Book News!

 

                                                                Credit: Erin Dameron-Hill Graphics

Hello, all. The past week has been a bit bumpy. My father-in-law passed a few days ago, then my uncle died a day later. I've had to do some traveling due to these sad events. All this while, I've been on a schedule to get things rolling promo- and marketing-wise because I have publishing news. 

As you may be aware, my wonderful agent has been shopping my book Children of the Eighth Realm to publishers for some time. What an odyssey it’s been. We’ve submitted, consulted editors, and resubmitted. I’ve rewritten this novel for years, and after each rewrite, we submitted again. 

For the most part, the feedback has been great. Really great. And yet… 

Traditional publishing is heavy on the tradition, as in a book needs to fit in a neat compartment. I get it. It makes everyone’s job easier when it comes to marketing and selling. Taking a chance on something outside the norm isn’t high on the Big Five’s list. Though the responses from the Big Five and medium-size houses has been largely positive, they’ve also come with that evil three-letter word BUT. 

“I love this story, BUT… 

…is it adult or YA?”

…is it horror or fantasy?”

…is it dystopian or something else?”

(Actual quotes from editors) 

There have been many iterations of the responses that always ended in “I’ll have to pass.” 

By the way, the answers to all the above questions and others I didn’t list are yes. Children of the Eighth Realm is a genre-bending story (as my agent and I lovingly term it). It doesn’t fit traditional publishing’s neat little cubbyholes. The same can be said of much of my work. I let my tales go where they will, and they love to put their toes over the limits. 

This book in particular is what I was born to write. I firmly believe that. If my life has any one purpose, it’s Children of the Eighth Realm. Whether it sells one copy, ten, or a million (let me dream!), I feel I have accomplished my life’s work. With this in mind, I had a long talk with my agent a few weeks ago. We agreed it was time for me to strike out on my own with this story (yes, she’s still my agent for everything else). 

I am thrilled to announce Children of the Eighth Realm will be published April 26 with all the usual suspects (Amazon, B&N, Apple, etc). It will be available in ebook and paperback. You can see the cover…gorgeous, right? Big shoutout to Erin Dameron-Hill Graphics for the absolutely stunning work. 

Because a genre-bending book deserves out-of-the-ordinary publishing, I will also be posting it on this blog in serialized form. I want people to read it more than I want to make bucks. Seriously. Like I said, this book is my life’s purpose. Therefore, in the coming weeks, it will begin appearing a little at a time. I’m planning to post a scene or two each Monday starting on April 3. But hey, if you want to read it all at once, it’s up for pre-order at Amazon and Smashwords now, coming to Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple soon. If you're really gung-ho, it's available in print right now. Meanwhile, I’ll share more information on the book next week. 

If you’re curious enough to check it out, you should know what you’re getting into. My agent puts it this way: think if Holly Black and Neil Gaiman had gotten together to write Lord of the Flies, and you’re in the ballpark of what this story is. 

I think that’s enough for this particular entry. I do hope you’ll come back next Monday when I share the back cover blurb and a little more info about the book. Until then, thanks for reading and take care.