The Answer Is . . .

The idea for my novel Daddy's Love developed out of a longing to recreate my dreary existence.  I was working a dead-end job, earning a low salary and my social life was definitely lacking.  From there my character Simone was born and I created her world and journey based upon my desire to relocate.  I wrote the entire book in 2004.

I tried to get representation from a literary agent and then I went directly to major publishing houses in an attempt to get my book published.   After several unsuccessful attempts, I left the copy of the book collecting dust on a shelf for a few years.  When friends and relatives would ask when I was going to publish a novel I would make excuses and continue to keep the project on the back burner.

In September 2007, after much prayer and deliberation, I finally stepped out on faith and moved to North Carolina.  I had never been before and I didn't know anyone, but I certainly didn't change my name or cut my hair.  I didn't have a job already secured and there was no handsome suitor waiting for me to come into his life.  I'm sure having both of these would have made this experience just a little more pleasant, but what can I say?  I fell in love with this area and I still reside here.

I will admit that I do share a few similarities with Simone.  Yes, my father disappeared after my parents were divorced and yes, I've had to deal with emotional struggles because of it.  However, a book based on my life would provide a boring read so I had to let my creativity flow to make Simone's journey much more fascinating than mine.  So far, I've been asked the same question by several friends that want to believe my novel is really about me.  I even had one friend ask if my real name is Simone!  I laughed and told her that I wouldn't choose 'Janise' as my new name if it was.  Is Daddy's Love based on my life?  Well, if you really really want to know the truth, the answer is, "No."

Traditional or Self Publishing?

Once upon a time, there was a woman named Janise who only wrote fiction before she started a freelance writing business.  Whenever anyone asked her about self publishing her novels her reply was always the same, "No way!  It costs a lot of money to print a small order of copies and I'll only sell a few of them to family and friends while the rest will collect dust in my trunk."  This was her response for several years.  Eventually, the ebook evolution began and Janise self-published two reference ebooks.  She watched other authors publish their fiction as ebooks and listened to their strategies and success stories.  Then one day, it happened again.  Someone asked her about self-publishing her novels.  This time Janise replied, "You know, I just might do that!"  And she did . . .


I have always been a strong advocate of traditional publishing when it comes to fiction.  Yet, year after year, my work was consistently rejected by agents and editors.  Some of them sent form letters while a few gave me personalized advice and instruction that I used to improve my chances of being chosen by a major publisher.  Just as I was about to send query letters to yet another round of agents and editors I decided to take the self publishing plunge myself with Daddy's Love.  What made me change my mind?

No one can deny the high numbers reported on electronic reader sales and ebooks sold by independent authors.  Amanda Hocking, J.A. Konrath are very successful indie authors and now John Locke has joined the Kindle Million Club, having sold more than a million ebooks through Amazon within a five month span.  In a recent interview, Locke admits that he never took any writing courses but simply wrote his books and sold them himself.  The numbers for all three of these authors are incredible and there are many others also enjoying self publishing success.

Yes, it's a lot of work publishing and promoting your own books, but it's fun!  It's risky, scary, exciting and challenging all at the same time.  You get to make all of the decisions and put as much effort into the process as you want.  You also get to set your own measure of success.  I have the same goals for my novels and short stories from when I wanted to be published through a major publishing house.  I want to be a well-read author of many books and respected for my craft.  I want to grow as a writer and provide readers with a literary experience where they can escape into the story and remain there until the last page.  While there is no way of predicting the sales of my books, I do have control of the content and creating enjoyable tales. I look forward to this journey that I've decided to take as an indie author.  It's showtime!