Bookcast 91: Cultivating my Happy Place

This week on The Bookcast, I talk about creating a happy, safe space to endure these unprecedented times and come out in one piece. I also talk about my July reads, the mound of e-gallies and Kindle Unlimited reads I want to get through before August 6, and listen/read recommendations. I'll also update the post-release situation for  season for "The Pearl at Black Diamond."  The Bookcast is my platform for sharing short fiction and my life as a self published author of romantic fiction that centers Black love and relationships. I hope you'll join me each week to talk books, writing publishing, promo... whatever comes to mind! 

• Don't forget to subscribe to my new substack and my newsletter! 

Full show notes including a transcript, links and the books I have read/will read can be found at my website, booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast/91. 

Chapters

• 1:16 QTNA- Question & A time
• 3:06 Creating a Happy, Safe space
• 7:51 Book Report
• 14:59 Recommended Reads and Listens
• 19:46 Post Release Season for The Pearl
• 22:29 Closing Remarks

Transcript

DL White [00:00:14]:
Hello everybody and welcome back to the book cast. This is my platform for sharing short fiction and updates on life as a self published author of romantic fiction that centers black love and relationships. This is episode 91 and I am your host DL White. I'm an Atlanta based author of 14 novels and numerous fan fiction works, but I'm a reader first. So we usually begin with a book report, then we talk about writing and topics of the day. Speaking of, do you have a topic you would like me to cover cover on the book cast? Shout me out a holler. I'm always on Instagram or Twitter at author_dlwhite or you can visit the show notes of this here episode at books by dlwhitedot com/bookcast/91. I welcome your comments and your questions and I'll dedicate a part of the show to answering them.

DL White [00:01:02]:
This week I did not receive any questions to answer. I'm trying to pop up a question box on Thursdays on my Instagram account and my stories. So follow me there if you're not already following me. If you ever have a burning question you want to ask me something about one of my books, if you're wondering about a process, if you're seeking for a terrible advice that only works for me that you might be able to rig to work for you, you wanna know my thoughts on something in the bookish space, the author space, the reader space, hit me up. I am happy to ramble for 27 minutes on a question someone sent in. So today I'll talk about my July reads, what I've got in the hopper for advanced reader copies and random books that I picked up from the internets. I have some recommended reads and listens for you and I'll give an update on the post release season for The Pearl at Black Diamond. Are we ready? Let's go.

DL White [00:01:59]:
Today is Saturday, July 20th. It is 9:23 AM. I'm a little bit behind because I had to, fight with my microphone and my headphones and do my test recording because it never works the same way twice. It is overcast in 72 in Atlanta. We've been getting much needed rain, and I don't really mind it. I've got my candle burning. Remember I told y'all last week I was gonna go see my candle dealer? And just in time for all this rain, I got some lovely handmade wood wick candles. So it is indeed move a microphone.

DL White [00:02:33]:
It is indeed crackling in my ear. The mic is on and I am ready to dig in. But first, please join me for some coffee. Welcome back. Welcome back. You know what? Part of, like, when I get ready to record, much like when I get ready to read or write, I have to, like, set the scene. You know what I'm saying? I need, like, I need it to be, like, I need it to be a happy place. I need it to be good.

DL White [00:03:06]:
I need it to be welcoming and comforting. I need all my all my creature comforts. I need I need a bag of Skittles. I am never without a bag of Skittles. I I'm looking at my bag of Skittles right now. That's what I eat when I'm writing. That and popcorn, that's what I eat when I am reading. Also, that and popcorn are, like, just something, like, chewy.

DL White [00:03:31]:
I like I love a chewy, like a crunch. I'm not big on chocolate except for certain times, but I like to, like I need to set the scene. You know what I'm saying? So I got my candle burning. I got my I got my coffee. I have cultivated my happy place. I got my my Kindle is all charged, plus I got my the Kindle app up on my iPad because when I listen to an audiobook on my iPad, I tie it into the Bluetooth on my Roku and that kind of occupies my TV, then I kind of sit back, plump up the pillows, grab a cozy, like, fuzzy blanket, make sure I have a full tumbler of ice cold water or some sort of beverage. And, like, that's that's my my little cocoon, my little happy place. And so now more than ever, clog of how I built this podcast that I've saved to listen to.

