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I have a weird concept of time. It may seem natural to admit this, being a historical fiction writer, that time and I might be intertwined in an unusual way. And it’s true … in so many ways.

In my real life, living in 2012, the hours pass really slowly for me. Consequently, anything that happened in the past feels like forever ago. Yesterday feels like ten years ago, last week was more like twenty years, and January? Forget it. Might as well have been in the 1600′s, for all I know. It wreaks havoc with meeting up with friends. I wouldn’t mind seeing the same person every other day, for to me it feels like several weeks have gone by. I even identify with my own dog, since she and I both get excited when my husband comes home – it feels like he’s been gone a long time!

And yet … the ‘other’ sense of time, the more fluid sense, that the 19th century feels for me, is totally different. It’s almost as if the 1800′s are unfolding as I learn more about it. Like I’m in the century right now, even though it happened many decades ago, and so long past I can’t talk to anyone who lived in that time. I think this is what enables me to write about the past in a very real-and-now manner. My new novel is set in 1900, and darn if it doesn’t feel more alive than yesterday, which was so long ago.

In light of this strange sense of time I have, I also have closed my own personal chapter on a huge aspect of my life: The Civil War. I’m really enjoying the Edwardian time period right now, loving the pages unfolding in my new rough draft. So, the Civil War is both now in the real past and in my own long-ago past. It seems so long ago, and I guess it was. Both in the real sense of it being in the 1860′s, and in my own personal experience of researching it in my 20′s.

I took my Civil War books off my shelves and put them into a box, to be donated or given away. If any of you reading would like a book, I can list the titles in a future post. I’d rather give them away than sell them, for many came to me as gifts.

What about you? What is your concept of time? Do you feel the Victorian time was so very long ago, or does it also seem alive?

Madame X, by John Singer Sargent

Sargent, a master Belle Epoque portrait and landscape painter, scandalized late Victorian society when he revealed this stunning and mysterious lady: Madame X.

Even today, her appearance commands presence. The rich velvet of her curve-hugging black dress shows off her luminescent white skin, with the barest hint of glittery jewels from the two skinny silver straps. Her thick auburn hair is accented simply so as not to draw your eye, and her face is a perfect profile, with a straight nose, arched brow, and aloof but present expression. She poses somewhat awkwardly for so riveting a portrait, her right hand perched on the edge of a simple mahogany table, and her left hand clutching enough of her dress to fool the viewer into thinking they’ll get a peek of her hidden skin underneath!

Madame X was Virginie Amelie Avegno Gatreau, a French Creole woman born in New Orleans, actually was the daughter of a Confederate soldier who died of a leg wound from the 1862 battle of Shiloh. Virginie moved amongst the best of Parisian societies and her lavender-colored face powder was a legendary beauty aid. She was painted numerous times and became a socialite of wealth and renown, especially after marrying a rich banker. Virginie was quite the seductress, though, and took many lovers.

It’s 1884 in this portrait, and Coco Chanel (an Edwardian herself) won’t introduce the little black dress for decades. Neither will strapless dresses come into vogue for almost a century. This is the beginning of modern fashion, where the curve-revealing quality of our garments is far more luxurious than the quantity of extra ruffles, undergarments, petticoats and feminine accessories that dominated the fashion scene in the 1880′s.

Strapless, by Deborah Davis

I’ve not read this book, a nonfiction account of this stunning portrait. There is a fictional novel out called “I am Madame X,” by Gioia Diliberto, which is also on my to-read list. One of the joys of being a historical fiction author is to research the art of the period and fall in love all over again with its most beautiful, enrapturing, colorful, unusual, and modern paintings.

I’d love to write the story of a Parisian or other famous city beauty who moves amongst the best circles and has a passionate life, playing Muse to artists, musicians, and writers.

For years, many have wondered what Virginie is thinking in this portrait. I can’t claim to know, but my imagination helps:

“None shall forget me now.”

Ode to Titanic

When I hear that fiddle play
A song to dance with thee …
I cannot help but think today
Of an Irish third-class party.

Beneath a sunset sky we kiss,
Waves splashing down below.
Those times we shared I still miss;
Your hand I’ll never let go.

A woman’s heart is a deep sea
Of secret loves now gone.
From our love I live life fully,
For I know I am never alone.

This jewel I have is mine to keep,
Which opens memory’s door.
Tonight, when I lay down to sleep
I’ll be in your arms once more.

