So who is M D Charles?

Having had little success in placing my work with publishing houses, even though the rejections I was receiving at the time could be termed encouraging, I was determined to get my story out there. That was around 2013/14. I really felt like I was on a treadmill of editing, sending my manuscript off, getting rejected and then beginning the whole process again and it was demoralising.

The only way to get my story, Draped in deceit noticed was through some sort of platform and at that point, I was going to have to make it happen and so, that decision was taken in the form of self publishing. 

A friend of mine and proof reader, Kerry M Parker joined me on this journey. She was proficient in photography and I used a photo of hers for my front cover. We poured over type faces for hours, trying to decided which suited the theme of the book best - no easy feat.

With the help of others, I eventually reached the point where I could begin the process of editing my work having sorted that self publishing platform. This was my first experience of anything  remotely like this and I didn't really know what to expect with the various stages I'd have to go through. I don't mind saying, back then, it was a pretty scary prospect. But I learned on my feet and the mistakes I made during this time, and there were many, stood me in good stead. It gave me the knowledge I needed and I doubt I'd have got that had I not gone through this process. There were many ups and downs and at times I lost faith in myself. But, I came through with the help of  Kerry and my family. 

After more rounds of editing, in 2015, I received copies of my first ever physical book. Holding it in my hands felt good, it felt really special. I'd come a long way, and yet, I was still only at the very beginning. Now came the task of promoting and selling copies of my work. 

Another friend suggested craft fairs and in my head it was book signings etc, not regional craft fairs. But that proved unfounded and I was totally wrong in that thinking. In the end, I went to many and I was really grateful for the people who supported me and I sold many copies. I also met some wonderful people and for a time, it all went really well. But all of these craft fairs were in the same county of Lincolnshire and it just wasn't reaching the number of people I'd hoped it would. Even with social media I wasn't getting the level of interest that better known authors from well know publishing houses attain. It seemed as though my self publishing dream was beginning to falter. So, in the end the treadmill of sending to publishing houses began again, in ernest. Over time I'd become more selective in who I was sending my manuscript out to and in the summer of 2018 I finally received an offer of publication. I was now a published author.