May Publishing Update
Today marks Day 50 of my self-quarantine due to the COVID-19 virus. It’s hard to believe I’ve been home that long! My city has yet to see its peak of virus cases so, despite the state encouraging a soft-open, I am opting to keep myself and my kids at home for at least another few weeks. Whenever the kids ask about it, I tell them that I, we, and the entire world are taking things one day at a time. New information, new statistics, new plans, and new ordinances are a regular occurrence. When it’s hard to keep up, or the extended waiting gets overwhelming, we turn to what we know … which for a writer is fiction.
Stories continue to matter. Escaping into a fictional work is a relief. Old favorites remain constant comforting companies, while new stories challenge our minds. I’ve done a mixture of both this last month. I’ve returned to some of my favorite fictional world and brave new ones. I’ve looked through my “Story Bible” (the rules of my own world, Krador) and written in some new world building into my sequel. It’s been a strange mixture of refreshing and challenging.
Being home all April, I’ve had more time to write. I’m happy to report that The Healer (sequel to The Rescuer) continues to take shape in both my mind and on paper. I’m two-thirds of the way through the first draft and have logged over 30 thousand words. I had hoped to get the entire book drafted for Camp NaNoWriMo (a writing event that takes place over the month of April), but despite falling somewhat short of my goal, I’m happy with the progress I’ve made. I’ve got a solid story outlined, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with beta readers and then the rest of the world.
As businesses begin opening up, I’ll be splitting my time in May between writing and marketing. I’m looking forward to getting The Rescuer into the hands of more readers. I will be getting in touch with Barnes and Noble this month to see about getting my novel into their stores and setting up a book signing – a process that was sidelines due to a city-wide shutdown. Additionally, I’ll be in touch with local bookstores to see what we can do to promote The Rescuer in and around my community.
I read six novels in April and am well ahead of my 2020 Reading Challenge. My goal was to read 45 books this year. So far, I’m well ahead of schedule with 21 books read and more to add to that tally soon. Up next are Star Wars Legends books Dark Force Rising and The Last Command, both by Timothy Zahn. I’ve been reading a lot of Star Wars recently. The Star Wars universe was an early influence for the world of Krador, and as I draft the sequel to The Rescuer, I’m returning to my space fantasy roots.
A final highlight for April: I was featured as a guest blogger for the Phoenix Fiction Writer’s Group. In the post, I documented my experience working with a small, independent publisher. Small presses are considered “traditional publishers,” in the same category as Harper Collins or Simon and Schuster or Scholastic, however authors who partner with small presses can expect to do more work and give more input in the publishing process which is similar to what a self-published author does. You can check out the entire post here.
Your support means the world to me. I appreciate each and every one of my readers. Thank you so much to those of you who’ve left reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. The feedback makes my heart sing! If you haven’t had a chance to leave a review, would you take a few minutes to do that now? Any review you leave boosts my visibility, giving more people the chance to discover the world of Krador and fall in love with the characters. If you still need to purchase your copy, you can find my debut novel featuring my favorite underwater underdog on Amazon.