Tag: independent author

Three elements every fantasy story needs are fear, adventure and magic

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vmt98p0p4iacoqs7h42sldt8o74fdeabd4e1bbcDiving into the depths of the fantasy genre is like free diving … The deeper you go, the more out of breath you get. I got that feeling when I read Elric of Melnibone for the first time. After reading it, I was left breathless.

Fantasy taps into everything a human being experiences through life. What scares us? What piques our curiosity? What sparks our imagination? In fantasy, anything and everything is possible, and as writers, we grab onto that and lay it out for readers to dive into.

Fantasy has three critical elements: fear, adventure and magic. I know the last one is a bit broad, so let me start with that.

Magic covers everything from the fantastic to the supernatural. It is the mystery that brings out the curiosity in all of us. What we can’t explain or understand, we associate with magic. That’s what makes it an essential part of any fantasy story.

But magic is more than spells, Wizards, faeries and unicorns. Magic is the lifeblood of all these things and more. Magic has been a part of stories ranging from Paul Bunyan to Santa Claus.

The second element is adventure. Adventure is more than swashbuckling, chandelier swinging, high seas sailing adventures. The first part of the adventure is–as in real estate–location, location, location! What would Harry Potter be without Hogwarts, or Lord of the Rings without Middle Earth. Location establishes the adventure, from the urban jungle to a floating island.

Another part of adventure is, of course, the action; hence the term action/adventure. Whether its sword fights or bare knuckle brawling, you need to bring the excitement into your fantasy; but make sure your keep it real and accurate. I watch a lot of Errol Flynn/Bruce Lee movies and professional wrestling to guide me through scripting my fights.

The final element is fear. It is the basic element at the core of every human being. Our fear makes us human, gives us that innate curiosity to explore that which we do t know. Without fear, we wouldn’t gather or strength and courage to fight back, that basic survival instinct.

Fear can be visualized in scary monsters, spooky places and death-defying adventure. You see my point? Fear is what brings all three elements together into one story of fantasy.

Like a painter, you start with broad strokes and work your way down to the fine details. In the end, you should have a memorable story you can call all your own. Mine’s called Forever Avalon, what’s yours?

Forever Avalon is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The Dark Tides is now available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iUniverse.

Family will always be there to give you advice, raise your spirits or kick you in the butt when you need it

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f0ccc3b6-4243-49a0-878d-11e449bd63aeI’d like to take a moment to talk about family. Family is at the heart of the Forever Avalon series. It’s the very core of my own life experiences and I can’t imagine what my world would be like without it.

Everyone has their own experiences when it comes to family, both good and bad. I can honestly say I’ve been on both sides and I’d like to think that it’s made me the man I am today.

Through writing, I’ve tried to share my love for my family through my stories. It’s not the exact picture of the perfect little family, but what is? They have been, and always will be, an inspiration to me. My family kept me strong during long deployments with their love and support. I kept that going through my novels, Forever Avalon and The Dark Tides.

In this excerpt from The Dark Tides, I wanted to show how family comes together in times of adversity and demonstrates the strength of love, faith and courage. Caution, SPOILERS!

***

Bryan and Stephanie stepped outside their tent, where Ashley, Andrew, Rose and Edan are waiting. Bryan looked over at Edan and saw he was holding Rose’s hands as he talked to her. Before Bryan could say anything, Sarafina and Hunter joined them, bringing the whole family together.

“Captain O’Brian, are the guns ready to go?” Bryan asked.

“Yes milord, we have 20 canons with about 100 rounds each standing by.”

“Good, stick to the plan. If I have any changes in my orders, I’ll relay messages to you through Maverick, alright?”

“Yes Gil-Gamesh, it will be done,” he said with a bow. As he turned to depart, Rose ignored protocol and, in clear defiance of her parents, kissed him goodbye. Once Captain O’Brian was gone, Bryan glared at Rose, but he knew this wasn’t the time or place for it.

