Just a little something to make you smile. 🙂

This is such great advice. Too often we’re stopped before we even begin. How has this fear of rejection manifested in your life?

Afraid to send that query?

Afraid to finish your book?

Afraid of not being perfect, or criticized, or getting bad reviews?

We all pause over the keyboard from time to time. Know that you’re not alone.

We pause over the keyboard no matter what stage we’re at. No matter how many books we’ve published.

When you feel this fear, let it fuel you. Use it as a litmus test that you’re onto something important and powerful.

Here’s an article I did for Writer’s Digest. It’s a deeper dive into flipping our fear and making it work for us:

https://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/writing-through-fear

Keep moving forward. You matter and your story matters. We need your voice in the world. ♥️🌎📚

Sometimes books die on sub, and that’s what happened to this one. It was hard for me and my client. However, he continues to move forward and the best thing for him emotionally was just to self publish the project and move on. I am happy to report that he’s still writing! And no — Rex Flint is not his real name. 😉

Right now this book is FREE on Kindle Unlimited, so please go grab a copy and leave a review. Better yet — purchase the book and give this author a boost. Again, PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! <3

One of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn in publishing is how to pivot. How to feel something and then move on.

Every “no” on submission isn’t the end of the story—it’s just a plot twist. The authors who thrive are the ones who let themselves grieve the project that didn’t sell, then pick up the pen again anyway. They self-publish, they write the next book, they keep showing up. Sometimes they just put the book on the “not yet” pause. That resilience is what separates the dreamers from the career writers.

So if you’re an author staring at a manuscript that didn’t get picked up, or you’re wondering if it’s worth it to keep going—please hear this: it is. Your story still matters. Your voice still deserves to be read. And sometimes the very book that “died on sub” becomes the one that finds its readers in the wild and reminds you why you started in the first place.

Rex Flint kept writing. I hope you will too. ❤️

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Shadow Sentinel: A Genetic Engineering Technothriller
Written by Rex Flint, the former Pentagon cyber operator who turns classified nightmares into edge-of-your-seat thrillers.

Monsters aren’t born. They’re engineered.

When a flash flood seals off Tall Pines, Georgia, ex–Air Force investigator Archer Lucas is dropped into a nightmare. Locals whisper about the Wampus Cat. The truth is uglier: A secret research lab has turned the Appalachian woods into a live test range for gene-spliced predators.

Cut off by rising water and dirty politics, Archer’s only reliable ally is A.L.I.C.E., an off-grid AI with her own secrets. By dawn, the bodies will stack up unless Archer can expose the operation, outmaneuver a federal smokescreen, and survive the hunt.

Shadow Sentinel blends Michael Crichton’s scientific dread with Stephen King’s knife-edge tension: biotech gone feral, a town under siege, and an investigator who refuses to look away.

You’ll love this if you’re into:

• Technothrillers like Jurassic Park, The Terminal List, Relentless

• Survival horror like The Troop and The Ruins

• Deep-state intrigue, black-site biotech, and unstoppable monsters

Lock your doors. Keep the lights on. The hunt begins now.

Here’s some excellent advice from Mike Nappa. While I’m not sure I’d say 4 and done, this is some practical advice that many writers need. Many times when I send a rejection, it’s because writers just query too early. And hey — if you remember my stories from the early Fireside Chats, I fell into that camp starting out too.

A book is definitely not finished in one draft, friends. I do get a little suspicious if I hear an author has only done 1 or 2 drafts. Honestly, there are so many nuances in fiction that need to be brought out — layers and textures, sensory details and sometimes spiritual threads… metaphors, and etc. So much gold to be mined in our stories and in us.

My experience was 11 drafts for my first novel and 7 drafts for my second one. I was doing a lot of learning during my first novel, however.

Writing my second novel felt a little bit like muscle memory at the time, which was such a relief.

HOWEVER, I hardly want to tell you what number of drafts I’m on with my third novel. Truth is, I’ve lost count. It’s saved as *cough* (novel title) 18.

