Falling into Writing Season

I9 will be released into the world on November 14, which also just happens to be the opening day of Grand Rapids Comic Con where I'll be a guest author. Weird. 

Ok, yes, I totally planned it that way. 😏

I have my last three book signings for the year coming up, all comic cons, and I'm excited for a little quiet down time. Hard to believe I'd be ready for that, isn't it? LOL But first, I'll be in Grand Rapids, MI Nov. 14-16, then in Indianapolis, IN for Starbase Indy and then off to Columbus, OH for Galaxy Con. Those last two are new to me so we'll see how they go. Fingers crossed!

Mid-October through February is my writing season so I'll be busy making words go. There are four projects on my list this year. We'll see how many I get through. 

1. Siphon (Adult vampire stand-alone. It might be a paranormal romance, I haven't decided.)

2. Nugget the Space Chicken #3 (Early reader chapter book)

3. Interface (YA sci-fi. Yep, this one is STILL on my list. Year 8 I think. OMG)

4. Godmother (Ya fantasy. Another lingering project that's on year 3 of hellllooooo?!?)

Since we have a release day on the horizon, I'm gonna tell you all about I9 and how you can get your hands on it. 

I9 is currently on pre-order in paperback and ebook at all your favorite retailers! Here's the obligatory Amazon link, but it's everywhere and you can also get signed copies by clicking on that tab at the top of this page. Will there be an audio book? Perhaps. We'll see how my January and February go.

If you'd like to see me stumble through an interview, (I had about an hour to prepare this for while at work because that's how life works out,) I was briefly on the news the other day.

The short blurb: A deathbed promise to a thief lands a precious treasure in Senior Security Officer Rita Stabinov’s lap. Empaetor Iradio VIII will do anything in his heavy-handed power to recover what was stolen. Torn between reward and duty, Rita must solve a generations-old mystery to bring about a new era of peace and prosperity for the empire.

The first page:

I stared out the window at two more ships docking on the outer ring of the station, wondering what fresh hell these idiots would bring. A discordant mash of music blasted around me from the three clubs that were in full swing despite it only being midafternoon. Two women in short dresses screamed at each other. A slap-fest erupted with all the coordination of drunken fish. One of their high heels tipped sideways, spilling her onto the sticky social district floor. The other one laughed and turned to walk away. Then she caught sight of the impromptu orgy happening in the sofa-filled lounge and wandered over to poke the nearest naked ass with a pointy orange fingernail. When the man didn’t seem to notice, she shook her head and moved on. I really hated the burning season on Anduvea.

With so many people flooding the station, attempting to enforce the rules was a pointless endeavor, but I figured I ought to help a fellow woman out. I straightened my security uniform and descended the stairs from my post. Weaving through the milling crowds, I made it to the fallen woman and helped her to her feet. Fights, I could let go. Trampled bodies meant paperwork. No one wanted that. 

Once she found her balance on her ridiculous heels, she shook me off and then squinted to read the nameplate on my uniform. With a scorn-filled glare, she yelled over the music, “Don’t touch me, Officer Stabinov. She started it. You can’t charge me.”

“You go on and have a really nice day then.” After making sure she was steady enough to be on her way, I returned to my elevated platform where I could monitor the sea of spoiled, rich assholes.

What are ARC reviews saying?

Want to check out the first chapter? You can download it here.

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And now it's time for the monthly Insecure Writer's Support Group question!

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the 

other participating writers.

When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

When I began writing I was barely in my double digits so I really didn't think about the future much. By the time I was in high school I hoped I'd find a publisher for my masterpiece, get some $ and get to stay in my quiet people-free place and write my little heart out. 

When I started writing seriously for publication in my early thirties, I was still under most of that not all at accurate impression of how author-life worked.  After talking to a lot of aspiring writers over the years, I feel justified in saying this is a common misperception.  And hey, it IS probably true for some writers. 

Current day: I'm here to tell you, I'm not "some writers". I'm writing, I'm reading, I'm editing, designing covers, formatting, publishing, managing inventory, booking events, organizing author alleys, networking the hell out of everything, marketing all the things on a tight budget, and out signing books on the weekends.

Did I opt out of finding an agent and publisher? Yep. I spent a few years getting short stories published while sending out queries to agents and then to small publishers.  I've dipped my foot in the small press publisher pool twice and hopped back out. 

Do I make a profit on my books? Yes. I am I Scrooge McDucking it over here? Not by a long shot.

Do I get to plant my ass in comfy chair and write away? For three(ish) months out of the year, yes. Otherwise, nope.

