Which do you want first?
Let’s start with the good news. There have been two major developments in the past week related to the Ted Saves the World Series. First and foremost, the second installment in the series, Mind Over Easy, is now available for pre-order on Amazon! While the book will normally be priced between $3.99 and $4.99, I’m keeping it $2.99 for the rest of the pre-order period (through October 18th). Buy it now to get the discount and get it delivered directly to your Kindle in 30 days!
I’m deep in editing mode for Mind Over Easy and I think this one is going to be really special. After some help by my amazing beta readers, I turned an entertaining yarn into something I can be proud of. I can’t wait for you to see what Ted, Erica and the gang are up against next!
The second development of the week is that I’ve found a narrator for the audiobook edition of Ted Saves the World! Steven Jay Cohen, a narrator, professor and actor, has agreed to take on the task of bringing Ted Finley and his friends into your earbuds. Steven won me over with his commitment to the story and his desire to get the book far and wide to as many listeners as possible. Audiobooks take some time to get right, so keep an ear out for the book in December. If you’re already trying to come up with gift ideas for everyone you love, make sure to keep the Ted audiobook in mind.
Have you been overwhelmed with this good news? Are you dreading the bad news? Time to rip the bandaid off.
Last Friday, I received a call from my boss, telling me that I was let go from the freelance gig I’d had for the last four years. I’d written thousands of articles for the company while I was there, but the boss decided that he’d rather have the articles done by someone younger and cheaper than myself. It’s a sound business decision, but it served as a punch in the gut for me.
The freelance gig pulled in about 60 percent of my monthly revenue, several hundred dollars of which went right back into my fiction and non-fiction writing expenses. Four years earlier, if I’d never gotten the job, I might still be back at square one as an occasional author, so I’m eternally grateful. After losing it, I worried that my efforts to look for new work might cause havoc on my planned writing production schedule.
Here’s the silver lining. After hearing the news, I reached out to my friends and colleagues in the writing biz. Within a few days, I’d already gotten two new gigs that will likely bridge most of the gap created by the loss of income. I’ve also decided to pick back up an old business idea that was collecting dust on the back shelf of my mind. Even my dad offered to help out by having me write some content for a new blog. Between these four new ventures, I will have to put in twice as much time, but I believe the returns will lead to even more money that I was making at the old gig.
I’m overwhelmed by the support everyone has shown me during a difficult week. The solitary work of writing can sometimes make you feel like you’re completely alone. If you put yourself out there as an author and a friend, however, the help will be there when you need it. A huge thank you to everyone who messaged me about this most recent development. Your love further convinces me that the painstaking hours of writing and editing have all been worth it.
I hope to be a little more regular on the blog the next month or two, particularly leading up to the release of book #2. Keep an eye out for new posts!
By the way, I’ve included an excerpt from Mind Over Easy in my latest email. Subscribe to my list to get exclusive content like that going forward!
Top Image: Flickr Creative Commons Silver Lining by Bruce Turner
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