Today I am so pleased to welcome Matthew J. Metzger to Joyfully Jay. Matthew has come to talk to us about his latest release, Walking on Water. Please join me in giving him a big welcome!

Walking on Water

I think it’s pretty safe to say most writers get the various stages of writing—this is great, I’m a genius, this is awful, what are you doing, this might be okay after all, this is awesome, oh my god just submit it already you’ll never be able to fix this mess anyway.

But—we get different stages of excitement afterwards too, right?

When Walking on Water arrived on Amazon for pre-order, my editor emailed me saying she was excited to see how it did. (No pressure, right?) And I looked at it and thought, are you? Oh. Do people get that feeling?

For me, the big excitement in writing a book is writing the book. From the moment I put THE END on a first draft, my excitement levels drop dramatically. What I enjoy most is the actual process, and everything that comes after is more of a necessity than a pleasure.

I get little happiness or excitement peaks during those dull weeks—acceptance at a publishing house is always a big spike, followed by pretty cover art arriving in my inbox,and the relief of yes oh my god this is finished once the final round of edits has been sent back.

But then, my next big spike won’t hit until the paperback arrives in the post.

And this is such a big moment for me that I specially select publishing contracts that result in paperback books. When I know two houses will be interested in a single manuscript, I default to the one who will give me a paperback version—especially with novellas that run close to the lower word limit for such things. My love of paperbacks is so strong that I have deliberately avoided honing my skills at short stories and novellas unless there’s an anthology that I’ll be able to have in physical form.

(What can I say, I freaking love physical books.)

But once the book is in my hand, it’s pretty much over for me. I’m no longer interested. I want to be on with the next book—I usually am on with the next book—and all my attention is there, not on something I probably wrote six months to a year earlier. It’s great for avoiding staring obsessively at reviews, but it sucks for marketing the damn thing. The only thing that’s different this time is nerves. I’ve never done a fantasy novel before, much less queer mermaids and princes in distress, so I’m almost as nervous as I was for my very first novel.

So what about you? Is all the excitement packed into the craft of writing, the process of making a book, or seeing the finished product in your hot little hands?

(C’mon, I can’t be the only one who’s switched off before the postman arrives, right?!)


Blurb

Walking on WaterWhen a cloud falls to earth, Calla sets out to find what lies beyond the sky. Father says there’s nothing, but Calla knows better. Something killed that cloud; someone brought it down.

Raised on legends of fabled skymen, Calla never expected them to be real, much less save one from drowning—and lose her heart to him. Who are the men who walk on water? And how can such strange creatures be so beautiful?

Infatuated and intrigued, Calla rises out of her world in pursuit of a skyman who doesn’t even speak her language. Above the waves lies more than princes and politics. Above the sky awaits the discovery of who Calla was always meant to be. But what if it also means never going home again?


Bio

Matthew J. Metzger is an asexual, transgender author dragged up in the wet and windy British Isles. He writes queer characters living all manner of lives, but especially likes to write the stories from the pub, the beautiful game, and the terraces where he lives and works today. Although mainly a contemporary romance writer, Matthew has recently been found straying out of his zone and playing in other genres’ sandboxes.

When not writing, Matthew is usually at his day job, working out, or asleep. He is owned by an enormous black cat, so should generally be approached with either extreme caution, or treats.

He can be primarily found on Twitter and Facebook or over at his website, and is always happy to hear from readers.

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