Do It Until It Doesn’t Suck!
Late last year, after the worst year of my life, I decided to throw another project on the pile (and on top of the wreckage): getting into shape. I had just been dumped. I was finishing up my graphic design degree. I’d been living with my parents for several months. Everything had fallen apart, but I thought, this is something I need to do to feel better about myself. So, […]
In Defense of Theme
I’ve run across a lot of people lately who say something like, ‘I’m not writing with a message. I just want to write fun stories that entertain people,’ and also, ‘Thinking about the big ideas you’re working with is misguided, it’s not a writer’s job to work with a theme in mind, it’s the job of the critic to think about theme.’ There’s also the old wisdom that says, ‘If […]
Saving my Spoons: Social Media for the Chaotic Author
Saving My Spoons! Social Media for the chaotic Author Ok, so a while back I decided to be more intentional about what and where I posted on social media. I developed a couple of flavors of posts I felt comfortable with, and (and this is important) that I enjoyed. I upgraded to a Facebook professional account and became verified. I started posting on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and BlueSky. Those were […]
I’ve Got PLANS!
Ok, so a couple of things. First, good news! Looking at my sales from the first of this year to now, I have already sold more books/made more money than I did all last year! That seems like a nice marker of progress, especially since most of these sales weren’t from any sort of campaign but from me posting about my books and people hitting the links. Those sales mean […]
The Importance of ‘WHY?’
Recently, someone asked a question on social media that made me think about my answer. The exact phrasing of the question is unimportant, but it went something like this: Given that I am not making enough money at all, let alone enough to support myself, from self-publishing should I seriously think about quitting?’ And a lot of people chimed in with encouraging statements, like ‘Just keep going!’ ‘You never know […]
An Excerpt from World Enough and Time
When Dmitri meets Jay on a dating app, their connection is instant—intense, electric, and deeper than either expected. But Jay isn’t who he claims to be, and when his out-of-this-world secret comes to light, it shatters Dmitri’s understanding of reality. For Jay’s people, love is considered a dangerous defect—a personality disorder to be cured. But he’s already fallen hard for Dmitri, and walking away isn’t so simple. As their lives […]