6 action-packed Modules Series novels FREE? IT CAN'T BE! ONE TIME ONLY? THAT'S A STEAL-PORTUNITY!

Get the entire 6-book Modules Series for FREE beginning July 4^th and ending midnight Friday, July 6^th, ONE TIME ONLY, in celebration of Independence Day Week(end), and the revolution of a reformed dystopian world begun by one rebellious, prodigy, quirky, yet humorous, teenager, Catina Salsbury.

What's more is for the next 6 days (Sunday through Friday), we're going to be posting a chapter or more from every book in the series for your reading, reviewing pleasure.

Meet Catina Salsbury!

(Or Cat, depending on her mood).

In a new reformed era of intelligent design where students’ personality traits and intelligence are tested, color-categorized, and grouped together, the tests, alone, determine their future placement, but their behaviors determine their fate. And Catina tested Purple.

So what’s the problem?

1.   Cat is belligerent and unruly, impulsive and unpredictable while sporting a quirky sense of humor and she has no intention of changing who she is.

2.   They’re calling for the elimination of all Purples, but she’s the prodigy they’re looking for with the highest IQ to sell their new Design. They need to change her personality … or else.

3.   Catina’s twin sister tested Pink, after being taken from their home, and she’s determined they not be separated at whatever cost, even if it means termination from the Modules.

4.   Termination means death … or worse. (But what could be worse than death?)

5.   Oh, and she also picked up some pretty neat abilities that others don’t have along the way.

So what does this mean for Catina?

Catina’s gotta take down the Modules, even if it means starting a Revolution and taking on the world.

Too bad the pesky Commanding Officer of High Intelligence, Garrett Stavinski, would rather kidnap her and contain her and send her to male-only military barracks to keep her eternally under his watchful eye, but every time she conspires to kill him and escape, he leads her to question whose side he’s actually on. Afterall, he’s a Purple, too - the only one left, aside from her, and Catina just happens to be the only person he’s ever tested compatible with and the only person he claims to have ever loved.

Cat’s take on it is? Too bad life’s not a fairy tale.

She will never stop fighting to have back all that was taken from her when she was only 12 years old … even if it destroys her … or everyone else!

CLICK THIS LINK WED, JULY 4th, THUR, JULY 5th, FRI, JULY 6th and get ALL SIX BOOKS FREE. Trouble with the link? You can also find it at this one: www.amazon.com/author/almondieshampine

Almondie Shampine spent 5 years working on this 6-book series to share it all with you for free this Independence Day Week(end), so if you like your free books, then don't be shy to pay it forward by taking a moment to share, review, or drop an email/message to the author your thoughts.

For more information on FreeBird Express Publishing's Paying It Forward Program & the myths and facts about reviews, check it out here: https://freebirdexpresspublishing.blogspot.com/2018/06/freebird-express-publishing-paying-it.html

When Tragedy Strikes Anthology – In Need of Stories of Real lives! Real people! Real tragedies!

“If you are currently in need or undergoing tragedy, or you endured a tragedy personally or know of someone who did, share your story so people can either support you, your family, your friend, or a community foundation/charity that helps support those in need.”

When tragedy strikes, it’s unpredictable. There’s no forewarning. Doesn’t matter who you are. Where you’re at. Race, gender, age, nationality, socioeconomic status, psychology, mental status, environmental factors – it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if you’re a person who strives to always do good. Doesn’t matter your religion or non. Tragedy is much like a tornado. It touches down, at random, uncontrolled, and causes a whirlwind of chaos. You weren’t chosen for it by some design other than just being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Yet the first thing that goes through people’s minds when tragedy strikes is what they could have done differently to avoid it. We instantly take responsibility and kill ourselves with grief in believing that had we done even just one thing differently, it wouldn’t have happened. Like we’re somehow supposed to have this superpower that could have somehow forewarned us that something bad was going to happen so that we could have ensured that it didn’t happen.

Unlike a tornado, with most tragedies, there’s no possible prediction as to the oncoming tragedy.

There’s no forecast that says you’re in an area or situation where tragedy might strike. But even in those cases where there are warnings, you still can’t know if you or the ones you love are going to be struck or not. Every time we get behind the wheel, we know we’re risking the statistics of automobile accidents. Every time we inhale the air or live beside cell towers or nuclear plants or factories that emit all these chemicals or otherwise into the air, we know we’re taking that chance. Every food we eat could have consequences. Even when we think our water is safe, it isn’t always. Our houses could burn down with a single bad outlet and an energy surge.

