IN THIS ISSUE:
My monthly column update
Romance Happenings
GAUT update
Q & A TIME

August = Back To School!

Can you hear the shouting? Can you hear the excited clapping of a million mothers’ hands? It’s not that we moms don’t love our children (of course we do!) it’s just that we feel we deserve a “vacation” ourselves in late August… I know my kids grow increasingly bored and restless as the summer progresses and they’re eager to check out what’s happening with their school friends. Back to school time is definitely a win-win situation!

But not everything in school is all fun and games. You’ll see what I mean in my “Every Day’s Is Mother’s Day” column this month, FLUNK MY CHILD—PLEASE, now online at my web site and at its regular spot at Miscellaneous Ramblings ezine.

http://www.miscramblingsmag.com/Appel.htm
or at my new web site:

http://
pages.sbcglobal.net/cynthianna/momsday_index.html

(You may have to copy and paste the above URL into your web browser to get the link to work.)

Kris B. emailed me a nice comment in regards to last month’s column about my dealings with the US Postal Service:

“I love it; I've been there, I relate... Well written and I never got bored, you took me right along with you the whole way. GREAT article/story.”

Thanks, Kris!

ROMANCE HAPPENINGS are still in “summer mode” this month for the most part. I’m praying that some editor lying on a beach in New Jersey is reading my manuscript, BEAUTIFUL DREAMER, at this very moment and thinking of giving me “the call” soon. Until then, I’ve been querying agents and re-thinking another work-in-progress. Summertime with all its interruptions and distractions isn’t a total lost for me, but I can honestly say it’s not my most productive time of the year.

On the plus side, readers are still reading my two contemporary romances and sending me comments. Read what the lovely Caryn has to say:

“I've just finished reading your novel COUNTRY BOY, CITY GIRL. It is not every book that I put my name in before I loan it out because it is not every book that I care if I get returned or not. I have several people I want to share this book with. I enjoyed it very much. It was refreshing and a joy to read. And, now I'll search out THE FIXER-UPPERS. It's got to be good!”

Thanks, Caryn! (And if you are ever in a bind about what kind of gift to give to a friend, how about giving her own autographed copy of one of my books? Yes, you can email me at cynthianna@hotmail.com and ask for more details on how you can order your own autographed copies of either one of my books.)

You can order COUNTRY BOY, CITY GIRL (Recently awarded a “Gold Heart” from Bridges Magazine) from Books-a-Million online and receive a 33% discount on the cover price. Copy and paste the following long address into your browser and it should take you directly to the page:

http://www.booksamillion.com/ncom/books?id=2252989321426&pid=158851918X&rate.x=283&rate.y=11

My first novel, THE FIXER-UPPERS, is available directly from the publisher Wings ePress at http://www.wings-press.com Simply click on the “contemporary” button on the left side and scroll down until you see the title to order.

GOD ALLOWS U-TURNS: A Women’s Journey is now on sale at your local Christian bookstore. The next volume in the series will be "teen stories" of hope and healing. For more info on how you (or your teen) can submit a story, check out the web site at http://www.godallowsuturns.com

And now, it’s everybody’s favorite portion of the newsletter (or at least mine): Q & A TIME

Q: I received an email from a business that says they are looking for “manuscripts of all kinds.” They also mentioned that the costs of their “publishing services” are among the lowest around. What gives? I thought publishers were supposed to pay the author for his work, not the other way around.

A: Yes, you’re right. A legitimate, royalty-paying publisher reads, accepts and edits manuscripts for publication and pays its authors whenever books are sold. What you received was probably an advertisement from a “vanity press” or perhaps a “subsidy press”. With the advent of the Internet and cheap and easy desk-top PC publishing programs, the number of vanity/subsidy presses has swelled in recent years. (And so have publishing scams, unfortunately.)

To find out more about the different types of publishers out there (and those you should watch out for), check out this excellent writer’s site:
http://www.sfwa.org/beware/subsidypublishers.html


Should you ever pay someone to publish your manuscript? That’s a call you have to make. Most vanity published books are not seen as “legitimate” in the eyes of most royalty-paying publishers and agents. You are not considered a “published author” by most writers organizations, either. And many vanity publishers have been sued out of business by irate authors when the company didn’t live up to its agreements.

If you do decide to go with a vanity press to publish your manuscript, be sure to read all the fine print on the contract before you write them a check. Think about it: once they have your money in hand, what real incentive do they have to uphold their end of the deal?

If you have a question--any question, related to romance writing or not--don't hesitate to email me at
cynthianna@hotmail.com. (Do not hit "reply" to this
newsletter--your email will bounce.) Results guaranteed or double your money back. :)

Until next time, happy last days of summer!

God bless you and yours--

Cindy
MY NEW WEB SITE: http://pages.sbcglobal.net/cynthianna

P.S. Feel free to forward this newsletter on to an email friend. You'll be glad you did.