My Fifth Event and a Day of Firsts

Happy Monday, my friends! Or as happy as a Monday can be, hopefully. For me, it’s a fantastic one. Yesterday, I attended my fifth in-person author event of the year. In the way of these events, this one was different from all the others, which have been different from one another, but I’ll touch on that in a minute.

The first thing I want to say is a grand thanks to a few people. First, to Derrick for being the best teammate one could have. He runs heavy support at every event and I will absolutely say that I couldn’t do it alone. Also, to my kid for being the third member of the Black Feather Press team. He handles the adaptive nature of said events with far more patience than an eight-year-old has any business having. He won’t read this, but I do want to put it out there into the universe. Next, much love and thanks to Oliver Lyon, who has read, reviewed, and supported every single release I’ve had (except the latest and there are reasons for that I wouldn’t wish on anyone). He showed up at yesterday’s event and that means everything. It’s so very much appreciated. Last, I have so much gratitude for all of you who support me from afar. The likes and shares on the socials is endless and it means so much. Being indie can seem lonely. It’s a hard road, so when so many folks consistently show up like that it really becomes the breath that allows me to keep going. So thank you, now and always.

Right, then. Let’s talk about the Spooky Book Fair hosted by Spellbound Books in Sanford, held at the West End Trading Company. For a three-hour event held in a fairly small music venue, the crowd was fantastic. Also, being that it was a smaller venue, there were less authors vending, so I got to mingle. That’s hard to do at larger events where there are a lot of authors spread over large areas. I met some really cool folks and hopefully that’s the beginning of some beautiful relationships. The event itself was well-organized and the Spellbound staff was great.

As the title says, yesterday was a day of first for me. I have mentioned this in previous posts, but this was the first event I’ve done where I was actually invited to participate by the hosts. That would’ve been enough to make it an awesome experience for me, but the universe did not stop there. We weren’t even half an hour into the event when one awesome reader showed up at my table with a copy of The Murder Meets at Dusk already in hand, and asked me to sign it. What? Yes. That happened. To top it all off, toward the end of the three hours, I had another attendee recognize me from the Oviedo Page and Pen Festival. Considering how many authors were at that event, it’s kind of crazy that she remembered me from among them. That’s honestly probably because The Illustrated Author Design Services makes such stunning covers for me. Whatever the reason, I’ll take it and I’ll hold it close.

Now, as I said in the first paragraph, every event I’ve done so far has been different from the others. My first event was a book fest that got such a good response from vendors that they had to expand the area last minute to cover two locations instead of one. My second event was a comic con where I was the only author there, set in a mall where the majority of traffic wasn’t there for books. The third was just me at a bookstore, oddly the worst single sales event but not a bad experience at all (and probably what led to me being invited to the latest event). The fourth event was the Oviedo mall fest, where there was a lot of traffic, both regular mall goers and folks shopping for books, and–as mentioned–there were a lot of authors. The Spooky Book Fair was far more intimate. Next event is the fall edition of the comic con and I’ve noticed just today that they’ve added another author to that lineup. That’s three that I’m aware of and, like I said, I was the only non-comic author at the first one. Did I start something? I can’t say since I wasn’t a part of any of the previous ones but, if I did, well, I’ll take it. I think it’s awesome.

Having those experiences under my belt now is allowing me to better analyze what directions to go for next year. What do I like/dislike about the event types and locations? What kind of crowds have the best response? What time frames do I need to allow between such events? All of that will lead to a more streamlined list of appearances. I will say I think it was a smart move to keep everything fairly local. Could I get three-day booths at giant cons spread across the U.S.? Sure. I could. But once I started paying attention, I noticed there are a ton of smaller events all within the state of Florida. Why not stay within some boundaries and grow contacts that are not only nearby but also have potential for future growth. As a huge fan of the live music scene, I already knew smaller venues are better shows. That’s proving to be true for my own events. Small and local is the perfect place to start. Maybe someday I’ll have fans who will pay for those crazy massive cons to come buy my books but, for now, I’m still getting my name out there. I’ll take the small road.

