I did it. I finally finished the entire process of setting up Domino, Book One of The Sentience Series for release on March 1.
Working on The Sentience Series has been both a relief and a struggle for me. A relief, because the world is still crazy in 2021, and it's great to focus on a writing project that I'm excited about. Not only have I completed Domino, but I believe rewrites on the other three books in the series have the story in a good place, and all of the inconsistencies are fixed. In fact, I plan to send Phantasm, Book Two of The Sentience Series, to beta readers in March. I'm excited to keep moving forward on this series, but I need to pace myself. One thing at a time. First, we need to get Domino released. I'd love to release it now, but there are two reasons to hold back: First, I just released Alive after Thanksgiving, so it's too soon for another release. Second, I have a deadline at the day job coming up at the end of the month, and February has personal and professional things on my calendar that I'd like to take care of without worrying about promoting a new release. Life should be settled enough by March 1 to focus on a new release, and get the next book in the series to beta readers so I can nail down a solid direction for it.
I'll admit that I've struggled mightily with Domino. It is a complex story that took a lot of work to pull together, and then the beta reads identified more issues that needed focus and clarification. I lost count at four rewrites of this novel since I first drafted it in July 2019. Then Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away (cancer sucks), which both motivated me and distracted me. At least Domino was fairly well set by that point so I was mostly in edits and proofreads, and I had already planned and plotted the rest of the series, but then I struggled with other issues. I struggled with ideas for cover art. Thank goodness, I work with a phenomenal graphic artist that was able to take my vague ideas and create a cover that captures the essence of this novella. I struggled with the book description, and finally decided to go with the concept of the protagonist talking directly to the reader since she's online anyway (and can do that). I even struggled with the dedication, because I wrote it in memory of Dad, but I didn't want a cliched dedication that sounded pathetic. I think I finally nailed it with something that both he would like, and that sounds like me.
Writing is like that. Some books just flow, but more often you face challenges along the way, and it's about working through them. Domino (and the entire series) has already seen them, but I decided long ago that the good triumphs, and the struggles are just part of life. You're going to have them no matter what you do, so you might as well keep on keeping on if you love and believe in what you're doing. I certainly love writing, and want to keep bringing these stories to readers who I hope will be entertained and inspired by them in the same way that good books give me the escape I need from reality.
So my new release is set, and on the way! You can pre-order Domino on Amazon here, or at the links on the main page.
Thanks to all of you for being great friends and supporting me. I pray you are all blessed every day. You stay safe, take care, and have a wonderful week.
Bye!
Working on The Sentience Series has been both a relief and a struggle for me. A relief, because the world is still crazy in 2021, and it's great to focus on a writing project that I'm excited about. Not only have I completed Domino, but I believe rewrites on the other three books in the series have the story in a good place, and all of the inconsistencies are fixed. In fact, I plan to send Phantasm, Book Two of The Sentience Series, to beta readers in March. I'm excited to keep moving forward on this series, but I need to pace myself. One thing at a time. First, we need to get Domino released. I'd love to release it now, but there are two reasons to hold back: First, I just released Alive after Thanksgiving, so it's too soon for another release. Second, I have a deadline at the day job coming up at the end of the month, and February has personal and professional things on my calendar that I'd like to take care of without worrying about promoting a new release. Life should be settled enough by March 1 to focus on a new release, and get the next book in the series to beta readers so I can nail down a solid direction for it.
I'll admit that I've struggled mightily with Domino. It is a complex story that took a lot of work to pull together, and then the beta reads identified more issues that needed focus and clarification. I lost count at four rewrites of this novel since I first drafted it in July 2019. Then Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away (cancer sucks), which both motivated me and distracted me. At least Domino was fairly well set by that point so I was mostly in edits and proofreads, and I had already planned and plotted the rest of the series, but then I struggled with other issues. I struggled with ideas for cover art. Thank goodness, I work with a phenomenal graphic artist that was able to take my vague ideas and create a cover that captures the essence of this novella. I struggled with the book description, and finally decided to go with the concept of the protagonist talking directly to the reader since she's online anyway (and can do that). I even struggled with the dedication, because I wrote it in memory of Dad, but I didn't want a cliched dedication that sounded pathetic. I think I finally nailed it with something that both he would like, and that sounds like me.
Writing is like that. Some books just flow, but more often you face challenges along the way, and it's about working through them. Domino (and the entire series) has already seen them, but I decided long ago that the good triumphs, and the struggles are just part of life. You're going to have them no matter what you do, so you might as well keep on keeping on if you love and believe in what you're doing. I certainly love writing, and want to keep bringing these stories to readers who I hope will be entertained and inspired by them in the same way that good books give me the escape I need from reality.
So my new release is set, and on the way! You can pre-order Domino on Amazon here, or at the links on the main page.
Thanks to all of you for being great friends and supporting me. I pray you are all blessed every day. You stay safe, take care, and have a wonderful week.
Bye!
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