As it turns out, as with most things in life, you get out of it what you put in. I could just sit home and write and cross my fingers for someone to publish it for me or I can get out there, meet readers, and sell books without having to give a large percentage of my profits to a middleman. Never say never, but at this moment, right now, I'm happy where I am. 

I've got another new release on the horizon!

Hallelujah, it's finally October. Another 11 week spree of events is over! 

I do want to highlight the glory that was the Funky Ferndale Art Festival and my record sales of 140 books that weekend. If only all weekends were that wonderful, but hey, I'll revel in that one for a while.

My plan was to relax this month, to not do anything book sales related. But guess what? There's a local silkie chicken event and it's close to home and you know what they say, "Go where your readers are". So yep. I'll be there with my children's chicken books, dragging my 11 week spree right on into 12. #crazy

I'll also be doing a virtual interview with Canadian author J.M. Frey at a local bookstore on the 16th and signing my own books while I'm there. I am relaxing this month, really, I swear.

Oh, and formatting I9 as soon as that comes back from my proofreader so I can get it out to ARC readers. That's not technically going out to sell books though so...

Want to be an ARC reader for my upcoming space opera stand-alone novel? You can sign up for your free review copy here.

I also just sent off the last of the edits to the narrator for the audiobook of Sahmara so that will be out soon too.

Yep, crossing off projects left and right. Woohoo!

So what's ahead for the rest of the year? Three fairly big comic cons and a little local(ish) holiday art and craft show. Oh, and writing new material so I'll have a new book or three next year. So yeah, some stuff.

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the 

other participating writers.

Now that I've made you all as tired as I feel, let's get to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question.

What is your most favorite thing you've written, whether it's published or not?

I get this question ALL THE TIME when I'm out signing books. The most favorite thing I've written is Book 5 of the Narvan Series, Tears of the Tyrant. That one sucked my soul onto the pages. Writing the end of a series, man, it's hard to let go of those characters. I did my best to make every bit and piece come together, to go for the gut punches and balance them with a few good laughs, to make readers cry. 

I cried. Others have reported they cried. Mission accomplished.

That might be considered a spoiler, but really, if you've read any of the books in the series, you know I do not go easy on my characters even in a happy ending.

This revelation inevitably annoys new-to-me readers because they want the answer to be a stand alone book, or at least the first book in the series for goodness sake. Sorry folks, I'm difficult. That's my answer and I'm sticking to it.

On the road again. And again. And again

Normally September is a slow month for me in terms of book signings, a warm up for the upcoming writing months (usually Oct & Nov). Normally. This year? Yeah, not so much. I'm rolling through September with four weekends of signings. The good news is books are selling. Hooray!

Let's see, where was I since the last post? It's all a blur.

My local writing group did a joint booth at Art in the Park. Eight authors enjoyed beautiful weather and signed many books. The Marvelous Mr. Millie happily served as my flock representative. He basks in all the attention and often gets so relaxed with all the petting that he falls asleep on my table. I have to wake him up so people can take his picture. Some day, maybe he'll have his own book.

Mid August, author pal Joan H. Young and I took our annual road trip to Paradise, MI in the upper peninsula. It's a 5 hour drive for me but 6 hours when I detour to pick up Joan. Having the company for the long drive and weekend is well worth the extra hour. 

Joan writes mysteries for adults and a series for kids as well as books about her hikes on the North Country Trail. Check out her blog here.

She's also crafty and surprised me with this stuffed chicken she made. The chicken has been named Eggatha. She keeps me company on my writing chair.

What does it look like when you cram two authors' outdoor setups in one car for a road trip? It does not look like daylight inside and there's zero rear view mirror. LOL However, we did manage to fit a chicken and didn't have anything under our feet or on our laps, so we'll call it a Tetris victory. 

This was the view out the back of my booth all weekend. we were on the shores of Lake Superior. Amazingly, for the first time in three years of being at this festival, we had gorgeous weather. 

Next up was my last renaissance festival of the year in South Bend, Indiana. Peep and Dottie got all the love the first day and then Millie and Elsa switched out for day two. The chickens are very popular at this event every year and I sold out of my children's books that weekend! Thankfully, I had more books on order because my schedule is full for a month yet. 

Most recently, I did a children's book signing at Gilbert and Ivy, a small indie bookstore in Vicksburg, MI. Peep got lots of attention by sitting on the table by the window.

 

In writing news, Nugget the Space Chicken and the Haunted Cave of Korabumba, is live for pre-order at all of your favorite online retailers and will be released into the world on September 8. And hey, that means I can now show you the cover!

i9 is still in edits. Why? See above. I've been busy. ;)

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the 

other participating writers.

This brings us to our regularly scheduled Insecure Writer's Support Group section of my monthly post.

