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Status: Drafting the fourth book in the PERILOUS series!

Monday, February 13, 2012

To Be Read or Not To Be

That is the question.

Do authors really care about making money? It would be nice, right? I would love to get a $750,000 advance, buy my dream house, make millions off movie deals, and settle nicely into a comfortable writing schedule with no pressure.

But that's not what motivates me, and I bet it's not what motivates you, either.

What motivates us is being read.

We are motivated by that pivotal moment when the reader gasps aloud with our character, when our character's feelings become so real that the reader cries along with them, or fears for them, or is moved by them. We are motivated by readers who think about our book and our characters long after the book is over, who dream about our characters, who beg us to write more because they refuse to believe that these characters could be OVER, that they are nothing more than figments of imagination who only existed for a few pages.

I would love to have career as an author. Right now it's a hobby. And an expensive one, at that. But I'm thrilled that in the past few days, thousands of people have downloaded my book. Thousands of people are reading my book. And I hope they are falling in love with my characters. I hope they are feeling just a bit of the emotional connection I felt while I wrote the book.

If you haven't snagged it, Perilous is still free. For now.

http://www.amazon.com/Perilous-YA-Suspense-ebook/dp/B0045JLQCI

10 comments:

Sherri Lackey said...

Yes, for me it is about my readers and not about making a living out of my writing. I suppose that takes some of the pressure off so that I can just enjoy writing, not being on a deadline to publish. It gives me a great feeling when my readers connect with what I am trying to communicate via written words!

Sherri Lackey said...

Ooop! I forgot to say thanks for the free ebook! I downloaded it into my Kindle cloud reader. :)

Vicky B said...

If I wanted to make money, I would be an accountant or whatever career makes money these days. I write because I have to. I can't imagine not writing. I'm pretty sure my head would hurt all the time.

Tamara Hart Heiner said...

Ha, Sherri, don't thank me! Thank you for downloading! That makes me happy!

Sherri Lackey said...

Wow! I just started reading Perilous and I'm hooked into the story line already! Can't wait to read the rest of it. That the first paragraph starts out in Havre, MT is especially interesting since that is east of where I live in Shelby. We've traveled that 2 lane highway you mentioned several times. :)

Voidwalker said...

I feel the exact same way. It's not about the money... I just want someone to fall in love with my ideas and characters like I have. It's about sharing a part of myself with the world. Money's just a nice perk.

Anonymous said...

What? People actually make money for their books? That would be a novel experience haha!! I can't wait to get my first royalty cheque in a months time or so. I think I will frame it, it will be worth more to me than cash value :D

Sherri Lackey said...

Just me again. I couldn't put it down and finished reading Perilous. Excellent story! Can't wait for the sequel!

Tamara Hart Heiner said...

Sherri, glad you enjoyed it! That's such wonderful feedback! I've actually never been on that 2-way highway. I'm sure you can imagine the research that went into the book!

Voidwalker, my thoughts exactly.

Kurt, um... I'm not that sentimental! LOL!

Julie Daines said...

There's nothing like free to motivate a reader! I'm glad so many people are downloading it. I hope they all love it as much as I did.

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