L.J. Holmes

L.J. Holmes
In her many Guises.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

HOW MUSE HAS SPICED UP THE E-WORLD

There is so much going on at

Muse Publishing, sometimes we miss it, or worse, take it for granted.

Muse

was not supposed to OFFICIALLY open it's launching doors until December 1st, 2010, but everyone at Muse...every component that brings excellence in e-pubbing to you the audience worked with excitement and due diligence throughout the Spring and Summer of 2010.

At first

Muse moved their debut date forward by an amazing TWO months to October 1, 2010.

Those of us eagerly awaiting our ORIGINAL orientation date, were jaw droppingly amazed. We hear so often in the publishing industry about book dates being moved BACK, much like the new book by Glenn Kleier.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL that was due for a February release date.


As a card carrying Glenn Kleier groupie, I was more than just disappointed. But this is not the first time a BIG publisher has delayed release of one of my favorite authors...But Glenn Kleier isn't just one of my favorites, he is my absolute MOST favorite author.

Imagine my surprise though when Lea Schizas, the head honcho at Muse Publishing, Inc., and her co-captain, Marketing Director Litsa Kamateros informed us that our release date has not moved up to JUST October 1st, but was now moving even closer to September 10, 2010.

Do we ROCK at

Muse It Publishing, Inc. or what?

The debut sales numbers were fantastic for a brand new company, plus

Lea and Litsa were on a roll.





Muse's Month Long Octoberfest was inaugurated. We, the authors, were challenged to come up with tales about Halloween, and each of us was assigned a full day on the innovative Muse Blogspot.

What none of us knew until the first of October dawned was

Lea's creation of our main October Hostess...

Bonella...a scary skeleton in a huge fashion-forward hat was going to spend the month heckling us one and all.What fun that was for authors, readers, and guests drawing more and more buzz our way.

I loved our October celebration, avidly followed Bonella's acerbic interactions, and looked forward to the debut of my first book,

SANTA IS A LADY on December 1st.









It is true your nerves are strung tighter than a

German clock when your release is mere hours away? Anticipation of good and fear of falling flat on your face, co-mingle.

In the days that follow, you are like this rabid, tightly wound

squirrel, checking the stats each day, hoping, praying someone will buy your book...afraid you will fall flat on your face and let everyone who has placed their faith in you down...

Until you are notified by your leader, Lea, that

Glenn Kleier bought your book, and wonder of wonders, has given you a glowing review.

I don't know how typical it is to have someone of the caliber of Glenn Kleier reviewing your first book, but to have someone you idolize taking the time from HIS busy schedule to do this...well if I hadn't already been a huge Glenn Kleier fan, this would have made me one.

From my Muse leader, Lea, I learned she planned to place my Glenn Kleier review up on the Muse Bookstore page for SANTA IS A LADY for everyone to read his glowing words.

December morphed into January. My surprises were far from over. SANTA IS A LADY claimed fifth place in the 2010

Predators and Editors Readers Poll.










But I am not here to claim Muse's glory. Krista D. Ball, fellow Muse author debuted her first book,

HARVEST MOON back on September 10th and ever since then it has tenaciously held onto the top place in our Best Selling list. (Yeah, she's a Top place hog....)





Muse was making HUGE waves, and I was gearing up for the release of my second story,

FOREVER WITH YOU on February 1st. The world was truly spinning right on its axis.








Ground Hog's day...

I've never understood why we celebrate a pudgy rodent leaving its lair and predicting the coming season

based on its shadow. Who came up with that idea? How ridiculous they all look, in their top hats and gloves lifting Puxatawny Phil and praising him for his meteorological prowess...Now I know I may not be seeing the spirit of things, but hello, how many

Puxatawny Phils can there be? That's one long living over-sized rat...or, I fear a fraud.




Can you picture it, a bunch of waddling ground hogs sidling into the offices of the official Puxatawny Phil recruiting station hoping their long held aspiration to be ground-hog handled by some weirdly dressed dude for

the flashing bulbs of a bunch of camera bugs for all of five minutes each year?

This Ground Hog's Day, for me, was more obnoxious than most. It was around this time that I learned THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL had been pushed back from May to July 2011.


The inconsistency of the REGULAR publishing world and how many times they have moved Glenn Kleier and his new book's release date back, has made me inordinately proud I am with

Muse...the Gold standard in the e-pub world.


And that brings me to Muse's latest, as in yesterday's announcement.

FALLON O'REILLY AND THE ICE QUEEN'S LAIR, by Debra K. Dunlap, America's answer to Harry Potter, is now available IN PAPERBACK! WOOHOO!






I am beyond proud to be a member of the


Muse Publishing Family.




I have a total of TWELVE (12) contracts so far, coming out over the months an years ahead, so it is going to be a LONG-TERM familial relationship with more thrills and excitement to come.

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