Wendy S Marcus with TWO copies of Once A Good Girl Giveaway!

We have Wendy S. Marcus sharing with us  what she learnt the since she first received the 'Call' and her debut book, When One Night Isn't Enough got published. But before we give over to her, please check on this Blog's sidebar for links to follow Helen Lacey, Tracy Sumner and Nina Singer for giveaways!

Free books, Amazon Gift Cards and  Amazon Kindle at stake!

Now over to Wendy....

Hi Nas! Thank you for having me here today to discuss what I’ve learned since receiving ‘The Call” in October 2010. For those of you who don’t know me, I write for Harlequin Mills and Boon’s Medical Romance line. In my fifteen months as a published author I’ve written a three book series, When One Night Isn’t Enough, my debut, released in June/July 2011. Once a Good Girl… released in December 2011/January2012. And The Nurse’s Not-So-Secret Scandal will release in April/May 2012. I am currently in revisions with my fourth book (and no, they don’t get easier) and I have one book left to write on my current contract.

So what have I learned?

1)      It’s possible to spend an entire day working as an author without any increase to the word count of your manuscript. This is a biggie folks. It’s easy to get caught up in social networking, promoting and research (looking at pictures of hot men included!). And while, yes, these activities fall under the umbrella of necessary author duties (because let’s face it, our heroes’ features must be accurate!), writers need to make time to write. Let me say that again. Writers need to make time to write.  (I decided to bold it, too, so you’d get how important that is.)

2)      Seasoned authors who tell you to avoid reading reviews of your books should be listened to. Because it’s true that the good ones make you feel better than you are, and the bad ones will stick with you like last night’s spicy chili and make you question the very talent that led to you getting published in the first place.

3)      Searching out sales numbers on the Internet is counterproductive. (And yet I can’t help myself!) When the numbers show increasing sales it’s like a drug-induced euphoria you seek out over and over to feed your addiction. When the numbers flatline it’s like withdrawal. Depressing. Isolating. Painful – at least on a mental level. Why isn’t anyone buying my books? Don’t they like me? (Totally pathetic, I know. And very unmotivating.)

4)      No matter how hard you work to make your book perfect, it won’t be.  

5)      Even though it’s your name on the book, it takes the assistance of others to transform your story from an idea to a saleable novel. A quick shout out to my editor, Flo Nicoll, who is one amazing lady. I wouldn’t be where I am without her patience, guidance, and all around wonderfulness!

6)      Every author needs a support system. I am lucky to be blessed with many wonderful friends who are there for me, not only to share my successes, but to console me when I get a bad review, to encourage me when I’m frustrated, or to yell at me to get back to work when I’m feeling distracted or unmotivated – which happens more often than I’d like to admit. Because let’s face it, playing on the Internet or reading someone else’s book is a heck of a lot easier than struggling with internal conflict, motivation, and achieving a believable happily ever after.

7)      When you’re a newbie author with a question, ask a published author. Okay, maybe not Nora, but I’ve found the HQN author community to be very helpful and welcoming. When I received my first round of copy edits and had no idea what to do, I reached out to fellow Medical Romance (and Special Edition) author Lynne Marshall  who took time out of her busy schedule to share how she handles them.

8)      And when it comes to promo and marketing, contact our lovely blog hostess, Nas Dean, who assisted me with my debut 30 stop blog tour and continues to assist me with ongoing promo of my books. I cannot say enough positive things about Nas! Wow! Thank you Wendy!

Well, I’m sure more things will come to me after I hit send, but I think I shared the biggies. I’m happy to answer any questions you have for me. Two lucky commenters/question askers will win a copy of my latest Harlequin Medical Romance, Once a Good Girl… To read an excerpt visit my website: Wendy S Marcus.

To buy in the UK: On store shelves or order from Amazon UK.

To buy in Aus/NZ: On store shelves or order e-book from Mills and Boon Aus

To buy in U.S.: Order paperback from Harlequin Ltd. and e-book from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.   

Find me on:      Facebook         Twitter             Goodreads

Wendy S. Marcus lives in the beautiful Hudson Valley region of New York with her husband, two of their three children, and a much loved Bichon Frise named Buddy. A nurse by trade, Wendy has her master’s degree in health care administration. After years of working in the medical profession, Wendy has taken a radical turn to writing hot contemporary romance with strong heroes, feisty heroines, and lots of laughs. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and blogging/e-mailing/tweeting with her online friends. To learn more about Wendy visit her website, http://www.WendySMarcus.com.