What I did on my summer vacation, or, this writing life

It's been said that Labor Day represents the end of summer. I've never been too crazy about that idea, because when I was a kid, the end of summer meant the beginning of the school year. Well, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.

But it hasn't exactly been a secret in these parts that I haven't been as present at It's About TV as I usually am. And it occurs to me that some of you might be wondering what's been going on. (Some of you, of course, probably don't care, but that's okay, because I don't care about what you're doing, either.) I tend not to talk about anything here that isn't television-related, so just because I know what I've been up to, that doesn't mean you know.

So: I've been busy. Very busy. I published my new novel, The Book of Revelations, in June. But if you think that was the end of the story, it was really more like the beginning. The months prior to publication were spent with editing, rewriting, design work, and pre-launch publicity. (One of the drawbacks to being an indie author is that you have to do it all yourself.) 

And when the book actually comes out, that's when it really starts to heat up. I've appeared on several podcasts, not only promoting Revelations, but talking about the writing life in general, specifically what it's like to write both fiction and non-fiction concurrently. (TL;DR: it ain't easy.) I have another podcast coming up next week, in fact, and hopefully more to come.

That's not to mention the book tour, which is also ongoing. One of the things I've most enjoyed in this whole process is setting up my table at book fairs and getting to talk with people who share a passion for books. They might buy my book (I sold 22 at a book fair in early August), or they might not (I sold three at Barnes & Noble, which was actually three more than I'd anticipated), but even if they're just curious, it is always a pleasure to meet with and talk to them. And, surprise, they don't bite! I wouldn't say that I've gotten adept at hawking my wares, but it's a hell of a lot more fun than it is selling them online or through social media, let me tell you. You can see the complete lineup of my in-person and podcast appearances here, and it changes constantly. There's also my new video series, The 90-Second Author, in which I talk about the ideas, inspirations, and creative decisions behind my fiction. It comes up every week on my social media platforms, and you can see them on my YouTube channel here.

(L-R) A reading at Hyde Brothers Bookstore; my sales table at a book fair; with Danny, the beloved stuffed monkey from The Book of Revelations.

And then there's the flip side of being a writer: writing. Just after Revelations came out, and while I was starting to book appearances, I also managed to begin writing my next book. And as of last week, I've completed the first draft, which comes in at about 73,000 words; the same basic length as Revelations. My new novel is entitled Five, and the title has nothing to do with the number of books I've written, nor does it refer to how many months it took to write. What does it mean? Well, you'll have to buy a copy to find out. Still, I can tell you that, like Revelations, it deals with tortured souls trying to find a way out of betrayal and grief; and while Revelations will always remain the book most dear to me, and the one I take the greatest pleasure in, I think Five's going to be pretty damn good, too, and I'm hoping to publish it in June of 2027, the same time period as when I published Revelations. 

There's a lot of work ahead for Five: editing, rewriting, more editing, more rewriting, design work, and pre-publicity. So that old adage about there being no rest for the wicked? Unfortunately, it's true. And yet I can't remember when I've enjoyed writing more. Not that I don't love writing about television; I do. But at the same time it's true that my passion, and my time, now rests more with my novels, and they are what I suspect will occupy most of my time for the rest of my writing life. Doesn't mean I'm leaving here, at least not for a while, but you might notice me talking about my novels more than I have in the past, even though they aren't about TV. 

In my writing life, there's one mistake that I've made that I can rectify here and now: I assumed that, because you come here for my television writing, you wouldn't be interested in my novels. That may, in fact, be true, but it is an offense to you for me to assume that, and going forward, I'm not going to make that mistake. You can always find out what's going on by visiting my author website, www.mitchellhadley.com, but from now on I'm going to be more generous with my time here as well.

Hard at work, or hardly working? 

So, you may wonder: what's next? Well, glad you asked that! The publishing company I own, Throckmorton Press, does publish authors other than myself, and I'm working with three new authors as we speak, in areas including fiction and poetry. That should either keep me out of trouble or get me in even more of it; we'll see which it is.

And that writing gig? Well, since I've retired, I've been writing my books (including Five) at the rate of one a year, which means it's not too early to start talking about 2028. Rumor has it that I've been outlining a story called Indifference, and I'm not indifferent to my feelings about it. Will it be the next book to see black ink on white paper? I can't say for sure, but a writer's got to write, doesn't he?  TV

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