WARSAFE Release Day (& How to Publish a Book)

My fourth science fiction novel, Warsafe, releases today! You can find it on Amazon (where it's the #1 new release in its category!) or directly from the publisher.

SYNOPSIS: There’s one building on her island that Halley has never visited: the Mercenary House. Perched atop a mountain, surrounded by unnaturally evergreen foliage, the House is rumored to be a breeding ground for criminals. Mercenaries are liars, cheats, spies . . . and maybe, depending on who you ask, killers.

At the Warsafe headquarters in Seattle, Roscoe is beta testing the company’s new video game. It’s her job to track down glitches—but something is different about this one. Lurking behind the lines of malfunctioning code is a secret that threatens to drag her deeper into the game, forcing her to put her life on the line if she ever wants to come home.

Worlds collide as Roscoe teams up with Halley to uncover the island’s secret and expose Warsafe’s designs. But some mysteries are better left unsolved. As traitor after so-called traitor is revealed to be on their side, they begin to wonder: Could Warsafe’s mission be critical enough to justify its cruelty?

What is Grammar Minute?

Saving the English language 60 seconds at a time.

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and today I’m celebrating the release of my fourth science fiction novel, Warsafe. The plot in the most basic terms is real-life video game, but neither the players nor the characters know it.
Here’s an overview of the book publishing process. Once you’ve written and self-edited the manuscript, you have to write a query letter. This is like a cover letter for a job. It explains what the book is about, why someone might want to read it, and why you’re the right person to write it. Typically, you’ll also need a play-by-play synopsis of what happens in the book, a summary of the plot for the back cover, and an author bio.
All this goes to your publisher or, if you have one, your literary agent. If you don’t have either, you can use platforms like QueryManager to cold-call publishers and agents.
Once it’s accepted, the book goes through about a year’s worth of editing, typesetting, cover design, and more. The process of writing a book, from start to finish, takes about three years—if you’re quick.
That’s your Grammar Minute! To learn more about Warsafe, visit laurensmythbooks.com—and that’s Smyth spelled with a Y.