DL White [00:04:27]:
I watch a lot of documentaries. I've been getting into a few movies lately, and all of that is purposeful. That is my coping mechanism. I heard someone say when the pandemic was raging hard that when we were in a time of need, we sought out art, we sought out movies, and books, and films, and music, and I definitely find solace and comfort in all of that along the lines of trying to stay close to my books, piling up books to read, staying on top of my promotions and marketing is this urge I feel to create a safe a safe space, a safe place to land, a happy place. And I'm feeling a lot like I was feeling in 2,000 16 and in 2020 going absolutely mad over political happenings, my ulcer flaring up, just freewheeling through world in, like, a ball of anxiety. I don't do meds. I don't smoke. I don't do gummies.

DL White [00:05:33]:
I don't drink, so I am just raw dogging unprecedented times, you know? Like, I mean, it's me and these books. That's just it's me and this Roku, it's me and this Kindle app, it's me and Tangie may Kendall, like, that's that's it. My only advice is the book. So, yeah. I have like 26 books stacked up. I'm way ahead of my reading challenge. All I talk about is books and reviews and movies and podcasts and documentaries instead of what everyone else is talking about. And you know what? I'm fine.

DL White [00:06:03]:
I'm fine with that. I cannot do nonstop news, politics, war. Look at this horrible thing people are doing 247. I don't know how y'all can do that. I can't I can't take it in. I I had to turn it off, or I would lose my mind and then what? I'm mindless, and the world is still on fire, and I need my mind for work purposes and also for writing. There's a thing I like to say, watching a dumpster burn does not put out the fire. So I find a way to turn it off, and books is it.

DL White [00:06:33]:
If you're one of those kinds of people, welcome to the club. Please get into my DMs. Let's talk about some books. What are you reading? What do you wanna read? What sounds good? What doesn't sound good? Girl, what did you put down this week? Let me know. I am not the founder or the leader of this club, but we in here. So I don't know. Like, I am not a person where I feel like people are watching me. I don't say nothing about nothing, and it's not that I don't care.

DL White [00:06:59]:
It's that this is where I choose to be at that moment. Yes. It's privileged. I'm gonna exercise it because I am not going to go crazy screaming into the void. I just feel like I'm in a place where I'm one voice. I'm gonna amplify. I'm gonna concur with people who are saying what needs to be said much better in a much better fashion, but I'm not gonna dedicate my accounts to screaming about how everything is awful. I can't do it.

DL White [00:07:31]:
I can't do it. That said, let's hop over to the book report because I've been a little busy book wise. I have read 117 books of my challenge to read a 175 books this year. I'm 21 books ahead. Yeah. I'm not gonna increase my challenge number though until I get to 150. I don't wanna get too confident because I do have a book and a short to write before the end of the year. And I always say, you know, when I'm writing, my reading slows down, but it doesn't.

DL White [00:08:01]:
It really doesn't because I read before I write, and then I read after I write as dessert and a reward for writing. So, it it it I read, listen to books while I'm at work and on my way to work and on my way home from work and when I'm out getting gas and whatnot, I I'm always reading. I always have a book going. I say I'm gonna slow down, but I'm really not. And so I just really need to stop fooling myself, but I don't wanna make the challenge for me. I don't wanna make it too easy. So, you know, like, it's supposed to be a joy. I'm gonna raise the number again when I hit 150, and try to decide how I'm gonna finish out the year.

DL White [00:08:43]:
I think I'm probably gonna hit close to 200. I'm I'm relatively certain of that. It's July, and I'm 21 books ahead. So I'm relatively certain I will hit 200 or more, but, you know, I don't wanna be too overconfident. I have read 12 books so far in July. I actually thought it would be more, but haven't been counting. I've just been back to back to back to back because the books have been so good. I have read in July so far.

