Enjoying the moment

At this very moment, I am sitting on a veranda in Summerland Key Florida staring out at a vast expanse of glacial-clear, maroon-colored, water while whispering palm fronds provides the backdrop to seagull cries, and yet I cannot write. Well, that’s not exactly true because I am writing this, but I can’t seem to concentrate on my current novel. Perhaps, I’m too relaxed? Too contented? With the knowledge that my books are selling, I no longer feel that intense pressure to create for hours on end. As I get older, I find myself enjoying life more instead of sealing myself in a room even while on vacation. I paid my dues in my twenties when eight to ten hours a day would be devoted to my books. I paid my dues when I’d say no to friends and parties because I HAD to finish my latest novel. I paid my dues when every spare minute of my time was spent querying agents and researching markets. I spent fifteen years of my life totally focused and concentrating on making it as an author… and now it’s time to relax and enjoy. Instead of working on IMAGINATION (my latest) this morning I am going to the beach to take a long walk, and then I’m going to do some fishing. Of course, I’m not totally ditching my grassroots authorship, I’ve got two hours this afternoon devoted to writing. That’s enough for today.

Okay, back to business. The KND kids author spotlight did yield sales of SILENT INVASION but not the amount I was expecting for such a big promotion. It goes back to my theory that kids aren’t buying up books on Kindle the way adults do. DROP OUT is still by far my best seller with sales already nearing triple digits for this month. All my books have sales so far, but I’m still falling short in the U.K. by a large percentage. I’m not sure if KDP isn’t posting sales or if there is a glitch. It just seems strange that sales were soaring across the pond and now they’ve dropped to almost nothing. When I get back from vacation I’m going to concentrate on turning it around. I’ve also noticed my blog hits are falling a bit as I’ve not been doing much promotion while I’m down here in south Florida. I will say the new electronic marketplace moves at a lightning-speed pace and just a few days away from the computer can mean losing the interest of thousands of people. The hardest part for me is trying not to think about that and enjoying the moment. I know, I know, I sound like a whining baby, but I’m just so obsessed about my writing career.

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