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Skyla Dawn Cameron

My characters kill people so I don't have to.

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May 14, 2018 By Skyla Dawn Cameron Leave a Comment

“When’s That Book Coming?” Spring 2018 Edition

Short answer to that question…that book–whatever the book* is you’re waiting for–is coming sometime. Eventually.

Long answer: I lost my beautiful girl last month, and the months/weeks prior to it threw me off my game as well. My heart is broken, I am exhausted and very tired, and I’m trying to keep myself afloat. I’m doing okay in a lot of ways, but I’m still having a lot of nightmares and battling low-grade depression.

What’s New

Not much compared to last time See above.

What I’m Working On

Not going to be the final title!

Chipping away at Livi 3 revisions (the title is likely changing; it’s something I’ll preview for Patrons of Snark first). I’d originally projected a June release.

That’s not happening.

I realized when I started revisions that it was going to need a lot of work, and I’m not done my second pass yet. Despite cutting a lot of boring crap and useless scenes, I had new ones to write, and the word count is creeping up. I could see this one being around 115-120K when all is said and done. For comparison, Livi’s books are normally 105K, but this one is a big, complex thing with a lot of moving parts, and it needs the space to breathe.

I am not entirely convinced readers will like it, but for a book that was never supposed to exist, it’s turned out to be absolutely critical and a fitting end to Livi’s first character arc (the first three books really function well as one complete story). I do think it might be a better book than the others as well, but I don’t necessarily like it yet myself.

Also, if you’re mad at me for certain aspects of Oblivion‘s ending…I will say that there is an apology of sorts in Livi 3.

Okay, but is that all you’re working on?

Nope.

I did finish Tiger’s Memory, the West prequel novel. It clocked in at 76K. The final installment posts next month for the West Is Best Club on Patreon. The Beta of Awesome has it right now–she read the original novella draft, but a whole lot is different in this one. This summer I’ll do a revision pass when I’ve had some time away from it, then get it copyedited and it’ll be an official ebook download for the West Is Best Club.

There are no plans to release it for sale any time soon as it spoils later plot points in the series.

Come July, West stories continue with Solomon’s Seal from his POV.

This isn’t just some of the novel’s scenes from his POV–he has his own story going on when he’s off the page as well, and it’s a glimpse at him trying to balance his various identities as he suspects his cover might be blown, his conflicts with the agency, and Livi managing to unintentionally make everything more difficult.

I wrote part of it a few years ago and I’m not sure how long it’ll take to finish. Afterward, I have West’s Nightmare on the docket–his POV before Livi calls him in Ashford’s Ghost and during the events of that novella. That’ll probably be next year, though.

Also on Patreon, I’ll be doing a Livi postcard story this summer. Patrons at $5+ will get a postcard in the mail every month (for five or six months) from Livi about an adventure she’s on. Folks at $10+ will get bonus goodies, like a travel journal to collect the postcards in and some special gifts at the end.

There are a few additional projects in progress, but I’ll talk about them when I have more to talk about.

What’s Upcoming

I literally have no ETA on Livi 3 at the moment. It’ll take as long as it takes. I’m finishing a revision pass hopefully this week, then I have to go back and do a third to clean up because I’ve made some major changes, then it’ll go for copyediting, more revision from me, proofreading…

So. It’ll be a bit. I’m hoping August? Or September for Solomon’s Seal’s anniversary.

That is not the answer readers want to hear, and believe me, it is not the answer I want to give. But it’s the best I can do given the upheavals in my personal life wreaking havoc on my mental health, and trying to do all this around freelance work.

Other Stuff

I made two Livi posters, they’re in my Zazzle shop (btw some products in the shop require you to be signed in to view, like the Cuntania t-shirts.)

Finally, if you’re on Patreon, or you’re thinking of checking it out, I put together a detailed Table of Contents linking excerpts, stories, and writing essays, and made it a public post so you can see what we do every month.

—–

*Except Wolfe. I have no news on that, so apologies to everyone behind the recent spike in site hits for that one.

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Filed Under: blog Tagged With: Books, livi talbot, news, state of the union

October 28, 2015 By Skyla Dawn Cameron 2 Comments

Spells & Spirits, Deals & Freebies

Behind, busy, stuff and things, blah blah. Anyway!

Spells&Spirits2So I guess it’s time to tell you I’m going to be in a little urban fantasy boxset. It will be for sale November 5, and you get seven stories for 99c. There are some writers you may know (including Charles de Lint! Dude!) and some may be new to you, but regardless I hope you check it out. My contribution is Bloodlines, which you probably already have because you’re awesome, but you could still get it with six other stories for 99c and that is insanely inexpensive. I’ll post again about it next week.

Today I am also part of the Kobo Daily Deal with the Demons of Oblivion Bundle–that’s the first three books in the series in one release. Normally $9.99, you can get it on Kobo in the US and Canadian store for just $3.99. That’s the price of one of the books usually, and here’s three. So. Y’know, if you’re missing those books for your library, REALLY GOOD TIME TO GRAB THEM RIGHT HERE.

