Two years ago, when I decided I would self-publish my first novel, I had no idea what was in store for me. I researched things on the internet and muddled my way through the process the best I could with a lot of trial and error. Fortunately, and with a ton of support from my friends and family, I was able to figure things out. I counted the result as a success.

Now, as I publish my third novel, some steps in the process have become much easier... but there's still one walnut I haven't been able to crack. How do I maximize my novel's exposure?

This is one area where I think traditionally published authors enjoy a huge advantage. Publishing houses can devote their resources to create timely advertising campaigns, they can ensure that novels get reviewed by well-read critics, and that books get prominently displayed in brick and mortar bookstores around the country. In a very real sense, self-published authors can't compete.

Even so, there is one tool left in my arsenal to level this playing field... AND IT DEPENDS ENTIRELY ON YOU!!!

Amazon.com, the juggernaut of electronic retail, already has a system in place to market my book to potential customers. This is great news for me because Amazon is really, really good at selling stuff. They use a complex algorithm that is mostly shrouded in mystery, although it undoubtedly draws on both advanced calculus and dark elven magic to find the most likely consumers of certain products. No one can say for sure how it all works, but what we do know, beyond any shadow, of a doubt is this: BOOK REVIEWS ARE GOOD!

So this is what I'm asking... if you've read Kira and the Rat Queen please (PLEASE!) consider leaving an HONEST review of the book on Amazon. It is the single most important thing you can do to help me succeed as a writer.

Writing a book review is easy. You don't have to be witty, or insightful, or long-winded. Just be honest. If you like the book, that's great! Tell people why you like it. If you didn't like the book, that's okay too. Let people know what didn't sit right with you.

Your review will let the Amazon Algorithm know that people are interested in my book, and it is more likely to suggest Kira and the Rat Queen to potential readers. It's that simple, but the benefit to me is immeasurable.

Other than that, I hope you all enjoy my newest entry in the Rainbow Princess Chronicles. Please plan on joining us Saturday, December 16th from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the Pitman Gallery and Art Center for our launch party. You can find out more details about the launch party here.

Next weekend, my small hometown will be transformed into a virtual Hogwarts as we celebrate our first annual Potter Festival.

While excitement and anticipation are reaching a fever-pitch in the James' house, it also leaves me contemplating the impact of J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter novels on my own writing. Admittedly, I'm not a Potter superfan like the rest of my family, but there are certainly lessons to be learned from this extraordinary series.

One of my takeaways from the Harry Potter universe is the way in which J.K. Rowling grows her novels with her audience. The first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (or Philosopher's Stone for all you Anglophiles), clocks in at just under 77,000 words and it serves as a fun adventure about a boy adapting to a new, magical world. However, the final entry in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, tips the scale at over 198,000 words, and it reads like a war story littered with the bodies of beloved characters.

So, for J.K. Rowling, both the depth and the tone of her novels has changed to meet the demands of her audience. This make perfect sense when you consider a decade passed between the release of the first and final book. After all, very few of us would choose to read the same novels at the ages of 10 and 20.

I've tried to adapt a similar strategy with the Rainbow Princess Chronicles. Kira and the Rat Queen, the second book in the series, is currently just over 37,000 words... that's 10,000 more words than Kira the Rainbow Princess.

Likewise, just like J.K. Rowling, I've tried to mature the tone of my novel while still keeping the spirit of the original. This, more than increasing word count, has proved the more difficult challenge. It becomes a fine line between "more" and "too much".

I wanted Kira and the Rat Queen to be scarier... but not scary. I wanted the risk to Kira and her friends to be greater... but never overwhelming. I wanted the tone to be darker... without descending into Roald Dahl territory. Hopefully the efforts will prove successful.

I've planned SEVEN books in the Rainbow Princess Chronicles, one for each color of the rainbow. That's a minimum of seven sears. I want to keep writing stories that Aidan and Fiona will enjoy as much when their 17 and 15 as they did when they were 10 and 8.

