So, I’m about 35,000 words into the first draft of book two. That sounds like a lot, and it is. But anyone who writes will know that a first draft is just the start. Karma’s Burden went through about five drafts before my wife persuaded me that enough was enough. Still, the world of Karma’s Burden is expanding, and I’m excited (and sometimes daunted) by where it’s heading.
But writing the next book has been complicated by something I didn’t anticipate: self-promotion. Publishing a book, I’ve discovered, doesn’t mean you get to retreat into your study and keep writing; it means stepping out into the world and telling people why they should care about your story. For me, that’s hard.
As someone who’s autistic, I find promotion both exhausting and confusing. It doesn’t come naturally. I can write a novel about karmic debts and moral reckonings, but telling people to buy my book? That feels like another language. And once I’ve locked onto something, like learning how to “market myself”, it becomes very difficult to switch focus back to writing. My brain tends to work in binaries: it’s either all writing or all promoting. Context-switching has never been my strong suit.
So the challenge now is balance: finding a way to keep sharing Karma’s Burden with the world while also giving book two the attention it needs. I don’t always get it right. But I’m learning that writing and promoting aren’t enemies. They’re different parts of the same journey.
For those who have already supported me by reading, reviewing, or recommending Karma’s Burden, a huge thank you. You make the harder parts of this worthwhile. And for those waiting to see what comes next, don’t worry, I’m still writing.