Highland Raven
Page 20
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream
~William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 5.1.423-428
Addendum to the Author’s Note
Summer 2015
The jinx won’t go away! As the first edition of this novel went to publication, several major things went wrong. There were issues with the ebook, the paperback, an early review, and someone close to me telling me I shouldn’t publish the book. I’ll have to go back and look, but I think I must have tried to launch during a Mercury retrograde. Many, many tears were shed. Regardless, I pressed on. My fans, may the Goddess Cerridwen bless them, embraced the book. Great! But the problem was, the book just stalled. In a market where Outlander (I am forever a fan girl of Diana Gabaldon!) is big, why would a Scottish novel sink out of sight? I spent the next several months watching sales, considering branding, and wondering why Gruoch couldn’t get off the ground (despite the wings).
After some research, we discovered that the branding of the novel was all wrong. High school English forever ruins many people on Shakespeare, even people who like to read. So why was I trying to sell people more of what they didn’t like? I ADORE the first cover for this book. The gifted artist who made the cover designed the image right down to the detail of Gruoch’s eye color, just as I asked them to do. The problem? I’m an author, not a cover designer. The book didn’t say Scotland. Of course no one would look at it.
So here were are with a new name, a new cover, and a new plan. Will it work? Hecate only knows. Thank you for reading!
Acknowledgements
A debt of gratitude to:
My family for their tireless support of my writing career.
Muhterem Boz Karsak for all the sigara börek.
Cat Carlson Amick, Becky Stephens, and Jessica Nelson for their help in shaping this novel.
Carrie Wells for answering panicked texts.
My street team, the Airship Stargazer Ground Crew, for all the posts, tweets, fashion advice, positive vibes, and friendship. Your help is much appreciated. Love you guys!
My B.I.C. group members for all of the positive encouragement.
Margo Bond Collins for saving me from the yellow wallpaper.
The many hands that have touched this manuscript over the years. Thank you.
The bloggers! I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the book bloggers for their reviews, promotions, guest posts, and most of all, their time. Thank you for sharing your love of books.
My fans. Thank you for all your help and feedback in the rebranding of this book. I hope I picked a cover you like. Thank you for the feedback!
About the Author
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Melanie Karsak is the author of the bestselling series The Airship Racing Chronicles and The Harvesting Series. She also tinkers around with mermaids, witches, and Scottish heroines.
She has a Master's degree in English from Gannon University. A steampunk connoisseur, white elephant collector, and zombie whisperer, the author currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College.
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Email: karsakmelanie@gmail.com
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