I’ve been doing a deep dive into worldbuilding lately because that’s where I identified I most needed to level up. And I have so many ideas for worlds, characters, and stories that the hard part is realizing that I can’t do everything at once, and I know from experience that I can’t draft more than one book at a time. So, I used my favorite coping strategy, making a list!
Right now, not counting books that are already finished and not yet published, I have a list of 30 books I want to write. The ideas are all developed enough that I have a solid elevator pitch for each volume, and I could write any of the series starters right now. I’m ready to go. I made a generous schedule, based on how long it actually takes me to write books of various lengths, and If I make the schedule, I will be done in 12 years. That’s not too bad. I’ll only be 63, which I’m chagrined to realize that I no longer consider to be that old.
So, I’m looking forward to getting back to writing full time in January, starting with Valley of Storms, the sequel to Blade of Shadows, Wings of Light, which I’m happy to report is now my best-selling book. I have several books written and ready for the editing process, so I’m hoping to release four books next year, depending on how well all this fits into my editor’s schedule.
Beneath the Silent Stars, which is Broken Stars Book 5. It’s with my editor now.
World Enough and Time, a new Standalone SF Romance novel.
The Lion and the Sparrow, A romantic sword and sorcery novel, also a standalone (But I have a
sequel in mind if it does super well and people want it).
These three books are completely written and waiting to be edited.
If I stay on track, I should have Valley of Storms drafted by the end of May, and I’m trying to stick to a schedule of six months between finishing of a draft to releasing it. That gives me and my editor time to do everything we need to do. I’m not super married to that timetable, as I don’t want to overwhelms my editor, but she usually needs two months to edit one of my books, which gives me time to do my own editing pass, and then also, when she’s done, to do the formatting and commission the cover.
I’m also developing metrics to help me to decide whether to continue series or wrap them up. Everything will get an ending, but I don’t need to pour myself into books no one is reading. And for that reason, the Broken Stars series will end with Beneath the Silent Stars. I had some other ideas for things that would happen, but book 5 ends in a really good place for the characters. It feels like a nice place to wrap it up. There’s one dangling plot thread that I will address in a short story that will function as a coda and be released, possibly, on my website for free. But the main plot is done. I’ve brought the characters where they needed to go. Also, I did the thing a lot of indie writers do where they start in one genre and then realize they really want to be writing something else. I love the series and the characters, but they were envisioned as a cishet romance because that’s all I could imagine myself writing. I was only in the beginning of coming out of the closet. But that process is over now, and really my heart is in queer stories and relationships. Not that I will never write about heterosexual characters again, but they won’t be the focus. That said, I am incredibly proud of the Broken Stars series, and I am very invested in Will and Amelia, and Jonah and all the rest of the cast of characters I’ve been working with since 2020.
While I am paying attention to sales, sales aren’t my total focus. If they were, I wouldn’t be doing this at all. But this is a long game, and they have grown year to year as I’ve expanded into other genres, and especially into queer stories. My true goal, though, sales aside, is to create a body of work that I am proud of, and I have done that, and continue to do that. I think I’m getting better over time.
I love writing and releasing books. I love sharing these characters and worlds with all of you. It has brought me the greatest satisfaction I’ve ever felt in my life, aside from raising my kids. I will continue to do so as long as I am able. As you can see, I am in no danger of running out of ideas. And while a significant portion of my income comes from KU, meaning eBooks will stay exclusive to Amazon for the foreseeable future (or unless the rules change) I am in the process of getting my paperbacks released through Ingram Spark as well. Right now, there are three available through bookstores that way. Blade of Shadows, Wings of Light; The Soul Cages; and Curse of the Onyx Heart. Unfortunately, if you make your books returnable and they get returned, Ingram charges you more than you were originally paid for them. So, I can’t afford to make them returnable, which means bookstores will not stock them unless they are requested. Which is fine. You’ll be able to order them online or in-store through Barnes and Noble and a lot of other retailers.
This has been a year of growth. I let writing take a little bit of a back seat while I went back to school to work on my certificate in Digital Art and Graphic Design, and that will be done in December. I’m glad I did this, but I’ll also be thrilled to be done, and to only have to worry about getting the books out from now on, as well as working on some graphic design side projects I’m really excited about.
I am extremely fortunate that I have an income that doesn’t rely on my having a crummy day job to survive, meaning I get to spend every day being creative. In many ways, despite my hardships, I am living the life I always dreamed of, and it’s important to keep that firmly in mind when things get tough.
Anyway, that’s the state of things right now. I appreciate everyone reading this, and the people who buy, read, and recommend my books. Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter, if you haven’t already, to get a free collection of science Fiction and Fantasy short stories that are heavy on romance. I’m in the process of redoing the cover for that with the new skills I’ve learned. So, thanks for your attention, thanks for reading and sharing, and thank you for supporting indie authors in whatever way that you are able.