DL White [00:09:10]:
Of course, I've been deep in my Kendra Elliott and Melinda Lee bag, echo road by Kendra Elliott, hour of need by Melinda Lee, bridged by Kendra Elliott. A lot of these are series, so I'm just going 1 after 1 after 1. I read I've read, of course, the darkest child by Dolores Phillips, which is our bookstagram read, for July. It is as harrowing as you remember it. We've been having a really good time in our weekly chats about, that book. This morning's questions just got me up out of the bed. I read Excess Baggage by Nicole Falls, then more Kendra and Melinda, spiraled by Kalinda spiraled by Kendra Elliott, targeted by Kendra Elliott, walking on her grave by Melinda Lee. I read sounds like a plan by Pamela Samuels Young and Duane, Alexander.

DL White [00:10:01]:
This book was really good. I really enjoyed it. I heard it has been optioned for film or TV or something like that. Really looking forward to it. It's very good. If you want something that's like, it's like it's it's It's very well It's very well done. I really I really enjoyed it. I listened to that on audio, not a huge fan of the male narrator, but it wouldn't stop me from listening to another book if if this were to become a series.

DL White [00:10:41]:
And then I read 1 Big Happy Family by Jamie Day. I had a audio arc of this. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. I think I gave it 3 stars. It was a thriller set in, like, a old hotel that is on the brink of closing. The owner dies. Family comes in, to try to decide what to do with the hotel. People die, etcetera, and so on.

DL White [00:11:05]:
Yeah. I know I sold it to you. And then I read A Merciful Silence by Kendra Elliott, which I think is the first book in the Mercy Kilpatrick series. She's a FBI agent dating, like, the county sheriff. And then I read Love in Reverse by Chaseline Hamilton. This was a new release. Really enjoyed this because I love me a second chance romance. So it was really that was really good.

DL White [00:11:29]:
I am currently reading A Merciful Fate, Mercy Kilpatrick number 5. I'm really just rounding out my Mercy Kilpatrick reading. So I have this one and then I have book number 6, and then I think I'm all caught up on Mercy. I have a ton of books, to read. I have 11 that are just in Kindle Unlimited, Come Ride With Me, Platinum Riders by AC Arthur. I wanted to read this just because it features a black motorcycle dude. I have an Aubrey pen book in here, Boss Up episode 1. I have The Stones We Cast by Chelsea Maria, The Fire Inside Her, A Lesbian Romance by Tuesday Harper.

DL White [00:12:12]:
Then the Caramel Cove collection looked really good to me. So I picked up, Smoked and Spiced by Casey Mills and Sweet Reasons by Bailey West. I'm gonna knock both of those out pretty quickly, I'm sure. And then I have, 2 the Mercy Kilpatrick books that I met catch up on the Connecticut Kings. Then I have, some advanced reads that I need to get to in the rest of July early August. The Perfect Sister by Stephanie DeCarolis. I I have no idea what this book is about. It looked good.

DL White [00:12:45]:
I just requested. I requested an arc. It popped July 16th so I'm already way behind, but I'm gonna I'll I'll I'll give it a shot. Chances are I'll probably just go ahead and put that back. A cup of flower, a pinch of death, and flower, a pinch of death by Valerie Burns and a dream in the dark by Robert Justice both published on Tuesday, July 23rd. I am trying to get both of those in, but here's the thing. Here's the thing. Here's the thing.

DL White [00:13:13]:
I know they're both gonna come out in audio. I have pre ordered the audio for A Dream in the Dark. So I'm thinking that even though I have advanced reader copies of these, I'm probably gonna wait for audio on those. Then I have like mother like my like mother like daughter by Kimberly McCrae that publishes July 30th. In a league of her own by Kaia Alderson publishes August 6th. The rich people have gone away by Regina Porter that publishes August 6th. Melanita reader told us about this one in one of her book haul lives. It sounded good, I snatched it up.

DL White [00:13:51]:
And then The Kill List by Nadine Mathison. She is a British thriller author that publishes August 6th. So I've got a bunch of books I need to get read and reviewed between now and August 6th. And then I have some books that I picked up along the way Innocent Intent by Casey Mills. It just looked really good. The Cost of Loves, a Jenkins and Sons construction series. That is book 6 and that series by my friend Sharon c Cooper. I would love to actually get that read today because I am meeting with her tomorrow.

