George Jackson, Author

Digging a Deeper Hole...

     When I retired from being a school principal, I was excited that I would finally have the time I needed to write. Don't get me wrong, I always wrote. I had several novel manuscripts already tucked away and a rash of short stories, but I had only seriously tried to publish any of them a couple of decades earlier. So, when I retired and my wife and I moved to Florida, I thought to myself, "Okay! You have the time, you have the desire and you have the opportunity. Now all you have to do is write!"

     Most of us have several sets of 'famous last words' that we regret uttering either to ourselves or to others over our lifetimes. Those particular thoughts were certainly some of mine.

     I wrote and wrote and wrote for about two years while sending out samples, resumes, chapters and query letters/emails. Nothing. A few responses, some rather hopeful, but it seemed that every agent either had his or her allotment of writers, wasn't taking on any new writers or needed something slightly different than what I was offering. Eventually, I said enough. The stubborn Scotsman in me growled and picked up the challenge. The hole was beginning to be dug. 

     I started publishing on Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing. From the very beginning, it felt right. Except now, instead of just writing, of telling stories (that, in essence, is what I am, a storyteller) I was designing covers, (thank goodness for myecovermaker.com!) editing, proofreading, writing blurbs and posting ads for my books on an ever growing number of FB websites. The hole got infinitely bigger and deeper. My breath began to come in short gasps as I toiled to keep up.

     As the number of books mounted up, I was told by other writers that I should start an author's page. So I did. Then came a blog. Then came a Twitter Account and a Google page. Then the number of FB pages I advertised on grew and grew and grew as I tried to reach a bigger audience. I even participated in a blog hop the other day, and have been on Kate Eileen Shannon's wonderful page (kateeileenshannon.com) twice. Now the hole was over my head as I stood in it, with me shoveling stuff out as fast as I could and my arms were getting very sore and weary.

     Now, after 14 (working on the 15th) The Falls small town mystery series volumes, 6 volumes in the Dragon World Series, a collection of short stories and a child's book, I am working on turning my first mystery, The Falls: In the Dead of Winter, into a paperback by utilizing the CreateSpace service, another of Amazon's myriad companies. Thankfully, a writer friend of mine helped me out by creating a template for me to use to format the book. (I am still sadly bereft of technical skills in some areas) But I am in the process of working through the template and creating a cover that has front, back and spine. Thank you Kate for all your help. (i.e. The ebook covers only needed a front cover.) Once again, the hole is expanding. I have a hard time seeing any light at the top of the hole at times, and the dirt keeps falling back making me cough...but I have faith that I will eventually dig my way out.

     However, for an old storyteller, who just wanted to weave stories, it is all a bit overwhelming and just a tad scary. But I have a two handed Claymore, and I'll use it if I must. (Yes, I have a kilt, bagpipes and a sgian-dubh) I have every faith that one day, after learning all the technical and publishing I need to know in order to basically publish my stories, I will look back at this and smile. Well, perhaps cringe just a bit as well.

     So, the hole is deep and wide and my arms are weary and my breath is short...but my mind, my heart and my soul are alive and well. May all writers, dreamers and storytellers say the same...

     May the dragons watch over us all...