As they gathered together, Hunter broke the silence hanging in the air. “The King asked me to tell his Grandpa good luck today,” Hunter quipped. Everyone just laughed at that, except for Ashley and Rose who were in the dark. “Ask Mom, she’ll explain it to you later.”

“I’m not going to say anything except to tell you all how proud I am of each and every one of you,” Bryan told them. “You have all grown and matured into the best I could have ever hoped for in my children … that includes all of you!” he added, looking directly at Sarafina and Andrew.

“I never really believed in fate or destiny until I arrived on Avalon. Though I still believe that we are in control of our own future, everything that happened has led us to here and now. No matter what, this doesn’t end here. This is only the beginning.”

Bryan’s words inspired them as they hugged each other one last time before leaving … brother and sister, parents and children, husband and wife. Hunter and Andrew head off with Sarafina, leaving on the Gil-Gamesh as he said one last goodbye to Stephanie.

“I love you husband,” she said as she kissed him.

“I love you wife,” Bryan added with their traditional goodbye.

He turned to leave while Ashley, Rose and Stephanie headed toward the hospital. “Okay, now what was Hunter talking about?” Rose asked. “Is Bowen his …”

“Uh-huh …” Stephanie interrupted, trying to be discrete.

“You mean, Hunter and the Queen, they …”

“Yes …” Stephanie cut her off before she said anything out loud.

“Holy …” Ashley cursed.

“Oh that little player,” Rose quipped as they continued to gossip amongst themselves.

***

The Dark Tides is now available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iUniverse.

Fantasy is the great escape that everyone can find their way to

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fantasy_city-982958What is it about fantasy that attracts so many into it? I believe it’s a natural escape mechanism that allows people to avoid the sometimes harsh realities of life. Author Llyod Alexander said, “Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It’s a way of understanding it.”

Both of those sentiments are correct. Fantasy is the one genre that encompasses anything and everything, from historical drama to science fiction, all of these can be defined as some form of fantasy. James Cameron’s Avatar is a great example of that as he combined the futuristic science fiction of space travel, genetic manipulation and scientific exploration to tribal mysticism and spirituality.

The late Terry Prachett said, “Humans need fantasy to be human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.” Just reading that quote brings so many images to mind of stories I’ve read over the years. It speaks volumes about how fantasy stories have evolved over time.

When man first started to explore beyond their normal boundaries, their minds started to see things and explain them in terms of what, today, we would call fantasy. Strange fish in the water were called sea monsters and  ominous sounds from the woods were made by goblins or faeries.

I think that’s why Dungeons and Dragons and World of Warcraft are such popular games. They take the heart of fantasy and bring it to life by immersing the people into the story. Sometimes you’re part of the story, sometimes you create the story yourself. In either case, it is the fantasy that makes it all possible, in your mind and your dreams.

Alexandre Dumas wrote, “When you compare the sorrows of real life to the pleasures of the imaginary one, you will never want to live again, only to dream forever.” Throughout human history, we try to explain both good things and bad by blaming them on gods, monsters or otherworldly creatures. We escaped the horrors of the real world by putting the responsibility on something we couldn’t  explain.

These unexplained phenomenon fell into myth and legend in the stories we know them as today; and today, authors take those stories and turn them into something new and exciting. I took that approach with the Forever Avalon series. I took the legend of King Arthur legend and combined it with all the magical tales of faeries, dragons, wizards and Elves.

This is why I love to use fantasy as the medium for my storytelling. By bringing together these myths and legends into the modern world of today, I’m able to tell these stories for a mew generation. As long as we keep telling these stories, they will go on and on forever.

Professor Jack Zipes from the University of Minnesota said, “Fairy tales, since the beginning of recorded time and perhaps earlier, have been a means to conquer the terrors of mankind through metaphor.” That’s what makes them legendary. That’s what makes them fantasy.

Forever Avalon is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The Dark Tides is now available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iUniverse.

