SM Ford, Author
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6/27/2017 0 Comments

Summer Sale

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My book is on sale this week for 99 cents. Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Alone-SM-Ford-ebook/dp/B01HR7O0Y0/ or Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alone-sm-ford/1124041307. This is part of the summer sale of Clean Reads books, which includes A HUSBAND FOR DANNA, a runaway groom story, by Christina Lorenzen. See other Clean Reads books on Twitter or on Facebook.

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6/29/2016 6 Comments

Release Day Tomorrow

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Tomorrow is release day for my book ALONE. It feels a bit like putting a message in a bottle and tossing it into the ocean. I don't know who will read it. And of those who do read it, I don't know who will like it.

I have friends and family who have expressed interest in the book, and that's encouraging. It's exciting, scary, and a bit awkward as well.

But then there's that whole sea of readers. Hard to know how many my "bottle" will reach, although I am working on promotion. Where will the waves of social media take this ebook? How long will it float on the ocean of books being read?

And there's the odd-feeling fact that no more fixing will be done on this story. Despite all the help it's had, I know errors will surface. I guess, to mix my metaphors, it's a bit like raising a child and having her move out of the house. Tomorrow and the days after, I'm not responsible for the places this book goes or how it is received. I've done my part and just get to watch and see what happens.


6 Comments

5/25/2016 1 Comment

Cover Reveal

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I now have the cover of my book and have permission to share it. It was designed by Amanda L. Matthews - her website is http://amdesignstudios.net/.
Isn't the cover wonderful?
The book release date is June 4th from Clean Reads.

1 Comment

4/7/2016 2 Comments

The Waiting Game

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Publishing, like many businesses, is a hurry-up-and-wait experience. Submit a manuscript and wait to hear a response. Get an acceptance and wait for the contract. Sign the contract and wait for edits. Get editorial notes, and often a short deadline. Turn in the edited manuscript and wait for more edits. Rinse and repeated as needed. Get copy edits and work on those to meet the next deadline.
 
This week I went through a second round of copy edits. The number of mistakes still remaining is humbling. Obviously, I’m not so good at seeing errors as I thought. Thanks for making this book better, copy editors!
 
Now I’m on another “wait” square on the playing board. I don’t know what the next move will be.
 
A preview of the cover? That would be fun. Since my ebook is slated to be out this summer, someone must be working on the face of the book, right? I hope so. What will it look like? Will I be pleased or merely satisfied with the images, layout, and design? (I’m not expecting a bad cover as I like the publishing house’s covers!)
 
A third round of copy edits?
 
Or will there be something I haven’t even thought of?
 
I know I’m fortunate. A print book would have even a longer waiting time. So while I wait, I’ll stifle impatience and apply what I’ve learned on other manuscripts. (And try not to watch my email inbox as these cats are watching the clock.)


2 Comments

3/24/2016 0 Comments

Introduce the Cat

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An editor reading my novel pointed out that the cat was never introduced. He just appeared—it startled the reader that he was "suddenly" there. I knew there was a cat living in the house, but my readers didn’t. I hadn’t put him on the page for them to know.
 
It was simple to write an introductory scene. First, I thought about when my main character would first come across the cat. If you’re a cat person, you know they often make themselves scarce when someone new is in the house—unless that new person doesn’t like cats! Since she does like them, I went to Cecelia’s second day in the house.
 
Next I thought about how my own cat gets my attention, “Meow.” So now the cat meows and startles my main character. Then Cecelia does what cat people do—talks to him and tries to win him over. It gave me a chance to describe him as I established his presence. And it provided space to clear up a setting issue at the same time.
 
When the editor read the scene, she told me “thanks for writing in the cat.” That and the other addition made the story work better.
 
This is a good reminder for me that I must introduce each character in some way that is memorable enough that a reader won’t go “who?” or “what?” when the character shows up again.

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3/9/2016 2 Comments

Tagline and Blurb

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I had no idea it would be difficult to create a blurb and a tagline for my book. My first blurb attempt, my editor didn’t like at all. I thought I’d modeled it on what I saw in other Clean Reads books. And I’d gotten some feedback from other writers, too. The editor and I went back and forth with my ideas and her suggestions and my rewrites. My writing group (we meet once a week to write together) heard me moaning about my struggles for several weeks.
 
Until . . .
 
One day I got it right!
 
Then I had to work on the tagline, which was even harder for me.
 
But I’m happy to say we reached agreement on that, too, so here they are:
 
Tagline: Is murder on the menu?
 
Blurb of ALONE:
 
Ready for adventure in the snowy Colorado mountains, Cecelia Gage is thrilled to be employed as the live-in housekeeper for her favorite bestselling author. The twenty-five-year old doesn’t count on Mark Andrews being so prickly, nor becoming part of the small town gossip centering on the celebrity. Neither does she expect to become involved in Andrews family drama and a relationship with Simon Lindley, Mark’s oh so good-looking best friend. And certainly, Cecelia has no idea she’ll be mixed up in a murder investigation because of this job.
 
Will Cecelia’s faith in God get her through all the trouble that lies ahead?
 
I hope others find both intriguing.


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    Author

    SM Ford writes inspirational fiction for adults, although teens may find the stories of interest, too. She also loves assisting other writers on their journeys.

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