Andrew's Misadventures in the World of Traditional Publishing
(or, The Author Complains About a System That Kicked His Ass and Continues To Do So)
If you'll excuse the indulgence, I'd like to take a moment to discuss what I've been doing behind the scenes these last few months. In addition to my work on Beneath an Azure Sky and the recently concluded Nerd World rewrite, I've also been attempting to get something else published. This is what I've learned about that process.
I wrote my first book in 2008 and, after half a year of rewriting and polishing, I started shopping it around. It didn't go so well. I can distinctly remember sending off my first batch of queries and receiving a rejection to the first one before I sent off the last one. I spent six months writing queries and was rejected over seventy ti…
Beneath an Azure Sky
Work on the latest serial continues, with the first chapter recently completed. I'm not yet sure what I'm going to do with it - submit it to JPS, keep it exclusive to my own site, or maybe just sit on it for a while. In the meantime, I'm putting together a few chapters while collecting feedback. Below is the first chapter - not sure where exactly I should put this, so let me know if there's a better location. I went ahead and set up a small page for the story to collect comments.
I wish I had an explanation for this. I wish I understood it myself.
My name is Rebecca Jameson, though it's been a lifetime since anyone has called me that. In this world, I am known as Pathfinder. It's a strange name, I know, but that's how things work around here…
Ghosts of the Apocalypse
So today feels like a good day to discuss my upcoming project, Beneath an Azure Sky. I've worked out most of the fine details, but there are still some things that give me pause. This story is shaping up to be very different than The Fabulist, and while that is a good thing it also means I'm getting into uncharted territory.
To the point - I'm mulling over a particular plot device. This is in particular directed towards anyone who's written paranormal fiction, because that's what it concerns.
Most of my novels contain some supernatural elements, but they're usually subtle things that are well-established literary tropes such as characters having prophetic dreams or visions. In Beneath an Azure Sky, they're quite a bit more overt. One of the big…
I've Been Bumped
So I've just picked up a bit of disappointing news. Nerd World ended the month of February with 470 votes on JukePop Serials, a solid performance that put me in 3rd for the month. Unfortunately, it looks like I've failed to make the monthly list entirely.
I've made an inquiry as to why this is, but I think I understand already. It's due to a quirk in how the system records the last date a serial was updated. Recently, JPS changed their chapter submission system, allowing users to submit multiple chapters at once. This is tremendously useful for me, as I like to write ahead and keep several chapters queued up so I don't fall behind. It was especially convenient for Nerd World, which had been entirely written in advance. Since I didn't want to…
The Door Was Open So I Let Myself In
I've been looking to get more closely involved in the community, and now seems like as good a time as any.
So I've fiddled around with literature for most of my life, but I really got serious about it in 2012 when I began what would eventually become the Illinois Mythos. This is a serious of interconnected, mixed-genre novels and short stories all revolving around a handful of significant characters and locations. Recently, I wrapped up the fifth novel, The Dragon's Heir, and I'm currently planning the sixth - and that's a big part of the reason why I'm here.
For the sake of not boring you to death, I'll spare the whole exegesis on the novels and lay out the basics. All of the Illinois stories can be divided broadly into two groups: The Pure…