Irmgarde Brown

It was a great day, December 15, 2021. Kirkus published their list of “Best of Books for 2021,” specifically for Indie authors (that can mean anything from self-published authors to Small Press authors – like me), and there was Sister Jane, front and center. Hurrah!

Special thanks go to all my followers who broadcast this news on their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages. For a first-time author, this kind of recognition is both heart-warming and gratifying. I also had a nice run in November and December of podcast and radio interviews. Special thanks to my publicity team for those opportunities.

But here’s the truth, between you and me, I must ask myself a reality question: then what?

I’ve been ruminating about this ever since the New Year struck. And here’s what I’m thinking about doing in response to that question 2022.

• I am self-publishing a little novella/companion piece to Sister Jane called Sister Jane’s Lenten Journal. This is an overlap piece that covers the last fifty days right before the end of the novel. This small e-book will be offered free to those who sign up for my mailing list here. It should be available by March 1^st. Paper copies will be available on Amazon.
• Through a generous underwriter, I will be contracting with Audible to create an audio version of Sister Jane. Launch date to be announced.
• I have submitted Sister Jane to several contests that are specifically for novels published in 2021. I’d love for my next blog post to include a win in any one of them. Fingers crossed.
• In March, I am planning a small book tour for Sister Jane through West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina, assuming Covid has finally relaxed its grip. More news on that next time.
• I am, within a month, sending to Beta readers for my next novel, The Orphans Lebedev, set in St. Petersburg, Russia at the time of the millennium. Believe it or not, readers, that makes this book “historical fiction.” After that, I will be looking for readers to join my launch team to early read and promote this book with a September launch.

What are you planning for 2022?