Update on Releases

I tried to finish both Death in Double Mocha and Queer Eye for the Super Guy last month. Getting sick at the beginning of March set me back nearly 50K words for the year to date. In my attempts to catch up, my back started giving me fits.

Now before anyone starts on my case about exercise, I do get up frequently for breaks, and I take Princess Bella for may short walks during the day.

No, my problem is stress. And when I'm stressed, it settles in my hips and lower back. The teeny, tiny tendons and ligaments torque, the muscles spasm, and anything short of deep pressure point techniques doesn't relieve the pain. And there's no point of getting a pressure point massage if I don't deal with the source of the stress.

Therefore, I called Amazon on Monday and politely begged them to let me push back the release of Queer Eye for the Super Guy for a month, and Cecilia, the representative I spoke with graciously allowed me to do so.

Those of you who preordered Queer Eye should have received a notice from Amazon by now about the delay. The last thing I want to do is put out a half-assed product.

As of this writing, I have roughly three and a half chapters left to write on Death in Double Mocha. It will of course be sent to the Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse Kickstarter campaign first, but it will be available to the general public in June.

Queer Eye for the Super Guy is a little over a third of the way finished, but the idea's have been in my head for so long that the writing is going fairly quickly. It will be released on May 12th.

 

Closing in on the New Year

The Celtic New Year that is.  I follow the Celtic calendar for a myriad of creative and personal reasons, and the Gregorian calendar for tax reasons.

Halloween is a nice cutting off point for me creatively. I try to have all my projects for the secular year finished at this point, and it gives me a little breathing space to focus on my prime project(s) for Kindlemas.

For those who don't know, Kindlemas is the indie term for December 26th through the end of February. Folks who have a Kindle or received one for their winter holiday gift go on a book buying spree. That period is the indie equivalent for the Black Friday through Christmas sales for brick and mortar retail stores.

I came up with a good holiday story idea for one of the side characters in the 888-555-Hero universe. It'll be a novella, so I should be able to finish it before Halloween.

But next year? I'm taking off September, October, and November. With the chaos, both good and bad, in our lives, I would like to kick back the week of my birthday and catch up on reading and watching TV and movies that I've missed out on during the pandemic.

Really, I need some decompression time. Something I haven't had since my two-week trip to Las Vegas in February of 2020.

I hope all of you can find their measure of peace in the upcomimg holiday season!

Catching Up

Last night, I updated links on on my master sheets and one of my websites while DH watched TV, and I chatted with a writer friend online while she also did managerial tasks.

With the Delta variant of COVID-19 surge, I don't dare go places I don't have to. So I have to resort to phone calls, texts, e-mails, and various social medias to keep in touch with friends.

The need to distance is chafing my psyche, even for someone as introverted as me.

We bought a house with a guest room, added some awesome furniture, and yet none of our friends have been able to visit.

Heck, I haven't even had a chance (or the bravery) to shop for patio furniture and a barbeque grill. I only wave to the neighbors. And it looks like I'll need to figure out how to incorporate medical masks with my Halloween costume.

Maybe Psycho Surgeon?

Anyway, for those of you who don't like shopping Amazon, I've been uploading the files on the other e-book retailers as I get them from my formatter. In regards to the paperbacks, I'm uploading files, but Ingramspark is also behind due to employees out with COVID-19. So far, only one book out of five loaded have made it through the gauntlet.

In the meantime, I'm trying to finish A Very Hero Wedding in between file reviews. And I'm really hoping to have a very special announcement soon!

No! It Can't Be Friday Yet!

Seriously. I need some more time in the week. Or I need to move to Mars for an extra couple of hours in the day.

On the plus side, I've got the Bloodlines: The First Boxed Set paperback almost ready to be published. Just waiting on the cover, which will be done on Monday.

If you'd like the ebook version, it's on sale for $0.99 at all the mahor retailers.

