Long Overdue/ Miami

This weekend has been a whirlwind. I am at the Miami International Bookfair and am learning a lot about the industry. I will share this, but first allow me to apologize for my absence. Anyone can understand first that I am trying to push a quality novel into the public eye. So sadly, but necessarily I have delayed the publication of my novel for two reasons. First, is to ensure my novel offers great characters and a spectacular plot line for my readers. Second is to ensure it is published under the care of a publisher who cares about my work just as much as I do. Though self publishing is always an option, I am personally feeling more and more unsettled with this. It is a personal decision for every author. I am hoping to find a publisher soon and am submitting query letters. I hope this route proves successful. Also, my husband and I are expecting our second child in December (very a soon). This is a time consuming process as any parent can understand. We have been rushing to make space for our precious bundle and still have to complete her nursery. This has been slowing my editing process, though I must admit that maybe a good thing. I am vastly improving my plot line and falling more in love with the outcome. I can only hope all of you feel the same upon its release. I am happy to say this experience in Miami has been positive. I had the pleasure of listening to a panel of literary critics speaking on the pitfalls of the book industry. They were very enlightening and weren't withholding any information. I greatly appreciated this point blank approach and was excited to find someone who will speak to me this way. I am thankful to shake hands with multiple publishers. Book consumers would love this fair as well. They are surrounded by novels of all kinds and rising stars of the literary world. Please be patient as I continue to work through my creative process. I know it will be very beneficial to all of us in the long run! If you are in Miami, please stop by tomorrow, Sunday. My mother in law will be signing complimentary copies of her 3rd novel in section E, booth 300. Her site is: www.myglorytoglory.com Happy reading.

Snag

I want to thank everyone for their continuing patience. It seems that we have hit a snag in the process.

Sadly I am forced to consider an alternative to the self-publishing route I had originally planned to use. I received an unexpected update from my publishing company. They have assigned me to a new representative, without my knowledge, and this individual seems to belong more on a used car sales floor than as an appropriate contact for me. Without getting into to much detail, this person actually told me I have to make "financial sacrifices for my investment". I thought that was a little over the line and frankly none of his business. As a self-publisher I have the right to choose how much money I am contributing to this project, and to be frank, it was not going to be "cheap" in the first place. So for him to minimalise my needs was rude and out of line. I cannot sink my family financially for my own desires.

On the positive front, I have queried two literary agents. After deeper investigation (aka hours of reading chat boards, asking questions, and learning this confusing market) I think this route may ultimately yield a more positive result. This will give me the opportunity to be hired by a publishing company, which will expose me further and end up being a better investment. I hope to hear from them soon, but this process can take some time. It has been likened to applying for college. Expect rejection and keep going until you get acceptance.

So in the mean time, I will be receive my grammar corrections, perfect the document, and prepare it for formal review by these agents, if they request a sample. I am also roughing out my second novel. If I get picked up by a publisher, I'd like to show ongoing work. Publishers like to invest in series and ongoing series.

I apologize for this delay, but I have to do what is right for my career and my family. I know all of you can understand. Please keep positive thoughts flowing my way. I do not know how long this process will take, but hopefully I won't be delayed much longer!

Happy reading!

I am taking this moment to share with my fans a great joy in my life. Today is THE day, one year ago, that I married my best friend, soul mate and true love. I am looking forward to another great year of wedded bliss with my handsome and amazing husband.  ♥

Thank-you all for allowing me to gush. The novel is going very well. I will have the second round of edits in hand on Thursday. I have made some great improvements to the plot and character building. I think it will deeply enjoyable. Thank-you all for your patience during this intensive creative process.

The edits are going very well. I am loving the process of reading my novel again after two months of no contact with the document. As I'm finding little holes in my plot lines it excites me to know I can add more to this great story. I am sure as I tighten the story line, the plot and character development will add so much more depth to the story.

I truly wish I could divulge so much more about the story, but I have to hold myself back in an effort to preserve my ideas. Once my work is copyrighted and off to the press I plan to release an excerpt from the book. The ideas I have are so unique, I'm afraid to do anything before hand. This first novel is my debut and will provide me with a type of identity. I am keeping that very close to me and I'm sure you all will understand.

