It's Maria Caiazza back up in the hizz-ouse, baby!

Okay, maybe that was a bit much, even for me. It's been a weird couple of months since my last newsletter. As I mentioned last time, I am finally out of the funk I was in for the last year or so, and I am doing my best to invest in myself and my future so that I can make writing and content creation a career in the future. Let's get to some updates, shall we?

Personal Updates

In the past, I've shied away from getting too deeply into personal details, but I recently decided that just being unabashedly me is the best course of action going forward. If I can't be my whole true self, then what the heck am I doing anyway?

In April, I made the tough decision to list my house for sale. It's been a rental for longer than I've owned it, which is saying a lot since I only bought it in July 2023. Unfortunately, I couldn't predict the future, and I got a job over an hour away weeks after closing. Making the drive wasn't so bad when I was driving during the summer, but when the drive became a treacherous 4:00 a.m. trek with fog so thick I couldn't see 20-feet in front of me during winter, changes needed to happen.

The house was listed with no bites for almost a month before I lowered the price and got a bid almost instantly. However, the prospective owner's realtor didn't tell them that most of the town I live in is in the flood zone, and being a first time homebuyer, they backed out without even an inspection. To be honest, it's resulted in a crushing week and the reason why I'm writing this newsletter at the last minute even though I committed to writing it weeks ago.

Book Updates

I didn't mention this in my last newsletter, but at the time, I was writing a new book. It's something that means something to me and (hopefully) others. That book is now finished... And I mean finished. I've already formatted the paperback, and I plan to convert it to ebook soon. The release date is planned for July 6th. I am going to do a bigger update with more details soon, but let's just say it's going to have a simultaneous audiobook release.

I plan to do a more exclusive update about this later on, so for now, I'm going to leave it at this.

Business Updates

This feels very strange to say, but I have a business name registered, a logo, and I'm doing my best to build a brand. I have no idea what I'm doing. How do people even manage all of this?

I've made a few decisions about how I want things to work going forward. Primarily, I plan to focus on 3 things going forward:

​Substack - At some point soon, I plan to move my newsletter over to Substack. I've already started building a small follower group over there and even made my first post. In the past, I used to gain newsletter followers by giving out free short stories, and no offense to anybody who joined me for that reason but I want people to join me for me not because something was free. In time, I hope for Substack to replace my Patreon and help me gain followers through an algorithm catered to their interests rather than a giveaway of some sort.

​YouTube - I've already started using my YouTube channel for weekly productivity streams (usually on Saturday or Sunday), a cozy gaming let's play, and monthly updates. I have plans for more, but as the obligate professional that I am, I have already messed up a 2-hour video so epically that I need to re-record it. That felt like a crushing blow yesterday when I discovered the error. Needless to say, I have more to come, and I am so excited to see my channel morph and grow into something unique and "me."

​Bluesky - The last place I am focused on is Bluesky. It's a Twitter-like platform and doesn't have AI training itself on my posts in the background. As a creator, I 100% believe that art and creative pursuits belong to human beings, and I wholeheartedly reject all things AI. If Bluesky were in introduce a similar program, I would find another place to interact with the internet's bookish community.

Of course, I still have other social medias, but this is where my focus will be. It's the best place to find me on the internet.

Author Swaps and Group Promos

In the author world, promoting your novels is a difficult thing. If you post anything about your books on social media and it even smells of self-promotion, your algorithm gets throttled unless you pay to get views and potential clicks, which usually don't earn out on the investment. So, authors band together and share each others books in newsletter swaps and cross promotions in hopes of getting similarly interested reader's eyes on their book. Let's check out the curated list I have for you this time, shall we?

A cross promotion with a focus on all works with a paranormal spin.

Welcome to Crimson, Maryland—a quaint resort town on the Eastern Shore. Whispers of supernatural activity dance with the salt-laced breezes. Beneath its quaint façade lies a world of dark desires and ancient secrets...

The fate of the world resides in the hands of a gentle soul who cares naught for war or fighting-only for the creatures and plants of the realm of angels. Aree spends her days observing and interacting with the creatures and plant life here in the heavenly realm. She spends her nights with her lover and protector Archangel Michael...

There is magic in the very soil on which you walk. In this world, it can gain the power to corrupt the innocent and create chaos. The Devourer could once again become the Destroyer...

Alright, that's all I have for you at the moment. If you're wondering where to go to look for more information about all things happening in the life and times of Maria Caiazza, check out the blog on my website. I plan to update my monthly post as things happen so you know where to go in order to find out the things that are happening.

Ta-ta for now, and be excellent to each other.
~Maria Caiazza, a.k.a. The author formerly known at M. W. McLeod