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The Vine Yard: Chapter 2

After getting the scripts written, I went on the hunt for producers. Unfortunately, researching producers for The Vine Yard proved bittersweet.

Bitter because I’m what’s called a “baby writer.” It means I’m new to the industry, with no produced work or production experience. In that regard, it would be extremely difficult to find a producer because there’s no “heat” on my script. No one was talking about my work, or the story, so no one would be vying to work with me. At the same time, I was untested. It would be a risk to take on my project, no matter how good the writing was, because I had no guarantees of success.

It was sweet because Amazon Studios took unsolicited material. I could submit my work to them on the chance they’d want to produce it!

The downside to Amazon Studios was that I’d read all about how they greenlighted material, and then it sat for four years. As The Vine Yard was time-sensitive (given that Vine had ended and would quickly be forgotten in our face-paced society) I needed this to happen quickly.

So, of course, I delayed taking any action. I spent hours researching agents that took unsolicited work, meanwhile getting advice from anyone remotely associated with “the industry.”

After reading yet another devastating blog post about the difficulty of getting an agent, and the fact that even having an agent wouldn’t guarantee your work going anywhere, I made a decision. After reading over my script for the fifth time, I submitted it to Amazon Studios. While waiting to hear from them, I put plans into motion to create The Vine Yard myself. That’s right, I was going to produce the show.

After plotting with my roommate, I made a list of everything I’d need to do this project, and proceeded to call my parents. We discussed logistics, and surprisingly, they both not only wholeheartedly agreed that I could do it, but also enthusiastically encouraged me to do so. Stunned, I returned to my list and began.

Two days later, I heard back from Amazon Studios. The Vine Yard was not what they were looking for at this time. Seeing as it was a 17+ TV show about a dead app, I understood. I wasn’t fazed by the rejection, though.

I decided I’d film the show myself, using phones (as it was the way OG Viners filmed their work back in the day, and it would cut costs until I could afford to rent equipment.) Deciding to film a sort of teaser trailer to post on GoFundMe, so I could raise the money I’d need to properly produce this, I sent out a casting call to the telecommunications and theater departments at UF. Within a week, I had 15 people interested in auditioning. I felt powerful. I was a writer/director/producer creating my own work. I couldn’t quite believe it was happening.

With the auditions set, I sent out a page of dialogue from the excerpt of the pilot script for my actors to memorize, and set the date. This was it. This was me going for my dream. Nothing will stop me now!

Book Spotlight: Harley Merlin

By now, you’ve probably seen my mini reviews of the Harley Merlin series and picked up on my love for these novels. If not, you can read about it here.

Let’s start off by getting a bit of background on these novels. They follow 19-year-old foster kid Harley Merlin who, after trying to understand why she can feel the emotions of others, discovers she’s a witch. The first book unfolds in her hunt to understand who she is and where she came from, ending with her learning more about her family than she bargained for.

The rest of the novels thus far follow Harley in her quest to right the wrongs her family committed, all while trying to save her new home. As campy as that might sound, there are more nuances to consider, making this series far from cliché.

First, Harley is 19-years-old. Can I just say how refreshing that is, to have an older protagonist? It’s difficult to find good NA novels, as the genre is relatively new, and most YA follow 15-year-old protagonists (though they are far from being young adults). And Harley doesn’t read as a 30-something in a 19-year-old body, as many characters are want to do. She’s a true 19, with all the quirks that come with it. Plus, she’s a spunky redhead!

Second, Harley is a strong female protagonist. It might not seem like much, but to have a character that doesn’t immediately despise themselves based on their looks (I’m looking at you Bella Swan and Katniss Everdeen) is really great. Plus, she’s a badass. Let’s be real, a strong woman who takes no prisoners, but is still relatable, is difficult to write. Forrest does a great job of creating a great character.

Third, the Big Bad, other outlying villains, and supporting characters are all relatable and understandable. What they do and the reasons they do them aren’t simply because they’re the antagonist or best friend. They’re just as compelling as Harley.

Lastly, the plots and timelines make sense. Of course, there’s the big fight at the end, like any good season of Game of Thrones, but the build up to it is nicely paced. Plus, the course of four books takes place over a couple of months. Which make the romances happening, and the time it takes to get to them, believable. They don’t fall in love at first sight or declare their undying affections for each other after a few days. These things take time, and Forrest does a great job of making them all as realistic as possible.

As a side note: Forrest also delves into other kinds of magic from around the world, such as Santeria, Kolduny, and djinns. There’s elemental-based magic, ESP-based magic, superhuman ability magic, and anything else you can think of. Forrest’s world building and incorporation is on point.

Please do yourself a favor and check out these novels, as long as you’re a fan of YA fantasy novels. You won’t be disappointed.

Traditional Publishing vs Self-Publishing

I’ve been asked numerous times about the self-publishing vs. traditional publishing debate. Here’s what I’ve learned from my own work, as well as from my mentors.

Traditional Publishing:

So, you’ve finished your novel. Now, you have two options: 1) find an agent, or 2) try to go directly to a publisher. You’ll find a lot of lingo you might not be familiar with. The first to consider yourself with is unsolicited vs solicited manuscripts.

