Sorry it’s been a while since my last update, but I’ve been hard at work on the second novel in my series, and let me tell you…it’s going to be a doozy. There’s so many crazy things happening in this story that I can barely hold back my excitement.

I just had the most amazing experience! For years I’ve wondered what my first book signing would be like, but now I don’t have to wonder anymore.

The day has finally come! The Land of Shadows, my debut novel and time sink for countless years, has finally released.

With the release date for my first novel finalized, it’s time to start looking towards the future of the series. Maybe “start looking” is the wrong way to put it.

You know what critics say that always gets my blood boiling? Show don’t tell. While there is a modicum of truth to this statement, it’s simultaneously some of the worst advice you can give an up and coming author; the inverse is almost as bad.

Fantasy world building can be tricky. On one hand, you want to make your world realistic and believable, but on the other, if you make it too much like the real world, it can lose a sense of the fantastic and mysterious.

My first novel, The Land of Shadows, is set to come out fall 2023, and I thought it would be interesting to give breakdowns of some of the characters that the reader will meet. There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes that’s difficult to incorporate into my works, and I want to share some of the thoughts that go through my mind as I’m creating characters.

I’ve been trying to get back into reading regularly. Over the past few years, I’ve focused so much on writing, editing, and self-promotion that I let that passion fall by the wayside. I remember when I was younger I would always have a book in hand.

So far, I’ve spent my time talking about my experiences with the publishing process. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very important part of writing a book, but it pales in comparison to…well, actually writing a good story.

I can feel it. I don’t know if it’s a change in the air or just my own excitement getting the better of me, but it finally feels like my dreams are coming to fruition.

Silly me, I thought that when I finally signed the publishing contract my worries would be over; no more long nights awake in front of a screen trying for the hundredth time to send in a query letter. Turns out I’m one of those people that has a hard time waiting. The excitement I felt when I learned that all my hard work was coming to fruition burned hot and fast, which was partially a good thing.

Wow, just wow. I know this last year was crappy for a lot of people, but it may just have been the best year of my life. To recap, I met the love of my life and got married, couldn’t have anyone at the wedding, but hey I enjoyed it, I learned I’m going to be a dad, and it finally happened, MY BOOK’S GETTING PUBLISHED!!!

I know, I know it’s been forever since my last post, but there’s something about getting married and moving that seems to take up a lot of your time. With plans continually getting canceled and shifted, this past year has been more hectic than I care to admit, but with a new year on the horizon, there is so much to share.

What’s that sound; oh yea, that’s the sound of your hopes and dreams being crushed into a million little pieces. Well, maybe not a million little pieces, but you get the idea.

Let’s face it, a novel with a well designed and interesting cover will sell more copies than one with its title simply printed upon the front cover; this is because we as humans are attracted to things that are visually pleasing. Whether or not your book has actual substance to what is within, if the cover is unable to capture the attention of a potential reader you will have a very difficult time becoming a well known author. This is especially true when you are first beginning your career.

Forming new book ideas isn’t always the easiest thing in the world, after all it seems like everyone and their mother has written a book at some point in their lives and it can be ridiculously challenging to come up with a fresh and original idea that can wow audiences and leave each and every reader clamoring for more. The problem with creating an original book idea is that just about every thought that has ever popped into your head was influenced by something that you’ve seen before.

Don’t you just hate it when you have been deep in thought all day over what you will write in your novel when you get home, you have been planning and envisioning, and when the time finally comes for you to sit down at your laptop and type away……..nothing comes out. You rack your brain for any semblance of the drive and imagination that you had earlier, but to no avail.

One of the greatest quandaries facing any author, especially one attempting the self-publishing route, is whether or not to hire an editor to review and critique their novel. Many believe that their work is good enough to not require the services of an experienced editor, and that they are more than capable of finding and fixing the errors within their manuscript by themselves. I’m here to tell you they’re right……. well to a certain extent.

Let’s be honest, no matter how you slice it, trying to get a book published is a massive headache. You have to finish the book, write a query letter, send in manuscripts, yada, yada, yada, on, and on, and on; there’s so many hoops you have to jump through and even then it doesn’t guarantee that you will make any headway. You put hundreds of hours into perfecting you novel and making sure every piece of the proverbial puzzle is right where it needs to be only to have some mid-twenties assistant that knows, quite literally, next to nothing about what makes great literature dismiss your hard work ten seconds after he lays his eyes on it.