R.R. Campbell's Blog

From Conference to Coffee (On the Beach)

It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks. While I worked on preparing When the Stars Conspire for another round of beta reads and sketched the initial shape of Not A Cult, I Promise, I also spoke at my first in-person writing-related event after two years of virtual speaking engagements.

Oh, and I spent some time on the beach for the first time in just as long (if not longer, honestly).

Lakefly Writers Recap

After originally having been slated to speak at the 2020 iteration of Lakefly Writers Conference—which would go on to be canceled in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the pandemic—I was invited to present at the 2022 installment of this fantastic event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Here are some photos from my presentation on the Five Fun Floaties of Scene Structure and from around the conference in general.

Rolling Around Rincón

Okay, so we only rolled around Rincón if you count the rental car, but the point is this—my wife and I were able to go on our first vacation since February 2019 in recent weeks as well. This was our second trip together to Puerto Rico, though my wife has been there a number of other times for school and subsequently to visit friends.

And yes, I know I mentioned coffee on the beach in the post title, but I didn’t happen to snap any pictures of me drinking coffee on our balcony overlooking the beach. You’ll just have to take my word for it. Also, the cat? His name is Tuxedo, and he’s the resident lounger-in-chief at the Tamboo Hotel in Rincón. Truly a celebrity.

Okay, Well, Back to Work

I’m really relieved and grateful to have had the opportunity to speak to the writing community as well as go on vacation again. We’re already looking forward to our next trip, which we’re hoping will be to Spain later this year.

But, in the meantime, it’s back to work. I’ve got manuscripts to write and revise, and there’s the ol’ day job to check in for as well.

Share Your Experience

Until we connect again, tell me about a recent trip of yours in the comments (or, if you haven’t taken a trip in a moment), tell me where you want to go next!

And want to have me speak at your event for readers or writers? Contact me here.

Not A Cult, I Promise: On What Comes Next

Scambait is here! It’s finally here!

Okay, but now what?

This is the question I found myself confronting in the aftermath of my latest novel’s release, especially considering I wrote it entirely before my nearly year-long hiatus from the world of all things writerly.

My original plan was—and, to some extent, still is—to comb through my back catalog of manuscripts and publish them after some routine polishing, which would have meant getting yet another novel from me this year (more on that in future posts).

But, you know what? It kind of helps to be writing new work, too, and that’s where Not A Cult, I Promise comes in—even if this particular project won’t be ready for release this year.

Brian Weisser is a Tool

Is your name Brian? Is it Brian Weisser? If so, I’m sorry; coincidence has not smiled upon you today. You see, “Brian Weisser is a tool” is the first line (at least for now) of my latest work in progress, Not A Cult, I Promise.

Not A Cult, I Promise (NACIP), despite opening with a mention of this Brian character, is actually the tale of a well-meaning community theater actor named Gareth McMichaels who’s offered—by this Brian Weisser fellow—a one-night role as the leading man in the production of a lifetime.

The problem? That leading role is that of the mysterious Toby, the leader of Hexana, an “integrated hexahedral enterprise that emphasizes personal empowerment through oneness with one’s community and one’s self.”

Yeah, it’s a cult.

Once Gareth recognizes Hexana for what it is, he goes off-script, proclaiming in character as the Great Toby that he intends to hang around for longer than one night—while privately vowing to do everything in his power to free as many minds as possible from Hexana and the cult of personality surrounding the character he now portrays.

That’s the gist of the story thus far, anyway, and I have to say I’m really enjoying writing it.

When Will Readers Get NACIP?

I’m still in the early stages of a first draft, but this idea has really taken hold. Optimistically, I see this novel as being ready for release next year, though a lot could happen between now and then. My goal to ensure I remain on track is to just enjoy the journey, to let the writing lead me where it may instead of forcing myself to the keys.

The good news? I’m looking forward to writing the rest of this manuscript, so I don’t think there’ll be all that much forcing in the end.

Oh, and if you enjoyed Scambait, I think you’ll really love what I have in mind for Not A Cult, I Promise. Or if Not A Cult, I Promise sounds like it’d be up your alley, well, you simply must check out Scambait.

Read It Now

“Laugh out loud funny. My highest recommendation.”
– author Robb Grindstaff

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Happy Book Birthday to Scambait!

 

 

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“Laugh out loud funny. My highest recommendation.”
– author Robb Grindstaff

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The SCAMBAIT Cover Reveal!

