Newspaper Article Result Update

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. Happy Mid-week to all of you. What’s everyone up to these days? Are you reading anything good? I wish I was reading something good right now, but I don’t have a lot of time for that at the moment. Are you doing any writing? The edits for my second novel, Dance on Fire: Flashpoint, should be arriving in my e-mail sometime soon. I’m excited to get that started. With any luck it will be a spring release.

I try and post something here each Monday; however, with Sunday’s blog fest, taking up most of my time, I didn't get a chance to do so. I hope you had a chance to participate in that, or at least had some fun following along with what some of the others posted with regard to the Top Ten Horror/Science Fiction quotes of all time. I know I neglected Highlander and Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan. I love both of those films and am forcing myself to do 100 push-ups as a punishment. Okay, not really. But I assure you that with all of this sitting in front of a laptop, I desperately need it!

Some of you may have read last week that I was excited to be featured in my local newspaper. I was interviewed because of the paperback release of my first novel. Since my book has to do with vampires in my real-life city, I felt that I might have a built-in audience. If you are interested, you may read the article here.

Unfortunately, I find that I get myself too hyped up for these types of things. Picture the old-school business executive pouring over the ticker as the stock market numbers begin to come into his or her office and that would be me. Instead of a ticker, I closely watch my Official Authors Facebook Page, anxiously awaiting my “likes” to go through the roof. It happened last year when I was reviewed by the High School newspaper. I never heard a thing. Later in the year, I was reviewed and interviewed by the magazine that I write articles for, Kings River Life. With 500 hits a week (now 700) over the California Central Valley and beyond, I thought I would see a bump, but it never came. Well, I’m sorry to admit that it has happened once again. This paper is shared with a sister city with a potential audience of 30,000 people, but I gained only 4.

Naturally, the thought occurs to me that perhaps my Horror/Christian crossover vampire novel is a miss. Everyone who has read it has had nothing but positives to say about it. I rarely ask; I usually wait for someone to bring the subject up before inquiring. If it is a well-written and entertaining read, then what is the problem?

It would be very easy for me to throw my hands into the air and quit. Trust me. I’m nearly 42 and work 11 hours a day at my day job; I don’t need the aggravation, or the demand upon what little free time I have! The problem has simply been getting the word out. It is frustrating when you toss overboard a huge net only to pull up a couple of fish. Each reader or follower or fan is important. Never let it be said that I do not appreciate each and every one of you. It’s just hard sometimes.

Many of you may be going through much the same thing. How have you handled the disappointments? Have you thought to quit as well? What keeps you going? Is it the fact that you believe so strongly in the material? I know I do. I know it isn’t Pat Conroy, but I do believe that it is good, so I will press forward, hoping to endure less slings and arrows and more success. Perhaps this is still the tilling of the soil before the planting, or even the watering and awaiting of the season before the plants really begin to take off.

We’ll see. I just received a large box of my books in the mail. I am now plotting further media outlets and preparing to schedule book events.

I’ll be sure and keep you updated on my progress. And please tell me how your progress is going. It will help my morale…

We’ll talk soon.