A dot on the map

In responding to a solicitation for a content writer, I needed a hyperlink to my Amazon author page. Instead of going straight to Amazon and doing a search on my pseudonym, I just entered "Holly Bargo" in the Google search field and...voilà! There I...er...Holly Bargo was. Multiple entries. More than one page of entries. Most entries referenced Russian Lullaby, which is apparently the little book that put me on "the map."

It's pretty exciting being a dot on the map.

I hope to increase my cartographic real estate soon, with the release of two new books: Ulfbehrt's Legacy and Russian Gold. The first is undergoing editing. Fellow author Rowanna Green has already read it and delivered her candid review, for which I am grateful. Ain't nothing right on the first try, you know. There are overused terms to seek and eliminate and sensory details to add. I don't want my readers to bog down in every little detail related to the five senses, but I can readily admit that such detail is spare in my writing. I do like to leave a something to my readers' imaginations.

Fellow Wittenberg Alumnae Sharon has also offered herself as a victim...er...beta reader. She, too, offers different insights that are just as valuable. She hasn't quite finished plowing her way through the book, but what she has already done has been helpful. I hope for more of the same over the next few days.

Former coworker Kelley also offered to join the effort as a beta reader. I'm hoping for some interesting insights from her, too. Every reader brings a different perspective, different expertise, to the task.

Of course, while beta readers generously contribute their time and insight, I go over the content again and again. It's an opportunity to catch errors, rewrite poorly written sentences, etc. I know what I meant, but the fingers on the keyboard don't always follow through. Just between you and me, I think I've shocked my readers a little. Perhaps they didn't quite realize just how dirty my mind is.

This is what I do when I'm not perusing submissions to Red Sun Magazine, editing for Acadia, working on a freelance project, or chasing down a paying gig.

Yep, I'm always looking for project work. Many proposals go out; a few responses come back. Most of the responses, as seen from previous posts, don't go far because, if I'm going to write for free or darned near free, then I'll write for myself.