C.R. Pigg's Blog

Brother: A Poem

Last week, I found a poem I wrote after my brother died.

My grandma passed away in April, and while it’s been hard on my family, we’ve taken solace in that she lived a long, happy life full of love.

Over the last few months, we’ve been sorting through her things, and yesterday, we found a folder full of pictures, papers, and all sorts of things about my brother, who passed away over 16 years ago when he was 24.

I was 12 at the time of his death. It was my first experience with grief for a close family member, so it was obviously a very difficult time in my life.

Looking back now, I’m not even sure how I survived those crushing feelings. But, apparently, I wrote about it.

I have no recollection of writing this and had no idea my grandma had kept a copy all these years, but I’m so glad she did.

Writing has always been sacred to me and a way for me to express my innermost thoughts and feelings. So, it warms my heart to know my grandma held on to this old poem of mine, and I like to think that it helped her with her own grief for my brother.

While I miss my grandma and brother dearly, I’m SO GRATEFUL for the time I spent with them and for the place they live in my heart now.

Happy Reading,
C. R. Pigg

My First Book Signing!

This year has been a lot for me–sickness, death, mental breakdowns, etc.

Still, I’ve tried to make the most of it and push myself out of my comfort zone, especially when it comes to my book, Witches of Welkin.

This Saturday, August 17th (1pm – 4pm), I’ll be at Pig City Books in Lexington, NC, for my first-ever book signing!

I’m so excited and thankful for this opportunity, and no matter the turnout, I’m just glad I finally plucked up the courage to book a signing after publishing Witches of Welkin over a year ago.

Q: What are your plans for the weekend?

Happy Reading!
C. R. Pigg

Holidays in Fiction

Celebrations and holidays were at the forefront of my mind when thinking of ways to immerse readers into my book, Witches of Welkin, as quickly and smoothly as possible.

I began writing Witches of Welkin in October 2020 and, naturally, considered Halloween (or Samhain) as the first/opening holiday, but it seemed cliche and wasn’t conducive to the vibe I wanted to establish.

The initial reason why I chose to start the first book in my witch series with a Summer Solstice still eludes me; yet, in hindsight, it feels fortuitous.

Having little knowledge of the Summer Solstice, other than that it is the longest day of the year, I turned to handy-dandy Google to research it and other wiccan/pagan holidays.

I became enamored by the folklore and traditions of these festivities that now nestle within modern observances, but it was the few unfamiliar holidays that inspired me to frame the narrative of Witches of Welkin, and the subsequent books, by starting and ending each book with a different pagan holiday.

My hope is that this framework will help readers and myself keep track of the overarching series timeline while also enriching the world of Welkin.

Plus, it gives everyone an excuse to celebrate more often

Q: What’s your favorite holiday? And why?

Happy Summer Solstice!

C. R. Pigg

P.S. The Witches of Welkin eBook is currently $0.99! Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, & Kobo/Kobo Plus!

Bookmarks

My current read, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, has sat on my shelf untouched since June 2020 thanks to several reading slumps and my recent obsession with checking out library books.

The Hunger Games series enthralled me back in high school and was one of my inspirations when I started writing my own dystopian novel/series.

Also, I genuinely think they did a great job with the movies, Mockingjay (Part 2) being my favorite. So, of course, it was the trailer for the adaption of the prequel that actually pushed me to dive back into this series.

And what better bookmark to use for such a beloved book/series…than a coupon.

All my actual bookmarks are busy marking my place in the handful of books I’ve stopped and started over the past few years. This has been an ongoing occurrence that leads me on occasion to consider buying more. However, unlike my self-control when it comes to books,

Funny enough, I’ve used receipts as bookmarks in most of the books I’ve started AND finished within a reasonable time lately. Not sure if there’s a correlation there or if I’ve just hit a good reading and book-choosing stride.

My progress with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has been steady the past couple of weeks (1 point for receipts/coupons perhaps). Still, further research will be required for more conclusive results.

Q: What’s your favorite item to use in place of a traditional bookmark?

Happy Reading!

C. R. Pigg

P.S. If you didn’t see my last post, I recently published the first book in my YA/NA sapphic fantasy series, Witches of Welkin! Available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, & Kobo/Kobo Plus!

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I’m a Published Author!

Witches of Welkin is available now as an eBook, paperback, and hardcover!

If you like YA/NA fantasy, elemental magic, grimoires, familiars, and sapphic + slow-burn romance, Welkin just may be your cup of tea.

