Hello readers. Just a short post to let everyone know I am alive and how I am dealing with lockdown. Like 99% of the planet I am chilling at home looking at a lot of exponential graphs. In the Bay Area we are beginning to see a flattening of new COVID-19 cases which is cause for cautious optimism. But at this point it could still go either way. I am disheartened by the many failures of our global leaders, not only Trump for his willful ignorance but also China for information suppression. There is plenty of blame to go around.
Book blogger and author Darrell Laurant has a new post up about The Guardian (Book 2 of the Reclaimed Earth series) on his site “Snowflakes in a Blizzard.” The post includes some short excerpts. Thanks Darrell!
If you’ve read The Guardian and enjoyed it, please leave me a rating or review on Goodreads or Amazon. A single click or a few words can make a big difference. If you need more motivation than my undying gratitude, I should mention that I will include all reviews retroactively in my upcoming review contest, which will feature a sizable cash prize).
I’ve got some good news to share soon re: the Reclaimed Earth series. I can’t spill the beans quite yet, but I do want to say thank you to those of you who have been reading my blog for years and have followed my journey from aspiring science fiction author to actual science fiction author.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Today I saw a thread on Twitter, authors half-jokingly griping about the doubt and despair that often accompanies “marketing efforts.”
I get it — I’ve been there. There are an infinite number of things you could do to promote your book, but every approach requires time, money, and/or social capital, and it’s easy to get frustrated and discouraged and to wonder if your efforts are producing zilch.
2019, for me, was a combination of fun times and existential dread. I love my family and friends and the time I spend with them. I released my second novel, completed the first draft of a third, and started on my fourth. I had plenty of consulting work and money in the bank. I had great times playing Dungeons & Dragons, Pokemon GO, poker, and a bunch of other games.
At the same time, I worried for my daughter’s future. Climate change is an existential threat, guns in schools are a constant worry, and every major city in California has tent cities filled with homeless people, many who are drug addicts and/or mentally ill. And our leader? We have a racist, short-sighted, vindictive president backed by at least 40% of the country.
I worry for myself as well. Will I stay healthy? Will I continue to have enough work as a freelancer? Will enough people buy and review my novels that publishers stay interested? But in my wiser moments I can see that these worries are just manifestations of my desires (longevity, wealth, fame in my profession) and are self-inflicted; being grateful for what I have in the moment is usually the remedy.
The Guardian in John Scalzi’s advance reading copy pile
I should say up front that this post is a book plug. But it’s also an honest account of what’s been going on in my head since the orange menace was elected and the stock market graph of human progress took a sharp dip.
Three years into the Trump administration, I’m learning how to manage my emotions around the fact that a narcissistic man-child is systematically dismantling everything good about our country (human rights, environmental protections, voting rights and fair elections, a relatively good standing in the international community, etc.), while simultaneously worsening our preexisting national issues (racism, gun violence, massive wealth inequality, expensive healthcare, etc.). It’s an awful situation that has negatively impacted my own well-being (and I’m a relatively wealthy, privileged white male, with plentiful resources; most have it much worse).