Christmas Cookies on a Cruise Ship by Parker Fairchild plus a guest post, excerpt, and giveaway!

My Journey to Getting Published by Parker Fairchild

Today, I’d like to inspire all those writers out there who long to see their stories published into novels. After all, only a short time ago, I was sitting where you are now. So, I’m here to tell you that with hard work and persistence you can achieve your dream of having your book published, too.

Even though the process of publishing my novel did turn around at warp speed, the entire process didn’t happen in one day or one night. My intention in writing this blog post is to motivate you and show you what can be your reality through sharing my story about what happens once a book is completed. This is my exciting, amazing, and unbelievable journey to becoming a published author.

I started my book, “Christmas Cookies on a Cruise Ship,” some years ago while I was on a holiday cruise in the Caribbean. Then, while quarantining during COVID, my mom suggested that it would be an excellent opportunity for me to revive my Christmas story and complete it. While I had a few other manuscripts on my computer, she thought that such a fun and festive holiday read was exactly what we needed to survive the dark days of COVID.

Prior to this, my hubby and I had met on a Hawaiian cruise, and like my heroine and hero, our story had been one of love at first sight. So, what fun to incorporate parts of our shipboard romance into my story!

Added to this, my mom had also just finished a book by Bernadette Marie; this was the first one she’d read of hers. Eager to learn more about Ms. Marie, my mom Googled her and discovered that in addition to having written a slew of books, she also owned a publishing company—5 Prince Publishing. While looking around the publishing site, my mom noticed that they were looking for Christmas submissions.

On a whim, I sent the first three chapters to 5 Prince Publishing on July 17, 2020. On July 24, they emailed me requesting the full manuscript. While my book was finished, I still felt that I just had to reread and rewrite some or all of it. I guess that’s why I have several other books living on my computer—I always feel that I can make them a tiny bit better. But I’m here to tell you now that there comes a time, after you know you’ve given all you can give, that you need to release them to the world. They’ll never be published and read just residing on your computer!

Finally, on August 7, I emailed the completed manuscript to 5 Prince Publishing. They contacted me on September 15 offering me a publishing contract for “Christmas Cookies on a Cruise Ship” for the 2021 Christmas season since the 2020 season was too close to get the job done.  

I accepted and signed their contract, and then, a few days later, they reached out informing me that they suddenly had an opening become available in their publishing calendar. Consequently, they asked me if I had time in my schedule to expedite my part of the preparation in order to be able to publish that year.

YES! YES! YES!

They said they’d expedite their part, and we all worked really hard to make my November 17, 2020 release date a reality. 

That meant that I spent the entire month of October doing three full rounds of edits with their in-house editor. I also picked a pen name, Parker Fairchild, established an LLC, and worked on a website and social media sites for the purpose of book promotion.

Despite all the hard work and many all-nighters, this was a very exciting time for me and my family. Even more rewarding, the release date for my book, November 17, also happened to be my dad’s birthday.

Along with the deal to release last year, 5 Prince Publishing also agreed to do another re-release in 2021 since my optimal marketing and selling time the prior year had been so short. So, here we are now—ready to celebrate, again, the release of my first novel “Christmas Cookies on a Cruise Ship.”

And with hard work, determination, and an unshakeable belief in yourself and your talents, this is where you can be next year. To me, there are no great hidden secrets to getting published; it’s all a matter of hard work and dedication to your craft.

Always believe in yourself, your talents, and your writing. When you do, you’ll succeed.

Christmas Cookies on a Cruise Ship

by Parker Fairchild

GENRE:   Contemporary Romance

BLURB:

Chemist and budding romance writer Olivia Chasen is on a cruise to avoid spending Christmas with her beautiful twin sister and new fiancé—Olivia’s ex. Now, thanks to her lonely, intoxicated ramblings on Santa’s lap, her fellow passengers think she’s in love with a fictional character.

Former Navy SEAL Commander Jace Morse has dealt with plenty of unusual situations in his career, but he’s never had the honor, the pleasure, or the privilege of being a beautiful and intelligent woman’s fantasy hero come to life. While he hasn’t officially met the sexy chemist, he’s sure eager to explore the chemistry that’s sizzling between them.
Bringing the charming SEAL together with the skeptical Olivia is going to take more than just Christmas cookies and a little help from Mrs. Claus; it’s gonna take a heaping dose of Christmas magic.

Excerpt:

“What is it, sweetheart?” His eyes burned with love and desire, and she wanted to cry and dance at the same time.

Instead, she did the most un-Olivia thing—she grabbed his head and yanked his mouth down onto hers!

Cheers and catcalls erupted from the small assembly, and she distantly heard people chanting her name. Somewhere, she thought she heard someone shout, You Go, Girl, but she wasn’t sure. She was only into kissing Jace!

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Parker Fairchild is a model, social media copywriter, and freelance writer with multiple writing credits. A Virginia native, she and her husband had their own shipboard romance as they met on a cruise ship tender in Maui, and as her mom is fond of saying, “they haven’t stopped talking since.” When she’s not busy playing with words, she loves spending time with her husband and family in Arizona where she now resides.

BUY LINKS:

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1053799

Amazon: https://amzn.to/35n90bm

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Cookies-Cruise-Parker-Fairchild-ebook/dp/B08N8P1G1P

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-cookies-on-a-cruise-ship-parker-fairchild/1138219874?ean=2940162822363

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/christmas-cookies-on-a-cruise-ship

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Parker_Fairchild_Christmas_Cookies_on_a_Cruise_Shi?id=vUQIEAAAQBAJ

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1053799

ITUNES: https://books.apple.com/us/book/christmas-cookies-on-a-cruise-ship/id1539983816

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