The first of December is coming and that means it is time to start looking toward the New Year. Yep, the year is almost over and there is nothing I can do about that, but accept it. Things have changed a lot this year. I told myself at the beginning of the year I would start taking my author business more seriously. (I say this every year. I’ve been saying this since 2014.) That being said, I still didn’t really get into a rhythm until this month. It started with listening to John Hartness and the 5 Free ways to market your books. If you haven’t seen that video, check it out on the Falstaff Books YouTube channel. It reminded me, once again, that I don’t have to have a lot of money to market my books. I need to just be steady and keep going about letting people know that they exist. They cannot reach readers if no one knows they exist. So I’m retooling a few things and getting my blogging game back up to snuff, since that’s one of the free ways to market which I haven’t really ever used effectively.
If you’re a fan of my blog, please do subscribe. I also have a podcast called “There’s Stories Everywhere,” which I distribute weekly through Anchor.fm. Subscribe to that too. You’ll get to hear short fiction and then a small discussion on why that scene or chapter and where they came from. My Patreon gets to hear the podcast a little earlier than the general public, so if you’re chomping at the bit for new content every week, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/alledriahurt.
Upcoming projects I’m working on: 13, my story of a female serial killer is next up on the board for me to do what I consider an editing pass. Basically, I’m just making sure everything makes sense with what I’ve done. I’ve gotten a good reader to read it, so I’ve got to go back and get her read through notes to see what she found. Then I can incorporate that into my reading. Once I’ve got that done, then I can see about whether or not I want to self-publish that one or if I want to start shopping it around to see if I can sell it. I think it might be a hard sell, but it’s a good piece, so I think it might be able to find a home.
Sisters I & II are completed, sort of. Things have morphed a good bit since I started book I without an outline and then didn’t outline book two aside from knowing where book I ended and what was left undone. Well, I’ll just say that things are still left undone and I have to get it together for a book III. I would love to say I know what’s going on, but I’m mostly just following my characters around to their various antics and learning things along the way. I enjoy this sort of storytelling. I’m one of the many who gets annoyed and bored with outlining.
Beyond that, I’m producing short fiction for the podcast and occasionally just for my Patrons. If you’re not a patron, you’re missing out. I’m writing a piece specifically for them called Weekly Side Stories. Mostly they are scenes or short chapters following a group of characters around as something interesting happens. It’s a world of the supernatural, no humans really, so there is a certain amount of supernatural politicking going on.
All things considered, I’m feeling good about what’s coming. I’m enjoying the ride and that’s supposed to happen. I’ve read recently in Rachel Aaron’s 2K to 10K that if you’re not enjoying the writing, you’re doing it wrong. I am thoroughly enjoying my writing and that is fantastic. It makes the words just fly by.
So wherever you’re following me, make sure you subscribe. Here on the blog, the podcast, or my Patreon.