TBT Update - Staying the Course

For today's TBT, I highlighted a blog I wrote back in August that talked about staying the course and keeping to my intention. I threw out a bunch of ideas an expectations and now I'm just laughing about how little (and much) I knew. It's so comforting to see that I have, in fact, made significant progress since last August.

So I thought I'd go through, one by one, and showcase where I am and where I'd thought I'd be:

By not going with Amazon's Select program, I am unable to offer my book for free (without a whole bunch of hullabaloo) and I can't enroll it in Kindle Unlimited. Beyond that, because my book is not included in this program, I am penalized in their ranking system.

For someone who lives and dies by metrics, being in the three digits (instead of the six) would be monumental.

Not only did I get in the three digits, I got in the one digits. Since making Double Life permafree, it's been in the top 100 nearly every single day since December 31st. And when I promoted it via Book Barbarian, it shot to #1.

I've sold less than twenty books using Smashwords (which includes iBooks and Barnes and Noble), and now almost twice that on Amazon. Does it make sense to pull out of Smashwords completely and go to Amazon?

I ended up going this route for Alliances and while the free book day was a nice way to get both books in the series noticed (see quote #1 above), the exclusivity and Kindle Unlimited doesn't seem to be helping me at all. I decided not to go with KDPS for Empath, so we'll see how my opinion changes.

I've made twice as much money selling books out of the back of my car. I'm attending Baltimore Comic-Con next weekend, and bringing 50+ books. Same goes for Annapolis and then ShatterdomeCon. I will have unfettered access to hundreds of nerds my target demographic, and be able to unload a bunch of books (I hope).

This amused me on several levels. First, yes, I have made (also lost) a shit-ton of money at conventions. I've sold a shit-ton of books (coming up on 700 paperbacks). But what amused me more is that the two conventions I mentioned - Annapolis and Shatterdome - were almost abject failures. But other conventions - Baltimore, Tidewater, Pensacon, Indianapolis - I did very well.

My intention is not to be a "bestseller." If I see my name atop Amazon's top Science Fiction novels, fantastic - but it's what I want out of jealousy, not because it's what I need.

I can't technically call myself a bestseller because my book only showed up on the top free novels, but hitting #27 on all Science Fiction wasn't the worst thing in the world.

When I really sit down and think about it, these are the things I want to achieve: 

1. I want to explore my soul, my neuroses, my anxieties, and my fears so that I may accept myself exactly the way I am.

Hello, have you heard of this book I wrote called Empath?

2. I want to use my creative energy to please myself first, then others.

In the past month, I have gotten away from this. I was forcing myself to write when I wasn't feeling it. But when I let go of control and just let the muse do what she will, she performs. For some reason, I keep forgetting how my own head works.

3. I want to earn enough money to secure food, shelter, internet for me and my dogs so I don't have to do anything else but be creative.

This is the big one, and probably why I got so far away from #2. Right now, my focus is to get SGR-P in the black, and it's going to take us a little while to get there. In the meantime, since I won't have a mortgage at the end of the month (YAAAAAAY), I'll be able to sock away more cash in the event that this happens.

By next June, I may have three (!) books published, with a fourth in October, and perhaps a fifth (!) in December.

This still blows my fucking mind that I wrote three books in a year - Double Life, Alliances, and Empath. Considering I hadn't finished anything in probably 10 years, finishing not one, but three is incredible. I have to give myself and my creativity a break here - we've done a lot in a short amount of time and it's okay to feel wrung out.

 I'm on my way to achieving my goals.

It's all perfect.

Just breathe.

Be patient.

Return to your intention.

And go write a book.

I need to paint this on a canvas and hang it above my computer so I can stare at it every day.  Erry. Day.

ERRY DAY.

Alliances Hotwash Part II

Yesterday, I wrote a blog post about the results of nine weeks' worth of content building up to Alliances. Today, I'm talking about the specific goals I set for myself for this quarter (technically, we're still in it, but I don't anticipate much change between now and the end of the month).

My specific numbers are competition sensitive (that is, I don't feel like sharing them!) but what I did put was the % complete of the goal I set. As you'll see, sometimes I woefully underestimated myself, sometimes I woefully overestimated myself. But for the most part, I was pretty much right on the money.

This speaks to the importance of creating goals for yourself. When you have something to work towards, you put in time and effort every day. And soon you'll find yourself much farther than you were before.

Alliances Hotwash - Part I

Y'all know me and my hotwashes. I decided to write a full-up recap and analysis of the promotional period for Alliances, up until the release yesterday. There's some post-release promo going on in the form of a blog tour, which I may write up a quick one after that's over.

