And now comes disquiet.
It’s an odd feeling putting a series to bed. The long build of excitement reaches a peak then fades leaving disquiet in its wake.
The excitement of the launch lifts you up: holding the physical copy of the final book, smelling the pages as if they were a new puppy, reading the early reviews, attending book signings, planning the big farewell party.
But after the final book’s release, disquiet sucks you under: bidding farewell to characters you know better than your family leaves you hollow, your next book’s characters are still strangers who can’t begin to fill the gap; not knowing if your readers will give a hoot about your next distant book provokes loneliness.
Thankfully, time doesn’t let you linger in either state for long. It ticks away, oblivious to the petty fears of mere writers, nudging you along on your way.
And so it goes
The $0.99 launch price for Lover Betrayed, a Gift Legacy Companion book, ends tomorrow. If you’re missing this book in the series, now’s your chance to get it for launch pricing. After tomorrow, it returns to its regular price of $5.99. You can read an excerpt here.
Every day, the disquiet lifts a bit. Yesterday, I broke 32K words in my new book. It’s about a young woman who was born with an unfortunate birthmark. The woman believes her birthmark is a disfiguring curse. She doesn’t know the real curse is that her birthmark is disappearing.
Next month
Next month, I’m excited to be participating in a new adventure with writers who may be new to you, but who are far from unknown. I’m teaming up with a dozen fabulous writers, many of them A-list best sellers, to bring you new books at terrific prices along with bonus prizes. I’ll provide details shortly.
As always, I’d love to hear your feedback. Just hit reply or contact me via the social media buttons.
Secret Sky is the book that started it all. Get your copy of Secret Sky from Kindle with one click right here. And if ebooks aren’t your preference, click on the bookstore tab for other purchase options, or just click on the covers below.
Secret Sky was formerly titled The Gift: Awakening
Hidden Enemy was formerly titled The Gift: Revelation
Burning Lies was formerly titled The Gift: Redemption
Lethal Waters was formerly titled The Gift: Penance
Lover Betrayed was formerly titled The Gift: Betrayal
I’ll blame the warming weather that entices me outside, away from the keyboard, niggling emails, and a mess of chores. But how could I turn down a lunch with girlfriends? (That’s me on the left with Jennifer Manuel in the middle and Elinor Florence on the right.)
Or a walk in the sunshine? Those are the pigs that grunt their hellos when I pass by Orkney Farm. And the weekend farmers’ market—part social, part shopping—draws me in like a bee to nectar.
We said goodbye to our sweet Miss Molly yesterday. If I ever make it to those pearly gates, I’m going to have a word with someone about the lifespan of dogs. It’s far too short and I’m not sure my heart can take any more holes.
When she got released from the twelve-step undergarment program, she got hooked on shoes. If we left her alone, she’d gather an oddball collection and keep them safe on the bed. She even managed to carry one of John’s dusty, steel-toed boots, complete with the unopened one-litre water bottle he’d shoved inside, up to the bed in the 5th wheel when we lived in Mexico.
Other dogs and cats, however, weren’t fooled by the cute factor. They knew if Molly visited them, she would beeline it for their chow, and she enjodidn’t discriminate by brand or species. She’d clean out a budgie’s dish if she could reach it.
Her site’s mission statement is “Writers and other creatives need to stay well to keep producing the work they were meant to do.”