Persistence can look a lot like failure

I got back from my Love Burn trip a few days ago, which was one heck of an adventure. I drove down from New Jersey with a few friends in a bus that was built the year I was born. We spent three days on the road, two days setting up the stage and all its accoutrements, and three glorious nights performing for our biggest crowds yet. We had placement right on the effigy field, with some of the biggest camps at the event as our friends and neighbors. I was so grateful for the experience.

After the bus crew enjoyed a leisurely trek back north (including a walking food tour in Little Havana, a fried green tomato BLT in Savannah, and lots of other side quests and laughs), I headed back home to Pittsburgh.

The last few days, I’ve been dividing my time working on edits for Loop, Nevada and sending out queries to literary agents for Firebug. It’s humbling work, sending out dozens of queries and getting nothing but rejections back. Firebug doesn’t fit easily into a genre—it’s a weird story that combines elements of thriller, magical realism, supernatural, horror, and romance. I like that about it, but it does make for a strange elevator pitch. 

I’m going to keep plugging on the query front for another week or two and then if I don’t get any traction, I’ll go back to my original plan, which was self-publishing. 

Bye for now, I’ll post another update soon!

Also, don’t buy anything tomorrow.*

*buying things from local businesses in cash is okay