Navigating the maze of a writer’s mind

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mazeistock_000018139778smallJ.K. Rowling said, “I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book!” I think that’s why I enjoy writing so much.

Writing is a very difficult profession to get into. Many famous writers talk about the difficulties they’ve experienced in their career, but they always end that with how much it was worth it.

That part I have to agree with. Writing has its ups and downs. There are times I find myself trapped in a writer’s block that, to me, resembles the hedge maze in The Shining. Then there are times when an idea hits me and, as soon as I get it written down, I am flooded with an overwhelming sensation of joy. The hard part, it seems, is navigating your way through your ideas and putting it down on paper.

I spent my formative years dreaming about being a comic book artist, the next Jack Kirby. I was okay but there were many others better than me. Even after one year of art school, I never improved so I left. I switched from artist to writer when I joined the Navy and became a Navy Journalist. That’s when I really got the writing bug.

I’ve written constantly for more than 30 years, in one form or another. I get excited about what I’m writing, whether it’s a press release on an event on base or another chapter in my next book. What makes it so exciting, on the very of pure exhilaration, is to see your words in print. I will never forget the day I opened a box from my publisher and held my book in my own two hands. It was, as J.K. Rowling said … magical.

Like in other areas of the arts, like music, art and acting, writing is a gift. Some have the ability to take ideas from deep inside and turn them into words, weaving stories that resonate to anyone who reads it.

The ebb and flow of writing can galvanize a writer; it makes us want more. I think the same feelings of elation and disappointment can be found in many professions. One year, Halle Berry earned an Academy Award nomination for her role in the 2001 movie Monster’s Ball; then, a few years later, she wins the Razzie award for worst actress in the 2004 movie Catwoman. Through it all, it didn’t change her as an actress or the roles she received.

Now, I’m no Pulitzer Prize author, by no means, but that doesn’t stop me from working on my craft daily. I may be 51-year- old, but I’m still learning and developing my writing style. I can see the changes within my writing from when I first started all the way to today.

If you are a writer or want to be a writer, you have to work on it every day; and no, texting doesn’t count. To me, texting has ruined the English language, but I’ll save that for another blog.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you believe in yourself and what you’re writing about, then don’t let anything get in your way. Find your niche, that genre that works best for you, and stick to it. Remember, if what you write brings magic into someone’s life, it’ll be worth it in the end.

The story of the Technocrats — An excerpt from “Forever Avalon”

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49cf002f2e0be8dc329cf7ec458bdb77What strikes more fear into a medieval society, a dragon the size of an aircraft carrier or a gun-toting, technology-driven medieval knight? I explored those very premises in my first novel, Forever Avalon. How would a society of based on a medieval hierarchy, guided by the laws of magic, deal with a group of Outlanders who, not wanting to conform to the rest of their society, formed a “home-away-from-home” using outlawed technology?

Here is an excerpt from Forever Avalon which tells the story of the “Technocrats” and Uther’s Folly”.

***

“Over five hundred years ago, shortly after the last Gil-Gamesh was killed, there was a large influx of Outlanders arriving on Avalon. This would be around the 50’s and 60’s, when planes and ships were disappearing regularly in the Bermuda Triangle. Unlike previous Outlanders, these people refused to conform to Avalon society. They did not accept the reign of the monarchy nor were they willing to live a medieval lifestyle. These Outlanders formed their own community on the southwest shores. They separated themselves from Avalon as much as possible and called themselves the Technocrats.

“The single advantage they had, over the rest of Avalon, was gunpowder. They were the first to master the manufacture of gunpowder, cannons and even simple flintlock guns. They used these hi-tech weapons as protection from the evils of Avalon.

“Soon they discovered a large vein of gold under the land they built their community on and things went from bad to worse. They thought this discovery would permit them to buy their way into Avalon society and its good graces. They planned to trade for goods, food, and other items they needed for survival, but they were wrong.

