Authorial support plea

[miladygrey]

If anyone out there has read and liked Body Broker, or read and liked any/all of the Paladin books, today would be an excellent day to leave a complimentary review on Amazon or Goodreads. Yeats' Saturday reading at the local bookstore got cancelled (owner had something come up), and he got a box of Cheap Heat ARCs the same day he got news from the publisher that Body Broker isn't selling like they hoped, and the future of the third Jack Dixon book is in doubt. An agent was showing interest in the other fantasy series he's been trying to sell for a year, but now they're not responding to emails. He's depressed and frustrated, and he's talking about pulling out of the Baltimore Book Festival, convinced he's a "failed author" and that no one will be interested in him, the panel he's on (Moving Past the Monarchy in Fantasy), or his books.

I am trying to be encouraging and supportive--he is not a failure, eight books written, four books published, a fifth to be published in spring, two starred PW reviews is 100% not failing!--but he's not hearing it right now. I know part of this mood is that Friday will be the anniversary of his dad's passing, and that always affects him whether or not he admits it. I am just...running out of things to say. I don't want him to give up writing. I also don't want to gloss over that it's hard, often frustrating work, and I understand his weariness and disappointment right now. I'm not going to go all Depression Kitty and be "yes, nothing now can come to any good, let's stay home and play video games and hiss at people". I'm also not going to channel my mother with "Let's go and meet people and be bright and sociable and talk about books and sell yourself and be ON for a solid 24 hours!" We may not sell any books at BBF. We didn't (not physical copies, anyway) at BCC. But we met so many great people, and they liked him and want him to come back, and networking is important, and showing up is important. We absolutely won't make an impact if we don't go.

In short, support an author today by leaving a good review of one (or more!) of their books. I have my particular author in mind, of course, but I know they all appreciate it.

Reading Log: When Dreamers Cease to Dream by Barbara Bartholomew; Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao; Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory; The Mermaid by Christina Henry; Sawbones by Melissa Lenhardt; The Sewing Circle by Axel Madsen; Given to the Earth by Mindy McGinnis; I Like to Watch by Emily Nussbaum; Bid My Soul Farewell by Beth Revis; The Healer's War by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough; Milady by Laura L. Sullivan