S.L.Luck

July 1, 2021

My newest novel, Interference, will officially be released Wednesday, July 21! YAY! I’m excited but grossly nervous. This project has been my baby for a while now and my prep has gone much smoother, but there’s always that tendency endemic to authors where we pretty much want to burn our work once we’re done. The process goes like this:

1. Idea
2. There has never been a better idea in the history of ideas. I’m so awesome.
3. Pages fly by
4. Hits a plot/character/pacing/any issue…begins to reconsider greatness of idea & self worth
5. Gets past issue. Reinforces awesomeness.
6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 until something resembling a manuscript appears on your laptop
7. Begin another project to let last one “rest”
8. Begin first edit. Hate every word on every page.
9. Power through. Find decent sentence amidst the rubble and pat your fragile ego
10. Repeat until manuscript is flawless.
11. Publish
12. Previously invisible mistakes and/or issues wipe off their camouflage and dip themselves in neon to make absolutely sure they get attention
13. Hide head in sand/wine/sugar/the entire assortment of Nestlé products

I wish I was exaggerating.

Back to the release …

While this book wasn’t specifically written for the Kindle Storyteller Contest, the submission aligned with my completion. I’m up against over 4,000 writers from all over the world, in every genre imaginable. My baby step goal was and still is to become a finalist, that’s it, but I realize it’s a tall order. Top 5 out of 4,000 (and counting!)? Still, I put a decent foot in the pool and I’ll hold my breath until they announce the short list. I know the odds are stacked against me. I’ve also had quite a bit of discussion about the genre. This book is a horror. Possibly horror-thriller, but definitely on the darker side. That’s not for everyone, I know, but it’s a genre dear to my heart. Put a Stephen King or Joe Hill novel in my hands and I’m happy. I really don’t see them as horror, mostly because both writers employ story first, fear … somewhere down the line. Anyway, I also entered Interference as a horror because I didn’t want to confuse anyone as to what to expect. I had a Goodreads giveaway for Redeemer. The cover and the description were both quite dark but it still offended a contest winner because bad things happened in it, not to mention the language. (Gasp!)

Whatever happens, I’m proud of this one. On July 21, please consider buying a copy or ten of my book and give me a decent chance of becoming a finalist. Stay tuned …