As you know, I submitted revisions to the Inkshares Editorial Team late in March of this year. I have been, as I know many of you have been, eagerly awaiting an update on the publishing timeline.
Yesterday I received an update from the Editorial Team, but it was not the update I was anticipating. The Inkshares Editorial Team has decided not to publish Wild Conviction. Their email stated the reason as: “While we understand the story’s thematic relevance in today’s America, our feeling is that there remains a significant gulf still between the story you wish to write and the story that we believe will find a large enough audience in today’s publishing climate.”
I respect their decision and reason. And I am thankful for the time I have spent as an aspiring Inkshares author.
I have met so many great authors with Inkshares, and I have communicated with amazing, wonderful people—you, the readers and supporters of Wild Conviction—in the process of the pre-order campaign and the 2020 All-Genre Manuscript contest.
I am grateful to Inkshares for these opportunities to build community.
Wild Conviction is still the recipient of these honors:
Inkshares Staff Syndicate Pick, July 2020
Inkshares Break the Bechdel with Strong Female Characters Syndicate Pick, October 2020
Inkshares 2020 All-Genre Manuscript Contest 3rd Place Winner, announced February 28, 2021
Thank you, readers and supporters of Wild Conviction. You made its winning of the 2020 All-Genre Manuscript Content happen!
As well, so many of you worked hard and spent much of your time, as I did, to reach out to your friends and family to get the pre-orders with Inkshares, of which there are 276! Your dedication, time, energy, engagement and pre-orders to help me succeed as a published novelist is the loveliest honor I know. I am so grateful.
Moving forward:
Those who have pre-ordered will be receiving a refund from Inkshares.
I will begin work immediately to independently publish Wild Conviction.
From all of your support and your questions about when you might get to read this story, I know you believe in this novel, as I do, so...
I hope that you will want to, once again, order Wild Conviction—this time by working directly with me—and that you will be reading it soon!
You all have been fabulous during the pre-order campaign, the contest, and awaiting publication news with me. What a great ride it has been, and the ride continues!
If you do not already subscribe to my newsletter, I hope that you will subscribe now, so that I can continue to be in contact with you about the new progress to publication for Wild Conviction. You can subscribe at the bottom of any page of my website: MaryDezember.com
Hi Supporters of WILD CONVICTION! I have no news or updates yet on when my novel will be published and in your hands, but I do have this great news!
Below is the opening of a wonderful review by T. A. Niles of the chapters posted and promotional items/pre-order gifts for WILD CONVICTION (publisher Inkshares).
T. A. is such an excellent and poetic writer! I am SO honored!
DEZEMBER ALL YEAR LONG WITH WILD CONVICTION: A Review by T. A. Niles
“When you preorder Mary Dezember’s Wild Conviction and participate in her efforts to promote the book, you never know what you’re going to get. But as with most things Mary, you do know you’re likely to get more than you normally would from just about anyone else.I was a lucky recipient of quite the package some days ago, and while you have to do a few things—participate in the novel’s promotional activities—to be the recipient of such a package, it was far more than I expected.”
And, remember, anyone who pre-orders can receive GrandMama’s letter, which is also Chapter 3, and other gifts (with the number of pre-orders). Please know that I am behind on getting some of the letters printed and sent, but I plan to catch up by the end of July.
You can read posted chapters on the WILD CONVICTION Inkshares page at:
A year ago today, I learned my novel WILD CONVICTION was a winner of the Inkshares 2020 All-Genre Manuscript Contest!
WILD CONVICTION is a winner thanks to you, Awesome Supporters, through your engagement with comments, reviews, nominations and pre-orders supporting this novel and my journey to publication of my first novel!!
So, where are we one year later on the publication and release of WILD CONVICTION?
I am currently writing some edits based on suggestions from publisher Inkshares that I received in mid-January 2022.
After these edits are read by the Inkshares editorial board, the next step should be the final polish edits, then onto the actual production for publishing!
When will you have the finished novel to read? I don’t know exactly, but my heart is hoping for less than a year from now.
In the meantime, I have posted the first 8 slightly-edited chapters on
https://www.inkshares.com/books/wild-conviction
(Well, Chapter 3 isn’t posted, as it is the mysterious letter from GrandMama to Twilight. But remember, those who have pre-ordered or who still pre-order can received that “actual” letter with “magical” gifts tucked inside if you want it, so you receive Chapter 3 in that way.)
I also have a contest going on now based on these posted chapters to win gifts related to the novel.
Be sure to read my newsletter or subscribe to my newsletter if you don’t already receive it to find out more about the contests. You can subscribe at the bottom of any page of my website:
https://www.marydezember.com/
I hope you enjoy reading those posted chapters!
And I hope that by reading them you continue to be intrigued to have this novel in your hands to discover the twists and turns of this story and its significance concerning our society past and present.
(Photo by Alex Iby on Unsplash, seen here only as a placeholder cover photo. Placeholder cover design by Mary Dezember. Actual cover to be designed by Inkshares.)
