General Update – October 02, 2020
It has been quite an eventful week. I had intended to write another reader question post today, but I haven’t been able to focus enough to do so. I would like to get back into that next week, when I am (hopefully) in a better mindset to do so.
Event #1 was related to my job as a microbiologist. The company I work for has been affected by the shutdowns/lockdowns, just as so many others have. They let go of a number of employees, and even though I was not one of them, it was a trying week. It’s difficult to see people lose their jobs, especially when they were given only hours’ notice that cuts were going to occur. There has been turmoil as those of us left are scrambling to pick up the pieces, attempting to sort out what those who are now gone were working on.
For me, turmoil causes stress, and stress tends to eliminate my creative spark. I have managed some writing this week, but not as much as what I would have accomplished otherwise.
Event #2 was a cause for some excitement. A few weeks ago, I was interviewed by a blogger from Literary Express about my writing and the upcoming novel, Hunted. The interview was posted on October 1, 2020. If you have not had a chance to read the interview, you can do so here.
It was my first interview of this sort, and it was a fun experience. I am hoping there will be more in the future, as I continue to write and publish more of my work. As those who know me are aware, I am usually quiet and I don’t talk about myself very often unless pushed—until I get to know you better. I have been attempting to be more forthcoming, forcing myself to work on promotions for my writing such as this one. I know that if I want to make something of myself as an author, I need to overcome my fears and actually talk to people. Starting this blog has helped with some of that, and the interview was something of a milestone.
Event #3 was a learning experience, once I was able to overcome my initial disappointment with the situation. After receiving some very positive reviews for Hunted, I had my first largely negative one. The reader was very professional in their message to me, and the criticisms were constructive, which was helpful. It is still painful to hear that someone dislikes your work, after the many months spent creating, editing, and polishing it. As a few people have told me since that time, there will always be negatives to offset the positives. I want to believe my story is worth telling, and so I will press forward. As with any art form, each reader will have their own preferences and tastes when it comes to writing. Even as I say these things, I continue to question and doubt myself… And yet, I feel I am compelled to continue. I am, and always have been, a writer. I’m not certain I could stop writing if I tried.
Event #4 (and the final one I will share today) is a bit more news regarding Hunted. The paperback edition is now available for pre-order from Barnes & Noble. One caveat, however; there will also be a paperback edition available from Amazon on October 20, but I am unable to list it for pre-order. The quality of the Amazon printing is a bit superior to Barnes & Noble, so if you are willing to wait for the Amazon edition, I would recommend doing so. I have been very pleasantly surprised with the quality of Amazon’s printing service; the paper looks and feels nicer, and the binding seems sturdier. I did not want to limit the availability to a single retailer, but it seems that not all print on demand services are created equal. It is priced the same on both sites, the only difference will be the quality of the finished product itself. The Barnes & Noble edition is good, it’s just not as good as Amazon’s.
We currently have 18 days until Hunted is officially published. Look for some events on my Facebook page, Twitter feed, or on Goodreads in the near future. I plan to give away a few signed copies during launch week.