P. A. Matthews

~ Quote of the Day ~

The reality is more excellent than the report.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hello everyone;

I'm sorry I've been away for ages. I've been seriously ill since January, as well as working sixty plus hours a week to keep afloat. I'll write more about some of this in a later blog, however, I wanted to share some truly exciting news with everyone.

Friday, I thought I would check Fictionwise eBooks to see how my series "Myth to Life: The Rise of Riley McCabe" was doing. By the way, after waiting almost four months for something to happen, I can also share "Blood Betrayal" has finally been released at Fictionwise and Amazon.com (e-book section), as well as Mystic Moon Press.

Getting back to Fictionwise. I checked the site and received a huge shock. ALL the stories in the Myth to Life series were in the TOP 107 in the Dark Fantasy section (where my books are located) and "Blood Betrayal" hit TOP RATED!!!!! But wait ... ALL the stories have since moved up, with "Between Myth and Blood" taking spot #31, "Blood Betrayal" in #48, "At Death's Door" rounding the corner at #68, and "Hunted" bringing up the lovely rear (and what a lovely rear it is) at #75! Yes, this means that ALL Myth to Life stories are in the top 75 in the Dark Fantasy section and the top 15 in the Fictionwise Mystic Moon Publisher section.

I'll tell you I can't express the all-out shock and exhilarated feelings that coursed through me as I stared at the first placement of "Between Myth and Blood"and wondered where all the other stories were in the lineup. The shock continued as I sat with my mouth open and my eyes bugging out at seeing the brand new covers with my name on them lining the top pages of Fictionwise.

I know this won't last forever, although if people keep buying it could stay for awhile, (please, oh please), so I wanted to share my good fortune with those who understand how difficult it is to write and write hoping one day they will get published, and when you finally do get published you have to wait and wait for something else to happen or the work to appear somewhere, then you have to wait for an eternity for people to even notice you're on the pages to read ... that is if you're lucky enough to have someone notice, then wait for anyone to take a chance on reading an unknown author and passing on information to others that they enjoyed the book and will read the next installment.

Whew! What a rollercoaster ride this has been. Honestly, I put so much hard work into writing what I thought was the best I could write at that moment in my life, I wasn't sure I could keep going ... but I did. I worked like crazy trying to get my name out there by joining different groups and attempting to advertise (I'm so far out of my comfort zone that sometimes I feel it isn't me doing these things since I'm basically really shy. Yes, I've become a writing group whore, pimping my stuff so people will read, waiting for a best seller while I write more.)

But I can tell you that I've had to stop trying to promote due to the lingering illness. Have slowed my writing to a snail's pace and less due to working so many hours to keep life (or my pseudo life) going. In all of this, depression, the darkest I've been in for a long time, once again reared its ugly head because nothing, including my health, was within my control. I felt trapped by life and circumstance knowing that the small efforts I?d put forth would be meaningless if I ever got back to writing and trying to present my work. That was it ... if I ever got back ... to anything.

I suppose that's why this news was so important to share. In the very desolate and uncertain state of my life, God allowed something new to spring forth from barren ground. Hope. The part of me I had almost lost as I struggled through the mire of sickness and mental death. So when I share the great news of people buying my work, I realize it is selfish on my part, but in this I wanted to say I have learned so much during this time of separation from what I knew as my life.

To wait doesn't necessarily mean something isn't ever going to happen, no matter how dim the prospects. No doesn't necessarily mean that's the final word, but perhaps a chance for something better to come along which will make you say I didn't expect that good outcome.

Today I got to realize the success I'd already envisioned between my ears ... where real success resides, and got to acknowledge once again I cannot do any of this without all of you reading, reviewing, and sharing my work with others. I once said I would take you on my ride through publishing, today we get to stop and take a breather while people read my work. Tomorrow we begin again, traversing through the unknown of writing and publishing, knowing we got to experience and taste the sweetness of this current success.

I do not want to do any of this without all of you. If you are interested reading the Myth to Life series, I would love it. Tell me your thoughts, let me know what you think of Riley, Braedon, Quinlan, Desmond, Andrew, and the many miscreants attempting their destruction.

Fictionwise eBooks: http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/pamatthewseBooks.htm?cache

Here's to making Myth to Life: The Rise of Riley McCabe number 1! Yes, a girl can dream, and I'm dreaming big.

Ta and peace,

P

http://pamatthews.webs.com