What’s next? Like I said, I will be making my second appearance with the Merritt Square Mall Con crew. This time, I have all that experience to utilize to change up my table and sales approach, which I absolutely plan to do. I have three weeks before that one hits on November 8th. I’ll still be taking November and December off from events unless another magical invitation to one lands in my lap (hello, Universe?). I super stocked for the Page and Pen and the Spooky Book Fair, so I don’t even need to restock for the Mall Con.

That’s three weeks to hopefully finish my editing job and switch gears to Order of Crows book three. For now, I’m catching up on some stuff that lagged during event preparation. I gotta be honest, I’m still riding the glide from yesterday, too. I’m feeling reassured in my decision to go all in this year and I count all of it as a moderate measure of success. That’s all for now. I got a little long-winded with this one, but it has helped me sort out logical thoughts from the elation. So, see you next time!

Y’all

I said I was going to take an actual day off. I said that. So why am I here right now? I’m not even sure other than it’s engrained in me to do something every damn day. However, when I woke up it was only 67°F instead of a gazillion outside. I got to open some windows and I’m ecstatic about that. I also woke up to a couple online sales, which—I probably shouldn’t admit this, but oh well—is always a pleasant surprise. So all in all, it’s shaping up to be a good day. And after I write this, I really am going to take some time off. I started reading Night Angel Nemesis by Brent Weeks and it’s calling my name. I’ve been sitting on that one for a while and it’s time.

Anyway, I’m a week out from Spellbound Books’s Spooky Book Fair at the West End Trading Co. in Sanford, FL. The nerves haven’t quite set in as hard as they did for the Page and Pen Festival, not yet anyway. Maybe because the nerves from Page and Pen have barely settled. It will hit, inevitably. I am excited, though, even if life be lifin’ and has thrown some annoying curve balls in real life that the household has had to navigate. All my inventory restock is scheduled to arrive before event day, though, so that’s a win. I’ll be trading my 8 ft table set up for a 3 ft by 3 ft, but that’s not a big deal. My very first event this year was a 3×3, so I’m familiar with the spacial changes. It’s all about being adaptable sometimes.

I don’t really have anything new to add to my announcements. My schedule looks more or less the same. Spooky Book Fair on the 19th, Merritt Square Mall con on November 8th, working through an official editing job before I let myself pull Order of Crows book 3 out of time out, Sevina Gate novella series in the works. There’s some rustling among the Fae-Cursed characters but no one is actually talking, which is fine for now because I’m trying to get this editing finished in a decent time frame. I like to believe I’ll have time to work on this, my second job of indie author/editor life, in November and December but . . . holidays. Bleh.

A January release for Order of Crows book 3 is . . . a big dream that might not be attainable, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen around that time. I will, at least, get my cover some time that month, so the formatting will have to done by then. I’d prefer to have the book in its final form before formatting but I might have to do that adapting thing and change my process a bit. I don’t know, we’ll see how that goes. The up side of that is now that I’ve formatted six books, the formatting is not as much of a pull-my-hair-out event and more of a day or two of concentration. There’s something to be said for experience, I suppose.

Well, I think that’s enough for now. I’m going to go do that time off thing now. Happy Sunday, everyone!

Thank You, Oviedo!

Happy Monday, my friends! My fourth in-person event of the year is in the books and I can call it a happy success. It was a long day but it was worth it. It was the first-ever Page and Pen Festival at the Oviedo Mall and their event team did a great job. Readers definitely showed up, too. I took a little down time yesterday and now I’m back at it.

What’s next? Inventory restock has been ordered and we’re on to the Spooky Book Fair in Sanford, FL on the 19th. This one will be hosted by Spellbound Books, an indie book store in Sanford, at the West End Trading Company from 12 pm to 3 pm. This will also be a smaller and more intimate event with less authors present. I’m very excited to have been invited to participate.

I mentioned in my last post that I hoped The Nameless would pop off at Page and Pen. I did sell some copies and I also got some feedback on both The Nameless and The Stolen from a good friend that definitely lifted my spirits. I know they’re good books, but convincing others to find out for themselves has been tricky until recently. What’s not to love about punk rocking immortals and Fae intrigue? Anyway, it has been really cool watching the twins, and Johnny, get some recognition they deserve.

