The Klaatu Diskos series
is complete, and this summer I have been quietly enjoying the blank time
between publication events, and working slowly on a few smaller projects—a
couple of short stories, a new YA novel (about birth order and pizza), and a
long-term adult book project involving elves and magic. Next year I have two
new publications in the queue: Eden West (4/15),
a book I’ve been writing since 2001, will be coming out in April, followed a few months later by
my first solo middle grade novel, The
Flinkwater Factor (9/15).
Eden West will be available April, 2015 |
I’m told there are many
things I should be doing to build “buzz” for the new books. Blogging. Tweeting.
Glad-handing at every bookstore within range. Optimizing and monetizing my
neglected website. Making book trailers with ebola-like viral potential.
Leaping on every available meme. Joining Google+ (blerg) and LinkedIn (double
blerg). Soliciting blurbs from John Green and J.K. Rowling. Setting up a virtual blog tour. Printing and distributing bookmarks and
other swag. Interviews, ARC giveaways, newsletters, book clubs, Goodreads,
Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook ads, skywriting, sacrificing a goat…
All those things are doable—I’ve
done most of them at one time or another—but in aggregate they are paralyzing.
Like most authors, my first instinct is to pull the blanket over my head and whimper,
“I just wanna write books and watch kitten videos!”
Yeah, well, in the real
world that doesn’t work so good—not if I want to, you know, eat and make car
payments.
So I’ll be slithering
down the cobwebby staircase from my writer’s garret and, blinking and scowling
at the sun, trying again to engage the public. Want an interview? I’m available. Want to enjoy my self-consciously clever Twitter posts? Follow me. Need
a friend? Find me on Facebook.
Now, time to get to work
on that book trailer. And steal a goat.
Here's something you should know about vengeance
demons. We don't groove with the sorry. We prefer, "Oh, God! Oh God! Please stop
hitting me with my own rib bones!" —Anya (from BtVS season 7)