I took a bit of a hiatus from a lot of things over the past six months or more. Shit hit the fan, as the saying goes, and it put some things in perspective. Sometimes we need to cut loose what weighs us down, regardless of how much we love that particular albatross.
While I was away, I released a book titled The Murdered Metatron under the name James Glass (cover pictured to the left). I had a wonderful time writing it, and it was refreshing to cast off pre-conceived notions of how I should write it. In short, I like wearing my James Glass suit.
Apparently the readers liked me in my new skin even more. To date, this novella has been my most popular title, perhaps for two reasons: 1) It crosses many genres, from Noir mystery to paranormal to divine comedy. People can get into it. It's not horror, but it does have a few gasp moments. 2) The Metatron Mysteries (yes, it's a series) has been picked up by the awesome folks at Sekhmet Press and they have done an INCREDIBLE job of marketing the hell out of it. To give you an idea, we had 71 people interacting on the re-release party page over at Facebook in January. 71. The release party for the new installment is set for Saturday, February 15th and is looking to be an even bigger turnout than the first. Click here to RSVP.
In light of how much people liked me as James Glass, I decided maybe it was time to take a break from Suzi M and Xircon for a bit. They're not gone and they're not forgotten. They're just hibernating and may pop up now and again in anthologies. Also, I have a publishing contract to fulfill for three installments in the Metatron Mysteries, so I need to stay focused.
And speaking of next installments, check out this incredible cover for The Dispossessed from Norot Art. I can't stop looking at it, and I even licked my computer screen when Sekhmet sent me the preview (yes, I am a tactile kind of gal). But seriously, just look at these covers! I wrote the books and I catch myself thinking I need to go buy that Glass guy's books because damn, those are awesome covers.
February 15th is the release date, so get your One-button Click ready on the Amazon James Glass page.
BUT WHY DID YOU DO IT?
WHY is the best part of a mystery, don't you think? Yes, we enjoy the chase plenty, but ultimately what keeps us reading is the need to know WHY something happened. WHY did the voice of God get killed? (Hint: read The Murdered Metatron for the answer to that one.) WHY did the ghost come back to haunt someplace? WHY did a demon hang around to possess someone for 35 years? (Hint: read The Dispossessed for the answer to that one.)
So WHY did I decide to go more fulltime with my alter ego? As I mentioned above, part of it was the warm reception, and another part was the satisfaction I felt while writing as James Glass. The stories flowed more easily using someone else's fingers to write them. Expectations of what a woman would write versus what a man would write were no longer part of the equation.
A man has a blank slate to work with while a woman has predetermined templates within which she must work. It's annoying, to be honest, to try to fit the mold of what people expect of me versus what I want to do. So I broke the mold and made a man mask. It's not quite as creepy as the Kirk mask they used in the Halloween movies, but it's sort of along those lines. Point is, as James Glass there are no restrictions. I can do and write what I want with no judgements other than those made of the actual writing. I don't have to beg for honest reviews either, they just come easily and from complete strangers. I'm still trying to figure out what a 3 star review means, especially when the reviewer says how much they liked the book, but whatever. It's like a C+ to an A student with no rubric given on the assignment, I'll be honest. So please, for the sanity of writers everywhere, give constructive criticism of what you didn't like if you're going to post a 3 star, even if it's just saying 'not my cup of tea', otherwise the members of the OCD clan (as I am) will obsess over that three star review to try to figure out WHY it got only a 3 star. See what I did there? Closing the loop.
And in the interest of tightening that knot, now you can follow The Fictional Exploits of James Glass here. Find out why he hates playing host to Xircon, how he feels about the writing scene, and pretty much any and all things Glass related.
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