 

 

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What do you think? Tell me in the comments! Personally, I love it, and I’m thankful for the work cover designer Kevin Stone put into it. For more from Kevin, you can visit his site here. 

Want news like this before it’s fully public? 

My newsletter subscribers got to see the Scambait cover a full day early. To get in on exclusives like these (including bookish freebies), make sure you subscribe to my newsletter.

Preorder Now

“Laugh out loud funny. My highest recommendation.”
– author Robb Grindstaff

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Your First Look: A Scambait Back Cover Teaser!

Winter rolls on (or, perhaps better said, drags on), and the work to publish Scambait is progressing nicely! Since we last caught up, I’ve contracted with a cover artist to design the cover for Scambait, have registered the title’s ISBNs, and have started working on the book’s interior formatting.

But there’s another matter I’ve started working on as of late, and to finish it, I need your help.

Back Cover Copy

You’ve been there: perusing your local bookstore or library, judging books by their covers (I won’t tell anyone) and turning them over to see what the story’s all about. And that back cover copy? It can make all the difference in whether the book in question comes home with you (pretty cover or otherwise)!

So, yeah, the back cover teaser is a big deal, which is where you come in.

Will you read the two versions below and tell me which you prefer in the comments?

Version One

Nigerian princes. Car warranty salesmen. Cryptocurrency hustlers. 

Corporate do-little Eric Amundsen has seen his fair share—not that he’s fallen for their traps. Who does he look like, his grandma? Ha!

Okay, maybe he shouldn’t laugh. His grandma did squander the family fortune to two-bit hucksters from “Microsoft Tech Support,” which is why Eric now spends his workdays stringing scammers along; the more time he spends pretending to be a potential victim, the fewer opportunities they have to swindle the unsuspecting.

But when Eric’s supposedly long-deceased father contacts him through his spam folder, Eric—whose workday mantra isn’t exactly “solutions-oriented”—has serious problems to solve.

Distracted by the slew of emails from the person who claims to be his father, Eric’s scambaiting shenanigans become increasingly careless, jeopardizing his personal life and his livelihood. As his problems pile up, Eric must choose: trust a stranger on the internet or embrace utter destitution?

An irreverent exploration of self-image and found family, Scambait is the latest full-length novel from International Book Awards finalist Ryan R. Campbell.

Version Two

Nigerian princes, car warranty salesmen, cryptocurrency hustlers—corporate do-little Eric Amundsen has seen his fair share, and there hasn’t been a one he’s failed to keep from swindling the unsuspecting.

But when Eric’s supposedly long-deceased father contacts him through his spam folder, Eric—whose workday mantra isn’t exactly “solutions-oriented”—has serious problems to solve.

Distracted by the slew of emails from the person who claims to be his father, Eric’s scambaiting shenanigans become increasingly careless, jeopardizing his personal life and his livelihood. As his problems pile up, Eric must choose: trust a stranger on the internet or embrace utter destitution?

An irreverent exploration of self-image and found family, Scambait is the latest full-length novel from International Book Awards finalist Ryan R. Campbell.

Which Version Do You Prefer?

They both have their pros and cons, and I’d love for you to let me know which would have you more likely to read the book. So leave a comment below. Your feedback makes a difference!

Now Available

"Reminiscent of Hemingway and De Lillo. I highly recommend this collection."
-Award-Winning Author Ivy Ngeow

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A Hop In My Step: The Revision Division (And More!)

It’s never easy, but it can get easier.

At least that seems to be the trend; in the last week alone, I’ve completed revisions for the final draft of Scambait, have begun to work on the back cover copy, and I’ve initiated conversations with book cover designers.

And you know what? It feels good.

Sure, I’ve got my trepidations. So much work lies ahead. There’s book formatting, ISBN registration, seeking early readers for the sake of reviews and blurbs—the list goes on.

Through it all, what keeps me going is the thought that Scambait will, at some point this year, be out in the world. And I really enjoyed reading it again after almost a year away.

Seriously, I actually laughed out loud a couple of times, which, if you know me, is a rarity in the world of books. Was I laughing at my own jokes? I guess, yeah, but they felt less like my own jokes than they did like those of the books’ characters, which I think is a good sign.

… they felt less like my own jokes than they did like those of the books’ characters.

– on re-reading Scambait after a year away

So, the work continues. I’m hopeful that two weeks from now I’ll have back cover copy to share, and, optimistically, in 4-6 weeks we’ll be ready for a cover reveal.

I’m excited, are you? Tell me in the comments if you’ve ever experienced the above—laughing at jokes long forgotten in between reads of a particular book.

