Why Does
Everything Happen At Once?
Before
I get into the topic of this month’s blog, let me say that something great
happened: I have a new audiobook available! Wheeeee! This one is SIERRA RANSOM.
It’s an historical romance novel set during the California Gold Rush in 1852 or
thereabouts. It features Zenobia Gray and Sam Ransom. It’s narrated by my very
OLD friend, Jim Hull, and he’s good. The book’s good, too. Honest! Here’s the
cover and where you can buy it:
Now.
Down to business. This month’s blog is on the frustrating topic: Why does
everything happen at once? Naturally, I’m talking about my own life here, but
I’ll bet I’m not the only one to whom this happens.
For
months, I’ve been twiddling my thumbs, begging for work, writing bits and
pieces of my own book, and wishing I had work that I actually got paid to do. I know not all writers write
the same way. Some can sit all day long, writing and writing and writing. I can
write for about an hour or an hour and a half, and that’s it. The well’s dry.
Mind you, I can pump out five-ten pages in that hour, and I wish I could write
all day long. Heck, if I could, I could write a billion books a year. Well,
maybe not quite a billion, and I’d still be unable to make a living at it, but
my output would increase significantly.
No,
I make most of my money from editing. I edit for a well-respected publishing
company, but I can make real money
from folks who can afford to have their books edited by a competent editor
before they self-publish. There aren’t many people who want to do this, because
nobody likes spending money. And there are more iffy editors out there than
there are good ones. I’m a good one. This isn’t a boast. It’s the truth.
There’s only one thing I do well in this world, and it’s use the English
language. Well, and collect stray dachshunds, but that’s more of a curse than a
blessing.
This
year, things have been dry. Dry, dry, dry. I live in Roswell, New Mexico, and
we’re halfway into our third year of the worst drought ever. That’s bad enough,
but this year too, nobody’s wanted me to do any work. NOBODY. Not the publisher
and not individuals. No one. Zero. Zilch.
Until
May. Then EVERYONE decided they wanted me to edit their books. I was thrilled
to death when the first person approached me. She had written what may well be
the World’s Longest Book, and she wanted me to edit it. Wheee! I could go to
California for my—wait for it—50th!—high school reunion! Wow. Then
another person asked me to edit his book. His isn’t the World’s Longest Book,
because, after all, there can only be one of those, but it’s real, live, paying
work.
Then
the publisher for whom I work suddenly wanted me to edit four books. And the
company (ePublishing Works) I’m using to repackage and promote my first six
Daisy Gumm Majesty novels sent me the first book (STRONG SPIRITS) to review.
With the promise that the other five Daisy books will be sent to me at
approximately twenty-day intervals.
Then
there were the two Roswell Humane Society meetings I had to attend, weekly
choir practice, and rehearsals for 2013’s Concert of American Music, which
we’ll be singing on June 30. Rehearsals began—you got it—last week.
Gulp.
So okay. I’ve been really busy lately, and I’m going to be even busier before I
leave for California and my reunion on June 19th. But, what the
heck, in the life of a writer/editor, I guess it’s better to be busy than not,
although sometimes I do wish things would even out. Ya know?
Please
enter my contest this month, during which I’ll be giving away a couple of
copies of FALLEN ANGELS, Mercy Allcutt’s third adventure (which won the New
Mexico/Arizona Book of the Year Award for mystery/suspense). And what the heck,
I’ll give away an audio copy of SIERRA RANSOM, too. Feel free to visit my web
site: www.aliceduncan.net and my Facebook
page: https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925?ref=tn_tnmn
Thanks!
