The sequel to "Fame, Love and other Lessons" is complete and ready to be uploaded to Amazon! I'm adding the exclamation mark not because I'm trying to "generate excitement", but because I feel like someone crossing a marathon finish line eight hours after the winners. I did it! Has it really been three years since the first book? Yes. Yes, it has. Anyway, it's called "Without Chase" and it will be available July 30th.
The truth is, I thought I was done with self-publishing. (I'm sure this is obvious considering how long it's been since I've even written anything on this blog.) I wrote the book, and it enjoyed a small amount of success, including a brief stint at #1 on the Amazon bestseller list for Sports Romances during my free promotion days. That turned into a #30 ranking on the paid list, which generated a very modest number of sales, and some nice reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, etc.
I was happy because after YEARS of wanting to be a writer, I could finally say that I was getting paid to write. I thought this validation would light the proverbial fire under me, and inspire me to finally get disciplined about writing everyday, etc. etc., but it almost had the opposite effect. Instead of being rejuvenated, I felt as if I had merely crossed something off my bucket list. Of course, if the book had been a huge success, and I didn't have to go back to my day job, maybe things would have been different. But writing, or more specifically promoting the book, felt like I had just taken on a second job that paid next to nothing. So I decided to forget about the sequel and spend my evenings watching Game of Thrones.
But the funny thing is, the book didn't die. With absolutely no promotion on my part, it's continued to generate sales every month. And I'm using the plural form of sales very generously---some months I would earn less than a dollar. But still...I'd occasionally check Amazon and read a review that someone had left. Even the lukewarm ones were encouraging because I'd think, how did they find the book after all this time? And, I'm glad someone is still out there reading the book. I'd pick up the book like a reader, and fall back in love with the characters I had created long ago. Then during a brief vacation last year, I worked on finishing what I had started from the NaNoWriMo (which, ironically was the last entry in this blog). I ended up re-writing it, but I liked the book a lot better this time, although I still couldn't finish it. Then, this summer, when I actually had a lot going on, I gave myself a goal of finishing the book. Mostly, I just wanted to let the readers know how everything turned out between Jamie and Chase, and that became my motivation.
So, it's here. I'm curious to see what happens next.
