Chatting to an author friend today (Barbara Strickland), about what lay ahead for Leeth, she asked whether my idea for the series in the longer term was to pursue the action path or the emotional side of things?

I���m four books in now, and so far I believe I���ve delved deeply into both sides.  I had to stop and think though, to consider Barbara���s question.  Thirty years ago, I thought the series would be a sci-fi/fantasy action series, but when it came down to it, I couldn���t tell the story without honoring the depths of the characters.

(Because I love Mirella���s cover designs, let me just brighten this short post by including them here:)

Anyway, I realised my answer to Barbara���s question was ���both���, even though it means I���ll need to continue a tricky balancing act.  I mustn���t let the excitement of the action elements of Leeth���s dramatic life distract me from the compelling human and emotional side of her story as it unfolds.  There���s no chance of losing sight of that in Book 5, Lost Girl, but in later volumes it may be something I���ll need to keep in the forefront of my mind.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch���

I���ll finish with a quick status update.  In August, Galaxy Bookshop hosted the launch (see the video) for Violent Causes (The Leeth Dossier Vol. 4): all my books are available on the shelves there!  As well, I���ve been learning bits and pieces about book marketing.  I���d much rather be writing, so I plan to go back to devoting myself to that ��� soon.  Maybe I���ll spend one day a week on the marketing side.

Things I���ve been learning about are Facebook ads from Mark Dawson and Nick Stephenson, Amazon ads from Bryan Cohen (I even created some ads), drawing up a far too exhaustive marketing plan, and learning bits about getting reviews and starting up a mailing list.  I also set up my Facebook Author Page (which I gather if you Like it, you���ll be notified when I post something there).  I also 99% converted my Blogger blog site into a kind of web site, only to stumble at the final hurdle.  Two days before I discovered how to overcome that last problem, I gave up and recreated my website in Wordpress.org.  It���s in pretty good shape, though I still have a small list of things to do.  Via my hairdresser Sebastian I discovered the talented Kellie M Davies and through her, the Aussie Speculative Fiction (ASF) FB group.

I also sent some books down to Bendi-con as part of an ASF contingent, and some are on their way soon to Supanova Adelaide and Supanova Brisbane with the same group of Aussie authors.  (We also had a small get-together in Sydney CBD, which was a great evening.)

Roger Patulny kindly agreed to shift the meeting date for our local writers��� group Authora Australis to a Wednesday that didn���t clash with the Sydney Mediaeval and Renaissance Group���s monthly meetings (thanks, Roger et al!), so I can attend regularly.  And this Sunday (Oct 13) Kristyn M Levis will be talking to our Book Marketing discussion group about Instagram for Authors.

I also created my first Nielsen ���Book2Look��� book widget (���biblet���) for Wild Thing.  Biblets let you look inside a book, share it on social media, find out where to buy it, and more.  Oh, and I had a flash fiction sci-fi story accepted by Antipodean SF magazine, called Dangerous January (which will be available there for a limited time).  Which also reminds me: I completed the Neil Gaiman Master Class too, and enjoyed it!

I guess I have been working hard after all (but not with blogging ��� shame, Luke!), even though there���s been far less writing than I like.