 I’m not sure what happened to September. It just vanished right out from under my feet. Dawning of the Sun was officially released on August 21, 2024 and thereafter followed a time-lapse montage of receiving boxes, signing books, shipping books, handing out books to family, friends, and friends of friends who all purchased a book. Then came the hailstorm of trying to market, which I’m terrible at, by the way. I spoke to a professional and I was told I’m doing everything right, and yet it all feels so terribly wrong. It doesn’t help that my efforts are all short lived and not yielding any book sales... so that’s super fun. I know it all takes time. I know I still have a million things to do to keep this train going. I feel like if I step away from social media for even a second, I’ll lose that tiny foothold I’ve clawed my way into having and I’ll just become unheard of, unknown, completely irrelevant. Oh, the woes and perils of modern day... Needless to say, but I’m going to say it anyways, Waning of the Moon, Book Two of the Aeternum Series has not seen much action. By which, I mean revisions. I’ve been so focused on figuring out the secret sauce to marketing and going viral (I have not figured it out, clearly), that Waning of the Moon has fallen by the wayside. I got through about 3 chapters in the last month... which is not good. Every person, and no, I’m not exaggerating, every single person who has read Dawning of the Sun asks about the next book in the series. “When will it be out?” “Have you written it yet?” “When will I be able to read it?” My lovely, readers, I am SO grateful for your enthusiasm. It honestly fills a void in my soul I didn’t know I had until your words slotted right in there. I want to say “tomorrow,” but time is cruel to all, and cruel still to artists. (I stole that direct from V.E. Schawb). I want to get this thing rolling, to have betas reading it now, but it’s not ready. I refuse to compromise. Depending on this round of revisions, and knowing myself and my process, this is the first of many many revisions that will be needed. I want to have it ready for the publication process by next August, but unfortunately, I work full time, have human things that need tending, and am lacking the funds to make any of this a reality at this time. So, I leave you with this, lovely reader, I am working on it. You will see more from the Aeternum universe. Maybe not soon, but it is coming. And I promise, you will revel in the devastation it will bring you.
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 Dawning of the Sun was officially published yesterday!!
I can’t even explain all the emotions what I’ve gone through, but the most surprising is a sort of deflation. I knew there weren’t going to be fireworks exactly... (although part of me kind of hoped there would be), but it was mostly just a shock to see the email from by publisher that it had been posted to Ingram and was available for sale. I scrambled to get an announcement out, even though my publisher told me to treat it as a soft launch since my book order hasn’t been confirmed for the print queue yet, so I have no idea when I will be getting the physical books for my preorders. I figured those waiting on ebooks would jump at the chance to purchase! But, I’ve yet to be informed why the ebook is listed almost everywhere but on Kindle... what’s up with that? Is there a Canadian writer/publisher issue that Amazon just wants to punish me for? It’s clearly a personal vendetta since I didn’t use KDP... I’m sure of it. My book, my words, my heart and soul, are out in the world for judgmental eyes to read and view and criticize. I’ve had a few ARC readers get back to me with their reviews (check them out on my Reviews page) and they’ve all been so lovely. So far, everyone seems to enjoy the read. I’m waiting for my first bad review. I think I’m more scared of a 2 star review than a 1... a 1 star means I pissed you right off. Hatred is far more satisfying than indifference. I will be far more heartbroken by a review that says “It’s fine,” than one that rants and raves about how terrible it is. I’m a writer, I’m TRYING to elicit your emotions, good or bad. If I failed at that then I failed at my job. Here I am, one day after my book is out there. I know it will take time for readers to find Dawning of the Sun, buy it, then read it. Goodreads should update soon and you can all post your reviews! I can’t wait to read them all and have my world shattered by joy or grief... either way I’m excited. Join me on Instagram and Tiktok live September 2nd at 10am (GMT-7) for the official online Book Launch. I’ll read a passage from the book, give you some fun info, and answer any questions posted as I go. If nothing else, you can watch me flail awkwardly on camera. Thank you lovely readers! I hope you visit the Aurtanian seas and love every moment of it. I’m jumping up and down! But also I might throw up… either way, pre-orders for Dawning of the Sun are now available at www.mekalous.com/bookstore!
So, if you like pirate adventures, treasure hunts, sword fights, cutthroat female leads, enemies to lovers, and a ton of pirate drawl, pre-order your copy today! I will be running a giveaway on Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok as well. So, you might even get a free copy! Thank you for all your support! I can’t wait until you’ve got a copy in your hands. I don’t even know what is happening. My brain is a swirly whirl of so many thing, too many things. Where even am I?