“King Uther XV would not negotiate with the Technocrats under any circumstances. He informed them that the gold, as everything on Avalon, belonged to him. He set up a blockade around the Technocrats and gave them a choice … Surrender or die.”

Stephanie and the children listened intently as Bryan continued the tale. His words did little to comfort them and Stephanie knew it. Like Bryan, she realized that though the truth may be brutal, it’s important they hear it.

“The Outlanders fought back,” Bryan continued. “They made a valiant stand—the stuff legends are made of; but King Uther would not be swayed. To defeat the Outlanders, he forced the wizard’s council to summon the most ferocious beast imaginable … Tiamat, the Dragon God.

“Imagine a dragon the size of an aircraft carrier with five heads, each one with a breath more noxious and deadly than the next. Tiamat destroyed the Technocrats, their entire community, along with every last man, woman and child. King Uther considered this a great victory, but he never realized the cost and boy, did it cost him dearly.

“The wizard’s council warned him that summoning Tiamat came with a price, but Uther didn’t care. When the smoke cleared, Tiamat was gone and so was all the gold. The Dragon God took the gold as payment for services rendered. Everything represented in battle that day was lost in the blink of an eye.

“Needless to say, Uther was not happy. But he didn’t blame himself or the wizard’s council or even Tiamat … He blamed the Technocrats, the Outlanders. He made a decree which stated that, henceforth, any Outlander who came through the barrier shall be killed on sight.”

Those words left Stephanie speechless. The girls clutched their mouths in disbelief. Sarafina hugged them, offering some comfort. Hunter held on to his mother tightly.

Bryan neared the end of his story. “Since any surviving Outlanders were presumed dead by the outside world, King Uther had no qualms about executing them the moment they arrived on Avalon. Some Outlanders were spared, captured and used as slaves, which meant a sentence of instant death for both the Outlander and the person who held him or her captive.

“Candletop Lighthouse,” Bryan explained grimly, “wasn’t built to pick up wayward Outlanders and help them. It was a place to lure Outlanders to their deaths.”

***

Forever Avalon is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

The life of a self-published independent author isn’t easy, it’s hard work

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12175_604543342905256_717300288_n“One cannot self-edit. It is impossible.  Self-publishing is a slippery slope.” This was a comment by Jennifer Jilks in a recent review of The Dark Tides. The reviewer liked so parts of my book, but not as a whole. I appreciate all feedback, even bad reviews. Without it, how can I grow as an independent author.

That got me thinking about this blog post. It is VERY hard to be a self-published, independent author. You’re putting more money out, at times, than what you have coming in from royalties. You try to edit your work as best as you can, but you do miss things from time-to-time. You spend more time typing on a keyboard than you do snuggling with your significant other.

So the question is why be an independent author? Why write at all? For some of us, it’s not just an addiction; rather it’s written in our DNA. I can’t stop writing. I have all these stories in my head, bursting to get out. The only way I know how to do that is to write.

I wish I had perfect grammer along with perfect editing skills to catch every mistep and mistake. In reality, I don’t. I have to trod along like everyone else, rely on spell check to catch some mistakes, and rely on others to help you with your book.

When I published my first book, Forever Avalon, I was extatic. I sent the first copies of my book out to family and friends. You know what I got in return? A two page email from my mother listing all the grammer and spelling errors I missed. I immediately got with my publisher to make those corrections, but I’m sure there are probably still some in the book.

I wish I had the money and the time to devote to perfectly editing my books before their released, but for the independent author, that’s not always possible.I know it sounds like I’m making excuses, but I’m not. I’m just trying to show the reality of the situation.

Spell check has, in part, made all of us a little lazy when it comes to writing and editing. Whenever I talk to students, I warn them … “Spell check is not the be all and end all!” Many of us rely on auto-correct to make writing easy for us, and truthfully, it does. We have to be better than that, but unfortunately, time doesn’t allow it.

