And just like that, it's August and another two months have gone by since my last blog post. Again, my absence is not due to a lack of book-related news, and more that I have had no time whatsoever in which to relay it all. There's so much in fact that I genuinely don't know where to start. In order to not to write another book as I attempt to update you all on everything that's been going on in my life, I'll try to summarise it in the form of some handy bullet points:
- I have been working like crazy updating my Weighting to Live series. I finished the short story I have talked about on the blog before which will act as the new conclusion to the series, called Plus Uno, which focuses on what 'Italian' aunt did next. I'm really proud of it and hope that people like it. I have also made the decision to take down the paperback versions of Changes and Sixteen Months and just have one larger paperback which includes both them and Plus Uno called The Triple Bill. I am not going to go into details how much the formatting tested me on this paperback ... but let's just say that I very nearly gave up and questioned whether I wanted to be a writer in the first place. Headers and footers will do that to a girl. I have also updated my bios, ads and various other bits and bobs in all my eBooks and paperbacks that needed changing and have finally chosen all my covers for the series which are now live on Amazon.
- I have pretty much finished the edits for my non-fiction book, Every Trich in the Book all about my battle, and eventual recovery, from Trichotillomania, and I'm going to be honest and say that I found the whole experience rather stressful, for reasons I won't go into. I was also given a new publication date of 20th September, which works much better for me now. My publisher then put me in touch with Ariel from the Trichotillomania website, www.trichstop.com and I ended up writing an article for it which can be found here.
- This weekend, I gave the blog a mini facelift, adding a navigation bar near the top which I hope makes it look more like an author website than a straightforward blog. The more I read about the basics of being an author nowadays, the more I realise how important it is to have a website with clear links to your books and contact details/social media.
- I am also in love with podcasts (both book-related and otherwise) and I'm very sad I didn't start listening to them sooner. They can be so inspiring and informative and I will definitely be sharing some of my favourites with you all soon.
So there you have it. Even though I managed to say everything I have done in very few words (well ... few for me at least), all of this has taken up every single spare moment I've had over the last couple of months. On the whole I have worked six days a week (whilst working full time), getting up ridiculously early then going to bed late, and now I feel completely done in. I haven't put myself first and I'm bloody exhausted but I've decided at the end of this week to find some balance - something I have struggled to do for years - and go about things a little differently. I mean, I've been saying this for a very long time, and what makes it even harder to implement is the fact that I want to do it. But how I've been going about things is just not viable long-term and I'll only end up making myself ill and probably end up wasting time, if anything.
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| Top row - Original covers (ouch) Middle row - My covers I edited myself (hmm..) Bottom row - New covers done by professionals (...and it shows) |
On a side note, I have been surprised with the sales for my book Curing my Incurable Eczema. I'm not saying I'm making enough to live on (lol, not even close), but I've had a steady stream of sales and done absolutely no promotion - because this book was only ever a passion project for me that I wrote in order to close a chapter on that part of my life. On top of that, to know that people actually like it is absolutely wonderful and in all honesty, the whole experience has been very special and something I will never forget.
I'm still fighting the impulse to bolt from book marketing, and even though I do have a little plan for how I'm going to get my books out there, I am leaving a large part of it to fate because all this blasted promotion leaves no time for actual writing and to be honest, I'd rather have time to write and a slower road to success than no time to write and be a broken woman. Another thing I'd like to say is that I can't begin to describe how thrilling I find it that I am doing it all myself. Working full time then having this whole other life where I burrow away and create books I am passionate about in the hope that I can make it my career one day is simply wonderful.
I have two last bookish things I want to share with you all.
I finished the book The Thorn Birds and even though I don't like giving bad reviews on this blog, I will causally throw in that it ain't no Australian Gone With the Wind... I also reread and finished Vicious by V.E. Schwab yesterday so I am ready for the sequel Vengeful, which comes out in September, and I loved it even more this time around.
And finally, back in June, I visited the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter and it might sound a little ridiculous, but I think I can safely say it was one of the best days of my life. Even though I adore Harry Potter, and have done for many years, I wasn't expecting just how incredible the tour would be. Crammed with sets, costumes and props from the series, I was overwhelmed and positively bursting with excitement. I found it to be one of the most inspiring places I've ever visited and when I left, I couldn't wait to start working again on the book series I've been talking about for years now. I think I will have to go back soon as the experience was truly (wait for it...) magical.Don't say I didn't warn you...
Until next time
Cara x
