So my latest novel, Covenant,was published last November, which has prompted many readers to email me, wondering when I plan to publish a new novel, since for many years I was pubbing at least a book (or more) a year. Why is it taking so long to get the new one?
I decided some explanation was in order.
If you prefer the short answer, it’s this: a new book is coming soon. I’m actively working on a novel, and I know the story (I think) from beginning to end, which for me, has always been critical to reaching that last page.
The longer answer? Well, life just intervenes sometimes. I have a new child (a little girl). I have a demanding day job in the IT world. I’m married, and like to spend quality time with my wife sometimes. 
I have three dogs. So there is a lot going on here, on a day to day basis, that have slowed things down a bit on the writing front.
Also, since I parted ways with my publisher and am going it alone (which is not a bad thing), I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about how I can best get my books out there. The explosion of ebooks has been a great development for authors. It enables a ton of freedom. But it’s easy to get caught up in trying to follow the crowd in regard to how you approach your writing and publishing, and the goals you set for yourself. It’s prompted me to do some serious self-examination and remember exactly why I got into this writing thing in the first place.
I pursued writing novels because I love to tell stories. I love it when the words come out perfectly. I love it when I get an email from a reader I’ve never met, who says they were up all night reading one of my books, and they’ve shared it with their son/daughter, who maybe didn’t like to read but was actually reading my book and enjoying it.
Do I want fame and fortune? Sure–I think a lot of writers do. But I’ve become convinced that to a large extent, luck plays a huge role in someone becoming a household name. I know brilliant writers who died relatively broke and unknown. Mere talent, and even having a great book, doesn’t guarantee stratospheric sales.
So one thing I’ve had to do, personally, is set aside this notion of writing with the idea that I’m going to get rich. If it happens–wonderful. But it isn’t my primary focus. It can’t be, because there are so many factors involved in publishing that I can’t possibly control them all, and I would drive myself crazy attempting to do so.
Another thing I’ve had to accept is that I don’t particularly care for a lot of self-promotion as it’s practiced these days. I did a lot of promoting earlier in my career, with endless book signings, book club visits, etc. That was fine, but the game has changed. Constant updates on Facebook and Twitter, and daily blog posts . . . well, that’s just not me. I don’t have that much news to report out on a frequent basis, and I find it hard to believe that readers are really interested in what I had for breakfast, or the TV show I just watched, or . . . whatever. Some writers love interacting in this way, but it’s not something that works for me.
I think, ultimately, what readers care about is getting a great book, a stay-up-all-night read. Sure, it can be a challenge to cut through all of the FB updates and tweets and other clutter and communicate to readers that your book is available . . . but in this age of eBooks and print-on-demand publishing, nothing is going out of print any more. It doesn’t matter whether it takes ten days, or ten years, for a reader to discover a book.
That attitude is the exact opposite of what you hear from many writers these days, who live or die based on an Amazon sales ranking and how many units they’ve moved today. I’ve been there and know how it feels, but it is counterproductive.
All I can do is focus on writing the best books that I possibly can. I have a new book in the works that I think can be quite good, if I can hit all of the right notes. When I feel that things are solid, I will post a publication date on this site.
And when it’s done, I’ll go on to write the next one . . .
