…but maybe that’s for the best. They say an artist is at his best when he’s a little off balance. If that’s true, I might be at the top of my game right now. Teetering on the brink of madness, despair, and ecstasy. Makes sense, really. All progress requires change. No one ever changes because they’re comfortable.
It’s been a tough winter in my household when it comes to illnesses. We’ve spent a lot of time from Thanksgiving to now in what feels like “survival mode.” Just get well, and get through it. It’s hard to get a lot of creative stuff done in survival mode, but I’m chugging away. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I didn’t have work to roll up my sleeves for.
My second book (Crying Call) has been out for almost three weeks now. Sales have been good, but not nearly like it was for the first book (Blood Game). That’s mostly just because I’ve put little effort into publicizing its launch. I’ve learned a lot in my first year as a published author, and one of the most important things I’ve learned is to just get my writing out, and not to worry too much about who notices. The readers who want my stories will come, and it’s a waste of effort trying to entice the rest.
What I’ve been doing instead is planning book festivals and signing events, writing when I can, and just spending time with my family . All of these things are important, and worthy of my time. A valuable lesson … the only real wealth is your health and your time. You only get so much time. Spend it wisely.
Speaking of book fests, I’ve got two good ones coming up in March. I’ll be at Blake’s Boozy Book Fest on March 15th (more on that in my next blog entry), but the really big one is the Third Coast Book Festival on March 21st in Grand Haven, MI. It’ll be the one-year anniversary of my first ever book event. What a long, strange trip it’s been, eh? Check out the website in the flier below — more info will showing up on it soon.
I continue to hammer away at the third book, Drawing Dead, the finale of the opening trilogy. A lot of emotion here, and a lot of unresolved tension gets resolved. It’s hard for me to navigate, honestly. Emotional in places, and rather self-revelatory in certain ways. On top of that, I have the unenviable task of trying to top its predecessor, Crying Call, which may end up being the finest thing I ever write. I’m presently about halfway through writing Drawing Dead, and hope to complete it in time to publish it next February. Wish me luck.