A Paranormal Romance:
In Darkness: The Vampire
New Release By L. Diane Wolfe
Author & Publisher Don’t Mix Well!
Last week, my paranormal romance book, In Darkness: The Vampire, was released. A book release is always exciting but this one meant even more to me. It was my first book in TEN years.
Now, I don’t put out a book every ten years. I rapid-released my NA series, The Circle of Friend, from 2009-2010. Plus there was a non-fiction book based on two seminars I teach, Overcoming Obstacles with SPUNK! Then I put out a book called How to Publish Your Book Now! That was in 2013, and while it’s been updated since that time, I’ve not experienced a new book release since that year.
Did I get stuck? Lost for inspiration? No, my publishing company really took off and I had no time to write. I focused on my authors rather than my own works. I did write some here and there. I finished the main draft of The Vampire in 2016. The Werewolf was completed maybe a year or so later. But I’d originally entitled the series Four in Darkness and knew I needed two more stories.
Now you begin to understand the title of this piece. It’s difficult to be an author when I am also the publisher. I’m busy! Going through submissions, edits, marketing, formatting, etc. I have an illustrator and an editor and staff that help, but a lot falls to me. Thus, I am always wearing the publisher hat rather than the author hat. I felt obligated to focus on them rather than me.
How this series came about was a miracle. In 2022, there was a lull in submissions. I had a few months in between our spring and fall submissions. So, I pulled out the two I had completed, polished them, and sent one to our editor. Meanwhile, I worked to finish another one, The Shark. And I pulled out a SUPER old manuscript called Frozen Soul that I began to rework as The Alien.
The Shark was polished by the time The Vampire came back from our editor (Lynda Dietz – she’s amazing) so I sent that one to her next so I could separate the featured creature a bit. As soon as it came back, off went The Werewolf. Now I am polishing The Alien and that will go to her in May. I am on track for all four novellas to come out in a thirteen month span!
Of course, remember how publisher and author don’t mix well? There’s all the marketing we do for Dancing Lemur Press. Then there’s the marketing the author does. Wait a minute, that’s all on me! My work just doubled.
Self-published authors do this all the time, but probably not on the same level as a publisher. They don’t contact hundreds of reviewers, pay for bar codes or ISBNs, take care of all formatting and cover design and promo ads, etc. – and all the while juggling submissions, legal stuff, royalty payments, editing multiple works a year, and more.
In retrospect, in a year I thought would be lighter, it’s going to be twice the work I expected. Three novella releases from me plus two other releases, Tales From the Valley by WATCH Youth and Blood Red Steel by Damien Larkin. Plus, we signed Sherry Ellis to complete her Bubba and Squirt series. I’ve a lot more speaking engagements and we will be hitting the comic cons hard this year.
Whew!
Such is the life of a publisher-author.
A Paranormal Romance: In Darkness: The Vampire
New Release!
IN DARKNESS: THE VAMPIRE
By L. Diane Wolfe
Souls shrouded in darkness…
Stuck working as a barmaid for her demanding father, Anna dreams of adventure. When mysterious strangers enter the bar, she overhears they seek Zancrela, an ancient fortress filled with treasure and a magical library. Taking her chance, she offers to guide them. The conditions: deliver Zancrela or die.
As they journey through the wilderness, she discovers their secret: they are vampires. And most view her as food. One takes interest in her and her heart dares to hope, but it might not be enough to change her fate. Will Anna find Zancrela or become a vampire morsel?
Romance / Paranormal / Vampires, Fantasy / Paranormal, Fantasy / Romance
eBook ISBN 9781939844903 $3.99
“…it’s a brilliant read and I found myself engrossed in the story…” The Strawberry Post
“I must say I had no idea I would love this book as much as I did. I also didn’t expect to devour it in two days, but I did! Everything from the plot to the characters to the world it takes place works to reel in the reader. I was enthralled. Really, truly loved everything about this book!” – Victoria Liiv, author
“The general storyline hooked me so fast…the author throws in some nail-biting suspense. I won’t tell you how this ends; you need to read and enjoy this one for yourself.” – Tanya Reddinger, Read Love Reviews
A Paranormal Romance: In Darkness: The Vampire
Get your copy of the book at these retailers:
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BC4SRKH2
iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6443336227
Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940165920110
Kobo – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844903
Scribed – https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844903&language=0
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62203140-in-darkness
About Diane
A professional speaker and author, L. Diane Wolfe conducts seminars, offers book formatting, and author consultation. She’s the senior editor at Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. and contributes to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.
You can find out more about Diane here:
http://www.spunkonastick.net/ – Spunk On A Stick
http://www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com – Spunk On A Stick’s Tips
http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/ – Insecure Writer’s Support Group