The liminal spaces of writing

I’m in that weird author in-between place.

Undead Impact is with my editor, so that’s one millstone shoved off my desk (excuse the mixed metaphors). 

Until my editor sends it back… But as Father Walter would say, there’s time enough to bid the Devil good morrow when you meet him.

Now it’s on to the twelve billion other things that are all like, “Me, me, me!!!!!”

The “me, me, me” is one of the hidden parts of authoring. 

Writing the book is the obvious job. Sit down. Put words on the page. Make characters suffer. Try to make it all mean something and ideally, not suck.

But after that comes the other, in many ways harder, job: Marketing.

The age old “how do I help readers find this book?” job.

The “is this an ad problem, a blurb problem, a cover problem, an algorithm problem, or does this book suck?” job.

You know. The relaxing part.

So I don’t go crazy by miring myself in existential marketing crises, I’ve begun the next Fire in the Sky book (aka Ravaged Skies), so no electricity, collapsing social systems, and people making very questionable decisions.

Such cozy little worlds I create.

I’m working on new characters, mostly villains to start. I’m sure they’ll surprise me, they always do. 

Mostly, I spend my time figuring out how many problems I can I drop on these poor people before I start to feel bad.

Since you’ve ostensibly read some of my books, I think you know the answer there is a lot.

Will figuring out book marketing help in the zompoc?

Maybe.

Marketing (I’m told, anyway) is mostly trying things, seeing what works, adapting when it doesn’t, and resisting the urge to throw your computer into the nearest body of water.

That feels fairly apocalypse-adjacent.

So don’t mind me… I’m just over here, plotting the next disaster.