Dear Supporters, Readers and Followers of Wild Conviction,
Great news!
The Inkshares Publishing Operations Manager notified me today that the editorial team has finished reading the other two winners of the 2020 All-Genre Manuscript Contest and will begin reading Wild Conviction soon, most likely this week, and hope to have editorial notes to me by mid December.
As you know —
because many of you have read and commented on passages from Wild Conviction on the novel’s Inkshares page, or you have heard me read passages at my pre-order campaign launches, invitations to your events or classes, open mics, and my writing group, and a few of you have been beta readers —
I have worked long and hard crafting this story so that it is engaging, well-written, sensitive and significant to historical and current issues of human rights, equality and freedom.
I look forward to the editorial comments and am so excited that we are on the path to having the novel published and in your hands.
Thank you for all of your ongoing support and well-wishes! Wild Conviction being published by Inkshares could not have happened without you!
Hi Readers, Supporters and Followers of WILD CONVICTION!
Good news! This morning I submitted the completed manuscript of my novel, WILD CONVICTION, to Inkshares!
(I had hoped to do this a month or two earlier, but several difficult life changes and tragic events slowed my process and progress.)
Thanks for your great suggestions and support to my beta readers and to all who have read chapters and commented or reviewed on my WILD CONVICTION Inkshares page.
I have completed my own series of rigorous editing and made some changes I am happy with, so now it’s in the reading queue for the editors at Inkshares.
The process to publication will take some time, and I am grateful for your continued support and patience.
I’ll keep you updated with information as I receive it from Inkshares. We are moving toward the day when you can read the entire novel!
Until then, don’t hesitate to contact me and to read the chapter postings on my WILD CONVICTION Inkshares page.
I just added two more chapters today—Chapter Six and Chapter Seven:
Chapter Six mentions more about the famous historical literary figure first mentioned in Chapter Four.
Chapter Seven introduces a surprise fictional character who adds intrigue and more conflict to Twilight’s life...
And, as I have been promising, I’ll be sending GrandMama’s “actual” letter--with secrets, magic and mystery inside it--to those who pre-ordered and want it but haven’t yet received it.
This letter is the important Chapter 3, which is not available to read on my Inkshares page.
I have sent out GrandMama’s "actual" letter to many who have pre-ordered, but then life became very difficult, slowing that process also. But now I plan get back to sending those out to those of you who have been patiently waiting.
Please tell your friends and family about pre-ordering the novel, for GrandMama’s letter filled with secrets, magic and mystery is a "pre-order perk"--sent just to those who pre-order and want the letter. (After receiving each pre-order, I write a thank you email and ask if that person would like the letter mailed to them.)
Remember—for anyone who’d like to add Wild Conviction to their life, they can! By pre-ordering!
It was one year ago today (June 1, 2020) that I launched my pre-order campaign to hopefully be published by Inkshares.
Wow, a year ago I launched this dream, not knowing if it would happen...
As you know, thanks to many pre-orders--and, on my Inkshares novel WILD CONVICTION page, thanks to the great comments, reviews and nominations--my novel was a winner in the Inkshares 2020 All-Genre Manuscript Contest (announced the end of February 2021), thus winning publication!
It will take some time yet before you have your copy in your hands, as the pandemic has slowed many things, and there are still several processes to go through before publication is finished.
My manuscript will be with an Inkshares editor soon, and then I hope to have more information and updates to share...
You can still engage with my novel on my Inkshares WILD CONVICTION page by reading the chapters posted there and making comments.
If you pre-order and want Chapter 3--which is GrandMama’s letter full of secrets and gifts--I am thrilled to send it to you.
If you have pre-ordered and told me you’d like the letter but haven’t received yours yet, I apologize for the delay and will do that very soon!
Thanks to you all for your super support! I am here--as a soon-to-be-published-novel-author--because of you!
Now, I must get back to finishing some revisions....
Thank you, Teresa! You have been on this journey with me offering tons of support in many ways!! Yay for our wild convictions and for Wild Conviction! I am honored and blessed to know you, too, and be a part of our poetry community!
Dear Supporters and Readers of Wild Conviction,
As you know, I submitted revisions to the Inkshares Editorial Team late in March of this year. I have been, as I know many of you have been, eagerly awaiting an update on the publishing timeline.
Yesterday I received an update from the Editorial Team, but it was not the update I was anticipating. The Inkshares Editorial Team has decided not to publish Wild Conviction. Their email stated the reason as: “While we understand the story’s thematic relevance in today’s America, our feeling is that there remains a significant gulf still between the story you wish to write and the story that we believe will find a large enough audience in today’s publishing climate.”
I respect their decision and reason. And I am thankful for the time I have spent as an aspiring Inkshares author.
I have met so many great authors with Inkshares, and I have communicated with amazing, wonderful people—you, the readers and supporters of Wild Conviction—in the process of the pre-order campaign and the 2020 All-Genre Manuscript contest.
