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Living life as a writer On Writing

Weirdo Writer’s Update

The Other Kind is my young adult series and will be a trilogy. Cover design by Kip Ayers.

I’ve had  readers ask when my young adult series will be released. To answer I must borrow that timeworn word used to label circumstances in life that are unforeseen and are in no way predictable.

Change

“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”— George Bernard Shaw

“I have accepted fear as part of life—specifically the fear of change…I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: turn back…” —Erica Jong

A family tragedy last spring changed everything. The sadness. The grief has been consuming. Mind alternating.

I started to put things into perspective. Death makes you do that. You start to ask what is important in life. And without pause, the answer resonates.

Family

“When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching—they are your family. ”—Jim Butcher

When you want to write more than you want to breathe, you can become absorbed in promotional tasks and  lose sight of what is important.

I self-publish because I want to control what I write and when I write. But as a writer you also want readers. And to have readers, they must be aware your books are out there. So when all the writing gurus scream get a webpage, do a blog, and build a social media platform to promote your book, you become involved in these tasks almost to a point of neglecting the writing—your true love.

After my grandson’s death, it was hard to return to what I loved. Healing time was needed.

My first real day back at the keyboard, I was bombarded with, what do I do first? Blog. Social Media. Promote. Write. It was overwhelming. “Besides family, what is most important to you?” the (Fox) voice in my head whispered.

And there I had my answer.

With my decision to write first and let all other things fit where time permits, I began to re-evaluate my plan to promote my books. I originally thought I’d finish Book 1, publish, and promote. But promoting is a full time job. I’ve decided to write, write, write all of my young adult series The Other Kind and once done, publish and promote.

Aria and Marrok
Artwork for Book 1 in The Other Kind was created by Kip Ayers. These two characters are Aria and Marrok the wolf.

Book 1 and 2 are complete and waiting to be published.  Book 3 is 85% written. When will I finish writing Book 3? My plan is this spring. Then there will be editing, Beta reads, editing, more Beta reads, and finally formatting before it is complete. Once all three books are finished, I will publish one at a time with a month between the publication times. You won’t have to wait for the next book in the series to be finished.

So to heed Shaw’s advice, I will change my mind, and like Jong, I will go forward, despite the pounding in my heart telling me to turn back.

I will not abandon my blog or my social media, but you may see me less often for a few months. Please, forgive me. And if you wonder what’s happening with this weirdo writer, think of me busily at the keyboard living in worlds only my imagination can create. It’s a fun place to be.

My adult novel, Cleanerman, is progressing as well and will follow once The Other Kind is released.

***

How about you? How are you? Have you experienced changes you might share?

Thank you for your continued support, and I hope you will return to read and comment whenever you can.

The Probe’s Mission Statement


turtle-in-oceanThe Probe is a blog devoted to the exploration of the unexplainable, to finding the truth in occurrences that resemble science fiction, and to researching and reporting on topics that could be flung upon the wall of weird. New posts are featured as often as I can find WiFi, and as often as I have something I think you might find interesting.

Join me here for more close encounters of the alien kind, or ghost kind, or animal kind, or travel kind, and please share your own. Science Fiction or Fact? Doesn’t matter to me. I just like a story that gives me the chills, makes me laugh, makes me think, or makes me imagine. otter

greatblue-heron-airborneSign up to get my slightly irregular blog posts delivered directly to your email. We are becoming popular. And thank you everyone for supporting me through all my learning of how to do a blog. If you haven’t signed up, better hurry. They’re going fast.

(BTW the animals pictures are my children’s animal totems. My daughter is Turtle. My son is Otter. My granddaughter is the Great Blue Heron. And Fox is my little grandson we lost in April but whose presence I feel every day.) fox

Clara Bush
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