​As I finished Bless the Skies, I faced a decision: to seek publication traditionally or to publish the book myself.
​
So many factors warred and balanced in my mind, but two ideas floated above the battle—untouched and uncontested.

• After constructing this story mentally for over a decade, I needed to be in complete control of the final product.
  
  
• I anticipated that traditional publication for future stories might become more feasible if I’d already worked to prove my value and attracted an audience through self-publication.
  
  

Those were the reasons I actively decided to self-publish. However, it would be an obscene lie to say I did it all myself. Many, many people helped me, and I’d caution any writer attempting to accomplish publication "alone."

Tomorrow, I embark to Atlanta for Dragon*Con. Almost every year, I travel across the southern United States to my emotional homeland of a science fiction and fantasy convention, which my Louisiana friends and I lovingly term “Geek Mardi Gras.” We drink, we dance, we dress up, we make new friends, and I attend as many author and publishing industry panels as possible.
 
This year, my focus has changed. I’m not curious about how to write a book, but how to market one. As I attempt to figure that out, allow me to share the lessons I HAVE learned in finishing the first draft of Bless the Skies: 

​Paul and I joined the Fantasy Book Club at Tubby & Coo’s, forcing me to be a better human and read at least one fantasy book a month. To capitalize on that opportunity, I’ll be writing reviews of each book as we go!
 
Be warned: I’m a forgiving reviewer. When you come here, you will not find me eviscerating novels. I’ll point out what I liked and what I didn’t like, and I’ll root everything in what it is—my opinion—rather than some self-ordained concept of what is “good” and “bad.”
 
I also plan to break each review into two sections: one for those who haven’t read the book, and one for those who have read the book. And I’ll rate (1) characters, (2) prose, and (3) plot through two lenses—entertainment and literature. (Basically, how I felt about it while I was reading, and how I felt about it when I thought about what I was reading.)
 
That being said, on to #JELReviews!

Paul and I joined Tubby & Coo’s Fantasy Book Club, forcing me to be a better human and read at least one fantasy book a month. To capitalize on that opportunity, I’ll be writing reviews of each book as we go!
 
Be warned: I’m a forgiving reviewer. When you come here, you will not find me eviscerating novels. I’ll point out what I liked and what I didn’t like, and I’ll root everything in what it is—my opinion—rather than some self-ordained conception of what is “good” and “bad.”
 
I also plan to break each review into two sections: one for those who haven’t read the book, and one for those who have read the book. And I’ll rate (1) characters, (2) prose, and (3) plot through two lenses—entertainment and literature. (Basically, how I felt about it while I was reading, and how I felt about it when I thought about what I was reading.)
 
That being said, on to #JELReviews!

A while back, I engaged in a detailed daydream about leading a creative writing seminar. I participated actively in the daydream by listing out five sets of “paradoxes” that would be “true” in any creative-writing-based meetings I might hold. I’d present the paradoxes and then explain them in detail, as a way of introducing the class.

​The fourth paradox went like this:

​This paradox proved valuable within my daydream, because it’s simultaneously important to remember that all criticisms have value and that not all criticisms are realistic or need be obeyed.
 
Having acknowledged that I hold this belief, let me criticize one particular criticism I’ve seen—most recently, of the character Sarkan in Uprooted. (No spoilers!)
 
“This character is a jerk only for the sake of being a jerk, just for the plain old reason that he/she wants to be a jerk.”

Paul and I joined Tubby & Coo’s Fantasy Book Club, forcing me to be a better human and read at least one fantasy book a month. To capitalize on that opportunity, I’ll be writing reviews of each book as we go!

​Be warned: I’m a forgiving reviewer. When you come here, you will not find me eviscerating novels. I’ll point out what I liked and what I didn’t like, and I’ll root everything in what it is—my opinion—rather than some self-ordained conception of what is “good” and “bad.”
 
I also plan to break each review into two sections: one for those who haven’t read the book, and one for those who have read the book. And I’ll rate (1) characters, (2) prose, and (3) plot through two lenses—entertainment and literature. (Basically, how I felt about it while I was reading, and how I felt about it when I thought about what I was reading.)
 
That being said, on to #JELReviews!