Its really been hard to keep so much under wraps. I hope I can report back to you soon with a great update. Thank you all for your continuing support!

Back to my edits. Hope to update you all soon!

Happy Reading!

Let the Editing Begin!

Hello friends. I am so excited to finally tell you I received my first round of edits back from one of my editors. He is so excited about the novel stating he enjoyed the plot twists and the "imagery was joyous." I am so excited to begin working on the suggested edits to bring you the best novel this can be.

I hope this novel will expand the way people view the world of fantasy and break through some of the parameters that seem to restrict the genera. I am very optimistic how this novel will be received by the public, especially now that I have received my edits and positive feedback.

For the future my editor and I hope I can continue this story in a second novel, but that depends on this novel's outcome. I thank you all for your ongoing support. I sincerely hope this will be an amazing read for all of you once it is published.

Please excuse my absence during this intensive process. I have about 39,488 words to go through in this document as of now, with expansions to make in certain areas. Please continue to spread the word of my novel  to your friends and family. You can still contact me through my fan page on Facebook, I will try to get back to you ASAP. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Barba-Author/221873424570426

Happy Reading!

First I want to take this time to say Happy Valentines Day to all my family, friends and fans. If your single then I must also say Happy Single's Awareness Day and I commend you for your fiscal awareness this year. All kidding aside I hope that Valentines Day this year is a great one for all of you.

Editing is still ongoing, but I am happy to announce that I will be developing one of the races further in this novel. As I was drifting off to sleep last night a phenomenal idea came over me and I really believe it will enhance the experience of the novel. I do not think I will be able to write it all in today, but possibly I will be sitting down to write more on Wednesday. I am very excited to continue developing my story line.

So as you can all see the process is continuing in a positive direction. I hope to get my manuscripts back from my editors and start the final edit in March, that is my goal. I certainly hope it is an achievable one!

I also wanted to say thanks for the support! My blog page has about 98 views! I cannot wait to break the 100 view mark and its all because of you coming to visit and supporting me in my en devours. Don't forget to follow me on my Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Barba-Author/221873424570426

Thank-you all again for your support. Make tomorrow a day to remember!

Things are moving right along in the editing process. Though it is not yet completed, I am looking forward to sending the finished product to Abbott Press for publishing. Its interesting looking back on the work you've done and pick up on little things that you forgot to add in. Writing can be a blur from one topic to the next. Sometimes I find myself trying to remember so much of the little details that I have to abandon them, get the main points out, and then return to add detailing.

Its also hard to accept that what you've done is good enough. I always look at my work and wonder 'how can it be better?' I do this at least 100 times as I'm reading. The final edit is going to be a massive overhaul on the whole book. When I get the manuscripts back from my two editors I will be embarking on an in-depth review/edit of the whole work. The anticipation for that moment is intimidating and exciting, since it will be the end of a long writing journey, but a mountain of work to get through to do it. This whole process is a labor of love for me and thank goodness for that, because if I didn't love it, then I wouldn't do it.

The manuscript will then go under review at Abbott, with hopefully little to no changes made to the work. While Abbott is reviewing the manuscript I will begin character design with my husband and artist, Ron Barba. I do anticipate this collaboration to be interesting. We are both very creative people and its always difficult to get a picture out of one person's head, translate it to another person, who then must put it on paper. I think we are up to the challenge. I can't wait to see what Ron has in store for the cover art as well. I am hoping for something that will make my novel pop off a screen or bookshelf. So far my ideas are simple, but really good in detail, at least I think so.

Once the cover is created and is approved by Abbott I will post it to my Facebook Fan page. All the drawings Ron does will be copyrighted and posted to his Fine Art America site for purchase. I know that people will fall in love with my characters and will want posters of their favorites, what better than the artist sketch itself? Of course die hard fans will appreciate that more, but I think it will be a nice sentiment.

I just wanted to thank everyone for their support during this process. I am really looking forward to the final stages of this en devour and I hope its final product is everything I think it will be. If I happen to disappear for a while during the above mentioned time, feel free to leave me posts or comments here or on my page. In no means to I mean to neglect anyone and I will try to get back to you as fast as I can. I, of course, will notify you when this final overhaul is going to begin.

Have a blessed day everyone! Happy reading!

