Cass Gets Her Kicks: What Was I Thinking?

"If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." - Toni Morrison

That was basically the idea behind Cass Gets Her Kicks. I wanted something to read that wouldn't take me long, would be entirely self-contained, and wouldn't require any thought on my part. In fact, I specifically needed something I could read in half an hour on my Kindle.

Searching Amazon proved fruitless. I had a few titles by Delilah Devlin, but they were too long. (She is a fantastic smut writer, so I did stick it out several times for her work.)

On top of that, I had a story germinating in my head that featured a mechanic from Kansas, a crappy motel room, and Magic Fingers.

So I wrote.

I admit that I focused on the stories so intently partly to get that first release out of the way. It's kind of terrifying doing something big for the first time like that, and Cass was safe. I knew--I know--I can write smut. I've won peer-voted awards for it. I like it, I'm decent at it, I'm comfortable with it. Young adult paranormal fantasy is a bit out of my comfort zone, and while I'm all for pushing the boundaries of that comfort zone in my writing, I felt like I should do something I know I can do for my first time out.

It was something I wanted to read. If I wanted to read it, chances were that someone else wanted to read it, too.

Cass will be a recurring character for me. I already have ideas for her when she gets to California--that girl has a lot of experimenting to do. And I have a lot of new things to explore with her... and whoever else she encounters.

Self-Publishing: What I've Learned So Far

I have blogged before about the work that goes into writing. It's a lot. I could dedicate this entire blog to the work that goes into writing, and I would never run out of things to say. Ever. While I'm sure this won't be the last time I mention it, that isn't the point of the blog or the post. It's just a point I want to reiterate.

A lot of work goes into traditional publishing, too. I have a copy of last year's Writer's Market--an invaluable resource, to be sure--and what I took from it is that traditional publishing is like getting good grades and getting good performance reviews at work: it's not about you as much as it is about how you meet the expectations and desires of those in power.

It pays off. Once you cut a deal with a traditional publisher, it seems to get to focus on writing. That is why self-published success Amanda Hocking took the traditional book deal. Any author who blogs or tweets will tell you that a traditional deal doesn't mean the end of work, but it does seem to mean an easier workload. I am not professing any firsthand knowledge. I'm merely making observations based on the research I've done on publishing and self-publishing.

Self-publishing means that the author does it all. I know I am. I blog. I created a website. I got email addresses. I created professional Facebook and MySpace profiles. I got a tumblr. I tweet. I talked to a professional artist and graphic designer about a book cover. Through her, I got information on professional web design. I made the decision that, for the first book, my money is better spent on advertising (for which I plan to use Fiverr), so instead, I used Intuit's Web Builder and I searched "free royalty-free images" on Google and mocked up my own book cover. My website doesn't look awful and my book cover is legible, so I'm going with those.

In addition to all of that, I've been writing. I'm done with my action-draft, and I've started writing.

"Why am I doing this?"

Two reasons. The first: It's my dream. I've wanted to be a published author for seventeen years now. I want it. I want it so bad I can taste it. I love words, I love telling stories, and I really, really want to be able to do what I love while I work from home. The second: I have a daughter. One day, she's going to have dreams of her own, and I don't want her to give up on them. If I don't do this, if I don't follow my dreams, I won't have a leg to stand on when I tell her she can't give up on hers. I have to maintain my parental authority.

I'm lucky. I already know I'm readable; I've spent the last nine years in a few fandoms, and I'm a reasonably well-liked author. I also have the unwavering support of my family and friends. I believe in myself. My loved ones believe in me. And strangers on the Internet believe in me enough to award me for my writing (beyond merely reading and reviewing me--I've actually won peer-voted awards).

So, despite the fact that I feel like I have three full-time jobs between being a stay-at-home spouse and parent, networking and marketing, and writing, I'm going to keep doing this.

I'm going to make my dream come true.