~ Meg North

Oh, Titanic. I have so much to thank you for, as we come upon the 100th anniversary of the ocean liner’s sinking on April 14, 2012. One hundred years, and it has never felt more alive. There is a thriving Titanic society, a Titanic Branson in Missouri, a new show in Florida, and, of course, the film. The film that captured my 15-year-old heart half my life ago, for I turned 30 yesterday. And in all my 30 years, nothing has touched me as much. Few things I’ve come into contact with have made as much of an impact. Perhaps Les Miserables or Phantom of the Opera come close, but Titanic is in a class all its own.

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My Story Begins

It was the day after Christmas, 1996. I’d received a Celine Dion CD as a gift the day before, and there was a lovely song on it that she sang, called “My Heart Will Go On.” I’d listened to it once or twice and thought it was beautiful. Titanic had been released to theatres about two weeks earlier, and already was generating enough buzz to impress even my parents. I read a book about Titanic when I was really young, and had even entertained the thought of creating a story about the famous ocean liner. A year earlier, I’d seen Leo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo and Juliet,” and thought he was fantastic. Two years earlier, I’d been introduced to Kate Winslet playing Marianne Dashwood in “Sense and Sensibility.” So, the film’s two leads were well-known to me. I’d seen the trailer on TV and so, on December 26th, 1996, I entered the darkened Star Theatre in Rochester Hills, Michigan, to settle into the plush stadium seat. It was the first time I’d sat in stadium seating, too.

Little did I know that the film would change my life. Up until then I’d been a writer, but had written mostly fantasy. Making up strange and wonderful worlds populated with equally strange creatures. I was on my way to being the next L. Frank Baum or Lewis Carroll. But Titanic changed all that.

To say I loved the movie is … well, I was watching my future on that screen. I was watching my life change forever. I was watching something that blew every other dream out of my mind except one: to write a story like that. To capture that time period, that sense of abundance and joy, then indescribable loss … in a story of my own.

I was fifteen, and I remember sitting in the back of our car on the drive home completely speechless. I’d felt like I’d been knocked to the core, like something had rattled every last nerve. It was a huge turning point, and ultimately changed my writing and my life forever.

Within a few months, the story of “Daniel’s Garden” had popped into my head. A love story of two different class levels, set against a dramatic backdrop of loss and strange joy, too. I became a Civil War buff, and my Titanic-inspired journey has led me to battlefields, to quiet Boston streets, to Irish pubs, to friendships, to conferences, to … now.

A New Chapter …

Now, I’m 30. Titanic has been a part of my life for half my life, and I’m celebrating a new decade of my own life at the same time the ocean liner is celebrating her second century. She sits in the cold Atlantic, while I am warm in my bed writing this. But she is alive within me, as her story has been my story for the past fifteen years.

I watched the film receive its 11 Oscars at the ceremony that year. I’ve had the sheet music for both the film and “My Heart Will Go On” within my piano sheet music collection ever since. I’ve performed elements of Titanic’s score as a musician several times. I went on a cruise in 2007 and found a pair of Edwardian white gloves in a Bahamas gift shop, which I still have. I saw the Hope Diamond in the Smithsonian on my honeymoon, marveling at its gorgeous deep-blue hue. I was in Ireland this past June, and bought a penny whistle to play the film’s main theme. The Cunard line, which bought the White Star line, is still going strong with the most luxurious ocean liners in the world, and their transatlantic cruise from Southampton to New York is still their most popular.

And … I’m a Victorian and Edwardian historian. When I watch the film, my inner historian kicks in, and I can recognize so many Art Nouveau and Victorian elements in the ship, from the cherubs carved in her mahogany to her magnificent stained glass ceiling, wooden deck chairs, and carpet and china patterns. The first class stateroom is the finest Edwardian style, from the curvy plush furniture to that gorgeous gilded fireplace. Of course, I recognize how Edwardian Kate’s corset is, and her dresses are such high 1910s style. For the fashion is my favorite. The large-brimmed hats, the slim Empire-waist dresses, the Louis-heel shoes, the gloves and tiny beaded bags, the lovely jewelry.

I know the era through and through. It is part of me, and I have Titanic to thank for my stories, for my love of the time period and my incredible success as a historical writer.

It’s been the richest and deepest of pleasures to have Titanic in my life.

My new novel, “The Curtain Falls,” is set in 1900, the early beginning of the Edwardian era. I’m definitely in an Edwardian mood, and since I love beauty products, I thought I’d share some antique brands that have been around for at least as long as the Edwardians!

