I just posted this on another page, but it seems relevant as I sit here working on Sewerville II. It’s my response to one of those forlorn “writer questions”: Do you ever want to give up? And my answer is yes. Everybody wants to give up. But the thing is, you can’t. You can’t give up.

I know it sounds simple, but I think you just have to ask yourself, what do you want to get out of this?

I don’t sell millions. I barely sell thousands. Right now I am selling way more in the UK than the US, but they both pay so I don’t sweat it. I only know one language and I’m grateful people read it in whatever country.  I’m proud of what I’ve written and I’ll put my work up against any million seller or indie out there.

I’ll probably never give it up on a permanent basis, but I may take an occasional break to recharge my batteries. I think you have to do that, if sanity and balance are important in your life, anyway.

As long as I like what I’m writing, that really is all I care about. Sure, it’s gratifying when other people like the work, too, but more than anything it’s important that I enjoy the stories and the way they’re told. Otherwise, it’s grinding wheels and swinging pickaxes and that’s no damn fun.

The marketing is it’s own beast, too. A necessary evil. But, the marketing is the cart and books are the horse and I’m not about to let the cart control me. When that gets to be too much of a slog I just take a break from it. But I always come back to writing.