On Writing

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    Goodbye 2010, hello 2011 …

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    So we’ve come to the end of another year, and I thought I’d take a few moments to reflect. Really, though, there’s only one thing to say: 2010 was by far the best year I’ve ever had as an author.

    I had three books out in 2010 — Spider’s Bite, Web of Lies, and Venom — and the response to them was just fantastic and so much more than I let myself hope for. I’ve gotten so many wonderful e-mails from folks who just love Gin Blanco and the rest of the gang at the Pork Pit. So a big thanks goes out to everyone who’s e-mailed me to tell me how much they’re enjoying the Elemental Assassin series. I appreciate all your comments. 😉

    And my sales were better too. Spider’s Bite and Web of Lies are both in their third printings, and Venom is in its second printing. This is the first time any of my books have gone back to press. Now, my printings weren’t huge to start with, but the books seem to keep selling at a steady pace, which is really awesome and gratifying. I really am grateful for the success of the books.

    I also sold a new series in 2010 — my Mythos Academy young adult series — and I’ve got my fingers crossed that it gets the same response that the Elemental Assassin books have. So now, I’ll have books out in two series in 2011, and I’m hoping to get a third series under way as well — as soon as I find time to write something new. LOL.

    As for resolutions for 2011, I’m going to keep them simple:

    1) Write more.

    2) Read more.

    3) Eat healthier/exercise more.

    4) Lose weight.

    5) Be a better person.

    Hopefully, the first two won’t be too hard to keep. Numbers three and four will probably trip me up, though. As for number five, well, I guess it will depend on how stressed I am on any given day. LOL.

    But here’s to a clean slate and the possibilities that the new year presents. Cheers, everyone! 😉

    What about you guys? What are your resolutions? What are you looking forward to in the new year?

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    To Amazon or not to Amazon …

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    As y’all know, I’ve been writing short stories to go along with my Elemental Assassin series. I plan to write at least one short story to go with Tangled Threads, probably from Jo-Jo Deveraux’s point of view.

    I’ve been offering the stories for free here on the Excerpts page my website, but for Tangled Threads (as well as for my new Mythos Academy young adult series), I’m also thinking about offering the short story as a 99-cent download on Amazon. (I believe 99 cents is as low a price as you can set on Amazon.)

    Why the change? Well, I think putting the story on Amazon would attract some new readers to my books. I know when I’m interested in a book, I tend to look at the links to similar books and click on those. Plus, a lot more folks visit Amazon than look at my website, and I think it would be a relatively easy way to market my books. And I’ll be honest, it might be a little bit of money in my pocket.

    I know that not everyone has an e-reader and that not everyone who has an e-reader has a Kindle, so I’d probably post the short story for free here on the website like normal. I’m still thinking about that or if I want to go whole hog and make the story available in a variety of e-formats. Really, it would just depend on the cost.

    I know some authors have had enormous success marketing their books through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers. But I’ve also seen blogs by other writers who’ve only sold a few copies and haven’t even recouped the cost of putting the books online in the first place. I guess I’m considering posting a short story as sort of a test run. I’ve got a couple of books that I’ve written that just aren’t right for traditional publishers for whatever reason. I figure they should do more than just collect dust in my computer. LOL.

    What do you guys think? Do you download cheap reads on Amazon? Would you download an Elemental Assassin or a Mythos Academy short story? Share in the comments.

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    Updates, updates, updates …

    It’s been a while since I’ve done an update post, so here goes:

    ELEMENTAL ASSASSIN SERIES

    I’ve written both Tangled Threads and book #5. The only thing I have left to do on Tangled Threads is okay the page proofs, and then my part on that one will be done (except of course for the massive blog tour). Huzzah!

    I’ve turned in the revisions for book #5, so up next will be the copy edits and page proofs (hopefully after the holiday madness is over with). My editor, agent, and I are still thinking about titles for book #5, but I think we’ll have that nailed down soon. Fingers crossed anyway.

    I’m planning to write at least one short story to go along with Tangled Threads, but it will be well after the first of the year before I get around to doing that. I think the story will be from Jo-Jo’s point of view, though. I’m also thinking of making the story available here on the website for free and possibly on Kindle as a 99-cent download. We’ll see what I have the time/energy for. LOL.

    MYTHOS ACADEMY YA SERIES

    I’ve turned in the revisions for Touch of Frost (book #1), and I’ve also turned in the manuscript for Kiss of Frost (book #2). Up next is writing book #3. I’m also hoping to get some cover art for Touch of Frost to share soon.

    I’ll also be posting a FAQ, character profiles, and more info about the series here on the blog (like I’ve done for the Elemental Assassin series) probably in the next few weeks, so be on the lookout for that.

    OTHER PROJECTS

    I’m also mulling over writing a new series. Not sure yet if it will be urban fantasy, paranormal romance, or another YA series. I have an idea in mind, but it could go either way. We’ll see how it turns out.

    Also, I’m hoping to finally do something with the fourth Bigtime novel, Nightingale, next year — maybe seeing if I can get it published as an e-book. It just depends on my schedule. I’ve already got enough book work to keep me busy for the year, so I’ll have to fit it in when I can. No promises.

    Anyway, that’s what I’m up to right now. Whew! It’s going to be a busy year ahead. Hopefully, y’all will enjoy the books, and all the hard work will pay off. Fingers crossed anyway. 😉