Clouds Before Rain

Publishing News!

Clouds Before Rain: Now is the time of waiting. My third novel, “To Break the Bundles,” has been submitted to a plethora of literary agents. Nothing much else can happen with this novel project. It is in the nefarious hands of the gatekeepers of the publishing world. It is a time to wait, to gather rejections as they come in. It can be horrible, the waiting, or it can be the time to set out on a new project.

For me, doing is better than waiting. I allowed myself a post-project mope, my standard emotional letdown after completing a project. I invented a few choice fantasies of what I would do if I were king of the publishing world (which it’s good that I’m not) and then I decided to get to work. On to the next project!

There are several sketches in the Idea-Box, all of them vying for attention: Two novels, a three-act play, and a promised children’s book. I can hear their clamoring. But the most pressing need is a bit of writing coupled with a bit of marketing. One of the truisms of the Indie-Author world is that a savvy Indie recognizes the need for a ‘Perma-Free’ title. This is the introduction of the Author to the Reader, a way of saying “Hi there, here I am. How about a free book to let you know what I am all about?” Or, to put it in the vernacular of the streets: “The first taste is always free.”

The new project will be a prequel to “The Best Dark Rain.” That novel began in situ, taking up the story after the world died. Some of the Dark-Army of Beta-Readers, along with some of the lovely reviewers, have expressed the desire to know more about the characters from “The Best Dark Rain.” How did they survive when everyone else died? What happened? This prequel, “Clouds Before Rain,” will be an attempt to fulfill those desires.

The structure is built, the Scrivener file formatted, so it’s time to lay electronic ink to virtual paper. Sixty-thousand words, two months, no problem. You can remind me later that I said that. Fell free to smirk when you do so. Eight weeks, just about the time limit for the pack of literary agents to do their worst. In the meantime, whilst I wait for them to pronounce their doom, I can be productive. Look for “Clouds Before Rain” to be available in January of the coming year.

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