There are some modern products at the drugstore and online that your Edwardian great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother used as well! These products are not only beautiful, they also have a hint of old-fashioned gentility and will get you gorgeous just like the great beauties 100 years ago.

Caswell-Massey
This delightful bath and beauty product brand has been around since 1752! So it was definitely used by Edwardians and was already 150 years old in 1902. Its most Edwardian products are:

• Rosewater – use as a modern facial toner after cleansing
• Goat’s Milk and Honey Soap – a classic combination that was well-known at the turn of the last century
• Milk Bath – used by Cleopatra and famous Edwardian beauties, too
• Castile Soap – another classic soap used by Edwardians
• Rosewater and Glycerine Hair Wash – Edwardian women had beautiful hair and kept it clean with this classic formula

Pond’s
Hailed as a wonder product in 1846, Pond’s brand skin cream has been around since before the Civil War. Its amazing cold cream was a favorite of Marilyn Monroe, my own great-grandmother and many other past beauties. Pond’s Edwardian products include:

• Pond’s Classic Cold Cream – the original, a staple for generations

Rosebud Perfume Company
The famous Smith’s Rosebud Salve is still around, but was first introduced as an Edwardian company in 1892! Their long-lasting strength is a great testimony to their wonderful product.

• Smith’s Rosebud Salve – a multipurpose lip balm that is excellent for chapped skin, too!

Pears
Another brand around since the 18th century, Pear’s glycerin soap is still being manufactured and sold on big-box and drugstore shelves today. It’s pretty amazing that something so ‘old’ can be so amazing and useful for the modern woman!

• Pears Soap – look for the traditional orange glycerin soap bar

Ivory
Sometimes I come across a pretty antique advertisement for Ivory Soap and it’s just so funny to see! I use Ivory Body Wash myself, and the classic clean-soap smell is great. Ivory has been around for over 125 years, so it was invented in the late Victorian/early Edwardian era!

• Ivory Soap – the classic white bar soap

Edwardian Makeup Brands:

• Guerlain
• Elizabeth Arden
• Max Factor
• Chanel

It’s a lovely sunny January day. The sky is that clear hyacinth blue that inspires me to think about painting the kitchen that color, so it will cheer me during winter days. The sunlight comes through the leafless maple tree in the backyard and dapples on the pine tree needles, jumping and splaying across the snow.

I’m sitting at the kitchen table today, having woken up a few hours ago at 10:30, since I can sleep in as late as I want to. I am a night owl, and was up well past one o’clock last night. Usually I’m up until two, then I get up with the dogs and go back to sleep for a few hours. I have the house to myself, my laptop plays my favorite music, and the day is mine to do what I wish.

I’ve been working from home since August 2010, so it’s been over a year. And I could never go back. I was an okay employee, if a bit too absent-minded and stubborn when it came to following their rules. Blame the Aquarius sun for that rebelliousness, but meeting a company’s profits or trying hard for their quotas made me shrug and say, “Who cares?” I sure didn’t, and the weekly paycheck wasn’t enough to make me care.

Neither did I want to ascend to upper management and be a boss. Telling others what to do didn’t sound appealing, and I’d be *gasp* responsible for their work. I’m all for leadership, but not simply for the sake of getting more money, and I’m certainly not power-hungry or besotted with titles like “Manager” or “Executive Director.”

My coworkers are my dogs, my boss is myself, and my desk is the kitchen table. Time stretches out lazily, mine to mold and sculpt how I wish. I look out on the backyard and think about perhaps planting a garden. I sit near the stove, and between my freelance articles look up recipes to cook. I read and research for my stories, which I have time to write. Time.

Time is what it makes it awesome to work from home. Time to make my life my own. I can write my articles as quickly as I want, so that I work at most maybe six hours a day. I have time to cook dinner and have it ready for my husband when he gets home. Time to keep the house picked up, time to have finished two novels before I turn thirty in a few weeks. Time to take care of the dogs, time to plan, time to dream. My time is my own.

Working from home is not for everyone. The extroverts of the world might find it a bit lonely, and those who enjoy their jobs couldn’t imagine leaving them. But I love being here, at home, and never found this kind of deep satisfaction by working in an office for somebody else.

From Jillian, a great friend and excellent reader who was kind enough to read and review “The Heart of a Lie.”

“In 2010 I was lucky enough to stumble upon Meg North’s debut novel – Daniel’s Garden, the story of a Harvard boy from a prominent Boston family who is swept, with three close friends, into the fields and trenches of the American Civil War.

