It’s been a while since I posted anything here. In addition to releasing the book and launching Maximum Cat Press, there has been a lot of change and increased stress in my day job and we unexpectedly had to replace our deck (Liz’s foot literally went through the old one). To say I’ve been busy feels both cliché and a tremendous understatement. The thing that’s been getting me through (aside from a rockstar of a wife) is that this is the kind of stress that brings growth, like a well-used muscle. Yeah, it hurts now, but it’ll come back stronger.
First and foremost, Her Violet Empire has already exceeded my expectations. Beside the obvious familial purchases (my mom bought 12 copies), several friends from varied sources have picked up copies, and I’m so grateful that they have. Feedback has started coming in and it has been generally positive. I have a very hard time accepting praise, especially for something I essentially did as a lark, but that doesn’t mean that it’s lost on me. If you have read it and possibly enjoyed it, I’d love to hear from you and I also have good news for you.
Yes, I have officially started on The Purpleverse #2. I had written a Prologue several weeks ago, just to test myself and see if I still had the mojo. Now I have started researching and sketching in earnest, and I have a definite direction. All I can say so far is that it picks up roughly eight months after the end of HVE, there will be some new faces, and it should be very colorful. My somewhat unorthodox style of literally dreaming plot devices has not left me yet and there’s definitely a story to tell here.
This also means that Susie’s Adventures and Vernon are headed to the back burner for a bit. As I was reading the draft of the first Susie book to my daughter recently, I realized that it was a lot of words without an audience. The story is there and the timeline is where I want it, but it’s not sure who it’s written for. Vernon still requires a lot of time, attention, and research, so that’s to come later.
Lastly, I have to keep reminding myself that, as of the time I’m writing this, the book hasn’t even been out for a month! In a highly-saturated market filled with thousands of independent authors trying to get noticed amongst the sea of James Patterson novels littering the landscape like AOL discs, patience continues to be the name of the game. I have the time and I care to keep doing this. I hope you, dearest reader, care to stick with me for a while.