Hi Friend,
Happy December! Here's me wishing you
sanity and long deep breaths as we head into the end-of-year flurry. I wish
sanity and long deep breaths for me, too! These days and weeks since the last NEWSIE
have been very full, though blessedly not full of stress, for which I’m very,
very grateful because the next two months are about to hitch me to the crazy
train.
Coming down all at once in what is
already the busiest, insanest, most disrupted time of year—despite best efforts
to push all or any of it to a different time frame—will be: - The
biggest deadlines on the collaborative can’t talk about it yet project.
- All
the blog writing, Q&A-answering, and promotion to support the release of
LIARS’ LEGACY.
- Time-consuming
end-of-the-year paperwork and tax stuff.
- Trying
not to lose the thread on my own writing goals.
And holy crap, we’re in the final countdown to
publication day for LIARS’ LEGACY!
- Release day is December
31st.
- Yes! It will be
available in audio.
- Autographed hardback
first edition preorders are available again!
- And there will
be a few author events/ book signings in January/ February.
More
info on all that below in just a bit.
We’re less than a month out from
publication day and for the first time in all these many books I honestly don’t
even know how I feel about it. On the one hand, this baby is finally about to
head out into the world and there will now be readers and I’m no longer relegated
to holding discussions about plot and characters with the voices in my head,
woo-hoo! On the other, after everything that went on trying to get LIARS’
LEGACY written, there’s a huge part of me giving it wide berth and a wary
side-eye like it’s a dangerous thing with the ability to bite me and I’d like
to just pretend it doesn’t exist.
I also feel a bit sad (guilty?
disappointed in myself? frustrated with myself?) because at this stage in the writing
cycle I should already be well on my way to having the next book drafted and
I’m… I’m not there. I’m not anywhere close to there. For legitimate reasons,
obviously, but still. . .
On the up side, four months ago my brain
was so shut down I could hardly plan two hours ahead from any given moment.
Today I’m mostly back to being able to slay real life juggles—scheduling,
planning, and remembering to pay bills—all that good stuff. Keeping up with the
writing life side of things is still really hit or miss, though. There are days
where I’m on top of it and days where I can’t even open the inbox. Online
interaction is the hardest: responding to email (love reading it, though),
posting on social media (also love reading it), creating updates—I truly don’t
know why this in particular is so difficult. Maybe it has to do with the mental
energy required to formulate coherent sentences—figuring out what to say? How to
say it? All I know is I owe a lot of people apologies for simply dropping out
of conversations.
Returning to the writing itself has been
interesting. The cognitive struggle to make words work feels a little less—like
it’s getting better, albeit slowly—but the biggest thing—and really I can’t even
describe what a big deal this is—is that even though time in front of the page
hasn’t been consistent, I find myself excited to return every time I do. And by
returning, I mean returning to Munroe #6, THE FULCRUM.
For this I owe a debt of gratitude for the Patreon support and I can't say thank you enough for the overwhelming kindness in response to the "novella of a NEWSIE."
I want to talk a bit more about returning to Munroe, but first
the important book release stuff:
AUTOGRAPHED
PREORDERS for LIARS’ LEGACY: Last year was the first time we were
able to make autographed preorders
available and it was such a hit that we’ve since received multiple requests to
do it again this year for LIARS’ LEGACY.
I’m happy to announce that we’ve finally
got it up and rolling.
This was a bit of a challenge because a
few months ago a series of tornadoes ripped through Dallas and Interabang
Books, the store we partnered with to make this happen, took a direct hit.
Thankfully, because the tornado touched
down after hours, nobody in the store was hurt.
The retail space itself, though, was a
complete loss.
The team is still getting back on their
feet and I’m really happy we can partner with them on this again, not only
because it means being able to do something special and rare for you, but
because it will also help send much needed business their way as they try to
rebuild.
Here’s the
longer version via answers to questions that showed up in my inbox last year:
What
is a preorder? Every
book has a specific release date. This is the earliest you can walk into a
store and buy a copy off the shelf or expect to receive an online order by
mail. Any book you order before it’s available to be shipped/ sold is a
preorder. No brick and mortar bookstore has the shelf space to carry every
book that gets published every month so preordering is the best way to
guarantee a title you want will be available when you want it. In the case of
smaller bookstores, sometimes preordering is the only way.
What’s the difference between a
preorder and an autographed preorder? Any book retailer can arrange to get you
a title you want, but to have that title autographed/ personalized usually
means buying it at an author event or bringing it to one.
This
is an opportunity for fans and readers who can’t make it to an author event to not
only receive autographed and personalized copies of LIARS’ LEGACY, but to
receive them by release day, without any extra wait time, same every other
pre-order.
I
already preordered a copy through Amazon/B&N/Books-a-Million/etc. Will
that preordered copy be autographed? Unfortunately, the only way to get these
autographs done is for me to personally go into the store and sign the books
and then have the store ship them to you. That’s why we have to partner with a
local store to make it happen. For this
reason, autographed preorders of LIARS’ LEGACY are only available through
Interabang Books.
Where
do I go to preorder an autographed copy of LIARS’ LEGACY?
