Name: Verlin
Darrow
Book Title: Blood and Wisdom
Genre: PI mystery
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Find out more on Amazon
Website: www.verlindarrow.com
Thank you for your time in answering
our questions about getting published.
Let’s begin by having you explain to us why you decided to become an
author and pen this book?
Verlin: At first, I was desperate for
meaning. That’s what got me started. As a depressed young adult, fraught with
existential angst and across the board over-thinking, I was never satisfied by
life. I wasn’t in direct contact with the world, so I couldn’t be fed by it.
When I created a manuscript, I introduced something into my experience that
mattered to me—a new element that penetrated the layers of insulation I’d
gathered around myself to stay safe.
However therapeutic, this era of
writing was marked by a distinct lack of expertise. When I eventually began to
build a skill set, I added in another motive—making money without having to
work a regular job—you know, getting all sweaty, being bossed around, keeping
regular hours. Not surprisingly, I failed to manage anything close to making a
living writing. Perhaps I sustain a large-scale writing project as a hobby.
Nope. It simply didn’t provide enough reward to motivate me.
Eventually, I had something to say, and
the tools to say it. Then the early motives dropped away. Thirty years later,
my ever-evolving career has produced Blood and Wisdom.
Is this your first book?
Verlin: No, it’s the third one I’ve
had published, but the others were twenty years ago, using a different name.
This one feels almost as if it were a debut novel, and it’s much better
written.
With this particular book, how did you
publish—traditional,
small press, Indie, etc. —and why did you choose this method?
Verlin: I tried to find an agent and
didn’t even get close, so I expanded my search to independent publishers who
accepted submissions directly from authors. I hit pay dirt immediately, but a
little research showed me that this first option was likely to end up with
typos and a dreary, derivative cover. Then Wild Rose wanted me and I wanted
them, and here we are.
Can you tell us a little about your
publishing journey? The pros and cons?
Verlin: The novel I was peddling
before this one was a stubborn, epic journey to the heart of frustration. I
queried over five hundred agents! (Yes, worldwide, over five hundred agents
consider thrillers). I simply refused to accept that my project wasn’t
marketable. I tried changing the title, the query letter, renaming the
characters, and everything else I could think of. It was like having a weird,
unenjoyable hobby for a year or so. What did I learn from this? Let that one go
and write Blood and Wisdom—produce something that people wanted to read.
The pros for me: it’s deeply
satisfying to finish projects, if I don’t create, I’m not happy, and validation
from the industry offsets a lot of heartache.
The cons: the time-consuming nature of
trying to attract attention for a project, the drudgy parts of writing itself,
and the anticlimax of having my book in my hand (as of yesterday, as I write
this), and still not entering a state of permanent bliss.
What lessons do you feel you learned
about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a
whole?
Verlin: The market dictates what level
you enter into its world. I needed to accept that an agent and/or a big house
wasn’t interested in the likes of me, and move on to who was.
Would you recommend this method of
publishing to other authors?
Verlin: So far, so good. My publisher
has treated me well and provided professional editing and cover art. They’re
not set up to do promotional or publicity work, so I have to muster that on my
own. My route is probably not the best way to maximize income, but that’s okay
with me.
What’s the best advice you can give to
aspiring authors?
Verlin: Write a lot. Then write some
more. My skills only improved through lots and lots of words. And put your ego
to the side when you receive feedback.
//////////////
About the book:
When Private Investigator Karl Gatlin
takes on Aria Piper’s case, it was no more than a threat—phone calls warning
Aria to either “stop doing Satan’s work” or meet an untimely demise. But a few hours later, a headless John Doe
bobs up in the wishing well at Aria’s New Age spiritual center near Santa
Cruz. Aria had ideas about who could be
harassing her, but the appearance of a dismembered body makes for a real game
changer. And what Karl Gatlin initially
thought was a fairly innocuous case turns out to be anything but.
Dispatching former rugby superstar and
Maori friend John Ratu to protect Aria, Karl and his hacker assistant Matt are
free to investigate a ruthless pastor, a money launderer on the run, some
sketchy members of Aria’s flock, and warring drug gangs. With his dog Larry as a wingman, Karl
uncovers a broad swath of corruption, identity theft, blackmail, and more
murders. But nothing is as it seems, and as the investigation heats up, Karl is
framed, chased, and forced to dive into the freezing water of the Monterey Bay
to escape a sniper.
Against the backdrop of a ticking
clock, Karl races to find answers. But more murders only mean more
questions—and Karl is forced to make an
impossible choice when it turns out Aria’s secret may be the most harrowing of
all…
No comments:
Post a Comment