First Cup of Coffee - April 19, 2024

An update on the release of RELUCTANT WIZARD and teasing the upcoming cover reveal! A bit on how traditional publishing works. Also thoughts on Taylor Swift, being a "real" Swiftie, and why I use her to teach voice.

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Transcript

00:02.90
jeffekennedy
Um, good morning. Everyone this is Jeffe Kennedy author oops romantasy author of epic fantasy romance I'm here with my first cup of coffee ah clearly much needed coffee today. Is say it with me people. It is Friday who. Ah April Nineteen Twenty Twenty Four and April is flying by flying by I hope you all are having a good spring. It is. Finally finally kind of warming up here I did get my hanging baskets I think I mentioned that already wooden Kelly was here she went with me to buy hanging baskets and I saw a Hummingbird yesterday. There's a little bit of bird fuss out there I'm gonna go check to make sure that Killian isn't killing hang on good news all as well. Ah, yeah, so but still like you know chili this morning. It's ah.

01:12.22
jeffekennedy
I'm going to try to get some stuff done this afternoon I'm feeling a little bit of this um, short turnaround of stuff too much travel right? spending the week going to Jack Williamson lectureship hanging out with Kelly and now I leave Tuesday afternoon to go to a polycon. Back on Sunday and then turn around and I go to Tucson to visit my mom for a few days which will all great stuff. But um so those of you my my lovely readers out there. Um I am. Reconciled to the fact that I am not going to be able to get reluctant wizard out by the end of may um, like did we really think that I would I I really thought I had this I had a dream. Ah, but no i. Had a dream and the dream was just how does that go that's it. It's I dreamed a dream and the final lines are and now life has killed the dream I dreamed which is's probably over trauma for my circumstances. Ah. If. You don't know the song of course she is at the point of complete despair and has wrecked her health entirely trying to protect your daughter. So what I have going on is like that nearly that extreme I'm not gonna have it out ti.

02:48.84
jeffekennedy
The end of June but as I've discussed before what of the parameters. 1 of the the metrics the calculus that we do as indie authors in putting out a release is it makes no difference. To me moneywise if I get it out at the first of June or the thirtieth of June I know it matters to you I adore you all, please don't be angry with me I'm just going to go ahead and set the release date for June Thirtieth I have the cover. It's magnificent I'm going to do a cover reveal and. The release date is going to be officially June thirtieth but I think I can make that maybe I'll give you all a little hint of the cover on a the show notes here that be fun wouldn't it. I actually love this cover. In fact, if you're on video and this is going to punish you non-vi listeners which I don't intend to do but I will put this on the show notes. But if you're on video look at this is this great I'm showing the ah a piece of the cover on which is the wallpaper on my phone. And this has been a really great cover for being inspirational. We love inspiration. so so yeah the book is coming along, um, not fast. My attention has been scattered I've got about 16000 words on it and um.

04:21.27
jeffekennedy
Yeah I've just been doing like doing my slow thing. What is up with me and slow lately. It's like I've descended to the realm of of mortals. Ah, that's really terrible to say isn't it. Ah, but I do feel for people. Who write more slowly and everybody is so kind about saying how prolific I am this week I've just been not doing a lot. Um, and in fact, so far this year I don't know maybe I'm slowing down overall people. Maybe that is just. What I have to to face. Um, for the last since the beginning of March I have not written more than 5000 words a week now I hear you yes I hear you out there? Um, yeah, my stepfather. Suddenly died and it was a lot and it was I am clearly still recovering from it. Ah I have things on my to do list which I'm slowly working my way through but things that I feel like I have been behind. Since that happened and it's it's five weeks now and which I know isn't that long. So I just have to um, get a grip on myself here and both acknowledge that this has been slow.

05:51.34
jeffekennedy
And that I need to and that I have good reason for it but then also kind of getting my act together I nearly didn't go to writer coffee yesterday I did go and had a great conversation and it was fun. Um I'm trying to let go of this feeling that I really need to.

