I can’t do it.
If the new online writersphere demands that I write ten books for the Psalm of Vampires series in a year and pummel Amazon with one every month or so in order to build sales, I cannot and will not do it.
If you want to jump right to the promos, scroll down to the section titled “Check out some promos from other indie writers….”
Like most writers, I consider myself lucky when anyone reads anything I write. Fiction, Substack, Medium, hell, even ad copy when I used to write that.
Me to creative director: “You actually like that slop?”
Creative director, nodding greedily: “It’s really good slop.”
That’s a real conversation. With a guy I loved to death. Just a great, funny guy.
Anyhoo, the algorithm says I need to crank out Psalm of Vampires books like I’m a fiction factory, not a fiction writer.
Not many people have bought the first one, but that doesn’t stop other writers from banging out ten more in their series, so what’s stopping me?
Two things: One, even though I’m thrilled and humbled when anyone reads something I write, and surprised when they openly like it, I’m also pretty arrogant regarding my writing. I feel like a good sequel is worth waiting for. I still haven’t written my sequel to MagicLand. I’ve started it, but it hasn’t gelled for me, and so it sits.
This might happen to the sequel to Psalm of Vampires, tentatively titled Vampire Elegy, too.
Two, I don’t think it’s possible to write five or ten good books in a series in the amount of time some of these things appear on the market.
Okay, and three. I don’t use AI. And I never will. Even if it reaches the point where it can write better than me, which, I arrogantly believe, it cannot yet do.
Psalm of Vampires has not sold many copies, but the few people who have responded to me personally have loved the book. The main character, Jade Mourning, I’m told, is compelling and charming. One fellow writer seemed to have developed a bit of a crush on him, even though she’s married (you know who you are!). The book is a page turner.
I’d rather have a few readers with that kind of reaction than a million with barely any.
Okay, that’s a lie. I’d probably make that trade. Money talks.
Anyhoo, I’ve decided to force myself into action by starting the sequel out as a Substack serial. We’ll see how it goes.
My intro emails to new paid subscribers include a promise to give them first looks at new novels. But now, I’m conflicted. I don’t think most of my paid subscribers much care. I might be wrong, but I get the sense, and have been told, that they pay to support my writing. Leave a comment if you demand exclusive free looks! :-)
It’s truly an honor when people pay for my writing. I want to give those of you who are paid subscribers something special back, but I am not sure a work in progress is something special. The novel could all change before it becomes a live product. But maybe that’s actually a selling point. You tell me. I have no idea.
For now, I’m leaning toward keeping it free. That’s sort of how my subscription model has evolved anyway. It’s an NPR type of model. Pay if you can, much appreciated, glad you love the arts, honored that you think my writing is worth a few of your dollars.
So Vampire Elegy will begin appearing here, hopefully one chapter or so a week, until it’s complete. My subscribers will be the first to see it, aside from my imaginary friend, vampire Jade Mourning. He’s the one who tells me the tale.
The original Psalm of Vampires only took three months to write, but I’ll never understand how people crank out these forever pulp series without using AI (that’s not an accusation, just a thought bubble).
Here’s the first installment of Vampire Elegy. I hope you like it:
💡Hot tip: Did you know you can “Save” Substacks for later? That means that if you’re not in the mood for fiction right now, it doesn’t matter because you can save it for when you are.
Now, on to some indie writer promos.
Check out some promos from other indie writers…
Birthspell - A Lebrus Stone Series - Book 1 Part 1
by Miriam Khan
Revised and re-published on 5th June 2026.
She was never supposed to be found …
Crystal Valdez has always been a loner. Growing up in the care system taught her one thing: keep your distance, and you won’t get hurt. But when a mysterious visitor claims to be her great-aunt, she is pulled into the world of a family who may not be all that they seem.
On the surface, the Lockes are wealthy, refined, and alluring. Underneath, they are something different, secretive and perhaps impossible to escape. The desolate town of Blacksville knows better than to trust them. Their whispers of an ancient spell cast a century ago warn of a hunger for its next victim.
As the truth begins to unravel, Crystal is forced to confront one terrifying question: is the key to saving herself hidden in the boy who haunts her dreams, or is it buried within the mark on her chest?
Most of all, is she supposed to uncover not only who, but what she is, and save her kind before it’s too late?
A new adult paranormal romance with a touch of the gothic that tells the tale of love, lineage, and the dangerous pull of the past.
The Tear of the Iron Maiden
by Bruno Martins Soares
As a young warrior monk and his companion arrive at an unsuspecting island, they are surprised to learn about the cult of the Iron Maiden. Danger looms and blood pours, and the legend of The Night begins.
A story from the Alex 9 Saga universe.
It’s the 22nd century and the Corporate Wars rage through our Solar System. Alex 9, an elite commando on a crucial mission, finds herself in Deep Space. Something went wrong with her ship, and she ended up on a planet much like Earth – a world at war where Humanity is still in the Middle Ages. Armies of knights, bowmen, and spearmen clash as empires fight to the death and alliances are stretched to the limit. But is Alex there by accident? A mysterious prophecy seems to have predicted her coming. And why is she in possession of the deadly Japanese Sword of the Dragon, once the prize of the Takahashi-McNamara Corporation? What secret powers are at work? In this new world, she will have to find a new family, a new mission, and her own destiny.
Another Sci-Fi/Fantasy series by award-winning Portuguese author, Bruno Martins Soares. Available at Amazon.
Frontier Bounty: A Coogan Mystery (Frontier Series Book 5)
by Michael Cardwell
When a brutal escape unleashes a deadly fugitive into the Montana wilds, U.S. Marshal Danny Coogan is sent to bring him back, alive or dead. But the hunt turns treacherous when Danny discovers the escapee has entered the Bob Marshall wilderness, an area roughly the size of Delaware. Forced deep into whiteout conditions and uncharted wilderness, Danny must navigate blinding snow, rising danger, and a killer who knows the land as well as he does. What begins as a routine manhunt becomes a fight for survival—and the truth.
Promopaloozas
These are groups of promos you can peruse.
Click the images to view the promos.
Sci-fi, Fantasy, & Paranormal Sale
HorrorReadersList Monthly Horror Giveaway
HorrorReadersList Monthly Horror Giveaway
Get these books fast! This promotion ends Jul 15, 2026
Sci-fi, Fantasy, & Paranormal Sale
Get these books fast! This promotion ends Jul 17, 2026!
Notes
Inclusion of these books does not constitute an endorsement of any of the promoted books here, as I haven’t read them. This promotion is part of a cooperative promotion by Indie authors. If you read one and like it, leave a comment!
Thanks for reading!
