Multiple BAGs

My Big Audacious Goal for the year was to send Apocalypse through querying, and I veered from that goal, deciding to self-publish January 1. I made the decision after learning that agents are receiving up to 600 queries to review annually. Or maybe in a shorter amount of time. In addition, my novels tend to 70-80k words, too short to be considered for traditional publishing.

My BAG, then, is to publish Apocalypse on January 1st, 2024. I already have a cover (from my favorite artist, Rachel Bond) and could put the whole thing together now in about an hour. I will do so soon.

But there’s the second BAG. I wrote a Kringle romance last November for NaNoWriMo and it took me a while to finish it. I let it sit for a while because I wasn’t sure I liked it. A couple weeks ago ,I looked at it and said, “Wait. I like this.” I will be self-publishing that October 1, 2023. So I will have to get that print-ready sooner. I have a cover, although I don’t like it as well as Rachel’s covers.

I also want to get a freebie set of stories for people who buy Apocalypse. I have those written; just wondering how to distribute. Does anyone have any ideas?

Semper Gumby

“Semper Gumby” is a saying in the emergency and disaster management community (and military) that means to always be flexible. This has been a fine week for the motto.

LOS ANGELES – NOV 27: Gumby at the 85th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade at Hollywood Boulevard on November 27, 2016 in Los Angeles, CA

On Monday, I broke the projector screen to our big lecture hall, readying for my general psychology class. My boss says I didn’t really break it, but I know better. With quick thinking, I projected upon the not-so-ideal whiteboard.

On Wednesday (same class) the projector screen functioned. But the projector did not. So I had to use my PowerPoint slides as notes and give the lecture without visuals, and send the slides later to the 75-person class.

On Friday, the projection unit worked, but my lecture strangely vanished from my computer. So I gave a whole lecture (without notes) on research. Fortunately, I could deliver the lecture without referring to my notes. Next week’s lecture on parts of the brain would not be so easy for me because I’m not a visual person.

All this bad luck seems focused on my gen psych class, which I’m teaching for the first time this semester. If I were a more superstitious person, I’d incense the corners of the room to drive away evil spirits. But I’m a professor, so I rely on semper gumby to get through the daily disasters.

I’m hoping next week goes well.

Playing with Photoshop

I have been making a book cover for my January releases, Apocalypse, using Photoshop. Photoshop has so many features I get lost these days. As a beginner, let me share my thoughts:

Photoshop, despite the name, is not just for photos any more. Posters, book covers — anything demanding more control than Canva can be done here.
Layers are everything. You build a layer every time you add something. A photo, a rectangle, some text — they’re layers. You have to get to that layer to edit and delete. The layer menu is at the lower right.
To your far left are cursor tools, and that’s where your basic powers are hidden. And I mean hidden — one of my favorite tools, paint can, is hidden behind another function.
Whenever you need hel (including finding something), go to Help at the top of the screen at the far right. There is a blank there ideal for finding something.
Take a deep breath. Photoshop is not an easy program androids can make for themselves when they’re you will make mistakes.

I will wait till closer to the release date for Apocalypse to show off the cover. But now you know the most basic of basics to get into Photoshop.

This is Day One

This is how the university is styling this day. The message on the web site, in the hype video we got treated to, and the administration’s speeches, is “Day One”. And Day One for faculty and staff means one thing: meetings.

I am between meeting #2 and #3 right now eating lunch. Meeting #1 is the whole university (not the students, but everyone else) and Meeting #2 is Academic (faculty and staff who support students). Lunch is PSub and meeting #3 is my school meeting. Then the rest of this week is last minute work before classes start on Monday.

On Monday I teach three classes: General Psychology (a new one for me), and two sections of Case Management. I manage 6 interns. I sit office hours and wait for things to get interesting. And they will.

