THE POSSIBILITY OF ENDINGS
I have decided that the book I am currently writing, Sorcerer, will be my last print book. There is a possibility I might write one or two more Jake Stanton novellas in the e-book format only. We'll see.
I have several reasons for my decision and I'll note them all. The first and foremost reason is that writing has been taking up far too much of my time. On top of that, as an independent author I must do my own marketing and promotion for each book I write. This part of the writing business never stops. The combination of each of these important functions means long hours in front of a computer screen while other matters of importance are neglected.
I understand that there are many writers who make this sacrifice willingly, some for the monetary benefits and all because they enjoy the creative process that writing is. I too love the thrill of finding friends and enemies in the characters I've created, or joining them on the page as we push through an adventure knowing the dangers but too reckless to care.
It is the magic of the story that brought me back time and time again. I originally planned on writing a book of short stories about growing up in the 1960s, stories based on my website of the same name. The book became The Boys Of Northwood. Then it was time to put a dream I once had on paper. The dream was of a beautiful girl who danced alone by the light of the Moon. The girl became Sarah, the place became the summer of love, and the novel became Sarah Of The Moon.
A short while after that I went through double bypass heart surgery, Afterwards I felt the need to gather up memories of my past, pieces of a time when I was young and fearless and my heart was as strong as steel. I sought out the letters I wrote to my wife Roni from Vietnam. She had safely stored away every letter I wrote. The hopes and fears of a 20 year old in a war-torn land were in those letters, as well as the love I had for a woman on the other side of the world. Letters From Long Binh: Memoirs of a Military Policeman in Vietnam was the result.
That could have been the end of it were it not for a crazy thought I had late one night while staring up at a starlit sky. What if there are other worlds, other universes, where carbon copies of us live. And what if, in the other universe, there might be some small glitches in the timeline of our lives. What if someone we lost in this world might be found in another. That very night I began to write Swan Loch.
And now the other reasons for my decision. I have become obsessive when it comes to my books. I get too discouraged when sales are down and too cocky when they're up. Worse yet, I have found that my skin is too thin when it comes to criticism. I know I'm not the only author who feels this way. No one likes being told their child might have to repeat a grade because his work just wasn't up to par. When this happens the tendency is to lash out, form your hands into fists and swing away. Shrug it off, we're told. Leave the bitterness and the anger behind. Move on. Easier said than done.
My writing brings in some money each month in the form of royalties from internet and retail sales. It is not nearly enough to support my family. Thankfully there is other income, but the fact remains that at one time I did think I may one day become rich and famous from writing. I have not given up on that goal. I am nothing if not a dreamer. But I know it is a fantasy most likely never to play out in my lifetime.
And so, soon, I will move on to other things. My video production business in healthy and strong, and a close friend wants me to join him in an internet music sales venture which holds promise if done properly.
I would like to think that my books will be the legacy I leave behind. I would hope they are passed down through the hands of my grandchildren to their children and beyond. I would hope my books will always find a home on a bright internet page or in a dark dusty corner of a small bookstore.
And I would like to think that Sarah will always dance by the light of a moon in a summer that has no end, only beginnings.
I have several reasons for my decision and I'll note them all. The first and foremost reason is that writing has been taking up far too much of my time. On top of that, as an independent author I must do my own marketing and promotion for each book I write. This part of the writing business never stops. The combination of each of these important functions means long hours in front of a computer screen while other matters of importance are neglected.
I understand that there are many writers who make this sacrifice willingly, some for the monetary benefits and all because they enjoy the creative process that writing is. I too love the thrill of finding friends and enemies in the characters I've created, or joining them on the page as we push through an adventure knowing the dangers but too reckless to care.
It is the magic of the story that brought me back time and time again. I originally planned on writing a book of short stories about growing up in the 1960s, stories based on my website of the same name. The book became The Boys Of Northwood. Then it was time to put a dream I once had on paper. The dream was of a beautiful girl who danced alone by the light of the Moon. The girl became Sarah, the place became the summer of love, and the novel became Sarah Of The Moon.
A short while after that I went through double bypass heart surgery, Afterwards I felt the need to gather up memories of my past, pieces of a time when I was young and fearless and my heart was as strong as steel. I sought out the letters I wrote to my wife Roni from Vietnam. She had safely stored away every letter I wrote. The hopes and fears of a 20 year old in a war-torn land were in those letters, as well as the love I had for a woman on the other side of the world. Letters From Long Binh: Memoirs of a Military Policeman in Vietnam was the result.
That could have been the end of it were it not for a crazy thought I had late one night while staring up at a starlit sky. What if there are other worlds, other universes, where carbon copies of us live. And what if, in the other universe, there might be some small glitches in the timeline of our lives. What if someone we lost in this world might be found in another. That very night I began to write Swan Loch.
And now the other reasons for my decision. I have become obsessive when it comes to my books. I get too discouraged when sales are down and too cocky when they're up. Worse yet, I have found that my skin is too thin when it comes to criticism. I know I'm not the only author who feels this way. No one likes being told their child might have to repeat a grade because his work just wasn't up to par. When this happens the tendency is to lash out, form your hands into fists and swing away. Shrug it off, we're told. Leave the bitterness and the anger behind. Move on. Easier said than done.
My writing brings in some money each month in the form of royalties from internet and retail sales. It is not nearly enough to support my family. Thankfully there is other income, but the fact remains that at one time I did think I may one day become rich and famous from writing. I have not given up on that goal. I am nothing if not a dreamer. But I know it is a fantasy most likely never to play out in my lifetime.
And so, soon, I will move on to other things. My video production business in healthy and strong, and a close friend wants me to join him in an internet music sales venture which holds promise if done properly.
I would like to think that my books will be the legacy I leave behind. I would hope they are passed down through the hands of my grandchildren to their children and beyond. I would hope my books will always find a home on a bright internet page or in a dark dusty corner of a small bookstore.
And I would like to think that Sarah will always dance by the light of a moon in a summer that has no end, only beginnings.
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