Shifting gears…
C.E. Grundler
I'm a lousy dancer. I say that only because, if you think about it, I probably should be much better, considering my talents behind the wheel. For me, driving is like a ballet, an unconscious orchestration of clutch, fuel and brake, of shifting gears and turning wheel, of mirrors and turn signals, not to mention a flip of the radio station and sip of soda. Why those talents don't translate to the dance floor is more likely due to my inability to match the rhythms in the music than my ability to move my hands and feet. I do believe, however, my skill at shifting gears is a large part of what has helped me through 2011.
Last January started quietly enough. One book written, self-published, and selling moderately. Marketing was the key, I'd heard, and while I really wanted to focus on writing the sequel, more of my time went into half-hearted attempts to social-network and get my name out there. Far too much time. Simply put, marketing is not my strength, and to this day I'm not sure anything I did had a direct effect on my sales one way or another. But sales were rising, and I decided that I had better shift my attention into my second book. And that's when the emails and calls began; Thomas & Mercer wanted Last Exit and the still barely written sequel. Conversations, contracts, author questionnaires, and then back to writing No Wake Zone. And just as I was making headway it was time to shift again, now to edit LENJ, which stretched through an entire month of intensive work. That done, I shifted back to NWZ, even as I had to weigh in on a new cover and promo copy for LENJ, we worked on the boat, family members got sick and minor household emergencies kept taking me out of gear. More editing on Last Exit, this time with a copy editor. Back to NWZ, finishing up the first draft and then looping back around for a second pass, then off to the editor, just in time for a few days breather, then it was time to go another round with a second copy editor for LENJ. And just as I emailed that completed edit back – you guessed it – I received the first edits on NWZ. That faint burning smell? Oh, that's just the clutch in my brain.
The last six months have been a hectic, exciting whirlwind of non-stop shifts, and while I'll admit I've been a bit(!) stressed at times, I've had a blast. I can only imagine what surprises the coming year will bring. And even as edits proceed on NWZ, I'm already building the outline for book three. This time around: a little less murder but a whole lot more mayhem, and a large helping of payback in the form of a heist by land and sea!
To everyone: here's wishing you all a happy, healthy and wonderful 2012!
Share on Facebook