Just like Harry Potter, maybe Kira and her readers will grow up together.

A couple of weeks ago I invited everyone to send in their questions regarding my newest novel, Kira and the Rat Queen. I received a number of responses and I'm going to try to answer some of the more common questions today.

Q: When will Kira and the Rat Queen be available?

A: This is far and away the most common question I've received since announcing the Kira sequel. Unfortunately, at this stage of the writing process, it's still impossible to specify an exact release date. That being said, I'll be happy to talk through the remaining hurdles as we work towards publication.

On Monday, October 9th, I will send my third draft of the Kira manuscript to my editor, Liam Carnahan, at Invisible Ink Editing. Liam will spend the next 2-4 weeks picking my writing apart, and eventually, he'll send me back a much better novel. Then it's up to me to review Liam's proposed changes and put the finishing touches on my fourth and final draft. At that time, I'll be comfortable settling on a release date, even as I work to get the cover designed and the novel formatted for Amazon.

The good news is, Kira and the Rat Queen is on a very similar schedule to Kira the Rainbow Princess from last year. Hopefully the novel will be ready for release by Thanksgiving, and we can plan on a launch party in early December, just in time for Christmas. 

Q: Do you need to read Kira the Rainbow Princess to understand Kira and the Rat Queen?

A: Kira and the Rat Queen picks up three days after the end of Kira the Rainbow Princess. I've tried to include a brief backstory about what Kira is doing in this magical world (she's there to rescue her parents), but it's really just enough so that a reader won't be completely lost if they haven't read the prequel. All of Kira's friends appear in this novel, and not a lot of time is devoted to introducing Snugg, Fred, and Ben.  So the short answer is, it's not necessary... but I think you would like Kira and the Rat Queen much more if you're familiar with the events and characters in Kira the Rainbow Princess.

Q: Are you still available to visit schools/give talks about your writing?

A: After the publication of Kira the Rainbow Princess, I had the opportunity to visit a number of local schools and classrooms to talk about my novel and the writing process. Honestly, it was probably my favorite part in the entire novel writing experience... getting to share my passion and excitement for these characters with young people who were just as invested in my story as I was. Hopefully, I'll get to visit again this year. I'll include a link to my One Sheet (a single sheet of paper with my background and contact info) and I'll post the One Sheet to the "Media" page on the site. Feel free to share this information or to reach out if you would like me to arrange a visit to your student's classroom.

It's been a couple weeks since my last blog post and I thought this would be the perfect time to update everyone on my progress concerning Kira and the Rat Queen.

Last week I invited a number of family members and close friends to participate in my Beta Reading conference for Kira and the Rat Queen. This was my first opportunity to hear feedback and impressions from an audience older than 11 years old.

I always enjoy this stage of the writing process, even though receiving criticism (even when that criticism is constructive and well-intentioned) is rarely fun. I remember writing a blog post about a year ago about my first negative review and how much it affected me. You can read all about it here: suck-it-up.html

I'm happy to report, after a year's worth of online criticism, my skin has gotten considerably thicker. It's easier now to separate the intentions behind someone's critique from the emotional impact  the words might otherwise carry. The end result was the best Beta Conference to date. I was able to listen to criticism without jumping in to defend myself, and to their great credit, my cadre of Beta Readers have refined their criticism, honing in on the issues I'm most curious to hear about.

The group had a bunch of questions and some really good suggestions that I'm going to try and incorporate into the third draft of my novel, and the end result will only be a better final draft.

I've contracted again with Liam Carnahan and his team at Invisible Ink Editing to comb through my prose for any additional missteps, and I anticipate publishing Kira and the Rat Queen right around Thanksgiving, just in time for Christmas.

In other news, now that Kira is almost finished, I've once again turned my attention to my sequel to ANOM: Awakening. I'm sorry to say I fell down on the job last spring when I thought I could balance, both narratives. ANOM moved to the back-burner for most of the summer as I pushed forward with Kira, but now the tables have turned and ANOM is once again my priority. The good news is that the first draft is halfway finished, and the time away has truly crystallized the story in my mind.

