First Cup of Coffee - September 12, 2022

Telling some stories about WorldCon that illustrate the power and efficacy of networking - and how that's really making friends with people. While we never stop pitching, it does get easier and friendlier.

Interested in Author Coaching from me? Information here: https://jeffekennedy.com/author-coaching

Preorder SHADOW WIZARD, Book One in Renegades of Magic, continuing the epic tale begun in DARK WIZARD. https://jeffekennedy.com/shadow-wizard

ROGUE'S PARADISE is out today! (https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-s-paradise). Buy book 1, ROGUE'S PAWN, here! (https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-s-pawn) and book 2, ROGUE'S POSSESSION, here! (https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-s-possession).

ORIA'S GAMBIT now available in audio on Scribd here! https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/571010481/Oria-s-Gambit LONEN'S WAR - now in audio! - is available wide. Buy links here https://jeffekennedy.com/lonen-s-war and in audio on Scribd here https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/558914129/Lonen-s-War

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Transcript

00:02.64
jeffekennedy
Good morning, everyone! This is Jeffe Kennedy author of epic fantasy romance I'm here with my first cup of coffee.

00:15.30
jeffekennedy
Delightfully delicious Today is Monday August August it's not August Jeffe September Twelfth was really gonna say August Twelfth September twelfth

00:31.88
jeffekennedy
Ah, if only if only actually I'm pretty perky today I had a good weekend. Ah, this is finishing the book week woo hoo! ah yeah, got to get this book finished right? I'm at. Little shy of 80000 words less than 10000 go on shadow wizard. So um I think between finishing out the chapters in the next few days and then doing my revision.

01:08.75
jeffekennedy
Have I think I have to get it in well. But I think I need to send it to the formatter by the twenty third so I can do it right? I can do it.

01:24.47
jeffekennedy
I don't know why that has to be the monster voice but it does so um, so yeah I got good words on Friday so that made me happy.

01:36.55
jeffekennedy
Yeah I got 3000 words on Friday so I'm really hoping I can be back up at about three thousand a day that is my happy spot if I can make that work and I just had several really great things happen over the last few days just feels like things are in sync I am one with the down very important um got spent most of the weekend putting taxes together because we're on this october fifteenth filing cycle and I got almost all of it done. And I was so good that I also did like all of the most everything all the way through August of this year too while I was at it and I put together. Finally finally something I've been delaying for since March. Yeah, putting together all of my receipts for SFWA and found out that SFWA owes me like $5000 so ah, probably good to get reimbursed for that stuff at this point can't believe I let that go so long. Well I can and it's for. Lots of different stuff but you know lots to do with Nebulas and then all these different things and so I had just been like I'll get to this had my big stack of receipts so it felt really good to get that done and so long time listeners.

03:13.96
jeffekennedy
May or may not recall but back when well so this is think back to the mists of time and may of 2021 a year and a half ago when The Promised Queen was coming out and. My agent had suggested to my publicist who like many publicists was not terribly effective at her job unfortunately, but that I write a lot of essays and maybe I could do some essays she could line up some stuff for me to do in support of of the book release. And this guy was like oh yeah, yeah, that's great idea. Well she got one. She set up one but it was cool because it was with Tor.com and which was St Martins press and tor.com are and tour are both under the Macmillan umbrella and so she had. Set up with this editor over tour for me to do an essay had pitched the idea the editor loved the idea and it was something I've been wanting to write for a long time and it's ah, an article on an essay on. Not um how how to avoid making your fantasy worlds. Patriarchal out of subconscious programming. How to? ah you know tools tools to look at your work to take out that knee-jerk patriarchy and you know so it is a whole lot about how.

04:46.86
jeffekennedy
Females are represented in fantasy worlds what their status is and Kelly Robson read it for me to help me make it be not too heteronormative. You know to give cause she and I had had this conversation many times and so it was you know. She helped me make it be not just about hetero women right? Well the tor editor never say anything never say anything book launch came and went and finally I asked my publicist you know is anything going to happen with this and she's like oh. So yeah, not terribly effective so she contacted the editor at tor who decided that they would pass because they felt like it was too he or normative or to bipolar, not bipolar. What's the word. They want you all are shouting it out it with me. It. Didn't represent enough of the spectrum and but they did pay me a kill fee which took me like two months to get to have happen because I did like get a vendor account with tor and all of this kind of thing but I got my $50 kill fee because I was like by god I'm going to get my kill fee. So I probably talked about that you may remember that. So anyway I had given that essay to Clarksworld I'd originally written it for the SFWA bulletin or the yak I'd written it for the SFWA bulletin and we've been having troubles there and also I felt like even if I did put on sifwe blog.