I manually loaded a bunch of ebooks onto Apple, after driving myself crazy learning the system. I view it a necessary evil. If I end up hiring an assistant (or DH does the job, as he has suggested int the past), I need to be able to explain things to them.

I've been working on the revisions for the Millersburg Magick Mysteries in between other editing projects.

However, I've barely gotten through half my to-do list for the week. All I can do is try to get as much done before Adorable Spawn arrives this summer.

Or it could be Adorable Spawns. There's a possibility Significant Other might be having twins. She and Genius Kid called this week in a bit of a panic. As we told them, the grandparents will be there to help no matter what might happen.

On top of everything, Darling Husband found out his position was being eliminated. It has been a fear for a lot of people thanks to the ravages of COVID-19 on our economy as well as our health. The good thing is his employer doesn't want to lose him. They're exploring options, and it makes DH feel appreciated.

So if you know me personally, this is why I've been crazy or not in touch with you lately. I'll catch up next week. I promise.

I just need to play Counselor Troi this week.

Wild, Wicked & Wacky Rewind from 2015

I'd forgotten just how bad 2015 was until I was searching through my posts. This post from December 30, 2015, had the least amount of swear words.

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Plans.

I had so many plans this year. Novels and shorts published under both names. And what is the end result?

Only one short story, a sword and sorcery fantasy, was published in someone else's anthology.

Selling a short should make any writer happy. Don't get me wrong; it does.

But right now, life has kicked me in the head again.

Today marks the end of the second week of my MIL's stay at a rehab care facility. She fell on their front porch the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and ended up in the hospital. The injuries from the fall itself weren't the problem per se, but other issues came to light, which resulted in a week's stay at the hospital before she was transferred.

And because no one in my husband's family can keep a straight head in a crisis, I'm the one keeping track of everything.

Which is the capper to a year of dealing with a variety of personal issues, mainly other people's.

It doesn't mean I haven't been writing. I've been tapping away on my phone while waiting on kids and parents at various appointments.

It doesn't mean I haven't been editing. There's a proof copy of a paperback sitting in my backpack, along with a highlighter and sticky notes, that gets pulled out when I can.

But right now, I'm angry and frustrated because it feels like I'm spinning my wheels on my career for the third straight year. It doesn't help that if you're reading this today, Wednesday the 30th, I'm probably sitting in MIL's room, listening while the medical team plans for her eventual release.

Why am I there? Because the two sisters-in-law who are supposed to have the power and responsibility for medical decisions probably didn't show up. Again. And FIL asked DH to be there, and DH asked me to be there, because they both are having trouble keeping track of all the doctors' opinions and appointments because they're stressed and worried and not thinking straight.

I really want to say, "Not my circus, not my monkeys," and bury myself in Sam's latest adventure because, well, cursed phones, a Kevin Smith clone, and the return of Baron Samedi are way more fun than wound care and blood sugar levels and blood oxygen readings.

Needless to say, nothing more will be released in 2015. Here's hoping 2016 will be a little better.

Planning for 2020

Back in the '80's, the year 2020 was some vague futuristic time where we'd have flying cars and robot butlers.

Instead, we have Alexa, Siri, and their strange sisterhood of electronic spies into our lives, and the only flying car is the Tesla that a crazy person launched into space to prove a point.

However, being a reasonable writer/publisher regardless of the year, I've been working on the publishing schedule for 2020. The first six books have pre-orders on Amazon. Once again, I'll update them here and on the main series pages as they go live:

January 15th - A Touch of Mother (Justice #4)

February 14th - Seasons of Magick Anthology (Entire Seasons of Magick series)

March 15th - Spells and Sleuths (Millersburg Magick Mysteries #1)

April 15th - Fae and Felonies (Millersburg Magick Mysteries #2)

May 15th - Magick and Murder (Millersburg Magick Mysteries #3)

June 15th - Hero De Jure (888-555-HERO #5)


The Millersburg Magick Mysteries will be initially exclusively on Amazon's Kindle Unlimited, as the 888-555-HERO series was. These are paranormal mysteries set in the Bloodlines World. Teen witch sleuths Kaley and Kirsten Wilson take on town happenings Scooby-Doo style. The girl's mom Rachel and great-aunt Jo should be familiar to anyone who's read Amish, Vamps & Thieves.

