What am I babbling about? Well, in short, me and my work. I've been playing it safe for a long time, and as I've been growing in my skill and confidence, I feel like I've been outgrowing a lot of the training wheels I've been wearing. I'm ready to make some serious movement, but I'm going to need a bigger team to get where I want to go. So, Loyal Fans and Followers, I'm announcing the end of my two first editions, Galen and Freakhouse.
Don't worry, they won't be gone forever, but I need to do more justice to them than what I've been capable of giving thus far. At least for Freakhouse. I submitted Freakhouse for some serious review and the feedback I received was better than expected. I don't do much marketing, and as such, I don't often hear reviews from completely out of the blue, so when someone who critiques novels for a living tells me that I'm heading in the right direction with my craft, the least I can do is make sure that what I present to the public reflects that.
Galen... well, I'm still too nervous to go back and give that one a re-read because I already know how far I've come since I released that one. It wasn't my first novel, but it was the first one that I really thought could be taken seriously. I know that I've read worse books out there that come with far more acclaim, but it's not about being good, it's about me being at my best, and I don't think that Galen represents that for me at this point. Freakhouse, though, I still feel it every time I read it, and when other readers tell me how painful they find the story, well, I know I've done something right.
Just to be clear, I'm not taking these titles down because I'm ashamed of them. I'm taking them down because I'm proud of them. I was proud of them when they were polished up after numerous edits, but now, I want you all to feel proud of them, too. Don't think of it as me preparing them for the world so much as preparing the world for them. Consider this part of my New Year's Resolution. A new me, a new start, a new face for my paperback babies!
If you really want these first editions, place your order before the end of January 2015. I'll be discontinuing them come February 2015. No idea when they'll resurface, but you can bet that I'll be announcing it to the world when they do! Stay tuned!