As mentioned in my last post, I decided to take the soft launch approach as I currently don’t have much of a following. Plus, this strategy has allowed me to learn and grow at a more comfortable pace than a larger-scale launch would’ve.

This isn’t how I used to envision my debut as a published author, but at this point, I feel I’m exactly where I ought to be in my writing journey.

Now, time to direct my energy toward writing/finishing book two in the series

Happy Reading & Writing!

C. R. Pigg

GoodreadsBuy on AmazonBuy on Barnes & NobleBuy on Apple BooksKobo/Kobo Plus (Coming Soon)

Witches of Welkin: Publishing Update & Book Description

If you’ve read any of my posts from the last couple of months, you’ll know that I’m in the process of self-publishing the first book in my New Adult LGBTQ+ Witch Fantasy series, Witches of Welkin.

Progress has been a bit slower than anticipated, but I’m shooting to release all three formats (eBook, paperback, & hardback) in Spring 2023!

I’ve decided to take the soft launch approach as suggested by Dan Parsons and Melissa Addey on the Beginner Self-Publishing Advice Podcast. If you’re new to self-publishing, I highly recommend you listen to their episode on soft launching.

Currently, I’m finishing formatting the eBook and will post an announcement once it’s available on Amazon within the next few weeks. I’m also looking into other eBook distributors in the hopes of reaching a wider audience.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

With the eBook dropping soon, I’m finally ready to share the full description of Witches of Welkin.

Sybil prefers managing the vacant library over mingling with the buzzing witches that inhabit Welkin—an island hidden among the clouds. On the night of the Summer Solstice Celebration, her outlook on life and magic is forever changed when she meets Ophelia, an effervescent light witch who drags her to a mysterious spirit gathering. Ophelia offers to help Sybil improve her magical skills, and together, they must combat complacent councilwitches, confront their problematic pasts, and uncover the secrets of Welkin to stop its literal downfall.

If the description intrigued you, I hope you’ll consider checking out Witches of Welkin once it’s available on Amazon (other distributors TBD).

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If you don’t primarily use Amazon/Kindle, what platforms do you buy and/or read eBooks on?

And if you’re also new to self-publishing, what method(s) are you using when it comes to releasing your book(s)?

Feel free to leave your answers and thoughts in the comments.

Happy Reading, Writing, & Publishing!

C. R. Pigg

“Walking Through Town”

I’m a little burnt out after two very busy weeks at work; therefore, my brain is a bit fried and can barely concentrate enough to write this sentence, let alone an entire blog post.

So, here’s a song I composed called “Walking Through Town,” inspired by my witch fantasy novel, Witches of Welkin.

Happy Listening!

C. R. Pigg

2023 Reading Goals: Indie Authors, Physical TBR, & Book Buying “Ban”

As we make our way into the second week of the new year, I suppose it’s about time I set some reading goals for myself.

In the past, my reading goals have vastly ranged by number of books, but I’ve consistently tried to read more or at least the same amount of books as the previous year.

2022 proved to be an outlier from my usual pattern of setting too high of a goal and then failing to reach it. I can’t remember what my initial goal was (maybe 10 or 15), but I ended up increasing it on Goodreads multiple times and decided toward the end of the year to leave it at 30.

I ended up reading 35 books in 2022.

It’s hard to believe given that I read a total of 5 books in 2021. Granted, I was preoccupied with writing a novel for most of that year.

Still, 2022 was a fantastic year of reading for me, and I’m hoping to keep that train rolling into 2023. Therefore, my goal for this year is 30 books.

Unlike previous years, I’ve also set some loose guidelines for myself:

1. Support More Indie Authors

Because I’m self-publishing the first book in my witch fantasy novel this year, I thought it would be a good idea to buy and read more books written by indie authors.

My goal is to support others in the indie author community while also learning more about how they chose to format their books and go about the self-publishing process.

2. Read More of Physical TBR

Like most readers, I love seeing my shelves filled with books almost as much as I love reading them. This means, I have nearly 3 overflowing shelves worth of books between my two bookshelves that I have yet to read.

I want to be bold and say I’m going to read all of those unread books this year, but I’m trying to be realistic with myself.

I’m not going to set a number for how many of those books I want to get through, but I am going to try to read about half a shelves worth (varies depending on the shelf).

