The Inspiration for the name:

Out the creek 3 from JulyIMG_6632IMG_6616

The goal here at Sleepy Creek Press is to publish books that inspire you to laugh, to weep, to think, perhaps to pray, certainly to look at things from different perspectives. That’s what story should do, isn’t it? Take us into the world of the storyteller and give us something to dream about. Maybe to aspire toward. Sometimes to run from, as in the Isaac House books.

If you’re looking for an editor–for substantive, copyedit, or to proofread your manuscript–click on the menu link above where you’ll see recommendations for Ray Rhamey’s Flogging the Quill and for Robin Patchen at Robin’s Red Pen.

At the moment, I’m using the royal “we,” when in reality there’s just one of us here. But the world of independent publishing is exploding, making it a very different environment from the days when I was senior editor for a publisher of technical and resource books back in the seventies. I later worked for a small press as senior editor for their general market line, but when my own books released from two other publishers, I left that to concentrate on marketing and writing. It was while I worked for Wayside that I met Robin Patchen. I was so impressed by her abilities that I hired her to work with me as assistant editor. She continues to edit and to release her own stories, while I only edit my critique partners’ work. And I write and rewrite and polish and play with covers as I learn how to navigate this new world.

Ray Rhamey runs a fun site where he flogs first pages, trying to help writers polish their prose. He did a fantastic job editing Heavy Weather, The Sea Prayers, and Twilight Christmas, as well as Two from Isaac’s House.

I also discovered Jenny from Seedlings Design Studio who created the beautiful covers for my romantic suspense books. Aren’t they perfect?

I’m grateful to the traditional publishers who gave me my start. My agent sold my debut novel, Becalmed, to Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas in 2012 and then Sailing out of Darkness to WhiteFire Publishers later that year. When WhiteFire returned the rights to me, I released the second edition–new cover, new tweaks–as the fourth book in the Carolina Coast series.

Stay tuned!

Blessings,

Normandie