Xavier Edwards's Blog, page 11

Going Free

I got the estimate wrong for when “Cardio Session” would be available wrong (it’s next week). So, while I’m waiting for the date for it to roll around, I have decided to make “An Introduction to Sappho” free. With the time delays in getting books ready and updating pricing, it should be appearing as free on June 19.
When it does come time for “Cardio Session” to be released, I will be releasing a revised version across all stores, including where it is already available. This updated version will hopefully address some of the criticism that the original has received, and bring it back in line with my normal writing approach.
My next big title (in the next couple of weeks) has arrived back from the editorial team, and will be making its way through my proof reading team shortly.

Building Toward Release

“Cardio Session” is still looking good for a release across the majority of retail sites in the next week, so it will be a chance for those who do not use Kindle to read their books to get their hands on a copy. To sweeten the pot, it will be released as a free title, and will stay free going forward in the future.
While the release of my next new book (across all sites, simultaneously) has been delayed a little bit, it has given me time to continue to write what should be the next book after, and to set the basic concepts down for a number of others.
My writing efforts aren’t quite back to where they should be, but I can feel the groove again, and I have been pleased by how much I am getting written each time I sit down to write.
One of the other things that I have been happy to see is more books by other authors who I know appearing in book stores, online, and even in online advertisements. It is really good to see others succeeding.

Working Hard

It’s strange sometimes how the smallest thing can be the key to unlocking a massive opportunity. With the summer / winter transition well and truly underway for both hemispheres, I’ve seen a very big upswing in attention in general, in addition to the increased attention alluded to in the last blog post.
The increased attention in one area can be explained by becoming more active in some online forums again, as I get my time back for writing and engagement with readers. The rest of it may be due to second and third-hand interest in some of my back catalogue. Again, I’m quite happy with how the attention has arrived.
Probably the best thing I could do while riding this crest of increased attention is to get a book out. Unfortunately, I’ve had a slight slippage in the availability of the next book, but only of about a week. My best wishes are with my editor while things get back in order.
“Cardio Session” will be released across all sites in the next week, which should tide over the interest for a little while. Especially as I’m planning on having it available for free (and not just for an introductory price). Why this is the case should become apparent when the next book finally arrives.

Pleasing Results

Interest in released titles seems to ebb and flow around key dates in the year, with a gradual tailing off of interest in titles that have been out for a while, and which aren’t being advertised as frequently (if at all).
To my pleased surprise, a couple of my older titles have suddenly taken off on iTunes. I have had a look at the iTunes listings to see whether there is any specific reason why they may have been suddenly back in vogue, but can’t seem to see any reason why there is sudden interest in something that has been out for a while. I’m not complaining, but if I could find out why these titles have suddenly picked up in interest, i could do the same for some of my other works.
It’s rather nice timing, as my next book should be out in the next few weeks. The manuscript has gone off to the editor and, due to its length, I should have it back with enough time to publish before the end of the month. It is going to work out nicely, as it dovetails with a title released in a limited manner earlier this year. Both titles will end up released across all my regular sites by the end of June.

Something New on its Way

It is a little scary to see that I haven’t published anything for almost three months. Given the rate of production at the end of last year, this is something that isn’t sitting all that easy with me at the moment.
On the upside, I have got something that is just getting ready to go off for editing in the next few days or so. I finally found the time to sit down and write, and found to my pleasant surprise that I had a really good writing session. That session went on to allow me to complete the story and package it up ready for the editing and proofing. With a little bit of luck, I hope to have it out by the end of June.
To all my fans and readers who are waiting patiently for far too long, you will get your next story very soon.

Some Days the Words Stare Back

Any writer who has struggled with writer’s block understands the terror caused by the blank page -- sometimes there just isn’t anything that can be written, even though there is so much demanding to be put down.
Although it isn’t quite the same, the paralysis of action when faced by words that have already been written can be just as scary.
I’ve been sitting and staring at a couple of passages over the last week or so, and still can’t find the connection with what I had written, or have to write next. There’s a fair bit banked up waiting to be put down, if only I can find the words I need to use to get it out.
The downside to this is if I can’t make the connection, what hope do my loyal readers have?
There is still a vibrant couple running around my text, I just can’t reach out to them at the moment, and the snippets of other stories are lying just out of reach at the moment.
I’m not too concerned, even if I haven’t published in a little while. It will pass and, I am sure, it will be even better when it does.

