K.C. Hardy's Book Publishing Secrets



Kristie Hardy, whose life is the inspiration behind this book, holds a B.S. in Education, a minor in English, and is a former teacher.  But her most recent profession as a private investigator spawned a desire to unearth the long-suppressed details of her own personal story.  She is a mother of two, and a thirty year metastatic breast cancer survivor. Kristie currently resides in San Antonio, Texas with her husband.

Cate Hardy, Kristie’s daughter and co-author, is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.  Cate lives in San Antonio, Texas with the loves of her life: her husband and two children. 

Kristie and Cate are the mother/daughter writing team of K.C. Hardy. Their latest book is the Christian inspirational fiction, One-Way Ticket Home.
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About the Book:

Days before boarding the plane to Italy for her daughter’s wedding, Julie Whitaker receives an unexpected phone call from her past. The memory of Mark Jennings, a handsome and charming Top Gun pilot, had haunted her for decades. Their fairy tale wedding was everything she’d ever dreamed of, but it quickly turned into her worst nightmare.

Starting a new a life without Mark proved to be much harder than Julie had imagined. But in her darkest hour, God revealed Himself in a miraculous way, giving her the strength she needed not only to battle depression, but to face a diagnosis of breast cancer that threatened to cut her life short.

Now, amidst the splendor of the Italian Alps, on the eve of her daughter’s wedding, Julie’s thoughts are catapulted back to Mark and the reason for his call.  After thirty years, will Julie have a chance to see him once again? And would she even want to?
Based on true events, One-Way Ticket Home will take you on an unforgettable journey of love, loss, hope and forgiveness. With grace, candor and an indomitable wit, K.C. Hardy reminds us that it is often in our darkest hours, that the strength of the human spirit shines the brightest.

For More Information

  • One-Way Ticket Home is available at Amazon.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Thank you for your time in answering our questions about getting published.  Let’s begin by having you explain to us why you decided to become an author and pen this book?
The purpose in writing this book was to share my mother’s story of surviving breast cancer and an abusive marriage.  It’s our hope that this will encourage other women who are struggling with their own storms. We want them to know that there is hope and healing through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Is this your first book?
Yes
With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?
Indie.  After almost being picked up by a couple of the big publishing houses, we decided to self-publish in order to maintain more control over the content of the manuscript. 
Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?  The pros and cons? 
Well, let’s just say it has been a long eight-year journey.  We, along with our manuscript, have undergone necessary but very painful growing pains in the process. We became very thick-skinned in order to take the all-important constructive criticism along with the positive feedback.  Many times that meant not only throwing out chapters and starting over, but completely revamping the entire manuscript.
What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?
We’ve learned that this is a very competitive and tough business. We’ve learned not to buckle under the pile of rejection letters. And last but not least, that the old adage definitely rings true in the publishing industry: ‘it’s not what you know, but who you know’.  Thankfully, self-publishing is a viable, respectable avenue for new, unknown authors to share their story.
Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?
Absolutely.
What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?
Never ever give up.  Reach out to reputable developmental editors.  Their help will be invaluable and well worth the investment. 

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