One eroded hole in a pipe could emit carbon monoxide. The people in the downstairs apartment could be cooking meth without anyone in the building even knowing. The babysitter with a dozen good references could just lose it. The friendly neighbor could be a pedophile. You could have a faulty mortgage and be homeless just like that. You could slip on a piece of ice and break your back and be without income just like that.

You could lose everything that ever mattered to you, or everything that you worked for in a blink-of-an-eye. That’s how tragedy strikes!

And there is no rhyme or reason for it. No matter how healthy a person tries to be or all the dangers they try to avoid; all the risks they refuse to take – they’re still going to age and those biological tragedies are going to strike regardless. Yet our minds still need to manifest a reason. A reason it happened. A way it could have been avoided.

You can’t avoid a tornado from touching down on your home. No matter what you do or how you live your life or who you are. No matter which choices you made differently. No matter your faith. No matter where you stand in the world. You can’t say to yourself, “If I had just lived in the house next door, then this wouldn’t have happened.” No. Because if you had lived in the house next door, you’d be going through a different sort of tragedy.

Tragedy strikes everyone!

Just like mother nature’s fury. And it has absolutely nothing to do with your life choices and who you are.

Yet we blame ourselves. We question. Continuously. Is this karma? Is this because I didn’t pray enough? Should I have been a better person? Where did I go wrong? What did I do wrong to deserve this? I must have done something wrong.

They say, “Why do bad things always happen to good people?”

Tragedies don’t strike based on moral grounds. Nor are they a test of faith or will or strength.

There aren’t any stipulations or conditions involved that made it happen. It’s just events playing out in a certain way. If he hadn’t driven to work or I’d just known something bad would happen, then … If I hadn’t just trusted this person with my child, then … If … If … If…

If you lived your life in a bubble to protect against any and every bad thing that could possibly happen, then you’d be a bubble and nothing more.

People who never smoke die of cancer. People who don’t drink die of kidney failure. Health nuts that only eat organic food and exercise daily die of heart attacks while running. The obese person dies in a car accident. The person who tries to avoid obesity dies of an aneurism in the brain. The overprotective mother that tries to keep her children away from every possible harm dies of a stroke and her kids are placed in the foster care system. The Dad that turns his head for two seconds winds up with a two-year old hit by a car. Or the most perfect family with the perfect house and the most healthy kids in the most safest environment gets touched by a tornado.

Tragedy is the greatest reminder that terrible things can happen, regardless of who we are or what we do to avoid it.

Tragedy proves to us that no matter how much control we think we have, it can be taken from us in a hundredth-second blink of an eye. But more than anything, tragedy breaks us away from the brainwashing of a capitalist society, from superficial relationships, from surface possessions and desires, from all the stupid, ridiculous things that overcame our lives, and brings up back to our origins and what’s most important.

Tragedy reminds us in the ways that we were blessed. In the things we took for granted because we got so caught up in society’s ways and life.

Tragedy makes us see the world differently, and perceive things in different ways. It makes us recognize the bigger things happening outside of us and our conditioned roles as human beings. It allows us to see the more important things in life. In a way, tragedy shows us where we came from. Just a glimpse. And suddenly paying that electric bill or working minimum wage for a multi-million-a-year company doesn’t seem so important anymore.

We start looking for a higher purpose, a bigger meaning.

The job we’ve been working for for over a decade can only allow us three days to grieve for immediate family members only, and if we need more time than that, we risk losing our job. Our insurance won’t cover the ridiculous expense of the medical bills. Our state will take all our assets, our very home, if we don’t pay their taxes. The friends we thought we had will turn when we’re no longer convenient. And the life and everything that we believed in, everything we worked for, everything that our existence led up to in that moment of tragedy falls to ash.

And thereafter, nothing else matters. Everything we thought mattered before matters no longer. Because, you see, there is one profound purpose and meaning to tragedy. It makes us come to terms with our reality and makes us want to try to make a difference, change what is, and pull others out of their narrow-minded brain-washed world before tragedy strikes them too.

Tragedy makes us fight for something better and it very quickly filters out the superficial and insignificant.

In a world where countries, states, counties, communities, and even families operate alone, every (wo)man unto themselves, to each his own, each and every single one of us just trying to survive, it is tragedy that breaks us out of our independent shells for just that moment to look and see what’s happening around us, to take that wavering breath and think, “What if that was me? I can’t even imagine what I’d do. I don’t even know how I’d get through it.”

More than anything, it is tragedy that brings us together.

At least it should.

