Sunday, July 8, 2012

The Magic of Dreams: Guest Post by Author Amy Manemann


Why do we give up on our dreams?
Believing in the magic of your dreams is a key step in turning them from fantasy into a reality. So why do we often times take a step back and allow life’s little hiccups determine when we stop believing in ourselves and let our dreams slip through the cracks?

I feel like I’ve been a writer my entire life though it wasn’t until this past year that I decided to take the proverbial leap of faith and join the publishing world by becoming an Indie Author. This wasn’t an easy decision for me, in fact I had many misconceived notions about the way you were supposed to go about getting published and none of them included stepping out on my own. However, when I first delved into the mysteries of the publishing world my newbie eyes received an awakening and I soon grew weary of the constant battles I faced to just simply query a traditional publishing house or agent.

Was this what my life had become? To have spent hours upon hours pouring my heart and soul into a story only to be given a list of rules to follow to send in a query letter was disconcerting, to say the least. It was at this point I nearly gave up on my publishing dreams. And then my father’s voice, long since gone these past ten years, echoed a reminder in my ear: Never stop believing in the magic of your dreams.

And as he was so many times in my youth I have to say yet again, he was right. I was willing to let a brick wall put an end to my long hours of hard work simply because I thought this was the only avenue to go about publishing. And then I met a fantastic group of Indie Authors who opened my mind and changed the way I would forever view traditional publishing.

I am happy to say I thoroughly enjoy being an Indie Author. It’s not the path I originally was set on, yet I feel as though this was the path I was destined to take. And all thanks to a ghostly reminder of not giving up on the magic of my dreams.


International best-selling author, Amy Manemann, is the author of Deadly Reunion and Deadly Science, the first two books of the Deadly Series (Taci Andrews Mysteries). She resides in her hometown along the Mississippi river with her husband and their two children, where she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, writing, blogging and interviewing authors to feature on her website. Amy is also a site administrator for the World Literary Cafe.

Connect with Amy through her website www.amymanemann.webs.com or blog www.amymanemann.blogspot.com.

Chapter Excerpt of her newest release, Deadly Science (A Taci Andrews Mystery)
Fate. The principal cause by which things in general are believed to come to be as they are, or events to happen as they do.
In other words, it was inevitable I would end up being chased by a rogue group of people wielding tranquilizer guns through a crowd dressed up like mythical characters out of a storybook. I’d like to say that the endless stream of bizarre events in my life are the result of an over-exaggerated imagination, but that would be an understatement.
While any other normal person might find my situation a bit extreme, I feel it’s fair to advise you that I’m far from ordinary. My name is Taci Andrews, and I’m an investigative reporter for the Riverdale Times. Riverdale, Iowa, may not have the problems faced by larger cities but don’t be fooled by its sleepy façade. If you dig deep enough you’ll find even small town America has its problems, and I seem to be the person capable of finding trouble wherever I go.
Welcome to the chaos that is my life. 

2 comments:

  1. What a great post, Amy! I've been in this situation many different times. I never intended to be an Indie Author. In fact, I was only going to self-publish my novella, Piercing Through the Darkness, and search for an agent for Read Me Dead. But after long nights of tears and prayers, God showed me the path I needed to take and it was of being an Indie author. Being a writer isn't easy. It takes time and loads of rejections, but when we set our minds to it, it's completely worth it although we may end up on heavy doses of anxiety meds. ;) Keep up the good work, my dear friend!

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  2. Hi Amy, your father's words still ring true. I love the freedom to follow my vision that comes with being an indie author.

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