A thread in the tapestry

I've just assumed a new role working with promotions for the comic book companies with which I work, giantessfan.com and expansionfan.com.

I see this as being one more thread in an interwoven tapestry of writing.

I started making "writing connections" in some writers groups not quite two years ago when I decided to revive my fiction-writing efforts after years of focusing strictly on nonfiction. My activity in those groups led to the comics publishers contacting me; they saw something in my writing they thought would work well for their lines.

It also was in those groups that I realized I had writing something novel-length in me. I'd always thought of myself as a writer of quick stories, so this was a revelation to me. I submitted my novel, Eve's Thieves, to Midnight Frost Books. To my delight (and, to some extent, astonishment), they accepted it for publication. It's set to be released in November.

Comics publishing is promoted differently than book publishing, especially since the comics companies and Midnight Frost have different sales structures. I've had to learn to do much more marketing through Midnight Frost than I had through my work with the comics, and I did some with them; I had presences on some sites the comics used for promotion, so it made sense to help promote my comics.

The comics publishers needed someone to take on the promotions role when it came open. They saw what I was doing with both the comics I wrote and the books I wrote for Midnight Frost and Crimson Frost Books, and felt I would be a good choice. (Hopefully I can prove them correct.)

I'm still learning things about book promotion — a necessary skill for a book author — but I also see how all these threads weave together. Everything is part of the tapestry.

As writers, we sometimes forget that everything is part of the mix. It's all there: experiences, current events, fantasies, dreams, nightmares, fears, hopes. One thing can lead to another, and it all can weave in and out of each other. It's all part of the tapestry, if we're willing to let the threads be used.

How's your tapestry? What threads have you used?