I started my published author career with the After Eden Series and then added The Sleepy Hollow Horrors series two years later. It was the end of 2014 when I mapped out what my next series would be. I had planned four of them, one of which was the Liquid Cool series. So far it has been overwhelmingly the most successful of the three. But, that is completely understandable—action-packed, flying cars, a sci-fi “film-noirish” world, a cool private eye with a fedora, guns and humor, cyborgs and wacky characters. Well, of course: the debut was #1 on Amazon for almost a month, and as of this post, it remains in the top 5 in two categories (sci-fi/cyberpunk and mystery/private investigators), 70% of the reviews are 5-stars, 25% are 4-stars. So it is fair to say readers love it. But that’s just the start.
I’m not done with Liquid Cool by a long shot—I already know what the next two books will be. But now I move to one of those other three series to write and release (you, my readers, picked which one), I have to ask: What have I learned?
I knew I had something special with this series genre blend: Sci-fi + Detective Story. Adding in the laughs and the Blade Runner-ish world elevated it even more. However, the single smartest thing I did last year writing-wise was sit down and write a bunch of books in that series. That’s it! People loved the first book, but they wanted more. The fact that I could deliver that “more” made all the difference. For those that have followed my writing career, I have no issue with writing—15 books in 4 years. “Writer’s Block” is an entity I have never met in my life. Last year, as part of the National Writers Month in November I decided to finish my second Liquid Cool novel, Blade Gunner (I was getting distracted with other book projects—bad, bad, bad). This one month, writers all around the world collectively write for 30 days to finish their book project. Well, I finished Blade Gunner in two weeks. What did I do then? I wrote book three, NeuroDancer. Then, I didn’t stop—I wrote book four, The Electric Sheep Massacre, into the first two weeks of December. I was about to write Book 5, but stopped myself. I didn’t want to give my editors a heart attack. So I exited the Liquid Cool world for a bit, thought it’s a really enjoyable place to live in.
As with any independent author-publisher, your writing hat comes off and your business hat goes on. I had three novels to get ready for release. Not that easy, but with a team of editors, proofreaders, and advance readers we got it done. Again, the smartest thing I’ve done in my newbie publishing career was writing those Liquid Cool novels back-to-back. Readers love the first book; they get the rest of them (or the Box Set).
As a writer, I couldn’t be happier. Fans of the series are getting what they want—to follow the cases and antics of Cruz, the private eye. Now don’t hate me but I did tease Book 5 at the end of The Electric Sheep Massacre. I do need to decide fairly soon if I will release that one at the end of the year, maybe in time for the movie release of Blade Runner 2049. I need to think about it. What’s the hesitation? You can see the clue on the main website. I’m releasing another series, but based on the experience and the success of the Liquid Cool novels, I will be following the same model. I’ll be releasing 3 novels of my new fantasy series at once. More on that in another blog post.
For now, it’s all things Liquid Cool. It’s been a fast 18-month roller-coaster ride. I loved writing the novels as much as readers are enjoying them. And a shout out to my great book cover designer Whendell!
You can get any of the Liquid Cool novels, or any of my books HERE.
Austin Dragon is the author of over 30 books in science fiction, fantasy, and classic horror. His works include the sci-fi detective LIQUID COOL series, the epic fantasy FABLED QUEST CHRONICLES, the international futuristic epic AFTER EDEN Series, the classic SLEEPY HOLLOW HORRORS, and new military sci-fi PLANET TAMERS series. He is a native New Yorker but has called Los Angeles, California home for more than twenty years. Words to describe him, in no particular order: U.S. Army, English teacher, one-time resident of Paris, ex-political junkie, movie buff, Fortune 500 corporate recruiter, renaissance man, futurist, and dreamer.
LATEST RELEASE: THE OFFICIAL FABLED QUEST BESTIARY
One Response
Keep up the fantastic writing