I have some exciting news to share with you! My first book, Fragments of Perception and Other Stories, is due to be published on 4th November 2017: that’s just over 3 weeks from now! The cover has been designed by the fantastic Natasha Snow and I’m so pleased with it because I think it really captures the mood of the book. You guys are the first to see it:
It will be available from Amazon worldwide, Kobo, iBooks and my own website which will be going live in the next week or so. It is also listed on Goodreads already, so if you have an account please do look it up!
My Genre
I’m also pleased to say I have finally found the genre I fit into: Metaphysical and Visionary. It is a small niche, but a perfect match for my writing style. It is described as:
“A literary form that illustrates the process of growth in human consciousness. While it contains an all-inclusive spiritual element and often makes use of paranormal modes of perception, it employs story elements like plot, character and setting to immerse the reader in a drama of evolving awareness – rather than an exposition of specific teachings or practices.”
The word ‘visionary’ in this context seems to have originated in the works of Carl Jung, who some of you will know has had a huge influence on my worldview. He described it as “a strange something that derives its existence from the hinterlands of man’s mind” as opposed to psychological works which “take their materials from conscious human experience in the vivid foreground”.
The metaphysical part of the genre name is for “fiction in which a significant proportion is devoted to a discussion of the sorts of questions normally addressed in discursive philosophy.”
The genre is all about bringing forth gems of wisdom in story form in such a way that the reader experiences it for themselves without being preached to, and that is above all what I set out to do with my work.
My Two Hats
Over the last couple of weeks all of my spare time has been taken up with my publishing start up, formatting, editing, proofing, setting up various online accounts and a lot of reading to push me up a steep learning curve. I 100% stand by my decision to be an indie author, but it is a lot of hard work in the beginning. These sorts of tasks are what I have come to call ‘manager tasks’ that require a ‘manager hat’: a very different mindset to the one coming up with ideas and flowing words.
Although I do enjoy wearing this hat, I’ve learned that I can’t do it to the exclusion of my writer hat. I find it stressful and bad for my mental health if I don’t keep the flow of writing going alongside: that is, after all, the whole point. I’ve been researching a whole lot, I’ve noted down ideas for flash pieces, and I’ve put some time into plotting out another novel. But most of that is putting things into my head, and I’ve not been setting time aside for letting things flow out of my head.
So, once Fragments of Perception is out in the world, I’m desperately looking forward to dusting off that ‘writer hat’, doing what I love the most for the foreseeable future, and reclaiming the feeling of balance it gives me.
One More Piece of News
This morning I got the wonderful news that a story I wrote a few weeks ago has been selected to appear in an anthology, due for publication early in 2018. This means a lot to me, because not only is it the first thing I have submitted anywhere ever, but it is to appear alongside some hugely talented writers I admire. I’ll give more details on this when I can!
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If you have a Facebook account, your support would be most welcome on my author page here.
This is exciting, Caroline! And I love the cover — I agree that it captures the essence of what’s inside. If I had any social network presence whatsoever, I’d be promoting the shit out of it — because it is, quite literally, the best work of fiction I have read all year.
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Thank you, Paul 😊
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Reblogged this on Spooky Action At A Distance and commented:
If anyone is unfamiliar with the brilliant writing of Caroline at OrchidsLantern, I highly recommend purchasing her first book, “Fragments of Perception”. I was honored to be a beta-reader of the final draft and I was blown away by the unrelenting genius on every page.
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Congratulations and best of luck with it!!!
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Thank you ☺
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Curmudgeon does in fact have a social presence…he may in fact be a hidden genius…and I will purchase this book forthwith solely upon his recommendation! Just riddle me this: Did Huxley influence your writing at all? Be honest now…
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I’m always honest about my influences, in fact I wrote a post on it not so long back… Huxley’s Doors of Perception is one of my favourite books. And, you’ll get to meet his namesake if you read Fragments 😉
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I will scroll for your influences. Thanks. Door of Perception is on my list as well.
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How about Carlos Castaneda? What literary figures influenced your writing? No one writes in a vacuum…I am so curious and I so want congratulate you for getting published!
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Yes Carlos Castaneda was on my top 5 list I shared a little while back… he’s been more of an influence than Huxley to be honest. And thank you, although I’m publishing this myself through Orchid’s Lantern it still feels like an achievement to me.
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I’ll be reading; and now I’ll be scrolling back to look up those influences … excited to find you! Good luck! 👏👏👏👏👏
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Thanks very much 😊
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Whattya mean “feels like?” It’s a HUGE achievement! Congratulations!! Take a bow and have a shot!! This is FANTASTISTIC!
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You are an inspiration, Caroline! I couldn’t be more thrilled for you. Can’t wait to read your book! Well done!
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Thanks Tanya 😊
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Congratulations with all of it 🙂 The book sounds cool, and nice cover too .
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Thanks very much 😊
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Congratulations! I look forward very much to reading your book, and I love the genre Visionary and Metaphysical. I am impressed! And congratulations on the piece that has been selected for an anthology!
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Thank you so much 😊
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Congratulations! Such wonderful news!
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Thank you ☺
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Added. Can’t wait to read your book!
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Thank you ☺
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Love the cover! And yes, I must say you’ve certainly found the genre that best describes your work 😉 Congratulations on everything, I can hardly imagine how exciting this must all be for you.
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Thank you ☺
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Hi Caroline. I just found you and so glad I did. I’m so excited for you (I know we don’t know each other, but I can imagine if it was me posting such an announcement!), such a huge accomplishment! I’m excited to read it and dive into your blog. Congrats!
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Thank you so much, Brooke! I look forward to reading your blog too 😊
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