UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
*~*~*

On January 21, 2017, Delilah Devlin sent me a rejection letter. I hadn’t had many emails like that in my fledgling writing career. Probably because I hadn’t sent many projects out on submission. If you don’t put yourself out there, then you can’t be rejected. That’s a great theory, but it doesn’t get a newbie writer published. Somehow, in my mind, Delilah gave me brilliant feedback on how to make my short story better. For posterity’s sake, I pulled it up to reread just now. Nope. It’s a standard if kindly written, rejection letter.

It spurred something inside me, though. I took that short story, worked with an editor, and made it better. Eventually, I found a publisher. The Wild Rose Press took a chance on me and published For the Love of Max. The story they published was substantially changed—because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Today, I didn’t reread the old story I submitted because I knew I’d cringe. I meandered way too long before getting to the core of the story. The love scene wasn’t nearly sensual enough. The point of view wasn’t deep enough. Hell, I’d never heard of Deep POV.

I’ve worked with that freelance editor for almost ten years now. She poked, prodded, cajoled, and finally shoved her way into my head. I know what she expects from me. The same thing my readers do—a well-crafted, heartfelt, strong story with great characters. I am more confident now I can deliver that. Do I waver? Type the end and think…is this brilliant or garbage? Yep, all the time. But I keep going. I keep weaving stories, fabricating worlds, and creating characters I know my readers are going to love. Writing isn’t just a hobby—it’s a vocation. I love my day job. One of the reasons I work so hard in it is so I can afford to hire editors, cover designers, and marketing people so that I can keep publishing stories.

Delilah was absolutely right to reject that story. When I spotted that she had another anthology coming out this year, I sat down and wrote “Thought You Were the One.” I actually wrote another story under a different pen name because I wasn’t certain which she might want. I was okay with another two rejections because I know the quality and quantity of stories Delilah gets for her anthologies every year. I sent the stories off and tried really hard not to dwell on the fact my darlings were out on submission.

When Delilah emailed me to let me know I’d made the cut, I yelled so loud that I woke the dogs up. Then I realized she hadn’t told me which story. Ironically, I thought she’d pick the other one. But she didn’t, and I’m so glad to bring representation to this wonderful anthology. I plan to submit more stories in the future. Undoubtedly, there will be more rejections. It’s not personal—sometimes, the story doesn’t fit, sometimes there are too many similar ones, and—gasp—sometimes you just didn’t write a good story. Happens to the best of us. I have more than forty publishing credits, and my editor lobbed one back at me last year and said, “Oh hell, no.”

Wait—I had two editors each lob one back. Huh. So yeah, even when you think you’ve got it all figured out, you discover you’ve written a dud. But I dusted myself back off, have plans to edit and fix those stories, and will keep creating more.

Thank you, Delilah. Both for saying yes and for giving me the space here today to share my story.

I would love to give away a $5 Amazon Gift Card to a commenter. Have you ever faced rejection and found a way around it? Over it? Under it? Moved on? Feel free to share a few words of encouragement with a writer who might be struggling. Random will select the winning commenter.

 Secret Identities: A Bad Boys Anthology, #8

 

Inside Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, you’ll find stories by some of the hottest romance writers out there for readers who crave mysterious, enigmatic men and women who may not be who they claim to be. Perhaps they’re the new next-door neighbor with a secret mission, an alien from a far-away galaxy looking for his fated mate, or a spy trying to catch a foreign agent. Whatever their secrets, intrigue and passion follow…

Secret Garden by A.J. Harris – Hired by werewolf matriarchs to track down a bad-boy photographer, a private investigator discovers a deep connection with her past—and a secret garden of unspoken, sensual pleasures

What That Alien D Do by Ava Cuvay – A cosplayer at a popular Sc-Fi convention stalks her favorite MyFans content creator only to discover his alien “prosthetic enhancements” are real

Masquerade by Brent Archer – After accepting an invitation to a masquerade, a coffeeshop owner finds himself on the run from a mafia hitman with a handsome harlequin

Claimed by her Naga Bodyguard by Cameron Allie – Escaping her dorm for a night of fun with friends takes a turn for a witch-in-training when demons attack, and a mysterious creature comes to her rescue

Mayday by Cindy Tanner – A miscommunication isn’t the end of the world—unless it is the end of the world—and your “ride or die” might just be undead

Matsuri by D.S. Dehel – An American woman searching in Japan for the man haunting her dreams is chased by a wily kitsune into a magical place where she meets a samurai warrior

Most Wanted by Darah Lace – A bounty on the line, a hunter who bedded then betrayed her, and a strip club—she’ll bare it all to get her man

Heartthrob by Delilah Devlin – Determined to recast his image from heartthrob to action hero, an actor hires on incognito with an Oklahoma ranch whose owner is trying to stay out of foreclosure

Sex, Spies, and Subterfuge by Elle James – Scottish UK SAS Agent on an undercover weekend assignment tangles with a beautiful Russian seductress and potential assassin.