And that is the purpose of FreeBird Express Publishing’s upcoming anthology about Real Lives! Real People! Real Tragedies! It is a place where people can share their stories, their tragedies, whether past or present, with their families, their communities, the world. Not only will all the proceeds go to local charities and families in need, but each story will also sponsor a local-based charity or foundation or family-in-need that can independently be donated to.

So please, if you are currently in need or undergoing tragedy, or you endured a tragedy personally or know of someone who did, share your story so people can either support you, your family, your friend, or a community foundation/charity that helps support those in need. You don’t have to be a writer to share your story. Email freebirdexpresspublishing@gmail.com with your story or to schedule a time to chat and discuss your story and we’ll help get your story out there to the world.

FREEBIRD EXPRESS PUBLISHING PAYING-IT-FORWARD PROGRAM AND FREE READ & REVIEW FEATURE FOR ARTISTS & REVIEWERS

                                 Did You Know?

THE FACTS AND MYTHS SURROUNDING REVIEWS AND THE WAYS IN WHICH EACH ONE COUNTS

We understand that not everyone has the funds to spend on things like books, or perhaps you’re reluctant to spend money on a new title or new author that you’re not familiar with. Heck, in my entire life of writing and reading, I’ve always had to rely on libraries for my reading and researching needs.

But did you know that reviews are the most difficult thing to come by for an author (for most products in general), yet it’s those very reviews that most people look at when they’re considering purchasing a product, or even picking a restaurant? Or that those who are most likely to leave a review are those who are dissatisfied with a product?

What this does is skew results, so if a 1000 people love a book, but they don’t leave a review, and 1 person doesn’t like the book, and leaves a review saying so, then anyone else considering the product will see that one bad review, but not the 1000 good ones.

So here’s something you probably didn’t know. Most companies of any product, as well as publishers, already have a list of reviewers before the product even comes out on the shelves. Have you ever heard those radio commercials or seen other advertisements where they offer to give out a product for free ‘to their first 100 callers’? or ‘for the next 30 days only’? They do this so that by the time the product actually reaches the shelves, they already have an entire list of reviews and reviewers to discern the quality of a product so that the public can have a relatively honest opinion on it before they determine to purchase it.

They do this because most people don’t leave reviews or have the time to complete surveys. I know I don’t. Not even when I’m told that I can get 5 dollars off my next purchase if I go online and complete a survey about my experience. Only once when Walmart was offering like a 10,000 dollar giveaway did I go through with the whole shabang. I didn’t win the first time, so I didn’t do it again.

With the sky-rocketing amount of book titles coming out in a single year, the market has become highly competitive for authors, but even for readers, it can be so frustrating, because even though there’s an endless supply of free reads out there, self-publishing platforms are so user-friendly that literally anyone can publish a book. For so many aspiring writers and authors and readers, it enabled passage for all the hidden extraordinary and original talent out there in the world and indie publishing has become so popular for that reason, but it also opened channels to all those that wouldn’t provide quality or to those just trying to make some fast-cash whom could then just change their pen name and do it again. Further, there are hidden exchange programs and groups and a variety of illegitimate ways that people can go about getting dishonest reviews. I remember one I came across that advertised, $5 for 5-stars.

Now Amazon and other companies have done their best to try to filter these illegitimate reviews out, but there’s only so much they can do in a free market. So put together all the information I just revealed, and the fact that most people don’t provide reviews, even if they’re completely satisfied with a product, then you find that those most likely to get an abundant of positive reviews have come upon those reviews through either having a backlist of reviewers or through illegitimate ways. (The backlist of reviewers is completely legit and legal, because those reviews are honest, but it is more likely an exchange of free goods, so the reviewer isn’t paying for the product and then leaving a review at their leisure; rather, they’re getting a free product and then being asked to complete a survey or provide their honest opinion on how they felt about the product).

What this means is that reviews – honest, legit reviews – are more important than ever for the public to know if they’re going to get a quality product.

Which is what Freebird Express Publishing’s Paying-It-Forward Program is all about. The Read & Review feature is for titles that Freebird Express Publishing is able to provide for free; however, the Paying-It-Forward Program applies to the entire market and any and all businesses that provide products or services for sale by spreading the word.

If you get a product for free, there is a person or a business behind it that not only created the product, but also invested their time and money into it, and nothing is ever quite free. Someone has to pay for it, so if you’re getting something for free, it’s at the expense of the person or business that is providing it.