AND I am part of another Kobo promo, River will be just 99c tomorrow (I think it’s up today, too, in case you want to grab it now). I believe this is good for all countries. You’ll find it here.

Many of my Kobo books are all eligible right now for 50% off, too. This only lasts a few days. Here’s the breakdown with coupon codes:

Canada
October 28th – October 31st
Promo Code: CA50SALE

United States/Australia/New Zealand
October 27th – October 30th
Promo Code: GET50SALE

United Kingdom
October 30th – November 2nd
Promo Code: UK50SALE

TreatMeRigh-KindleFinally, my friend Dina is much nicer than me as she’s offering a Halloween short story for readers of her Stranger Things series. You can read Treat Me Right here, and don’t forget to check out Dina on Payhip for a complete list of freebies (and a short story collection she has for sale).

 

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July 4, 2014 By Skyla Dawn Cameron 4 Comments

“When’s That Book Coming?” Summer Update (AKA On Oblivion)

What’s New

First, Soulless is over, all but the first five chapters are down from the site, but the full book is available in the store. It’s still PWYC (sorta–there are a bunch of price options in lieu of the old donation button) with the lowest option being $3 because this is a full-length novel–not a novella or short story, but just a little shorter than my usual work–and that seemed fair.

 

What’s Upcoming

Second…River has funded.

Shiny new cover.

River is set to release toward the end of next month, because you guys are AWESOME.

Melissa is organizing the blog tour and you can sign up here if you’re a blogger.

Campaign contributors: I’ve been picking up perk items and updates are incoming, I’ve just had a really rough June. Thank you so much for your patience.

 

What About the Sequel?

For the sequel, Wolfe…because the funding reached it’s stretch goal, Wolfe will be republished. Because, again, you guys are AWESOME. applause

It won’t be on my plate until next year but it will re-release in at least ebook sometime in 2015, after rewrites and such. The cover is done and will be revealed in the back of River.

 

What I’m Working On (or Not)…

tumblr_inline_mtyvobzll81rktzmlThe biggest news I have is that, other than River releasing…I will likely have no news for the next several months.

A few inquiries came in around the same time in May about Demons of Oblivion–questioning when I’m going to get going on the next book and the ones after it, etc. I sat down and did the math, looking at precisely how many copies Exhumed sold in two years to see if I could justify the time spent on Oblivion this year.

The result is that I had to make the difficult decision to take Oblivion off my plate this year and cancel all planned books after it.

 *

[this is not a decision I made lightly, so below are details for those who care; otherwise, just skip to the next heading]

 *

I have to split my writing time (which I siphon from my freelancing time, since I’m in my 30s now and physically can’t bear 16hr days at the computer) between passion projects and pay projects. Passion projects are what I write for my own sanity; pay projects are what I write for money.

Unfortunately, Oblivion is currently at the bottom of both project lists.

Even writing quickly as I do with a solid zero draft, I can only pull off 3-4 books a year if I want them to have any emotional depth and care to them. They’re each 90K-100K words long, and that can be anywhere from 200 to 300 hours per book. And as I write very deep first person, the books are emotionally draining and require a recovery period.

In nearly two years, the amount of money I’ve made on Exhumed is under $2 per hour spent on it.

And that’s a book written quickly, five months spent on three drafts, plus edits, and taking in consideration that I’ve sold twice as many books after striking out on my own. The reality is that Oblivion will sell even fewer copies because it’s “not a Zara book” regardless of the fact that every book is a “Zara book” and what the rest have all been leading to. I will also have to pay out of pocket* to have it edited. At this rate, a decade could go by before Oblivion is worth the time sunk into it.

I get that the series is unfinished and a full-length novel hasn’t come out since mid-2012, and that sucks for readers. And I am really sorry about that.

But, to be blunt, what sucks MORE is that I lost twelve pounds in May because I couldn’t afford groceries and had to ration the food already on hand for the next four to six weeks. I am up to my eyes in vet bills with more on the horizon and it will actively cause my dog harm if I’m unable to pay for treatment. I don’t say this for pity, but as an example of the reality I live with.  We write for the love, yes, but we publish for the money. 

I’m not just intentionally dicking around with Oblivion or procrastinating: it’s financially irresponsible for me to make this series a priority.

Further, I’ve been saying for two years now, “future books will depend on sales” which was my nice way of saying, “I am extremely doubtful but I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet.” Bloodlines has been out in one form or another since 2008. Exhumed has been out since 2012. These books have had long enough. It’s not fair for me to keep telling readers “maybe” when all evidence has pointed to a definitive “no” for years.

You guys deserve better than that.

So What Does that Mean for Oblivion?

Oblivion-AREOblivion will still go exactly as I’d planned it. It caps off one arc and lays the threads for the next.  Those threads just won’t be picked up again** but it will have, I hope, a satisfying conclusion.***

It just won’t happen until next year at the earliest because I have to be in a more financially secure place before I can make it priority.

