With only 21 days left until A Misfortune of Lake Monsters is unleashed upon the world, there’s a lot of stuff happening, like the trade review that’s upcoming in the July/August issue of Foreward Reviews, the last line of which makes me want to pinch myself: “High stakes and an endearing romance rocket the thriller A Misfortune of Lake Monsters to mythical heights.” The paperback ARC A Misfortune of Lake Monsters has been given away to one of my newsletter subscribers, this month I’m giving away a SUPER limited edition sprayed-edge copy of the hardocver (next month will be a one-of-a-kind annotated hardcover—all of these giveaways are limited to newsletter subscribers only).
I have also suddenly found myself acknowledging that I have eleven events scheduled between mid-July and the end of October, with five-ish or so tentative events that may be added. I’m booked almost every weekend. I even have one event booked for 2025, which feels bonkers. I’m actually kind of proud of the way I’ve structured this Tour de Lake Monster: very few of these events are just me. I don’t love being the sole center of attention, so I’ve organized signings and panel discussions with other authors and scheduled myself for several book festivals (and very carefully, so as not to saturate any particular market). Peppered in between are a bunch of things not counted in the event list—podcast appearances, interviews, and guest posts on blogs, not to mention the virtual blog tour that’s due to start later this month.
Speaking of which, there have been a few interviews, Q&As, etc that have happened recently:
? Brandie June, author of Goldspun and Curse Undone, interviewed me—and she’s also sponsoring a giveaway: a hardcover copy of A Misfortune of Lake Monsters! The giveaway period is until the end of June. Do check out the interview if you want to know what compelled me to say something smells like “unwashed bare feet that have been running through a forest for about two weeks in the middle of summer.”
? Monster Complex posted a Q&A the owner of the site did with me a while back, during which I was prompted to say, “You can take girl out of the rural hometown, but you can’t take the rural hometown (or the fear of it) out of the girl, I suppose.”
? Catie O’Neill (who has a book coming out at the end of this year) interviewed me live on Instagram. Why did I say, “Living in a rural place is weird. You have to make your own fun.”? Gee, guess you have to go watch the recorded interview to find out!
I’ve also been on two podcasts, both of which will air relatively soon, I think. No hints about which podcasts they are—but I had so much fun! Oh, and if you’re a writer who has been thinking about editing a lot, you might be interested in an upcoming event that I’m part of. Weeknight Writers is throwing a Storycrafting Sessions entirely devoted to editing on Saturday, June 15… and it’s FREE! I’ll be part of a discussion panel at 2PM EST titled “How to Refine Your Narrative Voice.” Every panel requires that you acquire a ticket, but like I said: the tickets are free.
With all that’s happening related to the publication of A Misfortune of Lake Monsters, it’s been nice having a distraction from how anxiety-inducing publication is. I’m excited for July 2, yet I have no idea what’s really going to happen. Even if you’re published by a Big 5 publisher, there’s no guarantee your book will be carried in stores—and if you’re published with a small press (even one recently voted Indie Press of the Year by Foreward Reviews), it’s a toss-up whether book store owners and managers will even see you as a legitimate author, worthy of their time and shelf space. That makes for some interesting conversations and interactions, which may or may not have an impact on my psyche on any given day. It kind of feels like this infamous scene from the 1980s film Weird Science (a film which has not aged well at all).
I’m not complaining (because hey, I have a book about to be published, and that’s kind of amazing)—it’s that my control freak nature wishes it knew whether bookstores in my area plan to have copies of my book on release day. Because really, what author doesn’t want to walk into a bookstore on release day and experience the magic of seeing your book on the shelf, ready to be sold to someone who might love it? I have to keep reminding myself that bookstore folks who treat small press authors differently than Big 5 authors don’t (usually) mean it to be a personal shot—it’s business and nothing more. Readers who are into cryptids and fun horror and romance and weirdness and dismemberment will find their way to A Misfortune of Lake Monsters, whether it’s on the shelf at a bookstore or not, and that’s the most important thing.