I am grateful to Inkshares for these opportunities to build community.
Wild Conviction is still the recipient of these honors:
Thank you, readers and supporters of Wild Conviction. You made its winning of the 2020 All-Genre Manuscript Content happen!
As well, so many of you worked hard and spent much of your time, as I did, to reach out to your friends and family to get the pre-orders with Inkshares, of which there are 276! Your dedication, time, energy, engagement and pre-orders to help me succeed as a published novelist is the loveliest honor I know. I am so grateful.
Moving forward:
You all have been fabulous during the pre-order campaign, the contest, and awaiting publication news with me. What a great ride it has been, and the ride continues!
If you do not already subscribe to my newsletter, I hope that you will subscribe now, so that I can continue to be in contact with you about the new progress to publication for Wild Conviction. You can subscribe at the bottom of any page of my website: MaryDezember.com
Onward and upward.
In gratitude,
Mary & Twilight
I have no news or updates yet on when my novel will be published and in your hands, but I do have this great news!
https://tapoetexpress.blogspot.com/2022/05/dezember-all-year-long-with-wild.html
T. A. is such an excellent and poetic writer!
I am SO honored!
“When you preorder Mary Dezember’s Wild Conviction and participate in her efforts to promote the book, you never know what you’re going to get. But as with most things Mary, you do know you’re likely to get more than you normally would from just about anyone else.I was a lucky recipient of quite the package some days ago, and while you have to do a few things—participate in the novel’s promotional activities—to be the recipient of such a package, it was far more than I expected.”
https://tapoetexpress.blogspot.com/2022/05/dezember-all-year-long-with-wild.html
And, remember, anyone who pre-orders can receive GrandMama’s letter, which is also Chapter 3, and other gifts (with the number of pre-orders). Please know that I am behind on getting some of the letters printed and sent, but I plan to catch up by the end of July.
https://www.marydezember.com/gifts-shop-1
Thank you again to T.A. for the review, and thanks to ALL receiving this for your support of my novel WILD CONVICTION.
Best wishes! Mary
Dear Supporters, Readers and Followers of Wild Conviction,
Great news!
The Inkshares Publishing Operations Manager notified me today that the editorial team has finished reading the other two winners of the 2020 All-Genre Manuscript Contest and will begin reading Wild Conviction soon, most likely this week, and hope to have editorial notes to me by mid December.
As you know —
because many of you have read and commented on passages from Wild Conviction on the novel’s Inkshares page, or you have heard me read passages at my pre-order campaign launches, invitations to your events or classes, open mics, and my writing group, and a few of you have been beta readers —
I have worked long and hard crafting this story so that it is engaging, well-written, sensitive and significant to historical and current issues of human rights, equality and freedom.
I look forward to the editorial comments and am so excited that we are on the path to having the novel published and in your hands.
Thank you for all of your ongoing support and well-wishes! Wild Conviction being published by Inkshares could not have happened without you!
Best wishes to you!!
Mary
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Hi Readers, Supporters and Followers of WILD CONVICTION!
Good news! This morning I submitted the completed manuscript of my novel, WILD CONVICTION, to Inkshares!
(I had hoped to do this a month or two earlier, but several difficult life changes and tragic events slowed my process and progress.)
Thanks for your great suggestions and support to my beta readers and to all who have read chapters and commented or reviewed on my WILD CONVICTION Inkshares page.
I have completed my own series of rigorous editing and made some changes I am happy with, so now it’s in the reading queue for the editors at Inkshares.
The process to publication will take some time, and I am grateful for your continued support and patience.
I’ll keep you updated with information as I receive it from Inkshares. We are moving toward the day when you can read the entire novel!
Until then, don’t hesitate to contact me and to read the chapter postings on my WILD CONVICTION Inkshares page.
I just added two more chapters today—Chapter Six and Chapter Seven:
To read, go to https://www.inkshares.com/books/wild-conviction. Click on READ.
And, as I have been promising, I’ll be sending GrandMama’s “actual” letter--with secrets, magic and mystery inside it--to those who pre-ordered and want it but haven’t yet received it.
This letter is the important Chapter 3, which is not available to read on my Inkshares page.
I have sent out GrandMama’s "actual" letter to many who have pre-ordered, but then life became very difficult, slowing that process also. But now I plan get back to sending those out to those of you who have been patiently waiting.
Please tell your friends and family about pre-ordering the novel, for GrandMama’s letter filled with secrets, magic and mystery is a "pre-order perk"--sent just to those who pre-order and want the letter. (After receiving each pre-order, I write a thank you email and ask if that person would like the letter mailed to them.)
Remember—for anyone who’d like to add Wild Conviction to their life, they can! By pre-ordering!
Thanks to you all!
Best wishes,
Mary
Dear Readers and Supporters of WILD CONVICTION,
Happy Juneteenth! Finally a federal holiday!
Thank you to every champion of freedom--past, present and future.
Mary