Artists especially – authors, illustrators, photographers, musicians, designers, producers – those who create – spend thousands upon thousands of unpaid hours, decades even, to create that product or provide that service. So behind every e-book or paperback that is promoted as free for a limited time is a person with a home, a family, and bills to support. Most authors/writers/artists have to work fulltime jobs outside of their profession to make ends meet. Most artists only dream of one day making enough to be able to commit themselves full time to their art.

So if you get something for free, remember to think about the person whose hard work, time, and expense provided it, and pay it forward. Whatever your opinion is of it, share it. Leave a review to help others filter out the poor and good quality products. Take a few seconds to share the link and spread the word. Know that it matters significantly and could be the difference between an extremely talented individual gaining acknowledgement and appreciation, versus one whom scams for sales and scams the public, whom doesn’t provide quality, while gaining more reviews in illegitimate ways than the honest talented individuals giving out thousands upon thousands of their product or service for free in order to be able to get their product out their and be acknowledged for all their hard work, talent, and expertise.

Most artists aren’t motivated by money, just like most would choose freedom and the ability to create their own original work versus signing their lives away on the contracts that could help them to achieve fortune and fame. You know what we all DO love, though? Fan mail. I’d take fan mail or inspiring reviews any day over cash, because to know I even just made a single person’s day better or inspired and impacted a person’s life in a positive way is priceless.

Freebird Express Publishing offers a Free Read & Review Feature as part of its Paying-It Forward Program.

What does this mean?

It means that you, the reader, can check out most any title featured on the FreeBird Express Publishing page and read it for FREE where we just courteously request that you provide an honest review of what you read and/or spread the word to those that may also enjoy it. In the coming year, FreeBird Express Publishing will be signing 3-4 dozen authors, alongside our current authors, and releasing dozens of titles, in addition to working alongside other authors and publishers in the recommended authors/titles & new releases list.

What this can mean for you as a reader is thousands of hours of leisure reading time that doesn’t cost you a dime.

In addition, there are plenty of rewards programs and additional incentives for reviewers offered on places such as Amazon and Goodreads and first-come-first-serve access to giveaways on gift cards, Kindles, Nooks, Books, and more!

So give it a try, and if you really like it, you may even be able have access to titles before they’ve even hit the shelves!

You may sign up here via email or complete the Free Read & Review form HERE where you can read the descriptions of the various titles offered as well.

In addition, FreeBird Express Publishing will be posting Free Reads as part of this blog, and your comments and opinions will help let us know what you like, don’t like, and what your reading preferences are so we can give you more of what you like or what you’d like to see in the future.

Finally, we’ll be having a huge, once-in-a-lifetime, promotion coming up on 4^th of July week, 2018. And let’s just say that #FREE and #ONETIMEONLY are the key words. You don’t want to miss it.

Next Up: Get the entire 6-book Modules Series for FREE beginning July 4^th and ending midnight Friday, July 6^th, ONE TIME ONLY, in celebration of Independence Day Week(end), and the revolution of a reformed dystopian world begun by one rebellious, prodigy, quirky, yet humorous, teenager, Catina Salsbury.

TONY BRASSINGTON AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Author Interview Tony Brassington by FreeBird Express Publishing

author of self-help, motivational, and inspirational fiction

Bio

Although goal setting, drive and determination came natural to me right from childhood, I began to become aware that as important as these qualities are, something more was also required; so I began searching for answers.

In 2011, after many years of dedicated study in the field of Personal Development and other related topics, I set up Mind and Achievement Ltd to help people from all walks of life to achieve their dreams and goals.

I believe there are two fields of Knowledge, Laws of Success & Laws of the Universe, and the greater understanding of these two sets of laws, the greater your powers will be to manifest the things you want will be; if you correctly apply them.

Through my books, videos, and seminars, I encourage people to set their minds for achievement, or to put it another way, the applied knowledge of these laws will allow you to set your mind for achievement; there can be no greater life skill. 

In 2017, the first two titles in The Well-Travelled Book Series were published, 'The Avebury Ring' & 'The Greatest Fortune Teller In The World.' I have great plans for this series of books, and I greatly enjoy writing them. I truly hope that they will help many people with their journey through life, as I believe they will.

#TONYBRASSINGTON Interview Questions by #FREEBIRDEXPRESSPUBLISHING

When did you first determine that you wanted to write and publish books?

If I am really honest about it, I think that I knew I would always be a writer even right back in my early childhood, but I never seriously entertained the idea. In the school years especially there is no shortage of people telling you what you can’t do, telling you not to expect too much from life, and also too many people making predictions about your future; I guess that all those people must have been wrong then.

 What inspired the story lines and themes of your Well-Travelled Book Series?

