Signings, podcasts and a two-star review

This post may sound a bit frenetic. There’s a lot going on around here.

Yesterday, I hit the 50,000-word mark in that second novel, tentatively titled The Next Right Thing. That means I am about two-thirds of the way through. Maybe. I have a structural issue to deal with: I feel like I will be done in about 12,000-15,000 more words, and that is too short for what is essentially literary fiction.

I don’t get it. I have character development, lots of dialogue, interiority, a more complex plot, a transformational arc. Three parts. I did not have this problem with the first one, which easily arrived at 89,000 words. So I’ll be going back to my coach in December to determine why it’s so lean. I suspect that Part One needs the most work because I’ve spent so much time on the middle.

The balance between promoting The Salt and Light Express, which was published last month, and writing the second one is tricky. You feel somehow unfaithful to the characters in the first one when you’re up to your eyeballs in the plot and totally different characters in the second one. Maybe that’s a newbie thing and eventually I’ll get over it. I can’t bring myself to say I like the second one better, but I do believe it’s more complex and layered (in spite of coming up short).

I signed up for PodMatch, which I recommend if you’re at the point where you’d like to be on podcasts. Here is my profile. I’ve been on three podcasts already and another is scheduled. I could’ve done a lot more but I am trying to limit myself to one a week. It’s good experience, even if they are not world-famous podcasters, to talk about your book. Your writing life. Your philosophy. They’ve all asked very insightful questions— helped along by AI, I suspect. It’s $33 a month, and you can cancel any time.

The Salt and Light Express has received overwhelmingly good reviews, but yesterday I saw my first two-star review on Goodreads. Someone from West Virginia said, “Didn’t care for.” I clicked on the review, wondering if she said anything else, and I received this kindly warning from Goodreads:

I hadn’t planned on responding anyway, but I appreciated their effort to talk me off the ledge.

In other news, I had my first book signing at Browseabout, the iconic independent book store in Rehoboth Beach. I sold seven books in two hours, which exceeded my expectations. Again, it was good practice—repeating your elevator pitch over and over. Trying not to pounce on customers as they enter the store. Getting paid immediately, instant gratification. Replenishing their supply, as they were sold out of my book.

Two more signings are scheduled. It still amazes me that people actually want me to sign their book. A friend bought five for Christmas presents.

I warned you this post would be all over the map. Now we start that season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s where people are distracted, depressed, stressed out, too busy and/or missing in action. I have seven handbell concerts to play in the next three weeks and have not started shopping or decorating. If I can manage to squeeze in another 10,000 words during this period, I will consider it a present to myself.

Happy Thanksgiving!