The 888-555-HERO has started going wide, Hero De Facto is available at most online retailers now, and each month, the next volume will be released.

My last goal is to get my ebooks on the Ohio Public Library system for those of you who rely on libraries for your reading material. If you don't live in Ohio, you can always request my books through your own library!

For those of you who prefer paperbacks or you don't live in Ohio, have your librarian contact me directly. I'm always happy to donate copies, both paper and electronic, to a public or school library. As a child in rural America, book stores were rare, Amazon didn't exist, and I depended on our county public library system for most of my reading material.

If anyone has questions or comments and doesn't want to leave them on the blog's comment section, you can always contact me through the "Contact Me" tab at the top of the page!

Status Report - June 2019

Another life roll happened, which means another delay. To give myself and my subcontractors plenty of time to get things done, I'm pushing the release of A Matter of Death back a month. Which means everything else will be pushed back as well.

Here's the revised release schedule for the remainder of 2019:

July 15 - A Matter of Death (Justice #3) novel

August 15 - Reality Bites (Bloodlines Shorts #3) novella

September 15 - Ghouls in the Grocery Store (Bloodlines Shorts #4) novella

October 30 - Resurrected (Bloodlines #9) novel

December 1 - A Very HERO Christmas (888-555-HERO #4) novella

I'll definitely announce here when preorders go up on the various retailer websites.

What about 2020?

I've made plans to attend a workshop in Las Vegas in February, which involves a lot of writing and reading starting in November. I'll continue to work on my own books in between assignments, so I'm not sure how the release schedule will work out yet.

To keep myself and my readers happy, I'll alternate putting out books-- a sword and sorcery, an urban fantasy, a superhero book, then repeat.

If anyone has questions or comments, feel free to leave them below!

The 2018 Year-End Wrap-Up

Well, 2018 wasn't my best year, but it wasn't my worst either.

I started off by releasing the e-books of A Modicum of Truth (Justice #2) in February and Sacrificed (Bloodlines #8) in March.

And if you're a regular reader of my blog, you know everything got put on hold shortly after Easter.

I kept writing though, as best as I could. The trade paperbacks for this year's releases came out in October and December respectively.

I made some money, less than every other year, but more than my first year. However, I was mainly coasting on fumes from previous releases.

So I'm concentrating on putting out a lot of books in 2019. I'm not jinxing myself by giving specific dates until the pre-order is up and running. (Yep, I'm going to try to stay ahead this year!)

- Hero De Facto is back from my alpha reader. I'll do another round of proofreading before sending it off to my formatter.

- Hero Ad Hoc should go to my alpha reader later today.

- The first draft of Hero De Novo will hopefully be finished before Hero De Facto goes on sale.

- A Matter of Death needs to be completed as well.

- Then if nothing else goes wrong, I'll finish the last three Bloodlines stories and the fourth Justice Novel.

I'm still looking at the possibility of another surgery, so I'm trying very, very hard to get ahead before this happens, if it happens.

I could wail and gnash my teeth over perceived failures like a lot of my fellow writers do, but I can't. I'm just happy to be alive and doing something I absolutely love--making up stories to entertain all of you.

Mya you all have an awesome New Year!

2017 in Review

Despite my best-laid plans and my efforts, things didn't go exactly as expected this year. Including not writing a blog post for Christmas Day. I started, but got distracted by other things, like Peter Capaldi's last portrayal of The Doctor.

Only one novel and one short story of mine were released, even though I did finish two other novels. I'm not sure if I'd call 2017 a failure though.

