I’ve been avoiding Driftwood. Not for any good reason, or, rather, not for any easily explainable reason. Part of it has been that I’ve been in a continual state of falling behind. Funny how hard it is to say no to things when it should be so simple.
Part, though, is that everything is changing. I started blogging for the entirely mercenary reason that it was on the list of Things That Writers Do, and I wanted to be a writer. It felt awkward and uncomfortable to stake my claim on a patch of Internet soil and hang out the laundry of my life. But this completely unexpected and truly magical thing happened: people talked to me. I started to love blogging, thanks to those of you who responded and made me feel like I was part of a neighborhood, not just out on my own. The marketing piece–the reason I’d started and the thing I’d been most uncomfortable with–became secondary. It was nothing more than talking with friends about stories that were coming out.
It’s been good.
However, there’s a world of difference between announcing a new short story and trying to market a book. DEVIL AND THE BLUEBIRD, known as Crossroads to anyone who’s been around to hear Blue’s story, will be out May 17, 2016. In order to do my part for it, I have to be louder than I am by nature. After thinking things through, I decided I don’t want to lose the quiet of this place, where I go to talk about hummingbirds and trees and how it feels to write and live. So, I’ve created some other online spaces for DEVIL AND THE BLUEBIRD and my promotional efforts.
If you want to see what I’m doing elsewhere online, you can find me in the following places:
My website (thanks to my little brother and Websight Studios);
my Tumblr (most of what I put there is reblogged content that touches on themes from Blue’s story: music, homelessness, loss, hope, though also some book updates);
and Goodreads (where my profile is minimal and my list of books is often not a reflection on reality).
That doesn’t mean I’ll never say anything about the book here. Rather, I’d like to be able to treat it as something I talk about as part of writing, not the reason to talk about writing.
Enough of that. It has finally snowed here…a bit. We left our Solstice offerings in the rain this year, and turkeys and chickadees came out to thank us. Now I’m off for a walk and some fresh air. If any of you are in Boston for ALA Midwinter in January, I’ll be signing ARCS at 11:00 am on the 10th. And if you would like something from my secret stash of swag–postcards and stickers at this point, with guitar picks to come–drop me a line. I’m happy to share.
May the coming year be exactly the one you need. Blessings, everyone.
January 1, 2016 at 8:36 am
OF COURSE I want guitar picks and stickers!
January 1, 2016 at 8:45 am
And OF COURSE you shall have them, dear one.
January 4, 2016 at 11:03 am
It’s amazing how those connections spring up and surprise us, isn’t it? I felt the same way, and oddly enough, I’ve been somewhat “avoiding” my blog near the end of the year for a variety of the same reasons (or so it sounds) that you’ve been doing so.
Congratulations on the forthcoming book! Please please announce here when it’s out. I only wish I could meet you in person in Boston, but alas that simply isn’t possible this year. Maybe someday… Until then, I’m sending you warmth and sunny wishes this winter, and puppy-dog wiggles from Dasher the dog. 🙂
January 4, 2016 at 11:41 am
It is a much more emotional attachment than I ever expected. I think about the emails you and others sent me when I was trying to work out Blue’s cross-country travels and I’m so grateful. And all the chat about things: the good, the bad, the inconsequential but necessary.
I wish I’d be coming down to FL for book things. If I do travel, it will probably be to trace the route of the book, mostly for pure fun. I’ll definitely post anything big–like publication–here.
Happy New Year to all of you! (And I love the alligator stories!)