Author Guest Post with Darby Harn: In Between: Stories of the Eververse

Telepathic wolves. Zombie gangsters. Sentient houses. Just another day for Kit Baldwin.

Welcome to the July 19th stop on the blog tour for In Between: Stories of the Eververse by Darby Harn with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, more author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

Author Guest Post

Keeping The Faith As An Indie Author

A question I often get is “How do you do it?” Mostly people mean, How do you get started writing fiction? How do you go from an idea to a finished book? Like many writers I have an answer for this borne of experience, but these days I find myself asking How do I keep going? How do I keep the faith when things break down.

In Between: Stories of the Eververse represents a pause between novels in the Eververse series and in my career as a well. I know what’s coming next in terms of the work, but I feel like I’ve lost the handle on what little momentum I had coming into this book. Sales have dried up, reviews are non-existent, and the will to keep going with these books withers with so many other demands on my time and attention. Being a writer is difficult. It’s difficult to commit yourself to an endeavor likely to fail, and  even more so when you struggle with health issues and other personal matters.

I ask myself how to keep going.

Indie authors face the challenges of publishing largely alone. Many of us build up networks of support among other writers, readers, or supporters. Some of us are natural marketers and can take advantage of the advice and wisdom available out there to navigate the shoals. But some of us aren’t naturals when it comes to selling ourselves, or making easy connections. Like the main character of my book, Kit Baldwin, I’m autistic. I find connections hard to make and when I do make them hard to maintain. I simply don’t have the skills or ambition to become the type of marketer this role demands, which puts me behind the eight ball. The question becomes why do this at all? For me, that’s the only question.

Why are you doing this?

If it’s to sell books, you should learn how best to sell books. If you want to write good books, you should learn how to write good books. You should keep faith in yourself and keep true to yourself. Be the artist you are. Be yourself. People may not read the books or leave reviews or email to say how much they love your writing, but you’re creating. You’re using your voice. You’re doing what you have to do.

Writing a book is hard. Making a book is hard. Selling a book is hard. At every turn, you are likely to encounter insurmountable odds. I get down a lot. I understand the road ahead is shorter than the one behind and my opportunities to ‘be successful’ dwindle. But I have opportunities. I’m able to write the books I want, craft them how I want, for better or worse. That is an enormous freedom in my life. It’s an enormous good. When you’re low, you need to appreciate your good. What brings you joy? What makes you happy? I have good in my life and that includes my writing.

Many people ask how to keep going as an indie author. There is plenty of advice and plenty of resources to draw from. The best resource is always yourself.

Why are you doing this?

About the Book

In Between
Stories of the Eververse
by Darby Harn

Published 6 May 2022
Fair Play Books

Genre: Speculative Fiction
Page Count: 414
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Telepathic wolves. Zombie gangsters. Sentient houses. Just another day for Kit Baldwin.

Fifty years after an alien ship crashed in Break Pointe, the only protection in a strange new world is Great Power, a corporation of superhumans. If you can afford them. Most people can’t.

Enter Kit Baldwin, a young woman who helps people to help people. Except her power is the alien’s power, and she may be more of a danger to her city than she is a help.

This collection of stories and novellas follows Kit’s journey in a series that’s been called ‘the next logical step after Watchmen.’

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

Excerpt

Bloodback

The sky bruises over The Derelicts. I didn’t know what to expect when I started defending the city a few months ago, but I figured full moons would mean less criminal activity.

So far, my most effective super power is being wrong.

The thief runs through the wreck of the alien ship. I hold my position, hovering in the night. Used to be I put on a big light show and scared the daylights out of them soon as they snuck in through the breached hull. That got old.

Now, I let the ship do the work for me. A gauntlet of maroon shards scarps the strange cave of the ship. Bird bones crunch under his boots, hard as rocks. Never a good idea to run here. A gasp caroms around the gutted candle of the interior as he trips and plunges headfirst into a narrow crevice of specious crystal.

Lucky for him, it’s not that deep.

About the Author

Darby Harn studied at Trinity College, in Dublin, Ireland, as part of the Irish Writing Program. He is the author of the sci-fi superhero novel EVER THE HERO. His short fiction appears in Strange Horizons, Interzone, Shimmer, The Coffin Bell and other venues.

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Giveaway Alert!

Darby Harn will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.