It’s IWSG Day! Our members are blogging away, posting their thoughts on their own blogs, expressing struggles and triumphs, doubts and fears. You can go HERE  to read what they have to say.  Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

IWSG was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. He saw a need for encouragement and he filled that need. On September 7, 2011, Alex launched the monthly blog posting of the IWSG and it has been going strong ever since.

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post.

The question is optional! 

January 8 question – Describe someone you admired when you were a child. Did your opinion of that person change when you grew up?

I really can’t remember anyone I admired – well, on second thought, I can. A 6^th grade Texas history teacher that disappointed me. But I was a dumb kid. I took everything at ‘face value’ back then. Believed everything I saw and heard. I don’t often make that mistake today. In fact, I’m probably a little too suspicious of everyone. So moving on …

You know I’ve had an agent for the past three or four years. We haven’t accomplished much. She’s been trying to sell my romantic suspense. I don’t like calling my book a romantic suspense. I much prefer labeling it a romantic mystery. Anyway my agent sent the proposal to four publishers: two didn’t like the subject matter since it has to do with bomb threats in a school. They said readers would find that a sensitive subject. The third publisher said I have no platform but she’d be willing to reconsider if I grow my mailing list and social media by 500+. That’s all well and good, but growing it isn’t my real problem – maintaining it is. Maintaining is tedious. And does that mean she expects those on my social media/mailing list to actually buy the book or just pass along info regarding my book?

The 4^th publisher my agent sent the book to never responded. Evidently when one doesn’t respond that’s a NO. I think that’s ridiculous in the age of quick emails. All she needed to do is say “No thanks” to my agent and we’d mark them off the list. Instead, they’re just “hanging out there.”

So what do you think? Should this book be self-published even though it might trigger anxiety in parenting readers? I don’t have any triggers that I know of, at least nothing that’s reared its ugly head to date, so I can’t answer this question. I’ve tried to put myself in a parent’s place but I easily separate fiction from reality. This makes me wonder about other triggers: like unwanted pregnancies and hidden babies, and divorce, and abuse, and car wrecks and anxiety in general, cold blooded murder that’s in most mysteries, alcoholism and death. Are those things triggers for readers?

Any thoughts on what to do with my book with bomb threats in the school and two explosions outside the school? I know of two authors who have books out using this backdrop but their books came out before school terrorism got so bad. My characters aren’t harassing the school; rather someone IN the school.

My agent has a second book I’ve written in a different genre. A romance. After her critique, I’m fleshing it out a little more and rewriting the first few chapters. I did a lot of telling in this book.

And after I do that  …

If this new book doesn’t sell to my targeted publisher, I’m thinking of putting novel writing behind me. I like writing short. Short articles, short stories. More instant gratification. There are so many other time-consuming things I want to do.

So here’s the big question: if you were 76 years old, had an agent, knew that if she sold a novel to a traditional publisher it would be a year or two before it hit the stands, what would be your career plan?  Do you realize how close 76 is to 80? (Yeah, slapping the side of my head.)

Thanks for your help. I’m looking forward to your comments.

JRF