Happy Thursday, friends!
Today I’m spotlighting Linda Leigh Hargrove’s Saving Tate Michaels. This book came out in 2014 so we’re going back 5 years! Have you read it? If not, be sure to add it to your TBR pile!
Also, be sure to check out the message from Linda!
Overcoming the Fear of Self-publishing
Eleven years ago, the prospect of having to publish my own novels scared me to death. By September 2008, my first novel, The Making of Isaac Hunt, had gone into a second printing, and my second novel, Loving Cee Cee Johnson, was due to hit bookstore shelves soon. Even though my sales were low, I was happy to be a published author. I knew very little, at that time, about the effects the international economy had on book publishing.
The Great Recession (2007-2010) had a disastrous effect on many publishers around the world. In a few short months, my publisher, the Lift Every Voice imprint of Moody Publishers, closed its doors. As reality sank in that the third book in the series (Saving Tate Michaels) would not be published, fear began to grip me.
“You’re going to have to self-publish Book 3.”
I fought indie publishing for years, telling myself that I had neither the time nor the resources to even dip a toe into the world of self-publishing. After over five years of swinging on the pendulum of self-doubt and self-pity, I finally decided to push through the fear and embrace the reality that the third book would be published by me, myself, and I. The tipping point came when readers (the few loyal and vocal ones) began emailing me about the third book.
Forming my own publishing company was more than I could get my head around at that time. I was already running a home-based web and print design company as a work at home mom of three boys (two of them preschoolers). My dear husband was working 40-50 hour weeks in another city more than an hour away.
The turning point came when I realized that I needed to stop making excuses and start ‘eating the elephant’ one bite at a time. True, I couldn’t go all out with my own publishing label but what could I do? I joined online groups about indie publishing. I read tons of blog posts. I looked at YouTube videos. Bit by painful bit, I made progress. I finally published Saving Tate Michaels in August 2014.
No golden confetti fell from the heavens but I was happy. I’d finally finished the Isaac Hunt series. Was it perfect? No, but it was done.
The important thing I learned is humility, perseverance, and trust. Because of the extended lapse between Books 2 and 3, much of my momentum was lost. It felt like starting over again. Fear threatened to choke me again.
“Nobody is reading your books,” I told myself. “You’re doing all this research and writing for nothing.”
My faith in God had kept me going. In 2016, I felt the Lord prompting me to write shorter works of fiction. Instead of complaining about what I did not have or could not do, He asked me “What can you do?” Instantly I answered, I can learn to write novellas. Between 2017 and 2019, I’ve self published five novellas and three short stories. Not bad for someone who was once afraid of self publishing.
When you experience fear as a writer, use it as a trigger to push through doubt and confusion to examine what’s within your grasp. Take small steps forward as you increase your skills, bit by bit.
About the Book
Tate’s past and present threaten to pull him further from his relationship with God and family when he needs them most. To save his family from a kidnapper bent on revenge, Tate Michaels must first lose himself.
He’s a talented, intelligent black man who wants to move quickly up the ranks in the FBI. In his mind, the darker your skin, the slower the promotion. A slow rise to the top is not part of his career plan. After getting wind of an operation in Pettigrew, North Carolina, he leaps into the fray like an action hero, determined to make a high profile bust.
When the operation falls apart, Tate’s irresponsible antics get him stripped of his post (and his pride). To make matters worse, he draws the attention of Lew Spencer. Lew has his sights on resurrecting the defunct United Front, a Klan-like hate group once based in Pettigrew. Paranoid and violent, Lew puts his usual sex trafficking and drug pushing operations on hold to eliminate Tate Michaels once and for all. He kidnaps Tate’s family and sets an enormous ransom.
As Tate races against time to save his family from this madman, the question becomes who will save Tate Michaels. His salvation comes in the form of a feisty prostitute, a reformed racist, and the fair-skinned black man Tate vowed to eliminate from his life—his former friend, Isaac Hunt.
Tate Michaels learns the true meaning of faith, love, and family in this third and last installment of the Isaac Hunt series.
About the Author
Linda Leigh Hargrove blends suspense, humor, and faith into compelling stories about race and class in America. Her writings include full-length novels as well as “sweet” romance novellas.
Linda has taught workshops on fiction writing to adults and teens. To further help would-be writers realize their dreams of publication, she launched TheFaithToWrite.com.
She is a native of Washington County, North Carolina and currently resides near Charlotte with her husband and three sons. Connect with Linda on your favorite social media platforms.
Toni Shiloh 