Sam Burns

Seeing the Bright Side of Romance & Fantasy

Tag: happiness

Brand New Year, Same Old Sam

By

On January 1, 2018

In Life, My books

Hey, guys!

It seems almost compulsory to write a New Year post, either to recap one’s accomplishments from the year passing, or to talk about goals in the coming year. I figured… who am I to buck the trend?

Last year was a big one for me: I finally got my degree, wrote six novels and published four of them, starting what I firmly believe is going to be the last career I’ll ever have. It’s the only one I ever wanted, after all.

I don’t know how anyone else feels, but I have high hopes for 2018. My first book of the year, Blackbird in the Reeds, is coming out on the 4th of January, and the second in its series is already in edits. I hope to release the entire series this year, as well as a few other projects I’ve been working on, and maybe even one that’s still just a series of related ideas.

2017 was bad in the ways I expected, and incredible in ways I didn’t foresee. I’ve made a few friends I think are in it for the long haul, and a few changes in my life that are going to help me keep writing for years to come. I’ve had successes I didn’t expect, and learned from my failures when they happened. All I can hope is that this year will be even better.

I am going to write so many books this year, you guys. So many books. And it’s going to be the most fun yet.

School’s Out Forever…

By

On July 15, 2017

In Life, News

This author is finally, finally finished with her bachelor’s degree.

Yes, I’m much closer to 40 than 22. It’s late for anyone to be graduating college, and sometimes I feel incredibly self-conscious about the fact that both my AA and my bachelor’s were earned after the age of 30.  But you know what? I did it.

I went back to college in my late 20s, and finally, over many years working half time and sometimes even less, I finished school. I won’t be applying to any MFA programs, and I certainly don’t want a doctorate in English, so this is it for me.

I’d say this is dedicated to the stepfather who told me I’d never make anything of myself, but it’s not. It’s dedicated to Mr. Burns, who has supported me through everything, despite his misgivings about the insane cost of college today. In the end, he knew it was something I had to do for myself. And you know what? It’s totally dedicated to me. You finally did it, nerd.

Life’s Too Short For Bad Books

By

On June 18, 2017

In Books, Life

When I was sixteen, I prided myself on finishing every single book I picked up to read. It didn’t matter how bad it was, or how much I hated it, if I started it, I was going to finish it. That melodramatic Victor Hugo epic Les Miserables? Every. Last. Word.

In my twenties, a few started slipping through the cracks. I blame it on schoolbooks. There was no way I was going to read the C++ manual front to back. I might have died of boredom.

My twenties saw me finally abandon some fiction, too. The first I remember was Twilight. I tried, you guys, I really did. I got all the way to the last one. Then there was that whole pedophilia thing, and I just… couldn’t. I ran screaming in the opposite direction and never finished the book. That particular hardcover is the single book in my house that gets no respect whatsoever. Which is to say that we use it as a doorstop.

In my thirties, there have been things like the abusive BDSM series that everyone knows. I think that one was my breaking point.

That was when I realized that when I finished a bad book, I didn’t feel accomplished. I felt annoyed, or ripped-off, or outright angry. And it wasn’t like I didn’t see it coming. I can usually tell in the first few chapters whether a book is going to work for me or not. So why am I wasting my precious reading time on things I hate? So that I can be angry and go leave nasty reviews on the work of authors who spent time and effort on those works I hate? I hope not. That’s not the me I want to be.

tl;dr: I have embraced the DNF. Life’s too short for bad fiction. If I decide at any point that the book is going to get a bad review from me, I’m putting it down.

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