We’re stuck in a repeated cycle of snow-thaw-snow-thaw, and today we’re getting… *checks weather* more snow? Whatever. Goddamnit, weather, get your shit together oh ha ha ha you can’t because the climate is drunk on our fumes.
ANYWHO, so what’s up everyone?
Here’s what’s up with me, real quick —
I’m back from ECCC — recap here.
I finished the third draft of WANDERERS, mostly just a quick polish to get the rest of my flavor-text snidbits in there at the fore of each of the 90-some chapters. The book is now (*coughs into hand*) 277,000 words, so it is pretty darn close to a bonafide bison bludgeoner of a book. It doesn’t come out for a WHOLE YEAR, basically, which is really weird for me? Because here I am, with… a huge expanse of 2018 where No Books Of Mine Come Out. It is the dark times. It’s arguably how a writer’s publishing schedule is supposed to look, but mine is usually more in the “one book every 4-5 months” department. So, we’re crossing over into weird territory for me. I also have only one book to write across the rest of this year, too.
This strange feeling tastes of both freedom and fear.
Now, I await edits on Vultures, the next (and last) Miriam Black book.
What else?
I have a cool comics thing I cannot yet announce, but I’m writing it this week.
My upcoming schedule is as follows:
March 24th, giving a Workshop for the Austin RWA — still a few slots open
April 7th, 4pm, Doylestown Bookshop, in Doylestown, PA — I’ll be joining Kevin Hearne and Fran Wilde on the release of Kevin’s latest and last Iron Druid book.
April 20-22, RavenCon in Williamsburg, VA
May 23-27th, Phoenix Comic Fest in Phoenix, AZ
And that’s it, folks.
That’s the jam.
Enjoy your week.
May you hit Monday in the face with a book.
Because then Monday is down and whimpering, and you still have a book.
FUCK MONDAY AND YAY BOOKS
Stephanie Treviño-Ballard says:
Well now I gotta come to Ravencon, but it’s a fun little con, so I’m not bothered by this. I’ll bring something for you to sign so I have an ‘excuse’ to chat.
March 12, 2018 — 8:24 AM
terribleminds says:
SOLD
March 12, 2018 — 8:26 AM
finite33 says:
I feel like there’s a whole civilization living in that cradled drop, waiting until the tension gives way and it plummets to its end and no one can stop it. Sounds like a story, or us. Probably us.
March 12, 2018 — 11:21 AM
conniecockrell says:
Hey! I’m at Phoenix Comicon too! Author Alley table 928. If you have a minute, stop on by.
March 12, 2018 — 11:53 AM
Jim Bartlett says:
277k – AWESOME! I know in the not too distant past submitting anything of that length – unless your name started with JK, or ended in King (or Wendig, obviously ;-)) – was cause for automatic rejection. Has the market changed with more and more “books” released as ebooks (and thus no need for shipping or bookshelf space), or will the agents still fall to their sides rolling with laughter (of course, that is somewhat of a stupid or maybe rhetorical question, as agents don’t actually laugh, do they?)? When I attended the PNWA Writers’ Conference in 2015 every agent I had the chance to speak with said that submitting a story that ran 100k+ was a kiss of death. Mine was 125k (down from 250k) and never got so much as a peek. So I moved on to flash fiction (just kidding – though I do write them and enjoy the genre).
Thanks
Jim
March 12, 2018 — 7:09 PM
terribleminds says:
It’s more an issue for new writers, I think. But 125k isn’t a verboten length, and is in fact fairly normal. I have a hard time believing that over 100k would be automatically a NO, but then again, I’m not an agent!
March 13, 2018 — 7:48 AM
Jim Bartlett says:
“New writers’ may indeed be the case. Since they never took a peek, at least I know it wasn’t due to my poor writing.;-) Thanks for the reply.
Jim
March 13, 2018 — 12:08 PM