Well, today is one of those days and I need to vent. Sorry…
As you may know, I also write as Sultonna Nadine. She writes the stand alone books. I write the series. So far, she has four books in print.
Now today I was supposed to have a Book Club Author Q&A for Sultonna’s latest, Lady Calloway. As most of my books are, it is a cross-genre, multi-layered tale of romance. Set in an alternate Victorian reality, this historical fantasy romance pits the church against personal freedom. Our MC must choose between the church he serves and the woman he loves.
As a church agent, being married to a heretic can have dire consequences if he fails in his duty. But his heart says he must protect his wife at all cost. And when they both begin to develop forbidden mental abilities, they have to flee toward what they hope is a place of safety to escape the church they were once devoted to.
In a world where even your thoughts can convict you, where can you find safety, when the church is the law of the land?
Seems like it ought to be popular. The comments I’ve received have all been positive. They loved the duty vs. love angle, the multi-layered story.
Here’s a quote from a reader.
“I am still thinking about Lady Calloway, and frankly, I feel like I’m owed emotional compensation.
I came expecting romance. Somehow I ended up wrestling with questions about faith, danger, relationships, and human nature. That’s not a complaint, by the way. It’s actually what made the story so memorable.
One thing that has stayed with me is how fearlessly you blended spiritual themes with deeply human struggles. It made the characters feel real in a way that’s becoming increasingly rare.”
Or here’s another one.
“What you have created here is not a typical historical romance where the only obstacle is social standing or a disapproving parent. It is a story about faith, heresy, and the terrifying discovery that the church you serve would condemn you for the very abilities awakening inside your own mind… I came away from Lady Calloway with a clear and unshakeable conviction:
“This book belongs in the hands of every reader who loves forbidden love stories with real stakes, every fantasy romance fan who wants their magic grounded in historical tension, and anyone who has ever had to choose between what they were taught and who they love.”
So I don’t know what to do here. In spite of all the promotions I’ve run, and others have run for me, in spite of being all over social media and most major retailers, I’m not really getting any sales. Everyone says to fix my keywords, change my genre descriptions on Amazon, get it listed om Listopia, I’ve done a lot of that already with nothing ot show for it.
Is it time to stop trying to publish? Is it worth all the work for no return?
I don’t know. You, my readers get to decide.
For now, I’m going to have something cold to drink and wait for next winter’s firewood to be delivered. Maybe I’ll go over and work on another post and hope for the best.
It’s all right. I’ll get over my mood after a while.
Just remember for me,
Don’t Forget…
…to Share the Romance…
