The Author Em Brooks

 

Always keep learning, always keep writing, and always keep moving forward. 

Sure, there are plenty of ways to restate that sentence, including do what you know until you know better, then do better.

I am truly blessed and honored to have so many talented people in my life, people who genuinely want me to succeed and I am very very grateful for their support and their direction. I am well aware that I am "just beginning" my role as a published author, but the various questions and advice of those around me only fuel me to keep going forward. It's not easy putting your personal work out there for everyone out there to read or not, to praise or critique, to respond to or ignore. It induces anxiety and internal panic as you press buttons that may change your life....Or not. It all depends on the party on the other side of that button.

But I keep learning because I am well aware I don't know everything. I adjust what I need to, accept defeat where I must, and I keep moving forward. Always.  Because I am an author and I have that special level of insanity where I can write thousands of pages, and millions of words, crafting them into stories that consume because it comes easy to me... Not everyone shares that level of commitment.

So, I am spreading my wings and embracing this meme that I've seen going around social media:

So -- Let's fly!

Let's cover some very important updates for you!!!!

1. A new cover.

As you may have noticed from a few graphics that I put out, I have updated the cover for Portrait of an Unlikely Affair. Folks honestly do judge books by their covers (no matter how much we insist we don't) and after studying and looking what is supposedly selling organically (there are tricks and hacks in marketing and advertising apparently), I realized that perhaps I needed to be bolder with my cover for my first book of a series. Because I know and am well aware my plot and characters are solid. Readers get hooked and read through the whole series because you've just gotta know what happens (I will admit I was thinking about a part in The Disruption of Forever --book 6-- and was only going to read that paragraph because I had things to do, chores to be done, lessons to give.....But....two hours and over 100 pages later, I had to put the book into a drawer and close it so I could get my stuff done.) So, without further adieu, the new cover of Portrait of an Unlikely Affair:

There is contrast in it. I liked the picture in the middle because it seemed mysterious and wistful and gave a freeing feeling -- the feeling of being yourself, enjoying life in nature. And yet you only see that wistful freedom after the surface is scratched. Yup, sometimes you don't know what you are capable of until that surface is scratched.  But, I digress.

2. The Em Brooks Website.

Eventually I'll have a handy-dandy domain name registered and deployed so that's all you have to type, but for now, we're going with what we have. https://sites.google.com/view/theauthorembrooks/home

It is really a one stop site for all of my books, various things I have created to advertise them, and links of all to places to purchase them.  I have added more since I have done the "soft launch" of the site this last week on Facebook.  But I'm getting there.

3. Walls

After learning everything I have learned this week, I realize there is a series of metaphorical walls surrounding being a published author. I have the inner walls, my inner circle as so to speak. My test group. People who have read everything I published and wrote just because I wrote it. Breaking through that wall, there are friends and family. These are full of wonderful people who aren't always readers. They know me and those who do read are giving my work a try, somewhat timid that I'll ask them how they like my books and why they aren't reading them. (Again, I won't ask unless you bring it up first.) I have no idea who have read the books, looked at the book, purchased the book. But it's the wall beyond that that is the hard one. That's the wall where behind it is more readership and the unknown. There is a sign on this wall that says, "You will need to pay a ridiculous amount of money to get past this wall and reach other people. This is the only way." And there is a line of people trying to make their way around/over this wall. But I have a feeling that it's not the "only" way. It is one way. And for all I know it's an optical illusion. So, until then, I am moving forward, testing the wall, studying the wall. There are so many options that I can see -- the only question is what is it I want? What am I willing to do? Obviously, I'm not going to sell my soul just to get over the wall, but it is a question to answer -- what do I want? Regardless of the answer, I will get through this wall with my soul intact.

4. Veil Falls Update!!!

After a slip-up by the postal service, I did receive my proof copy of Veil Falls. I consider this to be the proof before I send a copy out to my Advance Copy Readers which means, this is it. We will be out very soon!!!! I'm excited. I'm looking forward to letting you get to know Mason and Gia and showing you more of our favorite Allegheny characters. In the time line, this one does take place about 5 years after Eden & the Alchemist. But...It's definitely an Em Brooks book.... And you all know what that means -- leave all expectations at the door.

And on that note, I think I'll let you get back to whatever it is you're avoiding doing. Thanks for hanging out with me, I do appreciate it! 

Have you read any of my books? Don't forget to rate or review them on the vendor's site! Rating and reviews trigger the sellers algorithms to make the books more visible to potential readers. It's like moving it up from the bottom shelf to being more eye level.... All of my books are also on Goodreads! Thank you so much for your support!

If you haven't started any of them yet...what are you waiting for? Get them on eBook or in paperback and hardcover at www.amazon.com/author/embrooks, www.barnesandnoble.com, or on your Apple Books app today! All ten of my books are available on those vendor sites. 

Be sure to check out and share my website with your friends who enjoy reading: https://sites.google.com/view/theauthorembrooks/home

I realize there are millions of books out there for you to read, and I am very appreciative that you read mine! Have a wonderful day!