Now Ms. North has a second novel, The Heart of a Lie, which I happily read during the holidays this year. It is a page-turner and kept me interested clear to the final page. What impresses me most about The Heart of a Lie is that it is written, not through the eyes of a boy learning to soldier in military camps and on battlefields, like Daniel’s Garden – but through the eyes of a quiet girl in the years just after the close of the American Civil War, in a setting lit with dinner parties, carriages and parlor banter by the piano. Ms. North’s versatility as a writer impresses me, and her ability to make the reader care about the central character’s struggles and successes certainly holds up in both settings. I was as moved by The Heart of a Lie as I was by Daniel’s Garden, and each live on for me long after I’ve closed the book.

The Heart of a Lie is the story of Esther Perry and her sister Lara – two girls from Maine who have lost their father to a Union battlefield and must bury their mother after a gruesome war with consumption at the story’s open. Now orphans, these still-mourning sisters have just a matter of days to vacate the premises of a farm that has nurtured their childhood and seen them grow from girls to women during the dark days of America’s Civil War. And they have nowhere to go.

Reminiscent of Little Women’s quiet domesticity and homage to sisterhood — and Jane Eyre’s determined central character –The Heart of a Lie carries us from the dying Perry Farm into the bustle of high society Portland, Maine where Esther and Lara meet a wealthy family of cousins they never knew existed, and become swept into a mystery that has churned in their family for decades. Young Esther’s shoulders are weighted with the realization that she is Lara’s only chance at survival, and her determined, giving spirit carry that burden with believability and poignancy enough to encourage even the most scowling reader’s empathy. As the story unfolds, the weight Esther is made to carry keeps the tension in the story mounting progressively higher until (if you’re at all like me) you’re willing to sacrifice a night’s sleep to find out how she comes out of it. Aside the novel’s main focus on mystery and survival in nineteenth century Maine is strung a quiet love story as delicate as the story’s central character.

Among the novel’s cast are Aunt Curtis, the cold-hearted wife of a doctor; Jane Curtis, her arguably colder daughter; Ambrose Curtis, the kind-hearted Portland doctor; Elliot Curtis, the quick-grinning cousin; and Henry Vallencourt, the dashing neighbor to whom Jane pledges her youthful heart (what there is of it.) Each contribute to the unfolding of a mystery that will determine Esther and Lara’s fate.

In Ms. North’s work, one finds both grit (as in Daniel’s Garden) and an old soul (The Heart of a Lie). Her writing style, while not at all difficult to follow, is very Victorian – the swish of skirts and the icy breath of a Victorian winter live in the pages. It is clear she is well read, and the ghosts of Dickens, Bronte, Austen, and even Beethoven whisper her work. Her voice is uplifting – her writing free of the torrid sex scenes that fill up too much of literature today, and focused instead upon a story well-told. There is a whimsical quality to the writing that simply elevates the mood. It is distinct, and while certainly reminiscent of the Victorians, it is the author’s very own – the quiet, lilting voice of a 19th century writer penning her stories in 2012. I think that is her trademark: she whispers yesterday in the midst of a raging 21st century.

While Daniel’s Garden stormed the reader’s senses with its intense descriptions of the bloody fighting at battlefields like Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville, The Heart of a Lie, with its more domestic focus, creates the cozy, nostalgic feeling I treasure in many of my favorite Victorian classics. To wit –

“Dear Jane. I heard from your mother that you are to play for us this evening.”

From her place quite close to Henry, Jane was disinclined to vacate his side, even to show off her considerable talents over her poor relation. I rose to my feet, a gesture that received a smirk from my cousin and a considerable frown from my aunt.

“Pardon me, Mrs. Vallencourt. If you shall excuse my abruptness, I wish to entertain you at the piano. You see that I have brought my own music.”

“Why yes,” Jane said. “Miss Perry has boasted long enough about her ability. Let us hear it at last.”

With this encouragement, I walked over to the piano. The keys shone with a creamy luster beneath the gaslight chandelier. I ran my hand along its shiny top, the wood warm and smooth beneath my fingertip.

Mr. Jakes pulled out the bench. I smiled, a deep glow alighting within me. As I took my seat, for the first time since arriving at the Curtis house I felt truly comfortable. My feet found the pedals, pressing first the left foot and then the right foot. It was like a little dance with the piano before the music began.

I opened the sheet music folio, past the Pathetique I had last played at the farm and to a Johann Sebastian Bach sonata, the French Suite number five. The steady tempo and evenness of the Baroque period was suitably light for my intended audience. The Romantic pieces were for myself when I was alone.

