An interesting thing happened the other night.
I was dragged out to the local watering hole to play poker. It beat sitting at the house alone, so I went. When we arrived, my business manager informed everybody that “Even Groomsmen Get The Blues” hadn’t won the LRC Best Of 2013 Contest….but I did get a mention in the Southern Utah Spectrum! She headed upstairs to play poker, and I ordered up a beer. A couple of minutes later, one of the regulars came over.
“So, I understand condolences are in order.”
I blinked at him.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, I heard you didn’t win the contest your book was up for.”
Now it clicked. I said, “Well, I appreciate the thought, but look at it this way: For argument’s sake, let’s say there are twenty new contemporary romances released. Every day. That’s about 7,200 per year, right?” (It’s actually 7,300, but I figure that’s not bad for a spitball approximation.)
He said, “Okay.”
I said, “Now consider that out of those 7,200 books that released in 2013, my book was nominated as one of the top fifteen. On the planet. Now, I have two choices: I can either get mad because my story wasn’t tapped for the top slot, or the top three, or whatever…OR I can say my story was in the top 20% of the top 1% of all the contemporary romances released in 2013, as called out by these people. It was an honor just to be named, even if I didn’t win!”
He conceded I had a point, we finished our cigarettes while talking about the weather and the prospects around the tables, and then he went his way and I went mine. This little tete-a-tete got me to thinking, though.
So much of life is really just in how you look it. Sure, there are some parts of it that blow goats, and of course there are always going to be those moments when your inner child throws a screaming hissy because he/she wants the goodies and wants them NOW! On the other hand, there are times when it pays to take a step back and look at what’s ahead, instead of what’s behind.
And I gotta say, the view from the top of this mountain is going to be CRAZY!!
First, I completed Dusk in 32 days. I would have liked to get it done sooner, but between school and other commitments, that’s not bad going for 95k words. Last night, I sent the full MS off to Changeling Press and an unedited copy to Cassi Reed, my winner. (One of the goodies I didn’t mention during the contest was the option to be written into the story as a supporting character. She was gracious enough to permit me to do this, and as one writer to another, I’m deeply honored by the level of trust she showed in me. Another of said goodies was that she would get a first look at it before anyone else did. This seemed only fair considering that she’s IN the thing!) This afternoon Cassi sent me an email saying she was two-thirds of the way done and very happy with the story, so I’m absolutely thrilled about that!
Second, the first installment of Dusk, entitled simply Dusk, will drop on March 13th, 2014, so mark your calendars. Part two, Dusk: Darkness Rising, comes out sometime in May, and the final episode, Dusk: Tides of Astaroth, is scheduled for release in July. I will update these as they come available, but the contracts are signed and Dusk is ON!
I really like the world I created with, and on, the fictional planet of Dusk. It’s a big, sprawling galaxy, big enough for all kinds of lizard-men and teddy bears with claws half a meter long, devious diplomats and malevolent military types, but small enough for two men and a woman to come together and make a bond strong enough to give them the strength to face a catastrophe with galactic implications. I also got to put some of my newfound knowledge of geology to good use to explain how, exactly, a moon could be dark and still reflective. Finally, I got to explore almost completely new territory to me by considering how these people would meet, fall in love…and what pitfalls they might encounter on an alien world.
With all the press Gael has received so far, I’m looking forward to some really strong sales for the month of January. I won’t know for sure until the end of this month, but I’m feeling pretty good about the January payout…and I’m expecting something even bigger for February!
So, with all that out of the way, here’s a quick rundown of what I’ve got on tap over the next several weeks:
Tomorrow I’ll be at The Romance Studios, talking about The Gael and the Goddess, giving a special sneak peek at Dusk, and talking about whatever YOU want to ask me!
February 19-23, I’ll be at Coffee Time Romance & More, giving a seminar on how to overcome perfectionism and give the poor story a rest! More on this as it gets closer to time.
ETA: February 25th I’ll be taking over the blog at TRS Blue…and bringing the heat with excerpts, commentary, and talking about what goes into building a sci-fi world from its component elements up!
March 7th, I’ll be at Love Romances Cafe’s blog talking about Dusk and the average “day in the life” of a writer! (And, on a semi-unrelated note, check out this great review of Wail from Helen at LRC!)
In the middle of March, I’ll be at Mary’s Menage Whispers, talking about Dusk and some revelations I’ve had about menage romance…and why it’s not as unlikely as some people might think!
March 13th, Dusk comes out. To celebrate, I’ll be holding a live chat on Facebook from 2pm Mountain until whenever everyone gets bored at my page. Be sure to follow me for the newest and latest as it happens!
March 20th, I’ll be taking over the chat room at Coffee Time Romance & More starting at 7pm Eastern. It’s going to be a great time, and I may even have some prizes on tap! I’ll add in the link closer to time.
So as you can see, there’s a lot of great stuff on the way, and my dance card’s only getting fuller. I’ll see y’all out and about on the Web. For now, it’s time for a well-earned victory beer!
Until next time,
Best,
J.S. Wayne