06:22.14
jeffekennedy
Ah I just wasn't comfortable with that I feel like I can't use my position as president to get stuff on there especially since we pay authors and I could refuse refuse payment that I just didn't want to do it but I was getting close to that because I was like I really want this essay out there. Because I would reference it, you know and say I've I've written a piece on this where I go into this more and people are like oh I'd love to read that where is it I'm like well I really, it's not anywhere to be read. Ah so I'd given it to um when I talked to Kate Baker executive director about it. Ah, doing stuff for the bulletin ah you know and she said well maybe Clarksworld wants it so she looked at for Clarksworld and Clarksworld was like not because she edits for them sometimes and they said now we're not really doing nonfiction essays. So.

07:19.92
jeffekennedy
I would say long story short but it's way too late so I had wanted to give it There are just not that many markets for essays and I had wanted to send it to uncanny because Meg Elison is now an edit the nonfiction editor at. Uncanny and has been for quite a while now but every time I looked it showed that the submissions were closed and I was getting kind of frustrated with it and when I was writing in the Lyft with Ellen Datlow who is an Editor with tor and just fantastic person all around we were in the Lyft for a very long time but we were chatting and she says um, well sorry I was thinking about how I go it was. We ended up spending like an hour and a half between coming from the airport to the hotel and then going from the hotel to this party ah in rush hour traffic in Chicago it was like we did not time that well so I mentioned at one point because she's asking me what I was working on and all of this and so I mentioned that essay. Hey when I said I wish that Uncanny would open and she said well just to ask Meg and I'm like really pitch her in person? and she's like yeah you know and it's like I feel like I haven't done that in so long but I was on a panel with Meg so before the panel got started I asked her about it I said.

08:50.14
jeffekennedy
when are you open to submissions and she says I'm open and I said no no no I look at the website and it keeps showing that it's closed and she's like oh if I could get him to change that I would hopefully I didn't just spill tea there. Ah but she said send it to me here's my card. So I sent it to her and I got an email from her yesterday and they're gonna publish it. Yay. So I realize that may seem like um I wouldn't know it. It was just really nice to finally get an acceptance on that freaking essay and get it out there. So I can reference it? um. And she made a few suggestions to it so that's great. Maybe we'll do that? Um, yeah, so that's pretty cool huh and Dark Wizard is currently free I have a book bub featured deal for it tomorrow and ah.

09:47.30
jeffekennedy
So yesterday morning I was asking some people because I don't normally put my books free I'm not sure I've done a free one like this before and I certainly don't do permafree. But anyway so I asked it on a couple of my wonderful discords. Said well when should I do it because you that book bub keeps sending me these emails like I sure it's set today is monster voice day make sure it's set free on all retailers or we will remove the feature deal and you do not get your money back like meep right. So I was like well when when should I do it because Amazon one of the annoying things about Amazon is that they do not let you set the book price to free what you have to do is a price match so you have to get it set free everywhere else and then tell Amazon that it's. Ah, free everywhere else and then they set it to free so it can take time sometimes so and ah so you know I said well when should I do it to make sure and they're like oh my god I did mine awake I go. Looks like oh um, so the tldr is that it is now set to free so set to free everywhere. So should go smoothly already really high in the rankings just from me doing that not saying anything about it.

11:24.60
jeffekennedy
So all those things are good I was glad to get all that stuff done I'm glad that things lined up for that featured deal tomorrow. All of this is ahead of getting Shadow Wizard out. So hopefully it'll be a good launch. For Shadow Wizard I'm hopeful and let's see what else do I have to tell you oh oh well and then last night I went out for drinks with Megan Mulry we have not seen each other for several weeks I think not since Las Vegas ironically enough ah

12:03.27
jeffekennedy
You know we didn't go out to dinner that last night in Las Vegas because Charlie was so hung over and you know and I'd said no no worries. You know we don't need to go out to dinner. It's you know we live in the same town. We could see each other at any time and um reader we have not seen each other since. So it was really good to see Megan last night. Um, and we we called a friend of ours. Well first we texted a friend of ours because it was her birthday and we hadn't heard from her and in a long time and we'd texted her before and she hadn't responded.

12:42.10
jeffekennedy
So last last night we um oh yes, nice. We texted her a picture of us having drinks and said happy birthday who excuse me I should have muted sorry I think it's just the one.