I’m intrigued by the style in The Heart of a Lie. It’s a mix between fairy tale and historical fiction that is quite distinct and charming. The tale itself is a sort of Cinderella story set in the middle of the Civil War. You’d have to read it to know what I mean by that, but what stands out for me is that style — that passion for American Civil War history mixed with an almost childlike love of a good story. The mix is like salt and sweet: the intensity of the war and conditions in Maine (as well as the South) in the aftermath of the war are present in The Heart of a Lie, beside an almost magical story of wealth flaunted before grueling poverty. It’s a story of sisters and courage and fortitude, of heaving one’s chin up and walking on. If I had to sum it up in a single sentence, I would say that The Heart of a Lie is a love letter to Ms. North’s hometown of Portland, Maine in the 19th century, told by the voice of a young girl who had to overcome too much to find her truth.

Meg North lives in the 19th century in her soul, I think, and brings it brilliantly to life for readers who yearn for a bit more Alcott, or a bit more Bronte, or a bit more Austen. Still, she is her own voice and stands for this reader as a new writer quite mighty in her own right. I can’t wait to read her next work.”

Thank you so kindly, Jillian!

You can earn a 40% commission on selling my novels “Daniel’s Garden” or “The Heart of a Lie” through Smashwords! Earn some residual income and the more you promote, the more you earn! It benefits both of us, since you’d like more money (who wouldn’t?) and I’d like more sales and readers.

Sign in to Smashwords.com and go to the Affiliate info page to learn more. Once you’ve created affiliate links for “Daniel’s Garden” or “The Heart of a Lie,” then you can post them on your blog.

Feel free to use the cover images you see on my website. ——————————->

You can link the cover image to your Smashwords affiliate account and receive money each time you promote my novels. It’s pretty cool.

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions. Thank you!

While quite blase about modern fashion (another pair of jeans, yay), 19th century women’s clothes absolutely fascinate me. So many layers, such personal and unbelieveably feminine touches. Lace, ruffles, pearls, embroidery, flounces, sweeps, tucks, and all manner of accoutrements. They wore more clothes in one day than I’d wear in two weeks. It was extraordinary.

I’ll talk more about fashion as this blog goes on, but right now I’m going to give a brief overview … so that when you’re watching Pride and Prejudice you’ll understand why you’ll never see a hoop skirt, or an Empire waist dress during the Civil War, or a bustle skirt on Titanic.
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Regency (1800 – 1820-ish)
The first thing I think of when I think Regency is Empire Waist. The dresses gathered beneath the bust, falling right to the floor. Women wore really high-waisted long corsets underneath, tightly ringleted hair, and wide bonnets. Lots of sheer materials and cottons, a bit more risque than anything else in the 19th century. Look at Jane Austen and Napoleonic films for Regency style.

Hoop Era (1830 – 1870)
Queen Victoria ascended to the throne in 1832, ushering in a brand-new era and the fashions started to change into the quintessential mid-Victorian look: wide bell sleeves, a tight corseted waist, and voluminous skirts. An overall look of demureness, with the dress dominating and accentuating the female figure. Hoops were their widest in the Civil War 1860′s, with somewhat narrower hoops in the decades previous. Hair was a bit severe, parted in the middle, ringlets and looped braids on either side. Watch Jane Eyre, Civil War movies, and Dickens films for mid-Victorian hoop era fashion.

Bustle Era (1870 – 1885)
A short fashion era but nonetheless popular and very recognizeable. The bustle was a modified caged underskirt that accentuated the bum and pulled the focus of the dress towards the back. Dresses were more confined and closer to the body, allowing for a bit more ease of movement. Heavier materials and brighter colors than ever before. Hair became really elaborate, piled high on top of the head, with tons of ringlets, combs, pins, and ornaments. Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Sweeney Todd, Sherlock Holmes, Moulin Rouge, Alice in Wonderland – take a look at these films for bustle fashion.

Gibson Girl (1890 – 1905)
Another short-lived fashion era, forever popularized in musicals like The Music Man. Gibson girl fashion is all about the sleeves – large leg o’ mutton sleeves that poofed around a woman’s shoulders. She wore a simple skirt, but the top of her dress was characterized with lace tucks, frills, and flounces. This style of dressing bridges the gap between Victorian and Edwardian, and can be seen in Oscar Wilde film adaptations, The Music Man, and children’s stories like Peter Pan and The Wizard of Oz.

