Hey all.
It’s been a few days since I made my happy post and now I think I can tell you why.
I am no longer an Ellora’s Cave author.
WOO HOO!
It’s sad and depressing, and it’s also a sense of freedom I haven’t felt in years.
Let me explain.
I started my career with Renaissance e Books and soon after Ellora’s Cave. They were my second and up to this point, the longest time I’ve ever spent with a publisher.
I was amazed and shocked that someone wanted to buy essentially a story I had written because I was on bed rest due to complications with my forth pregnancy.
There is a long story about miscarriage and pain that I am not getting into… but writing this story, about a pregnant man, was my major stress relief. It was catharsis. It was a way to express pain and anger and frustration at the world… and to find that happy ending I wasn’t sure I would get. That story became Keeper of the Flame and the publisher who wanted to take a chance on this strange beast of a story was Ellora’s Cave. And it was a beast. It was over 100k, I am severely dyslexic and coping, and I had never written a full book before that I wanted to share. I started posting chapters on the new defunct Dara Joy site when an acquisitions editor found it. Dancing Willow wanted that story and they wanted it bad. They went under and the late David Dyer of Renaissance E Books loved it, but it was too long. He recommended a new erotic romance company called Ellora’s Cave and Tina loved the book. In days I had a contract and I began my life as a published author.
I spent many years there, happy and expressing myself. I won many awards and made so many friends… I was truly happy. There were like 12 of us writing like mad, but we were loyal, we were faithful, and I was home.
But all things change and my relationship with a publisher I thought I would have forever began to wither.
I was made New Author Liaison to try to stop some of the issues, but they grew worse. Then there was the fiasco behind the original EC group and the threats of lawsuits and it all got to be too much.
I got the worst case of writers block when it came to Ellora’s Cave. It stopped me from writing the third an forth book in the Testiros series. It stopped the second book in The Slayer series, it stopped the prequel for Reaver of Souls… a lot of dynasties I started, I could not finish. I remember going to the EC offices in Ohio and being met like the enemy. I signed my last contract with them, keeping four books active, and I walked out to the parking lot and I cried.
So I moved on. I got contacted by Triskilion and we all know how that turned out. And then I was found by Loose ID whom I love.. and.. Changeling Press who I love. And Red Rose whom I am still trying to get my rights back from… Not all a bed of roses, pardon the pun,
I tell you, the publishing world is a strange and nasty creature.
As it stands, I have been waiting to get my rights back from EC for some time and I am pleased to say that finally relented and on October 8, 2014, I am no longer an Ellora’s Cave author.
It hurts but I consider myself lucky to get out while the EC shit hits the fan.
I feel sorry for my fellow authors who want out of EC and haven’t had their rights returned yet. I feel happy for the EC authors who are still there because they want to be, cause in the end, it’s all about being happy and content where you are.
But I have to say I am happy about myself for no longer being a part of Ellora’s Cave.
It is depressing. I thought we would be together forever, but that was a pipe dream.
And like any bad relationship, know when its time to move on.
So… I am going to try and find new homes for my babies. I am going to continue to write for Loose Id Press and Changeling Press and Totally E Bound … not so sure what’s up with Beautiful Trouble, but I will try to find new houses for future work. Who knows, I may even attempt to hit New York or even self publish… That is all still up in the air.
But I am still Stephanie Burke… AKA Flash… and I am still writing.