IT’S TIME! IT’S TIME! The audiobook pre-order link is finally up and running for the audiobook for The Cage.The official release date is May 27 but you can pre-order your copy starting today!
What? You have TWO releases in May? I do! Sort of. How do you have a sort of release? Easy. I have two new formats of backlist content. So, a bit of a cheat, but there ya go.
Up first is the gigantic collection of my three later-in-life novels (Doppelganger, Must Love Coffee, and Taking Stock) all crammed into one beast of a paperback. Admittedly, this release is mostly for me so I can bring the collection in lieu of the individual books to signings because when you have 27 titles, that gets hard to transport. This will help consolidate my collection a tad. But if you want it too, you now can get it!
The second release for May is the audiobook for The Cage (FINALLY.) I thought this one was coming closer to February, but when you’re not in charge of the production, you just have to wait until they are ready, which I guess, will be this month! They have given me the date of May 13 for the Pre-Order and May 27 as the official release day. Eeep! When I get the links, I’ll send them along.
In the meantime, I’m working on the final draft of The Safehouse (the sequel to The Cage) which will go to the editor at the end of the month as it gears up for its August release. Double Eeep!
She suggested that a good tool for authors with many titles (me) is to put together a reading list/order to place on your website, and if you wanted to be extra, you could make that list into bookmarks or rack cards at events. Well, I thought that was a brilliant idea.
I got to work on one immediately and ordered just a small amount as I wasn’t sure if the font would be legible or if my idea to double the bookmark as a coloring page would even work.
Of course, I had to give all my books 5 stars. ha! But YOU don’t have to!
I only printed up a small batch, as I said for a trial run and already have changes I’d like to make for the next order, but, if you live in the US and want one of these bookmarks for your own, just fill out this form and I’ll send it your way.
Two years ago, I transitioned from a job I had for 16 years into my first-ever corporate job. Up until then, I had flexible hours, worked mostly from home, which was great for my ulcerative colitis, and was writing a LOT, but let’s be honest, I was poor. Like, on State Aid level poor.
When my job had to downsize after Covid hit, I knew it was time to move on. Of course, there were major fears with such a transition. Would I be able to find a work environment that wouldn’t trigger my ulcerative colitis and be understanding when I had flare-ups? Would I even have any relevant skills for places near me hiring. But my largest fear (outside of paying my bills), was whether I would still have time to write. My last job afforded me flexibility about when I clocked in and out. A new job… wouldn’t have that.
After two years with my corporate job, I am happy to report that:
I am no longer on State Aid and can buy the name brand of toilet paper if I want to.
I work remotely, so my UC can flare all it wants. I’m close to the things I need.
I’ve learned a ton of new transferrable skills, including HTML coding. Me. Understanding basic coding. Who would have thought?
I work four, ten-hour shifts and have Tuesdays (release days) off.
I have been able to keep up with my writing goals.
That last one is huge for me. I have seen over the years many indie authors shoot up in fame, and quit their day jobs to live the full-time writer dream only to be back at a day job a few short years later. And their writing? Barely whispered about. I was terrified that was going to happen to me as well.
I was determined that I would still produce new work. It may not be at the same speed as before, but I was going to keep writing. It would be a priority. And it has remained a priority. That was key for me. If it’s not important for me if I write today, then it’s not going to get done.
Now, I wake up M-F and write from 5:30-6:30 AM, one hour before I log into my day job. One hour of hyper-focus on either new words or revising a draft. Then, on one day over the weekend, I tackle the administrative stuff that comes with the poorly paid gig. Writing newsletters, blog posts, social media, updating websites, making swag, and graphics, and on and on and on. Then, one day a week I rest. Or, use that as a catch-up day if something happened during the week and I couldn’t get my power hour in.
And what have I managed to produce in those two years while still working a full-time job?
10 releases in two years. Not too shabby. The next two years won’t be as voluminous as I’m neck deep in writing a six-book series that will be a rapid release later on down the line, but to make that a rapid release, the books need to be written first. And if I’m only writing one hour a day… that takes some time. There will still be releases, just maybe not ten in two years. ha.
All this to say, if you want to do something, whatever it is, you have to make it a priority in your life, or it won’t get done. Which begs the question: What is your priority? And are you giving yourself the time to pursue it?
While my daughter is off to Paris for her senior trip, I am at her father’s house dog-sitting. Why? Because he’s on the trip with her as a chaperone! He’s an experienced traveler so my mama’s worried soul is a bit more at ease knowing that her father is there with her. But while they are away, I am watching over his baby. Meet Eliza. Yes, from Hamilton.
Eliza is pretty chill, except for the first half hour someone new is in the house. Then she’s ridiculously hyper. Once she settles into the new people in her space she’s quiet. Which is good. I like quiet.
They will be gone for a week and in that time I will bounce back and forth from his house to mine to get my mail, any packages they may arrive, and to make my dinners from the comfort of my own home.
