Jan Schliesman's Bumpy Road to Publication

It's a little more than two weeks until my first book releases and my world is a crazy combination of fun and fear.  Surprised?  Maybe you think that signing a contract and sending your baby out into the world means you'll be dancing through fragrant fields of flowers?  I guess that could be a possibility, but I live in Wichita where we have lots of windy days and not an abundance of fragrant fields.

I also happen to know lots of writers. Self-published, e-published, traditionally published and who write everything from romantic suspense, historical, mysteries, paranormal, inspirational and erotic. Writers who churn out stories like well-oiled machines, writers who struggle to get words on the page and writers who fall somewhere in between.  Not a one of them says this is the easiest job they've ever had.  Most of them have toiled for years, striving to sell while working day jobs that pay the bills.  Juggling kids, husbands and household duties with time on the computer to get words on the page.

When it comes to writing challenges, I'm my own worst enemy.  I've said this before, I have no idea why technology hates me!  I think maybe it's because I fall into that gap of learning specific computer programs for specific jobs and not really having a need to create templates, format headers, renumber pages for contest entries and, gulp, add photos to anything.

As proof of my total incompetence when it comes to techy stuff, I will share an embarrassing story.  I needed a headshot and I happen to have a bossy-as-hell best friend who handed me a shirt and jewelry and hauled me to a local park in Dallas, Texas, for pictures.  I'm thinking a dozen is probably a sufficient number and instead, there were four hundred!

The pictures were saved to a flash drive, which was handed to me with instructions to upload the pictures to my laptop.  I'm a drag and drop kind of person.  If something can't be coaxed into moving to another folder, I convince myself that I probably didn't need it anyway.  These pictures appeared to be cooperating and I was uber-proud of myself for making a file folder and politely dragging the pictures into it.

I'm sitting on one end of my best friend's couch while she occupies the other and she seems to be happy with my progress. Five minutes later she asks, "Are you moving those pictures one by one?"  Her tone insists its a ridiculous idea and I'm sort of torn about my answer.  She quickly takes possession of the computer and then starts laughing hysterically.

FYI: The worst thing you can do to an insecure person who already says they don't have techy skills is laugh at them.

I had actually created a new folder on her flash drive...not on my own computer...and I was merely dragging pictures back onto the flash drive(!)  This is only funny because I would have gotten home to Wichita and tried to open the folder on my computer and there would have been nothing there.  Although this is sad, pathetic and wrong, I'm blaming this on the Microsoft Corporation for selling me a laptop with Windows 8.  Why couldn't they make it easier to use??

Rather than dwell on this minor speed bump, I'd like to celebrate the fact that I shared this story for your entertainment!  And what's a celebration without a giveaway?  I'm going to award a copy of my not-yet-available debut, Protecting His Brother's Bride, to a lucky North American commenter.  Scroll down and click the comment button, include your email, and answer this question:

NAME THE SKILL THAT CHALLENGES YOU THE MOST

ANGI ADDENDUM: The previous account is BASED on a true story. Otherwise... I don't think we'd still be best friends.

I'd also like to add some links for our most humble, Jan "say it with me" She-lease-man. And here's the romantic times review from her debut book.

“First, coffee mogul Dalton Matthews walks in on Kira Kincaid trespassing on his property, and later, Kira’s truck explodes as an intruder comes after her to kill her. Though Dalton is unsure of Kira’s motives, he defends her against the intruder. Kira is on a mission, desperate to clear her name from embezzlement charges, and Dalton joins her, compelled to keep her safe. While searching for evidence, Kira reveals to Dalton that his late brother, Josh, was her husband, and matters only get more complicated as the attraction between them grows. Plenty of action and a few good plot twists are the highlights of this story. The sharp, witty banter between Dalton and Kira, along with their sizzling chemistry, makes this story one entertaining romance.”

~4 STARS Romantic Times Magazine Reviews

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