First Submission Series – Liia Ann White
It's another author offering up in their story the first time they submitted a manuscript and up on deck today is the absolutely wonderful, Liia Ann White, who is also celebrating her brand new release, Hot Aussie Weekend!
First Submission Series:
February 1: Emily Cale
February 7: Gina Gordon
February 10: Stacey Kenndey
February 14: Lori Witt
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When Sara put the call out for first submission stories, it got me thinking of mine. My first round of submissions was for the first book I'd ever completed. And I realized, I've never actually talked about it before. So here we go 
I spent weeks researching agents, publishers and editors to submit my first book to. I made sure I found someone who represented authors I loved, who also produced quality work. So I figured I'd try a couple of agents first, because you never know what could happen if you don't try. So I made sure my query letter was polished to the max; my manuscript was in good nick (or so I thought) and I felt good. So, before I could wuss out, I hit send and waited. And waited. And waited.
Four weeks after I sent the query out, I got an email back from the agent. I couldn't believe my luck! I got a request for a full. So, I sent the full. What happened after that made me doubt myself so severely I didn't want to write anymore, unless it was purely for fun.
They basically said the book had a good premise and a very unique world, but my writing needed a lot of work. The part I failed to notice was that they actually said I should revise the work, get my writing up to the best it can be and resubmit it!
Of course, being a first time submitter (and an unstable one at that), I overreacted and cracked the shits. I posted on twitter how down I felt and a darling friend picked up on it and sent me an email. She offered to read and critique the book. Now, back then, I knew very few authors apart from this newly published one. I had no critique partners or beta readers. I was basically relying on myself to get the book up to scratch, which, as we know, doesn't work. You will always miss something during revisions or self edits. That's why we have beta readers and critique partners.
Said friend critiqued it, coached me with rewrites etc and five long months later, I had what is now Elora's Match. I tweaked my query a little bit because hey; it must have been pretty okay if it captured the eye of a very successful, highly regarded NY agent, right? During my five months of rewrites, I researched epublishing and thought 'awesome'. I'd just bought myself a Kindle and knew how much easier it was to get ebooks and the quality of them were mostly as good as NY published ones. So I sent off my query for Elora's Match to five epublishers and got back five contract offers. What didn't I do? Resubmit to that agent.
Am I kicking myself for it now? Not really. Every now and then I wonder 'what if' but what's the point? I love where I am right now. If I'd resubmitted and signed with that agent, I could still be sitting here waiting to become a published author. But I'm not a multi-published author with a much better understanding of the business, because of this experience.
And to be honest, something recently happened with said agent going on a bit of a rant because someone gave a negative review of a book they'd sold and the agent didn't appreciate it. They're still very highly regarded in the industry (and I'll never name names) but still, I'm very glad I'm not signed with them, because I don't approve of their actions.
Basically if there's any advice I have for anyone, published or unpublished, it's get a critique partner. I have the most brilliant CP right now and I don't know how I ever wrote before. Beta readers are just as crucial to an author as critique partners. They always pick up on something you missed, can help you out when you're stuck and, above all, give you an honest opinion.
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Newlyweds Jaycee and Campbell are stressed. Constantly working, trying to set up a secure future for themselves, they rarely spend time alone, enjoying each other's company. So, to celebrate their first anniversary, Campbell whisks away his wife on a romantic getaway where he plans to pamper her and lure her into the ultimate relaxed state. But what is his ulterior motive? What secret has he been keeping from his new wife?
Whatever it is, it's guaranteed to be a weekend full of eroticism, love, romance and some surprises on a Hot Aussie Weekend.
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Liia Ann White is an Australian author, hailing from Perth, WA.
She spent her childhood daydreaming about far off lands, creating her own unique characters. She read books about witches, faeries, demons, ghosts and a host of supernatural creatures and eventually gained the courage to put her imagination to work.
A self-proclaimed geek, Liia collects Disney and Star Wars memorabilia, loves animals and wishes to be the female Cesar Millan.
When not writing, she can be found reading, playing video games or spending time with her two dogs.
She's a member of Romance Writers of America, Romance Writers of Australia, Passionate Ink, Futuristic, Fantasy & Paranormal Chapter of RWA and Young Adult Chapter of Romance Writers of America.
Always interested in meeting new people, Liia can be found on facebook or twitter most of the time.
