A Month Full of Surprises

This last month was full of surprises.  Some of those surprises included sales of over 150 books in the first month in the United States, Italy and UK; an average 4 star rating on Goodreads and 5 stars on Amazon; friends and readers posting their excitement over receiving a copy of Grandfather’s Whispers and their eagerness to read it in their cozy little corner of the world; confirmations of event bookings over the next two months; and gifts from colleagues to commemorate my debut novel. It almost feels celebratory-ish, which is a strange and awkward feeling for someone who likes to hide away in her studio to just write.

My day job was overwhelmingly exhausting this last month from the pressures and workload that had to be completed in a short timeframe. With the help and guidance of my colleagues, I was able to accomplish my goals and contribute to the overall success of the program. However, it didn’t stop me from promoting my book, scheduling events, and writing. I now see a future of a better work/life balance on the horizon so that I can spend those precious hours where I want and need to spend them the most – with my family and in the written word.

All that aside, I am grateful to you, my readers. Your support and enthusiasm for the written word is what makes reading and writing so much fun. Now, I have a sense of responsibility to continue feeding you the stories that you love to read, and I hope that  I can continue to give you a world of entertainment that is sparked by imagination from ink on paper. I hope that I don’t disappoint, and I will continue to strive to create good quality stories.

Looking ahead, I’m diving deep into Ashes of Winter and am finding all sorts of little fun details I threw in throughout the book. These details give the reader a hint of a greater storyline to come. It was a happy accident that makes for a better novel. I’m making changes to better improve upon the story and adding more words as I go along.  For now, I will keep plugging away so I can deliver to you a really good story.

Another activity that I am pursuing is what I call my Indie Booksellers promo. I have been researching Indie Booksellers in Michigan and discovered a handful that do not have any guidelines (or had easy guidelines) for local author submissions. My plan is to give a book to each for review in hopes that they would stock it on their shelves. I have heard pros and cons on this method, but the way I figured it is that it’s more exposure for the book and I will never get anything if I don’t ask. I plan to continue this promotion outside the State of Michigan and to other Indie Booksellers in the surrounding states.  In addition, I plan to go back to those Indie Booksellers that have tougher guidelines and woe them with my art by complying with their requests.  It’s an expense I had not planned, but it’s one that I hope will pay off one day.

Each week, I have been searching for events that I can apply to as a local author.  Some were successful confirmations while others were filled up quickly with a promise to reach out to me in the future. Check out the Events section of this website to get the latest in the next upcoming events.