Perhaps I don’t have quit in me, and perhaps if I would have heeded Mike’s advice, I’d be onto another project by now (I actually do have another project going – tee-hee). But hey — I’m here for it and I want to see every book through.

Also, I have to give myself some grace on book 3. I went through 5 of the worst years of my life during the writing of that one. Sometimes it was hard to think. After my dad passed away, I worried if I’d lost my ability to write. There were long spells when I couldn’t. But, I’ll save those tales for another time.

I’m a fan of giving ourselves grace. Us writer types are often too hard on ourselves anyway. But, perhaps we can take Mike’s wise no bull crap words into account too.

So tell me: How many drafts do you have currently? How many drafts did you do on a novel before it was traditionally published? How many drafts before you self published?

Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂

Our very own Tamatha Cain! WOOHOO!!!

I love this Q&A that she did for Writing Day Workshops. There’s a lot of hard-won wisdom here. Let her know what points resonated with you!

FYI: Chronicle Books has an open submission for children’s books coming up! May 3–17, 2026.

Adult trade unagented submissions are open now. Chronicle Books publishes a wide range of nonfiction books on their adult trade list, in categories such as cooking, fine art, design, photography, pop culture, fashion, beauty, home décor, personal relationships, and more. We also publish innovative formats, such as interactive journals, decks, games, stationery, and much, much more. Please note: They do not acquire adult fiction.

They often hire freelance writers for book projects, particularly in humor, pop-culture, or other specialized categories, and occasionally for non-book formats with written content, such as decks, guided journals, or other gift products.

Check them out if this is up your alley! And read the first comment for even more open submissions right now.

Exciting Patreon Live Event!

Join me for a special live Zoom Q&A with Alec Loganbill, Acquisitions Editor of Plainspoken Books—the bold new nonfiction trade imprint from the University Press of Kansas!

Alec is a lifelong Kansan and proud Midwesterner on a mission to amplify authentic voices from the heartland. He’s actively acquiring strong, concept-driven books about the politics, cultures, and environments of the Midwest—think narrative journalism, sharp political commentary, inspiring memoir, zeitgeisty history, and stories with a powerful sense of place that deserve a national stage.

Whether you’re an author with a Midwest story, a writer crafting a nonfiction proposal, or simply curious about what editors are really looking for right now, this is your chance to get rare, behind-the-scenes insight straight from the source.

Bring your questions!

This intimate, interactive session is exclusive to my Patreon community.

You can register here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/u7aOjBMzTqadmHD-24JCqA#/registration

About Plainspoken Books:

https://kansaspress.ku.edu/blog/2025/09/03/plainspoken-imprint-at-university-press-of-kansas/

Get ready to talk books, publishing, and the power of place. Can’t wait to see you there!

— Brandy Vallance

A continuation of the April 2026 Fireside Chat. Why not? Enjoy!

P.S. This is my 300th Patreon post! WOOHOO! I remember building this platform for 7 months before the first member ever came along. It was a bit like therapy for me in the evenings and I used to decompress by posting. 🙂 It also reinforced the “why not” in me. And now I’m blown away by all of you!

Remember: “If you build it, they will come.” -Field of Dreams.

You’ve got to be the president of your own fan club.

Keep the faith. You’ve got something to say.

There is only one you.

When you hear crickets, just keep building! This is PARTICULARLY true if you are an author. There will be plenty of times when you think no one is listening and nothing is working. PLENTY of people will want to tell you why it is not working. Ignore them.

Philippians 1:6 gives me hope. God started something in you. He’s the best storyteller of all. Just keep moving forward no matter what and hold onto His promises. Hold onto your crazy faith! Hold onto those dreams you had forever ago. Hold onto that creativity that makes you come alive and act like a joyful 5 year old!

Your journey might look weird. It also might be hard. Like try to kill you kinda hard sometimes. It might not look like what you thought it was going to look like . . . but it just might look better.

Remember Jeremiah’s scroll from the Fireside Chat. If there was ever a time when a book or your career didn’t work out, it can be better by moving forward and trying again. By reinventing yourself. By finding your tribe. You’re deeper and wiser now!

Who needs a “better the second time” experience? I know I do.

I’m cheering you on!