Today I wanted to talk a little bit about why I picked Dec. 19 as my release date. And this'll get a little personal.
My grandfather died on 12/19/1994.
All through school, I struggled to remember dates, which happened to be the format of a lot of questions on tests.
What date did Washington cross the Delaware? What date did the Civil War come to an end? I could never remember. Moreover, if I DID remember anything regarding a date, I would mix it up. My brain assigns numbers to people, and that becomes the date of their birthday. My mom's number is 12. I know she was born in February. Year after year, I think her birthday is 2/12. It's not. My dad's number is 17. I know he was born in October. Every single year, I think his birthday's 10/17. It's not.
But the one date I remember with clarity is 12/19/1994.
My grandpa raised me because my parents worked to the point where I really only saw them at night. That's just how things are for people who don't have a lot of money. If you don't work, you don't eat.
The problem is, while I understand that now, children... Generally don't. And given my bed time at that age, I saw my grandpa more than I saw my parents. Then he was gone, and so that date became seared into my memory.
Of course there are other dates I remember. 10/31 is Halloween. 12/25 is Christmas.
But along with those stable holidays, 12/19 is the day my grandpa died.
When I was looking for release dates for Shadecursed, it just so happened that 12/19 happened to be a Tuesday.
Book release dates typically happen on Tuesdays. I don't know why; it's just how the industry runs. So I thought to myself, I can use this date to turn a bad memory into a good one. The release date of my first fantasy novel--which I consider to be my best work--can override the sadness I feel on that date. When I think of 12/19 going forward, I can also remember that this was the release date of Shadecursed, and I won't feel so awful on that date anymore.