Oh right, late on the entry. Hello, feral readers. I hope everyone is excited to sink their teeth into my book! Things are moving, wheels are turning, progress is being made. The deadline remains at the end of August. I’ve also been informed that I can add to my first print run, so I’m hoping to be able to set up some sort of pre-order or sign-up for signed first print run copies on my website once I get the pricing. It will be a tight window so hopefully I can get as many of you wonderful humans who want a signed physical copy in on it. More on this as the information unfolds! (Mostly when the price is locked in.) Hopefully, by the next time you’re reading a post I have all this sorted out. In other news I FINALLY managed to get through the first edits on Waning of the Moon, but only the first chapter. It’s progress. Slow, steady, and brutally painful, but progress none the less. I expect it will take me an age before I am confident enough to send this to the betas and an additional age before it goes to the publisher. I am hoping the I generate enough of a fan base to get a Kickstarter sorted out for book two pre-orders so that I do not have to beg everyone that feels an emotional attachment to me for the means to publish... again. Other than that I’m going to try my hand at being DM (dungeon master) in D&D (Dungeon& Dragons) coming up in a few weeks. It will be a one-time game but I’m already freaking out about it. It will be fine... totally fine... maybe. Or I’ll just lose a husband and some dear friends because they hated everything I did. I guess we’ll have to roll the dice on this one to find out. (This might be a mistake as my dice rolls have never been reliable. Where is the Lucky feat when you need it!) So, there’s a little update for you. I hope the season is not burning you up into a crisp. I wish you big hats and parasols. I have never been more subconsciously anxious in my entire life. It feels like my insides are literally screaming at all times. I have so much nervous energy that I cleaned my house at 6am this morning, before I went to my day job. I’m fairly certain my neighbors want my head on a pike.
Why, you may be wondering, am I so anxious? I sent out my advanced reader copies last week. I already know about a plethora of corrections that are needed, that I, in fact, have already made to the proof, but my advanced readers will be seeing the mistakes, the missteps, the flaws I so desperately tried to hide. So, the OCD driven perfectionist in me is screaming at the top of her lungs. Gods, help me. Athena, goddess of wisdom, give me aid! Freya, you cunning goddess, please sooth my intrepid mind! Okay, those are the goddesses I always have on hand, but if you have anyone else I should be calling to please let me know. Maybe I should be calling on Morpheus to make my dreams a reality, anyone with the divine power to make this novel succeed and not fail... how many goats do I need to sacrifice? The sane part of me, or rather the logical part, (I’m not sure there is any sanity left in me), knows that my advanced readers will not be getting back to me for some time. My release is still teetering about the late August release date. Confirmation of the date will come with a single week’s notice because that’s just how the small presses operate. In other news, I am so psyched for SIWC (Surrey International Writers Conference) this year! Even though tickets are not on sale just yet, but you know I’m going to be on that webpage at 0 hour. I’m hoping desperately to get my book on the roster for the in-house book store, but if I can’t pull that off I will be selling copies out of the trunk of my car or the door of my hotel room? No matter what I’ll make sure copies are available. I’m currently working on a couple of short stories for the writing contest at the conference. I’m not expecting to win, but worst case scenario I’m out $30 for the entry fees and I’ve supported an organization that I love. Waning of the Moon edits have sort of halted before they even really began. I started piecing together the POVs that I wrote and then my first proofs and ARCs came in and I rushed into that, leaving the edits in the dust. I’ll get back to them soon. I know I have some betas dying to know what the next chapter in Sol’s saga is... it’s messy and heart breaking just as a little heads up. This beast is going to take a lot of finessing. I’ve learned so much over the last year through the publishing process. I think I’m coming out a better writer on the other side of all of this... I hope Dawning of the Sun came out a better novel and I hope that I just keep getting better at this whole writing thing. Hope. I use that term a lot. Despite the decaying state of the world and society I still have that spark of light humming gently at the back of my heart, looking towards a future with less mess and more creation. So, fingers crossed that my career as a writer is about to kick off with a bang and some much needed luck. |
AuthorM.E. Kalous studied English, humanities, and publishing at Simon Fraser University. She has a deep love of Greek and Norse mythology and all things related to the Inferno. She is a voracious reader of fiction, fantasy, fairy tales, and sci-fi. Archives
October 2024
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