Wow, what to write about for the very first entry? Lately it’s
been a whirlwind coordinating timing leading up to the release of my debut
novel MIDNIGHT RUNES, The Bestowed Ones Book One. On one hand, it’s hard to
believe I’m here, and on the other, it feels like it’s taken forever to get
here.
I worked on this story on and off for 5.5 years, and am
super anxious to release it to the world. Don’t worry, the next release won’t
take as long! The world has been built and the characters speak clearly now. Well...mostly. Some have stubborn moments but I like them that way. I
did a lot of learning and growing in order to bring you the very best story
possible, and I have a good jump on the next installment!
Surprisingly, what took longer than expected was coming up
with a title. Nothing seemed like the right fit, and it was something I’d
tinkered with for about two years. So…although I had the cover designed and
ready October 2013, I couldn’t have the finishing touches put on since I didn’t
know the titles until two weeks ago. It’s going to be complete in the next day
or two, and I’m crazy excited to do a cover reveal.
And it’s looking like the formatters will finish the
conversion to an ebook this weekend. Meaning, the book will be ready this
weekend.
Eeeekkk!
The next part is marketing. I’m hoping my friends and family
help me in this area by sharing my Facebook author posts on their wall and
telling their friends and family about the book. The most challenging part of
publishing a book is getting the word out about it. With literally millions of
books available, it’s easy for one to get lost in the shuffle. I gathered a
list of book bloggers a few months ago who read YA paranormal suburban fantasy
(or some combination thereof) and will contact them to gage their interest and
availability to read and review my book. The downside of this is waiting to
officially release it until another month or more out, hopefully creating a
good buzz in the meantime, or make the book available and just take it as it
comes. I also hear that releasing the second book in a series is a good way to
promote the first one, so I’m going to work on that too.
I gave myself a lot of expectations when I started this
journey, and I’m going to state them here to keep myself accountable. I don’t want
to turn into one of those authors who wait 4 to 6 months before posting any
news on their website, or even one of those authors who don’t post that often
once they get a fancy book deal, or movie or TV rights purchased. (We all can
name some, right?!) Even if/when that happens, I intend to keep this site
active with updates, excerpts, cover reveals, etc. This is why I’m starting
with this site here, and an author FB page. That’s enough for me at this point.
I promise to always give you the best story possible, with actions and events
that are true to the characters and plot. I will not use meaningless fillers to
take up space in my books. I know it’s impossible to please every single person
with the ending of a book or even a series, but I sincerely strive for them to
be believable and satisfying based on all the pages leading up to THE END.
All of the above is the result of personally feeling burned
by some authors who either get too big to interact with readers or keep them
updated, or play with reader’s emotions (not saying that I never will, however
it’ll have a payoff worth suffering through and not pointless torture like the
ones I’ve experienced). ;)
XOXO, Celeste
