Just yesterday, the first book in The Magicium Series, Discoveries, was officially released. And despite being the first novel by an unknown author, there were some amazing events throughout the day.
For example, at one point I was number 2 in the Dystopian Science Fiction subgenre, even ahead of The Handmaid’s Tale! Look, it was never going to last, but that was a humbling moment, Margaret Atwood having achieved what she has and me… well…
I should have taken a screenshot.
I was also in the top 500 in bought Kindle novels on Amazon.
And the encouraging comments I got from family, friends and fans were so motivating that I had several moments where I resolved to quit my full-time job and take up writing as my new career.
Then my wife pointed out mortgages and the need for stability and that I was possibly not thinking it through properly and reality and blah, blah, blah…
Buzz kill.
Still, it was a rewarding day after over a year’s hard work.
After a lovely celebratory dinner, we held the launch party.
I invited my alpha and beta readers, most of whom made it in some capacity, to our Zoom Launch Party. No, Discoveries Launch Party via Zoom. There was Catherine from Scotland, Neil from Tasmania, Ariel from Melbourne and Phoebe from my house. And finally, I had some people to share in my obsession.
We got to talk about my books. We got to discuss my characters. They speculated on future events in my series – some of which sparked a dozen new ideas that I spent much of the evening afterwards typing into my notes.
We even had a couple of competitions – creating a representation of a character or creature from the novel (with Catherine and Phoebe as joint winners – see the photo of Catherine as Mistress at the top of this post). We also played Kahoot and Quiplash, based around the novel, with other Tom and Tiernan each winning the prestigious prize of a cameo appearance in one of the novels. Wait until they see what I have in store for them…
It was a surreal day. A wonderful day. A day I will always remember.
And now, it’s done. Time to start over again. Additional tweaks to the second book, Disruptions. Finalising its book cover. Organising the paperback version of Discoveries on Amazon. Another novella in the works for those who sign up. Writing this blog.
The to-do list never gets smaller.
Still, for all that writing can be a solitary occupation, it’s wonderful to take some time with those people you love to celebrate achievements like this. Yesterday was a great day.
But today can be too.
