Posted 13 Feb 2018 science fiction
Life lately has been a flurry of Flotsam-related emails and phone calls. It is tremendous and I wouldn't trade it for the world, but it's left my head in a bit of spin and it's definitely impacting the work I'm trying to get done on Phantom Traveler. Add to the mix that the Ketovangelist team (of which I am a part) is ramping up for the big event of the year, KetoCon, which was moved from August to June for 2018. As I'm designing the graphics for that, there's a bit of a dog-pile in my to-do list at the moment. But it feels amazing, and I'm heady from the excitement. A few more blogs have been added to the list for launch week and thankfully they either match well with some of the unclaimed content I've written already, or are interview questionnaires so I don't have to come up with another discussion point! I am definitely experiencing a dearth of self confidence at the moment, but I am hopeful this is fleeting. I'm feeling entirely unqualified to touch on the subjects I approach, even though they are the honest pieces of my own artistic journey. It's a strange thing to think I am unqualified to tell my tale. Last night, Brian and I interviewed Rachael Herron for a future HAP episode. The main focus was memoir, as Rachael's just released Fast-Track Your Memoir, and I realize I cannot remember the last time I read a memoir. I'm pretty sure there's at least one in my kindle, but I always let SFF books jump the queue (there's definitely a lot of "ooh, shiny!" in my TBR priority). So Brian and Rachael agreed Michael Crichton's Travels is the bee's knees and I suppose that's a good place to start. I'll find myself a paperback copy at some point. I think part of my self-confidence break-down is a result of missing my goals as I work. Some things come up and need to be taken care of whether I'd scheduled them in or not. That's just life. When I review my to-do list, sometimes I see how much I have gotten done and celebrate. Other times, I see where I thought I'd be in a certain timeline of one project on a given day and despair. Such is me. In production terms, Colin and I are going back and forth on Flotsam's cover art because I wasn't happy with the way the title appears on the spine, plus we have a new amazing blurb for the cover from Mary Robinette Kowal. Speaking of Mary Robinette Kowal, I am expecting to receive a mastered audiobook to review any day now. That will definitely throw my to-do list into a spin, as I need to review that and get it back asap, and I want to do it with the written version in front of me to at least note any differences (even if they are made intentionally). And then, of course, there are the blog tour essays. I have 14 in production plus an interview that I started but haven't finished. It's a "what are you reading" blog post and I'm torn between answering it now because of the books I'm reading or closer to launch when I will no doubt be on to other things. I tell myself the information won't be evergreen and I should compose my answers while I'm still able to think straight. Tomorrow I can technically "ping" a blog host I submitted to but haven't heard back from. I am terrified to do this. Part of me wants to assume rejection and slink away without further damage to my pride. The other part is the side of me that dragged me out of my hotel room into the crowded halls of last year's SFWA Nebula conference when I wanted to hide, and she keeps telling me that "checking in after ten business days is part of the submission guidelines." She's the worst. A few book review sites are starting to post about Flotsam's upcoming release. It's terribly exciting to get a ping from my saved Google searches that another mention of "R J Theodore" has turned up! Thursday, Colin's interview goes up on HAP. I hope it's as much fun as I remember and that the listeners also enjoy it! Also on Thursday, I am getting my nails done. I have grown quite dependent on having ballistic-proof nails that don't break when I look at them funny, not to mention having fun colors that don't chip. I also don't hate the amazing massages that go with them. Between that and Friday night, when we see Black Panther, I am going to consider that my pre-launch vacation and soak up the good feels before I head back into the trenches. I've just planned away my week (I tend to do that) but part of the fun of that is finishing and realizing it's only Tuesday. I've got lots of time. Everything's going to be fine. *deep breath*