For those of you that follow this blog you know that I have been on a journey to get published and I am pleased to announce that I’m getting even closer to the goal being realized!

I am delighted to be joining the roster of writers at Penumbra Literary! What an amazing journey it has been too! Sorry for all of the exclamation points, but a girl is excited! Sorry, I did it again. Oh well, I hope you understand.

Just a few years ago, I was ready to forgo seeking the traditional way of being published. I was doing research about self publishing platforms and was feeling darn good about getting into the process of it all.

Then one day I was reading some blogs and came across a small publishing company that was hosting a contest to find new writers. I entered and became a finalist among six other writers to win a slot. I didn’t get it, so I took that as a sign and returned to exploring self publishing. I then attended Book Expo of America that year and met an acquisitions editor at another small publisher who told me to hold off with my self publishing plans because she wanted to review my manuscript. Again, I didn’t get the nod. So, as you can imagine, I thought to myself, okay, I’m going to get back to the business of getting this book out myself.

Not too long after that, I received an email from my future literary agent Jennifer Chen Tran. She said that she had been given my contact information from the first small publisher who thought I might be a good fit for her agency! At this point I thought, here we go again, but after she reviewed my work and gave me some helpful editing suggestions she decided to bring me aboard.

This just goes to show that as a writer you NEVER give up on your work. This business is very subjective. No matter if you get an agent or self publish, if you have a story to tell, tell it. Go to writing events. Talk up your work. Spend time with other writers. Read. Read. Write. Write. Write. Write and then read and write some more.

My journey is still continuing and I will share my experiences every step of the way.

I expect to be writing on this blog in time that Letters to Chyna will be available in bookstores and on e-readers. Stay tuned! If you’re a writer yourself, keep writing! The dream never dies as long as we continue to pump life into it!

© 2014, TamekaMullins. All rights reserved.

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