I set big dreams and goals for myself in my early teenage years, and after leaving school I set about the task of achieving them. The learning curve turned out to be enormous, but because I was not someone to try, fail, and give up, I spent a lot of my life searching for answers to questions that everyone should know, but clearly they don’t. Having found the answers that I was searching for; then I was soon able to make real progress towards achieving my dreams and goals, with nearly all of them now achieved and the final ones feel to me like they are heading my way very soon.  I wanted to share this very valuable information I found with anyone who is trying to move forward in the direction of their dreams and goals. The Well-Travelled Book Series allows me to share so many insights relating to the Laws of the Universe, and The Laws of Success, both these areas of knowledge are of vital importance not just in order to reach your dreams and goals in life, but equally importantly to hold on to them for the long term and be happy at the same time. So that is why each book in The Well-Travelled Book Series will always include themes from Laws of the Universe, and The Laws of Success,

The story lines are all based in Wiltshire England and the surrounding counties, and of course the beautiful city of Bath, because of the natural beauty of this part of England, combined with the fact that there are so many truly wonderful ancient sites scattered around this part of England. Everyone has heard of Stonehenge for example, but believe me that is only a small part of the richness of this part of the world. After that, the basic plot has to excite me; without that quality how could I ever hope to write it.

 What is different about the Well-Travelled Book Series than other series out there?

The Well-Travelled Book Series, are books to read and then share with someone else, there is even a section in the back of each book for the last reader to write in their name, the date and where they read the book, before they hand the book to another person. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, the series encourages people to give something; why is that important? because it is the other side of the coin. Everything has its equal opposite, so achieving your dreams and goals is one side of the coin; to take, attract, or manifest. So, the opposite side of the coin is to give; that might be to give back to society, give your best quality of service, the product you deliver might do the giving, but in some way, you must give; or the balance in the big scheme of things will not be right.

Also, I have noticed on many occasions how people enjoy sharing books, even with a total stranger, especially on holiday. This got me thinking about the life of a book, where it travels and who read it. So over time the readers histories section in these books will become very interesting in their own right.

 Tell us something no one else knows about you other than friends and family members?

I have a small collection of classic tractors. A 1969 Fordson - Power Major, which has been in the family for a very long time. A David Brown 1490, and a 4WD Case 1594. All of which mean a lot to me, and have a tale to tell as well, but I will save that for when I write my biography, later on.

 There are a lot of people in the world that want to write a book, but they can’t seem to get it written for a number of reasons. How do you go about going from wanting to write a book to finally getting it written? What do you do to keep yourself focused on your goals?

My tip for writing a book is, write a book that excites you, that connects with you, the real genuine authentic you. A book that fills your mind and keeps popping into your mind many times each day.

How do you keep focused on goals, that is quite easy; all you have to do is love them. That means that your goals make you feel happy and alive whenever you think about them, they are always welcome in your mind at any time of day; day or night, on any day of the year.

 I see you just won a ToastMasters Award. What an amazing accomplishment. Can you tell us about it?

I have been a member of Toastmasters International for a little over ten years now, and thoroughly enjoyed all of it. Many have said that Toastmasters International is the best kept secret in personal development, and there truly is a lot to be gained from joining a local club and taking an active part. Toastmasters International is a public speaking and leadership organisation where members can practise and hone these skills in a safe and supportive environment. You will make many new friends and hear many amazing and memorable speeches. I have been a very active member of Toastmasters International and worked my way through their education system, picking up many awards along the way. Recently I have been awarded the top award of, Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) this is in recognition of completing the highest levels of educational achievement in Toastmasters International.

 You have 30 seconds to inspire someone and make a difference in their life. What do you say?

Think about and study this quote from Joseph Campbell, “Follow your bliss.” There is so much to be gained from those three words when you truly understand them.

 What are you working on now and when can we hope to see it?

White Horses Live Forever, or it might just be called, White Horses, it depends on the final draft. I am about half way through writing it at the moment. On the surface it might appear that book is about coping with difficult people, but actually it serves a greater purpose than that, this book is about not letting difficult people throw you off track from your own plans, dreams and goals. The story is set on a luxury coach trip, which visits a number of chalk white horses on hillsides, and many other interesting ancient sites too. One old lady is very difficult and causes all kinds of troubles for the business running the tour. There is a kind of subtle tormenting humour in many parts of the book, and plenty of unexpected twists and turns along the way. From the moment that I first began writing this story I always believed that it ends with a poem, and I still think that is the case, but we will have to wait and see the final draft to be sure.

