UPDATE
Catching up
I’ve been ignoring my Substack page for quite a while. The problem started after I posted the first installment of the fictional (sorta) serial aWOKEn about a woman who awakens in 2025 after a 30 year slumber. A modern day take on Rip Van Winkle. That was my first successful post, gaining hundreds of views and likes. So, yes, I was dismayed to be faced with a conundrum: continue to develop something on Substack, or migrate once again to a platform that aligns with my moral compass. Because you see, I discovered that Substack has a Nazi problem.
At first, I thought it wouldn’t bother me because I can just block Nazis. But, then I thought about who profits from Nazis being encouraged to use the Substack platform, and how much ‘free speech’ for Nazis I can tolerate in the building. I cannot tolerate hate speech in my vicinity, I don’t have it in me. I’m not trying to censor anyone, but… I don’t want to lend ANY support to ANY entity that encourages, supports, promotes or totally ignores the Nazis in the building (metaphor here, Substack is the building and it’s owners make money off nazi subscriptions). I’m also not in the mood to debate whether a private enterprise should apply the free speech clause that was carved into our Constitution to protect people from government oppression.
So, that is what led me to starting a Worpress website of my own, not dependent on a 3rd party platform and it’s arbitrary rules. I will be migrating my Substack account there over the following weeks. If you have subscribed to my Substack account, you’ll be automatically signed up. If, alas, you do not wish to get my periodic scribblings, then feel free to unsubscribe. If, however, you find something interesting or want to help a writer buy a cup of coffee, then share my website anywhere and everwhere. Here is the link, remember, right now it’s still under construction
https://lpersoniuswrites.com/
I promise not to spam y’all!
The other exciting news is that I’ve published my second book in the Magic and Mayhem series, The Pot Stirrers. I’m proud of the progress I’m making. It’s been noted that my writing is improving with every story, and this one feels really good. It is set in the same world, with some of the same characters as book one; but it expands on the world building and character development.
For the first book, I published through Amazon “KDP Select”, enrolling it in the Kindle Unlimited program. It was mildly successful (according to my bar, which is admittedly low) and continues to get reads every now and then, even though I’ve completely ignored it and taken down the print version (right after 2025 inauguration day). I’m in the process of revising it after writing the sceond book… there’s some holes to plug and grammar to fix. For this second book, I have published “wide”, meaning it’s not exclusively on Amazon. It can be found at Barnes & Noble, Apple, Google, Kobo, Bookshop.org, Cloudlibrary, etc… After I finish the revised version of book one, The Whistlers, I will also publish that one wide.
This is not a strategic economic decision and it could hamper sales of my books, but given that I don’t want to support billionaires, I felt I had to go this route. However, given that Amazon has over 75% of the book market, I would be a fool to avoid it completely. I’ve found a somewhat happy medium for publishing but it’s not going to help my books. Sigh. So, if you read it, I appreciate reviews and referrals! Word of mouth is still the way most people learn about books they may be interested in. Also, the books can be read as a standalone.
Hopefully, my order of print books for The Pot Stirrers will arrive before the 1st Annual Stanwood Bookfest. I’m sharing a table with an author friend; my first experience doing this. A big step for me, I usually avoid crowds. It should be fun. Plus, there will be food trucks! Once you read The Pot Stirrers, you’ll know why I get excited about food trucks! If you’re in the area, stop by and see me!
Here is the book cover, designed by my talented daughter, Hayley. I can’t say enough good things about this woman. She is such a gem, and a lifesaver for a writer on a budget
Hope your summer is going great! I’m doing well, making progress, in spite of health challenges. Getting pretty good at using crutches!