Thought You Were the One by Gabbi Grey – He’s in for a surprise twist when he seeks a second chance to win the attention of his handsome, unrequited, high school crush

Baby, Take My Hand by M. Jayne – After surviving a bullet to the brain, a detective hunting a serial killer is drawn to a mysterious man

Her Heavenly Phantom by Michal Scott – Forced into a marriage of convenience neither wants, a mild-mannered banker with an intriguing secret discovers his reluctant bride has a secret, too

Perfect Stranger by N. J. Walters – An undercover DEA agent must keep his identity secret from the woman he’s falling for, a woman he’s also investigating

In the Dark by Reina Torres – During a blackout, an undercover NSA agent in Hawaii falls hard and fast for the military guy living across the hall with secrets of his own

Links:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Identities-Behaving-Badly-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0D5SQ4P2P
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secret-identities-delilah-devlin/1145674531
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/secret-identities/id6503634546
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/secret-identities-8
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214187714-secret-identities

About Gabbi Grey

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

UPDATE: The winner is…ELF!
*~*~*

Before I get into July’s accomplishments/August’s future plans, I want to take a moment to say thank you to my readers! I woke up to see this today:

It’s the ranking for my latest anthology, Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology! I could not be more thrilled for the authors inside this collection! I wish I was one of them, but I had to reject the two stories I worked on because they just didn’t make the cut. Not sure why, or maybe I do, but I’ll explain more below.

Anyway, congrats to TEAM SECRET IDENTITIES! And if you haven’t gotten your copy, hit the link above. It’s only $0.99, and there’s something for everyone’s taste in this volume. Did I mention it starts with a big bang thanks to my sister Elle James’s terrific Brotherhood Protectors-related story!?

July

1. I published the first book in my Delta Fire series: Burning Up Memphis.
2. I revised and published the second Delta Fire book, Hotter with a Pole.
3. I revised and uploaded the third Delta Fire book, Rapid Entry, which will release on August 6th! (Have you pre-ordered your copy?!)
4. I finished work on Cyrus and published it on July 23rd!
5. I finished editing all the stories inside Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, and it was published on July 30th!
6. I completed 2 editing projects for other authors in July!

Health-related:

1. After all my annual scans, bloodwork, etc., that happened in June and July, I thought I was good to go. Full steam ahead. Enjoy the summer, write like mad. However, around mid-month, problems I had been thinking were minor (gas, indigestion, whatever), I started having some real abdominal pain. I thought gallbladder, then maybe appendix. So, I was sent in for a CT scan from my lungs down to my pubic bone. They found something, and statistically, the thing they found derives from metastatic cancer—but it could be inflammation due to infection, so I’m holding out for that, because hey, all that bloodwork and all those scans didn’t find tumors anywhere. Make it make sense. Not panicking, trying to keep busy so I don’t think about it too much. I’d appreciate any thoughts/wishes/prayers.
2. I paid attention to what I put in my mouth and lost 8.5 pounds this month!

Happiness-related: 

1. July was filled again with family activities. We’ve had movie nights at home and special meals where everyone participated in the food prep.
2. The pool is finally clear and beautiful. Whether I feel like it or not, I swim at least once a day.
3. Art kind of fell by the wayside this month. I have nothing wonderful to share with you. I’ll try better in August!

August

1. To publish Book #3 in the Delta Fire series, Rapid Entry on August 6th!
2. To delay the publication of Built Like Mack. I’m not writing much now, and I have a lot to write on this story. I will push off the publication date as far as I can into September. Sorry, I know some of you were looking forward to reading the next We Are Dead Horse story soon.
3. To complete Ignition, the fourth book in the Delta Fire series. I only have two or three chapters left.  If I can, I’ll have a September release.
4. To complete 3 or 4 editing projects in August!

For health related, I plan:

1. To get an answer regarding my stomach issues and then move forward.
2. To schedule the last of the health-related appointments I need to wrap up: Eye exam and dental exam.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To fiddle in my art room!
2. To spend time with the family—movies, flea market adventures, and pool—before school starts and everything gets complicated!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier, or tell me what you plan to read in August…

Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Margaret!
*~*~*

My daughter and the three girls are on vacation. So, my SIL and I are the ones taking care of the animals and existing in the silence. The girls add a level of chaos that charges the air, so right now, it’s restful but also…boring.

I spent yesterday ticking off things on my To Do list. It was a productive day, but then I finished my planned work and had to find something to occupy the rest of my day. The weather was too cool for a swim—just 80 degrees, so that was out. So I turned to this list of movie titles I’ve collected and rarely get a chance to watch to remove one. Well, yesterday, I watched a rom-com with Russell Crowe—yes, I said a rom-com. Because the idea of it was intriguing, I had it on my list, so I ticked off A Good Year. It was decent. I’d recommend it. It’s not glowingly the best thing ever, but it’s a nice escape. I might try The Holdovers if I get through today’s list. The fam wouldn’t be interested, so it’s a good time, while they’re gone, to check off my list.