I did complete three novels, though the latter two won't officially be released until 2018.

I spent a good part of the year catching up on paperback releases, a task leftover from 2015. I actually managed to sell five of them. Okay, two were bought by DH's aunt, but hey, I'll take whatever tidbits I can get at this point.

This was my second lowest income year, but it was still $800 more than what I made in 2011, my first year of publishing.

Where did I slip? I let a great many real-world things distract me. Some needed my attention, like the death of DH's mother and GK's illnesses. Some things not so much, like the political climate in the U.S. and BBC America's recent Doctor Who takeover.

Where did I do good? I have several books close to completion for 2018. I hope to have nine releases. If there's any leftover time, I want to restart Alter Ego's career.

Angry Sheep Publishing was accepted as a vendor by Google Play. I'm still in the process of uploading books onto that retail platform.

I bought a bunch of covers ahead of time because Goddess only knows how tax stuff will shake out in the end. (Though our CPA is already on top of it, and has sent us several informative e-mails on what to expect for 2018 and what we need to take care of NOW!)

And hopefully, I might have my own office next year. It was our compromise if DH wanted to stay in town and buy a house.

It will be interesting to see what 2018 brings.

What about the rest of you? Any goals met? Anything getting in the way of your writing?

Status Report - December 2017

A Modicum of Truth has turned into the book that just won't stop.

Just joking. I'm at the point in writing where the second, bigger climatic battle is about to start, and I'm already over my original estimate of 80K. These scenes will be my focus over the holiday. Needless to say, if you read Wednesday's screed, I definitely need to be alone for the next three days so I don't wind up in jail for assault. LOL

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that Darling Husband, Genius Kid, and I stay healthy for the next few weeks. DH's employer was bought, and we waiting to see how benefits shake out.

I was rather sad I couldn't buy DH his computer this year. We'd been saving and planning since it was his turn for an upgrade. But the car GK's been using went kaflooey and the new tax law means we need to pay as much of my 2018 business expenses in 2017 as possible. So there went the money I set aside.

On the plus side, I've got covers lined up for the next several releases under both pseudonyms!

Anyway, here's the plan for the next few weeks:

- Proof the Ravaged paperback today and tomorrow. Send notes to Jaye, my formatter.
- Finish writing AMoT over the weekend.
- Edit AMoT Dec. 26-29. Send file to Jaye on Friday.
- Edit Sacrificed Dec. 30-Jan. 2.
- Finish writing Reality Bites Jan. 3-20th.

In the meantime, I'm waiting for Elaina, my cover artist, to re-do the spine for Blood Sacrifice. For some reason, CreateSpace got super-picky about the title on the spine, even though it's a 280-page paperback with plenty of room. Once I get that back and through Createspace's approval process, Blood Sacrifice will be available as a paperback, and I'll upload the e-book on Barnes & Noble.

Everything else will depend on when my contractors are back to work between vacations, families, holidays, etc. I don't begrudge them the time off because I'm sure their families are a lot more gracious and fun than mine.

(And even as I typed this missive, DH came in to tell me his smartphone just died. *facepalm* We don't have landlines, and I really don't want his family calling me!)

A Moment of Silence

Due to a death in the family, Wild, Wicked & Wacky will be dark for the next week. Thank you for understanding.

Status Report - June 2017

I haven't done a status update in a while, so here's what's happened since I posted my April list of things to do:

1) No, I haven't started the edits on Ravaged yet.

2) The first draft of Sacrificed was completed on May 25.

3) I started back on Resurrected on May 26, and realized there were a couple of major issues that would turn into expositional crap if I dealt with them in this novel. So I plotted two short novels that will take place between Sacrificed and Resurrected, and started writing them. I post word count updates at my reader-oriented website www.suzanharden.com if you're curious.

4) The non-related short stories are done, but when they will be released is open to question with the new short novels for Bloodlines.