Since it's a lot of stuff, I'm breaking it up into parts. Today's review focuses on just the content that was on the blog, since that was the center of the promotional universe. Tomorrow, I'll look at some of the specific metrics I was tracking.

Alliances is Released!

(all gifs are from my new obsession - the unbreakable kimmie schmidt)

ALLIANCES IS FINALLY OUT!

 GO BUY IT ON AMAZON!

Pensacon Hotwash - Take 2

I realized today that the hotwash I posted yesterday wasn't really a hotwash. It was more a lovely picture-based summary. The hotwashes you crazy kids have come to expect should have lessons learned and all that fun stuff.

So here's the real hotwash.

#TeaserTuesday 9 - Where's My Money?

For our final #TeaserTuesday, finally a hint of our plot. I confess, the bank manager is whatever. But it's all about that last line.

Enjoy. :D

#TeaserTuesday 8 - Coworkers

Short teaser today, one of Lizbeth's many frustrated rants with her co-workers.

#TeaserTuesday 7 - Eyebrows

All I'm going to say is... there may be more truth to this scene than certain best friends want there to be... but you know, it was too good to pass up.

#TeaserTuesday 6 - "Ergo, you're lonely"

Ehhehe. I couldn't get away with Lizbeth not prying into Lyssa's sex life. Because it's just...so much fun to see our favorite bounty hunter get all flustered.

#TeaserTuesday 5 - Trust

For today's #TeaserTuesday, we're delving into the issue of trust (do you sense a theme here, folks?). I'm a bit sad that Vel wasn't able to be in this book more, but he still had his presence in his own little way.

Enjoy!

My Trust Issues

I have trust issues.

I didn't ever used to think I had trust issues, because I thought I was an open and honest book. And there's a whole lot that I’m not shy about telling people. But when it comes to really honestly and emotionally connecting with someone…

#TeaserTuesday 4 - Team

Short #TeaserTuesday today, but a pretty powerful message and one of my favorite interactions between Lyssa and Lizbeth.

Basically, Lizbeth rips Lyssa a (well deserved) new one.

#TeaserTuesday 3 - It's all Real

Another short #TeaserTuesday, to continue the theme from yesterday about Lyssa's self-worth tied to her religion.

Self-Worth

Double Life is actually quite a spiritual book; Hell even the cover is Leveman's Vortex, the religious center of the universe. Alliances doesn't quite delve into the religion as much, but Lyssa's spirituality (tied to her self-worth) overshadows almost everything she does.

Lyssa subscribes to the idea that being good or being bad is the key to heaven, not how often she goes to Temple. Her relationship with the Great Creator is personal and private, and not something she readily discusses. For the majority of the first book, Lyssa believes that she is inherently bad, and no matter what she does, she's doomed to burn in the fiery river Plethegon.

#TeaserTuesday 2 - Comparison

For today's #TeaserTuesday, we're continuing on the theme of femininity with this lovely interaction between our bounty hunter and our government investigator.

Femininity

In Double Life, Lyssa was portrayed as very un-feminine. In fact, she spends a great deal of time downplaying her gender to gain more respect from the all male pirates. Still, as part of her character's journey towards becoming somewhat normal, I thought it was important for her to embrace her gender, as it's one of the identifying features about her. 

#TeaserTuesday 1 - "Meet Cute"

For our first #TeaserTuesday, one of my favorite scenes from Alliances - the "meet cute" between Lyssa and Lizbeth. I think it perfectly captures their personalities...

Enjoy :D

Lizbeth Carter

I would like to introduce you guys to Lizbeth Carter. She's the new gal in #RaziaAlliances, and the other half of the titular subject. 

Lizbeth is loosely based on my bestest friend in the universe, the one who I've known since I was 8 years old. When I thought about creating a friend for Lyssa, I knew that it needed to be based on someone who wouldn't suffer fools, or let Lyssa get away with half the crap that the guys (Sage, Harms, Vel) let her get away with.

Things that make me happy

---WARNING: MAJOR BRAGGING POST AHEAD---

---PROCEED WITH CAUTION---

*Contented sigh*

Things are going pretty damn amazing right now. 

I posted this on Twitter yesterday, but I wanted to share some incredible stats:

Sequels

When I first started writing as a pre-teen, my idea of a "novel" was probably somewhere around 20,000 words (at most). So, naturally, I would be able to crank out a book and then its sequel and so on and so forth. At the beginning, I was writing upwards of five books in a series, although the total word count was less than that of Double Life. Often, I would get about halfway through a second or third book and peter out, growing tired of that storyline and moving to something else.