The Publishing Journey
Writing a book is hard. Marketing one's book is even harder. I volunteered to join a fellow author's marketing Street Team. What's that? A Street Team is a hands-on group of volunteers (friends, neighbors, book bloggers, moms and dads) who agree to read an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC), post reviews online and help promote the book before and after release.
The author of Sushi and Sea Lions, Rachel Corsini, shared many easy promotional ideas with her street team members like: asking your local library to stock the book, posting on social media, telling friends, suggesting for book club, etc. I was happy to do those things but balked at TikTok. I'm afraid I showed my age with that one! Here's the thing. I can only promote books using methods I'm comfortable with. And that will apply to my Street Team too.
If you'd like support me in promoting Brighter Than Her Fears AND you like to read historical fiction AND you enjoy sharing the books you enjoy with others, please consider joining my street team.
Follow this link to a google form to sign up for my street team:
Did I mention my Street Team will receive a free e-copy (ARC) of Brighter Than Her Fears?
The Novel
The hardest topic to write about in my novel was racism. I used the historical terms 'Negro' and 'colored' to be consistent with the times, even though that may rub some readers the wrong way. I only wrote from a white person's point of view, because I didn't want to usurp a person of color's experience (a big no-no in the publishing world). Before offering me a contract, my publisher had a sensitivity reader review my manuscript. I checked all the boxes, and yet I won't know how the topic will be received until my book is in the hands of readers. It's a delicate subject, and I didn't shy away from showing the darker side of racism in 1880's America.
In Brighter Than Her Fears, I show various experiences of Blacks post Civil War. From the prison labor used to extend the Western North Carolina Railroad (ninety percent were Black) to the many Freedmen who came to Asheville to improve their lot, I hope readers will learn something new about the African-American experience post Civil War. One big ah-ha moment in my research of the Black experience influenced the entire direction of the story. But..., you'll have to read the novel to find out what that is!
Racism is just one of the themes that makes Brighter Than Her Fears relevant to today's readers. I'm including book club questions in the back of the novel to encourage readers to dive deeper into the racism portrayed within the story. After its release in January 2024, I'll be available for virtual book club visits to talk more with readers and answer their questions.
