Don’t think I’ve forgotten you

Don’t think I’ve forgotten you, my faithful readers and those looking for a new story series to read. I admit, it’s been a couple of months since I last posted to this blog. I’m sure you’ll forgive me.

What have I been doing in the meantime? As it turns out, a lot, but all in the background. I’ve met with several people about the future of my writing. They include a publicist, copy and book editors, and readers, among others. I’ve updated the look and feel of my website, gearing it to work well on any device, desktop, tablet, and mobile devices, including cell and mobile phones. Yes, I know “cell” and “mobile” generally refer to the same thing, but in different parts of the world they’re called different names. So, here’s an abstract of what I’ve been doing.

Website Design

I spent a lot of time researching and deciding on the design. I hope you like it. At just about a second, it loads fast. It is easy to read on any device. The impetus to redesign the site began with a security alert. Apparently, the site contained some hidden malware. When I talked to my web host, they informed me my anti-malware software was a few years out of date. So old was it that they no longer sold it. I never got a good answer as to why they didn’t have me upgrade it. Nevertheless, I not only upgraded it but also put it behind a firewall to further protect it. It took a few weeks to work everything out, but a month later, it works well, and I accomplished my goal… NO MALWARE INFECTIONS.

Research and Marketing

Throughout late March, April, and May, I conducted extensive research on how to market my books and planned my next course of action. Two things came out of that, the first, an increase in targeting my social media promotions. It’s not as if I’m losing money. I’m not, but I’m barely coming out even. Officially, I lost money last year, ending the year in the red. But I planned for that. I used to make more money a decade ago simply by advertising on Amazon. But then they changed their processes, and my royalties plummeted. I’ve been trying to get back to that level for years now. I’m still crossing my fingers that I can get there.

Audiobooks

As a part of my research, I noticed that audiobooks were really taking off. I already had three of them, and I had sold a few, but I hadn’t done anything to expand. Then, an amazing thing happened. A friend of mine, who I knew wasn’t much of a reader, listened to one of my audiobooks while his wife read the paperback version. He told me he listened to the audiobook while driving for work and loved it. He then asked if I had any more, as he wanted to read (listen) to them in the car. His wife still hasn’t finished the paperback, but she promises me she will.

After discussing the future of my writing, he asked me to alternate between writing the next installment of the Mona Bendarova Series and converting my existing novels into audiobooks. Hmmm… I told him that was really hard. Amazon’s way of turning a book into an audiobook is easy on the surface, but it forces me to upload a manuscript for publication that works fine for a reader but not for someone listening to the audiobook. Plus, it takes me a month or more to complete one book, even when I focus all my energy on producing the audiobook.

I had to come up with a better way. Back to research, I eventually found an AI utility that would narrate the book in a natural voice, similar to the way Amazon does. Now I could edit the story, listening to it and hearing where the manuscript didn’t quite work. Brains have a wonderful way of filling in the gaps when reading text on paper. It’s a whole different thing when listening to it. Which brings me back to converting my novels into audiobooks. The first sex novels in the Consortium Series are now available as audiobooks. I’m working on Book 7. Book 1 of the Origin series is also available as an audiobook, and the plan is to convert Books 2 and 3. I should be able to finish converting both series by the end of the month.

Mona Bendarova

This series needs to be finished. I agree with readers who asked when I can pick up where I left off. The answer is that if all goes well with the Consortium audiobook conversions, I’ll start on that at the end of this summer. And yes, I’ll be converting this series into audiobooks, too. I expect it will take me the rest of the year to finish this series, assuming I don’t find a hook that lets me add more stories to it. Personally, I like the community that I developed with the characters. I would love to expand it beyond the conclusion I have in mind.

What next?

Who knows. I love writing, so I will continue with that. I miss painting and drawing, so I may get back into some of that between writing. Once my terminally ill partner passes on, I need to keep in mind what needs doing. I’m her full-time caregiver. After that happens, I have a number of things to do, mostly around the house, to repair the damage caused by caring for her. So don’t think I haven’t forgotten you. I haven’t.

That’s my life these days. I want you to know I always have you, my faithful readers, in mind. You know who you are. Keep sending me comments, questions, and well wishes. I hope you enjoy the summer, and happy reading.