DL White [00:14:21]:
So I definitely wanna say, hey. I read your book and it was awesome. And then of course The Fire Inside Her by Tuesday Harper. She is a staffic, romance author. It was free. So I grabbed it and it it looks kinda short. So I should be able to, like, zip through it pretty quickly. Looking forward to that because I feel like I don't read enough black sapphic romance.

DL White [00:14:41]:
I read a lot of Fiona's ed. I think I've read almost everything Fiona has published. You know, Chencia Higgins is my girl. I just don't I feel like I just don't read enough of that. So I'm gonna get into that. I have a couple of recommended listens for you. Reckons true story podcast is a brand new podcast hosted by Disha Filia and Kiese Kiese Laymon. The first episode was so good.

DL White [00:15:08]:
Really, really good. Really enjoyed it. I am not an essay person, but the episode intrigued me enough to, like, pick up a few and, like, see see what, you know, the big deal is. Disha also hosts the Ursa short stories podcast. I'm just I'm not a short stories person, so I haven't gotten into it, but I can be influenced and persuaded. I really enjoyed episode 2 with doctor Roxanne Gay. It was an excellent episode. She's just so, like, personable.

DL White [00:15:39]:
I actually might give it a second listen because I was working while I was listening to it, so I know I missed a sentence here or there. I just really enjoy her. I don't enjoy her arguing with trolls on the Internet, but I do enjoy doctor Gay. And then Black Romance Has A History is a new podcast hosted by Steve Amidown and Katrina Jackson. Really good. Episode 3 is a conversation with Steven Zakarias, the founder of Kensington Publishing who also has the Defina line. Really good. I listened to that twice.

DL White [00:16:13]:
Such a good episode. This episode is, talking about the summer of black romance, which is 94 when, the most black romances ever were published. So many of my favorites were published in 1994. The whole podcast is great, but episode 3 was a double listen. And then also a double listen is the black romance podcast is back, to season 3 premiere with, doctor Julie Moody Freeman. She has a cohost and I can't remember her name, and I don't have time to look it up, but I'll put it in the show notes. Tia Williams is the season 3 premiere and you guys know that I am an huge stan of Tia Williams. I love love love her work.

DL White [00:16:52]:
She's talking about a love song for Ricky Wilde and how that book came to be. I loved that book. It was excellent. So listen to that episode and while you're there listen to my episode. It is it published March of 2023. I did pop up a couple of links to that. If you're looking for it, you can go to their website, The Black Romance Podcast or my website books by dlwhite.com/praise. I think yeah.

DL White [00:17:21]:
I think it's on the praise page. I'll have a list of my appearances and it should be listed there. My recommended reads this week, I'm gonna be all self promoting and tell you to join my substack. Subscribe to my substack. It it, substack.com/authordlwhite, I think. But you can find links on my links page at books by dlwhite.com/linkinbio. Also, join my newsletter. For a minute, they're gonna mimic each other.

DL White [00:17:49]:
I'm really just trying to reach more people and substack has so much more reach than, like, the 1100 people that are on my newsletter. Sometimes I hear authors say, I just have a baby newsletter. I only have 8,000 people. And I'm like, I have been trying to get to 1200 people for forever. So I I don't know, like, if you have a baby newsletter at 8,000 people, I don't know what I have, but that's where I'm at. I'm really trying to, like, build up my chops newsletter wise. I still hate writing a newsletter. I'm sorry to say it.

DL White [00:18:20]:
That's why I do a podcast so I can just talk it out. I'm really still trying to figure out what I'm sharing on my blog versus my newsletter versus my Substack, but Substack will likely have more of a Twitter feel for me than a newsletter feel. I have like a few thoughts that come up during the day that I kinda feel like I can't really put anywhere else. Then on Fridays, I'm doing a little roundup of, like, everything that's been everywhere and that all is also going out to my newsletter people. What I'm not putting on my sub stack is anything that's, exclusive. So exclusive stuff, 1st announcements of books that are coming out, specials that are coming, anything I guess, anything exclusive is still gonna come out to my newsletter first and then I'll cross post that to my substack once it's out and then it'll hit my blog, I guess. I'm just literally just talking this talking this out. So if you go to books by dlwhite.com / link in bio, you'll get links to both of those.

