Garage Sale: Revisited (An Origin Story)

For those of you who are unfamiliar with my writings please allow me to briefly catch you up. It has been a few years since my last book Psykosis was released. A psychological thriller. Like a lot of my work it also had a mystery at its core. It was my first novella and my second book. Monarch being my first. A novel that was released in four parts as a series over the span of a year.

My current project has structural similarities to both books, in that Garage Sale is a novel series, but the parts can stand on their own as independent stories better than those in my first book. There are five stories intertwined around a peculiar garage sale in the Hollywood Hills. That was how I initially wrote it. During the first rewrite, I realized something - the mystery behind the garage sale was never really explained. At first, that was the point. A mystery for mystery's sake. Then I realized that some readers and myself included might enjoy an origins story about how all these mysterious items came to be out on tables in front of this his house in Hollywood. In the process, I discovered who the proprietors of the garage sale really were and their relationship to those mysterious items.

I have decided to shelve another novella, House Fly, in favor of focusing on the origin story In the Wake of Newton at the heart of the novel series Garage Sale. It is a vitally important segment of the series.

It makes sense to prioritize the origin story for two reasons. First of all, it is a part of Garage Sale, unlike House Fly, which I had also been preparing to release. However, House Fly is a part of another novel series that is still some ways off from being ready for release. On the other hand, I have been working on Garage Sale for some time and am fast approaching the final rewrite and polish stage. Fingers crossed, the first part of the two-part Garage Sale series will be ready for release by the autumn of 2018.

The other reason it makes sense to prioritize In the Wake of Newton is because of it being an origin story for what happens at the garage sale. I had originally thought about having it be the opening to the series. Ultimately, I decided to place it somewhere else in the context of the story. Releasing the origins story helps put the mysteries of the garage sale into context for a reader. This will enhance the reading of the rest of the story for some readers before delving into the series once it  is released. These readers will therefore be "in the know." The Pre-Sale begins soon!

Other readers may want to wait until the entire novel series is released and read the origins story during the regular reading of the series. Whichever way a reader approach Garage Sale, by releasing In the Wake of Newton after the new year you have the choice to experience it your way. Should you decide to read the origins story before the series, be prepared because the cliffhanger will keep you wondering what happened until the series is released.

Pre-order your copy of In the Wake of Newton today! (2/22/18 Release Date)
https://www.amazon.com/Wake-Newton-origin-story-ebook/dp/B077R24FH9/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1512833965&sr=1-1

(2/22/18 Release Date)

Self-Publishing Ebook Update

I began work on Monarch back in March 2010.  Since then I have made changes at almost every step along the way.  The story has been tweaked.  The release date moved back.  But the idea behind it all has stayed the same: A woman struggles with her perception of time and her place in the world.  Her battle to accept change is similar to my rewriting process.  Discovering what need be altered is the central aspect of rewriting—along with making the necessary changes.

Being a Self-Publishing Author (SPA) requires a sense of focus and drive.  One must be more than an author.  There is no publicist or publishing house to assist along the way.  Family, friends, fellow writers and the internet, with their combined knowledge and insight, are invaluable to an SPA.  An ability to listen and adapt are as important as that first spark of inspiration.

An SPA must be able to listen and adapt during this fluid time in publishing.  eBooks have started a revolution. Smart phones, eReaders, tablets and the other new electronic devices hitting the market are changing the landscape of society and publishing simultaneously.

If the known world had not begun making these technological advancements over the past couple of years, I would not have tried to tackle the 12/21/2012 themed Monarch.  The lack of time would have been an issue with the traditional paper-based publishing model.  And self-publishing to print would have been too expensive. 

My writing of anthologies in the past helped me realize that I could release Monarch in four stages over the span of a year.  Writing them as four separate eBooks allows me more time with each stage in the story. The first stage, Monarch: Egg, is due to be released on 11/11/11.  Since I am self-publishing, if I needed to, I could change the release date.  One year prior to the end of the Mayan Calendar, on the December 22, 2011 Winter Solstice, would be the most logical alternative date for release. We'll see.
-aap