How do I write during the school year? I don’t know how, but I do. On evenings, weekends, Tuesdays and Thursdays between other work I have to do. I sometimes write more efficiently during the school year because my mind has enough buzzing in it to make my writing brain more active. It’s hard to explain. It’s like only being able to write in a room with music or other distraction, which is also something I deal with.

This is all ahead of me. For now I will enjoy the meetings as best I can. Here’s to a great semester!

Summer ends here

The week has gotten away from me, but at least I have been busy while I’ve been gone:

I’ve finished out my summer internship class
I’ve finished up laying my fall courses (except one, which is largely out of my control)
I’ve re-edited Reclaiming the Balance in case I get the courage to publish it
I’ve started editing a reader magnet of short stories in the Archetype universe
I’ve been working with my niece Rachel (a talented artist) to design the cover for Apocalypse, and a rework of Gaia’s Hands. The cover for Apocalypse is so good it makes me happy cry.

And there’s one more day until the beginning of semester meetings. Summer is over, and it was one of the most productive summers I’ve had in a while.

What day is it?

I’m on the road outside Erie PA, after a two-day car ride and an intense three day doing moulage. I’m moody and in need of sleep.

Must be Monday.

I have never been so tired.

I am at New York Hope, a disaster preparedness exercise. After two nights of ten-hour car rides, five hours of sleep a night, and an early morning wake-up call to turn some role-players into victims, I have another day and two nights left for the exercise.

I have never been this tired in my whole life.

Honestly, if I close my eyes I fall asleep at the table. I am contemplating sleeping in a lounge. I keep misplacing my color palate (for giving people bruises and sprains). I don’t know if I can do this, and I have another day of doing this.

I’m going to continue doing this because it’s what I’m here to do, and I am surrounded by sleep-deprived people doing the same thing. Our purpose is to train emerging professionals in disaster and emergency management to deal with situations they’ll face when in the field. This includes search and rescue, triage, evacuation, the news media, and displaced persons.

There will be time to sleep, right?

Doing what it takes

My book Apocalypse is in the hands of beta readers, and I’m going to have to find a couple more readers. But GAAAAAAAAAAH! I don’t know if I can do it.

I’ve published before, so I didn’t think I would have this reaction. But no, here it is, a panic. I tend to flee with panic.

But yesterday I did something that should lock me out of running away — I celebrated my publication early. My husband and I go out to the local Greek place and the celebrating person gets to eat whatever they want. In my celebrations, I prefer rack of lamb. So I ate lamb last night in celebration of future success. This means I have to deliver come December.

I hope I can keep the excitement going; I think I’m going to need it.

The Ups and Downs of Writing

I’m done editing Apocalypse (and editing, and editing). I’m ready to send it to the beta readers. My niece will make the cover (I told her it was due in October, so she has a while). It’s been an intense few days. Now I don’t want to let it out in the wild!

I know Apocalypse will not be among the outstanding books of this era. It’s a small book, and in fact it’s closer to romantic fantasy without the sex. I’m not a prude; I just don’t get why these foul-mouthed leches actually get the woman. But I digress — the book is small, and the topic is heavy. There’s an equivocal happy ending.

The force that will kill humanity visit the ecocollective Barn Swallows Dance. All it will take is to behead Lilith. The pacifist collective wages peace. The outcome of the conflict will change Barn Swallows’ Dance forever.
Lauren Leach-Steffens, Apocalypse

I’m scared it will not get any sales, that it will get low ratings on Amazon. I’m just scared, as I am every time I get to this point. And the thing that scares me most is the elation I get at this stage of the process.

OMG! It’s a good story! I love the plot! I love my characters! I’m going live January 1st! I need beta readers! This might be the one! Should I have a book drop party?

It’s like hors d’oeuvres size bipolar! (Note: I have bipolar disorder, and this feels like a micro-wave version. I’m on meds. I’ll monitor it.)

Obviously, where I need to be is the middle ground, where I look forward to publishing while not getting too giddy. But being giddy is fun! (Until I get grouchy.)

The current state of my teeth

Ow.