Monday, June 3, 2013

That Sadie Thing blog tour - guest post by Annalisa Crawford

Published under my maiden name - it is
me though, honestly!
I'd like to say a huge thank you to Christine for hosting me on the first stop on my That Sadie Thing blog tour. 

As it's the first day, I thought I'd talk about the first story I ever sold  - Tasting the Grass.

I got £10 for it. I was 19 years old, and  it was the best £10 I'd ever earned - I almost didn't cash the cheque, after all it had my name and the name of the magazine on it. It was my proof that I was a real writer!

The story is about a character who's had a one night stand behind their partner's back.

If I sound a bit vague on this one, it's because any and all detail would be a major spoiler. At the time, I was trying to write for Jackie and Just Seventeen magazines, and they loved their twist-in-the-tale stories, so I tried to write one. I didn't get around to submitting it to either of those magazines, because from the first sentence I knew it wouldn't fit.

It was perhaps easier to find markets in those olden days, because there were less of them - all print, none online. Today, once you start looking, you can find thousands around the web. Any literary magazine of note, back then, was mentioned in Writer's News, which I subscribed to - Panurge, Staple and Stand were just a few I was desperate to make the grade for, but never did.

What it did, though, was give me a good grounding in how to submit and how to receive rejection - an apprenticeship, almost. Writers these days (and I'm really not trying to sound like a veteran here) don't have to be rejected unless they want to be - it's easy to publish anything and everything by yourself. In a way, I think every writer should have a folder crammed full of rejection letters - it's character building!



About Annalisa
I live in Cornwall, with a good supply of beaches and moorland right on my doorstep. I live with my husband, two boys, a dog and a cat. Despite my location. I neither surf nor sail, and have never had any inclination to try. I much prefer walking along the beach and listening to the waves crashing over rocks. For this reason, I really love the beach in the winter!

Buy That Sadie Thing here (this link should take you direct to you local Amazon)
Follow Annalisa here, or Like her here.

 Read her blog here.

32 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
      or
      call/whatsapp:+2349057261346










      i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
      or
      call/whatsapp:+2349057261346

      Delete
  2. Lol, I often feel like a fraud because I avoided the submitting to publishers thing!

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  3. Thanks for the tip, I'm heading over to Amazon. Looks good.

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  4. Sometimes I miss they writing days of old. The market was a lot less crowded. Annalisa, you and I have similar views regarding the best way to use the beach. Good luck on the blog tour.

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  5. I have a folder full of rejection letters somewhere. Nice to know I've been character-built as a result! XD

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  6. A blog tour is an amazing opportunity. I've hosted a few authors and they've assured me it was worth it. Good luck Annalisa and Christine...

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  7. I still haven't received payment for my book (since it's a royalty deal), but I sometimes feel like printing the contract and framing it.

    Just feels like a badge of honor to know I went through querying and came out alive and with a contract. :-P

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  8. Character building - funny! And probably true.
    Congratulations on getting a story published when you were a teen.

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  9. How wonderful that you had a piece published when you were only a teenager! I've been writing all my life, too, but never had the courage to submit back then. Congrats to you!

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  10. Kyra - you're not a fraud by any means!

    Heather - thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy the book :-)

    Jenn - there's nothing better than sea water being blasted at you by a gale force winter wind. It's refreshing :-)

    Heather - I'm glad I kept my rejection letters. It's interesting the way one editor can pan your work while another accepts it straight away!

    Unikorna - I just think it's fun. I love meeting new people :-)

    Misha - everyone deserves praise for querying. Having a contract almost seems unreal at first, doesn't it?

    Alex - thanks Alex. Everything that feels tough at the time is character building!

    Dana - thanks. I don't consider it courageous, foolish maybe... :-)

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  11. Rejections used to knock the writing wind out of me, but after so many, I've learned to take them in stride a bit. I always try to look at why I was rejected, if I can. Sometimes it's a simple supply/demand curve on the magazine's part. If possible, like a contest for example, I try to read what did win, so I can see what they did right. And then, bliss, when the acceptances come they are all that much sweeter!

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  12. I've kept all my rejection emails - I would have felt petulant if I'd deleted them! I love this story - and it has such a good twist!

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  13. How cool to see your first published story! I always try to believe the idea that rejection is character building but I can't quite do it LOL.

    Looking forward to the rest of your tour. :)

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  14. Writers these days don't have to be rejected unless they want to be...

    Laughing at that.

    And then looking at my folder of rejection letters.

    Oh...

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  15. Isn't holding/reading/seeing that first published story amazing? Sounds like you've got more great things on the way. Congrats!

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  16. Sometimes there are almost too many choices and options now. I think there are a lot more writers though.

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  17. Hi, Ladies,

    Getting those rejections does help make us stronger as writer. Up to today, I wasn't paid for the first article I wrote. Since then I've been published traditionally as well as indie. It's good, I think, to have a mixture of experiences.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Character building, that's one way to look at it! Congrats on the tour, Annalisa.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Julie L - reading the winning entry is a great way to learn. I always used to re-read my stories (at the very least) before I sent them out again.

    Linda - it's more satisfying to rip up a paper rejection! I'm really glad you liked this story :-)

    Julie F - it is, honestly!

    M.J - submitting work is hard - you're just asking to be rejected :-)

    Nicole - I have actually jumped up and down with each and every story I've had published. The joy never ceases!

    Diane - there do seem to be a lot more writers, although to be honest before I started my blog, I was the only writer I knew!

    J.L - a mixture of publication experiences is cool - you can see the process from all sides :-)

    Suzanne - my glass is half-full, most of the time :-)

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  20. Happy Monday, Christine and Annalisa!

    The submission process teaches a lot and helps us hone. I think it's necessary even if we do eventually go off on our own.

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  21. I like your definition of character building. I think I have that folder somewhere. Must look for it. Good luck! :)

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  22. I never looked at getting rejection letters as character building.

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  23. M Pax - submitting definitely helps you get a feel for what other people think will sell.

    Al - I can actually get quite sentimental looking at the rejections - especially for stories that went on to be published... I'm SUCH a girl!!

    Susanne - it stops you beating yourself up, and ultimately giving up. I've known a couple of writers who gave up writing because they couldn't bear to be told 'no' anymore - that's such a waste.

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  24. I've never submitted work so I don't have a single rejection letter/e-mail to my credit! That being said, even though I'm sure it hurts, I'm not scared of rejection.
    I'm not a super-confident writer either. I have my insecurities. Too many.

    However, I am thinking about self-publishing a collection of flash fiction sometime in the not-too-distant-future! I think it's the route required for these pieces. Plus the self-empowerment appeals to me.
    Writer In Transit


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  25. Michelle - no one should be scared of rejection, it just paves the way to find the REAL publisher for your work :-)

    A flash fiction collection sounds interesting. Looking forward to seeing that.

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  26. You're an awesome guest to host and a terrific blog-sitter, Annalisa! Thanks for keeping an eye on the place while I was gone. :)

    Thank you to everyone for stopping in, and make sure you get your copy of That Sadie Thing. It's fantastic!

    ReplyDelete

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    ReplyDelete
  28. i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
    or
    call/whatsapp:+2349057261346










    i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
    or
    call/whatsapp:+2349057261346

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete

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