3. Buy Fewer Books Than Last Year

I’m going on a book buying ban of sorts to save money and to keep my warped shelves from giving out on me.

That said, I know I’m easily tempted by a pretty cover, and the books on my evergrowing digital TBR list callout to me on a daily basis. So, I’m trying to be reasonable with myself by limiting my book purchases rather than banning them all together.

In 2022, I bought 16 books; 6 of those were bought used or from the library. And I’ve still only read 3 of them in entirety.

Even if I only buy 1 less book than last year, I’ll consider it a success. And to keep in alignment with my first guideline, I plan on buying mostly indie and self-published books.

What are your reading goals/challenges for 2023?

Whatever they are, I hope all the books you read this year give you whatever it is you need, whether that’s clarity, peace, escapism, or something inbetween.

Happy Reading!

C. R. Pigg

Book Update: Title and Cover Reveal

In my last post, I announced my intent to self-publish the first book in my New Adult LGBTQ+ Witch Fantasy series at the beginning of 2023.

It may seem like a fast turnaround, but I’ve been working on editing and formatting my manuscript for the past couple of months with the intent to self-publish if nothing came of the few outstanding queries I hadn’t received responses from yet.

Well, I became a bit impatient and followed up on my submissions. Granted, this was after the allotted amount of time by which I was told a response would be sent.

And after waiting another couple of weeks with still no replies, I withdrew my outstanding queries and fully jumped into the abyss that is self-publishing.

Okay, it’s not that dramatic, but it is a lot of work.

Now, without further ado, I’m happy and proud to reveal the title and cover of my debut novel!

WITCHES OF WELKIN

I’ll share the full book description in a later post, but for now, here’s the one-sentence pitch:

A powerless, reserved witch becomes enamored with an effervescent light witch, and together they combat complacent councilwitches, confront a group of extremists, and uncover the mysteries of Welkin (the floating island they inhabit) to stop its literal downfall.

The tentative publication month is February 2023.

If all goes according to plan, I’ll release the ebook, paperback, and hardcover versions all on the same day. If nothing else, the ebook will be released first and the paperback and hardcover will follow soon after.

Also, I’ll be posting frequent updates and will make an announcement once the official publication date is set.

Until then, wish me luck as I dot my i’s, cross my t’s, and pray to the book gods that this will all work out in the end.

Happy Writing! And Happy New Year!

C. R. Pigg

P.S. This year, I want to read more indie and self-published books to support other indie authors. So, feel free to comment with a link to your books, and I’ll be sure to check them out

Querying: End of Year Reflection

This has been an okay year for me.

I’ve spent most of it working my day job, reading, and spending time with friends and family. And when I mustered up enough ambition and patience, I queried my LGBTQ+ witch fantasy novel/series to literary agents and independent publishers.

Here are the stats from those queries as of 12/27/2022:

Category#Queries Submitted66Rejections*40Full Manuscript Requests3*These are just the ones that actually took the time to reply back.

One look at these numbers and 12-year-old me would’ve been disheartened, to say the least. And while 27-year-old me isn’t enthralled, these three numbers hold more than my perceived failures.

They hold my efforts.

They hold my resilience.

They hold my victories.

My life in 2022 is encapsulated within these numbers, each holding a unique span of time colored by my desire for publication.

My legs tingling while I scrolled, clicked, typed, and copied & pasted for hours on end.

Tears blurring my vision as I sat in my car, staring at the email pulled up on my phone.

A grin stretching my lips wide until my cheeks grew sore, yet I kept smiling.

Although I didn’t score an agent or a publishing deal this year, I’m proud of my progress, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Oddly enough, it’s made me more confident in myself and my writing and thus influenced my decision to pursue self-publishing.

Nothing is set in stone yet, and I’m still waiting on a couple of replies to my queries, but if nothing comes of those, I plan to self-publish the first book in my witch fantasy series through Kindle Direct Publishing at the beginning of 2023.

The ebook will most likely be available first, followed soon after by the paperback and hardcover. I hope to post an update with more details within the first weeks of January.

While I’d still prefer to be signed by a traditional or indie publisher, self-publishing feels like the right move for me at this point. And I’ll most likely start querying agents again later next year, but it might not be for this particular novel/series.

Whether you’re in the querying trenches, in the midst of publishing (self or trad), or still writing your first novel, I wish you the best of luck and hope that 2023 brings you a resolution, whatever that may look like for you.

Happy Writing!

C. R. Pigg