White Horses Live Forever, is the first of two books that I am planning to write and publish in 2018. All that I am prepared to say at the moment about the second book is, if I get the balance right, both sexes will be able to read it and find it extremely funny, and the story will contain so many layers of insightful knowledge; making the book an entertaining and rewarding read.

But I will give you the name of the main character, Hendry Farmer, and we will leave it at that for the moment.

You may use this section to post links to your web or business and social media pages where people can learn more about you and follow you through your continued journeys.

Website   www.tonybrassington.com

Facebook pages

Mind and Achievement

https://www.facebook.com/Mind-and-Achievement-Ltd-132810303482990/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

The Well-Travelled Book Series

https://www.facebook.com/The-Well-Travelled-Book-Series-Tony-Brassington-1273756652741030/?ref=bookmarks

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEN3o0NavNtg1vkNtoj-ZMQ

For more Information on Tony Brassington titles, book blurbs, and excerpts, you can find him on the author page at www.almondieshampine.com

AND

You may purchase any of Tony Brassington titles at 

https://www.amazon.com/Tony-Brassington/e/B00DO6RCJY/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

The Birth Of FreeBird Express Publishing

A note from Almondie Shampine about the birth of Freebird Express Publishing (formerly NewAge Publishing) and it’s ‘Everyone has a story to tell’ feature.

First author pic

It seems like yesterday when I first began writing-for-publication at 18 years old. I’d known I loved to write and read in childhood, but those early years are the times when the world is our playground, and that playground is free, so I also wanted to be on Broadway, though I never wanted to live in the big city, and I wanted to be a Microbiologist to find the cure for cancer, despite being legally blind without my coke-bottle magnifying-lenses glasses. And by the time I was in college, I wanted to be a Psychologist and help people, so I signed up to the Air Force for that free college education, but before I could get to boot camp, I learned that I was to be a Mom instead! (1 month later, 9/11 happened, and war was declared).

This was when I decided to start writing-for-publication. Back in 2001, things were a bit different than it is today. Email queries were unheard of. You had to print out the query, the synopsis, and whatever chapters they asked for, and snail-mail it, paying for both the postage there and an SASE for their response. If the agent or publisher was interested, they’d request the entire manuscript. By some extraordinary miracle, my very first type-written novel, the “Strength Series’ inspired by V.C. Andrews, was requested by a publisher, so I printed out all 400 full-length pages and sent it. At that time, I didn’t realize how rare or profound it was to get a positive response so quickly, especially on my very first type-written novel. Just as rare as it was in that time to become a teenage author.

It was rejected and returned, however, and I was left with 400 pages of manuscript to sit in a box, in addition to thousands and thousands of manuscript pages and novels written that accumulated throughout the years. The worst part was: By the time I received my first heart-breaking rejection, I’d already written two other novels in the ‘Strength Series’ at a time when floppy disks became obsolete, and I lost all my written-novels that I didn’t print out and the Strength Series died, just like that. I pored over that manuscript hundreds of times, trying to figure out why it got rejected, and it took me until 30 years old to figure out, after I realized I had amnesia from 7 to 14 years old. That 7-year gap in my memory played out with my 7-year-old character, so she went from being a normal 7-year-old to an 8-year-old living a 14-year-old’s existence. My own memory losses had resulted in the first and worst rejection I’d ever received while being tormented by the knowing that the writing had been good enough for a publisher to want.

But at the time of not realizing why I got rejected, I took it as not being good enough, so I took every class and course I could, becoming certified in children’s literature, freelancing, editing and reading every book and magazine I could find on perfecting myself. Then, at 19 years old, my children’s story ‘Monster Down the Street’ was accepted for publication in a Children’s Literary Anthology with a contract that said ‘non-profit’, but I was so excited to have my writing go to national schools that I didn’t even care I wouldn’t get paid. … Until my handful of rejections became several dozen. Every novel I wrote – rejected!

It took until 22 to achieve my next publication, after my daughter was born, a vamp-erotica short that the publisher had requested that paid $.60 per book sold, Intrusion, but when the first two buyers were my district attorney and my daughter’s lawyer, while I was in the midst of a child custody battle and the victim defense in criminal court proceedings, I quickly pulled that book off the shelves.

And then, while tripling up on college courses as a Psych major to get my Bachelors degree, it wasn’t until I was 24 before I was accepted by another publisher for another anthology, ‘Memoirs of Meanness’. Low and behold, that contract stated ‘non-profit’ too, and was to go toward anti-bullying measures in schools.