Or, if you’re an author having a similar experience in your own journey to publication, the comment section is waiting for you!

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"Reminiscent of Hemingway and De Lillo. I highly recommend this collection."
-Award-Winning Author Ivy Ngeow

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Old Habits, Born Hard, Never Dead

It’s been just over a week since I announced you’ll be getting a new book from me this year, and, perhaps more pressingly, that you’ll be getting it as I ease back into the swing of all things authorly.

Emphasis on ease.

New Places, New Phases, New Routines

There’s a lot of chatter at the start of every new year about writerly resolutions, about how to build and maintain momentum.

I’ve been through that process successfully before, which is something longtime listeners of the Writescast Network might remember: it used to be customary for me to rise at 5:15, get into a pot of coffee, and write until about 7 a.m. each morning.

Now, though?

In a new home in a new city with a new schedule, re-establishing that routine has proven challenging. I’m still up at the same time each day, but it’s been tough to get myself to the keys first thing in the morning. Then, even when I do make it to my desk at the crack of dawn, I find myself drawn to any number of distractions instead of my revisions for Scambait.

Better Than Poorly

That’s not to say progress isn’t being made.

On the contrary, I’m about halfway through a “final” (emphasis on quotes) pass at the Scambait manuscript before I start more dedicatedly seeking out a cover designer and early reviewers.

By the way, if you have a cover designer to recommend or would like to be an early reviewer for Scambait, let me know in the comments!

Even with those advancements, however, the process doesn’t feel quite right—but maybe “right” is the wrong framing.

On Not Making New Old Again

It feels only natural to judge oneself and one’s work against past progress and routines, but what I’m discovering is even that’s not fair (and let’s not get started on comparing oneself to others).

What worked during one stage of life may not work during others. Our routines should evolve as our lives do, should they not? So why not give oneself the permission structure to let that play out as it may?

Easier Said

Recognizing this, I should add, has not made feeling it any easier. I’m still very much of the mind that I’m not doing “enough” if I’m not going full bore each day while I simultaneously realize doing so is what led me to burnout in the first place.

There’s a disconnect, then, to say the least.

One and One Only

But, if you’ll permit me still yet another cliché, it’s one day at a time, and so long as I can feel good each day (in general, not just about writing), that’s a win—and who couldn’t do with more of those?

How do you kickstart new (or restart old) habits? Let me know in the comments!

Now Available

"Reminiscent of Hemingway and De Lillo. I highly recommend this collection."
-Award-Winning Author Ivy Ngeow

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And So, Again: Across the Threshold

Days grew long, then short, then long again. And all that time, the keys—their clacking during early morning hours, steam billowing from mugs like so many smokestacks.

All the while, the screen filled, but not with chapters and characters and calamity—but with code, with lets and consts and functions all the way down.

Back in May, I told you I was done writing for now, that this was okay, that it was better to immerse myself in other endeavors—namely, web development—than to spiral the drain any longer, than to both burn out and fade away.

Now, nearly seven months after that initial announcement, after thousands of lines of code, after dozens of interviews, after five job offers and one relocation to Milwaukee, I’m happy to announce it here first—

I’m back.

2022: As Before, But Different

In my time away, I learned a great deal, and not just in the realms of JavaScript, React, and Node. On the contrary, I learned more about myself as a person than in perhaps any other time of my life. I learned social media’s not for me, that to tie myself emotionally to heartless algorithms (some of which I now write) only serves to leaden my spirit.

(There’s an irony in there that I’m still trying to suss out, but one thing at a time.)

So what, then? I did say I’m back, right?

Yes, yes, but different. No more posting schedules. No chasing followership and online elbow rubbing.

I’m done doing what works. I’m doing what works for me.

This Brings Us to the Books

You’re getting one from me in 2022. I’m serious.

You might be wondering how I could have possibly written a book in the last seven months, and the truth is, I didn’t. It’s a book I wrote before setting down my pen for a time, one that I was querying and refining for about a year in the lead up to spring of 2021.

For those of you in the know, yes, it’s Scambait!, and I couldn’t be more excited to get Eric’s story out into the world.

My goal is to publish it by summer of 2022, all of which will depend on how I reacclimate to balancing a full-time job and my work as a writer. What the manuscript needs more than anything is a once-over or two, a cover, and then to be shepherded through the grind of the publication process.

More to Come

And yes, on top of Scambait!, I have plans for another book, one that is also mostly written, though in a far more unrefined fashion than Scambait! (again, for those in the know, this one is To Have Been Rich). It’ll take a bit of heavy lifting, surely, to get back into drafting mode, but I’m looking forward to it.

