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The Paranormal Path To Publishing

6/26/2014

 
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Welcome!  I’m happy you dropped by.  To get things rolling, let me tell you the tale of how I came to be an author.  It started when I was very young…you see, in my household I was the youngest of four girls, and I can’t remember a time when someone wasn’t reading.  My parents led by doing, both were avid readers and instilled my love of books I still hold today.  I owe them my success, and wish they were here to witness the achievement of a life long goal.

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Reading, mostly in the fantasy and science fiction genre, of course, led to writing.  I remember a short story written in elementary school, “Whatever Happened To Ellen?” blossoming into a radio show complete with sound effects and music in college.  It was my first foray into monsters and mayhem.  I wrote all through my education, almost majoring in English Literature, but my life took a different turn with music.

It was after I graduated college I had my first sale, and a first big score it was.  A simple short story (slightly over 1200 words) called “Does The Shoe Fit You Now”, a Cinderella sequel, was bought by one of my favorite authors, Marion Zimmer Bradley, for her Sword & Sorceress anthology, specifically book 12.  Not only did I sell to the first place I submitted, it was actually my first submission ever!  It turned out to be beginners luck…

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As life would have it, I soon had to concentrate on my career as a music editor for television and film, in order to eat and keep a roof over my head.  But I still kept writing, in fact, I decided to try my hand at long fiction and tackled writing my first novel.  It took many years to write (remember I needed a shelter and food), but complete at 100,000 words, “Valley Fever” was born, a contemporary fantasy set in Southern California.  Proud of my child, I sent it out into the world, querying agents and ultimately submitting to three different publishers.

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I was not idle waiting to hear if someone would give me a shot, I started my second novel, “Walking Through Fire”, a paranormal romance with a hunky Scottish ghost.  Already I could tell this was a better effort than my first, so when everyone passed on “Valley Fever”, it didn’t deter me.  I would lead with my stronger story.  But how to get someone to buy it?

I decided on a different path than I had taken with my first manuscript.  Querying agents and sitting in slush piles hadn’t done the trick.  I needed editors and agents to take notice, so I took the contest path.  Researching who the final judges would be, I entered several with promising results.  I was a finalist in the paranormal category of Utah's “Great Beginnings”, then struck gold in 2013 by winning Florida’s “Golden Palm” contest, and coming in second in Chesapeake’s “Finish That Damn Book”, both in the paranormal categories again.  This got me two full requests by two different editors.
Picturehow I envision my path...
On April 1st (yup, I’ll never think of April’s Fool’s Day the same way again!) I got “The Call” from Amanda Barnett, senior editor for the Faery Rose line at The Wild Rose Press.  Yes, I was doing the snoopy dance; someone wanted to buy my novel.
And that my friends, was my paranormal path to publishing.


Please join me on this crazy new ride as a novelist.  Check back for updates on “Walking Through Fire”, plus, I’ll be blogging about my experience in this journey, sharing some excerpts, posting a book review or two, as well as, sharing new writing challenges and odd things crossing my mind.

Pull up a chair; get yourself a drink, thank you for joining me in this paranormal life.

robena grant link
6/26/2014 10:52:01 am

I love the website, C.J. Attractive and easy to navigate. This blog post on your journey is interesting, and congratulations on the upcoming release via The Wild Rose Press. They are also my publisher, and I'm also a long time LARA member so hope to meet you some time soon. I've had four books published by TWRP and one is currently under consideration. (I count nothing until it is signed on the dotted line.) I've loved working with them and hope to continue. See you around on the loops! : )

CJ Bahr link
6/26/2014 11:17:47 am

Thanks Robena! I'm really enjoying my experience with Wild Rose. I just a peek at my cover art - so excited! And yes... I really should make a LARA meeting one of these months. I'd love to meet you.

Alicia Reynolds
6/26/2014 11:00:39 am

This is all so lovely and professional! I've been in the process of putting up my own website (even though I've only just started querying my first novel), and this has totally inspired me to keep working on it. Congratulations on getting published! How exciting is that?!

CJ Bahr link
6/26/2014 11:19:33 am

Thanks Alicia! It's been an amazing and long journey for me. No matter your path, keep plugging away. It's worth the effort!

Janie Emaus link
6/26/2014 11:25:46 am

Love the website and your path to publication!

CJ Bahr link
6/27/2014 02:27:36 am

whatever it takes, right Janie? It's been a long rode, but perseverance does pay off.