Finally, we continue to work on the audio book for ANOM: Awakening. A very talented voice actor, Owen McCuen, has recorded the novel, and now we only need to wait for the editing to be complete. With any luck, the ANOM: Awakening audio book will be available before the end of the year.

Next week I would love to answer your questions about any of my upcoming projects or the writing process in general. Submit your questions to my contact page and I'll answer as many as I can.

If you've followed along with my blog over the last year, you'll know that Walt Disney World played an important role in jump-starting my first novel.

The short version of the story goes something like this... on a flight back from Disney World, I talked to my brother Michael about an idea I had for a story. Thanks to his encouragement, I returned to writing after an extended hiatus and published my first novel, ANOM: Awakening in June of 2016.

Feel free to read the extended version of the story here: how-my-brother-inspired-my-book.html. 

This summer I had the opportunity to return to Disney with my family, and I started to think about what the "Happiest Place on Earth" could teach me about writing, and the answer is ... a lot!

At first glance, Walt Disney World should be just another theme park. There are lots of shows, and a variety of foods, and rides... lots and lots of rides. But none of that is special. Disney doesn't lay claim to the tallest roller coaster on the planet like Kingda Ka in Six Flags. They don't feature famous headliners like every casino in Las Vegas. And a turkey leg at Disney World is really no different than a turkey leg at your local renaissance faire. So what's the difference?

The difference is in the details!

There are a million insignificant details at Disney that work together to create something greater than the sum of its parts. From the scripted interactions between cast members and guests (having someone wave and say goodbye to everyone who exits the park) to the amazing cleanliness in the parks (Disney has a trash can every 30 feet) to the stories incorporated into the rides themselves (Space Mountain isn't just an indoor roller coaster - it's a mission to space!).

The parallels are obvious. The details of writing - point of view, diction, even punctuation - can make all the difference in a story.

After all, a sentence like this: "John slithered down the alley, his eyes cut in thin slits against the light."

Creates a very different picture from the alternative: "I walked between the buildings, squinting in the sunlight."

But there's also a word of caution for every writer in Disney World too.

There's no doubt that the details of your story are important, but obsessing too long over the perfect word or comma can lead to a kind of writing paralysis. As a writer, you can never allow yourself to sacrifice your story on the altar of craftsmanship.

In other words, just like no one goes to Disney World because the trash cans are thirty feet apart, no one will read your perfect prose with an incomprehensible plot or one-dimensional characters. They want to read your book for the experience, and that starts with your setting, characters, plot, and theme! The details can only make it better (or worse).

My advice to every writer is to get your story on paper first. Then you can perfect the details in the revision process. Otherwise, your story may never get told.

I wanted to submit a new article today, to build on the momentum of last week's post... but writing today is difficult.

You see, I don't want to write because this weekend - in Charlottesville, Virginia - a group of domestic nazis marched on a college campus resulting in several injuries, and ultimately, the loss of life. And honestly, I don't want to write about any of it, but how can I write about anything else?

I don't want to write because the purpose of this blog is to promote my writing, and the idea that I might be using the tragedy of this weekend in some twisted form of self-promotion is sickening - but there is also an obligation placed on every writer (on every artist, for the matter) to reflect the truth, and to write about anything else in this moment would be a lie.

I don't want to write because I doubt my own footing. I am a male, middle-class, heterosexual, protestant caucasian. In other words, I may have been the only group not targeted by the hate being spewed in Charlottesville this weekend, so who am I to talk about my anger, or  hurt, or shame? Maybe it's not my place, and yet those feelings remain, and require a voice.

I don't want to write because it means admitting I was wrong. For years I believed that race-relations in America were steadily improving - that with each new generation, we were getting closer to forgetting our differences and coexisting simply as Americans. I thought that the racists were a dwindling minority. But I was wrong. The boldness displayed over the weekend - adults spewing their hatred without hiding behind masks or hoods - was not the death throes of a dying breed. It was a debut - an invitation to hate our fellow man in broad daylight without fear of repercussion.

