I apologize for the late posting. Yesterday was a hectic day in our home as my beautiful, brilliant, clever, kind, warm, witty, wonderful daughter got her acceptance letter for her first choice college and there was much jumping and crying and laughing and buying of [REDACTED NAME OF SCHOOL] logo garb and I just plumb forgot. Those darn feelings ....
Last week, in support of the launch of my second book, DARK STREETS, COLD SUBURBS, I was invited to be a guest poster at the Jungle Red Writers. It’s a group of fantastic women who really know what it means to support other women and other writers. The topic I chose was the less positive feelings as a debut author. It was a bit of a bummer but it was honest.
My friend, Kellye Garrett, winner of the Lefty, IPPY, Agatha, and Anthony for Best Debut in 2018, messaged me that she enjoyed the piece and she wished more people would address the emotional downsides of publishing. I’m sure she agrees with me that someone sharing downsides probably wouldn’t have put us off our aspirations but forewarned is forearmed.
In no particular order:
Terror
Anguish
Despair
Panic
Okay, it’s not that dire … all the time. 😉 But it is an emotional tumult and people should know that - informed consent, if you will.
Non-writers, or unpublished writers, always ask, “Are you excited?”
And the answer is “of course”, but it’s also terrified, anguished, despairing, panicked; in varying degrees, combinations, and concentrations. But the expectation is only excitement, joy, maybe relief and that’s just not how it all shakes out.
You’ve worked too hard, you’ve got too much in your head, there’s a lot of pressure. I think that’s the worst part of it - the pressure. You’re writing the next book in the series, you’re trying to figure out how to get people to buy the book you've just launched and review it (positively, you hope) without coming off like a craven shill, you’re fielding questions like:
‘Where are they going to send you on a book tour?’ Nowhere! I am not JK Rowling or Stephen King.
‘Did you make a lot of money?’ No. No, I did not. *ahem* Not JK Rowling or Stephen King.
‘But you’ll make a lot from book sales, right?’ No. No, I probably will not. See above re: not JK Rowling or Stephen King.
‘How are sales going? I know it just came out yesterday but surely They tell you.’ No, They do not. It is not an instant process and if I were JK Rowling or Stephen King I’d have people breathlessly awaiting sales data but since I am a debut author with a medium-sized publisher, They are on to the next book they’re putting out. They were already onto that book about three seconds after They edited my book seven months ago.
But it's the pressure from yourself that keeps you the most churned up in between the well-meaning friends and family asking the above questions.
Did I really write a good book?
Maybe I’m being punked.
People are going to hate it.
I hate it.
I hate this job.
Why did I want to write books?
Am I too young to become a hermit in a mountain cave?
Is hermit even a viable life choice anymore?
WHY IS THERE NO COFFEE?
But you deal with it. You have no choice. Friends, especially, writer friends talk you down off the mountain. They tell you they hid the coffee because you’ve had way too much. They distract you with funny stories and soothe you with gentle reminders that you did write a good book and that you’ll write more good books.
And you put one foot in front of the other and you keep walking forward. Toward your keyboard. Then you put your hands on it and you make words. Because that’s just the way life is when you’re a writer.
DARK STREETS, COLD SUBURBS is available for purchase now.
Trying to help a teen in peril proves to apprentice PI Willa Pennington that sometimes home is the most dangerous place of all.
People move to the suburbs for a better life—nice houses, good schools, safe communities. But there's no place you can go that's completely safe from danger. Willa Pennington knows this all too well after her first PI case almost got her killed. Helping her old mentor review a decades-old cold case seems much safer. Then she reaches out to a teenager in trouble, and suddenly a new case rips into Willa's life in a way she could have never predicted. It seems menace is always lying in wait behind someone's door. Especially on the dark streets of the cold suburbs.
Praise for What Doesn't Kill You, book 1 in the Willa Pennington, PI mystery series
"A debut that saddles tough-girl noir with the heart of a cozy."-- Kirkus Reviews
"The book has plenty of twists and surprises, but what stands out is the tight writing and fast narrative of the author's debut novel."-- Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
"Aimee Hix is an up-and-coming author everyone should watch."-- Crimespree Magazine
"This is a solid beginning to a character and setting that could go on to very good things."-- RT Book Reviews
"Willa Pennington is a smart, savvy, tough heroine with a heart as big as the ocean. I’d follow her anywhere, especially into the pages of What Doesn’t Kill You. She thrilled me, scared me, and made me laugh and cry all on the same page."
-- Eileen Rendahl, bestselling author of COVER ME IN DARKNESS
"Aimee Hix writes a gripping mystery with just the right amount of heat and humor. Fans of Kinsey Millhone will find much to love in the complex, smart and smart-mouthed ex-cop Willa Pennington. I couldn't put this book down."
-- Jess Lourey, Anthony-nominated author of SALEM'S CIPHER
"This impressive debut packs more hairpin turns than a mountain road, whip-smart dialogue, and plenty of steam in the romance—but its greatest strength lies in the walk-right-off-the-page characters. I would love to take Willa out for a drink (or three). Hix has created a fresh, feisty, and utterly fabulous heroine readers will crave more of.”
-- LynDee Walker, Agatha Award-nominated author of LETHAL LIFESTYLES
"One of the best debut efforts I've ever seen. Tight plotting, edge-of-your-seat suspense and a protagonist in PI Willa Pennington you'll want to read about again and again. I couldn't put this book down." -- Maggie Barbieri, author of ONCE UPON A LIE
Congrats to your daughter!
There is a lot of truth in this post. How can I tell? I’m friends with enough authors. And the little bit of stuff I write myself I go through the exact same emotions.
Posted by: Mark | January 15, 2019 at 08:27 AM