When I released ‘Til Undeath Do Us Part, I had interview opportunities. I did one for Indie Book Promo right at release. The other potential interviewers were kind people who didn’t seem to have questions for me to answer. I was supposed to build my own Q&A for them to host–something as frustrating as writing my own back cover copy or sales page blurb.
That is a mistake I regret, up there with missing my chance at a podcast interview in December of 2015. I was ashamed that I had missed my first publishing deadline on Man and Brother, and I was still terrified of being asked questions and finding myself dumbstruck and mute.
I failed as a writer in 2015–not because of my Cryptid Series sales numbers but because I turned my back on interviews.
The reality is that I am exhausted. Am I happy? Sometimes I want to weep in relief and exhaustion and frustration: relief because it’s out, exhaustion because I regularly spent 16-hour days writing and editing and rewriting, and frustration because I want it to be error-free.
It’s strange to consider that my writing life really only took off when I signed up for National Novel Writing Month. I had written novels and short stories, but the mad dash I made toward 50,000 words over the days and nights of a chilly and rainy November began my career as a published author.
It’s amazing to think that thirteen years ago this month, I took the first steps that would change my life completely.
I’m in an unpleasant situation currently with my manuscript for Man and Brother: Volume 2 of the Cryptid Series. On one hand, I really need to work on it to see a release date in the next six months. On the other hand, I’ve lost the energy to produce content to edit. So, I have a decision to make: Do I force myself to complete what I know will be an inferior product, or do I step back completely and return to reading and reviewing the books I have in my ever-increasing reading queue?
Well, I am still working on Man and Brother, which does not appear to be coming out this year. I’d like to explain the delay, especially since I’ve been working on it over the past year and have just not had it come together as quickly as the previous book.