August Achievements
Greetings, dear reader.
August 2021. I can't believe I'm typing that. AUGUST 2021. When I look back at August, I think of two things: where has the year gone and how is it only August? This month flew by in a blur, but boy, it was a powerhouse of achievements. I'm getting overwhelmed just thinking about it all. It's amazing what we humans can do when we hit our stride.
August was a month of hitting my stride and making some serious game calls about my writing.
Call #1 was Innocence Imprisoned and its release (which is TODAY, August 31st, BTW—woohoo). I originally planned to release this book in June, so you can see I've been dealing with some delays. While stressful at first, that's the beauty of independent publishing—you can go at your own pace and adjust pacing as needed. Most of the time I have to speed up; this time, I had to slow things down. I had to make some tough decisions behind the publishing scenes, but everything has turned out for the best in the long run. And that's okay because I have an awesome book on my hands. I can't wait for you to read Jax's next adventure.
My biggest game call came with You Can't Candle the Truth, my first foray into the paranormal cozy mystery genre. I wrote this book to be independently published. I really, really like the independent publishing world. But when my agent gave me the opportunity to submit to one of the Big Four publishers, I couldn't pass it up, which put the book on a little bit of a hiatus. But a hiatus doesn't last forever, and I decided that I was ready to bring You Can't Candle the Truth to readers now instead of querying further.
Originally, I had toyed with the idea of publishing this series through a new publishing platform, which would have allowed me to expand my distribution to Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and other offerings. However, after extensive research, I decided my current publishing method is what’s best for me. I know this decision may disappoint those of you who were hoping to read this book on other platforms, so please know I didn’t make this call lightly. In fact, I got myself quite worked up about it. So much so, I had to take a break earlier this month and give my mental health some serious TLC. This industry is stressful, time-consuming, and financially tough. A new platform would have tripled those issues. Now, I’m able to offer my work on Kindle eBook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook with the rights firmly within my control. And I will soon have ARC proofs of You Can’t Candle the Truth to share! I'm excited to take the cozy indie author road and get my bearings before my two other series come out next year through traditional publishers.
Beyond that, I spent August taking my BookstaBundles service to the next level. I've been so floored by the support and interest in this endeavor, and I'm having a great time designing content for social media for my fellow authors. Not only that, but I'm getting exposed to so many awesome books. My Goodreads challenge thanks BookstaBundles!
All right, now for my writing goal recap:
Publish Innocence Imprisoned - It was down to the wire, but with an August 31st release date, I can proudly say this goal was achieved. While it might not seem like it to those of you following me on social media, this release process was an extremely bumpy ride and caused a lot of stress on my end. But that's all water under the bridge and a great learning experience!
Finished Realm of Virtues short story - I love writing these Realm of Virtues short stories. Love it, love it, love it. Carving out little moments and fleshing them out is such a peaceful and nurturing writing experience. I plan to write a lot more of these in the coming years. This particular piece has a little spooky aspect to it, so it will likely be released as a Halloween treat!
Begin writing Book Blogger #2 - I did begin writing Book Blogger Mystery #2. Maybe not as much as this goal originally intended for me to write, but I did start it!
Sarah's Bookshelf
Body Over Troubled Waters by Denise Swanson
The latest Scumble River mystery is chock-full of twists and turns. I'm always amazed after twenty-five plus books how Denise Swanson continues to craft wild intrigue in her fictional town. I'm enjoying the new iteration of the Scumble River series; it seems like Denise is able to be a bit more adventurous, snarky, and sassy with her storylines. It's cozy but not too cozy, which is just right for a reader like me. Police Chief Wally Boyd really shines in this particular installment. I love reading chapters from his perspective; he's a family man but also has a killer to catch, and that creates some interesting internal conflict for him.
Well, my friends, that's it for August. I hope September sees you easing into a back-to-school routine that is safe for you and your family!
Think positive, test negative!
S.B.