I have a searing record for disdaining self-publishing. Now, I must recant my previous position.

One week in, and the relief is palpable. No longer must I sit on manuscripts and stories, no longer must I think about pleasing editors, marketeers, and literary agents, no longer must I suffer spending an entire day composing yet another query letter, only to have a literary agent say, yes, they’d love to read it, then turn around and tell me that, yes, it’s very well written, intense, engaging, riveting…BUT. But what? But they can’t figure out how to place it or market it.

I’m FREE. I can write for readers, not traditional publishing moguls.

This is the very best thing to have happened to me when it comes to my career as an author.

Why? Because I call the shots, now. And that’s a pleasure. It means I can say what I want, how I want, when I want, and, if someone doesn’t like it, they can say so, but it’s not going to come back to me via frowns from my literary agent or house editor.

Thank you. And apologies to all you independent authors out there who are worth your salt as novelists and short story writers. To you I own a bow and beg your forgiveness for my previous attitude. HOWEVER, to those independent “authors” who write tripe and trash and stuff that should never see print, I wish you’d all go play with your cell phones and your various sex toys instead of pushing your pulp on the fiction world.

It’s official. I sold my first copy of To Inherit a Murderer. My thanks to the buyer, whoever they are. I hope you enjoy it.

E. J.

Well, much as I don’t particularly care for the title “independent author,” I’m tired of playing blind man’s bluff with literary agents. A look at publishers accepting unagented manuscript submissions and queries shows that I would be spending about 2 years waiting around for an answer for them, too. After a couple of high end agents read the book and said, “clean, excellent plot, excellent characters, but I just don’t know how to market this,” I’m done. If it’s that good, and it’s a break-out book, what’s the problem? I’ll tell you the problem. It isn’t something that would appeal to Twilight-swooning teens.

So I’m done. I’ve quit the game. No more Blind Man’s Bluff with literary agents anymore. Now I’ll simply write and publish, write and publish.

I’m also pretty much done with magazine submissions of short stories, as well. The only reason I write a short story is when one “pops” into existence on its own, so to speak — the creative Muse dictates, in other words. Submitting them, though, is always a pain…because it requires I steal time away from other things…like novel writing.

I’m tired of all of it. I’m just not interested in literary blind man’s bluff with me the blinded and them twittering as they evade me finding “the right niche:, be that an agent or publishing venture. You want to read me, come and get it. My stories and novels will be availabe through The Deepening, from me here, or from various other websites around the Net.

If you want it from the library or a book store, ask at the desk. If you want it from Amazon.com, you’ll have to wait till the hard copy releases.

To Inherit a Murderer by E. J. Ruek

…Is out in electronic formats suitable for Sony Reader, Kindle, Mobi-pocket, iPhone, epub and other electronic formats which you can get HERE

If you want to read and review it, contact me and I’ll give you a coupon for a free copy.

What’s it about?

Willed custody of her best friend’s son, Deborah Rheinhart suspects the twelve-year-old is a murderer…and he is.

At seven, William killed his mother’s dog. At ten, he stabbed his father with a letter opener. There’s the murder of the family maid.

Deborah finds that she’s brought home a boy who is driven by hatred and rage. Injured by him the very first day, William threatens Deborah’s carefully secured life. Finding a knife stuck in her bedroom door, waking to William standing over her when he’s supposed to be locked in his room, she’s is pushed to the brink of hysteria as both she and the boy’s hired chaperones suffer increasingly disturbing incidents.

Straddling North Idaho ranch life and the prestigious world of Grand Prix show jumping, To Inherit a Murderer by E. J. Ruek is the story of a woman who must learn to love and listen, regardless how evil-seeming the child within her care. It is a story about earning respect and admiration by actions, which Deborah achieves, despite herself. William believes in her as he has never believed in anyone. But when Deborah lets her guard down and begins to believe in William, death answers.

To Inherit a Murderer will also soon be released in audio, too. Keep an eye out both here and on The Deepening.

Someone proudly announced their short story publication along with the periodical and a link to read.  Dutifully, I clicked.  And began to read. And quickly became bored.  I shook off my boredom, chiding myself.  ”Give it a chance,” I muttered, and forced my eyes onward even as my brain tried balking.
I made it into Part [...]

I just read a very atrocious excerpt from someone’s hysterical…er…historical manuscript, a story destined for self-publishing. With these kinds of works moving through the self-published ranks, I dare say more and more people who number themselves fiction readers will have the same abhorrence to a self-published or “indie author” work as do professionals in publishing.

There really has to be a way to sift out the dross (‘dross’ means worthless material that should be removed). There really does.

Help. We’re drowning in sewage.