BHC Press Publisher Closure

Hello all!

It's been WAY too long since I've posted anything on my blog and for that I apologize! Honestly, ever since having baby #4, it seems I've hit my chaos level cap. Even posting something short on a semi-regular basis sounds like a lot, but I'm trying to get back into it. I do have some important information to share, which has been the main motivation to break my hiatus.

BHC Press, the publisher responsible for bringing The Andromeda Chronicles to life, has closed. The news came to me in the form of a midnight email. While writing late into the night, a new notification popped up on my screen, and seeing the familiar company logo, I decided to open the email right away. The owners of the independent publisher wrote that, regrettably, they were being forced to close their business. I was shocked and instantly worried about the future of The Andromeda Chronicles.

As many of you know, this new adult space opera is the only trilogy with an audio book format. It's meant so much to me to have my books offered in that medium and I was afraid to lose that. Also, working with the owners of BHC Press has always been lovely. To think that we would never work together on another project again brought me to tears. But after much prayer and reflection, I realized this wasn't only a closed door but a partially open window too.

When I first started seeking publication back in 2013, I tried my hand at querying agents. I believe it was somewhere in the range of a year and a half, and over 100 emails that I sent, trying to find representation for one of my books. I was met by silence and soul-crushing rejection. In hindsight, it was only to be expected. I was a rookie, still finding my voice, trying to navigate the landmines of the publishing world, and learning about the art of storytelling. When I couldn't take the rejection anymore, I gave up on trying to find representation and instead focused my efforts on bettering my craft. After two years, my books found a home with various small presses who saw my potential.

For various reasons, I've cut ties with two of those publishers and now that BHC Press has given the rights back to my Andromeda Chronicles, I'm solely a self-published author. While there's nothing wrong with being self-published, there are certain opportunities that I feel I'm missing out on while remaining in the self-pub category. Besides, I could use some serious help in the marketing department. I feel I've learned enough about the industry and grown enough in my writing ability to try my hand at querying agents again. This, of course, is said with great fear and trembling but I have to try!

Even if the books have been published in the past and might seem less appealing to agents, they are still well-loved. I whole-heartedly believe they're good, touching, entertaining stories and I hope there's an agent out there who feels the same. I've decided to give myself a year. If I don't get any bites, I can always self-publish them.

As of right now, I've re-edited The Andromeda's Ghost and sent out the queries. All that's left to do is wait. The ebook, paperback, and hardcover versions of The Andromeda Chronicles have been discontinued. Because BHC Press created the audio books through ACX, Kindle Direct Publishing's make-your-own audio book software, the rights were simply transferred to me by BHC Press. So the audio books are still live! At least, they will be for another few years, until the contract is up. So, if anyone is still interested in trying out my space opera before it's claimed and changed by another publishing company, I encourage you to check out the audio book links on my website.

I also have some left over inventory from the Tucson Book Festival. SO, if anyone is interested in purchasing a paperback version of The Andromeda's Ghost, The Andromeda's Captain, or The Andromeda's Crew, please fill out this order form and I can ship one directly to you!

In the meantime, so I don't go crazy waiting on a response that may never come, I'm keeping my mind occupied with other writing projects. That's right, people, I haven't been idle while I took my break from blog posting! You'll all be very proud to hear that, while I'm not cranking out the pages as quickly as I was before baby #4 came, I am still working my way through stories.

My sister (who was instrumental in the creation of my urban fantasy book, Death's Curses) has partnered up with me once again to tackle the faerie story I've been trying to get right for over a decade. I'm also working on creating an omnibus edition of the novellas from the Chosen by the Masters series. That's right; I'm polishing them up, combining them all into one big volume, giving it a new cover, and releasing it by the end of the year (at least, my goal is to release it by the end of the year!). For those of you who like collecting pretty books, I'm going to do my best to make it look gorgeous. It may be the only book of mine offered in hardback. ;) More news on that later.

I'm ALSO brainstorming ideas for the next book in the Chosen by the Masters series. Asta and the Chaotic Return was so much fun to write and I'm itching to get back into that world. Those characters still have such a long way to go before they reach their destination, and so many other friends to meet up with along the way. Not to mention drama and mis-adventures to survive! Stay tuned for more info. I'll do by best to update you as things come up.

As always, thanks for reading!

Farewell, BHC Press. Joni and Vern were passionate about stories and truly loved my books (they were Firefly fans so it was only natural). I always felt that The Andromeda Chronicles were in excellent hands. I'll always be grateful for their time and dedication. I wish them all the best in their future endeavors. Hopefully, we'll meet again someday.