Years In the Making

Wow, it’s been an ice age since I’ve written a blog post, at least it feels like it. Probably five years, give or take. I used to write articles religiously three times a week, along with posting author interviews, book reviews, contests, et cetera. I also used to run and maintain several websites, which included an online magazine, with a nightmare partner I wish to forget. Plus, I wrote books, marketed and tried to sell them, both as an indie author and for a mid-sized house. Then I joined author groups, critiqued, edited, beta read, took several courses, sought agents, learnt to format, did live interviews, and the list goes on and on. Hell, I even attended writer conferences where I met some big-name authors, and I tried flogging my wares. Honestly, what a privilege. The insight and advice were invaluable. But guess where it got me…? Burnt out.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. By the time G**gle deleted my blog without my consent, I’d hit almost 700K views, and I was well-known in the genre I penned—at least within the niche online community it was at that time. I have no regrets—the endless social media hoopla—and trying to build a brand. Experience is knowledge, knowledge is wisdom, and wisdom is the key. I did build it (my brand), but it was like butter melting in a hot frying pan. Good sales at first, for a newb, and then… nothing. Now the market is so saturated it’s hard to tread water.

However, things are different this time around because I’m better equipped, and that was almost twenty years ago. With my passion rejuvenated, writing has never been so rewarding. My only hope is that others will also enjoy the worlds I create. So that’s me in a nutshell, a veteran author, who has literally done everything she could to hone her craft, meet people in the publishing world, and expand her writing horizon (on a budget). Of course, the publishing industry is constantly evolving, and once again I’m learning anew!

On June 1st. my first novel The Orphans of Avalon – DY51v Series Book One will be published on Amazon, then everywhere else. I’m very excited. I will definitely post about it on June 1st. As for my social media…well, I have three sources: Facebook, Instagram, and my website. It difficult to keep up with tons of social media, so I want to keep it simple. Eventually, I might open a Pinterest account, Goodreads, or something similar, but for now, I like the idea of only a few places to update. In the old days, I had so many accounts it was crazy, and I wasted too much time online instead of writing.

As for my blog, well, I’m thinking I’ll post book reviews, maybe author interviews, and personal stuff I enjoy (hobbies, etc.), and of course about my books. And, I just finished reading an awesome manhwa! So, my next post will be a book review!

Thanks for sticking around to the end of this post!

D. G. Pearse