Why
is there a December 15th deadline and what happens if I miss it? The December 15th
deadline allows time for the bookstore to place the orders, receive the books
from the publisher, for me to sign them, for the store to ship, and the books
to reach you by release day in spite of lag time that comes with holiday
delays. Interabang Books will have a limited number of autographed copies (no
personalization possible) on hand for anyone who misses the deadline, but once
these sell out, that’s the end of it.
How
do I let you know what kind of personalization I would like? Once you’ve got the
number of copies you want in your Interabang Books shopping cart, proceed to
the checkout process. At the very end of the checkout page there is a box for
notes and comments. That’s where personalized instructions should go. If you
don’t leave any note or comment the assumption will be that you want the book personalized
to the name of the purchaser.
Last year some of the comments were gloriously
detailed, which was awesome, because then I knew exactly how to fulfill the
request. And sometimes the comments were pretty sparse and so it took a bit of deciphering
and guesswork to figure out the intent, which made me nervous, because the last
thing I wanted was to disappoint someone by having their book arrive totally
different from what they’d requested. So the clearer you can make the comments,
the easier it will be for me to personalize exactly as you want it.
HOW
YOU CAN HELP SUPPORT THIS BOOK, WHICH IS CRITICAL IF WE EVER WANT A PUBLISHER
TO PUBLISH MORE OF MY BOOKS IN THE FUTURE:
1: Buy a copy. This is the most obvious.
But hardcover books are expensive and I understand that not everyone is in a
financial position to make a purchase. If you are
in a financial position to do so and you value the entertainment/ advice/
engagement that I provide, buying a copy is the only way to convince my
publisher that future books are a good investment. If you mostly follow me for
writing advice and aren’t necessarily interested in reading my work yourself,
the books still make great gifts ;)
2: Ask your library to carry a copy.
This counts even if you plan to buy a copy. Not only do libraries buy books but
they are the best way for new readers to be introduced to my work. This is huge
and I would appreciate it tremendously.
3: If you can’t afford a copy, please
don’t pirate it. Please ask a library to carry it and read it from them
instead. This really really really matters.
4: No matter where or how you get your copy, if you enjoy the book, please post a
review. Reviews matter to the algorithm gods. This is the only way for a book
to get visibility and put in front of other readers as an option. Best places
for reviews are: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Bub, Goodreads, Kobo and your own social media. And it’s
totally cool to post the same review in more than one place.
5: Tell friends and family and fellow readers
about the series. Based on some pretty fun fan/reader emails I’ve received and
stories I’ve been told, sometimes introducing readers to my work means
literally putting the book in their hands.
6: Keep on being the awesomeness that is
you.
LIARS’
LEGACY BOOK EVENTS:
This year will be a very light event schedule which, as of right now, is
limited to Houston, Austin, and Dallas.
HOUSTON
Date:
Tuesday, January 21st
Time:
6:30pm
Store:
Murder by the Book, 2342 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX 77005
AUSTIN
Date:
Thursday, January 23rd
Time:
7:30pm
Store:
Arboretum Barnes and Noble, 10000 Research Blvd #158, Austin,
TX 78759
DALLAS
Date:
Thursday, February 13th
Time:
6:00pm
Store:
Interabang Books, 5600 W. Lovers Lane #142 Dallas, TX 75209
*NOTE: Due to the store having taken a
direct tornado hit and having to relocate to new retail space, events have been
hosted in multiple locations. This is the address I have as of December 3rd.
Please check the Interabang website to confirm the location is still accurate
at event time. The store email and phone number if you need them are: info@interabangbooks.com and 214.484.4289
And now…
RETURNING
TO VANESSA MICHAEL MUNROE: Have you ever seen one of those “nailed it” memes? If
not, they’re basically humorous self-deprecating before-and-after photos where
the “before” is a magazine-worthy cake or craft project and the “after” is the
hot mess that resulted when someone attempted to replicate the first. They’re so
human and relatable which is what makes them so funny.
Anyway, the hot mess part of the
equation has kind of been me during every writing session since I dusted off ye
old FULCRUM files. Reality has fallen sooooo short of expectations. It’s a
weird mental space to be in because much of my brain has come back for the
everyday life stuff so when I sit down to write I just expect that my brain is
going to be back for the wordsmithing stuff, too, and it’s not, and it’s really
hard sometimes not to get frustrated or even angry with myself.
It was easier to be gentle and forgiving
when everything about my brain was
broken.
So, I’m learning, or at least trying to,
to accept what is and work with what I’ve got.
Please don’t get too excited about there
being another Munroe story any time soon. I’m not being self-deprecating or
trying to modulate expectations when I say that. The struggle to write is still
quite profound, but what gives me hope in all of this is that I am actually
excited to write in spite of that struggle.
In that vein, several weeks ago I needed
to refresh my memory on how something in THE INFORMATIONIST was specifically
worded. My digital files only go as far as the editorial process so that meant
returning to the actual hardcover book. I finally did find what I needed and
from there just kind of kept reading and I hit a spot where Bradford puts his
hand on Munroe’s arm to stop her from doing something and she leans down and
says something to the effect of, “I like you Miles, so I’ll tell you this once.