I went almost five years between publishing my first book and my second book. It took me twice as long to write and edit The Dark Tides. I had a lot of help from the great people at iUniverse in editing part of my novel, but I still did most of it on my own. We really stick to that word INDEPENDENT when you look at the daily routine of an independent author.

You take the good reviews with the bad reviews, but in my eye, it’s still a review. It means someone is reading my book and, whatever criticism they have, will help me grow as an independent author. I can see the improvements in my writing skills from my first book to my second.

Here’s hoping my third book will be a blockbuster!

The Dark Tides is now available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iUniverse.

“The Dark Tides” book signing event this weekend in Historic Yorktown

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SKU-000941753Navy veteran and author Mark Piggott will be in Yorktown, July 5, signing copies of his latest novel, “The Dark Tides,” at the Gallery in York Hall from 1-4pm. York Hall is located on the corner of Main Street and Ballard Street in Historic Yorktown.

A 23-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, retiring as a Chief Journalist, Mark Piggott has dedicated his life to writing and serving America. He continues to serve the Navy as a civilian public affairs officer.

His passion for writing, his love of “Dungeons and Dragons,” and a recurring dream during his active service in the Navy led to “The Dark Tides,” the second novel in a fantasy series that explores the ties that bind families together, duty to one’s self and one’s country, good vs. evil and magic.

“The Dark Tides” takes the age-old tale of King Arthur, Merlin, and Avalon and provides a “what happened next” approach to the story: Lord Byran MoonDrake, the Gil-Gamesh of Avalon, fights to stop the evil Morgana le Fey and her power called the Dark Tides from claiming the throne of Avalon.

“The story for ‘The Dark Tides’ came to me in a recurring dream that happened every time I went to sea, it was my way of connecting back to my family while deployed,” Piggott said. “I am very passionate about the story and the characters I’ve created here.”

“The Dark Tides: Book Two in the Forever Avalon Series” by Mark Piggott is available in paperback and ebook at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and bookstore.iuniverse.com

How pizza, beer and late night “Dungeons and Dragons” sessions started my writing career

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dungeons_dragons-5I was first introduced to Dungeons and Dragons in 1981, as a college student at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. I got in with a small group of friends who spent their weekends eating pizza, drinking beer and playing D&D. One of my friends was nicknamed Frodo, which tells you a lot about them.

I was hooked instantly. I played constantly, learning everything I could about the game. I bought all the manuals, dice, Dungeon Master boards and graph paper for drawing out dungeons. I even had a Crown Royal bag for carrying my dice, something most D&D players from that era can relate to. It was an obsession.

Unfortunately, I think my over-indulgence in D&D led to troubling issues of living on my own for the first time. I left college and returned home, but I brought D&D with me. I introduced it to my friends at home and we started having all-nighters. That led to low job opportunities and zero prospects of returning to college.

Are you starting to see a pattern here? Well, so did my parents. My father, a retired U.S. Marine, pointed me towards military recruiters. Reluctantly, I did and I soon found myself enlisted in the U.S. Navy; and guess what, I brought D&D with me again.

After I graduated boot camp, I was assigned to Journalist “A” School, where I introduced my shipmates to D&D. We spent our off duty hours playing the game, drinking beer and eating pizza. My first duty station as a young Sailor was the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal, where once again, I got in with a group of Sailors and played D&D.

68171_10204763840443258_1258278380228746833_n

Me in the SITE-TV studio aboard USS Forrestal circa 1986

I think you can see my obsession forming here. D&D consumed my time, especially when we were underway and there was nothing to do. You have to remember, this was before the Internet, email, satellite TV, or video game consoles.

I know you’re wondering why I went to all this length to tell you about how, as a young adult, I was obsessed with D&D. Well, that’s where the story really begins. It was all those late night, weekend long, D&D sessions that led to me writing my two novels, Forever Avalon and The Dark Tides.

