With a million book projects floating around in my head at any given moment, why in the world would I decide to re-release my first novel? That’s a question my friend, Shelia Watson, and I discussed at length over the course of several months. It took many trips to several wine bars in the Charleston area for us to answer that question, but by the end of our discussion, we both decided to do a re-release…for different reasons.
(I urge historical fiction lovers to check out Shelia’s re-release of “Turning August” here.)
I initially intended “One Christmas” as a stand-alone, a sweet seasonal story that would allow me to wade into the book publishing world to test the waters. From there, I planned to get back to the future and write novels set in the present, complete with cell phones, the internet, and 33 flavors of ice cream all in one location. It requires a whole lot of research to make historical novel feel authentic. A funny thing happened on the way to the forum: I fell in love with my characters. I should have anticipated that happening because they were loosely based on the family and friends my mother grew up with during the 1930s and 1940s. At some moment in the middle of the night, they transformed themselves into my characters. I became Annie, the storyteller. (I’m sure my mother wouldn’t mind.)
The number one reason I’m re-releasing my first novel is that my characters became richer and well-developed as I wrote my way through my second novel, “Edge of Summer.” (Release date to be announced soon.) I wanted my first novel to reflect the multi-dimensional beings they are today.
The number two reason I’m re-releasing “One Christmas” is because I’m embracing the “indie publishing” concept in its entirety now. It’s sort of like being a general contractor. Once a book is written, the indie author manages every phase of production and marketing. Yes, it’s a lot of work in a constantly changing industry. The upside is…I retain and control all the publishing rights. At the end of the day, success or failure, I got nobody to blame but me. (If Chris Stapleton, who has absolutely nothing to do with writing historical fiction, just popped into your head, I’m with you. Click here.)
The number three reason I’m re-releasing my first novel is that I’m better at my craft than I was three years ago when I began writing “One Christmas.” Now officially unemployed, I’m up at 5 a.m., striving every day to make my fiction writing better.
Finally, a re-release gives me the opportunity to give my readers a tighter story, to add more depth and color to my characters, and to properly set-up the Anna Ghere Mystery series (I didn’t know I was going to write three years ago). A new title: “Christmas Angels,” a new cover that’s more reflective of the historical fiction genre, a teaser for “Edge of Summer,” and a whole lot more.
That’s why.
