You're an author right? What do you want from me?  I normally stay somewhat tight-lipped over my feelings where they pertain to working a day job and being an author.  I do complain, mostly to my girlfriend about the way things are, but often I am guilty of being just as obnoxious as everyone on Twitter, Facebook, & Google+...  Ah yes, social networking.  For an indie author it's a necessary evil.   Some people must hate me.  I actually don't blame them.  I do post a bunch of stuff.  You actually have to, or no one will ever read your novels.  Some probably like me too, since I try to help other authors out as much as I can.  We live in a crazy time.  Technology has fast eclipsed our abilities to keep up.  There are such varied tastes, and so many millions that have them it must be a better time for books? I can't say for certain.  One of the things that is truly awesome about current times, as opposed to the early 90's when I had to write a book on an old typewriter is the ease a writer can experience in putting their material out.  Back then, you typed your manuscript until it was perfect, printed it out, and then mailed it to publishers to get it released.  Things like Createspace were not possible then.  Matters would have been financially impossible to go indie then.  Then there would have been no way to market it.  Not to mention, I can't see Cult of Morgod coming out through a mainstream publisher.  All I know is that I do this because I have to, I'm hardwired to create.  Always have been.  Now its become my way to stay sane, my hobby, and a way to push myself to get better.  My grandma used to say "You have every day to get better."  I get it now.  A guitar teacher told me if I played my guitar as often as I breathed then playing guitar would be as simple as breathing.   For right now, writing is a different bag.  Let me give you a short run through of this year: While finishing work on The Vampire Faus: Dragon Stone, I began to revise Fallen Song- a 194, 932 word Ways of the Stygia novel.  This turned into me re-writing large sections of that book.  Then came putting it out.  I acquired a new cover, and put it on Amazon first.  It took forever for me to get it right.  Then the Nook version- then Kobo.  Why does every company make you format your book differently?  I actually deplore Smashwords- so that's a no go.  So, I struggled with these, while getting ready to move, working a day job, etc.  then set to work on paperbacks. Jen had completed a second edit of The Bitter Ends, so feeling like this is a book for the masses, we put this new edit out on Lulu, which in turn released it on Nook, Kobo, and iPad.  This happened while I reworked the cover, and formatted the print copy.   Primal Publications was born.   Since The Bitter Ends, I have released several paperbacks, one after the other, to clear up my work load so that possibly next year I can focus less on formatting and more on writing... These are Ways of the Stygia: Fallen Song, Banner, & Cult of Morgod, along with 7 Slices. Oh speaking of writing, I appeared in four volumes with the Indie Collaboration including Tales From Darker Places, which I edited and formatted for Lulu and print.  If you missed those stories read 7 Slices.  This should catch you up. Steal this book here In addition to all those Indie Collaboration stories, I re-wrote Banner, plus did huge edits/rewrites on Fallen Song & Cult of Morgod, another 198k behemoth.  I'm writing two stories for two paid anthologies I'm in at the moment, while my novel, The Bitter Ends Otherside of Town is three stories away from completion.  I have decided to push it's release back until next year, not because it isn't done, but because I want it to have a chance.  I have enough new stuff to check out right now.  One story, Sandra, has seen the press already, and there's a great relative read out there right now- The Bitter Ends.  I honestly do not get the market.  I know Facebook limits you, but I swear, Walking Dead Fans would love my $10 paperback, or the .99 eBook if they gave it a read.  That wasn't intentional, I just wanted to make it a great zombie book if I was going to write it- and I love it.  That is what counts.
 At the end of the day I am glad some of its this way.  Nobody tells me what to write but my gut.  It's pretty fun.  Except for the minor annoyances.  It is tough being a part of a community where no two authors operate the same.  I try to edit my stuff first- some mistakes make it out there- but I try.  I write deeply textured stories.  They're bloody- they're dark- They're violent... but they have meaning.  I write what I want to read. Have I been successful?  Yes.  Even if I am not rich, I have a lot to be grateful for.  I am proud of all my novels.  It tickled me to hold the print copies- its been cool to connect with people who want them, to sign them.  It was fantastic to see my sales chart last month, where several units were sold of each book I sell over Amazon.  There was movement in every category.  I'm not bragging- and like I've said,  I'm not getting rich.  If Jen and I sat down and computed how many hours we put into this  versus pay, we would feel foolish.  We did.  For two seconds.  It gives us both something to try for.  And you know what?  It's working. Primal Publications doesn't only have me aboard as a writer.  We have author Lynn Kings, who is putting out her non-fiction book, tentatively titled "Lynn on Life" about her struggle with depression through Primal, and Dirk Fender has been staying busy putting out Kindle shorts through us for Kindle Unlimited. His first series is called Retail Hell.  He tells me there will 24 total episodes... Look for a new episode around Black Friday. His take on things is rather naughty by nature, but I laugh every time I read him.   So that's how much I have been doing.  Back to social networks.  Why are some of these people such hacks?  Why are they so pushy?  I turned down the opportunity to trade reviews today, since my immediate TBR list is gigantic, and I have promised reviews being waited on.  Also, I like to read something that is fiction, not some report, converted to eBook...  This author/publicist was so rude.  How does that serve anyone? ATTENTION AUTHORS: WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER. Does this mean I would not have shared her link?  Nope.  But because I wouldn't review her book she was upset.  Okay.  I've wished some people would have not read mine at all.  Different strokes.   Except this incident got me thinking...  those old synapses are really firing.  She's probably just as frustrated as I am.  If someone sends a Facebook invite, I like their page.  It feels rude to me to post on their wall with "I liked yours, will you like mine?"  To me, that's what invites are for.  Truth is, I don't even know if likes help you since Facebook regulates the number of times any post is viewed, unless you pay them for an advertisement... Likes on your Amazon page?  Who knows?  Goodreads?  The same.  Here's the thing, when my band was starting out we played at underage beer-keg parties to get exposure.  Our pay?  Beer.  I could have bought myself a few beers with the last payment I received from Amazon.  Don't get excited, I still have a day job.  Does it bother me?  Sometimes.  Mainly this is because I want to get all these stories out of my head.  There's only one problem, new ideas just replace the old ones.  So in the end, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! Here's to the annoying spammers, the obnoxious erotica covers, the drama over blogs, over a review, your 99 sale, your book, Dirk's Fender's books, the Walter Rheins & Matthew Keiths, the fine works of Bonadonna, or Rypel.  I love to see ads,  Why?  Because people are out there putting it on the line.  Through social networking I've gotten to know several of the people I just name dropped, and many more.  I would have never read Janet Morris if it were not for Facebook, and Walter's Heroic Fantasy page.  I will always be grateful to Walter Rhein for his page.  Just because I met Janet there.  That alone makes it all worth it for me.  I laugh every time I see Walter's greeting to a new Heroic Fantasy member.Why? Because that's what it's all about.  Yeah, I'm an author, and I self promote.   I also help others when I can. I believe in storytelling, and in reading. I'm never going to stop either.  Ever. What do you want from me?