In the meantime, I’m still working on an editing job, still working an actual job, and writing here and there when characters decide they want to talk. The Sevina Gate novella series is creeping closer to an acceptable state for release. And Order of Crows book three is still on the back burner for one more serious read through/edit. I’m still eyeing the top of next year for that release, but it’s tentative. There are a lot of factors that might affect that in between, so I’m just going to remain adaptable and roll with the way things play out.

I think that’s all for now. One more huge thanks to everyone who bought books from me on Saturday, and all of you who cheered me on from afar. This year has been so good for me as an author and I won’t stop here. Cheers!

Stopping In

I realized it has been a minute since I posted anything here. Ah, gosh, guys, I’m busy. I knew it was coming and now I’m in the trenches. I figure, hell, whatever momentum I’m stirring up now ought to carry me a decent way. Although, I do see some heavy down time somewhere around December. Not to mention, I still have to work a “real” job.

That being said, I thought I’d give a little glimpse of what I am currently up to. First up, I’m a week out from my next in-person event at Oviedo Mall (FL). I’m extremely excited to be a part of the very first Page and Pen Festival. I’m also nervous as all hell, so I’m looking forward to seven days of knotted guts. I should have part of my inventory restock arriving tomorrow, so I can at least stop panicking about that.

I am now working through second round edits on an official editing job. I’m not going to name names or titles, but the sheer level of improvement on that draft based on my initial edits and insights (and obviously the author’s hard work) is incredible. I am so proud to have helped the words get to their current state. As the editor, I can’t promote said work and I definitely wish I could.

As for my own work, Order of Crows book three meets its time out requirement of two weeks today. That doesn’t mean I think I’ll have time to work on it, so it’s probably going to get a little extra time out until I do. BUT when I do have time for it, believe I will be diving into a serious round of edits and (hopefully not very many) revisions. Stay tuned for news on a hopeful release early next year.

The Sevina Gate novella project is still moving forward, as well. The Black Feather Press team almost has the full interior ready to go, then we will venture into cover creation, which neither of us has done before. That one will also get another round of edits/revisions before it’s ready for release. If that moment happens before Crows three is ready for release, Sevina Gate will take priority. As the first novella goes through the art treatment, I have been dabbling a little in the seventh and eighth novella as the characters decide they want to talk. Sevina Gate seven is probably two to three chapters from being finished, and eight is about seven chapters in. I’m not pressing too hard to work on either because . . . well, I have a lot of other stuff to do. I will say number eight will be an end-of-arc, multiple-POV story that’s proving to be a lot of fun to write.

What’s next? I restock inventory and do it again. I’ll be vending at the Spooky Book Fair in Santford, FL on October 19th. That will be a smaller event hosted by independent bookstore, Spellbound Books, and apparently their previous events have been fairly successful. So I’m looking forward to connecting with new readers and meeting other Florida authors.

Is that all? Maybe? I fully admit to you that my plate is full. I refuse (myself) to take on any more at this time. Perhaps if I state that here I will actually adhere to my own rule. No more projects or jobs until I’ve navigated through this month. That means the Fae-Cursed book three will remain at two chapters written for a while yet, but the boys haven’t been very talkative since I released their sequel in August. Just as well.

Well, y’all, wish me luck next weekend! I have doubts I’ll be back here to post before then. I’ll definitely post some time after, though, so check in occasionally. Here’s hoping everyone has a great weekend and week ahead!

Exciting News!

Well, y’all, when I said I might be crazy for attempting to publish in January despite my schedule . . . now I can confirm it. However, yesterday an opportunity fell into my lap that I simply couldn’t pass up. I woke up from my post-getting-ready-for-school nap to an invitation from an indie bookstore to be a part of their Spooky Book Fair next month. The timing is too perfect not to do it.

Me. An invitation. That’s a first for me, as all my other events have been ones that I’ve sought out. It feels like, I don’t know, an achievement unlocked. So much so that I took yesterday to process it (bad emotions aren’t the only ones that take time sometimes). I’m still not sure if it’s as big of a deal as it feels like it is, but it feels huge to me. Like maybe all the steps I’ve put in before now are definitely paying off. It’s a measure of success and it feels so good.

