Thankfully, the New Year Funk has begun to pass like a cloud of diesel smoke and soot and I can see the light of hope once more. All it took was a deflating Atlanta Falcons loss and the pulling of my head out of my own butt.
POP!
The post release of Monarch funk was inevitable. Such an enormous amount of focus, creative energy, coordination and planning went into its release. It was a labor of love that I was all too willing to see to completion, and would do again if the ideal situation made itself available once more.
I do suppose I should try and get an agent and publisher at this point. While I did manage to self-publish Monarch successfully, it would behoove my work, and any future career I hope to to have in writing, to obtain the assistance of representation and the backing of a publisher and their resources.
While not a real juggler, the juggling of all the different responsibilities (Screenwriter, Director, Producer, Actor, Editor, etc.) for several short films over the past 10+ years certainly helped prepare me for all the juggling of responsibilities required for the self-publication of my first novel. Even though it was the time constraints associated with the story-line of Monarch that forced my hand into self-publishing, I cannot tell you what a wonderful learning experience it was to bring a fully developed story to publication on a deadline that could not be moved.
There is even a distinct possibility that I may self-publish a short story or three on occasion, but my work would definitely benefit from representation and further assistance with the release of my next novel.
And Marketing (I laugh so as not to cry), it's hard to believe how many marketing ideas I have had since my mind has been free of the gravitational pull of self-publishing Monarch. "I should've done this, and could've done that." Got to let it go. I need remember those ideas, but I have to let that negative sense of regret go just the same.
It was difficult emotionally to think of the future there for a few weeks. Reason and Emotion always seem to go together like water and oil. Even if Reason does dominate during such times on the exterior, it masks the inner truth boiling under the surface. Case in point, Ginger Reed's inner turmoil in Monarch. It sure is nice when the characters we create can teach us lessons about ourselves.
I am excited to bring my readers something new. What that will be is under debate. There is a screenplay that I am currently working on in collaboration with Chuck Thomas. We have been wanting to work on something again together ever since we collaborated on a screenplay called 4-WAY several years ago. This new project has a lot of potential. I have to be careful with one plot point, though. It is similar to a former script of mine and also a portion of a novel that I hope to release in the future. However, if I can actually use it in this project with success, I may not be concerned about its use in any other stories. We'll see if it is actually used or not.
My gut feeling, which is often wrong, has been telling me for over the past two years to try and utilize Monarch as a diving board for a screenplay I wrote before the novel called In the Moment. It deals with James Ruth, an important character from the novel. It is not a true follow up to the book, but it tells a story that readers of Monarch who wanted more would hopefully enjoy. Being that it was written prior to the novel it stands alone as a unique tale of lost love with a mind-bending twist. If I am unable to option or sell this story, I will likely rewrite it as a novella or full-fledged novel.
Should I decide to self-publish again this year, I will likely release another mind-bending story, Psykosis. It would be the third story in my Psychological Apocalypse series. For some reason I write a great deal about the fragility of the human mind. Take from that what you will. I do not have a degree in Psychology, but I do find what makes us tick more fascinating than just about anything when it comes to my writing. The mind dictates all that we do, good and bad. A good memory here or a bad memory there can alter the course of a life, and those around us.
I welcome your two cents and am open to ideas and comments of any sort, and will respond to all comments and emails. . Thank you for your participation in advance.
Email: aaronpitters@monarchthenovel.com
-aap
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