THE WRONG GUY was born on March 1, 2011. Like all of my children, I think she deserves a little party. And in her honor and her appreciation, I’d like to take the time to thank all of the folks that contributed to her birth and her success. Like any child, she’s required a village.

First and foremost, I have to thank my family for having faith in my ability to write a novel and for their sacrifices. Often times, I’d leave town to work with my editor or to attend the Southern California Writers Conference. Used to having me around, I’m sure it was an adjustment to have mom and wife running off to strange places to write. Then, there was Michael Thompkins, my writing coach. He saw me through the thick and thin of the story and boosted my wavering confidence when I fell into my head. Why did I think I could write a book? Who would want to publish it? Many edits later, The Wrong Guy tagged along with me to the SCWC and I met Karen Syed, Echelon Press publisher. That year, Karen asked me to send her the finished manuscript. Then, the following year, she asked me to send it again. Finally, I worked up the nerve. My fear of failure had shrouded me for way too long. Months later, Karen emailed me and told me that Echelon Press was interested in publishing my mystery. I turned cartwheels in the front yard that day. (Okay, not quite, but if I coulda, I woulda).

Trust me, the hard work was just beginning. Editing to a deadline caused my head to pound to near bursting and there wasn’t enough exercise in the world or enough wine to calm me down in that few months. Thanks to J. R. Turner, I survived the edits.

On March 1, 2011, THE WRONG GUY was published in eBook format. The print copy followed in June 2011. Looking back, the book launch was my favorite event of all. My family attended as well as my BFF, Lori LaBoe, who had read countless versions of the manuscript before it was published. Celebrating with friends and family was a highlight that matched the births of my children, and I will forever be grateful to all who shared a part in this journey.

Tags: Claudia Whitsitt, Echelon Press, Southern California Writers Conference, The Wrong Guy

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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 1st, 2012 at 10:51 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.