From Author to Boss: LJS Press, LLC is Official!
April 2, 2026
It has been a week of legalese, but the paperwork is finally finished. I’ve spent the last few days deep in the world of Articles of Organization, but I’m excited to announce that LJS Press, LLC is officially a reality!
I now have my Colorado state SOS and Federal EIN numbers in hand. While “tax ID numbers” and “legal filings” might sound like the most boring part of a writer’s life, they represent something much bigger. This is the official foundation for the Life Force Clan saga.
Forming my own publishing house means I’m taking full control of Kiera and Nyxthar’s journey. No more middlemen or “spammy” publishers. Now it’s just me, my stories, and a commitment to bringing you the best version of this world possible. The business side is set; now, it’s time to get back to the storytelling!
A Short Break in the Journey
March 22, 2026
I’ve been quiet since March 5th, and I wanted to let you all know why. While I’d much rather be sharing updates on Kiera and Nyxthar, I’ve spent the last couple of weeks battling a “simple” virus that turned into a very serious fight.
Due to the extensive chemotherapy I went through, my immune system just isn’t what it used to be. What might be a few days of sniffles for some of you turned into pneumonia for me, leading to a trip to the emergency room and a week of constant coughing and chest pain. I haven’t had any real sleep in days, and my focus has had to be entirely on recovering.
I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining, but I do want you to know that if I ever seem to just disappear or ignore the blog, there’s always a valid reason. My passion for the Life Force Clan is as strong as ever, but sometimes my body demands a timeout. Thank you for your patience while I get back on my feet so I can return to Kiera’s story.
Slow, but Steady, Progress
March 5th, 2026
I found an editor! She won’t be able to edit my manuscript of the first book until May, but that will give me plenty of time to get back to writing the fourth book in the saga of the Life Force Clan.
It feels good to have that piece of the puzzle finally click into place. Now that the search is over, I can shift my focus back to the story itself and the adventures waiting in the Stonefall Mountain Range and finding someone to do the cover photo. Slow and steady definitely wins the race.
Another Day With No Writing Time
March 3, 2026
I spent the entire day today trying to get quotes from editors, set up my new mailing list program, and changing the URL for my Facebook Fan page. I then needed to inform all of my initial followers of the change so that nobody gets lost in the shuffle.
It’s a lot of administrative work, but it’s all part of the process of taking control of my publishing journey. Every hour I spend on these details is an investment in making sure the Life Force Clan gets the professional launch it deserves.
Join the Inner Circle: The Official Life Force Clan Facebook Page
March 1, 2026
Yesterday I took more time away from my writing to make a Facebook page for my fans. If you aren’t following it yet, be sure to visit and follow Laura Spinder’s Fan Page.
There may not be a lot there right now, but special deals, just for my fans, will be posted there when my first book is published. It’s going to be the best place to get updates on the Life Force Clan and the inhabitants of the Stonefall Mountain Range.
Eanie, Meanie, Minie, Mo
February 28, 2026
Yesterday I started kicking around the idea of self-publishing. It has a lot of pros and just a few cons. The biggest con is the amount of work, and time away from writing, that it will take. I think that once the first book is published though the workload will lessen quite a bit.
The biggest pro is that after expenses I will keep 100% of the profits. After dealing with “publishers” who just want to sell me services, the idea of being my own boss and keeping the rewards of my hard work is looking better every day.
The “Publisher” to Spam-bot Pipeline: My Latest Rejection Adventure
February 27, 2026
I’ve had my share of rejections, but this latest one really takes the cake. After the standard “thanks, but no thanks,” I got the pivot to a sales pitch. As I mentioned in my last post, they tried to sell me their “award winning” design services and pushed an entry fee for a contest.
I thought that was the end of it. I said “no,” and I moved on.
Apparently, they didn’t. This “publisher” took my rejected submission as an open invitation to turn my inbox into a dump for their advertising spam. Now, I’m getting emails begging me to enter their paid contests and awards. It feels like they were never interested in my manuscript as a story to publish; they just saw me as a new email lead for their services.
It’s completely unprofessional and infuriating. It cements my suspicion that these types of places aren’t looking for quality writing; they’re hunting for authors who are desperate enough to pay.
The silver lining? It’s a fantastic reminder of why I’m heading back to seeking traditional representation. I want a publisher who sees my seven book saga, Life Force Clan, and thinks how can we publish this, not a service provider who sees my name and thinks how can we spam this. I’m done with the nonsense. Lesson learned.
My Latest Rejection
February 26, 2026
I just received my latest rejection letter, and it was a real eye opener. After the standard “thanks, but no thanks,” the publisher immediately pivoted into a sales pitch. They suggested that while they aren’t offering a contract, I should definitely hire their “award winning” design team for formatting and covers. They even recommended I enter an unpublished manuscript contest (for a fee, of course) because it “supports charitable causes.” It’s hard not to feel like the rejection was just a lead in for a sales pitch.
The kicker was that they told me I’m welcome to resubmit in six months. Why would they want me to resubmit a book they don’t want now? I suspect they mean I should come back after I’ve spent a fortune on their recommended designers and entry fees, both of which I’m sure they earn a commission on. NOT!! I’m going back to seeking a literary agent because I’m tired of running into these “vanity press” publishers that want money to publish or want to sell me something before they’ll even consider my work.
Where I’m at Today
I’ve completed the first three books of the Life Force Clan series (Embers of Spirit, Embers of Conflict, and Embers of Kinship). I’m currently writing the fourth book, Embers of Hope, and I’m trying to find a publisher. I now have a total of seven books in my outline as I added and inserted a completely new idea for book five while I was rewriting book three. (Note: saying “as I” instead of “because” is another bad, AI sounding way that I naturally write. LOL!)
I’ve decided that I’m going to try to skip the literary agent and see if I can find a publisher willing to take on an unsolicited, new author. So far, the first one I tried has kindly rejected me, but I haven’t heard back from my second choice yet. I will NOT give up, even if I get 50 rejections! A very well known author of horror books received 80 rejections before he found a publisher, and even Dr. Seuss was rejected 27 times. I’m keeping my fingers and my toes crossed!
My Second Stumble
A very good friend of mine told me that a good book, or an epic novel, needed to be 150,000 words or longer. Based on that advice, I outlined the Life Force Clan as a three book series with 25 chapters each. I finished the first book at 158,000 words and even knocked out the first five chapters of the second book before I started looking for a literary agent.
Guess what! Epic novels of 150,000 words are apparently a thing of the past. Most literary agents won’t even look at a manuscript over 100,000 words, and many actually prefer a range of 75,000 to 85,000 words. To fix the mess, I had to completely rewrite my outlines and split my three book series into six books. Easy, peasy, puddin, pie. LOL.
My First Stumble with the Life Force Clan
While I was hunting for a literary agent, the third (or maybe it was the fourth) person to reject my novel was actually kind enough to explain why. She told me that when she ran the first five pages of Life Force Clan: Embers of Spirit through an AI detector, it flagged the text as 79% AI-written. What a kick! It was actually 0% AI, a fact I promptly shared with her.
She was then generous enough to point out that I used words like “promptly” (LOL) and completely avoided contractions. I’d written “did not” instead of “didn’t,” “could not” instead of “couldn’t,” and “it is” instead of “it’s.” Essentially, I’d accidentally mimicked the way an AI structures sentences. To fix the issue, I realized I had to shift the way I naturally tell a story. So, I completely edited the first book and the beginning of the second.