13:00.45
jeffekennedy
And wind up talking to her on the phone for like 45 minutes so so that felt like a really good connection to make and the weather is gorgeous, beautiful turning to autumn weather. It's sunflower weather here in New Mexico sunflower season so which is always a treat. Hummer little hummingbird behind me there if you're on video you could see her whoops and almost closed my window there I tipped back the screen and nearly messed that up. Um.

13:38.59
jeffekennedy
Yeah, so things things are good. Maybe I shouldn't say that maybe that's um, asking for trouble but but things feel good right now it felt really good to connect with Megan last night to connect with our old friend a book is coming together. Think I can finish it in time. Um, maybe I'll feel stressed later but right now it all feels okay things in SFWA are going smoothly I probably setting myself up for disaster here aren't time. So. I don't know can I give relevant advice on anything today. No 1 thing. That's interesting about the story with Meg is that and I I kind of feel bad telling aspiring writers this but you know it like. It never changes. It doesn't go away. You never stop pitching. Um, the main thing that changes there's hummingbird is that that you develop. Better relationships. You become more relaxed and at ease with people. So so like I know that it's a really cool thing that I get to be friends with Ellen Datlow um and that I spent an hour in right here with her.

15:04.94
jeffekennedy
And that we got to talk about all kinds of things about the industry and publishing and what she's working on and what I'm working on and that is something then as a new bee writer I would not have gotten to do and it was really good to get her advice to go ahead and pitch Meg and you know because Meg is. So when I get to be on panels with and that I'm friendly with um, it was it just makes everything easier. Um, which probably is a direct contradiction to what I said earlier but but it does I mean it's just that. Um. It comes back to that thing which I heard somebody else say the other day and I wondered if they got it from me because to my knowledge I'm the first person who ever said it. But and I actually kind of love if it has percolated out there but I have often told people that. You know another word for networking is or another way of saying networking is making friends and I think that's something that we miss a lot when we're new when everybody's like well you know you need to network you need to network with other writers suddenly with people in the industry and for me whenever I pictured networking. I would I have this very strong image in my head ends probably from like the 70 s but I picture a whole bunch of people in suits in like a hotel bar um shaking each other's hands and handing each other business cards. This is this is networking if I were going to make like a.

16:37.43
jeffekennedy
Ah, giphy image for my ah powerpoint presentation that is the image that I would look for right networking and and there's a distinctly masculine twist to that. It's like rubb. Um, you know how about the broccolues. Ah I'm definitely into voices today aren't i.

16:57.13
jeffekennedy
So there's definitely that that particular spin that I think is difficult for people especially when you're creative when you are not wearing a business suit and handing out your card. Although we do have conversations and hotel bars. We do handout cards. Ah, but what you're doing is you're making friends with people and you know you don't have to be best friends, but good enough friends that you know it's really I enjoy Ellen Datlow's friendship I enjoy talking to her. Um and she's a good enough friend that we could be like hey let sure. Ah, lift from the airport and and then it just I didn't set that up with the idea in mind of oh I really want to sell this essay and yet that's how it worked out and and it is how things happen and I know it's difficult for people who are um. You know, not able to travel for various reasons I know several people who like don't want to be in the bar because they don't drink. Um, it was funny because I was telling Megan about the the conference and I was saying you know on Friday that it was pretty grueling because we had this sifwa meet and greet start at 4 and then I had a so a sequence of like drinks and meetings until about 1 in the morning and I said you know I didn't drink that much I said but it's really difficult to to keep drinking for like 9 hours straight and and she said there and of course you couldn't just like get a seltzer and hold that and I was like.

18:31.70
jeffekennedy
Course Not I think I could have baby should have but it wasn't I wasn't hot so it was just a little tiring but but for me, that's that's the you know having those conversations with people is great and if. However, you can do that I mean it's wonderful that we have these video chats now. Um, fact that just gave me an idea. Um Yeah I Just got an idea for maybe something we could do to help people network with video chats. And so forth all right? Um I Wonder if I'll remember that I'm now pause and type that. Yeah I just made a note of that idea. Oops you guys probably didn't notice that you all. Didn't notice that and yes I know I said y'all I said all y'all, um, it it is a treacherous path getting rid of you guys from my language.. Ah anyway I'm gonna go get to work and finish this book. Um, yeah.

19:44.27
jeffekennedy
And I hope you all have a great Monday hope it's kicking off your week. Well and I will talk to you all tomorrow you take care bye bye.