So, yeah. Another slow day in front of me. Right now, the temperature outside is a cool 76, with a projected high of only 81, so while I’ll go out and clean the pool, I’m going to wait for the weather to improve before I gird my loins and jump in. I hate it when the weather cools. 🙁

Enough rambling. I know you’re bored. I’m boring myself. Being bored inspires boring posts. I’ll shut up now.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle then tell me what you’d watch while the cat’s away…

UPDATE: The winner is…Paula J McGhee!
*~*~*

UPDATE: The winner is…Roxie A Jones!
*~*~*

I just began my third Montana Bounty Hunter series, this time set in West Yellowstone, Montana. When I started I had no idea how much fun they would be to write. But I’ve already filled up two offices in Bear Lodge and Dead Horse, so, I either needed to move out of state or find another Montana town I wanted to “visit.”

Thank you, by the way, to everyone who picked up their copy of Cyrus!

I have a process I go through before I start a book. First, I need a name. Then, I need a picture to go with that name. The name and the picture inform me about who the person I’m about to write is. The name, Cyrus Walsh, seemed a little old-fashioned like he could’ve been a gunslinger in the Wild, Wild West, and the photo I found with his narrow-eyed squint told me that was how he looked out at the world, with a hint of suspicion and need to figure out who he was facing. If you’ve read the story, you know how much Milly, the woman who captures him, loves that narrow-eyed glare.

Now, the problem is finding more hunters to people the office in West Yellowstone. Take a look at the previous two series cast of characters…

Bear Lodge, MT

Dead Horse, MT

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, suggest some names for bounty hunters so I can begin my process of figuring out will fill my cast of characters in West Yellowstone!

Word Seach Puzzle

And I added a puzzle because we need one of those right about now, right? Enjoy!

UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
*~*~*

If you’ve visited this blog lately, you know that there’s something fun happening over at another website I run, Delilah’s Collections. It only gets active for a few months a year, but when it does, it’s very, very busy! We’re running a campaign now through the release of our latest collection, Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology on July 30th. It’s a fun way to get to know the authors who’ve written stories for the anthology—maybe you already know them, maybe you don’t! But did I mention there will be multiple opportunities to win prizes or pick up some freebies?

Now back to those images… They represent the current posts from the authors who are eager to meet you!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, let me know whether you’ve been over to the Collections website to “meet” our new authors!

A reminder about what’s releasing tomorrow!!

Pre-order your copy now!

It was a productive week once we got past the AC issue on Monday. You really, really appreciate your conveniences when they aren’t there. It was a busy week. I tend to write best when I’m under a hard deadline, and I really felt the pressure to complete Cyrus, so the story flowed all the way up to the day before I had to upload it! I wish my muse was more disciplined, but that’s just not how it works. I have to let go and let it do its thing. When I surrender and take myself out of the process, that’s when the good stuff comes. And I know that’s more crazy author talk, but if the shoe fits… Anyway, here’s my report card for last week’s work and my plan for the upcoming week. Sharing these “report cards” does help because I feel like I have to accomplish things or I look lazy. LOL

Report Card

Last week…

1. The AC was fixed on Monday! By Tuesday, the temperature inside the house, including my basement office, was at last livable! Yay!
2. I completed writing/editing Cyrus. It was formatted and uploaded for its release on Tuesday!
3. I worked on the last edits of the stories inside the Secret Identities anthology.
4. I gave up on the short story I was trying to write for Secret Identities and started another, but it’s not working either even though I’m 3/4 of the way into it. I might have to reject my own story for the anthology because it’s just not good enough. There’s a first time for everything, and I have to be honest with myself. I think the theme just didn’t work for me, and after reading the great stories that are going to make up the new volume, I’m not going to embarrass myself. 🙂
5. I swam every day, sometimes twice a day!
6. I’m still complying with Weight Watchers, despite the week from hell when we ate fast food at least once a day. I’ve maintained a 5.5-pound loss.

This next week…

1. Cyrus releases this week! Early Tuesday morning to be exact! You know I’ll be promoting the heck out of the first West Yellowstone bounty hunter book!
2. I’ll finish editing stories in the Secret Identities anthology. Then I’ll compile the stories into the anthology and ready them for publication on the 30th!
3. I will begin editing another author’s manuscript!
4. I’ll begin work on my next novel, Built Like Mack, the next We Are Dead Horse story.
5. I’ll continue swimming and counting those points on Weight Watchers!

Open Contests

On the Delilah’s Collections website!

1. GETTING TO KNOW BRENT ARCHER (CONTEST) — Last day to enter! 2 winners! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. GETTING TO KNOW CINDY TANNER (CONTEST) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. GETTING TO KNOW AVA CUVAY (CONTEST) —  This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!

Here, on this site!

1. Gabbi Grey: Pushing Boundaries (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win a FREE book!
2. It’s getting hot in here! (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Saturday Puzzle Contest: I’ve been through the desert… — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Gabbi Grey: Avoiding the Middle Book Slump (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
5. Word Search: Things to See in Yellowstone… (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
6. Caviar and Frogs…whuuutt? (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
7. Gabbi Grey: Something a Little Different (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
8. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: A Grizzly Beginning (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!