T.I.E. (Entry 8): Waiting
Foreshadowing.
By Thio Isobel Moss
The various formats of my book have been approved (except for IngramSpark; I’m still waiting to hear back, but that was a late addition). My social media posts are planned (execution is another matter), my ARC reminders have been sent, and I’ve found several new things to obsess over as I wait.
I knew this would be an informative process. I’ve learned that a launch really begins months—sometimes a year—before release. I’ve learned that Vellum is worth the investment, even though I did without it. And I’ve learned that much of a launch is just…waiting—for replies, for approvals, for reviews, for your release day to finally arrive.
I am not a patient person.
I needed a distraction—one that wouldn’t monopolize all my thoughts.
After a week of half-hearted brainstorming, I returned to the rough draft of my second book, feeling anything but inspired. Rereading it was hilarious. It’s so…earnest. I was trying too hard, but it has good bones. It just needed a catch, and I finally found it.
Bump was intended to be shorter and simpler than Blind Spot, though it exists in the same world. It still is—but the length may be less short than anticipated. Originally, the events in Bump were meant to happen because of the events in Blind Spot. That is no longer the case. One new character later, and suddenly Blind Spot exists because of the events detailed in Bump. Is that coy enough?
Insert evil laughter here.
I have no idea where this new idea came from—perhaps from weeks of freaking out over minutiae, calming down, rinsing, and repeating. But it is a worthy distraction, and it will make for a much better book.
So here I am, four days out from liftoff, and all I want to do is write. Yesterday was my first day off in I-literally-do-not-know-how-long; I wrote. Today, I need to organize this week’s social media posts, work on my newsletter, write an extra scene, and quadruple-check that I haven’t overlooked anything essential—but I will return to Bump.
You always hear, “Find your passion; if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life!” Consider me an advocate. Waiting is inevitable, but wasting time is optional. Now, please excuse me; I have a fictional neighborhood to upend.
