I’d like to extend a warm welcome today to Andy Peloquin, writer extraordinaire, hot wing aficionado, Selena Gomez fan, and overall very tall guy (he’s 6’6″!). Andy joins us today on the launch of his latest novel, The Last Bucelarii (Book 1): Blade of the Destroyer. He gives us a personal reminder of why we, as writers, cannot afford to be anti-social. We are all too susceptible to shrink away from society and work on our writing. But we hurt ourselves (and our writing careers) by doing so.
Speaking of Blade of the Destroyer, just look at this gorgeous cover!
From the Jacket:
The Hunter of Voramis is the perfect assassin: ruthless, unrelenting, immortal. Yet he is haunted by lost memories, bonded to a cursed dagger that feeds him power yet denies him peace of mind. Within him rages an unquenchable need for blood and death.
When he accepts a contract to avenge the stolen innocence of a girl, the Hunter becomes the prey. The death of a seemingly random target sends him hurtling toward destruction, yet could his path also lead to the truth of his buried past?
Before we get to Andy’s insightful post, I’d like to let you know where you can purchase a copy of Blade of the Destroyer:
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Blade-Destroyer-Last-Bucelarii-Book-ebook/dp/B012EI9M4A/
Amazon Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Blade-Destroyer-Last-Bucelarii-Book/dp/1515038955/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25269614-blade-of-the-destroyer
Now, let’s hear from Andy himself!
Why Writers Cannot be Anti-Social
We writers tend to be a fairly antisocial lot. It’s definitely not something done on purpose, but it just happens! After all, how social can you be when you spend hours sitting in front of a computer screen typing away?
Writing is a pretty addictive pastime–as is any form of creation. After a while, you come to crave the rush of creating new characters, telling new stories, creating fascinating new plots, and giving readers a thrill. I know I have a hard time thinking about anything else when I’m in the process of writing!
But that can backfire pretty hard.
Here’s an example:
When I first started writing, I spent a lot of time interacting with people on social media. I made new friends, contacts, and acquaintances.
A year or so later, and I’m neck deep in a book launch. I figure, “Some of these people might be interested in helping me out, right? After all, they’re fellow writers who know exactly what it’s like to be in my position.”
So I send around emails asking for help, and I get a lot of positive results. Many people agree to help with my book launch. Hooray!
Then I get this email:
Unfortunately, I am unable to help anyone at the moment with book launches, beta reads, and the like. I am in the middle of revisions on 4 books. Also, I can’t help but add that I find it extremely rude when someone, who rarely speaks to me and has never offered to help promote my work, hounds me to death when he/she needs a favor for their books.
Whoa! Flash of revelation right there! For the last year, I had been so focused on my writing and my novel that I had been completely out of touch–bordering on antisocial. For that reason, this person had ZERO interest in helping me out.
As a writer, there’s always the temptation to retreat into your little “bubble” or “sanctuary”. You have your own little writing world that is safe and comfortable, and where you can focus on your own troubles. You don’t have to think about anything else but writing a great book.
But retreat too far, and you’ve suddenly cut yourself off from people around you–people who could help you achieve success! Yes, it’s absolutely wonderful to surround yourself with nothing but your writing, but that could end up costing you followers, readers, and friends.
Don’t be antisocial!
Make it a point to spend time engaging with your followers and readers, or interacting with your friends (both online and offline). Offer to help with as many of their projects as possible (according to your availability), and be there for them when they need you. When it comes time to ask for help, they will be much more likely to help you out.
About Andy Peloquin
Andy Peloquin–a third culture kid to the core–has loved to read since before he could remember. Sherlock Holmes, the Phantom of the Opera, and Father Brown are just a few of the books that ensnared his imagination as a child.
When he discovered science fiction and fantasy through the pages of writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs, J.R.R Tolkien, and Orson Scott Card, he was immediately hooked and hasn’t looked back since.
Andy’s first attempt at writing produced In the Days: A Tale of the Forgotten Continent. He has learned from the mistakes he made and used the experience to produce Blade of the Destroyer, a book of which he is very proud.
Reading—and now writing—is his favorite escape, and it provides him an outlet for his innate creativity. He is an artist; words are his palette.
His website (http://www.andypeloquin.com) is a second home for him, a place where he can post his thoughts and feelings–along with reviews of books he finds laying around the internet.
He can also be found on his social media pages, such as:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndyPeloquin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andyqpeloquin
www.linkedin.com/in/andypeloquin/
https://plus.google.com/100885994638914122147/about
https://www.amazon.com/author/andypeloquin
https://www.facebook.com/andrew.peloquin.1
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About Nat Russo
Nat Russo is the Amazon #1 Bestselling Fantasy author of Necromancer Awakening and Necromancer Falling. Nat was born in New York, raised in Arizona, and has lived just about everywhere in-between. He’s gone from pizza maker, to radio DJ, to Catholic seminarian (in a Benedictine monastery, of all places), to police officer, to software engineer. His career has taken him from central Texas to central Germany, where he worked as a defense contractor for Northrop Grumman. He's spent most of his adult life developing software, playing video games, running a Cub Scout den, gaining/losing weight, and listening to every kind of music under the sun. Along the way he managed to earn a degree in Philosophy and a black belt in Tang Soo Do. He currently makes his home in central Texas with his wife, teenager, mischievous beagle, and goofy boxador.
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