Many publishers won’t take unsolicited manuscripts, which really means a manuscript that isn’t attached to an agent. Smaller presses accept unsolicited manuscripts, but larger publishers will only accept solicited, meaning you’ll need an agent to get your foot in the door.

The way you’ll find an agent or publisher will be through the Literary Marketplace. Yes, Google is a viable source, but the Literary Marketplace houses everything you’ll need. It’ll tell you whether you need an agent, what genres these agents or publishers are looking for, and it’ll give you a correct way to contact them. The Marketplace is a rather large book. I got mine back in 2013 for about $13. I’m not sure what they go for nowadays, but I found it an irreplaceable source.

Once you comb through the Marketplace and make your list of agents and/or publishers, you’ll need to craft a query letter or cover letter. These are basic letters that will haunt you—I mean, be a part of your life as an author. (You can find great templates to follow on Google. Pick the one that feels right for you!)

The other thing to consider is that when you reach out to an agent or publisher, there’s something called simultaneous submissions. Most, if not all, agents and publishers say they don’t accept simultaneous submissions, which really means you can only send your query to one agent or publisher at a time. Then, you’ll have to wait three months before you can send your info to the next person on your list. This can seem tedious, but it’s because the agent/editor/publisher wants the exclusive right to offer you a contract if they like your work.

A thing to remember is that your manuscript MUST be complete before you query anyone. Otherwise, you’ll get shut down. You’ll need a complete wordcount, which shouldn’t be 10,000 words above or below the average wordcount for your specific genre. Even if you’ve got the next Harry Potter, agents and publishers won’t want to take that kind of risk with a baby writer.

The best thing about traditional publishing—outside of not spending your own money to bring it to life—is their marketing team. However, my old English professor explained to me that just because you’ve got a crackpot marketing team doesn’t equate success.

For example, if your novel comes out the same time as a Stephen King novel, you could have the best marketing team in the world, and you book would still be put on the back shelves and forgotten.

Another thing to consider is the content itself. You may have heard horror stories about the editing department deciding at the last minute that they want to change the name of your main character. And they have every right to do so. A basic publishing contract gives the company the right to make changes that will make the book better for marketing. You could end up with a story similar to, but not exactly the same as, when you entered.

Self-Publishing:

You have to worry about none of the above with self-publishing. That being said, this is not the easier option. Yes, you have complete creative control. But, you have complete creative control.

You’re the cover designer, the editor, the formatter, the marketer, the distributer, etc. Sure, you can hire most of these people, but that means you’re paying out-of-pocket for services that are readily available for free with a traditional publisher.

That being said, there is nothing that compares to seeing the cover you’ve envisioned come to life. To putting your blood, sweat, and tears into your manuscript and seeing it become a physical book you hold in your hands. The only changes you make are the ones you want, and, in the end, you get the book you wanted.

However, you’re responsible for marketing. You have to be extroverted enough to sell yourself to friends and strangers. You need to believe in your product enough to put yourself out there. You have to be ready to work hard at earning sales. Just because you put it up on Amazon doesn’t mean you’ll immediately make money. You have to beg people for reviews, climb your way to success. But that doesn’t mean self-publishing is the harder path to choose.

I spoke with an author at Florida SuperCon who had been self-published and traditionally published. She said that she preferred self-publishing because of the creative control, the control over marketing, and the higher royalty percentage. Turns out, she made more money through self-publishing.

There are also a number of self-publishing options out there. Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (formerly CreateSpace) is the most popular, given its user-friendly formatting and Amazon platform. There’s sure to be one to fit your budget and computer skills. However, it isn’t always cheap. If you want to self-publish right, things will add up.

On average, it costs $350 (for a cover) + $125 (for an ISBN—unless you use one KDP provides, which is free) + $875 (for editing, depending on your editor’s rates and work needed) + your time and sanity = $1,350. Which isn’t counting formatting (if you need to pay for help), marketing, and little things that could pop up along the way.

Self-publishing is a lot of work. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. But I feel that it’s worth it in the long run, when you get to look the people you love in the eye and share your dream with them. Because, as Capital One used to say, that’s priceless.

What can happen in a second?

Their eyes locked. Her heart gave a funny flutter; her lips parted as her breath caught. Dimly, she registered that his eyes were the color of the sea.

A strange, strangled sound escaped my lips. I am weightless. The world stills, the room holding its breath. The only thing anchoring me is my foot caught on the leg of the table.

It's that moment between when you jump and when you land. That moment that's too quick for your mind to capture and make sense of all of your thoughts. So, you just feel pure, unadulterated emotion. It's the moment after you think, "What have I done?" The moment where you're completely free, filled with equal parts joy and fear. It's intoxicating.

Emotions flit past like falling rain, each too fast to catch and understand.

He looked down at the bundle in his arms. She squirmed, yawning, and finally opened her eyes. They were the deepest shade of brown, like nothing he'd ever seen before. In that moment, in that instant, he became the father of the most precious girl in the universe. She looked up at him with those big brown eyes and the world stopped.