These are stories that need to be told, and I feel I’m the person to tell them.

So, more to come. It will be, like I said, as before, but different.

Now Available

"Reminiscent of Hemingway and De Lillo. I highly recommend this collection."
-Award-Winning Author Ivy Ngeow

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I’m Done Writing For Now. I Promise You This is Okay.

It started—or maybe I should say ended—in early April. I’d wake up, stare at the manuscripts I’d been grinding on ever since completing a serviceable draft of Scambait, and nothing would happen.

By which I mean I couldn’t make myself make anything happen.

This was quite unusual for me. Since 2016, I’ve risen most mornings (read: almost every morning) shortly after five a.m. to clack away at the keys until about seven. There have been short-lived stretches when I’ve taken time off to grant myself peace of mind, but this felt different from the start.

The problem wasn’t that I needed to give myself space, it was that I didn’t want to write.

That’s what it seemed like, anyway.

After some reflection, I realized I did want to write, but I was (and am) so impossibly frustrated with the gobsmackingly harmful hustle culture that awaits on the far side of any manuscript’s completion that I elected to say, “You know what? No. Not until I have a plan. Not until there’s an alternative.”

All Roads Lead to Ruin

This is the conclusion I reached, at least initially. I spiraled for a few weeks, unsure what it meant to see no way forward. My days—once filled with early morning drafting, the writing of blog posts, the social media planning—stretched before me, desolate.

One weekend, this desolation came to a head. Was I just done? What is done, and what would done mean for me, personally, as someone whose identity has been so tied up in authordom to say, “Yeah, I think we’re moving on from that?”

These are not fun questions to confront on Saturday mornings.

Fortunately, after much lying on the floor and some helpful ushering from my wife, I realized there was a way forward if I was willing to look further down the road—and take a few risks while doing so.

I Am Become Hackerman

For years, I’ve been lowkey fascinated by computers, specifically the languages that underwrite their actions, if one can call them that. This shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who’s read Imminent Dawn or Mourning Dove, much of which centered around tightly guarded secrets related to the EMPATHY technology at the heart of the series.

Example: remember Expage? It was a website building tool that’s so old it doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page.

Wikipedia may not remember Expage, but I do; it was the first platform where, in elementary school, I first learned the ins and outs of basic HTML, the language that gives any site on the web its most basic structure.

Since then, I’ve made a lot of websites, and though I haven’t coded all (most) of them from scratch, I’ve done a lot of tinkering with the HTML and CSS to make them look a wee bit prettier. Heck, I even started teaching myself JavaScript in 2014 for fun.

This, on top of my interest in human languages (I speak Spanish and Portuguese, and can get by in German and French), led me to a revelation that Saturday morning while I lied on the living room carpet—what if I wrote for computers instead of people?

Lacing Up the Boots

Knowing all questions need answers, I wound up enrolling in a 24-week web development bootcamp put on by my alma mater. Yup. It’s time to go back to school, and not for my MFA.

Does this mean I am, in fact, done with writing fiction? No. Does this mean I’ll be committing myself full-time to full-stack web development once I’ve completed this program? Yes, but also no.

Here’s the thing: I wrote for years while working full-time, and I got just about as much writing done then as I did once I shifted to part-time work (to allegedly focus more on my writing). What happened instead is I opened up more time to hustle, which, wow. Horrible. Not healthy, and not the point of what I set out to do.

The New Plan

So, I’m setting aside my focus on fiction for now, yes. The next six months will be dedicated to becoming the best web developer I can become, after which I intend to 1) revisit my creative well to see how much it has or hasn’t filled in that time, and 2) to return to full-time work outside of the home to ensure my writing is actually that: writing time.

In the meantime, I’ll be around this website, social media, and my author newsletter. You might not hear from me as often, but I’ll be around if you’d like to reach out.

And while I’m mostly away, write on (or don’t) and be well (please do).

Embrace Change on the Career Clarity Podcast!

Earlier this year, Lisa Lewis Miller invited me to join her on her Career Clarity podcast. During our conversation, we had the chance to discuss how a trip to Brazil gone awry led me down the path to becoming an author.

Lisa conducted a really wonderful interview, and I had a fantastic time discussing my journey with her.

You can catch the full interview at the link below.

LISTEN HERE Now Available

"Reminiscent of Hemingway and De Lillo. I highly recommend this collection."
-Award-Winning Author Ivy Ngeow

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