I will admit it, I was frazzled trying to promote my books. Don’t get me wrong, I love promotion but there didn’t seem to be enough hours and my life was in pieces. I finally gave up and knew I needed help. I acknowledged I couldn’t do it all. I was not superwoman.

In case you didn’t know, I am the author of the Fuchsia Minnesota Cozy Mystery Series involving a fictional town in Minnesota, and an over-the-top Granny and her friends. I also write a weekly column which I also have turned into a book and…..I have a children series that also tugs on the hearts of adults because it reminds them of the feelings they might have left buried for many years. And…I must clean my house occasionally and visit my grandchildren and children. You notice my grandchildren are always mentioned before my children these days. That should tell you something.

For an author there is always another book or two or three being worked on. I found I was spinning out of control trying to keep up with letting people know I was out there and continuing on in my writing. I was burning out.

My publishing company, Cozy Cat Press, does help with some of the promotion, but as with most writers these days, the bulk of promotion is up to them.

With my Something About Nothing book and my children’s books, I tried to do it all myself at first. Big mistake. As I was reaching the bottom of the mountain and feeling myself sinking into the nearby sea I knew I had to do something different. That something different came in the way of Annie Sarac and her business The Editing Pen. She brought me up the mountain and back to the top so I could continue what I love doing best–writing.

I hired Annie to edit my Something About Nothing book. I realized that I didn’t know everything I thought I did about writing. She polished up the manuscript and gave me some suggestions, of which I ignored and that was about the book cover. She said it didn’t tell people anything about the heart and soul of the book. Well friends, I learned a valuable lesson–always listen to my editor. I just changed the cover. I also used Annie to polish my Granny Snows A Sneak before I sent it to my publisher. She took care of the this, and the that’s, and the and’s I am so famous for.

I asked if she would be interested in doing some promotion work for me. I thought she would be the perfect person with her business to know where I needed to be in the media. Annie has not disappointed me. I cannot tell you the relief I felt having to be away from my computer a few days knowing the promotion was taken care of.

Why am I writing this? I want to thank Annie for the great job she is doing for me. And I want to promote her and her business. I have never met her personally but I feel as if I know her.  She has a great background of credentials and she is starting her business from scratch, working her way back into the media world. She believed in me and I believe in her.

I also want to make the point, as authors, we are occasionally expected to take care of everything ourselves when it comes to promoting us. I find it hard to brag about me (I know I may not give that impression). I also find it hard to asking for help because I want to be superwoman.

I also know what it is like to be new and starting out and trying to build a business. I would not have had my computer business that I retired from recently, or my writing career, if others would not have taken a chance on someone new. Bruce Lorenz did that for me with computers, Tim Engstrom and The Albert Lea Tribune did that for me with my column, and Cozy Cat Press did that for me with writing.  We become so ingrained in seniority and experience that we forget we were once inexperienced in our business and the only way we could move ahead was if someone believed in giving us a chance.

I asked, she answered and it is a good connection. If you are feeling frazzled and need help, give The Editing Pen a try. She tailor makes plans to what works for you.

No man is an island and neither is a woman. By reaching out for help you may find blessings coming into your life you didn’t know were possible. Thank you Annie of The Editing Pen.

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