Guest Blogger: Kristin Callender

Good karma ahoy! Tonight I’m handing over to my first-ever guest blogger.

Hello reader and fans of Between the Covers. I am Kristin Callender, author of The Truth Lies in the Dark. Thank you C. for hosting this blog and having me as a guest. And of course, thank you all of you for taking the time out of your own busy lives to be here with me (virtually).

The Truth Lies in the Dark is a mystery about a woman who lost all memory of her life as a child and then finds out that there is a dark secret that everyone in her life has known and kept from her, even her loving husband. If Amanda continues her journey to unlock the mysterious secret she could loose the only life she has known, but if she stops she will never know her true identity. What will she do? Who can she trust? By the end she will have to answer the most important question of all. Who is there is to help her and who is there to make sure the truth remains...in the dark?

This is my first book and I am excited to share it with everyone. It is challenging and rewarding writing, getting published, and then marketing a book. I have been asked what the hardest part of the whole process is. I usually answer with, whatever part I am currently involved in.

When I was writing The Truth Lies in the Dark my biggest challenge was finding time to just sit and get the story out of my head and onto paper. With four children, a husband, part time substitute teaching, the house, bills, etc...time, especially quiet time is rare.

Then, when the writing was done I had no idea what to do with this 250+ page manuscript. I knew nothing about how to find a publisher and had to do a lot of research to find out everything I could before I submitted it to any. Then the waiting became the hardest part. Publishers are overwhelmed with submissions and it takes a long time to get any response, and most of the responses you get are rejections. I was so excited when my publisher offered me a contract.

Thanks to Joe and Ardis at Bluewater Press, LLC, my book was going to be published. I thought that all of the hard work was behind me. Then I learned what my next step in the process was, marketing and promoting. This is where I am now with The Truth Lies in the Dark, and I have to say that it is the most challenging part. It takes a lot of time and energy to get a book noticed in a sea of great books. That is why I am so thankful for blogs like Between the Covers. They bring the readers and writers together from all around the world and allow them to share their stories and opinions with each other.

I have even more reason to be proud of my book. My oldest son, Michael painted the portrait that was chosen to be the cover. Some friends of ours suggested that his painting of New York City at night would make a great cover for The Truth Lies in the Dark. I took some pictures of it and sent them to my editor and he loved it. Michael is a talented artist and I am so proud to be able to share the amazing accomplishment with him :)

Once again I want to thank you for your time and I hope that you found what I have shared interesting or inspirational to your writing. If you would like to see where my Book Blog Tour is heading next or see where I have already visited you can go to my website. It is long, but worth it when you get there ;) http://sites.google.com/site/kristincallenderbooks

The Truth Lies in the Dark by Kristin Callender is available on www.amazon.com/Truth-Lies-Dark-Kristin-Callender/dp/1604520140 and is the 'Featured Book of the Month' on www.bluewaterpress.com.