So 6 years writing professionally, three published books by three different publishers, a writing portfolio that vouched for writing, editing, freelancing certifications left-and-right, over 40 published articles, newsletters, poems, and a couple of contest winners, 4.0’s in a Bachelor’s degree I’d gotten in a little over 2 years, and I’d made zilch! While sitting on a hundred rejections on just one novel, alone, let alone all the rejections for my other novels and works. But I just kept writing – novel after novel after novel – and by the time I was 30, I can honestly say I’ve probably been rejected between 3-400 times traditionally while having a 10% success rate in publications.

Not saying I didn’t get accepted by publishing houses and small presses that asked for money up front, because I did, but self-publishing was taboo back then, and anyone who even thought about doing it was basically advised that their writing career would be over and a traditional publisher would never look at them again. Not to mention, it was expensive and being a single mom of two young-uns didn’t afford me much. 

When the market changed, and Indie publishing started becoming more and more popular, I was a little late in jumping on that band wagon, because I still maintained old views. I wanted the respect and the pride that most serious writers want, a contract with a good-sized publisher, and a huge advance payment that would take me from broke author to author-holding-a-big-fat-check that I could mail a copy to everyone that rejected me with a ‘Suck it’ note. Because I didn’t just have the writer’s passion. I had the writer’s dream. You know, that one where you make enough to finally become that full-time writer and are able to make a full-time career out of it.

I had queried every agency in the Writer’s Market guide, plus all the ones I could search up on the internet and find in writer’s magazines, based on their guidelines and preferred genre, of course, alongside my writing portfolio that detailed my education and training and every article, short-story, newsletter, poem, book I’d ever published while also having interned as a contributing editor and writer for a magazine, and over and over again, I’d get the same thing. “Your manuscript seems marketable, and there’s definitely an audience for your writing, but we are not taking on any new clients at this time.”

14 years I’d spent writing professionally, at this point, and I’d picked up freelancing and editing and writing other people’s works to make the extra money I needed. I had a bigger drive than most, I think, because it wasn’t just my passion pushing me. It was being a single Mom and having my kids be raised by babysitters while I worked 2-3 jobs to finance the bills, while having a medical condition that flared up more and more frequently as I became older that my jobs wouldn’t be able to accommodate. It took until I was 28 for the doctors to figure out what it was and by 31, I was declared totally disabled, while still being a single mom and the sole-income to support my family.

Only then did I go the Indie route of publishing. 

I published 10 books in two years, and I can probably say that those were the best and brightest two years in my life, because it was SO exciting! When I hit the #1 Bestseller Amazon rank in my genre and category with my first book, my tears were free-flowing while I had the biggest smile on my face. It was probably pretty creepy-looking. My second book hit #2 and my third book hit #1, but I’d used up all my excitement on the first one. Firsts of everything are so short-lived, but they’re glorious in the moment, and priceless for life – just like the first day I opened the box to my first hardcover novel – the one and only edition I gave to my son. I felt like a superstar.

My first author event, I made $130 in 2 hours, but that wasn’t even important to me. It was when I was asked to sign the book. I’m pretty sure I chuckled and looked at the person in disbelief. “You know I’m not famous, right, so this just seems weird.” And the person winked at me and said, “But should you become famous, I’ll be the one with your very first signature,” so I made sure to write inside the book, alongside my signature, ‘This is my very first signature’.

My first author interview by our newspaper was just another first where I acted out excitedly

First Newspaper interview

www.oneidadispatch.com/article/OD/20150815/NEWS/150819835

like an ADHD child (my son was diagnosed with ADHD when he was younger, so that is not meant to be offensive to anyone suffering from such), but afterward when the paper was released, I was afraid to go out in public, and I considered a disguise. I know, it was a little grandiose of me, because once I did go out in public to a concert they were hosting at the park, I was humbled and thinking, “Does nobody recognize me? Hello! It’s me! I was in your morning paper. Nobody? Nothing?”

But then returning home, a neighbor I’d never met pulled up alongside me and said, “Wow, all those years you’ve been living there and I never knew you were an author,” so I reverted back to my head-down, tails-between-the-legs, scuffing-the-shoes embarrassment, because the person that acknowledged recognizing me also acknowledged knowing where I lived, so then I had regrets about coming out locally.

Local conversations: “Hey, you know our neighbor down the road writes books? Yeah, she’s got a bunch of ‘em. She was in the paper and everything.” “Really? I didn’t know we had anyone famous around here. I betcha she’s the one in that house. I’ve always loved that house. It’s huge and has that big underground pool and -.” “No, she’s the one next to it.” “You mean that woman that never mows the lawn and leaves her garbage cans out by the side of the road for weeks on end?” “Yep, that one.”