CJ Burright link
6/26/2014 11:55:37 am

Love your publishing story - I great up with two sisters and a family of readers, so I totally relate. Way to go on your website - it's lovely! :)

Pamela DuMond link
6/26/2014 01:10:57 pm

Congrats on the book! You'll have so much fun once that puppy's out there.

Ally Hayes link
6/26/2014 01:26:28 pm

Looks great! I can't seem to pull the trigger on mine and still just have a boring blog but I think you gave me the inspiration I need! Best of luck, I tweeted a link.

CJ Bahr link
6/27/2014 02:29:26 am

Pull that trigger, Ally! I was so worried, especially doing all myself, but it's amazing how supportive our community of writers are. Go ahead and take that plunge.

Sandra Dailey link
6/26/2014 01:58:15 pm

I read the whole thing. You did a great job. It's nice to get to know you. I hope you'll visit me sometime at sandradailey.blogspot.com
Welcome to the garden!

CJ Bahr link
6/27/2014 02:26:24 am

Sandra, I will stop by for a visit! Thanks for the kind words!

Susan B James link
6/26/2014 03:31:32 pm

Marian Zimmer Bradley?!!!! Wow. You book sounds wonderful and I can't wait to read it. Like the website.

Susan J. Berger link
6/26/2014 03:34:05 pm

Just saw Northern Exposure on your About Tab. We have a connection.
Fun interview with me posted at Cheryl Yeko Blog http://tinyurl.com/m8qbrmu

CJ Bahr link
6/27/2014 02:32:03 am

Wow, you married Barry! I think it's less than six degrees of separation. Thanks for stopping by!

Samanthe Beck link
6/26/2014 04:01:25 pm

Congratulations on your first...well...second sale, CJ! May many more follow.

KatieO link
6/26/2014 08:42:48 pm

Congrats on your contract! Love your new website and your story of your path. Getting The Call on April Fools day would've freaked me out a bit, but so glad your story has a happy ending! Best of luck!

Laura Strickland link
6/27/2014 12:19:27 am

Beautiful job on the web site! And I love hearing an author's story (the stories behind the stories). Best of luck with your book!

Monica Epstein link
6/27/2014 01:41:52 am

Very nice website. Congratulations! Have fun with it.

RebeccaGrace link
6/27/2014 01:43:49 am

Congratulations, CJ. This was a great blog and welcome to the crazy ride. The website and blog look great!

Melissa Fox link
6/27/2014 02:16:23 am

Great site, CJ, warm and inviting! Congrats on your contract and joining TWRP - such a great group of folks all around.

Madeleine McDonald link
6/27/2014 02:33:56 am

You are so right. Perseverance pays off but sometimes it feels like a long, hard road. Congratulations on your contract.

CJ Bahr link
6/27/2014 02:35:47 am

Thanks everyone for the lovely supportive comments! It makes everything less scary. Now to keep it going, lol!

Julia Blake
6/27/2014 02:46:29 am

I love your website C.J. It looks great and is easy to navigate. I also enjoyed the blog post. It's always fun to hear other writers' stories.

Kate Willoughby
6/27/2014 03:04:38 am

congratulations on the website (pretty!) and the publication of your first book. That thrill is a once in a lifetime experience. Enjoy it!

Tanya Hanson link
6/27/2014 03:09:51 am

Congrats on the great-looking website. Very professional. I so enjoyed reading about your journey. And don't be scared! Congrats on the book...I am multi-pubbed at TWRP and very, very happy there. My editor is The Best. Have fun! xoxo

Angela Hayes link
6/27/2014 03:31:20 am

Congrats CJ. Great first post and welcome to TWRP, it's a great place to be.

J.C. Mckenzie link
6/27/2014 04:05:39 am

Beautiful website! I love the colour scheme and the layout. Great choice! Congrats.

Christine London link
6/27/2014 04:44:38 am

Very inspirational journey. You are one of the few to get snapped up for publication right away. Not sure if that is really a blessing as it takes a toll on one's self esteem as the inevitable rejections ensue, lol.

Congrats on your Wild Rose Press sale! Very handsome site here too.

Delaina Lawson
6/27/2014 05:14:28 am

Congrats on both your book and your website. I envy you.


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    Author

    Always looking for a little magic, CJ decided to create some of her own as a writer of paranormal romance, urban and contemporary fantasy.


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