Time Zones

I'm a bit new at this. I still find it hard to wrap my mind around the idea that there are people out there reading what I write, let alone that they might consider themselves to be a fan of my work.

Every now and then I get an e-mail from someone telling me they liked a story I wrote. It's a little bit surreal. It's also very, very fantastic. You can't buy that feeling.

And, much the same as everyone else who has blogged about the topic this week, if I'd met them, I'd say: Thank you for reading. I'm glad you enjoyed it. As often or not, I expect I'd also find myself saying: Yes, I am a bit kinky myself, but no, that scene wasn't based on personal experience :)

After that, the conversation is open to wherever the reader wants to take it. Like a lot of writers, I'm happier as a listener rather than a speaker. And, again probably like any writer, I'm happy to talk to anyone who contacts me about my writing. I don't have anything new to say there.

But there is one thing that no one else has mentioned so far, and which can make it ever so slightly complicated to say anything to readers - and that really adds to the surreal quality.

I've only come across this phenomenon recently, maybe I'm the only person who hasn't known about it for years, but the fact is writers live in a different time zone to readers.

Speaking as someone who still can't work out how many hours I need to add and subtract to turn up to a chat advertised in EST, I'm aware that I'm easily confused by things like this. But it's not just a couple of hours in this case.

What's published now was generally written months ago.

My latest release was actually written last October. Since then it's become the start of a five book series. The story readers are reading now doesn't really exist inside my head any more. My mind is full of what happens after that. Hayden, Stafford and Jasmine get their happy ending when Between Tooth and Paw finishes, but they also go on to do a whole host of other things with characters I love and readers have never heard of.

Likewise, my latest acceptance won't be released until next January. By then I hope to have written and submitted the next three books that make up the series. By the time someone reads The Mark of an Alpha, I'll know the life stories of damn near every wolf in the pack.

Trying to remember where in the story the rest of the world is living is very interesting and very strange, lol.

Saying that, writers minds are often somewhat out of sync in general as well. Our minds tend to be full of Christmas stories in the summer, full of summer stories in the winter. It's no wonder that some of us come across as a bit out of touch with reality sometimes :)

I don't actually mind that - I'm as happy to be out of touch with reality as I am to be in touch with anyone who's read one of my books.

My e-mail address is listed on my website - feel free to use it :)

Kim Dare.
Kink, love and a happy ending. Do you Dare?