Sarah Mäkelä Is In Da House!
Thank you for having me here today, Bella!
Techno Crazed is by no means the first thing I’ve ever written. That novella, Jungle Heat, is coming out at the end of next month. *grins* But anyways, I wrote Techno Crazed in January, so it’s one of my most recent projects. But back to the point...
First of all, it’s important to keep writing and moving on to the next manuscript once you’ve finished something. It can be hard to let go of a story you’ve written and edited over and over, and you should definitely send it out on submission, but I can say the two most helpful things I’ve done in getting published is writing a lot and finding a fantastic critique partner, Kinley Baker. She helped bring my skills to a whole new level.
Something to consider when you look for a critique partner(s) is to find someone on, or close, the same level as you. Yeah, it’d be great to pair up with someone who is a multi-published New York Times Bestseller while you’re an unpublished, and if you can do that kudos to you, but the chances are unlikely. My critique partner and I leapt from unpublished to contracted in about three months of each other. That’s pretty darn cool! (I also have two other awesome critique partners, Bella Street and Lisa Kessler. They moved to that next level within the three months too, which is so amazing.) It’s been helpful since we know what the other person is going through. Newsflash: being contracted/published isn’t a piece of cake. The hard work is not done when you sign the dotted line on your contract. But I digress...
It might not seem like you’re moving and shaking and gaining a lot of knowledge by just writing, but you are. I think National Novel Writing Month is really helpful in giving yourself permission to make writing a priority. It helped me to write my first book, and then my second, third, fourth... and well, I’ve been doing it (and completing my novels) every year starting in 2005. Some of them, I wrote and put it aside because I was editing another book at the time, but that doesn’t matter as much as simply honing your craft.
Here’s the blurb for my newest release, Techno Crazed. I hope you enjoy it! If you’re interested the excerpt is available here.
Private Investigator Hannah Franklin's life is turned upside down after being contacted by a former employee of MAX Home Security, the leader in security services. But they're not just protecting people anymore. Hannah's informant claims to have proof that MAX has ordered the assassination of politicians who stood against the corporation.
When her informant is killed and an attempt is made on her life, Hannah has no choice but to contact a freelance hacker. Her only hope now lies in the hands of a man she never expected to welcome back into her life.
Ian Bradley has lost his girlfriend and his job, as well as having acquired a very annoying gnome. Now his ex, Hannah, is in danger, and she needs his help. Ian vows to protect Hannah with every resource available to him -- and as a technomage in a high-tech world, his resources are almost endless…
If you’re interested in a chance to win a copy of Techno Crazed, make sure to sign up for my newsletter. I’ll announce the winner in it on 6/24. If you'd prefer, leave your email address in the comments, and I'd be happy to put you on the mailing list.
Find Sarah on the web at:
Website: www.sarahmakela.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sarahmakela
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorsarahmakela
Thank you for having me here, Bella! :-D Woo!
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