I tell this story every time I’m interviewed about my novels, but I wanted to tell it one last time so everyone can understand where the ideas for my stories came from.

I always thought that I had a big imagination. As a teenager, I was creating my own superheroes and I originally wanted to be the next Stan Lee or Jack Kirby.

Playing D&D took it to a whole other level. As a Dungeon Master, I created whole worlds, ever-changing scenarios and formidable characters to challenge the players.

During my first deployment on the Forrestal, I was playing almost nightly, every day while off duty. At the same time, I was missing my wife and newborn baby girl terribly. It was the first time I was separated from family and it was heart-wrenching. That led to some seriously disturbing dreams.

I started dreaming about being stranded on a deserted island; an island filled with the magical fantasy found in D&D. Soon, my wife ended up on the island with me and we had to survive and adapt to living there together.

Over the years, as my children grew, they started to invade my dream. I had that same dream nightly, whenever I was underway, at-sea, away from home; even though I stopped playing D&D altogether in the 90s.

One of the strange things was that, in my dream, I found myself living as one of my best characters I ever created in D&D, a half-elf, chaotic good, fighter/thief/magic user called Luna Moonstone. It was that character that started it all.

After my last deployment in 2001, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, I decided to start writing the dream down and developing it into a story. It took me almost five years to finish my first novel, Forever Avalon, but I did it. I based the Drake family on my own and the rest just fell into place.

After I finished writing Forever Avalon, the dream ended. I haven’t had the dream since then. There was a purpose behind the dream, super-charged by an imagination fueled by D&D and the separation of a family. This is what gave birth to the world of Forever Avalon. I know I can continue the story for everyone to enjoy the adventures of Lord Bryan MoonDrake, the Gil-Gamesh, and his family.

The main thing I wanted to say, through all of this, is that whatever your inspiration is, follow your dream and it will be there for you.

Forever Avalon is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.The Dark Tides is now available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iUniverse.

Magic is at the heart of any good fantasy story

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244277Magic is defined as “the art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of incantation or various other techniques that presumably assure human control of supernatural agencies or the forces of nature.” Magic is at the heart of any fantasy story.

For the Forever Avalon series, I had to come up with the “how’s and how too” of magic in the world of Avalon. That was the easy part. In Forever Avalon, all magic exists only on this enchanted island. When Merlin cast the spell to bring all magic from the outside world to Avalon, it infused the island with magical energy. Magic exists in every rock and tree, plant and animal, man, Elf, Dwarf and creature alike.

So now the question is asked, how do you access that magic? To me, the innate ability to tap into magical energy requires thought, belief and the right word. Anything is possible if you believe in it. Faith, courage and the human spirit has shown us that throughout history. If you add magic into the mix, the impossible becomes possible.

The Gil-Gamesh explained it best in in a conversation with his son-in-law Andrew in this excerpt from The Dark Tides.

***

“Here, the impossible is possible. The laws of nature are reversed. This is a world based on magic, not science.”

“But basic science rules apply, don’t they? I mean, practices like physics and chemistry, they still exist or else you couldn’t get your ship to fly or fire to burn.”

“True, but it’s how we get that science to work. We take that one step, beyond the reason of science and make it happen through magic,” Bryan explained. “For example, science tells us that folding space to travel from one place to another instantly takes tremendous power and an equation as long as a football field. But on Avalon, all it takes is a good wizard with the right spell.

“Eo Ire Itum! ” Bryan chanted as he waved his hand and in an instant, vanished right before Andrew’s eyes.

“You see?” said a voice from behind. There stood the Gil- Gamesh, appearing out of thin air.

“I really can’t explain it and even I had my doubts when I first arrived here,” he continued as he sat back down. “But, the longer you’re here, the more magic touches you, it will make you feel younger, vibrant and more alive and it will make you believe that anything is possible. I think that’s why magic left the outside world. It wasn’t just Merlin’s spell, it was also because of man.”

“I don’t understand?” Andrew queried.

