I’ve recently attached myself to a very welcoming author’s group. Approximately twenty women inhabit this group with experiences ranging from flat out newbie like me to seasoned authors with dozens of books under their belts. I’ve only been on there about a week and I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned already. The beauty of it all is any question can be asked. In fact I’ve asked them! And I’m delighted to say they’ve been answered without making me feel like the dumbest piece of dry toast for asking. From all corners of author experience and other countries as well, they’ve shared what they know and there’s something to be said learning from people who’ve already skinned their knees on the editing process and bloodied their elbows on reviews. For one thing, this new association has allowed me to be a little less afraid.

Afraid? Yeah I’ve been afraid of screwing up and ruining my future as an author somehow – some ancient remnant low self-esteem that occasionally beckons my foot to step into a bucket and get caught there. As I deftly sidestep that teenage doubt that I’ve long since outgrown but still remember with unfortunate clarity, the foot hovers over the bucket as I frantically run off the mental checklist that reminds me I am a competent grown woman after all. I’ve done quite a bit in my life and I should be proud of myself. My husband, wonderful soul he is, tells me all the time. It’s one of the many reasons I love him. Just yesterday the head of the author’s group said this:

I think it’s incredible what we’ve accomplished to do this.

Defied our fears! Conquered new inventions! Rode a bucking new world of publishing!

And the people on the outside think we just wrote stories.

Here you go, Rose:

 Creative people are committed to risk. The creative person always walks two steps into the darkness. Everyone can see in the light…the real heroes delve in the dark. – Albert Einstein

 Albert Einstein just called you a hero, Rose!

You can’t argue with Einstein.

So maybe you’re wondering why I’m writing if I get these big chicken feelings. My erotic romance stories were designed from the get-go to force me to learn this business so when my magnum opus is finally ready to be published I’ll actually know what I’m doing. How does erotica do that, you ask? Erotic Romance or Romantica is the uber-genre to write in right now. A fast growing sub-genre of Romance where electronic readers (ereaders) like the Nooks, Kindles, and Kobos allow these juicy flights of fancy into the privacy of our homes and they come sans their brown-paper wrappings that your mailman and nosy neighbors speculate about. Business is booming and because of that, what a great way to build a portfolio. Hopefully when I set off to the big city to peddle my larger brain-child the non-erotic novel I’ve been assembling for three years now, I’ll have a bulging portfolio of published work to show I have some wherewithall as an author. That’s the plan. In a nutshell, this was the quickest way into the publishing world. Einstein would love it!