This month's question is about your thoughts on using AI in your writing. 

I feel like we've covered this from a couple angles recently so I will say the only thing I've toyed with using AI for in a writing capacity is to brainstorm tag lines for the i9 blurb. There were a couple good starting points there but they needed a fair amount of tweaking to be accurate for my book and work with my blurb. 

Using it for brainstorming, eh, maybe. That's my current opinion. 

Upcoming Releases, IWSG, and So Many Signings

I've been busy (when am I not?) since last month. Projects are sort of falling into place. Are they at the orderly points where I'd like them to be? Nope, but we're rolling with it. #flexibility

Since the last episode of Does She Ever Sleep?, I've done a comic con that was my best sales event of the year so far, an art festival where water streamed through my tent, enjoyed a hometown art fair with perfect weather and lots of friends, had one signing canceled due to thunderstorms, and did a paid presentation on self publishing at my local library. I've also received the interior illustrations on Nugget #2 and finalized the cover of i9. #progress

Which brings us to ARC reader sign ups for Nugget the Space Chicken and the Haunted Cave of Korabumba. If you have any young readers or are interested in a kids sci-fi story, the sign up form is here. Do I have cover art yet? Nope, but I have a blurb. I'll be sending out ARC copies at some point this week.  #vaguedeadlines 

The mushroom forests and deep caves of Korabumba might be a beautiful home for humans. While exploring the planet, Jasper and Opal's father runs into trouble and calls for help. Their mother is out of range. It's up to Jasper, Opal, and Nugget to find him

They set off to work together on a rescue mission. Except their father down in a deep, dark cave filled with ghosts, fairies, a who knows what else. 

Is the trio brave enough to help their father or will they chicken out?

Let's get to the cover reveal for the adult sci-fi standalone I9, shall we? Tune in next episode for the blurb because I have a cover, but not the blurb. See what I mean about rolling with it?  #coverreveal

The audio narrator is still busy editing chapters of Sahmara so that is currently out of my hands but also in my juggling routine. Woohoo!

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the 

other participating writers.

And that brings us to the ISWG portion of this episode. This month's question is: What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?

Since a friend is dealing with a troublesome publisher right now, I'm going to say: Not paying authors on time / being transparent with sales / not paying authors at all. 

She signed what sounded like an ideal contract with a publisher she was reading slush for stating they would provide formatting, ISBN, editing, and publication of her novel and all profits would go to her. They paid no advance and would not be taking any split of the royalties. Sounds too be good to be true, right? Yeah, exactly. 

What it did not state was a payment schedule or when sales reports would be relayed. She ordered author copies at cost and was happily out selling her book. Now, I will clarify that the majority of her sales were in person with the books she purchased so she did collect and retain payment on those. What she did not receive was payment or record of any online sales through the publisher's website, Amazon, B&N, etc. And there were sales. Not an astronomical number, but some. Some she wanted to be paid for. Asking a lot, I know.

It was well over a year after her book released before the publisher finally agreed to pay out what was owed and transfer rights to her, washing their hands of the whole hassle of having to track sales and actually pay the author. The crazy thing? They have other authors in house and NO ONE is getting paid what they are due because they aren't even asking. Apparently this is how the publisher is making money. I just can't even. *shaking head* 

Know your contract. Keep on top of your publisher. Ask for what you are owed. Stand up for yourself. #endrant

July Brings New Chicks

July is my relaxed month for the summer. I say this looking at the fact that I have three events scheduled, but one is a one day bookstore book signing that's not too far from home so yeah, we'll call two weekends away relaxed(ish). My year is half over with 17 more events to go. #buckleup

In non-writing news this month, Laya has been taking a break from meeting readers to hatch a few eggs. We welcomed three new chicks to the flock over the weekend. 

How's writing going with 21 events down so far for the year? Yeah, not so much writing happening. Big surprise, I'm sure. 

• Nugget the Space Chicken and the Haunted Cave of Korabumba is written and off to the illustrator. #progress

• Interface is glaring at me.

• i9 is also glaring but I have been working on the cover art so sorta progress?

If you're in the market for ebooks, Smashwords is having their big July sale. You can pick up Dreams of Stars and Lies or Not Another Bard's Tale for only .99 or dip your toes into The Narvan with One Shot at the Sphinx for FREE.

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the 

other participating writers.

And that brings us to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question: Is there a genre you haven't written yet that you'd like to try?

I've written western and mystery, though that was a long time ago, but I've always wanted to give a choose your own adventure type book a try. I've had one percolating in the back of my mind for about a year now. Looking at my to-do list, it's going to stay there for another year or more before it gets any real consideration. It would be fun though, assuming I can pull it together.