Touch me like that again and I’ll break every bone in your hand.”
And I was like… gasp… she is such a badass.
And I realized then that, you know, I’ve
never actually read my own books.
I mean, yes, of course I’ve read them. Like maybe a hundred times
each. I could totally tell you why I did what I did or said what I said for
just about any sentence out of the nearly million words I’ve had published
(Lord that’s a lot of words) but I’ve never actually read those words as a
reader wanting to enjoy a story.
And I got to thinking about how maybe
some of this struggle in returning to Munroe’s world isn’t just because my
brain is a bit kaput, but also because I’ve been away from the characters for
so long, and how maybe the best way for me to get back into Munroe’s head is to
actually read the series.
Like, read every single book. From cover
to cover.
Which is a totally, totally insane thing
for me to do.
Firstly because I hate reading my own
words, though hate might not be a strong enough to describe the agony of constantly rewriting your own voice in your own head. Secondly, I’ve had
so little time free these past few years that I’ve hardly read but a couple of
books at all, so it’s not like all of a sudden I’m just going to have tons of
time to start burning through the pages. Thirdly, it’s not exactly like this is
a good time to start reading what with the holidays and deadlines and then a
book launch and all that.
But I kind of think I need to do this.
And I also kind of think that if I put
it off till after the New Year, what with deadlines and book events and stuff,
that really means putting it off till February. And if I put it off till
February I might as well not even plan on it because there’s always going to be
something else that comes up and if I don’t at least start soon, I will never do
it. And the best way for me to make myself do something like this is to make a
public commitment about it, and so that’s what I’m doing here.
Do you want to read the books along with
me in book club fashion?
The biggest problem with this idea/invitation
is that not everyone who would want to read with me is on the same platforms.
Some people aren’t on any platforms at all. But I know myself well enough, and
particularly know my current mental-mud struggles to know that if I try to do
this in a way that accommodates everyone it will become complicated and that
means I’ll end up not doing it at all.
So for the sake of my own sanity this is
what I’ve figured is the easiest version that a) avoids annoying people who
don’t want to receive notifications while b) also accommodating as many readers
as possible without c) making it so overwhelming to myself that I quit before I
start.
- To
do this, I’m going to have to mentally view reading time as “work.”
- This
will eat into my writing time, but it’s the only way.
- I
can’t promise I will be super interactive in responding to comments (see above
re: online interaction being the hardest) but I do promise
to READ everything that’s posted because that part of the interaction is
actually like a mental vacation.
- For
now, I’ll keep these posts free and open to the public (no Patreon account
needed to read them). Due to the way Patreon works, I think participants would
still need to have a Patreon account to comment/interact.
- There
are no costs associated with having a Patreon account.
- You
don’t need a payment method to open a Patreon account (you only
need that if you plan to pledge).
- Having
a Patreon account allows you to be notified when new posts go up so you don’t
have to keep checking to see if there’s something new.
- There
is also a Patreon app for both Android and IOS that allows you to access the platform
via your mobile devices and it can send you notifications when a new post goes
up.
SIDE NOTE: To set up a Patreon account you
only need name, email address, and password. That’s it. Once your account is
created search for “Taylor Stevens, Author.” My page should turn up as one of
the first options. Click on my name and it will take you to my page.
Once you are on my page you can choose
to pledge or to simply follow me without a pledge.
If you pledge, the site will
automatically set you to follow posts at your pledge level or below.
To follow without a pledge using the
desktop version: Once on my page scroll down past the “membership levels” and
past the button that says “show more levels” and past the number of patrons,
and there beneath the number of patrons you’ll see two buttons that say “share”
and “follow.” Click follow.
To follow using the android app (IOS
might be different): Once on my page look in the upper right hand corner for
the three vertical dots. Click those dots. A sub menu will appear. Click follow.
That’s all there is to it. It takes
about a minute total and you should get notification anytime a book post goes
live. I’m hoping to have the first post up within a week and hope to see you
there. :)
GOODIE GIVEAWAY:
This month there are eight books in the giveaway pile. If you’d like to be
entered to win, simply respond to this email with the subject “GOODIE
GIVEAWAY.” If your email program likes to be difficult and won’t let you change
the subject, just put GOODIE GIVEAWAY in the reply and I will make sure it gets
to the right place.
The 4th, 13th, 25th, 39th, 51st, 60th, 78th, 82nd readers to respond will be
prize winners this month. I read every single email that comes in but due to
the volume, I’m ONLY able to respond to the 4th, 13th, 25th, 39th, 51st, 60th,
78th, 82nd respondents. If you email and don’t hear back, it’s not because I’m
ignoring you, it’s because due to time and volume, I just can’t.
[Standard buzzkill disclaimer for all giveaways and offers of free books: Void
where prohibited or restricted by law. Limited to U.S. addresses. I am not
responsible for lost or misrouted emails, interrupted or unavailable network or
server connections, other computer or technical failures, or post office
mishandling.]
Wishing you love, warmth,
and laughter now and in the year to come,
Taylor
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