All that being said, I will be vending at the Spooky Book Fair sponsored by Spellbound Books in Sanford, FL, on October 19th, 12 pm – 3 pm. The event will be hosted at the West End Trading Company.

This Book Fair will fall just a couple weeks after my appearance at the Oviedo Mall’s Page and Pen Festival on October 4th, 11 am – 5 pm. Then in November, I’ll be at the Merritt Square Mall Con. I’ll share those details later, closer to relevance. *Takes off writer hat and puts on helmet* Let’s go!

Am I Crazy Enough to Try?

Gather ’round, friends, it’s story time. Last Wednesday night I was minding my business and winding down from a D&D session when Aleister (my Order of Crows series main character) whispered to me, “I know how to fix that scene.”

What scene, you might ask? Oh, just the big-deal culmination of the first three books scene. The one I’ve known needed fixing but not how to do it. Also the revisions I was sure were going to still need fixing when I get my cover in five (Five? Only five?) months.

Two things here. One, if you’re not a writer you may not know what it’s like to try to ignore a noisy character. Think toddler with a set of cymbals who says, “Hey, mom,” between every crash. The short story is you can’t. So I didn’t try.

Two, this book has been, hands down, the hardest one I’ve ever written. No lie I started writing this book no less than five times. I can call this the third draft but the truth is closer to a gazillion.

So, can you guess where I’ve been for the last week? If you have ‘full-on obsessive mode’ on your bingo card, you win. It’s always a crap shoot whether characters will stick around after they successfully instigate a situation. Aleister was not playing. We wrote, deleted words, and wrote some more. I’ll be damned, he really did know how to fix that scene, too. He knew how so well that I rewrote twelve-thousand words into eight-thousand words and now my total word count is too low compared to the first two books. But that’s another issue to address on the next read through.

So now I have a huge hurtle cleared that I wasn’t expecting to clear, and I’m looking at that January cover in a different light. Can I have this book ready to publish? Considering I just released a book last month, how crazy would I be to try to do another one six months later? With two book events, my kid’s birthday, the holiday season, and an editing job coming back my way for a second round between now and January … am I that crazy?

I might be. The way I see it, if I don’t hit that January goal it’s not a failure. Hardly. It will still be a success because I’m still going to publish that book regardless. Why not try for a possibly-unrealistic goal of sooner than later? Buckle up, folks, we’re going for a ride.

I Feel Like Throwing It Back

Hi, friends! I’ve been slacking on posts for several reasons, and now either my kid or the spouse has passed on a minor plague to me, so bear with me. I don’t have any new . . . eh . . . news. I’ve been coasting the glide from publishing my sixth title and setting my future sights on my October 4th appearance at the Oviedo Mall Page and Pen Fest. I’m very excited and, at this very moment, waiting for my first author copies of The Stolen to arrive for said event. Oh, I lied. I do have news. I have also nailed down my spot at the fall edition of the Merritt Square Mall Con on November 8th. It will be awesome to return to that community. I even saw that they have another author for this go ’round. Did I start something? Who knows?

Anyway, every once in a while I realize that I don’t really promote the first two books I published as an indie author. I’ve been showing some love for them over on TikTok, so I thought, why not continue the trend here. It’s always a tough call choosing what the share from those books. There are four POVs, because younger me was . . . ambitious. So I always feel like it’s hard to represent all four characters and their journeys.

The story takes place in New Orleans, in a very-much-made-up crime syndicate. The story is dark and gritty, and it follows Maria, Joshua, Frederick, and Isaiah as they suddenly have to deal with the loss of their leader, Maria’s brother, Charlie. These books are a revenge tale at their heart, but there are romance themes. Just maybe not the type of romance one might be used to. Maria is young, impetuous, and she doesn’t make the best decisions. She’s actually an unlikeable main, which has torn some readers. She might manage to redeem herself some by the end.

So, I’ve decided to share an excerpt, it’s a decently long one, from Joshua’s POV. From Cadillac Payback, enjoy:

Waking up is hell after you’ve been asleep for too long, especially the sleep that comes after you’ve been awake too long. That resounding truth comes blurred with the realization that I’m too hot to sleep anymore. 

