Author Monica Carter launches new blog to share publishing and writing tips, ideas

Welcome to my new blog. Here, you'll find posts with answers to questions about writing, publishing and business. Oh, and inspirational fiction. I've been in the trenches for many years now, so I've learned a thing or two about publishing and business, so if you're new to that world or want to learn a bit, hang out here. Something will rub off.

Just a little background: I was a cliche: Wanted to write since the fourth grade. Yep, this was the dream. Majored in journalism in college so I could have a steady newspaper job writing because I didn't want to end up living under a bridge while struggling for my art. That worked out pretty well; I got a good newspaper job, then another. Got a few promotions on the way.

I decided at 25 that was as good of a time as any to follow the big dream -- writing books. So I self-published my first novel at 27, while working at a newspaper. I decided to ditch the newspaper job a couple years later. Yeah, I was just that much into myself and what I could do.

So around the time I ditched the newspaper, I self-published my next novel, but also pursued an agent so I could get the fabled book deal. Most agents didn't respond or said no. Good thing I hadn't left my book dream up to finding an agent and a publisher! So while I was getting ignored or told to bug off by agents, I was traveling the country selling my self-published books out of suitcases. That's lesson number one to would-be authors: Don't leave your publishing dream up to the "luck" of finding a good agent.

Anywho, I eventually ended up finding an agent and a book deal, which landed me in the world of inspirational fiction. The publisher, Urban Christian/Kensington, republished Sacrifice the One, my second self-published novel, and just recently published another book, Scandalous Truth.

But I didn't stop self-publishing, because somewhere along the line, self-publishing became a business for me. And why not? I gained so much knowledge and expertise that it seemed a shame to just waste it. So I now help others publish their books. I am a ghostwriter (someone who writes a book or article for someone else under the other person's name) and perform a host of other duties with RootSky Creative, www.rootskycreative.com.

But enough of all that. The main thing here is that I've been in publishing since 2002, writing professionally since way before then. And I will share tools, tips and strategies (and just plain crazy stories) to help you follow your writing dream. And in the midst of all that, we'll have some fun with inspirational fiction.

So bookmark this or follow it or whatever you need to do to come back regularly. I'll be here. Hopefully you will, too.