Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Charting A Course for New Story Ventures, Busier Than A Hectic Space Bee, and My Last Month In Pictures!


Hey, guys! I logged off longer than I meant to. There was a lot to catch up on in the old personal quarters, and many events where the results were nothing short of dizzying. I was told that once you publish a book, life will never be the same again. You could say I've had something of an adjustment period, balancing promotion and marketing on top of an overloaded matrix of work and family life.

All is falling into place; I'm finally finding my footing again.

That said, some doors are opening to possible new stories. I'll be investing some time fomenting ideas, including some short stories. With my zombie novel on submission and still tinkering on a sequel for Woven, having something for me to do is never in short supply.

I've had these new ideas in my head for some time. It will be great to see how these stories will unfold on paper. Stay tuned, my friends.

Now, I have some pictures, most of which were not taken by me and I don't recall who took what. For credit, you know who you are:

First is our signing in Las Vegas. We had a really good turnout, and I was amazed by a few who traveled a long way just to see us, including some of my dearest friends from High School that I haven't seen in almost ten years.



You can't do Vegas without a feast! We went to the World Carnival buffet at the Rio. Needless to say we ate like kings that night. You can start laughing now. Or be hungry. You can take your pick.


I really should do more trips like this. I was lucky to be a passenger, which made it possible to cram many words on the road. I may have spotted a zombie or two out the window ...
 
We even stopped to lunch with a group of writers from southern Utah. These are some of the finest writers (and humans) I know. It was an honor to share a slice with them.


And then, there was Storymakers 2015! There is this new convention center in Provo, and I got to say it is a wonderful building. It was able to hold all of the conference's needs and over 700 folks.

 Authors who Donut!
 J. Scott Savage knows the way to my heart ...
 Selfie with J. A. Bennett (and photo bomber).
 Signing a copy of Woven to Mr. Brandon Mull!
 
 Chill'n with Darci Cole at the signing!

And that's just the tip of the asteroid. It's super easy for me to get so caught up in the moment that I never think to take my camera out. I'm lucky for these shots and grateful for those who took them and are letting me share. One day I'll have a more efficient camera and maybe let a professional photographer catch those moments.

Have a good week, guys. That's what I'm aiming for. :)

Do you do writer's conferences and go to author events when you can? What's your favorite. Want me to come to your area?

I'm David, and "you kids won't last one day out in the Scorch!"

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

IWSG and A to Z Challenge Reflections, The Future of The Cosmic Laire, and The New Trailer for Remake!

Need A Little Support?
Welcome back! So much has gone on that I'm having a difficult time pinpointing where to start. Good thing it's Insecure Writer's Support Group day, brought to you by the brainchild of this group, Alex J. Cavanaugh. I'll get to what's been making me insecure later. There's something I'd like to say about last month's A to Z Challenge first.

A few things occurred that kept me from participating in the challenge more than I could. Even so, I visited a lot of new blogs, made some new connections, got new members, and spread the word for my novel in a way that didn't come off as a constant promotion. Some of you said something to that extent in the comments of my Z post. In truth, I just wanted to share in any way I could, and I thank Al Diaz again for making it happen. It's only fitting to officially end the challenge by giving Tina Downey's family a free copy of Woven. It's in the mail.

Congratulations to all who joined in the challenge. You deserve it!

Now to the Insecurities: I won't lie. April was rough. The A to Z Challenge was amazing, and I literally had some Woven or author related event every weekend, but I took more emotional and financial hits than I was prepared to take. But more than that, I hopped on the keyboard this morning to blog and realized, I'm not sure what I'm doing with this blog. And you would be surprised by how many ARC review requests I've received in the last month. Due to time, I turned down most of them. I'm facing the reality of being a published author, which, from my perspective, is far different than what I imagined as a teen. So long as it doesn't interfere with my work and family, writing has to take priority, meaning I must cut things so I have more time.

To see how it works, I'm cutting back on blogging--maybe two posts a month. I'd rather have something of quality for you than something thrown together to reach a quota. Something engaging to readers and writers than reviews, of which I am only doing blurbs for books now. Maybe then I'll know exactly what I want to do with this blog.

I'm in a period of transition. I thank you for your ongoing support.

Are transitions rough for you? What have you done to get over that slump? Did you participate in last month's A to Z Challenge?

I'm David, and this trailer for Ilima Todd's Remake is amazing!