I fight it, try with lulled desperation to sink back into oblivion only to find the way blocked. Reluctantly, I try to drag my brain into some coherent thought, finding that path equally as difficult. My body does the familiar lag of the morning after, though something tells me it’s not morning. 

Maybe it’s the feeling of ruffled, empty sheets under my fingers as they stretch across the bed. Maybe it’s the vague memory that it was well after the sun rose when my body dropped into unconsciousness. Maybe it’s the heat.

This is not my bed, I notice with the languor of a post-drug-cocktail binge, though there are no drugs in my system. My sheets are not nearly so scratchy against bare skin. Bare skin, I realize, and finally I find the resolve to pry open my eyes. 

For a moment, everything is brightness and foreign colors. The pillow beneath my face is damp with sweat. I can feel my hair sticking to my forehead and neck. The scratchy sheet slips away as I force myself to sit, muscles gathering a familiar tension that I am not quite prepared to catch. With a groan, it all comes crashing down. This is a hotel. My best friend is dead. The night didn’t make it go away. 

The room’s dandelion paint and antique cherry furniture come into focus, as a devastating stab of grief wells up in my chest. It was so easy to force the loss away when a different void was being filled, when we were both escaping through the night. She felt just like I knew she would, tasted better. I can still feel her hair against my skin, but she’s gone. I’m alone.

Across the room, the balcony doors still stand open. Might as well, the heat will get in anyway. No air conditioning unit in the world can combat this oppression. The day seems clear beyond the doors, burning late into the hottest part of the afternoon. The bougainvillea is sickeningly sweet outside. 

A bead of sweat slides down the side of my throat. I feel like I’ve been beaten. I wish it were that simple. I wonder miserably if our house has been burned yet in retaliation. I wonder what has become of Charlie, nameless in a refrigerated filing cabinet. Despite all the things I have seen since following Maria down the hallway in an attempt to run away from reality, I can’t see anything but her brother’s blue lips and pinched eyelids now. 

God, he would have thrived in this situation. He would have reacted the same way she did. But he would have made it hurt more, and he probably would have robbed them first. 

I don’t know how she’ll handle this, or how I’ll handle it. I don’t know which direction she’ll fling me if she lets me go, but I can’t believe she really wants to. Their reckless and fierce loyalty is what drew me to them in the first place. That’s a hard sentiment to find in this profession and in the childhood that led me here. 

I think I would have done anything for Charlie upon meeting him, that fucker, when he saved my ass from getting shot. I was just a bright-eyed punk, hustling a game bigger than me and acting much tougher than I was. Charlie had years’ more experience than I did, lifetimes’ worth.

I let my fists ball into the sheets as I yield to the tears that rise. They haven’t broken until now, so I fight them, which makes it hurt more. I can’t move, I can’t think, so I stare down at the wet dripping onto the cream-colored sheet that barely covers my lap. The force is so much that, for a moment, I believe the knot forming in my chest will soon explode and kill me.

The door behind me opens, unsettling me enough to stop my tears in an agonizing ball just beneath the surface. It is enough to bring me to face her. In those first few moments of eye contact, I must look like a bewildered mess. I must, because she looks so startled. 

Her eyes flash with concern for a fleeting moment, so quick that it could have been my imagination. Then her gaze crawls down the naked length of my body as if her vision has been snagged and weighted hopelessly. Her face darkens into the lust I discovered by chance this morning, which surprises my brain into more perplexity. 

Then, just as quickly as the previous look, it’s gone. She looks me in the eye and it is strangely cold. More distant than I have ever seen from her. Still no word from the Queen? The street cries from beyond the sultry afternoon.

“Business meeting in half an hour,” she says, voice a mere shell of the luxurious sound I know she can utter. 

Ripples like a bad dream shake me. Some of the quakes are memories of her voice, only hours earlier, not quite words. No, this is the first thing she has said to me since the hellish ride away from Biloxi. Echoes of hot hands on a sweaty morning roll over me with trembling ruthlessness, and I’m forced to endure the ghosts of flawless rhythm, of soul cleansing. The other tremors are the words she just spoke. Business. Meeting. Business. It always comes down to that. How could I forget?

