Well, folks–there she is! The cover of my FIRST published novel–TEMPUS. Want to know why I’m not jumping for joy?
1. Somehow (probably by my fault) there were errors in the first published version. I had this professionally edited, so image my SURPRISE (read: torrential rage). Sad! And,
2. The italics weren’t showing up on some e-readers. Never heard of that happening? Me neither. LUCKY ME.
Does this make me sad? Yes. Did I cry? Yes. Have I lost sleep and battled anxiety over it? YES. YES. YES.
But …
This situation was a good reminder to me that I can’t control all things. Though I try, I can’t manage everyone’s individual impression of me and my work. I’ve had to pry open my white-knuckle grip and say, “Well. That sucked. What can I learn from it? What steps can I take right now to remediate it?” And beyond that, I have to learn to just LET GO. (Which I hate, FYI.)
My publisher and I decided to pull the book and are waiting to relaunch TEMPUS in the New Year. (Oh, and sending it through another round of professional edits.) In the meantime, I am still grateful for TEMPUS to get into people’s hands, and so blessed in other ways that it’s silly.
What do you need to let go of today?
holly lauren writes 
I’m so happy to read this. I actually just finished reading a copy of Tempus that I “won” from LibraryThing and I absolutely loved the story. I assumed I was reading an ARC that hadn’t gone through final editing, so of course the errors won’t take away from my feelings about the book. The story was fantastic and unique. I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait for more! (Fingers crossed that this is a series!) 🙂
I felt the same way. It didn’t detract from the book for me. You know I still LOVED it 🙂 It’s an awesome book that I’m so glad I won, and is easily one of my favorites.
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Holly, it may not have gone according to plan, but Holy Cow–you DID it! You should be so proud of yourself for what you’ve accomplished! I can’t wait to read it when it’s ready!!!
Thanks, Bonnie!
Holly, I generally run screaming from YA, but this one I absolutely loved. You’ll be seeing my review within the next 48 hours on Amazon.com, etc. Regarding the editing, take heart. I had eight people read both of my books before publication and I still have readers contacting me with errors that every single one of us missed. You have to keep in mind that even Tolkien kept going back years after his work was published to fix things that were found. The key is to listen to your readers and be grateful (which it sounds to me like you have been) that they cared enough about your work to help you make it all that much better. Best of luck–and PLEASE tell me there will be a book 2??????
Carrie, your words are so encouraging! Thanks for reaching out. YES! The follow up to TEMPUS will be out late this year. 🙂