And I Would Do Anything for Love...But I Can't Do This

image from vector illustration found through Public Domain

Hello world!  I am returning to my blogs and Twitter.  Back in January, I posted my writing goals, and they included completing the second draft of Follow Me: Tattered Veils.  

Amazing news: that draft is complete.  It goes to the copy editor today!  

Further news!  I’ve found and am partnering with an artist to create a cover for Follow Me: Tattered Veils.  Finishing the second draft set up all the pieces for me to self publish and I am tentatively planning to publish November 1st.  Words fail in expressing deep my joy is.

With that joy comes doubt.  Not doubt in my manuscript.  To prepare Follow Me: Tattered Veils I’ve recruited beta readers, work-shopped the manuscript with my writers’ group, and studied editing advice. The work has undergone major structural changes over its existence and it’s settled into an order I think is best for readers.  I queried multiple editors and settled on one whose resume includes two authors with a similar audience to mine (fan girling here but my editor worked with Charlie N. Holmberg and she’s amazing).

My doubt: I can’t draw in an audience or the right audience to my work.  Yeah, I did the Twitter thing back in Aug-Jan.  Yeah, I have this blog.  But what is all this?  Will it help book the visibility of my book?  Am I connecting with a potential group of readers?  I feel very small and like a terrible advocate for my book.

Further, I couldn‘t keep the blog running AND edit at the same time.  I always told people I couldn’t self-promote and write but I was hoping to prove myself wrong.  Turns out I knew those two different areas of my brain can‘t both fire at the same time.  If I’m writing fiction, I’m not blogging.  If I’m blogging, chances are strong I’m not writing fiction. Boo.

So I will be here and around for the next few months, but at some point, I must fall away and go back to my creative well spring.  I hope you guys understand and stick with me, but I can’t commit to consistent updates.  I will try to pre-write a bunch of blog posts and tweets, and from there I’ll try to respond/interact.  But the balancing act will fall and I’ll abandon you all to write.  

I would do anything to make Follow Me: Tattered Veils as big as a success as I can, but I can’t sacrifice creating more fictional works to market Follow Me: Tattered Veils.  In my dream world I’d either be able to do both or I could hire a stunning personality to maintain a consistent eye on the internet,  but I don’t live in that world. 

Thank you for sticking with me and I will let you know when I need to step back so I can write again.  Until then, I’m back to play and should release a book summary shortly.  

Talk to me.  How do you balance social interaction and writing?  Is it a struggle or do you naturally fall into a good balance?  What extremes has your manuscript pushed you too?  Were there things you thought "of course I'll do that" only to learn you couldn't do them even if you wanted to?  What was launching your debut novel like?  Do you have any tips or advice for me?  

Looking for more posts about the writing and publishing process?  Check out more posts on my novel publication process: Going Through Copy Edits, 1st Daft vs 2nd Draft, Goal Planning: Getting Through the First Draft, My Character Looks Nothing Like My MC, Cover Art: Turth in Advertising, and Post Book Launch: Reflections.  

Want to know more about my novel?  Check out my childhood stories recapping themes in my life I hope prepared me to write this book: Remember the Magic of Santa?, Closet Monsters: Gone too Far?, and Garden Gnomes and other Evils.

OR check out my series where I find similarities between my novel and other popular media.  Hopefully it gives you a better idea whether there are elements in my book you may enjoy.  Lost Girl Comparison, American Gods Comparison, and The O.A. Comparison.

MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT AMAZON!!!  Please go look at "Follow Me: Tattered Veils" and see if it might be a story that interests you.