SKU-000941753“Well think about it; at the end of the ‘Dark Ages’ man had already began to fundamentally change the way we thought about the universe. Science had answered the age old questions … Gravity, stars, planets, the Earth itself. People like Galileo, Copernicus, da Vinci and others changed the way we thought about life. Science was now our magic.

“Merlin’s spell brought all things magical to the realm of Avalon. In the outside world, there is only science. Here, magic and science co- exist with magic leading the way. That’s what makes the impossible possible on Avalon,” he concluded.

***

So now that we know how magic works, the next question was spells. I didn’t want to create a whole new language for spells, I decided to use one of the oldest languages as the basis for magical incantations … Latin!

First and foremost, I want to thank the University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!) for one of the best English to Latin translators online. All I had to do was type in a word or phrase and it would give me various usage options for those words. That helped tremendously in the creation of magical spells.

The last element was components. This is something I can harken back to my days of playing Dungeons & Dragons. I remembered that a simple darkness spell required bat fur and charcoal to complete the incantation. I wanted to incorporate this into my spell casting but not for every type of spell.

Since Avalon was infused with magic, simply lighting a candle shouldn’t require a pinch of sulfur. So, the more complicated the spell, the more components are required to cast the spell. Even harder spells require a magical item as a “well” to draw upon the magic of Avalon to power the spell (hint, if you want to see this in action, read The Dark Tides to see how Morgana Le Fay wields her magic through the Orb of Veles).

Magic is at the heart of a good fantasy story and as writers, we have to be the sorcerer and create the spells, components and magic items to bring the magic to life.

The Dark Tides is now available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iUniverse.

Frustration is the bane of all independent authors!

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facebook-frustration_fullI realize the headline is a bit of a bold statement, but it’s something I’ve experienced quite a lot since I started writing and marketing my novels. It’s not a frustration associated with writer’s block but more so the after effects when you’re trying to get yourself out there through marketing, sales, etc.

I really believe this is the bane of all writers. We all love to write and enjoy sitting down at the computer, typewriter or with paper and pencil to let our ideas flow. it’s what comes afterwards that compounds the situation.

This week, I traveled up home to N.J. for a book signing event for local authors at a local bookstore near my hometown. There were more than 20 authors there signing books. We were cramped together in long tables scattered about the bookstore. Through it all, I only sold two books to friends of mine who came to support me and get signed copies of my book, The Dark Tides.

That was pretty much the highlight of my trip. As authors, we get these images in our minds of long lines of people waiting to get their book signed, taking selfies with fans, talking to everyone about your book, getting feedback, etc. In reality, especially for independent authors like me, that never happens.

That’s what can be so frustrating when you’re trying to break into the publishing world and establishing yourself as an author. You know you have a great story to tell and want to share it with everyone else, but marketing and publicity cost money. Unless your name is Rockefeller or Kardashian, its hard to make ends meet when you’re doing all your publicity on your own.

I came home to Virginia feeling frustrated, disappointed and unfortunately, I took some of that out on my family. I broke down, wondering if this is worth all the pain and frustration I am putting us through, not to mention the downward spiral of financial woes piling up.

On my long drive back home, I was flipping through channels and came across pastor Joel Osteen. As if fate, destiny or ordained by God, his sermon was on frustration. He said that people can get frustrated with things happening in their life and pray to God to remove them, but He doesn’t always do that. God puts these obstacles in our way to help put us on the path he has carefully carved out for each one of us.

I’m trying to preach but I realize that he was right. Each one of the setbacks I’ve experienced since I started writing my novels is just another step forward to bigger and better things. Every author who made a name for themself has experienced this at some point in their career. I can’t let it bring me down. I have to pick myself up and keep moving forward.

If you let the frustrations associated with publishing your book keep you from doing what you love (and that’s writing) then you shouldn’t have started this journey in the first place. It may not line up perfectly for you but, in the end, it will make you a better person.