Saturday, April 16, 2011

How I Met Desert Breeze

In celebration of Desert Breeze Publishing's 2nd Birthday...the DB authors are doing a huge blogfest. One author a day will be posting the story of how they found Desert Breeze from April 15 - April 30. Commenters will when daily prizes, but that's not all.


*Enter Bob Hope soundtrack*


The commenters from all the days and all the posts will be entered to win a grand prize on May 1st. Diane Craver kicked this off yesterday with me taking the torch today.


So here we go...stay tuned for the daily prize at the end of the post.


How I met Desert Breeze:


I'd been in limbo with Duty and Devotion for months, focusing on publishing my short stories while it went through the never ending submission and querying ride. It was during a search for a place to submit a short story that I spotted Desert Breeze on Duotrope as a featured publisher listing on the search page.


I went to their site and read about how they began. I loved the friendship and passion for books that drove the start up. It called to me. Of course, then I fell in love with the quality of book covers. I don't care what anyone says, the quality and time put into a book cover really is an indication of the quality and time put into selecting and publishing a book.


By that time I was determined to get Duty and Devotion onto the Desert Breeze roster. I sweated over the cover letter, the synopsis, and raked through the manuscript a hundred times. Then I panicked, calmed down, freaked out, lost my nerve, and finally created an email message. From there I sat on the email message for about two weeks, trying to find fault with the wording, went through the cover letter, synopsis and manuscript yet another half dozen times.


In a moment of complete madness, I hit send.


After I regained consciousness I forced myself to start working on my next project while obsessing over the email box. After a couple months I opened my email and found a message from Gail Delaney, Chief Editor and Co-Owner of Desert Breeze. I readied myself for the rejection letter and sat in stunned silence as my brain digested an acceptance letter instead.


I couldn't believe it. I'd gotten in. They'd believed I was good enough to have their name on my book. My book. It was crazy, insane...and TOTALLY FREAKIN' AWESOME!


...and that's how I met and fell in love with Desert Breeze...


Now if you comment on my blog today you'll be able to win my first ever prize giveaway. (Up until now only my guest posters have given prizes away.) Hmmm...what to give away, what to give away? Ah! I know!


If you win today I will send you a collection of things:


  1. 5x7 signed poster of my latests free read To the Meadow's Edge

  2. Advanced Readers Copy of my June 2011 debut novel Duty and Devotion


You'll be the first non Desert Breeze to read it!


Now, to continue learning about Desert Breeze AND the chance to win more prizes, visit NIKE CHILEMI's blog, http://crimefictionandfaith.blogspot.com/ tomorrow and learn how she found Desert Breeze.

16 comments:

  1. I loved reading how you found DBP! Great post! And congrats on all your upcoming releases with DBP!

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  2. Nice to read how you came to Desert Breeze. Had to chuckle, we've all been there. Hitting that send key is nerve-shaking.

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  3. Amber, what a nerve racking story! LOL!! I'm with Barbara, I think we've all been there when it comes to pressing send.

    Glad you found Desert Breeze
    Smiles
    Steph

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  4. Amber
    Just a head's up: We had a LAST MINUTE change in the blog schedule and I want all your readers to know:

    The BLOG TOUR continues on MONDAY 18 APR at Theresa Stillwagon's Blog.

    Here's a link to Theresa's blog:http://tstillwagon.wordpress.com/

    Hope to see everyone on the blog tour then!
    Smiles
    Steph

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  5. It is nice to know I'm not the only one gifted with moments of madness. And Desert Breeze accepted me too. Congrats on your upcoming release.

    Blessings

    Tina

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  6. I was in a library when I opened my email from Gail so nervous my hands were shaking. I was so sure it was going to be another rejection. When I found she wanted to buy it I was overjoyed. Didn't think they'd appreciate me jumping up and down for joy, so I only said 'yes' under my breath.
    I yelled all the way home, though.
    Great post, Amber.

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  7. congrats on ur upcoming release
    meandi09 (@) yahoo.com

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  8. Excellent post. I so enjoyed your experience of finding Desert Breeze and becoming one of their authors. Please choose someone else for the prize, since I am a DB author, too, but I just had to leave a comment and let you know I can identify. Blessings, BJ

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  9. Marion Kelley BullockApril 16, 2011 at 9:20 AM

    I'll try again. It was in April of 2009 my friend Deb Kinnard encouraged me to approach DBP. I didn't realize I was in almost from the beginning. It's been a good relationship. Thanks, Gail and Jenifer! Thanks to Deb, too.

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  10. Cool story, Amber. I like that Desert Breeze takes sweeter romances. There are tons of e-pubs who take erotic, but not so many taking sweet.

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  11. I am truly enjoying these posts. Though, I'm a bit concerned everyone is so nervous! HA HA HA

    Amber, we are very glad to have you with us and expand our sci fi romance (an personal love of mine) catalog. :-)

    Gail R. Delaney
    Editor-In-Chief

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  12. This is so much FUN! I'm really enjoying our authors' perspectives on getting introduced to DBP. I know some of the stories, but some, like this funny little write up, are a revelation. :-)

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  13. Great post-gives hope to others like you to keep trying. I love the Desert Breeze authors, and all the good books from them.

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  14. You made me laugh out loud! Great post. I can relate to your agony-- revising over and over and then the white-knuckle fear of hitting "send." Not to mention the so-not-fun waiting game. No one understands this except fellow writers.

    Congrats on your success and I'll hop on over to the Desert Breeze site.

    BTW, I agree with you. Covers are SO important. In fact I talked about book covers on my blog just a few days ago.
    www.banterwithbeth.blogspot.com

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  15. Hi, Amber,
    Enjoyed your post. I've been sick so am a little late visiting everyone's site,but this is such fun.

    Thanks, Steph, for organizing this.

    Toni Noel

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  16. I really am sorry you all! I was in the hospital having an emergency procedure!

    Any-who...who will win it? The signed 5x7 Postcard and ARC goes to...Melisse Aires! I'll be in touch, Melisse!

    That's all folks.

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