06:11.16
jeffekennedy
Buckle downing and get all this stuff done. Um I would really love to get all the finances caught up and I have a lot of things on there I also want to get the yard cleaned up. It's um I don't think I've ever been so late in the year that I haven't done any garden cleanup. I'm still inside. It's chilly. It's chilly outside but the crab Apple tree is starting to bloom. It's beautiful. So I just popped off to message with assistant Carien and we're going to do the cover reveal on Monday so I'll have all of that ready. So a yeah newsletter will go out Monday if you don't subscribe to the newsletter. I mean you don't have to but there's all kinds of ways to find out how and there's going to be information and news in there. So um, do yup I think that'll be good to get that out I'm trying to think of what else I have to say um, yeah. Just need to get back into ah a more focused zone but I'm also not trying to stress it. The other thing that's going on and I talked to Jim about this yesterday is I'm feeling like some things are going to descend on me those of you who have been listening for a long time.

07:42.20
jeffekennedy
Know that my um inability to write an outline means that I have to hold the whole book in my head and really immerse in it and I write it from beginning to end at which does not lend itself to dipping in and out which is what I've been doing and. I know that I'm expecting edits from my editor at Tor Ali I am thinking that we're going to get that soon of I've asked her about it and and this is a thing about traditional publishing and agent Sarah even. Reminded me although I was like I know Sarah and she's like I know you know, but and and that it's it's hurry up and wait. That's what she says to? um, you just you know they're on their own schedules. They're doing 10000000 things and I know that. Will get these and it will be a can you turn these around by Monday or something like that and I will have to drop everything I'm doing and address that and that's just it. You know that's part of the deal. That's what you do? Ah so which is fine. It's absolutely fine. Ah.

08:57.37
jeffekennedy
Similarly, it's not as extreme but agent Sarah has been reading first order of the fay realms and I'm expecting notes back on that at some point so both of these things mean that I'm going to have to de immerse. From what I from my drafting and I know I shouldn't like not immerse in anticipation of that. But that's what I'm doing I saw a funny meme on Instagram I think it was actually Deena Ray, my mentee, posted it. She finds some funny things. But this showed a person laying on a bed and it was like me I'll do it at 8 at 8 a m and then it's eight five oh no I missed it now I have to do it at 9 um I am. Not neuro atypical but I am a little bit weird that way and I will do exactly that same sort of procrastinatoryry thing. Ah and it's I've really noticed it about myself. Ah, you know, even just like being a full time author now. Like if I have a really broken up day if I don't really have that you know for those of you don't know I typically write three one hour sprints with a break between so it takes me generally about four and a half hours ah to get through my sometimes 5 sometimes less.

10:32.67
jeffekennedy
Depends on how long of a break I take I tried not to take too long of a break. But I've also found that longer breaks seem to be beneficial for word count. So I've tried to find that balance. But if I don't have that really clear. Um and I have things that are encroaching on that block of time. Then it feels like it ruins the whole block of time which I know doesn't make sense and yet creativity is a weird thing getting ourselves to do things is. It's a weird dance right? so. I know that these things are going to happen I should probably just like I know agent Sarah's gonna ask me for a new synopsis I shouldn't wait for her to ask me for a new synopsis to write it but reader I will wait but ah.

11:27.93
jeffekennedy
Similarly I feel a little bit like there's no point me trying to really immerse in my routine and get everything reestablished when I know it's just going to get all blown to hell again very soon. Ah I would like to be able to be more flexible. But one of the things that I I do know about myself is if I'm not deep if I'm deep into the zone if I've really rebuilt the writing habit and am it and am in training in shape to write 3000 words a day then the disruptions don't matter so much. So. I don't know probably the moral there is I should probably use what time I can to rebuild the pattern but I also know I'm going back and forth and I I also know that like a few days isn't enough to do that so live and try. Ah.

12:24.56
jeffekennedy
So that's where I'm at um, oh and I know a thing I started to say before about getting the art cleaned up when I go to a polyon. Ah my husband's sister and her husband are coming to stay with David for the time that I'm gone which is great. But I'm also feeling like I need to get things a little bit less like a disaster so I'm hoping to get that done this weekend so it's a lot right? I've just said I want to catch up on everything I'm behind on and do these things. But I might do some this afternoon I might be able to I don't know I totally think I can do it I'm feeling pretty good so then like in other news you all know that I'm a swiftie from way back. It's a funny. Thing because I I feel a little bit like an original swiftie I feel like I was defending Taylor Swift when people were saying well I don't even feel like I know what people were saying well she's just a slat and she sleeps around and I said you know that's misogyny and talking and. And I even had someone reply back and say oh I hadn't thought of it that way. That's like yeah, don't you don't chide male rock stars for plowing their way through the groupies don't chide tailor for having multiple boyfriends right.