And I don't want to explain what's at stake. It's 2017 in the United States of America, and I shouldn't have to explain why nazis are still evil. I shouldn't have to justify condemning the KKK and the alt-right on social media. I shouldn't have to listen to the leader of the free world talk about hate on "many sides" when men brandishing swastikas march through an American city. Yet here we are.

Maybe more than any other time in human history - with the rise of social media - we will be judged by future generations for what we say and do in these moments of national crises. That's why we must be clear and unwavering when we declare that the evil and violence witnessed in Charlottesville has no place in our country. To remain silent now, is inexcusable - and history will judge our silence.

This is my first post in a while.

The last time I wrote here was in March. That's five months ago. It feels like an explanation is in order.

A couple of weeks ago I watched a documentary on HBO titled The Defiant Ones. It told the story of two icons in the music industry, Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. I thought it was fascinating.

At one point, Jimmy Iovine is relating a story about his first real job at a recording studio in New York City. It's Easter Sunday, and the owner of the studio calls Jimmy and asks him to come to work to answer the phones... on Easter Sunday.

At the time I thought to myself, there's no way I would ever do that. I would never choose to leave my family and Easter dinner to go and answer phones on a Sunday. Jimmy Iovine made a different choice. He went to work that day, only the job wasn't answering phones. He was called in to work with John Lennon. That's how his career started.

Over and over again in The Defiant Ones they talked about these iconic artists -- Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Dr. Dre -- and how their pursuit of their vision bordered on obsession. That's when I realized, that would never be me.

Regardless of innate talent, every artist -every human being for that matter- is limited by the same factor...TIME. Rich or poor, male or female, exceptional or just average... we all get the same 24 hours everyday.

Where you invest your time, reveals your priorities.

So as much as I love writing, it will never be my priority. I have too many other things - important things like family and friends - pulling me away from the computer. I would have stayed home on Easter Sunday.

But still, there are other choices I can make... For example, starting in December 2016, I chose to focus myself on writing the sequel to Kira the Rainbow Princess. I really wanted to finish the novel in time for Christmas 2017. And that's why I decided to step away from the website. Every spare minute I had to write, I wanted to pour into my newest novel.

Now, I am excited to announce that Kira and the Rat Queen is almost done, right on track to be released in time for Christmas!

That also means I have time again for the website. I have time to share news about the latest installment of Kira. Or time to share my thoughts on writing, or superhero movies, or life in general. Honestly, it feels good to be back.

So that's where I was over the last five months. Maybe it was wrong to step away from the website - or maybe it didn't even matter - but in the end, they were my 24 hours, and I had to choose where to invest my time.

Sometimes in life we all start to doubt ourselves. I believe this is natural.

You fall into a routine: wake-up, drive to work, eat your ham and cheese sandwich, pick-up the kids, eat dinner, watch Netflix, go to sleep, repeat.

But if you wait long enough, you start to question that routine. Things like . . . what am I doing? How did I get here? Am I really doing this? Why? The same thing happens when you say a simple word over and over. Eventually it sounds strange. That's life.

But I also believe the universe, invariably, provides us with moments of clarity - some kind of event to either confirm or refute our own self-doubt. A moment that says, in a loud, unmistakable voice that what you're doing matters.

I had my moment yesterday.

A video has been going around the internet where a mother and daughter  take away every children's book without a female character, a female character who speaks, and/or female characters who are princesses (I'll include the video below). As you can imagine, once they were done, there weren't many books left on the shelf.

A Facebook friend tagged me in the video, and wrote a very complimentary line, "It looks like Jason James has some writing to do."

Now, I never consciously wrote Kira the Rainbow Princess to be feminist literature, but I consciously chose to make Kira the hero of her own story. She is the one who chooses and acts and saves the day through her intelligence, kindness, and bravery. I never expected that kind of writing to be the exception rather than the rule. Needless to say, when my friend mentioned me in this post, I was flattered.

