make it? Or, what about all of those singers on reality contest shows who are beautiful singers but get eliminated and go nowhere with their gift? Luck I suppose. But at what point do you quit? Is it ever ok to quit?


 I do know that what makes those who get published different from
those who don’t is persistence, and probably a little luck. Writers must have
that drive to keep going and some days I think I have it and others, well I
don’t know. My characters call me back to write even on those days that I want
to quit and burn everything I’ve ever written. When I don’t write my mind is
constantly in story mode. Every person is a potential character. Every situation
I encounter is the beginning of a great story.
 
I know that writing is a part of me but I am tired. I’m tired of falling in love with my stories only to have them rejected. I’m tired of feeling elated when I finally get that story right only to have someone else say, it’s not quite right.  Maybe all of this is normal, maybe it’s not.

All I know is that my writing, and my writing friend, won’t let me quit and so I won’t. I joined an online critique site last week called Critique Circle. I have
 been having fun reading and critiquing other people's stories. I even put
up one of mine for critique.

I joined this site because I’m at a point where I need help –a point where either I try harder or give up altogether. I am enjoying reading these stories on Critique Circle and feel that by reading others work that I may gain some insight about my own. So far, some of the comments I've received on my story have been very insightful, other comments I will dismiss but either way, these anonymous people have made me think about my story and ultimately have made me want to make it better.

Tomorrow night I am going to a local writer's group to see if I can get feedback there too. My goal is to try just a little longer, to hopefully get better, and maybe have some fun while doing it.

WRITING! I CAN'T QUIT YOU!

Maybe I will have to adjust my expectations and find happiness in trying. 
 

Happy writing my friends……

]]>Tue, 16 Jul 2013 19:40:31 GMThttp://www.kathysloanwriter.com/blog/july-16th-2013What would you do with 97 seconds? Not sure, read my blog on Today's Hullabaloo for some fun ideas!


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