DL White [00:19:17]:
And if you're just looking for the past few newsletters, tap on the link to join and then the landing page will have all, like, you know, 3 or 4 of the past news 2 3 or 4 of the one of them has an exclusive scene that only went out to the newsletter. So hop on that. Alright then. Let's talk about the post sales season for The Pearl. And I wanna stress that having a new book out is why having a backlist is important to me anyway because when books people get a taste of your words and they want more. I love having 13 other books behind that one for them to run through and pick up. I've been in heavy promo mode really since May, but I'm running the numbers beginning June 1 because that's when I really started running the promo on Black Diamond, on Beach Thing and Elysium, my summer beach romance books. So since June 1st, I have moved 292 copies across all sales platforms, including mine, bringing in over $500.

DL White [00:20:14]:
So now y'all see why I could not be a full time author that doesn't even that doesn't even pay my rent. That's since June 1. It is now June 20th. So we're looking at about 6 weeks of sales and that's every book across all platforms including mine. Sales on the pearl are okay. Better than Elysium at this point. I'll tell you that. I'm at a 105 copies sold and about 330 in sales and just on that book, that's including my platform plus all of the retail, plus, I just saw that the book is available on Libby Hoopla, so it should be available for your local library.

DL White [00:20:50]:
If you are a library, person, please request it. Check it out. Read it. Return it. I need circulation history with your library. I do have some associated with publishing that book like having the wrap cover created. Oh, amazed when people don't when people don't go wild for them. But, you know, that's just that's me being vain a little bit but I think they're very good.

DL White [00:21:14]:
I did run a little ad over on TikTok on 2 posts. 1 got about 48 100 views and the other is at almost 10,000 views. I do believe some of my sales have come from TikTok, but not really enough to just start pouring money there. I'm really I'm just trying to keep popping those up so they stay in people's sites. If you see the ads, if you see the post, like on them and keep it pushing. You know what I'm saying? Marketing is hard work. You know? A lot of trial and error and there are classes I could take, but ain't nobody got time or money for that. I'm just I'm seeing what works and I'm just keep pushing it until the algorithm changes and I have to do something else.

DL White [00:21:52]:
So I know I have some sales coming up on the Potter Lake series. I know there's like a there's a dollar days sale where you can start a new series for a dollar. I can't remember when it starts or when it ends, but watch my website, my blog, my social media, my substack. I am never quiet about my sales, so you will not miss them. Alrighty. Done and dusted. Okay. That brings us to the end of today's show and the time that I must bid you adieu and warm up my coffee and get into a book.

DL White [00:22:24]:
But first I have to, let's not pretend I don't have to like edit this podcast and get up on my social media, all that kind of stuff. But thank you so much for joining me for today's chat. I truly truly really do enjoy having you here. I also truly enjoy reading any comments feedback you have at books by dlwhite.com/bookcast/91. You can also, drop your comments on my YouTube channel. I do cross post these episodes to my YouTube. You'll also find show notes and links to all the things I talk about if they're relevant and a transcript for today's show on my website. Please share the podcast if you enjoy this episode.

DL White [00:23:03]:
And if you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, give a girl a rating. I'd really appreciate it. Do not forget you can support this podcast with your book purchases at payhip.com/booksbydlwhite by spreading the good word, by joining the newsletter or the substack. Links are on my website atbooksbydlwhite.com/linkinbioor by throwing some coins in the hat at bookcast.bussprout.com. Thank you so much to my monthly supporters. Their gift covers my buzzsprout subscription. So I really appreciate the support and every little bit helps. The book cast is written produced and edited by me, d l White.

DL White [00:23:39]:
I've seen music and any sound effects are provided by pixabay. I will be back next week. Until then, please enjoy this weekend. Have a superlative week, and we'll chat again soon. Bye bye.