Most people who know me know that I am no great fan of summer. Maybe my body doesn’t regulate temperature terribly well or maybe I’ve become so acclimated to The Great Indoors that I just can’t deal with it anymore. Whatever the reason, I am quite entirely done with this summer, one of the hottest on record in Middle TN. Nashville broke 100F for the first time in 10 years…and then did it a couple more times.
From a writing perspective, I am well into my first draft of Purpleverse #2 and things are flowing nicely. I’m presently at around 7600 words, which may not seem like much, but I have “sketched” the whole first part of the story and figure I can easily get this to 15-20k by the end of September. I’m really happy with the direction so far, and the characters have all started talking to me again. There’s new scenery, a new face or two, and an expansion of the “magic system,” for lack of a better term. That was one thing that always bugged me about Her Violet Empire: I could have done so much more with that aspect of the story. I’ll get my chance now.
Another thing that has set in is the ennui of the indie author. Excitement about the new release has now waned and, aside from my dental hygienist, I have not sold a book in almost 2 months (possibly through retail channels, but I only get those stats monthly). I’ve been posting plenty about my WIP and other aspects of the story on social media, and promoting the best I can with the limited time I have, but it has not translated into more people reading.
The other frustrating thing is that people who have read the book haven’t really told me what they thought. My reviews on Amazon, B&N, and other sites are few and far between, although overwhelmingly positive, and for that I am tremendously grateful. It messes with your confidence a lot when people say, “I’m so excited to read it,” which turns into, “Loving it so far,” then….silence. It’s like being at the edge of your seat all the time. Did the ending suck? Did you just get too busy to finish it?
As an indie author, even a 3-star review is a data point. If there were things people didn’t like about it, it’s useful to know that so I don’t repeat the same trope or pattern in the next book. Maybe there are things I should do more of, who knows? Not me, unless people tell me. It may sound like I’m just complaining, but what are blogs for if not venting?
Anyway, I’ll try to keep these posts a bit more regular as the weather changes. Cozy, colder weather means a lot more time spent with books…I hope!