Finally published the book last week through Smashwords, crickets. Yay!

Going through the publishing process was a bit daunting, since I hadn’t released anything in years, but the file and art for An Unusual Haunting sailed through once I had done my homework on preparation.

If I was a serious writer, I suppose I should work harder at promoting what I do. Yet I am serious about writing. Each new project should show improvement over what I did before. And I have been reading and learning and honing the craft as much as I am able. Publishing only serves to mark the end of a project, a challenge to me to put my work out there for someone else to enjoy. If I make anything, it only goes back to purchasing more toner and paper so I can keep going without too much expense.

What will I do now? Direct my attention back on finishing the third story in the Sara series. When that’s completed and goes through the beta-reading process, I will move on to the fantasy book that has languished so long in an unfinished state. Also, the short stories are piling up again, meaning it might be time to publish another collection.

It’s funny how getting one monster six-year project off my desk is leading to more writing instead of time off. I guess that’s the joy of becoming a serious writer, and I am in it for the joy of it.

Until next time, crickets, be well.

This year has definitely been an up-ender. Pandemics, work changes, illnesses, remote operations: these past few months have been nothing if not interesting.

I have been reading, though not as much as I would like to. Some of the more notable ones:

• Bleachers by John Grisham
• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
• Peace Talks by Jim Butcher
• Actually, the Comma Goes Here: A Practical Guide to Punctuation by Lucy Cripps
• On Writing by Stephen King

As for the book, An Unusual Haunting, I have everything I need but have yet to run it through the meatgrinder at Smashwords. It’s not a case of fear (I’ve published through the system before, though it’s been a while), yet I am reluctant. This might be a case of perfectionism vs. practicality. Will anyone read the story? The odds are against it, but I want it to be nice for those who do. Are there mistakes in it? Sure. All books have mistakes. I catch them all the time in published novels; I just can’t seem to catch them as easily in mine.

Maybe it’s just hard to set a story free that I’ve held onto closely for several years now. That said, perfect or not, it’s time to let the book go. Expect to see An Unusual Haunting published this month.

Until next time, crickets, take care and be well.