Groundhog Predicts New Best Seller!?!

     The groundhog once again noticed his shadow--predicting 6 more weeks of winter. (When did this not happen? Perhaps when he was too thin--during the Great Depression?) An intuitive writer always notices signs & omens. Always the optimist, on Groundhog Day I received word from my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, that my novel, "THE ACCIDENTAL WIFE" will be released in 6 weeks--(drum roll here)--on March 18, 2015. Perhaps at the trill of the season's first robin?

     From start to finish, my book has had a remarkable journey beginning life as a short story-(The Teacup)- which placed in several contests in 2013. It took four months to fill the teacup with 88,000 words after one judge said it begged to grow into a novel.
     After meeting Publisher Rhonda Penders at a Kansas City Writer's Conference, The Wild Rose Press captured my attention. It has been awarded Best Press for 7 straight years--in a poll taken by Preditors and Editors. Rhonda was professional and charming, even suggesting I send her the novel when finished. I did, and once the contract was signed, Allison, my assigned editor and I began working on the manuscript in mid-October, 2014. By January, we were at final galley and cover selection stage. The cover artist I chose for my book, Debbie Taylor, also has been listed among leading cover artists in more than one poll.
      For two years prior, I had haunted several writer's conferences all over the U.S.--even one in London--building a case for timing and which publishing method was the best fit for me: Self Published or Traditional? I was definite about going hybrid with an electronic and print version.
     The Wild Rose Press red-lined most of  the "cons" I had on my Pro & Con list for the publishing models. The process went faster than I expected; no year-long dragging it out. An agent was unnecessary--which meant better royalties. Wild Rose has worldwide distribution, uncommon to many smaller presses. They offer weekly chats with pertinent publishing themes, author loops, and recommend workshops that every writer can always learn from. They are respectful and communicative. As a newbie, I fired off several email questions that were answered by my editor or the staff--same day, often same hour.  Best of all, I was included in decisions and choices--writing blurbs and twitters, choosing excerpts, even choosing the final cover, though I was told I was closing in on the "nit picky zone" after multiple tweaks.
     I can see why The Wild Rose Press has 800 writers in their Rose Garden and why they win awards. Maybe...if their model would be imitated, there would be fewer consolidations, chapter elevens, or dissolutions in the publishing world. Less dissolution among authors, as well.
     James Barrie, who wrote Peter Pan, once said God gave us memory so we could have roses in December. Had he been born 100 years later, his fantasies might have found a bed of roses in the WRP garden. Just think--roses all year long! Even the groundhog would revel in that bit of sunshine!