Marketing Stuff I’ve Done

posted in: Writing | 0

I put this image together to showcase some of my designs over the years. I did most of the line art in Illustrator, which I find interesting and fun to do. I’ve been contemplating on what I want to do with my life, again. I love writing. I enjoy technical writing. I love copywriting and graphic design.

I wanted to be a novelist. Do I still want that? Do I still want to work hard at something that feels like digging a hole only to have to fill it back up and dig it again. The thrill of writing is amazing. Finishing a project is amazing. I’ve even won some awards for my writing. But trying to sell a book, even though I already have sold two, seems daunting. Trying to land an agent seem insurmountable.

Do I want to put that much effort into all of the non-writing parts of the job? That’s what I have to figure out. I would love to get a job creating things that are then printed or posted and then used for good in a timely fashion.

Anyone hiring for that?

Life Update and Future

posted in: Writing | 0

As you can tell, I haven’t posted in a long time. Life sometimes comes at you pretty hard. With Covid, the world changed in many ways. My focus turned toward my family and work, hoping to come out the other side in a positive position respectively. I found a great tech writing job, which saw us through three tough years. My oldest daughter passed away. She was suffering through a degenerative neurological disorder, which finally claimed its prize.

Raising her for 18 years was a joy. She was my buddy and my princess. The final years saw her body and mental capacity decline severely. My heart still aches when I think about those final moments of her life, so I try to remember the great times. I miss the precocious little four-year-old who loved life and spread joy everywhere she went.

So, back to the present. I haven’t been writing much. I have a few works in progress all to some degree of completion, but the thought of finishing anything and attempting to get published or get an agent is daunting. I love the writing part. I love the learning part. I love the teaching part. I love the reading part. I even love the editing part. But publishing is a different animal than most people understand. You need to be a marketer, a salesperson, a social media manager, a publicist, and a business manager.

That’s a lot of extra skills, and the rewards did not come pouring in like in the Write a Book Fairy Tale.

So, I took a lot of pictures of sunsets over Ogden. I help my family. I enjoy the little things. And eventually, I will venture down the road to publishing again. The time must be right. My kids come first.

Also, my first two books are fun and great reads. One even won an award. Check them out.

Cheers!

I’ll be at Life, The Universe, and Everything Feb 14-16, 2019!

Come find me on panels and wandering the halls at LTUE! See my schedule!

I love this convention. I’ve been going to LTUE for years as a spectator, soaking in all of the amazing writing advice and putting it into practice. For the last two years, I’ve been attending as a content creator, and the transition has been amazing. I love presenting and being on panels, sharing the insight I’ve gained after publishing my debut novel and hosting a podcast for the last 4 years.

Upcoming Events in October

On October 9, 2018, come see me and many other authors at the Speed Date with Book event at the Brigham City Library at 7 p.m. http://bcpl.lib.ut.us/bookfestival.html#utahauthor

Event Blurb

Come and meet Utah authors. Find out about their books and writing life in a super fast “Speed Date with a Book” format. There’ll be time to chat mingle with the authors and nosh on some tasty treats.

You’ll be speed dating my book, not me!

 

On October 11, 2018, I’ll be hosting the Mad Science Hour at the Southwest Branch of the Weber County Library. This Teen Read Week event will highlight the great mad scientists in literature and then we’ll do some mad science experiments. https://www.weberpl.lib.ut.us/events/teen-read-week-mad-science-hour-southwest-branch

Event Blurb

Ages 12-15.  Is your destiny to become a mad scientist?  Author Ryan Decaria will explore the oddities of mad science found in literature.  Then you’ll get to create crazy science experiments yourself.

Good times.

 

All the Podcasts…

Over the last two months, I’ve been on three podcasts talking about writing, mad science, and my book, Devil in the Microscope. In case you missed them, here are the links. Thanks to all of the hosts for being awesome and for listening to me ramble about stuff that I love. I had fun at each one.

 

Dungeon Crawlers Radio

I talked with the awesome DCR crew about the choices I made writing Devil in the Microscope, including why I chose a teen girl as a protagonist, why my story takes place in Florida, and why I chose mad science as a backdrop. They had excellent questions and were entertaining.

http://www.dungeoncrawlersradio.com/episodes/episode-the-devil-in-the-microscope

 

StoryHack Podcast

Bryce and I had a great conversation about all the fun stuff I love: board games, mad scientists, writing, and my book. Bryce is also a writer and runs the StoryHack magazine. Check it out.

StoryHack Podcast: Interview with Ryan Decaria

Writescast

r. r. campbell has a great voice and a excellent format in his podcast. He grilled me on my mad science and science fiction in general. We discussed whether the science in science fiction needed to be realistic and accurate or whether it is better to treat it like magic.

Writescast 018 – Mad Science in Science Fiction with Ryan Decaria


And if you not sick of listening to my sultry voice, you can also head over to Meeple Nation to listen to me gush about all the awesome board game action.

Meeple Nation

May I recommend episode 177. We talk about mechanics and themes that we are suckers for in a board game.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/meeple-nation/id884682903