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Introducing myself

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Rita Stradling

Rita Stradling

Colony Member
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Jan 13, 2017
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Hello! So, I accidentally introduced myself on Haydn’s thread, not really understanding how this works. Oops! But anyway, I want to introduce myself in the right way (hopefully I’m doing it this time).


My name is Rita. I’m a self-published author of ten books (Romance, YA Paranormal, YA Urban Fantasy), but I’m trying to break into traditional publishing with my most recent project (Science Fiction Romance). Actually, I’m hoping to hybrid long-term.


I’m really excited to talk to y’all who are either on the other side of that giant ice wall or the wildlings like me who are climbing for it (and yes, I’m a huge Game of Thrones fan ;) ;) books and show, along with most fantasy! I think they call people like me bibliophiles).

So, yeah, excited to meet ya!
 
Welcome to the Treasure Dome that is the Colony, Rita. Sit yourself down, take a look around, and raid the archive of old threads.

I haven't heard 'y'all' since I left Atlanta. Are you really a Southern Belle, transplanted to the NW coast?
 
Paul Whybrow said:
Welcome to the Treasure Dome that is the Colony, Rita. Sit yourself down, take a look around, and raid the archive of old threads.

I haven't heard 'y'all' since I left Atlanta. Are you really a Southern Belle, transplanted to the NW coast?
Click to expand...
Nope. Completely a Californian, but there is no slang for y'all on our side so I stole it :)
 
Boopadoo said:
Hello and welcome! I'm a hybrid kind-of-writer-guy myself - my current novel (in query status) I would call sci fi with thriller and romantic undertones. :)
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Very cool! The book I have in query process right now is sci-fi too :) (sci-fi romance--heavy on the romance) It was the first time I ever wrote sci-fi, and oh my god, I have so much respect for you sci-fi writers now!! You guys are amazing! It's like a whole other level of writing. I'm never going to do it again!! Unless I am forced! I had to get huge quantities of help from a doctor, a psychologist, a lawyer, and I had to have my father who is a CTO basically re-design all of my robotics systems and design a robotic-based disease plague that would actually work, plus design a way that a robot and human could truly function off of an organic battery-- I felt like my brain was going to explode. And it was a romance lol!! I usually write just plain romance or urban fantasy--magic I get. But now when people tell me they write sci-fi I'm just so intimidated and in awe, awesome for you.
 
Rita Stradling said:
Very cool! The book I have in query process right now is sci-fi too :) (sci-fi romance--heavy on the romance) It was the first time I ever wrote sci-fi, and oh my god, I have so much respect for you sci-fi writers now!! You guys are amazing! It's like a whole other level of writing. I'm never going to do it again!! Unless I am forced! I had to get huge quantities of help from a doctor, a psychologist, a lawyer, and I had to have my father who is a CTO basically re-design all of my robotics systems and design a robotic-based disease plague that would actually work, plus design a way that a robot and human could truly function off of an organic battery-- I felt like my brain was going to explode. And it was a romance lol!! I usually write just plain romance or urban fantasy--magic I get. But now when people tell me they write sci-fi I'm just so intimidated and in awe, awesome for you.
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Hi Rita and welcome! This makes sci-fi research sound so cool! LOL I love Sci-fi that is plausible and physically possible! :D And with romance too? Bonus! :)
 
Rita Stradling said:
:) Yeah, I'm hoping to, too. Definitely advantages to both!
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For now though, I think I'll stick to the trad route. :-) Not that I won't ever self publish - maybe one day I will, but only when I have the time and money to invest into making a good job of it :-) I've just abandoned a self published book I started reading cos the lack of editing was driving me nuts!
 
Kitty said:
For now though, I think I'll stick to the trad route. :) Not that I won't ever self publish - maybe one day I will, but only when I have the time and money to invest into making a good job of it :) I've just abandoned a self published book I started reading cos the lack of editing was driving me nuts!
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Definitely happens with self pubbed books! I love my editor, but it took me a few books and a few editors to find someone who was both affordable and thorough. I've been thinking of actually going through Amazon Scout for the sequels to my two ongoing series. I probably sound like I work for Amazon at this point lol, but if your book is selected you get a $1,500 advance and editorial services as well as advertising from them--it would be amazing to get in with the real Amazon Publishing arm too, but I'm not sure if there's much transfer over, I think you need to make it onto one of the big best seller lists :).
 
Rita Stradling said:
Definitely happens with self pubbed books! I love my editor, but it took me a few books and a few editors to find someone who was both affordable and thorough. I've been thinking of actually going through Amazon Scout for the sequels to my two ongoing series. I probably sound like I work for Amazon at this point lol, but if your book is selected you get a $1,500 advance and editorial services as well as advertising from them--it would be amazing to get in with the real Amazon Publishing arm too, but I'm not sure if there's much transfer over, I think you need to make it onto one of the big best seller lists :).
Click to expand...
I hear you on the trouble finding a good, affordable editor. I think I've finally found mine, after several uninspiring ones. But having done some editing myself, I know how hard that job can be, and how time consuming. I'm happy to pay for a proper editing job--it's a thankless task.
 
Robinne Weiss said:
I hear you on the trouble finding a good, affordable editor. I think I've finally found mine, after several uninspiring ones. But having done some editing myself, I know how hard that job can be, and how time consuming. I'm happy to pay for a proper editing job--it's a thankless task.
Click to expand...
I imagine! Definitely a hard job.
 
Robinne Weiss said:
I hear you on the trouble finding a good, affordable editor. I think I've finally found mine, after several uninspiring ones. But having done some editing myself, I know how hard that job can be, and how time consuming. I'm happy to pay for a proper editing job--it's a thankless task.
Click to expand...
I've actually really loved all of the editors I've worked with, but some I simply couldn't afford long term. I've been publishing books every 1-2 months lately, and all of it + everything else book related comes out of book earnings. I definitely agree that people should be paid what they're worth, though, and more often than not an editor's work is worth way more than what they charge.
 
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