More Good Advice

Still thinking along the lines of sound advice to offer beginning writers, I remembered some of the biggest mistakes I made early on. First, I was so darn anxious to have Judgment on Tartarus published that I sent out the ms. long before it was truly ready for publication. My work was too amateurish at that point, but I was so excited about my story that I overlooked its flaws.

Instead of letting my work "rest", then going back over it with a fine-tooth comb and fixing it, I rushed it off to a publisher. Nowadays, writers rush out to publish an e-book! Looking back now, I can see all too clearly why no publisher would take on Judgment. The story was good ( and remains so to this day ), but I hadn't done a good enough job of telling the story, of editing and refining my work. Had Judgment been published in that condition, I would've been highly embarrassed. I'm afraid that many of today's young and eager writers are going to look back upon their early work, shudder, and groan!

As a writer, you want to put yourself in the best possible light. Instead of bragging that you published a book, I want you to be able to brag that your book is the absolute BEST you could possibly write and never regret publishing it.

The second piece of advice I'd give you is don't discourage easily---another huge mistake I made. After several rejections and one near-publication of my second novel, True Son of Tartarus, I gave up. What I didn't realize until much later was that my book wasn't to blame for the rejections. True Son is also a good story, but---for whatever reason: budget constraints, timing, inappropriate genre, etc.---the major publishers weren't going to go out on a limb to publish an unknown author.

So if you're getting nothing but rejections from publishers, you first need to take a long, hard look at your work. If you can honestly say it's a good book, worthy of and ready for publication, keep on plugging and don't let yourself get discouraged.

I think the two worst mistakes a writer can make are publishing your work before it's up to par and giving up on it too quickly.

As they say, a word to the wise...

MRTighe

The Waiting Game

I'm waiting as patiently as I can for True Son of Tartarus to be published and available to my readers. That's one of the hardest parts of the publishing process, at least for me. I'm always anxious to find out if my next book will appeal to people as much as Book 1 did. I've done my darnedest to make True Son as good as Judgment ( if not better! ), as good as I possibly can while remaining true to myself, my beliefs, my goals.

 For instance, for those who are fans of gritty, militaristic SF with loads of violence and bloodbaths---sorry, but you'll have to look elsewhere. You just aren't going to find those elements in either Judgment on Tartarus or True Son of Tartarus. I have no illusions that every single reader is going to react favorably to my work. Each individual has their own literary tastes. But I truly believe a large audience will appreciate the stories I write.

Of course, some may find them a bit too violent for their tastes; others, not violent enough. Some may find them a bit offensive while others think they're not graphic enough. Obviously, I can never please absolutely everyone, so, as the old saying goes, I have to be true to myself. And as long as I do that I'll be happy with my work---just impatient with the amount of time it takes to learn your reaction!

All for now,

MRTighe

Glutton for Punishment?

Here I am again. Today I took up work on Book 2: True Son of Tartarus.This book is finished except for the nit-picky stuff: editing, title pages, etc. Not as much fun as writing, but, heck, somebody has to do it--and, well, there's only me. I have a few fans in the wings waiting for a copy of Judgment to read. I thought at first Book 2 would be longer than Book 1, but at this point it looks as if they may be dead-even. But, for anyone who likes Book 1, I can only say from my point of view, I think Book 2 is slightly better. I'd give reasons, but I don't want to give away the plot of Judgment! Anyway, in a few months hopefully, you'll be able to read both and compare.

Back to work,

MRTighe

Sneak Peek

Hi, again!

About two weeks to go and counting! It's so hard to rein in my excitement---trying to concentrate on other things---like Christmas decorations, feeding the multitude of ravenous birds and squirrels in my backyard, um---ah, where was I?

So, as promised, here's a sneak peek at the back cover copy of Judgment on Tartarus:

     Newly assigned to the space cruiser Astrella II, captained by the legendary "Hero of the Gorgonian Wars", Richard Hughes, Ensign Corona Scott fears her long-dreamed-of career is about to be deep-sixed! She runs afoul of her new CO's volcanic temper, and Med Supervisor Johann Weiner warns her that Astrella's ExO, Malkis of Tartarus, is going to make her life a living Hell. He hates Terran females! Rona's ideals are put to the test as the shocking bigotry and hatred she finds aboard Astrella culminate in sabotage and murder and, ultimately, in a serious rift between Hughes and his ExO. Without warning, Astrella is mysteriously dispatched to the enigmatic planet Tartarus, where Rona Scott encounters an unsought destiny far beyond her wildest dreams, and where the fate of Astrella's crew rests upon the outcome of a barbaric, bloody duel to the death!

So what do you think? Does this make you want to read the book---or not? Would you recommend a book  like this to your friends who read? Comments are more than welcome. If you have trouble commenting on my blog, I'm also on facebook as M.r.Tighe; leave me a message there. You can also view a tiny pic of my cover using the info in my last blog. Thanks!

Trying my best to wait patiently,

MRTighe