5) Proofing the Bloodlines paperbacks is taking an inordinate amount of time, far more than I anticipated. But I have to get them done because I will be at an author's signing event at our local library next month. More on the signing will be posted closer to the day of, which is July 20. In the meantime, they've essentially been moved to the top priority spot.

6) Needless to say, updating the Seasons of Magick series has been pushed back once again. It may be swapped with #7

7) I gotten more e-mails/PMs about A Modicum of Truth, so based on demand, it will need to take priority post-Bloodlines. It's good that a work is wanted, but it's a little nerve-wracking as well. I'm blaming the demand on the new Wonder Woman movie.

So that's what's happening in my world. Hope everyone has a great summer!

Status Report - April 2017

I'm finally past the SAD that's been plaguing me through the winter. Sun, open windows, and shorts temperatures have definitely helped in the productivity department.

I also took a page from Dean Wesley Smith's book, and I splurged on an 11-inch super lightweight  laptop. I've disabled the browser, the e-mail, and the wi-fi. The change has made a difference in my productivity. In the two weeks since Bali Blue arrived and I set her up, I've written 22K words.

So what's happened since my last release in December?

1) The first draft of Ravaged is done. I'm not going to start edits until the first draft of Sacrificed is done.

2) Sacrificed is approximately 73% done. I was hoping to have it done by the end of April, but it'll be done soon.

3) Resurrected is approximately 30% done.

4) I'm also working on some short stories that will come out between the end of the Bloodlines series and the next Justice novel.

5) Paperbacks for the Bloodlines series should all be out by the end of June.

6) New covers for the Seasons of Magick series are done. The files need to be reviewed before forwarding them to my formatter. Then a bundled edition will be released.

7) Once the first six actions items are done, I'll get back to work on A Modicum of Truth.

Status Report - October 2016

It's hard to believe October is almost over! So what are the project priorities?

Priority #1
I sent the master files for Zombie Goddess to my formatter Saturday morning. I'm probably not going to have it out by my arbitrary deadline, which is the third anniversary of the release of Blood Sacrifice, aka the last new release in the Bloodlines series. So I'm shooting for Halloween provided my formatter isn't backlogged.

Priority #2
Finish writing Ravaged by Halloween. This has been a difficult story to complete because it deals with a lot of uncomfortable subjects. It doesn't help that the storyline mirrors some elements of the current U.S. political climate. I can honestly say this story was outlined well before the recent bullshit. I'm hoping to have it edited in time for a Thanksgiving release.

Priority #3
Finishing Sacrificed will be my National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo, NaNo or November) project. Frankly I lost a day when I accidentally deleted Chapter Nine of this book without a backup. *facepalm* If I can stay on schedule, I hoping for a Christmas release.

Priority #4
I'll spend the holidays finishing Resurrected. It won't be out until late January/early February because both my formatter and my cover artist take time off to spend with their children--as they should!

Not a Priority, but You're Going to Hear About It Soon
I started a new project called The Four Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse. As a soccer mom myself, I said the only way I'd ever get a fucking mini-van is when the Four Horsemen arrive to announce the end of the world. Well, my heroine Danielle feels the same way. When a drunk driver totals her beloved pick-up, nearly killing her and her son, what does her hubby bring home as a replacement? Unfortunately in Danielle's case, it really does trigger Armageddon!

Starting the first chapter was my consolation the day I accidentally erased a chapter of Sacrificed because I was out of chocolate. (By the way, my huge order from Lindt arrived last Thursday.)

THE DEFINITE RELEASE!
Sword and Sorceress 31 with my story "Pig-Headed" will be out on November 2nd. In fact, Amazon is already taking pre-orders. So is Barnes & Noble. This is an independent tale and doesn't take place in any of my pre-existing worlds. All I can say is Talis, a sorceress wannabe, is having a very bad day, starting with accidentally turning her brother into a farm animal and ending with an ogre threatening to eat her best friend.

All righty, then! Time for me to get back to work!

