Damn, I love alliteration.

This novella was fun to draft and a slog to edit and revise. But as with all projects, at some point things started to click into place and I’ve become mildly obsessed with this book.

I’m really excited that it’s finally out in the world and it’s available in so many places. Radio Romance is joining Let it Rain on Kobo and its subscription service Kobo+ and I’m really curious to see how the novellas do over there.

Leave a Review, but Don’t Expect me to Read it

If you’ve read Radio Romance or Let it Rain please leave a review so it gets boosted in whatever algorithm puts recommended books in front of other readers.

My personal policy is that I don’t read reviews (good or bad) unless I’m tagged or they’re sent to me.

I’m so grateful and thrilled when readers reach out to tell me they enjoyed my book, but for my own mental health I draw a line at seeking them out. I’ll expand on why in another post, but when you do leave a review, know that I’m extremely thankful even if I have no idea what it says. 

Twice Published

It’s a little hard for me to truly wrap my head around having self-published two novellas this year. Probably because I haven’t had much time to sit and reflect on it.

So much of indie publishing is completing a checklist of admin tasks and once those are complete it’s an ongoing checklist of marketing tasks. 

I’m not great at the marketing tasks.

Example: A week ago I came up with the idea of posting seven Radio Romance tropes for seven days left before release. This idea hit me at about 8:30PM on the day it was relevant. It would have been nice to come up with that a good 24 hours earlier. 

I’m leaning into my unstrategic marketing strategy while also trying to learn how to be more intentional with my marketing efforts. 

Coming soon(ish): Let it Rain and Radio Romance in PRINT

Independent print distribution is an animal I didn’t have the bandwidth to tangle with when I was getting the publishing ball rolling. I’ve heard nothing but awful things about it because print book distribution is a monopoly controlled by Ingram Sparks and Amazon. 

But with time and research, I feel a smidge better about it. 

This fall Disturbed Valkyrie Designs will turn my ebook covers into full wraps for print editions. These mass market paperbacks (about 4x6in) will be distributed by me directly either through my website (because I’m paying for that capability) or at events. 

I’m anticipating these editions launching in early 2025. 

What’s Next

My book babies have left the nest. Now what?

Bookish Moms Gone Wild 

A mom-friend and I are leaving the kiddos at home and heading to Literary Love Savannah to parktake in bookish shenanigans. I’m officially attending as a reader, but I got the blessing of the organizer to talk up my books with other attendees. I was a bit surprised that this was not only OK, but encouraged.

While there I want to learn more about the expectations from registered authors so when I do register for 2025 I feel prepared and informed. I’m also really looking forward to several panels geared towards authors because I’m a dork and I go to conventions for the panels.

Indie publish Roots in Ink

With another query rejection and a prospective small press keeping submissions closed until the fall, I’m putting the bulk of my attention on self-publishing Roots in Ink.

This was always the expectation so this was always the plan. I published my novellas as a way to prepare me for this moment and while I feel more informed, the endeavor doesn’t feel any less daunting.

Other creative projects

This summer I’ve built into every day a little time to do some kind of creative work that isn’t writing. I’ve done a few pottery projects and finally finished sewing a toiletry bag I started last summer. 

I’m going to use those hobbies as a bit of content fodder to get me back into blogging regularly. Coming back to blogging is a bit of strategic marketing paired with a storytelling medium I enjoy, but haven’t had the bandwidth to keep up with. 

Aptly named The Dopamine Trail (Thank you to author Regina Weaver for that one) this space will be dedicated to anything I feel like writing about with zero consideration for how it fits my “brand.”

So, uhh, if things get a little chaotic around here, you’ve been warned.