So
it has been a while since I wrote a blog. I know. What’s my deal? I could at
least update everyone on what’s going on once in a while. The truth is I’ve
been really busy over the last couple of months, though. I’ve been working on a
new series that is actually finished. It consists of four books, but I wrote
them as one gigantic story before realizing that no one wants to read a 1,600 page
book (who do I think I am . . . George RR Martin?), so then I split it up at
logical points. I don’t know for sure what I’m going to do with this series,
though. Normally, I would put them on Amazon to share with all of you, but
things are a bit complicated.
Here’s
the bad news. Emma’s Story, my last book, was pirated. In fact, the last 6 or 7
books I’ve released through Amazon have been pirated pretty quickly. It’s
frustrating, and I don’t think the majority of people understand why, so I’m
going to explain it. Imagine that you work on something for ten hours a day for
two months, and then you have to work on it for several more weeks to make
revisions and consider everyone else’s opinions on what you’ve written and how
people will perceive it. To make a long story short, you end up spending about
1000 hours of your life on something, and then once it comes out you find that
for every one person who purchases your book, 20 more steal it. Most authors do
not make as much money as Steven
King. We aren’t rich, and seeing our hard work being taken, altered in many
cases, and then having absolutely no control over what we created is troubling,
to say the least. Imagine if your boss told you that you can only have 5% of
your salary because people broke in and stole the rest. I feel for people who
can’t afford to buy books. Those aren’t the ones I’m calling out, but I would be
willing to bet that 95% of the people who read Emma’s Story aren’t poor.
I
don’t know if I can put this new series on Amazon if it’s just going to be
pirated. I know. There’s no stopping it in today’s world, but I really believe
in this new project. I started working on it about a year ago, and it has blown
my mind how different it is and how much I have grown as a writer. I want it to
mean more, so I’m considering writing a few letters to an agent and seeing what
I can do. There are no guarantees in writing, and I know that, but I think I
have to take a shot on making this series more than just a pirated effort that
leaves me feeling a bit empty.
On
a lighter note, I wrote a children’s book this morning. I didn’t know they were
so short. It turns out they are only about a 1,000 words. I don’t know what I’m
going to do with it or if it should be anything at all, but it’s certainly fun
to think about where my writing journey has taken me. I started unpolished and
clueless in so many ways, but I’m learning and exploring. With this new series,
and maybe with this children’s book, it’s starting to click, however. I’m
finding ways to use my voice in the best way for my readers. Before I just
wrote what came into my head, and I suppose I still do that now, but these new
four books were completely redone afterward with my readers in mind. This isn’t
a story that’s a reflection of my daydreams, but rather what I believe will
provide the proper balance of action, romance, and description to a level that
I haven’t delivered on in the past.
Finally,
I wrote at least one last book for my kindle readers. Even if my new series
won’t be coming to you independently, there was one story left to tell. I want
the reveal of it to be a surprise, but it’s a story I should have written a
long time ago. In some ways, it’s a thank you to all of the people who have
stuck with me and supported me through the most wonderful journey. PSV is the
abbreviation I’m using for the title at the moment. It is finished, and it’s
being edited as we speak. I think it’s very close to being ready for release.
It’ll have action, a little romance, and one important mystery in it. Whether
it’s pirated or not, I want to share it with you because I believe it’s just
the type of book the people who have been with me from the start will love. It
takes me back to my roots while applying everything I learned through writing
my new series and taking some time off simply to study new techniques and
styles, many of which I used and put my own spin on.
I’ll
have more news about PSV soon, and I’ll give you its actual name, along with a
few teaser images. Stay tuned. The next month should be fun!
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