Progress!

I didn't post this morning because I jumped on the read-back editing of A Question of Balance. I finished it, and read through the first chapter of A Modicum of Truth. I'll finish putting the front and back matter together and send them to my formatter tonight or tomorrow morning.

I'm off to Panera's in a few minutes to pound out words on Zombie Goddess. I'm currently at 55,862 words before I start tonight's session. I doubt if I finish the novel tonight, but it will be damn close.

And I should have another announcement in a week or two. Woo-hoo!

Status Report - February 2016

This year didn't get off to the rousing start I wanted. As I said on my post from January 7th, we've had a lot of health issues with in-laws. Unfortunately, things haven't let up any.

On the down side, MIL ended back in the hospital for a week with breathing problems. While the docs were scanning FIL again for a possible source of the leg pain, they found a mass in his bladder. I'm driving him to Toledo for a second opinion next Monday.

On the plus side, MIL has improved greatly since the last scary stint in the hospital. She's still a little shaky when it comes to walking on her own, but she's off oxygen. We moved FIL into an assisted living apartment at the same complex where MIL is doing her rehab. Despite next week's consultation, he was in good spirits tonight and heading to the main dining room for dinner.

Why am I talking about all this?

The recent personal crises have definitely affected my productivity. I got A Question of Balance back from my beta reader some time ago, and still haven't had a chance to go through their notes. The proof copies for the paperback versions of Blood Magick and Zombie Love are still sitting on my desk. The good side is I'm fifty pages into the first book, but I still need to order the proofs for the next two books. Also, the file for Blood Sacrifice needs to be reviewed before going to the my paperback formatter.

Zombie Goddess is sitting at 40.5K, Ravaged at 18K, and Sacrificed at Murphy only knows because I'm writing it on an iPhone app while waiting in various places, and the app doesn't have a word counter.

Plus, I came up with a cool new idea for an urban fantasy series. I scribbled some notes, but trust me, I won't write it until the Bloodlines series is done.

None of the above has anything to do with Alter Ego, who is also way behind on her work. LOL

I was so stressed last week that DH made me take Wednesday off. It's amazing how a few episodes of Agent Carter and The Librarians can brighten your perspective.

Once again, I am SOOO thankful that I'm an indie writer. If I were under contract with a trad publisher, I would be royally screwed at the moment. I may be super slow right now, but I will get something published this year!

End of the Year Review, Or Why Murphy Is the One, True God

Plans.

I had so many plans this year. Novels and shorts published under both names. And what is the end result?

Only one short story, a sword and sorcery fantasy, was published in someone else's anthology.

Selling a short should make any writer happy. Don't get me wrong; it does.

But right now, life has kicked me in the head again.

Today marks the end of the second week of my MIL's stay at a rehab care facility. She fell on their front porch the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and ended up in the hospital. The injuries from the fall itself weren't the problem per se, but other issues came to light, which resulted in a week's stay at the hospital before she was transferred.

And because no one in my husband's family can keep a straight head in a crisis, I'm the one keeping track of everything.

Which is the capper to a year of dealing with a variety of personal issues, mainly other people's.

It doesn't mean I haven't been writing. I've been tapping away on my phone while waiting on kids and parents at various appointments.

It doesn't mean I haven't been editing. There's a proof copy of a paperback sitting in my backpack, along with a highlighter and sticky notes, that gets pulled out when I can.

But right now, I'm angry and frustrated because it feels like I'm spinning my wheels on my career for the third straight year. It doesn't help that if you're reading this today, Wednesday the 30th, I'm probably sitting in MIL's room, listening while the medical team plans for her eventual release.

Why am I there? Because the two sisters-in-law who are supposed to have the power and responsibility for medical decisions probably didn't show up. Again. And FIL asked DH to be there, and DH asked me to be there, because they both are having trouble keeping track of all the doctors' opinions and appointments because they're stressed and worried and not thinking straight.