She waits as long as she thinks it should take for her words to sink into my muddled and scattered thoughts. She knows I’m stuck in her gaze. Surely she is reading my impaired mind. Then she turns away. She leaves. Her indifference won’t falter again. I know it’s a mask, but I have no defense against it. 

The door closes, oblivious to my offense. She might as well have slammed it against my face and my pride. She might as well have shattered her obscene, glass-bottle cocktail against me at close range. Business meeting. It’s never been just business between Charlie, Maria, and me.  

Many Thanks

Phew. We made it to the other side of release day. I am officially six times published, proud but trying to stay humble. As always, there’s still work to be done. For now, I’m taking a little room and time to celebrate. I’ve said it somewhere before but, as an indie, as a creative in general, no one will ever care as much as you. That being said, having a support network is priceless.

My network definitely showed up for me, on release day, yes, and every other day. I am so, so grateful for that. You all have my utmost gratitude and eternal thanks! My head is still reeling from all the attention.

Consequently, I decided to take yesterday off from everything. Yes, I squirmed a bit while not working on anything, however while I’m not burned out yet, it’s always possible, so I gave myself the space. I forget to do that … more often than not, actually. How did it go? Well, I made it through most of the day before the Fae-Cursed crew dropped a bunch of book 3 plot points in my lap. I guess all the attention got to them, too, because the continuation of their story has been sitting on the back burner for literal months.

What’s next? Promotion, always. Editing has become a more official thing for me. Not that I’m actively searching for jobs, but I suddenly have one anyway. That doesn’t effect me in the public eye, but it does open some doors and possibilities for my future, which is exciting. Then what? The Sevina Gate project has gotten stalled a few times, but we are still working on it, just slower than we thought it would go. You can’t rush brilliance, though, so sometimes you have to accept the setbacks. Fine. We’ll keep rolling forward, just … slowly. I will eventually be in the market for some readers for the first installment, so anyone interested in a post-apocalyptic, fantasy/science fantasy mashup with a character-driven plot line, and things like magic-tech but also fantasy races plugged into a more modern setting—don’t hesitate to contact me.

My next in-person event is still in October. Here:

And I think that’s all the news for now. One more time, thank you so much everyone for helping me have a successful book release day!

The Countdown is On

Three days until The Stolen releases to the wild, my friends. Three days. This is the period of time when it feels like I have waited ages for this and also like it snuck up on me out of nowhere. I have waited, to be honest, and then the rest of life handed me a million things and release crept quietly closer. What can I say? I’m still nervous, that’s always true during release. I’m still excited, too. I’m also busy. The Universe really did say, “August is for curve balls, here have some. Also, the possible hurricane is complementary.”

So, that’s where I am right now. First of week of school for my kid, extra obligations, unexpected news, all while watching Tropical Storm Erin make the slowest damn trek across the Atlantic. Also, I just (quietly) celebrated The Song of the Sparrow’s first book birthday a couple days ago. That book and series (Order of Crows) has recently gotten some love, I think mostly thanks to my foray into in-person events this year. Speaking of, I’m looking to add one more in November and probably call it a year as far as that goes. December is a little too extra to try to squeeze in an event. However, I’ve been compiling a list of possible events for next year and I think it will only be bigger and better with this year’s experience under the belt of the Black Feather Press team. At least at the next event I have scheduled in October, I’ll have six books representing on my table.

As always, if you haven’t heard of or checked out the first book in the Fae-Cursed Series, The Nameless is available on Amazon. It’s all about Fae intrigue, Celtic mythology, and some boys in a punk band. What’s not to love? I’ve been marketing the series as fantasy but lately I think it stands just as well as supernatural. Maybe better, woe is my hindsight self. Anyway, I absolutely adore these characters and I hope you do, too.

That’s pretty much the word for now. My other projects are at a bit of a standstill, so there’s not really any news. As one might expect when releasing a new title. So get ready to smash those share and like buttons across whatever platforms you might follow me on. And now … we wait.