A Beautiful Day for Writing

It’s been a couple of frosty mornings of late, with chilly light rain (not quite sleet) when there hasn’t been any frost. Today wasn’t looking much better, but once the light drizzle had cleared, it has turned into an absolutely stunning, if cool, late autumn day.
While it’s beautiful outside, and rainy weather just seems to be the best for writing in, all the minutiae has been taken care of and now the ready and waiting canvas of stories-to-be stretches out in front of me. It is a wonderful feeling to have, after so long plumbing the depths of slaving to another’s drum beat (woo for mixed metaphors!).
I was beginning to wonder whether I could make the time to write as I had last year, or even whether I was going to be able to make it back to where I was. A couple of well-deserved days of rest (if you could call running around dealing with chores rest) and the semi-dormant spark has licked back into a bright flame.
After all the days, weeks, and even months, where writing for my loyal readers seemed to be as unreachable as the stars, a small turn of good fortune and things are back to where they should be.
If anyone’s looking for me, I’m busy crafting worlds. Worlds of sensual activity, rounded characters, emotion that leaps from the page / screen and, most importantly, stories that capture what is seen in my mind and share the feeling and imagery with the satisfied reader.
The Tabula Rasa is filled once more.

Happy Mother’s Day

Firstly, an apology to those who were waiting on the big thing I was promising with my existing published titles. For a variety of reasons, it didn’t end up happening as planned, but I’ll try and find some way to make up for it in the next little while.
Until then, sorry.
On a better note, for all who celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend, have a very happy Mother’s Day.
I haven’t been able to get a release out in time for it, but at least I am back writing again, even if in a limited capacity.
One of the interesting things I have encountered over the last couple of very busy weeks has been the receipt of critique delivered to my face and not anonymously over the internet. Some people, so long as they’re safely ensconced in a group, will set forth the most vile and disgusting criticism. When challenged one-on-one, or counter-critiqued, the criticism fades rapidly in validity. The difficulty is in managing the group while the criticism is being delivered and handled, particularly when it impacts on the presence and behaviour of the rest of the group.
It’s even more interesting to manage when there is no qualitative basis for the critique and it is being delivered from a position of ignorance (in the formal sense of the word).
I’ve seen some rather nasty online reviews and critiques put forward, which I suspect the reviewer would not hold to if they had to deliver it face to face. At least I can skip over those ones. It’s a little harder to do so when the heckling is more in your face.
At least I’ve had the silent support of the majority through all of this, including with my writing -- something which I will be producing results with again in the very near future.

12 Months Published

[image error] So 12 months as a published author have come and gone. I am still trying to find the time to sit and write at the moment (hence the time since my last post), but life is getting back under control and I can still feel the spark of my muse just patiently waiting for me to come back to her.
I have a bit of an idea how to celebrate a year of being published with my readers, but it may take another few days for me to get everything in order, so I won’t give anything away just yet.
To give a little bit of detail on why I’m not getting much writing in at the moment, I have had to write 200,000+ words of technical manual in the last 6 months. Feedback on it has been great (yes, a single manual of that length), as has a sister manual which shares much of the content, but is 260,000+ words, which I wrote at the same time. Both manuals are specialised internal documents which will never see the light of day outside the organisation that wants them, but at least those who have picked them up so far have absolutely loved them.
To create the manuals around 1 - 1.5 million words had to be read, understood and condensed. The effort didn’t end there, as a full training course (2 & 4 weeks, respectively) had to be created to go along with the manuals, and to be completed within the 6 month window.
The first course starts soon, and that makes for a huge load of effort off my shoulders and I can go back to doing what I love - writing quality erotica for my readers.
It does go some way to explain why every time I sat down to write for my fans, I was so exhausted I couldn’t do anything at all.
I am amazed at just what the human mind can do when it is focussed (somewhat excessively) on a single task.
I will be taking a bit of a rest from it and will be launching back into my writing once it’s all said and done.
I would also like to thank Dmitry Pavlov for permission to use some of his imagery with my site and book covers. You can see a selected sample alongside this post, and there are likely to be plenty of fantastic works of his that you will see as part of my book covers and posts in coming weeks and months.

Big Milestone Soon

[image error] While looking at my list of published books recently, complete with publishing dates, I realised that something rather special will be taking place in a couple of weeks.
It will be 12 months since I published my first book. It has felt chaotic and hectic at times, but it has been a fantastic ride. Things haven’t quite gone as planned for the last few months due to other pressures, but they are beginning to ease and I now find myself with more time to write and do the things I have been wanting to do.
I still haven’t quite worked out how I am going to share the anniversary of being published with my readers, but I am sure I’ll come up with something.
Readers of the AllRomance Wildfire email newsletter will have hopefully seen a small advertisement from me in the last newsletter (12 April). Depending on how the interest from it pans out, there may be more from me in the future.