When I stopped writing several years ago, I knew I was really taking a break. Tired and burnt-out though I was, I couldn't imagine the creativity that had always been so strong in me not returning. I figured I'd write again someday, and that, rather than going the traditional publishing route, I'd publish on the Net. Someday.

That day came unexpectedly a few weeks ago. First a patron at the library where I work showed me an article about the ebook self-publishing revolution. Then I talked with a co-worker, who just bought a Nook and loves it. They gave me food for thought. Self-publishing might just work for me.

That weekend, I got to work. I decided which publishing options were right for me, and I formatted one of my old Regency novellas, "Gifts of the Heart." I searched stock photo sites for images, which was lots of fun, and created a cover. Then, with some trepidation, I uploaded the whole thing to Smashwords.com. A few hours later, and voila! Instant book. I could go online and look at it, the way you stare at a new baby. It is my baby, after all, my gift of the heart. After several years of not being published, I'm back, and on my own terms. It's wonderful.

Librarians have a love-hate relationship with ebooks. On the one hand, we realize it's the way of the future. On the other, we like the physical presence of books, for their own sakes. We wonder what the library of the future will look like, and what our roles will be. Libraries are really media centers now, offering DVD's and CD's, and audiobooks in addition to the more traditional materials. We help patrons write resumes and (honest to God) search for mail order brides. One thing ia certain, though. There will always be books, and people to read them.

If that's the case, someone has to supply those books. Why not me? After all, I have a lot of previously published manuscripts collecting electronic dust somewhere on my hard drive. So now I'm working on getting the rights back for the first book in my Gilded Age mystery series, Death on the Cliff Walk. I'm revising and reformatting the second book in that series, No Honeymoon for Death. I hope to go live with that within the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, "Gifts of the Heart" is out there, just waiting for readers. It's available in varied formats at Smashwords.com, and at Amazon for the Kindle, under my pseudonym of Mary Kingsley. Why don't you give it a try? I think you'll like it.