Then there was my first book fair where I got to meet other authors for the first time in person. I was so busy getting books signed by them that I didn’t even tend to my own table. And the first library that stocked my books. 

 But it was my third event that led me to NewAge Publishing, now FreeBird Express Publishing. A 17-year-old girl cradling my book like a baby and following me with her eyes everywhere and looking at me as astutely as I did my English courses in school, hanging on every word I said, until I did my reading and my Q & A session, and she could finally run up to the table to get a signature. She proudly announced to me, “I’m a writer, too, and it’s my dream to get published.”

First Barnes & Noble Event

I provided her my information and told her to send me her manuscript and I’d read it and the delight and gratitude in her eyes was the most legit thing you can get out of people in this world – and it’s the inspiration I live for. Reading her manuscript, I found her to be amazingly talented. That natural talent that others spend years and decades of their life trying to hone. Her writing reminded me of myself at her age. To this day, I can brag that my writing in my youth was brilliant. The words flowed like magic. The voice and beauty of poetic youth before that free-flowing creativity and originality became rules, rules, and more rules. Hey, kind of just like growing up!

But more than anything, it reminded me of everything I went through and the thousand heart-breaks I endured in just having that innate passion to write and that deeply-ingrained desire to share it with the world, and in all that time, I had never met anyone, personally, in that field. Not an author. Not another writer. Not a literary agent or a publisher. No one that shared my passion. No one that shared my dream. No one to guide and help and support me other than the classes and courses that I paid for. It was a very lonely life. And seeing her, I just couldn’t fathom the idea of her going through the excruciating disappointment and loneliness and self-questioning and struggles with self esteem and self-worthiness like I did, because every rejection just kept telling me that I wasn’t good enough.

In fact, even after I had over a dozen books published, by the three other publishers, and then myself, I STILL questioned if I was any good. I’d feel embarrassed at events that people would feel like they wasted money, so I set my pricing as low as possible. None of my friends read books, so they wouldn’t read mine, and, to this day, I can’t say if my side of the family has actually ever read my books or not because they’ve never commented on it, other than vaguely. … Until I got my first fan mail by a complete stranger. Short and simple. “I love your books!” And that’s all I needed to hear, and there was no giving up FOREVER, and I would write and publish books for as long as I lived, because even if there was ONE person in the world that loved my books and was counting on more of them, I was going to follow through. That one single piece of fan mail made me more determined than ever to do the best I could possibly do and to keep trying, keep going, and to finally start believing in myself for once and for all.

And that’s all this beautiful, young adult needed to hear when she was questioning herself

First feature in Publisher's Weekly

and her abilities. She wasn’t the first author’s book I helped along in the publishing process, but meeting her was the moment that I realized I wanted to be a publisher. 15 years of my life spent searching for a publisher and dreaming of getting a big one, crying over my hundreds of rejections and celebrating over my acceptances, I never imagined I’d become one, but throughout the years, more and more authors, writers, and everyday people began coming to me in search of services and advice and a desire to have their story told and shared with the world.

I never thought anything could feel more profound than seeing my book in Publisher’s Weekly, or doing my first Barnes N Noble event, or accomplishing every single dream that I’d started as just a teenager myself (except for NewYork Times Bestseller) … until I spent a two-week bender getting a manuscript prepared for publication and was able to just say, “Merry Christmas”, to that extremely bright and talented teenage girl, with the attachment of her finalized book to become her very first published book. Being a part of the path that leads to the publication of other people’s stories and books is THE most rewarding feeling I’ve ever felt – far more satisfying than anything I’ve ever done as a writer and author myself. It’s how a parent feels when they invest 18 years into raising their children and then it’s time to let go and see them off into the world, following them with pride wherever they go and secret self-congratulations of, “I did that. I created and raised that beautiful child to be the adult he/she is now.” while remaining there for support and guidance every step of the way. 

Being a publisher is about making other people’s dreams your own and helping them to fulfill them. It’s giving people a voice and letting their story be heard throughout the world. It’s about reaching as many people as you possibly can in the world just to give them that one small touch of inspiration that could impact them and their lives forever. I can’t say there’s anything grander or more fulfilling than that. 

Go to FreeBird Express Publishing Authors page to check out other authors, books, and blurbs (backcover descriptions)

Check out 'Everyone Has a Story To Tell' 

 https://freebirdexpresspublishing.blogspot.com/2018/06/everyone-has-story-to-tell.html