There is an uproar going on amongst RWA members.

I probably wouldn’t have paid much attention to what is happening with RWA’s Rita contest for published authors if I wasn’t the contest diva that I am. I knew BookStrand was a small publisher, but because my stories will be released in print, I assumed that they would be eligible for Rita should I choose to enter them. I recently discovered I was wrong.

It seems that the RWA has decided that to be considered eligible for Rita, an author’s book must now be “mass” published. That immediately cuts out every author who has books that are print-on-demand. Like mine. The irony is that I am also not eligible for the unpublished Golden Heart contest. So am I published or not? It’s not like you can be a “little bit” published. In my mind, it’s like being a “little bit” pregnant. Either you are or you aren’t.

While I normally don’t get involved in RWA politics, this bothered me enough I wanted to talk about my feelings. RWA has in essence told me that my membership doesn’t matter to them. Oh, wait. It does value my membership because they need help judging the Golden Heart — just not participating in it.

Is it because the RWA doesn’t consider small pubbed authors “worthy”? I believe there’s an underlying prejudice that unless an author is published by a big New York house, her work isn’t very good. Perhaps that was the case in the past. Small pubs and epublishers sometimes received little or no editing before being placed for sale. I can assure you, that is not the case now. A story has to be of high quality to sell. So what exactly is the RWA afraid of? My guess is that if one of the epubbed authors actually won the Rita, it would shatter the glass ceiling that keeps authors from big publishers on a different echelon than the rest of the membership. Harsh, yes. But after attending a couple of RWA national conferences, I am of the opinion that there are some PAN authors (some, not all by any means) who believe they are… better than the rest of the crowd.

Okay, I’ll step off my soapbox. This has just been bothering me because I hate feeling so… impotent. I also hate paying dues to a group that only values what I can bring to them and offers nothing in return. I will stay a member of RWA, but only because I adore my local chapter and couldn’t continue to write without their support.

But the epubbed author in me is highly offended.

I cannot say enough nice things about BookStrand’s cover artist, Jinger Heaston.

It was a surprise to open up my email yesterday and see one from my publisher that said my cover art was waiting. The surprise wasn’t the cover art itself. At least not at first. I had been expecting to receive Murphy’s Law for approval soon. I had not anticipated all four of the Damaged Heroes series to be waiting for me.

As I did with Turning Thirty-Twelve, I held my breath when I opened the first file. An author never knows if an artist will be able to truly “see” the story enough to represent it. I wasn’t at all disappointed.

My favorite is Free Falling. That story was so much fun to write, and to see the beautiful cover — the mountains, the snow, the full moon — was such a pleasure. Jinger captured the flavor of the story.

So, for your viewing pleasure, here are my “Damaged Heroes.” Click on the thumbnails if you’d like to see a larger version of these gorgeous covers.

As always, Jinger, fantastic job! You have my thanks!

Damaged Heroes Book 1 ~ Murphy’s Law

Damaged Heroes Book 2 ~ Free Falling

Damaged Heroes Book 3 ~ All the Right Reasons

Damaged Heroes Book 4 ~ Faith of the Heart

A huge thanks to all of you who bought Turning Thirty-Twelve! I’ve had so many emails and messages! I’m feeling very loved right now.

I was lucky enough to be interviewed by Sally Painter for the Romance Examiner. It was posted this morning. Hope you enjoy it!

I am very proud to say that my first book, Turning Thirty-Twelve, is now on sale at BookStrand.

Just a quick note before I run off to school…
BookStrand has moved my release date up to — TOMORROW!
A little catatonic here in Indiana.
More soon.

I’ve donated a three chapter critique to help out with the fundraiser for Jo Leigh. I’m not sure it will bring them too many bids, but I wanted to help.

Should you be brave enough to bid on me, I promise you a fantastic critique!

Waiting (im)patiently for the release of Turning Thirty-Twelve on Wednesday. I’m sure by then, I’ll have worked myself into a nice tizzy. But this is so exciting! I don’t know how to describe what it feels like to know that your book is going on sale. Whenever I pull up my author page, I’m so proud to see all the books coming from BookStrand in 2009. With the help of my fantastic agent, maybe my name will be better known soon.

So who wants a great critique?

I find myself in a very strange place — not physically, but psychologically.

My first book is released a week from Wednesday, and I’m alternating between thrilled and terrified. This is what I wanted. This is what I’ve dreamed about. This is what I’ve worked so very hard to achieve. Why am I having such a hard time enjoying it?

With my personality, it’s difficult not to let doubt in. Will the book sell? Will the reviews be good? All those concerns float around my thoughts, but I refuse to let doubt rule me. My editor did a fantastic job, and her suggestions made the story strong. I love my characters. The story is unique. I can’t let my own insecurity rob me from enjoying this success.

I tend to be somewhat anal retentive. (Can you hear my husband laughing about the “somewhat” comment?) I will need to guard against constantly going in and checking my sales. BookStrand has a log in for authors where we can manage our author’s page, post blurbs and reviews of books, and see our updated sales. What an asset for authors! At least authors who aren’t perpetually Type A. Like me. The good thing is that my December 17th release date is the first day of final exams at my high school. I’ll be plenty busy.

So now, my days are much like a repeating New Year’s Eve as I wait for the crystal ball to drop, marking the moment Turning Thirty-Twelve goes on sale. I need to try to pack a whole lot of living into those days to keep my mind occupied.

Then maybe I won’t be a stranger in strange land.

You never know what changes a day can bring.

I pulled up my BookStrand author’s page, just to gander at it and count my blessings. I had a huge surprise waiting for me.

BookStrand has evidently moved up the release date on Turning Thirty-Twelve. According to the website, it goes on sale as an ebook on December 17th.

I guess they liked my edits.