Sent "La Bruja del Barrio Loco" to the Editor and Posted It to My Writing Group

Yesterday, I was agonizing over the comments from a beta reader I trust that the protagonist in my next short is fundamentally unlikable and possibly a bad mother.  Yes, ouch!  So, I sent it to my editor, again, and posted it to my small CW group. (I could give it up to Jesus too.)  Oh, and I sent it to my sister who has  background in psychology and reads a lot. Essentially, the story needs more work, and I am not going to scrap it, even if my main character is a bitch. 

In fact, I added another scene to it.  Well, that was my resolution to this writing agony: If the main character is fundamentally unlikable, then, I will make the other elements of the story, so compelling people will still want to read it.  Sometimes, you have to do right by you, and in case you haven't noticed, I really like this story.  I am eager to write the one coming after it, so this one must continue.

Yesterday, I also had a series of head shots and a family pictures taken. See below.  My family looks great!  We will see about the author shots.  My good friend did this amazing work and offered to design my covers.  I may take him up on that because I have more shorts coming out next month. 

However, I farmed the next one to my other friend who designed the cover for Wolf Trek. I can't wait to see what he comes up with. I sent him a prototype this time, and explained in greater detail how I wanted the back. He has a hard copy of Wolf Trek, and I will mail him a copy of the proof, so he can see the whole layout.

I also connected with a new writing group on Facebook, Writers Helping Writers, and got some great feedback on the description for the next book:

When Elisa Sandoval, encounters a real witch in a curandera shop, a Mexican herbal shop meant to help people, and she slights the old woman over a seemingly trivial matter, her life becomes an unimaginable hell. La Bruja torments her for weeks, stalking Elisa and exhibiting impossible magic. As a graduate student of Women’s History, Elisa is incapable of admitting that she is seeing magic unfold before her eyes.

Then, the witch commits a series of gruesome crimes against Elisa and those she loves most, her son, Alex, and her boyfriend, Gregory Holden. Now, incarcerated for a murder she did not commit, Elisa must figure out how fight La Bruja.

But not all is lost, as she finds allies along the way who have battled La Bruja and will make any necessary sacrifice. But will Elisa be willing to do the same?

It does read better, shorter.  I hope I can get a great Beta reader through this group.  Happily, I will say that after my fourth pub, and even with the current writing agony, I am getting more confident to stand on my own two feet.  Honest to Peter. 

Sometimes, though, it's hard to face the writing mirror and tell the truth. Sometimes.

Be honest with yourself, but don't stop writing. Writing can be a real struggle, and that also hones great work and skills. #Resist