Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
-John Donne
In loving memory of my father-in-law, Max Edward Campbell, Jr. May 25, 1956 - August 30, 2002. Ten years gone, but never forgotten.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Looking Forward
This blog is approaching its sixth anniversary, and as I look back at
the sad number of post that have accumulated here, I see for certain
that I have no idea what I'm doing . . . at least blog wise.
The reason I started this blog six years ago was that I had a novel that I wanted to shop around, and like so many authors out there, I was deluged with advice on how to land a top agent. I was told that I needed to sell several short stories to the top magazines to prove my writing ability and that if I wanted to land an agent I needed to have a following already established. Blogging was the way to go to accomplish that.
And I swallowed it hook line and sinker.
Then, in early 2011 I decided to give up my exhausting search for an agent and self publish. I'm not bad mouthing the traditional path. It's fine if that's your choice. It was just no longer the right choice for me. I'll go into those reasons some other time.
It's been a little over a year since I published my novel Guarding the Healer. You hear all these stories about self published writers skyrocketing to thousands of sales a month within the first year of going indie. I am not one of those writers.
My sales are lackluster and the income my writing brings in monthly isn't even enough to buy my family a single meal. Did I make a mistake self publishing?
In a word . . . no.
Don't get me wrong, I've made plenty of mistakes, but self publishing isn't one.
I think one of the major places I've messed up in self publishing is that I'm reaching out to the wrong people. I joined Kindle Boards, found several writing groups on Facebook, most of my Twitter followers are other writers.
Now, while I do love hanging out (virtually or in real life) with other writers, they are not my key demographic. I write fiction. Mostly dark paranormal fiction. Writers are great readers, there's no doubt about that, but they have their own works and agendas. I can't read all of their work and they certainly don't have the time to read mine.
The people I need to reach are readers. Plain ol' don't-write-squat, everyday average Joe/Joanna Reader. If you look at it from a business standpoint they are known as the fat part of the bell curve.
Have I figured out how to reach readers yet?
No. But I have some ideas.
First of all, I'm going to change this blog up a bit. But I'll tell you more about that next time.
The reason I started this blog six years ago was that I had a novel that I wanted to shop around, and like so many authors out there, I was deluged with advice on how to land a top agent. I was told that I needed to sell several short stories to the top magazines to prove my writing ability and that if I wanted to land an agent I needed to have a following already established. Blogging was the way to go to accomplish that.
And I swallowed it hook line and sinker.
Then, in early 2011 I decided to give up my exhausting search for an agent and self publish. I'm not bad mouthing the traditional path. It's fine if that's your choice. It was just no longer the right choice for me. I'll go into those reasons some other time.
It's been a little over a year since I published my novel Guarding the Healer. You hear all these stories about self published writers skyrocketing to thousands of sales a month within the first year of going indie. I am not one of those writers.
My sales are lackluster and the income my writing brings in monthly isn't even enough to buy my family a single meal. Did I make a mistake self publishing?
In a word . . . no.
Don't get me wrong, I've made plenty of mistakes, but self publishing isn't one.
I think one of the major places I've messed up in self publishing is that I'm reaching out to the wrong people. I joined Kindle Boards, found several writing groups on Facebook, most of my Twitter followers are other writers.
Now, while I do love hanging out (virtually or in real life) with other writers, they are not my key demographic. I write fiction. Mostly dark paranormal fiction. Writers are great readers, there's no doubt about that, but they have their own works and agendas. I can't read all of their work and they certainly don't have the time to read mine.
The people I need to reach are readers. Plain ol' don't-write-squat, everyday average Joe/Joanna Reader. If you look at it from a business standpoint they are known as the fat part of the bell curve.
Have I figured out how to reach readers yet?
No. But I have some ideas.
First of all, I'm going to change this blog up a bit. But I'll tell you more about that next time.
Saturday, August 04, 2012
Predatory Animals is Live
I'm happy to announce that my latest novel, Predatory Animals, is now Live.You can pick up a digital copy at Amazon, Kobo and Smashwords. It should be available anytime on Barnes & Noble, but they seem to be taking their own sweet time.
Predatory Animals isn't available in print, yet, but it will be soon. I promise.
IN THE TOWN OF SHADELAND, PEOPLE ARE VANISHING.
After suffering a near-death accident, Casper Brown awakens with a strange new connection to three stray dogs recently adopted by his family. Casper’s nights are filled with dreams of the dogs’ activities; at times he can even see through their eyes. And what he witnesses has him worried for his family’s safety.
AN ENIGMATIC EVIL IS HIDING, WAITING TO STRIKE.
The Pummels are the most beloved family in town. Though their wealth, philanthropy, and charisma form a cloud of mystery about them, their work with the town’s exotic cat rescue center has captured the heart of the people. But the Pummels are guarding a secret. One they will kill to keep quiet.
ITS HUNGER IS INSATIABLE.
Shadeland is a town of shadows, where hunters hide in plain sight and prey scurry about unaware. But a new predator has been unleashed. One unlike any this world has seen.
ITS SURVIVAL IS OUR DOOM.
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
A Teaser and Some Secrets
I've been working really hard lately
trying to get Predatory Animals ready for publication. Because of that, I
haven't been paying near enough attention to this blog. I was hoping to
have P.A. go live tomorrow, but I'm still sifting through, searching for those
tiny errors that escape you the first hundred times you read through the
manuscript. As a bit of a teaser, here is the description I plan on using
for P.A.
IN THE TOWN OF SHADELAND, PEOPLE ARE
VANISHING.
After suffering a near-death accident,
Casper Brown awakens with a strange new connection to three stray dogs recently
adopted by his family. Casper’s nights are filled with dreams of the
dogs’ activities; at times he can even see through their eyes. And what
he witnesses has him worried for his family’s safety.
AN ENIGMATIC EVIL IS HIDING, WAITING TO
STRIKE.
The Pummels are the most beloved family
in town. Though their wealth, philanthropy, and charisma form a cloud of
mystery about them, their work with the town’s exotic cat rescue center has
captured the heart of the people. But the Pummels are guarding a
secret. One they will kill to keep quiet.
ITS HUNGER IS INSATIABLE.
Shadeland is a town of shadows, where
hunters hide in plain sight and prey scurry about unaware. But a new
predator has been unleashed. One unlike any this world has seen.
ITS SURVIVAL IS OUR DOOM.
This has very little to do with
Predatory Animals, but I have a thing for conspiracy theories and secret
government installations, so I've added a fun little video.
Enjoy.
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