Do you like magic? How about epic battles? Elves aren't the only ones who can fight. Check out this story of a female assassin. Her struggle to discover the fate of her long lost family. The battle to keep good in control of this world. These battle scenes are fit for the silver screen!

We have also decided to include drawings of the characters in the rear of the novel. I believe this will add to the experience and help with envisioning the characters. Naturally I selected Artist, Ronald Barba for the cover art and the character drawings. You can find Ron at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ronald-Barba-Artist/186860578071034

Why did I chose to be a Fantasy writer?


Well there are a lot of Fantasy novels out there. The genera's popularity has particularly exploded after the release of movies like LoR and I anticipate another small boom after the Hobbit is released. I chose to be a Fantasy writer because that is what appeals to me. I have a profession that is very real and shoves the realism of this world right in your face. The world of Fantasy writing allows me to escape that, even for just a moment. It affords me the opportunity to just break away from the world around me and be completely in creative conceptual control. 


With famous Authors like RA Salvatore how is there room for me in this giant world that is Fantasy? 


RA is a very respected author and rightfully so. He has inspired my writing as I am sure he has inspired many people. He even has his creative hand in a video game now. I hope one day to be as highly respected as he is. I think the individualism of my ideas and the characters loose basis on real people in my life will set me apart. I have not chosen to neglect forms of mythical creatures; I just embrace and include them. For instance, what is the difference between a pixie and a fairy? Most people would define them as not having a difference at all. I do not. In my novel they are two completely different beings and I explain how in the novel itself. 


How did I get the idea to write this novel?


I've always wanted to write a novel. In high school I started writing poetry and that's where the dream started. I had been trying to write a novel since then, but I don't think I had enough depth of character myself to succeed. I threw out many ideas since I started hating them. One day, in 2011, I sat down and started typing and this story came out. I had it developing in my head the whole time and finally was able to fill the gaps. I think I needed life experience and to develop into myself a little more in order to do this. 


What is it like writing a novel?


As you can imagine its time consuming. I became really great friends with a dictionary and thesaurus. Its also creatively exhausting. I could most compare it to a musician who creates a whole CD of songs or an artist after they finish a painting or drawing. Your so proud of yourself and your work, but your mentally and emotionally drained. I have edited the book myself at least five times and finally had to let two other trusted individuals read it. The thing about this is, at least for me, I tend to second guess myself. I'm sort of a perfectionist, so what others say is great I only see as acceptable. That is only because I am its creator and I am harder on myself.


Do I plan to write further novels?


This is the first book in a saga, or at least what I hope will be a saga. Since I will be self published (there is no upfront money in self publishing) I want to make sure there will be interest before I spend the money to publish another. I sincerely hope there will be that much interest. I've already started planning the second novel in the saga. 


What are my goals as a writer?


Firstly I hope to inspire someone, maybe the next great writer in Literature. I don't expect my novel to be on the level of a Pulitzer Prize, though that would be great. I mainly hope it accomplishes the respected Best Seller level. I like to my know ideas are accepted and out there. I want to keep the fun in writing. The day this does not continue being fun for me, is the day I stop. Monetarily this is very attractive, but the world of writing and publishing is a sink or swim industry. The important thing is for me to stay grounded and I'm thankful to have great family and friends around me who will keep me in check. 

A young woman separated from her family is forced to fight for survival in a new world. Will she adapt or will this be to much to overcome? Everything she ever knew, friends and family torn away from her in an instant. Cast into a new world, so different from our own, how will she adapt? Follow her as she struggles to hold onto hope and life.

A Life Restored

Greetings to all. I am Sarah Barba an aspiring author who is about to make a splash in the world of Fantasy writing (at least I hope). This has been a dream of mine for many years and now I am finally about to make it come true. I am in the final stages of preparing my book to send it to Abbott Press for publishing.

This is a story of a woman, Airlea, who has had her world ripped apart. Cast back in time, to a simpler age you would think life could just reset, but that is not the case. Everything around her has changed. She is now in a world of magic, giants, and characters she never thought possible. The world as we know it is changing, but her world is gone. Forced to adapt in a completely new environment, how would you survive in her world? Follow me for more of the story and to be one of the first notified when my first book is released for purchase!

I don't want to give to much away, but this is going to be amazing.

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