Out of My Hands
It’s done. The work is finished. My baby has gone out into the world to be subject to either ridicule or praise. Perhaps both. I can’t control it any longer (except for promotion) now that it is in the hands of readers. What will they think? What will they say? For a first novel, how did I do?
Knowing that The Shadow Over Lone Oak has emerged on the novel scene as an untested apparatus, like new technology on the sea, engenders me with both hope and wariness. It was my project for the better part of two years, first in mind, then in print. I molded it, worked the proverbial clay until I was satisfied with what I had. Some days were easy, words pouring from my head through my fingers onto the keyboard. Others, I flew by the seat of my pants (what kind of expression is that anyway?) and let the story take me where it wanted to go. Often, I was surprised.
Why is that? Didn’t I create the plot and characters? How could I be stumped by my own creations? But it’s simple and any (good) writer will tell you this: your creations get away from you, they will want to go here whereas you’d rather they go there. You can course correct as necessary, but the best characters, I find, develop a mind of their own. Such was the case with the characters of Llewyn Finch and Willow Donahue. But you’ll have to read to get anything else out of me on that point!
I have my own apprehensions about the book (which I will keep to myself for now) but, being as objective as I can be, my confidence is that the work can stand on its own merit. It doesn’t need my praise or admiration lavished on it, doesn’t need to be propped up like a drunken hooligan who lost a fight. It’s a novel that aims to entertain, to thrill, to scare. It’s a novel about a reluctant hero with an unusual journey. It’s a novel that follows broken people making best (or worst) of their lives. I think it accomplishes exactly all of that.
Whether it should be compared alongside the works of a Mark Twain, a Stephen King, or (groans) a Stephanie Meyer is not my decision to make. My role in the reception of the novel was completed the instant I pressed submit. That’s not to say that I won’t chime in on what I hear people say about my work, good or ill, but that I accept and understand that my hands are mostly tied. I have dug my grave or set my pedestal (or maybe I’m leaning on a pedestal and have one foot in the grave) as it were.
So what do I do? Well, obviously, I advertise and promote the book. No one else is going to do that for me (except maybe family). But after that? Continue working on the sequel, which, right this second, is a couple of pages and a list of ideas. I don’t know where this next journey will take me, but I’m sure that it will be quite thrilling. And who knows, maybe by the time I’m ready to release “A Den of Jackals” [working title], I’ll be able to add the label “Bestselling Author” to the cover of the book.
What about site updates and this blog? I’ll continue to make my weekly rounds here on impromptugameof52.wordpress.com, of course. I may make some cosmetic changes to the layout of the site in the near future. I’ve already overhauled The Shadow Over Lone Oak section (somewhat) to include a page where you can find direct links to the paperback and Kindle editions.
All of that said, I think I’ll leave you guys with the following often-quoted passage, to ease the discomfort of anyone embarking on an uncertain path in their life:
“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff – they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:1-4 HCSB)
