"Nightfall" Release Postponed

A good September morning to you!

Most of you are aware by now that I'm working on putting together a poetry collection and plan to independently publish it. If you managed to miss the thousand times I brought this up in various posts and tags, however, or if you're a newcomer here (welcome!), no worries at all - you can catch up on all the details in my cover reveal post.

There were a lot of things that I wanted to mention here, and I'll say a few of them below, but my brain is fried this week, and I didn't like how any of my sentences were coming out. So, I'm just going to cut right to the chase - I'm postponing Nightfall's release date. I just think that it's too early.

I've received a lot of support and encouragement from all of you about this - more than I feel I honestly deserve. In fact, it's due in part to the suggestions made by several of you that such a collection is even on my mind.

But, in true Eve style, I got trigger-happy. And I knew what was going to happen after I posted that announcement back in June. But, I let the excitement get to me and, frankly, I overestimated the number of decent poems I've written. Once I started setting up the layout for Nightfall, specifically the table of contents, and I went through my list - I realized how small it was, and it only got smaller as I thinned out some of the pieces that I felt weren't worthy of inclusion.

Thing is, as much as I want to get this little book out there, quality comes first, and I just don't believe, were I to follow my original plan and publish in October, that I would be giving you a quality piece of work. So I'm putting this endeavor on hold for a little while. As my pile of "acceptable" poems grows to outweigh my pile of amateurish monstrosities, then I will begin to consider a new release date. Until then, I will continue to write, to tweak, and to perfect!

Thank you for all your support - like any aspiring author, I've thought about publishing a book since I was little (who hasn't?), but it was your kind words that kicked me into action here! I sincerely apologize for this postponement. I do, however, believe it's for the best.

I've put together a page that you can visit for all things Nightfall - this includes basic information, current status, and any related posts I've published. This is where you'll want to go when looking for any updates! Click here to check it out.

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A Request for Criticism

Now, with all of the above things said, I have one other thing to ask of you.

You all leave me such kind comments on my stories and poetry. I cannot begin to describe my appreciation of your positive words, and I cannot adequately express my gratitude. But I know how it is, sometimes - you might cringe at something, but you want to be nice, so you don't say anything. I'm as guilty of this as anyone.

But I know my work is not perfect. No one's work is. I know there are problems, I know things don't always read well, and, granted we are our own worst critics, but I know you see these things too. That's why I'm here. To improve. To fix some of these problems that I know exist, and to identify the problems I've yet to find. One pair of eyes can only catch so much, so I need your help to catch what I miss. It's a team effort, writing!

I want this blog to be a place where all voices are heard - the negative nancies, the positive petunias, and everyone in between. I want to hear your honest opinions. Just because you speak up doesn't mean I'll change anything, but I value your honest thoughts. If you loved a piece, great - say so. If you didn't love a piece, great - say so. To be successful as a writer, one has to appreciate the criticisms as much as they do the compliments. I mean, if you could give me a bit more to work with than simply, "This sucked. Crumple it up and drown it in the toilet," that would be fantastic, but you know what.. At least I'll get a laugh or two out of that.

In short, if you see something, please feel free to say something. I prepared myself for a lot of negative feedback when I started blogging. It's no secret how utterly ruthless people can be lol. I appreciate your kindness, and I equally appreciate your constructive kindness.