Major Changes are coming for the My Blood Runs Blue Series!
Original Cover 2011
The first book that I ever wrote was My Blood Runs Blue back in October 2010. I’d had no formal writing classes, no friends that were authors, in fact I knew absolutely nothing about the book industry. For those who don’t know me, I’m one of those people that when they want to do something, there is little that can stop them, and this was one of those times.
I wrote My Blood Runs Blue in about 6-7 weeks, and then I found Outskirts Press. A company that helps you self-publish your book. I knew nothing of writing, so it is no surprise that I knew even less about publishing. Finding a company that helped me through each of the steps (for a nice chunk of change I might add) was great. It gave me an understanding of the process, and when I finally held that book in my hands, it was
New Cover 2013
absolutely amazing! But… I have admitted a few times here already, that I knew nothing about writing books.
Through the company I published with, they “edited” the book (again at a nice stack of bills), but now as I page through that book, I realize they did a very poor job editing the grammar and punctuation – because that is all they did. There was no content or repetition editing. There were no ideas bestowed upon me as to how to improve my writing or how to give the book more depth. It was strictly, change the comma, put a space here kind of editing. But I didn’t care at the time, I had published a book, and I was already writing book 2, Blue Blood for Life.
Blue Blood came out late 2011, and like the first book, I used Outskirts again. Same process, same fees, same results. A plot that sat between two covers that was rough, choppy, lacked depth and had to much repetition. But I had published it! It was around that time that I started really meeting and talking to other authors, and I started to learn. A good friend of mine, Melissa Foster (I love you Sister!!) pulled me under her wing and showed me that I could do all of the publishing myself, it was easy, and it was a hell of a lot cheaper! Then she said, you need a good editor and she put me in touch with a friend of hers, Dominique Agnew.
The first time I worked with an editor, or namely a real editor, namely Dominique, I was flabbergasted at how she tore my book apart. At the time, we were working on Whether I’ll Live or Die. I remember getting the
Original Cover 2011
manuscript back and was like, wow… I suck! lol… But I listened to her – I pushed through and ended up with a great book, because it was EDITED PROPERLY! Oh, the things I have learned since April 2011 when My Blood Runs Blue hit the shelves.
So… Originally the My Blood Runs Blue Series was to be 4 books. I wrote and published 2 of them then got busy in other directions. For YEARS now I have been asked by people over and over again when the third book was coming out. Several times I sat down to work on book 3, and realized that I needed to go back and re-read the first two to get the facts correct again, so I tried to read the first book, and couldn’t even get through the first four chapters. I was revolted at how I wrote, embarrassed that people download that book everyday. UGH!
I had spoken to other authors about what I should do, many of them said, don’t ever look back. Always look forward. They told me, go ahead and write book 3 and 4 and it will just show your growth as an author.
New Cover 2013
Personally, I think it would have looked like some other author had finished the series, that’s how starkly different my writing is now. Of course, that is with the help of my two editors. Yep, I now have two, Colleen Albert, is my second one.
A few months ago, I made a decision that I was not going to write the rest of the series. I was going to leave it at the two books and move forward with my other stories. Yet, as the months went on, the decision did not feel right.
So, it is with a very excited heart that I announce there will indeed be a book 3 and 4. In fact, there will also be a second edition of My Blood Runs Blue and Blue Blood for Life, because I decided to re-write them. Well, over the last week I have done just that. I re-wrote them. The plot is the same, the characters are the same. What is different is the writing, the depth, the passion, and the descriptions will show you the story, not tell you.? At a time that I had thought I’d put my characters to bed, I have found them racing through my mind with passion. I’m obsessed with finishing the series now.
I have one more round of edits for My Blood Runs Blue and two more for Blue Blood for Life and then they are ready for my editor to pick apart. I finally know exactly where I want book 3 to go (Gabe’s Story) and how the series will finally roll to a conclusion (Julian’s Story). In fact, I am basically obsessed with these two last books. They are all I think about.
Recent edits to Blue Blood for Life
So, if you are a fan of the series, I hope will look forward to the next two books!
Meet Gabe & Julian!
Gabe
Julian