There should be no interruption to my writing power hour, just that I’ll be doing it from someone else’s house instead of my own, so deadlines will stay on track. (I know some of you were worried. ha!)
That’s about it from this end of the world. In the meantime, counting down the days until my baby is back in Maine in between bouts of running a lint brush over everything I own. So. Much. Dog. Hair.
I have a new release coming next month. Sort of. What do you mean, a ‘sort of new release’? Well, it is new, in that it has a new title/cover/ISBN, but it’s not ‘new’ content.
After years of wanting to, I’m finally combined my Later in Life romance books into one 816-page beast of a book. Why combine them?
Two reasons.
Cheaper to produce, which means cheaper for the reader
Less titles I have to bring to signings. When you have 27 books it becomes a bit of a problem trying to lug that many books around.
So, for those two reasons, I hired my cover designer who created all three individual covers, and asked her to find a way to lump them all together. Typically, when you bind a collection of books together you name it by the series title, hence, The Later in Life Collection.
For a refresher, this is what all three individual covers look like:
Then, my poor designer had to find a way to mush them all together. It took some work, but I think she pulled it off. All three designs are represented in this collection.
To be clear, I’ll still sell the individual covers of each title, this collection is for the value and the convenience.
For those unfamiliar with these books here’s the back of the jacket description in a font that doesn’t require a magnifying glass to read.
Can love really happen later in life?
Find out in this sweet romance stand-alone series filled with humor and heart. The books can be read in any order, and all take place in the same town of Bucksville, NH.Get ready for some small-town swoon.
Doppelganger: She wanted to run away from her problems by moving across the country. Instead, she is instantly mistaken for a movie star. Now, Julie has to decide if she wants to be a movie star’s doppelganger with all the perks of wealth and glamor that come with fame, or if she prefers a quiet life with that devilishly handsome widower she keeps running into.
Must Love Coffee. That was the first requirement coffee shop owner, Finn Allen, insisted upon in his ad for a new barista. He wasn’t expecting his valedictorian, coffee-hating nemesis, Samantha Whitman, to answer the ad, or for her to look smoking after all these years.
Taking Stock: Penny White was doing just fine as a cashier. She had three cats and an apartment in her tiny little town. Everything was just the way she liked it, until a reporter from The Sunset Journal waltzed into her life, turning her predictable world upside down.
The ‘official’ release date for this collection will be May 7th. This gives me enough time to order a proof and flip through it to see how the formatting looks and make any changes if need be. However, there is very little I can change because the book is already dancing at the maximum page count they print. Like I said. Beast. Ha.
When it releases, I’ll be sure to send out the link for those who may want it.
I’m often asked, “Where do you get your inspiration from?” And the answer, as boring as it is, is everywhere. Case in point.
The first book in the fantasy trilogy which I co-wrote with Amy Miles, Netherworld, would birth the book, Enigma, which was later picked up by my publisher, retitled, and recovered to become Girl on Fire.
Huh? How does a fantasy book about banshees create an idea of a young adult pyromaniac with a traumatic past? The answer? Inspiration! It strikes when it strikes. To highlight what I mean, I’ll tell you the story on my TikTok page:
Okay, maybe I do. Call me crazy but I just love making/buying swag. I think it is so fun and creative. Marketing your books is HARD work, so why not try to make a part of that process a little fun?
As an author for over a decade, I’ve come up with/bought a plethora (yes, a plethora) of different types of swag over the years. Some were epic, and some were flops. Some cost WAY too much and some were WAY too cheap.
Over the years the one lesson I’ve learned is that flat is your friend. I learned this the hard way. I used to make elaborate, bulky, pricy swag that I would have to ship ($$) to whatever event I was going to, which took up valuable suitcase space, meaning I couldn’t pack as many books. Rookie mistake. One I made over and over again.
These days, I keep my bulky swag items to a minimum. Maybe some Hershey’s Miniatures with my book cover displayed on them, if I’m driving to an event. But for the most part, my swag is now flat. ie, easy to pack/ship/mail.
So, what is in my swag arsenal these days? Glad you asked. At events, I will bring the following:
A booklist brochure with a list of my titles and their heat levels (because romance readers want to know.)
Sticker packs for people who buy a paperback. A small way of saying thank you.
Magnets
Bookmarks
Sample Chapters of whatever books I have for the event
Business cards
Buttons
You’ll note that I’ve kept my branding names and logo consistent. Something I haven’t always done in the past, cause, well, I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer sometimes.
At present, I only have a couple events lined up in the foreseeable future, but I like to stay stocked up because you never know when an opportunity might come up.
Curious though, what is the best bit of swag you ever got from an author? I once got a lens cleaner from an event about nine years ago and I still use it! ha!)
