‘When’s your book come out?’
‘July 1.’
‘Ooooh, aren’t you excited?’
At this point, I have to feign it. ‘Oh, yes, it’s great.’ Then my mind slips back into what’s really concerning it at the moment.
Either the edits of book two, or writing book three.
It’s not that I’m not excited about the fact that book one, Secret Ones, is out and about and people are reading it and it’s getting good feedback and it will be in bookstores in less than two months. That is all just amazingly fantabulous and there are days, such as when I got the final cover for Secret Ones, that I just spend all day smiling with glee at what’s happening. Nothing quite like living your dream coming true.
But on the whole, my head’s not in launch mode at the moment. At this exact moment in time, my head is actually split between two things. First, more editorial feedback on book two, Power Unbound, which I’m trying to work through and get back by the end of the week so I don’t hold up the copyedits too much. Second, finishing the re-write for book three, Rogue Gadda, by my self-imposed deadline of May 16 so I can get it to the readers in time to get feedback to polish before deadline of July 1.
From time to time, I get a moment to think about the launch. I have set the date for the private launch I’m having for family and friends and have a vague idea when the public launch will happen. I know the section of the book I’ll be reading at the first launch. I’ve even entertained myself with the marvellous things I will say. But then people ask where it will be, what time, if they can’t make this one what’s the date of the other one and I want to scream and say ‘Leave me alone, I’m doing book two at the moment, I’ll get back to you on book one when I’ve got time to organise it’.
So if you’ve gushed to me about Secret Ones and I’ve been less than enthusiastic, I apologise. It’s just that right now, I’m still finishing the story.
Come July, I’ll gush with the rest of you.
Come August, I think I’ll collapse with exhaustion.