GUEST POST: WHY I PUBLISH SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS

I’d like to thank Karen McDermott (aka Karen Weaver) for this guest post about being a book publisher. I first interviewed Karen in 2012 (read my interview with her here). A mother of five (very soon to be six), she is the author of The Visitor, The Wish Giver and The Memory Taker. She is also the founder of Serenity Press, a Western Australian publisher which endeavours to bring wonderful books and personal stories to the world. You can follow Karen on Twitter and Facebook or visit the Serenity Press website for more information.

I am a person who is passionate about sharing inspiring stores with others. I believe that we can learn so much from the strength other people find through facing adversity in their lives. I am also all about pursuing this endeavor in a loving way and that is how Serenity Press has now come to being.

I first had a vision of compiling collections of stories from people who had all came through challenges in their life and that now live through the enlightening wisdom that they inhibit and use as a treasured gift to share with others along their journey and so Journey to Inner Light was born.

It came together very quickly and so I chose to begin collecting for another collection, Living a Positive Life. This collection of inspiring stories took a little longer to compile but it also came together organically. I am proud of this book also and the stories that each contributor shares within may have you in tears but I am sure that every reader will take something inspiring from each one.

If you ask me why I felt compelled to put these books together all that I can respond is that I just had this knowing feeling that they had to come together for a reason and that I hope that they find the people they were compiled for. If things come together easily then I tend to run with it as I wholeheartedly believe that if I plant a seed and that seed begins to grow into something wonderful with just a little guidance from me then it was meant to be.

Over the past year I have become increasingly drawn to romantic love stories and this is where my focus now resides and so for our next collection of stories I was inspired to put a call out for stories from West Australian authors for an anthology of romance stories called Rocky Romance set in the city of Rockingham, Western Australia. We will be showcasing as many stories as possible in this collection and guidelines can be requested by contacting me at serenitypress@hotmail.com.

Serenity Press first became established in 2011 (firstly as Inner Light Publishing) and it has moved steadily forward ever since one step at a time. Yes, I have put in a lot of work and I have learnt a lot and to see what has come together in such a short period of time amazes me. I know that it will soon grow beyond the point where I can manage it on my own but I know that the right people to be involved in the evolution of Serenity Press will come along at exactly the right time. But until then I will keep moving forward with the true intention of sharing wonderful Australian stories with the world and supporting others to the best of my ability and with the truest of intention.