If you have followed me for any length of time, you know that I am a bit of a planner when it comes to my writing. For me, it’s the only way I can stay on top of everything I want to do. It’s a way to keep writing as a priority in my life. If it’s on the ‘to-do’ list, it has a better chance of getting done.
Because I don’t write full time, the hours in the day to devote to writing are much smaller, so making deliberate time to fit it in is the only way I can keep releasing year after year.
To that end, I like to map out my writing year. What project will I be writing the first draft of? The second? Third? When does it need to go to the editor? What month is it going to release? When should I book the cover designer? When will I make graphics for the release, etc? It’s a long list of things to do before a book goes live. If I have it all mapped out, it takes out the stress of having to scramble when a deadline sneaks up on me.
Above is what I was faced with last week. I had to take my three-year plan and scrap it. Why? Because earlier that week, I had a Zoom call with my publisher. They are interested in the steamy contemporary romance series that I’m writing. It’s a total of six books. Only two of which are written. Well, two and a half. The publisher wants to do a rapid release of the series, instead of making readers wait a year (like I do now ha.) A logical marketing tactic. One I usually don’t have the patience for. Still, I’m willing to give it a go.
To do that, however, I needed to give them a ballpark of when all six books would be written. Bear in mind, I only write an hour a day before work, plus I also have other books I’m working on, and have other contracts for other books with the publisher. A lot of plates in the air.
So, I gave myself a day to map out how I could get this all done. Hence the five-year plan. This plan includes the projects the publisher wants to do and the projects I am working on that I’ll release independently.
After a day of mapping, there is a plan. I have told the publisher what months/year I anticipate each of the books to be finished (give or take) so that they know when they can put them on their release docket.
What does that mean for you, as a reader? Well, it means I’m going to be writing more than releasing for a bit. I’ll do some things here or there, but most of my focus for a bit will be getting this series (and other contracted projects written.)
I’m playing a long game here. And it’s going to require I put my head down and write, write, write.
All this to say, if you wonder why I’m not releasing as much as I used to, that’s why. I’m writing. Ha. However, things are still coming. The audiobook for The Cage should be here any day now… I have something planned for May and The Safehouse is coming this August.
I’ll continue to keep you updated on things I’m working on and what’s coming down the line. For now, I need to go write!
It’s been a minute since my fistula surgery, so I thought it might be a good time for a quick health update for those who were curious.
To make a long story short (too late) I’ve had Ulcerative Colitis for about 18 years. It took about 5 years to land on a course of medications that helped make me comfortable. Two different drugs. One to treat the swelling inside my colon and one to tell my immune system not to attack the lining of my colon so hard. Neither medication is treating the illness, mind you, but rather they are treating symptoms of the illness.
Why would you want to treat the symptom and not the UC itself? Because treating the symptoms is medically safer. The medications to treat symptoms are much easier on your body. When you treat the colitis itself, you have to go up to a much higher type of medication with a lot more risk factors, so the longer you can be on the lower drug class the better. Since I was feeling okay and my colonoscopies were looking good, we’ve stayed the course on these lower-risk meds.
Then, I got a new job with new insurance that didn’t include my normal GI doctor. My new GI doc wasn’t thrilled I’d been on the maintenance meds for so long. He was concerned by how much constant damage it was doing to my colon. So, we tried a biologic. A drug to treat the colitis itself and, hopefully, put me into remission within 6 months.
That first med failed miserably. It landed me in the hospital unable to move my arms. I had a rare serum sickness reaction that caused temporary numbness. After a heavy dose of steroids to flush that infusion out of my system, we were back to square one. Next, we tried another biologic. One that was supposed to work in a completely different way inside the body. The odds of having a reaction to this one as well would be slim at best.
Guess who had a reaction to the second med? Or at least, we suspect I did. After about six months on the med (which wasn’t changing anything about my condition- I was in a constant state of flair-ups) I started to feel numbness in my face and hands, sort of like having Novocain that hadn’t worn off. My doctor ordered bloodwork. Like, ALL the bloodwork. Things were fine. Well, as fine as someone with UC can be. So, the plan became to skip my next dose of meds and see if the numbness went away.
And it did. Feeling in my hands and face returned. Strike two, biologics.
During this time, there were a lot of flair-ups. My backside was SUPER angry at me. So much so that I developed a fissure, that in turn, became a fistula. (Trust me, it’s not a fun time.) I had to have surgery for the fistula. Things I never had on my other medications.
After two painful (literally) years, we’re now back to the original maintenance medications that I was taking from the start of this journey. Guess who has finally started to feel better? Me.
No clue what the next step will be, but I’m weary over it all. But this is life with a chronic illness. You have to take each day as it comes.
I remain grateful for my day job being remote because some days I am couch-bound and miserable. Or running to the bathroom several times a day. Ups and downs. That’s life, huh?
Anywho, that’s the long and short of my health at the moment. I hope you are all well and I’ll chat with you next week!
Danielle/Dani Bannister, Author 