Strange week, in which a couple meteors made the news–one of them in the same region Blood to Fire takes place. So the picture on the right floating through my Facebook timeline seemed too good not to share. After all, it could well be that a massive fireball is only the more common explanation compared to a mysterious beast out of mythology.
😉
My editor says she’s making progress on her duties, so while I’m not going to meet the original plan of publishing book 2 of Red Slaves in February, the wait is not that much longer.
While I’ve been waiting, I’ve been keeping myself busy with other new words. I finished the first short story and got feedback from two beta readers. I’m not sure whether I’m really proud that I creeped them out, but since this story is intended for a horror anthology, I guess I’ve done my job.
Since I’ve been soliciting feedback and considering what my next book marketing moves might be, I’ve also been thinking about where that line is between acknowledging it and becoming one of those Authors Behaving Badly who gets held up as a cautionary tale. In general, I know that there are going to be a large number of people who just don’t like my genres, or have other beefs with me, but if they’ve taken the time to write a critique, I will read it. If they’ve posted it on their blog, I will even link to it–it’s a countervailing opinion well-informed buyers are entitled to see. So when I read Meljean Brook’s 5-day “Diary of an Author” series, I laughed so hard I cried. It’s cathartic to know even really well-known authors struggle with the question of how much to invest in these online interactions. And it’s another useful reminder that while it is important to build and acknowledge a community of supportive readers, in the end, as writers, our primary duty is to WRITE.
Happily, I also finished the last of my required coursework for this session’s class, so I’m looking forward to another week of more fiction-writing than other obligations. Check out the link to the other ROW80 participants to see how they’re keeping up with their goals.
Hi Tonya, glad to see you’re working hard and distracted. The wait for publication must be tough! I’d be dancing around in my seat with frustration.
I understand what you’re saying about reviews and people’s opinions. For me, it’s been a matter of coming to grips with the fact that you will never please everyone; you don’t have to please everyone; and there will always be trolls. Human nature has a huge leap to make in correcting how we approach other people. I don’t argue any more. I hit delete or block if it’s malicious or mischief for the sake of it. Live and let live?
Wishing you the very best of luck.
Thanks, so much.
Some days it’s easier than others to avoid the “BUT!” response. 😉
At least I know enough to keep those private. 😀
Just saw a Forbes article that points to some additional discoverability tools coming, too, that focus on the quality of reviews written: http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2013/02/27/the-trouble-with-finding-books-online-and-a-few-solutions/
That’s handy. Thanks Tonya. 🙂 Have a great day.