Linda Govik's Blog

Well, here I am. New blog, almost new year…

Since I happened to erase my blog some years ago (in strictly technical terms, it was a bug and there was an update and… Bye, Bye Blog), this is now my new “habitat”. We’ll see how this goes.

So, what’s happened this year, in the book section? Not much, actually. I went into a kind of hiatus for the first part of the year, and as far as I remember, didn’t read a whole lot, and certainly nothing that stuck in my mind. I just didnt enjoy reading. During the second part of the year, things started to brighten, however, as I got my hands on the wonderful “Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine”. After that, my appetite for books was definitely woken, and I picked up the pace with my reading. I found some true gems, I found some… non-gems but I’m reading, folks, and I’m enjoying every moment of it. I’ve also started to document everything through Goodreads, which is good (because my memory has the quality of a fruit fly and I need all the help I can get).

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Me and my pals

Some points from my reading year:

Highlights: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. The Wall by Marlen Haushofer

Bummer: that I didn’t read more this year

Looking forward to in 2019: reading the last two parts in the Brenda Jagger series I recently discovered (after 25 or so years)

What about my writing year, then? Well, that was a whole lot more interesting, in a whole lot of interesting ways.

First of all, I’m doing very well with Secrets (which is the second part in the Legacy chronicles). It’s going so well, in fact, that it should be finished next year (yay!). Secrets has been my main focus throughout the year. It’s a massive beast of a book, maybe not so much in quantity (fortunately) but in terms of tying up all loose ends and making all characters follow a route that will satisfy them, and the readers. I think I’ve managed that, actually. For those who like Lyndon Stanford, this book won’t disappoint, that’s all I can say.

I can’t remember when, exactly (= my fruit fly memory again) I made the decision to publish my sweet romance, Heart Full of Stars. Let’s just say it wasn’t a completely rational decision. I never meant to publish it in the first place, see: it just started as a side project to Secrets, to get a bit of relief from the heavy subjects in that book. Besides, I like to have a few projects going at the same time, because writing should be fun and this makes it more so.

In any case, as it was, since it was a finished story, I decided to send it out for professional editing. Accidently, when choosing the service, I happened to buy a whole package, which included the whole enchilada: editing, copy-editing, formatting, cover design… and that was the start of THAT little circus.

What I’ve learned during the process that I didn’t learn when publishing Legacy:

Professional help is totally awesome and a must for a great looking product (thank you, Quiethouse Editing)
Netgalley is a good way to get reviews, but be prepared that not all you receive will be praise (see below)
Not everyone is going to love your stories. I discovered how spoiled I’ve been with Legacy, where all my few reviews are just sweet and beautiful and praising. Heart Full of Stars is a different ball game, which of course also has to do with the fact that it was put out to more reviewers and have received a lot more feedback, both great and not-so-great. The thing is, you know you will receive some hits and punches along the way, but still, you are never prepared when it happens. It will hurt. Bbbbut, the old saying “suck it up, buttercup” comes into play here, and you have to look at the positive things as well (some really sweet reviews and happy readers) and tell yourself that you’re going to survive (because you will). The most important lesson I’ve learned, however, is a truly great one: that I, myself, have a responsibility to be respectful when I review books I’ve read. Because there IS a person on the receiving end, and there are also readers on the other end of the spectrum who might love and cherish the book. Am I going to tell them that they are idiots for liking a book that isn’t to my liking? In the past, I probably would have, and I enjoyed roasting books in reviews as well. Now? Nope. I’m allowed not to like books, of course (this is a democracy after all, and we all like different things) but I shall be respectful when reviewing them, if I review them at all. That’s my New Year’s Resolution.

In any case, here’s my year in writing:

Highlights: I now have two books out there. Two! That’s so cool!

Bummer: I wish I was finished editing Secrets, but heck, it’s going well, so I shouldn’t complain.

To look forward to in 2019: definitely to put Secrets out there. For the publishing process I’m going for the full package to get a product I can be proud of. If I can afford it, Legacy will get a make-over as well.

My general conclusion for my writing year is definitely that the process of writing is what people would call “living the dream”. The process of publishing/marketing, however, is more of a “living the nightmare”. As with everything in life, I guess it’s a balance thing, and quite frankly, I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

Here’s to a well-balanced and above all, creative, 2019!

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