13:52.62
jeffekennedy
She's not going through several guys in one night after a concert and she could right? Oh know I was a rock star. Maybe I would want to do that. So ah I've tried to figure out if I could say this without getting in trouble. Let's see if we can slide this in but I do think it's really funny that the ah. Incels on social media. You know like these guys bitch and about you know, like how women don't want them and all this kind of thing that one of the things they talk about is women being on the cock carousel right? which is a vivid image right? So many and just. On one and off and onto the next and it's um, I've seen some my friends commenting going where do I find this carousel can I buy a ticket I assume it's an a ticket and that's fine, but let's all sign up for that. Ah anyway. Taylor Swift I was I've been using her as an example of voice and of success for well since her 1989 album came out and. And her out her newest album. The tortured co's department dropped today. The swifties had been ah looking at her clues that she's been dropping. She'd been dropping the number two and so I was of the ah.

15:21.76
jeffekennedy
Of the opinion with the ones who thought that she was also going to drop reputation Taylor's version but it turns out that tortured poets department is a double album 31 new songs. So yes and I did start listening to it I've only made it through 10 songs so far but very much enjoying it. But. I am turned off by some of the stuff on social media I saw somebody asking a question and another person replied. Well if you don't know the answer then you're not a real swifty and it's like it's a push pull right? I really hate where people are saying. You're not a real this and I know it's as old as time you know and it's gone around. Maybe I'm sensitive to it because of the whole science fiction fantasy community like you're not a real gamer unless you do this, you're not a real that ah, it's human nature right? when I lived in Wyoming there was this whole thing about like whether or not. You were a real wyoming person or a Wyoming wannabe and for a lot of people. It was like unless you've been born there. You didn't count. Didn't matter how long you'd lived there. Ah, it's it's a thing people do right? You know want to. Test the legitimacy of someone else's devotion or belonging to a thing ah and at the same time I still kind of feel a little bit like here I am saying original Swifty. It's like ah this is me shaking my cane right? You know like I've been a swiftie since.

16:57.63
jeffekennedy
Eighty nine came out and and when I talk about voice which I may not have talked about on here for a long time. Um, she's one of my favorite examples of voice because ah the 1989 album was a crossover she really changed genres. Ah, the previous album read was moving in that direction. But before that she was really she'd been pushed into the country western market which I just don't listen to um the the twang isn't for me caveat to that I love beyonce's. New album cowboy Carter I love her version of Jolene I think it's amazing. Um, yeah I I mean I haven't bought it or listened to it exclusively. But I love what she did with it. Ah, you know it's genres coming back to this whole genre thing like does genre matter. So anyway, um, I'd really love Taylor's lyrics I love ah the way she puts a song together. She has these unusual cadences in her songs and I love the self referencefers. It's ah it all works great for me as a storyteller as a writer but um. There had been this one country song that I had heard in passing every once in a while and I couldn't figure out why I liked it because you know I don't really like country western songs and it turns out it was our song by Taylor Swift from her very first album and it like and she wrote it when she was like 14 for a talent show or something.

18:31.83
jeffekennedy
But anyway, um, it's a good example of voice because the things I like about that song are the things I like about her music now and it's a good It's a good lesson for author something that I've really been thinking about had long conversations with Martha Wells at ah, Jack Williamson lectureship you know and it's interesting because Martha has been writing for I won't all 30 years longer she's been writing fantasy for a long time but it was when she wrote the murder bot books. That she really exploded and now everybody knows who she is everyone who knows who murder Bot is and it's like I do think that there is a thing where creators break out when they find for lack of a better word. The genre that clicks for them and for whatever reason. And actually there's a lot of reasons we could talk about it but ah murder bot it like perfectly fit Martha Wells voice ah it it fits her worldview and those stories sing in a particular way to use a metaphor that. Grocks with the rest of what I'm talking about so when Taylor moved into more pop ah away from country western that was when she exploded when she put out the midnights album.

20:02.87
jeffekennedy
That moved her into a whole new territory which feels fully her. So anyway, that was a lot of things a smattering of things for a Friday ah I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Wish me luck on getting everything done and I will talk to you all on Monday. You all take care bye bye.