Titanic (1910 – 1915)
The shortest-lived of all was the Titanic era, but it was also the most wearable corset-and-dress combination. The Empire waist came back into favor, but the dress was styled differently, with fabric panel overskirts decorating the underskirt. Hemlines became shorter, since women were more mobile than ever before and thousands worked. Ah, but the hats! The crowning glory of the Titanic lady was her hat – a massive brim, with a highly decorated crown of feathers, bows, and flowers. Watch Titanic and any World War I movie to get an idea of Titanic fashion.
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When it comes to men’s fashions, little changed through the century. A basic tailored coat, waistcoat, white shirt, trousers, shoes, and hat was what he wore for decades.

How fun, huh? Now you can watch films of the 19th century or research a part of the era and have a basic understanding of how the ladies would be dressed!

One of my favorite sites and one that continually makes my jaw drop is that of the lovely and amazing Lee Jackson who runs Victorian London.org. Seriously, it’s like 19th century imagery-loveliness wonderfulness. Oh, and a whole lotta antique gigglies, too. Check out this list of Victorian jokes:

Why is a dog like a tree? Because they both lose their bark once they’re dead.

“See here, wait, I’ve found a button in my salad.” “That’s all right, sir, it’s part of the dressing.”

Marriage is an institution intended to keep women out of mischief and get them into trouble.

Why are circus horses the slowest breed? Because they are taught horses.

Who is the greatest chicken-killer in Shakespeare? Macbeth, because he did murder most foul.

If William Penn’s aunts kept a pastry shop, what would be the prices of their pies? The pie-rates of Penn’s Aunts.

Why should the number 288 never be mentioned in company? Because it is two gross.

“There’s a man at Camberwell so fat that they grease the omnibus-wheels with his shadow.”

HE: “I am a millionaire. Haven’t I got money enough for both of us?’”
SHE: “Yes, if you are moderate in your tastes.”

Doesn’t it make you dizzy to waltz? Yes, but one must get used to it, you know. It’s the way of the whirled.

WIFE: “You loved me before we were married!”
HUSBAND: “Well, now it’s your turn!”

Pawnbrokers prefer customers without any redeeming qualities.

Moving in unfashionable circles: wearing a crinoline.

Why is a manuscript always called a MS.? Because that is the state in which the editor finds it.

If all the seas were dried up, what would Neptune say? I really haven’t got a notion.

A lady wrote the following letters at the bottom of her flour barrel: O I C U R M T.

Why is the devil riding a mouse like one and the same thing? Because it is synonymous.

“I have the best wife in the world,” said the long-suffering husband. “She always strikes me with the soft end of the broom.”

SERVANT: “Ma’am, your husband has eloped with the cook!”
WIFE: “Good! Now I can have the maid to myself, once in a while.”

This, however is my all-time favourite Victorian joke:

What is the difference between a tube and a foolish Dutchman? One is a hollow cylinder and the other a silly Hollander.

I think each writer has their own ideas about how they want to be successful in the publishing world. My particular experience led me to this decision. I spent ten years writing “Daniel’s Garden”, falling in love with the 1800s and historical fiction. I finished it in early 2009 and began hawking it to agents. Months later in October 2010, and very bummed from the pile of rejections, I stumbled across CreateSpace. So, I uploaded my files and put Daniel’s Garden on Amazon.com. When the Kindle’s popularity took off, I also uploaded it to their digital publishing site. It’s been doing really well, I even got it into some New England stores, the feedback from direct readers has been so empowering, and I’ve never looked back!

Indie publishing offers the niche writer, like myself, or any writer who wants to earn high royalty percentages a new world of incredible opportunity. Some writers like cutting out the agent middle man and going directly to readers. Others like overseeing their books from rough draft to finished draft to cover design to marketing. The royalty percentages (35% for CreateSpace paperback and 70% for Kindle) are unheard-of in the traditional publishing world. I also like that I can finish a story and have it published within hours.

There are a couple of disadvantages. The first disadvantage is exposure. It does take more time to build up a readership than having Harper Collins get my stuff into every bookstore in the country. The second disadvantage is reputation. Indie publishing can carry the stigma that the books aren’t that good. But I am passionate about my time period and I’ve put in many hours of work, so I stand by my finished novels and can sleep soundly at night knowing I did my best.

We can become a new kind of author with indie publishing. There are detailed articles about my journey in the Indie Publishing Handbook. Comment on posts and share your own indie publishing journey.