I really want to say, "Not my circus, not my monkeys," and bury myself in Sam's latest adventure because, well, cursed phones, a Kevin Smith clone, and the return of Baron Samedi are way more fun than wound care and blood sugar levels and blood oxygen readings.

Needless to say, nothing more will be released in 2015. Here's hoping 2016 will be a little better.

The Latest Craziness

When it rains, it pours.

First of all, I've given up trying to fix the damn blog post on my website. Then I found out that the company that subhosts my website is closing, so it's time to make some changes. Over the next month, you'll be seeing the updated "Suzan Harden - Writer" as my webmistress and I migrate the old stuff to a new host.

Jaye and Elaina are jamming on the paperback formatting and new covers respectively for the Bloodlines series. I'd planned to start rolling them out at the beginning of this month. But once again, personal crap has hit the fan. I hope to start uploading by the end of the month along with the new novels.

That same personal crap has put what I hope is a temporary halt on the writing of Hero De Facto. It's frustrating because we're only a handful of chapters from completion and we've got a fantastic cover artist lined up.

The only good news I've got right now is that another Justice Anthea adventure will be in Sword and Sorceress 30 in November. After the bullshit of the last five months, I take that one victory.

I take that back. The other good thing is getting back into Sam's head after three years. I'd forgotten how much fun she is.

Status Report - March 2015

Laura Kirwan and I are be-bopping along on writing Hero De Facto, the first book of the 888-555-Hero series about two lawyers who specialize in representing superheroes (and the occasional supervillain). We've got a tentative release date of May 1, 2015.

Yes, it's the same day that Avengers: Age of Ultron comes out. I love marketing!

In the meantime, the new covers and print editions of the Bloodlines are coming along. I'm looking at re-releasing the previous books and launching the new ones in June.

Unfortunately, that also means I'm going to have to raise prices. So if you were planning on buying the first five books of the Bloodlines series, you have two and a half months to get them at the current price of $2.99.

Also, I'm planning on getting a separate website launched for Angry Sheep Publishing. I've turned my business paperwork to the State of Ohio, and I'm having a business logo designed. I squealed with delight at the preliminary sketches.

As I've told DH and a couple of other people, I feel like I'm doing IT project management again, consulting with my contractors, reviewing their submissions, squeezing any writing in between e-mails, etc.

Don't worry. This blog isn't going anywhere. I may not be posting as often over the next couple of months, but there's still billions of people I haven't annoyed/amused yet!

Clarification on the November Status Post

I regularly hang out at The Passive Voice. During a discussion on Kris Rusch's recent post on "churning out" books, I mentioned I'd got some grief from other writers on my November Status Report. Someone e-mailed me privately, concerned about my experience.

Here's the deal. I've learned not to let this kind of crap bother me. Yes, it used to, but I also thought my normal bullshit meter didn't apply to the writing world. I was stupid. I was naïve.

I got over it.

There was one nasty comment. It popped up while I was online, so I caught and deleted right away. If you subscribe to comments, you may have gotten the notice. If so, delete the e-mail. I'm pretty sure it's the buddy of a former friend, who likes to troll me every once in a while. This person's crap has tapered off since I no longer associate with the former friend. Since I'm a non-Christian, I'm the equivalent of Al-Quaeda in their Tea Party minds. As GK would say, "What evs."

I received three e-mails from "friends" who are oh-so-worried about my incredibly bad decision to indie publish. But then, they've been worried for four years now. To a person, they said the same crap Kris mention on her original blog--no one will take me seriously if I write too fast. *cue eye roll*

The only person whose comment concerned me was my new writing partner, Laura Kirwan. We had a nice talk about expectations and writing speed, and I like to think we both walked away feeling a lot better about completing our joint project.

The funny thing about the November post? I didn't even mention the Alter Ego projects for 2015.

Can you imagine the eye-popping apoplexy some of these people would have if they knew? LOL