But then someone else chose to comment on the post. They wrote, "I dunno - a lack of children's books featuring females who *do* speak doesn't seem to have stifled the gabbiness of the average broad - just sayin'..."

I asked this person if they were joking. They assured me they weren't.

I then pointed out how important it is that young girls be presented with a variety of female protagonists who can reflect their dreams and aspirations, and I also pointed out the ignorance and hate lying under the surface in this man's post.

He responded by saying, "Carry-on, amazing Princess!"

I imagine he intended this as an insult. I took it as an affirmation.

It confirmed my belief that we need more books like Kira because our daughters (and our sons) are growing up in a world where people still comment on the "gabbiness of the average broad."

If Kira the Rainbow Princess can affect that even the slightest, than what choice do I have? It's time to carry-on.

​

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to speak with the entire 6th grade of Pitman Middle School. I'm still not sure who had more fun.

The kids certainly seemed to enjoy themselves thanks, in large part, to the efforts of the faculty and staff at Pitman Middle School. They had food prepared straight out of my novel Kira the Rainbow Princess, complete with cauliflower, bagel pizzas, and snoozeberries. The teachers held a bookmark art contest that I got to judge (it was really difficult), and two lucky winners received limited-edition Kira t-shirts. Finally, every student received a personalized and signed copy of Kira the Rainbow Princess!

But at the end of the day, I still think I came out on top. Not only did I get an awesome Pitman Panthers hooded sweatshirt, but I got to spend the afternoon surrounded by kids who wanted to talk about my book. It must be every author's dream come true! The students themselves were an engaged, polite, and respectful audience - a testament no only to their teachers, but also their families and community. Best of all, they had some incredibly insightful questions about Kira and the writing process.

One of the questions that seemed to pop up again and again was if any of my characters were based on real people. I told them that EVERY character was based on real people because all of my life's experience has colored and shaded my imagination. Kira is very much based on my daughter Fiona. Ben the Brave is a reflection of my son Aidan and my brother Michael.  But I also told them the truth, which is every character was also based on myself. I am Kira. I am Ben. I think I'm very much Fred the Zombie.  But that also means I'm King Bill.

And this led to a new thought. I often tell my high school English students that the purpose of a novel is turn our eyes inward. To understand who we are, question who we are, reflect on who we are, and possibly to change who we are. But what happens when I'm also the person who wrote the book in the first place?

I understand that my life's experience has shaped my art, but now I'm left to wonder how my art is shaping my life. Am I stuck in an eternal loop of life changing art changing life? And would that even be so bad?

I had an experience earlier this week that brought this seeming paradox to the surface. I was in attendance at a public meeting when my wife's character was attacked. I don't know that the man knew who he was referring to when he called Vanessa a "low life". I certainly doubt that he knew her husband was sitting in attendance (thankfully Vanessa was not). Nevertheless, those words were spoken and I was left facing an unpleasant decision... Now what?

I don't think anyone really enjoys conflict. Certainly we argue, and debate, and compete... but that's not what I'm talking about. The conflict I experienced that night cut much deeper, cutting down to the core of character.  It was ugly, uncomfortable, and unavoidable.

I responded with my words. I defended my wife and her character in no uncertain terms. I took action when action alone would suffice. I'd like to think that Kira (or Snugg) would have done the same. But more than that, I'd like to think that maybe Kira and Snugg helped me do the same.

I'm not telling this story to brag - although I am incredibly proud of speaking up in support of my wife - but rather I'm sharing this story to leave one final thought. . . my character as a husband, father, and human being has been shaped by the sum of my life's experience, including every story I've ever read: The Black Cauldron, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Spider-Man,  To Kill a Mockingbird, and yes, even Kira the Rainbow Princess.

To think that my words may one day give a young man or young woman the courage to act when action alone will suffice... it's a humbling thought, and I can only hope it proves to be true.