Fairytale (Kindle) by Maggie Shayne

I’ve been doing something new, with something old, and having way too much fun with it.  I’m not sure why doing something different from the norm is always so exciting, but I can’t get enough of it at the moment.  The new thing, that’s also an old thing, is my late arrival to the world of E-publishing my own backlist.  If that’s Greek to you, I’ll nutshell it.  After books go out of print, most contracts specify certain condition that, once met, require the publisher to return the rights to the author.  I’ve only managed to re-acquire the rights to three of my early works, all from Avon Books, for my 1996/97 titles, FAIRYTALE, its sequel, FOREVER ENCHANTED, and the unrelated ANNIE’S HERO.  And finally, I’ve managed to make them available once again in electronic formats.  (I say “I,” but the truth is, I had very little to do with it.

Click on the cover for Fairytale on Kindle, or here for Fairytale on Smashwords (Nook is still processing.)

I was very fortunate to have a brilliant daughter, Jessica Lewis, who was considering hanging up her shingle as an author’s virtual assistant, a job she’s been doing for me unofficially for most of her life anyway.  I suggested formatting ebooks would be a lovely addition to the services she could offer, and volunteered to be her guinea pig.  (As you can see, she’s done an absolutely beautiful job.)   Jessica proofread the Word documents of all three of the books, did the graphic art for the covers, and has the first two up and ready to go at Kindle, and at Smashwords in every imaginable format, including Sony E-Reader, Kobo, iBooks, and more. Nook is still processing for both titles.  The third title is in progress with Jessie as we speak.

Jessica Lewis, The Author's Life Saver, www.authorslifesaver.com

A little plug for my brilliant daughter here; Jessie is married with two boys, and a third on the way.  Her husband Ben is a Sergeant 1st Class in the Army National Guard, with 10 years regular Army behind him, many months spent in harm’s way all over the world, and a chestful of medals.  Jess is certified as a teacher, has a BA in English and several years racked up as a lead reporter for The Evening Sun.  And of course lots of experience helping her mom with all things writerly. Not to mention that she’s gorgeous, brilliant, and talented beyond measure.   She offers all kinds of services for busy writers, and her website, while still a work in progress, is up and running with details and contact info.  Click on the photo to visit her site, www.authorslifesaver.com.

This has been such a fun experience!  I think actively choosing the covers (these came from istockphoto.com and were very reasonably priced) was one of my favorite parts.  Re-reading books I wrote so long ago that I’d all but forgotten the stories, was also great fun for me.  These were my very first foray into single title romantic fantasy.  Up to then, I had only written category romances for Silhouette Intimate Moments, now Romantic Suspense, and Silhouette Shadows, which went away for awhile as it was ahead of its time, and sort of reincarnated itself as Harlequin Nocturne.

Forever Enchanted (at Smashwords) by Maggie Shayne

So there I was, with only a handful of books under my belt and this very out there idea for a contemporary fantasy romance (which was really not being done back then) that wouldn’t leave me alone.  Twins Brigit and Bridin, half Fae, half mortal, living in the mundane world with no idea what they really were, and each with no knowledge of the other, but with a destiny that demanded they find one another and return to the kingdom of Rush, where everything is magical, and a dark prince sits on the throne that is rightly theirs, where he rules over their homeland with an iron fist.

Avon books bought the stories, and I worked there with editor Christine Zika, who is, I believe, at Penguin Putnam now.

Click on the cover for Forever Enchanted at Smashwords, or here for Forever Enchanted on Kindle. (Nook still processing.)

I honestly love these books.  When I finished the two connected tales, I found I wanted to do more fantasy, and so I penned another contemporary fantasy romance, in Annie’s Hero (no cover yet available–we’re thinking) in which pregnant Annie’s husband dies, heroically sacrificing himself to save a busload of kids on the highway, leaving Annie alone, pregnant, and with no idea how important her unborn child is to the world.  When dark forces conspire against her and her baby, her dead husband is sent back to her, as a warrior, protector, guardian–but with no memory of the life he left behind.  Annie knows him the minute she sees him again, though, and is determined to make him remember, and love her again.

Gosh this is fun!  So much fun that I’m checking to see what other old books I might be able to e-publish.

Now that the books are up, I’m actively seeking ways to promote them.  Jessica is on the case as well, and our adventure continues.  I’ll keep you posted!  Also, watch my website and Facebook Fan Page for new versions, links and titles as we get them in place.

Thought for the day, before I leave:  “You should meditate for 20 minutes each day, unless you are too busy.  Then you should meditate for an hour.”~Buddhist Proverb