Tommie Lyn's Website

I began writing fiction about four years ago after I encountered little-known historical information that I thought folks should know. Most people won't pick up a dry history text, but they might read entertaining fiction, so I tried to manipulate a couple of people into writing a fictionalized account of the historic happenings. No one would. A history professor finally told me, "If you want it written, write it." And thus began my foray into the exhilarating experience of writing fiction.

I began writing fiction about four years ago, after I encountered little-known historical information that I thought folks should know. Most people won’t pick up a dry history text, but they might read entertaining fiction, so I tried to manipulate a couple of people into writing a fictionalized account of the historic happenings. No one would. A history professor finally told me, “If you want it written, write it.” And thus began my foray into the exhilarating experience of writing fiction.

When I wrote (and rewrote . . . and rewrote—too many times to count) that first novel, High on a Mountain, I found I couldn’t quit writing. Since then, I’ve written three other novels; a novella, which I’m currently expanding to novel size; a screenplay; probably fifty short stories; and I have a rough draft of a second novel in the historical series about three-quarters done. (When I have the second novel in the series finished and polished, I’ll publish those first two novels while I write the next two.)

As to why I decided to publish my novels myself . . . I’m older than dirt—I turned sixty-five on my birthday recently—and I realized that I don’t have the luxury of time for the submission/rejection/submission/rejection process, on the off-chance that my novels might one day be accepted for publication. So, I formed my own publishing company, Blackwater Books Publishing, and three of my novels are now in print.

Rather than use a vanity or subsidy publisher, which requires a substantial outlay of cash up front, I opted to do the cover design and interior typesetting myself and use CreateSpace, a POD (Print on Demand) company, to do the printing. I chose POD rather than an offset printing company because offset printing requires a minimum order, and like using a subsidy press, it entails a major payment up front. It also requires having to store a considerable amount of inventory, which was not a viable option for me. CreateSpace will print as many or as few copies at a time as I need. I pay for books only as I buy them, and the prices are reasonable. And a big plus, the POD process produces beautiful books. I’ve been quite pleased with the quality.

Because I once owned a computer graphics/animation company and was acquainted with graphic design principles, I designed the covers. (I searched stock photo companies for the right photograph to implement the design and bought the license to use it. I laid out the cover on a template provided by CreateSpace to insure it fit exactly, and produced the required PDF file.

I designed the interior, typeset it using page layout software (publishing professionals can spot books produced on a word processor) and produced a PDF file. I uploaded the cover and interior files to CreateSpace, ordered copies, and—voila! I’m an independently self-published author.

My books are for sale on Amazon.com and Target.com, but what I enjoy most is direct sales to readers at book signings and other events. I love meeting the people who buy my books and hearing from them after they’ve read them. The upside to this little saga is that I get to enjoy knowing that folks are enjoying my stories before I kick the bucket, LOL!