How to Avoid the Rejection Blues by Joe Niehaus, Author of "Shadow in the Reflection"
ABOUT JOE NIEHAUS
Joe Niehaus, a veteran police officer in Ohio, is the author of six books and numerous articles in police and martial arts magazines. He holds certificates in fraud examination and clinical and forensic hypnosis. A graduate of Tiffin University, he is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, Ashford University and Sinclair Community College.
Purchase this book through: Amazon and Barnes and Noble ABOUT MARY SIKORA
Mary Sikora is a former daily news reporter, freelance writer, and editor. A University of Dayton graduate and Cincinnati native, she is the author of A Mississippi Family and Orphan's Gift. Previously, she and Niehaus collaborated on Beware the Whale's Wake and Hypnosis Unveiled.
Purchase this book through: Amazon and Barnes and Noble
Rejection letters, every writer gets one at least once in their life but for most of us we collect them like kids used to collect baseball cards. There was a point where I seriously thought about using them as wall paper for one of my rooms as I had so many of them. But are rejection letters truly the evil we think of them when we open that envelop and see the words, "not for us?"
I was one of those when the first rejection letter came I became defensive - after all how could they say that about my baby I just sent to them? I became angry, obviously they didn't have the intellect to understand the story! Then I moved to despondent - oh I suck as a writer - I'll never get published!!
In truth, though, rejection is not always bad. There are things to be learned from those rejection letters and each should be looked at for what it can teach us or help us to develop our writing. If you receive a form letter, or even worse one that was run off of a copy machine - then you know that you missed the mark with that publisher. Your story or article was not even close to what they were looking for so the first lesson to learn there would be to recheck that they are looking for and does your novel or article truly fit. Often we see what we want to see and think our work is right for that market. It could also mean we need to do some work, and so it would be wise to give it some time and go back and look at it again.
If you are lucky enough to get a rejection letter actually signed by an editor then that is reason to cheer! Yes, cheer, because you were within reach of publication but in this extremely competitive market for one reason or another the publisher did not want to take the chance. However, editors are very busy people and they don't truly have the time to write actual letters unless they think there is some merit there. So if you are lucky enough to receive one of these you should be happy because you are a writer!
Next time you open your mail and look inside and find that rejection letter think of it as way to improve your writing and your drive - as it is often said it is not always the most talented who get published but the most tenacious. Dig in, improve and don't give up.
ABOUT SHADOW IN THE REFLECTION Can destiny be fulfilled in just one lifetime? Dr. Gregory Ambrose thinks so. Through past-life regression therapy with a young woman named Anne, he finds himself carried over the centuries to not only a different time but a different reality. Anne's memories act like tendrils, drawing Ambrose into this most savage time with her. Frustrated and confused Dr. Ambrose reaches out to a colleague for help. During their conversations, he learns that one of this doctor's past-life regression patients believes that he was some kind of Viking in another time-not unlike the Vikings in Anne's memories. The coincidence is too much, and Ambrose's imagination and ambition tempt him down a dangerous path. Determined to know the truth and understand the connection, he begins to push the limits of his ethics. What evolves is a story from another time, when wizards and warriors battle for power. The fate of two lands-one fighting for unity, the other for safety-hangs in the balance as two druids play out their own endgame strategies. At the same time, two hearts seek their destiny with true love. Fate lends a hand as all meet in a final battle. Is it truly the end or just the beginning?