I have many wonderful supportive readers and I am so incredibly grateful that you found the books and have followed them, and that they (hopefully) brought you some entertainment and escape. And I wish I could do better by you, and I wish I could’ve done better by the story. I love the characters, I love the world, and while I’m tremendously proud of it, I don’t think the, “What ifs” will ever stop playing in my head.

Realistically, I think there was a lot stacked against the series–some on my end, as I don’t make the, er, “traditional” marketing choices in what I write (alternating narrators for starters)–while other factors were out of my control in terms of the (lack of) promotional push the books had in small press way back when they debuted, and my lack of financial means to give them continual pushes now. And there’s also the “click” factor–some books click with enough readers to sustain them and take off, others don’t, and we’ll never know why.****

Regardless, it’s done. And it’s a bit of a relief to let it go because my stress level doesn’t need the guilt I’ve been feeling.

 *

 So that is where things stand. River will likely be out at the end next month. Usually my next quarterly state of the union is in October but I might skip it in favor of a January one; I’m hibernating for a few months to work on things so I don’t get kicked out of my apartment. I have a lot of irons in the fire right now, including for-pay writing projects that need 100% of my focus.

Thank you again for the time you’ve spent with my world and characters, and for your continued interest in more works by me. You are few, but you are mighty, and your love for these fictional people means the world to me. I wouldn’t trade you for anything.

(Except Doritos. I’d probably trade you for Doritos right now. But only Sweet Chili Heat. Maybe Jalapeno Cheddar.)

 

——–

* A reader offered to lend me money to publish Oblivion (and I know others might as well), but a. it’s not just the cost of editing/publishing: the real issue is the time invested, and art patrons are unfortunately no longer A Thing (I know about Patreon, but I’d need a couple thousand regular readers to sustain that given 2-4% might donate), and b. I don’t accept loans from anyone ever.

And I’m not terribly comfortable doing another crowdfunding thing. Oblivion would end up tapping the same people, and I absolutely refuse to dip into the pool of my friends to give me money every time I want to publish a book.

** Unless, of course, future books leap onto the pleasure project list, in which case I’ll one day consider releasing them.

*** If you’re only reading for Zara/Nate, I’ll stop you right here. Nate is barely in the book. There is no conclusion to their relationship (unless I decide to kill one of them). It is *not* paranormal romance series; it is urban fantasy and, as such, the main plot arc is not about two people hooking up so it is not my focus.

**** It was actually suggested that people won’t buy/review/recommend my books because of my name.   o.O

I am an obscure UF writer from small press which is not known for its marketing. Exposure is pretty hit or miss, and for me it’s been miss. Further…look, if you’re not reading my books because you don’t like my name? That’s your loss. IT’S MY NAME, not a “brand”. My identity.  It’s who I am, and after being made fun of for it during most of my school years, I have embraced it and it’s important to me. If that’s enough to turn anyone off of my work, I wish them well elsewhere.

 

ETA Nov 1014: Also? Turns out I am really fucking sick. So I’m on a hiatus from publishing for a least a little while.

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Filed Under: blog Tagged With: Books, Demons of Oblivion, oblivion, river, soulless, state of the union, zara lain

June 9, 2014 By Skyla Dawn Cameron

River: Resurrected

Since River‘s been resurrected, there is an exclusive cover reveal over at My World…in words and pages. The funding period ends on Friday (the 13th).

I am sincerely grateful for everything everyone chipped in, and I feel terrible for not being more enthusiastic, but April and May were both terrible months for me and June has not gone well either. My elderly dog also has tests tomorrow, and if the results show the antibiotics haven’t helped and it’s not an infection we’re dealing with, it’s probably something worse and too expensive to treat, and I just cannot even think about it; I’ll have a nervous breakdown if I lose my dog right now too.

So, again, I thank everyone, and please don’t take my lack of enthusiasm to mean I’m ungrateful for the support shown the River campaign. I simply don’t have the energy to be Author!Skyla; I can barely focus on the work I need to do to pay the vet and my rent. Mostly I just want to at best hide in a pillow fort, in the dark, with a pint of ice cream and some vodka, or maybe go to sleep and not wake up again.

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May 22, 2014 By Skyla Dawn Cameron

Twenty-Two-Twelve To Go-Go

campaignsmallTwenty-two days left in the campaign and 12% left to fund River Wolfe.

Reader and dear friend Danielle is offering to gift a copy of Bloodlines to the next person who contributes to the campaign. All you have to do is contribute and I can direct her where to gift the book. (If you already have Bloodlines, just let her know–perhaps she’ll do the contributor after you.)

I am a very obscure author with a tiny readership, and 88% of the campaign has been funded already by just eleven utterly astounding people. To be quite frank, this whole thing literally would not have a chance in hell of happening without Danielle, for more reasons than you’ll know–please do send her a tweet of thanks if you’re on Twitter (or in the comments).

My sincerest thanks for her constant (and humbling) support in believing in the work, and to everyone who has chipped in and shared the campaign thus far.

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MEET SKYLA DAWN

Writer of urban fantasy, thrillers/mysteries, and horror. Fifth-generation crazy cat lady. Bitchy feminist. So tired all the goddamn time.

My characters kill people so I don’t have to.

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