In 2018, I had a stroke. While it was happening, I had three thoughts in succession:
“I’m dying. I’m leaving my wife and kids behind. I have so many stories left to tell.”
Two months after I got out of the hospital—having relearned how to talk, walk, and type—I finally typed “THE END” on the original volume of Dark Lament.
I published it in early 2019, far before the book was ready. But all I cared about was getting it out there. To publish all I could before I died.
There was never a real launch plan. I had ARC reviews lined up and got ten reviews in the first month, but I sold maybe 50 copies over the next two years.
In 2021, I revamped Dark Lament, changed the cliffhanger ending my original beta readers hated, and made the “story within a story” concept central to the resolution in this book instead of resolving it later in the series. I brought in far better beta readers this time, and an editor who absolutely wrecked the book. Holy shit! Who knew you had to tell a “professional” editor to use track changes in a manuscript? Fixing that mess took another year.
I’ve gone through a number of covers over the years, gradually dialing in on my genre and ideal readers with my special brand of dark fantasy, which leans further into horror than most fantasy readers are comfortable with. I’m too creepy for fantasy apparently.
So in 2024, I rebranded to my first love—horror—and haven’t looked back since.
But I still have this dark fantasy novel/series, the first book in what will likely be a four- or five-book series. Book two is already written (in rough draft form), so now the question is: what to do with it now?
I also have a nonfiction novel about a fantasy plotting system I created that I need to publish but it doesn’t fit this rebranding anymore. I’m thinking I’ll split it between fantasy and horror. I think I have a separate book on romance plotting working around in my head as well.
I think I’ll probably update the cover for Dark Lament one more time to better reflect what’s selling in the genre. Then I’ll give it to anyone who will read it. If it’s worthy, word of mouth will eventually catch up. If not, I’ve still learned a lot about writing and the business of publishing.
I’ve written half a dozen books since then, though only a couple are currently in the publishing pipeline. This includes my urban fantasy Freaktown, which I may or may not publish under a different pen name. Still working that out. And my grad school thesis Laughlin’s Legacy, a cosmic horror/occult detective novel/series.
In the meantime, Dark Lament is free. Please don’t download it unless you’re actually going to read it. I don’t need downloads. I need people to read my work before I die. That might be in 20 years, or it could be tomorrow.
If you plan to read it, you will need to sign up to get it. I don’t have an active newsletter at the moment, so you won’t be hearing from me right away. In a few months, maybe. You’re welcome to stay or unsubscribe when that happens.
If you enjoy the book, please leave a review on Amazon. It’s no longer on Kindle Unlimited. Then tell someone else about it and where to download it. I’ve already given away about 3,000 copies through promotions since 2021. I’ll give away another 5,000 copies if people will read it.
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/jdgsh80008