I’m not trying to sound like Ron Popeil pitching his Ronco Pocket Fisherman or his Chop-O-Matic (if you are too young to remember him, there’s always google) but here goes. Uncharted is now available for Pre-Order on Amazon. Click here. Now is where I put on my Ron Popeil hat–if you pre-order you save 25% and, not only that but you receive your copy of Uncharted on May 6,the day it is released!
The reason for the delay in releasing the book was because I submitted my manuscript for reviews to put on the back cover. The reviews are in and now it’s good to go except for the release date I had set to give enough time to get said reviews.
The back cover has quotes from the reviews, not the complete text. With that said I’m including the complete text from one of them here in case you need convincing. Another review you can find here.
As I write I’m waiting to receive an early copy of Uncharted for a final review. It’s been a long journey. Even though the first words I wrote bear no resemblance to the final copy, it still counts as the beginning. That was in August of 2018 and now 2024 is just around the corner. I can honestly say, I never thought it would take this long, nor did I think I would have the patience to stay with anything for this many years.
This journey won’t be over when the final books arrive, the next phase – marketing – will be staring me in the face. We’re planning on going up to New England in the summer. The Toadstool Bookstore in Peterborough is on my list and somewhere in Hampton or Hampton Falls. I’m also looking at Portland/Falmouth area of Maine.
Suggestions are most welcome for venues. If you have any contacts with people or places that would like to host an author event, I’m all ears.
As to the cover, I so appreciate all the input I received. That most folks liked the cover that was one of my paintings helped a lot. The problem being, we weren’t sailing and so it was somewhat misplaced. My publisher really liked the idea of one of my paintings for the cover, but again, we weren’t sailing. So I started going through my paintings and photographs for something else.
This cover is a painting I did when our Aunt Mary was dying. I was trying to paint her another day so she wouldn’t leave us. My cousin Betsy now owns the painting but I thought it would make a nice cover for several reasons, not the least of which is that I painted it for Aunt Mary.
Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year!
As I happily and hopefully write my query letters, I have come to a crossroads. Different agents ask for different information. In a form some use, there is a place to fill in your website and blog address. Until I sent out Uncharted to an editor, I had always thought of my website as a place to display my paintings and my blogging extended that.
While the editor did her work, I reorganized my website to highlight writing more than painting. I failed to improve my blogging and now I realize my posts are less than stellar. Inviting agents to look at uninspired writing is a problem. It’s been more conversational than informational. I paid little attention to spelling (relying mostly on spellcheck), punctuation, and sentence structure. It’s now time to “up my game.”
La Bourgogne, May 1887
That leads me to my change of focus. I plan on writing about a variety of topics with greater deliberation. I did a lot of historical research when writing Uncharted about the places I mentioned in the book. Most of it I didn’t use. I looked for lesser-known historical tidbits that would add some depth to the places we traveled. I’m particularly intrigued by questionable “facts.” Those bits teeter between legend and history. Pirate stories are a fine example of the blurring that happens.
Travel will always jump into the mix. In fact, a month from now I will be in Montbéliard, France. Why? It is the town my great-grandmother came from and a mystery solved. Until recently, all we knew was that she came from France. I’m headed there to learn more about that side of our family and perhaps feed my desire to write some historical fiction about her story. It’s the genre I love to read most, so why not write it?
Perhaps as interesting as the places we’ll be traveling to is our mode of transportation getting there. We will travel to Europe on the Queen Mary 2. I can’t explain why, but I want to stand on the deck in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, a thousand miles from anywhere.
In a strange twist of fate, we will depart New York Harbor, on May 26. My great-grandmother, Suzanne Viennot, arrived in New York Harbor on May 26, 1887, aboard La Bourgogne. I only wish I could have shared all I’m learning with my mother and her siblings. They always wanted to know more about their grandmother from France. Their mother was only three years old when Suzanne died. No one has been able to tell Suzanne Viennot’s story until now. I’m anxious to learn all I can and then begin to write about her.
