In the cold light of Day

“Are things okay at home with your husband?”

Hang on, what?

As readers (especially of the horror variety), we can’t help but wonder “What inspired this piece of work?” My former publisher was no exception. So when I turned in The Day Dredes, the reactions were surprising because I didn’t see it as the horror story, but for some, The Day Dredes holds more fear than monsters or deranged killers.

Originally, I envisioned a duology interlocked but independent. The Night Dredes is the monster we become when we’re on the inside, clawing to get out. The Day Dredes is the world crashing in on us and no matter what we do, everything is falling apart.

It depends on your particular brand of baggage I suppose.

But I digress, The Day Dredes is still a dark comedy in my mind. It can be whatever you decide, that’s not my domain, but the story is absolutely not inspired by real life events.

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Speaking of real life events…

Being a hybrid author means “selling” a brand as if someone cares while under a barrage of constant rejection. It’s the perfect job for anyone wanting to ensure their self-esteem never crawls out from under it’s rock.

While launching a trio of books in rapid succession, doing promotions, I’m also getting requests and rejections from agents and publishers. Just when I think my traditional publishing dreams are dead in the water, notions of hope crop up. And that might actually be worse than another auto-rejection.

There’s always that initial excitement. An agent/editor (or multiple, all at once, cause why not?) and as creatives we can’t help but dream and overanalyze every word of the exchange like deciphering the future in a teacup.

When that initial excitement and the chatter of what ‘could be’ fades, we’re left with the most likely scenario. After nearly fifteen years of querying, even this optimist knows the score.

So how does one proceed in the cold light of day? How do you continue to seek out opportunities as a creative without falling into traps of exploited labor? You Must Be Your Own Advocate.

Setting yourself reasonable boundaries and not being afraid to walk away. If you read my other publishing posts, you’ll know that I’m still kicking myself in the ass for signing exploitative contracts and trusted the wrong people in hopes that they wanted me to succeed.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are people out there that want you to succeed, it’s just that they’re not always the folks with outstretched hands.

These days I operate a little differently. In traditional pub, I’m happy to collaborate explore possibilities with an open heart, but I know my value. My future agent/publisher will be someone who’s willing to invest in my career and I’ll accept nothing short of that!