Reading

All writers are readers first: full stop. I have always been a voracious reader. As a child, my favorite activity was visiting the library. When I was eight, I remember reading Watership Down, and a teacher told me she didn’t believe I could read it. Well, lady, I could but can also say that re-reading it at thirty-eight was an entirely different experience! Novels are my favorite format, but I also devour a wide variety of non-fiction when researching for my own books.

• My devotion to reading is a guarantee you can count on me as a writer!

Craft

I published short stories in the literary magazine at my liberal arts college. These are precious little creatures are now lost to the vicissitudes of time and the degradation of cheap paper. In 2012, I self-published a novel and two short story collections under my (retired) pen name, Aniko Carmean. I have authored an additional thirty-some short stories, three collections of poetry, and three novels; the bulk of these remain “trunk” manuscripts, written not for publication, but to hone my craft. In my professional life, I authored technical blog posts at Liquibase, as well as a multitude of troubleshooting guides for internal departmental use. In the twenty-teens, I blogged actively on a personal WordPress site which is now shuttered. I have taken continuing education courses on the art of story at University of Texas, Austin. I have also attended classes at The Writer’s Studio (NYC).

• My thirty years of writing are the reason you can trust me as an author and a fellow writer.

Emotions

I self-published a novel in 2012 and have experienced the excitement, anxiety and doubt that comes with pressing the publish button. I have experienced confusion about how and where to spend time marketing, advertising and being social. I am a survivor of publishing burnout; and this blog represents my recovery.

• If there is an emotion that you feel as a writer, I’ve been there; you can count on me to empathize.

Publishing

I have founded two literary imprints; one is defunct after serving as a learning-space and the other alive and well as Pendletyn&Bromptyn Literary Press. I have outsourced formatting and cover design, which gives me project management experience. I prefer to do my own formatting and design. The learning curve can be steep, but well worth the new creative muscles I gain.

• I have first-hand experience with independent publishing. The tools and services available now are astounding, compared to what was available in 2012. You can trust me to share what I have learned with honesty, both about success and failure.

Technology

I have twenty-four years of experience as a software engineer. I worked at everything from huge corporations (Symantec) to a startup (Liquibase). My specialty is quality assurance, but I also spent six years as a developer.

• This experience is why I am qualified to write troubleshooting guides to help you overcome the technical issues you may encounter as an independent publisher.

Do you have any questions about my experiences or qualifications? Please leave a comment or, if you would prefer a one-on-one email discussion, consider being my pen pal.

As ever,
-erzsebet