It’s Serious Business Now

For the past year, I’ve been writing. And not only blogs. I’ve also been working on two novellas.

It’s been a fun process with a lot of new experiences. It’s been scary at times, especially when I asked others to read it and give me feedback. Luckily, the friends that were so generous to help were very kind, and their feedback and suggestions were so helpful.
And now my first story, called Samir, is finally ready to be published, in English.

So again it’s a period with a lot of firsts. And it’s serious business now, organising an ISBN, thinking about the cover, writing an excerpt for the back cover, writing a logline, writing text for a website, designing a website, etc., etc. And soon I’ll be thinking about how to promote the book, and whether I should have a launch party (what do you think?) Not sure how to go about that, and I’ve got the feeling that this will be the most difficult part of it all. At least for me, because it all involves exposure and sharing my work with you and others.

Despite all that, I’ve done it. I’ve organised the cover design, the distribution of ebooks and ordered printed books to give. There’s even a deadline for the second story and a plan for a third.

And of course I hope that you, readers of this blog, will be reading my book as well. And if you like it, help to promote it. I know, it’s a lot to ask. But I think I can do with all the support for this last part of the process. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Ideas are very welcome.

My book will be available at the start of June, and I’ll probably write another short blog about this specific project then.

For now a brief summary of Samir:

Samir has endured a long and torturous journey after fleeing the violence in his homeland. He’s relieved to find the Centre, and to be welcomed into its sanctuary. It provides the security he craves, and if he only accepts a few conditions, he’s assured his family can join him, without having to suffer the same arduous trip he made.

While he’s introduced to the Centre’s new lifestyle, he’s given the chance to relax, gather his strength and work to give something back to those who are helping him. He settles in to this beautiful and tranquil place, where he can finally be who he wants to be. It seems like paradise – until he’s invited to sit quietly and meditate on his deepest fears and explore the darkest secrets of his past.

Samir’s story reminds us of how outer beauty and utopian ideologies can blind us to reality, that what we see is not always what we get – or want.

Tagged as: dystopia, novel, stories, utopia, writing