More on Dread Sorceress

Early work in progress images for the cover of Hemlock and the Dread Sorceress are starting to arrive in my mailbox (teaser at left).  It's always a thrill to open up a new revision and see it getting closer to the final product.  It's also a tangible sign that a new novel is really on the horizon.  A novel may ultimately be a collection of words, but a cover somehow makes it seem more tangible--even in the case of an eBook.

I am continuing to get amazing ideas for the final part(s) of the Maker's Fire series.  At this point I am seeing one more book in the series, but who knows--it could be two.  The idea I got today was really amazing.  As I imagined it, I had that simultaneous feeling of pride and humility that often accompanies what I consider to be my best concepts.  I feel that I am not creating these ideas but channeling them from some higher order.  It may sound far fetched, but that's how I feel about my process.  So there is humility, but my ego is still sated in the process.  I do experience pride at being the "vessel" for a good concept.  But, oh woe is me, the idea I had today is still so far along in the story.  I am anxious to get to it--but I don't like to write scenes out of sequence if I can avoid it.  I'll just have to keep writing, and try to get to it as soon as I am able.

This idea I got today strikes me as being more profound than most because it ties in to some dream images that I've been experiencing for years.  Could this story have been connected to me for all this time and only now manifesting?  I'm trying to stay somewhat grounded here, but the magnitude of this latest idea, and the sense of catharsis that it's producing are really significant.  If I'm not destined to be writing these books at this time, in this place, and in the way I'm going about it then I must be really self delusional, because it is proving to be an amazing journey.

I'm still struggling with the price point for Hemlock and the Dread Sorceress.  My two choices seem to be: a) price at $1.99, which would seem to be a fair price given the shorter length, but will likely produce a net loss (after cover art and editing) at the lower Amazon profit margin, or b) price at $2.99 and risk alienating readers who purchased Hemlock and the Dead God's Legacy, which is nearly twice as long as Dread Sorceress, at the same price.  When in doubt, I think it's best to side with the reader, so option a) is in the lead.  Another option would be to price at $2.99 on Amazon and $1.99 on other outlets through Smashwords.  Perhaps that is the best option, although it's kind of bending Amazon's publishing rules.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you are doing well!