Deborah Jackson

Friday, March 23, 2012

Update on the Time Meddlers Series

All good things must come to an end, but sometimes you can end bad things on your own.

I know I promised Time Meddlers fans a March release of the latest book in the series but, as you can see, March is almost over and no release. This forced me to step over the threshold of making a major decision for the series. I decided to pull it from the current publisher before the release of the third book.

The focus of this publisher has been increasingly geared toward books that are not kid-friendly, and it’s become an inappropriate atmosphere for a children’s book series. I’ve felt my ire grow as the books were often pushed aside or nestled side-by-side with adult romance or “other  adult” books. Not that there’s anything wrong with  “other adult” books, they just don’t belong with kidlit. I also encountered several problems within the organization that I won’t go into any detail about,  but which impelled me to  pull the series. This decision has been costly for me (to break a contract always is); I didn’t make it on the spur of the moment and without a great deal of pain and trepidation. It’s very difficult to find a new home for a previously published series.

I apologize to my fans. I know you were looking forward to the release of this book, as was I, but I’m hoping in the long run you’ll have better access to the books and no further delays when a release date is announced. I'll do my best to make it up to you as I search for another publisher.

If you haven’t read Mars Maze, I have that available for free on my blog—a tongue-in-cheek mini-adventure based on Time Meddlers. (The premise is rather silly compared to the other books, but the point of it is simply to laugh and enjoy.) For those of you who haven’t read Ice Tomb, message me and I’ll give you a code to obtain a free copy. If you’re interested, I might release a few chapters of Time Meddlers on the Nile over the next few weeks.

I currently have two other unpublished manuscripts that I’m working on, so once this mess is sorted out, I hope to provide you with a great deal of reading material :)

Feel free to ask me anything you like regarding this decision. I welcome your thoughts and concerns.

6 comments:

Quilter Jane said...

Sometimes it is necessary to make a hard decision now in order to sleep better immediately and be happier in the end!

I'm waiting for the third book, with baited breath! I hope your search for a new publisher goes really well and that it comes out soon!

Good luck! Deborah!
Jane

Deborah Jackson said...

Thanks, Jane. I'll do my best to find a better home and get it released soon!

Unknown said...

A brave step, Deb, but one that you seem much happier with. That's what important!

Deborah Jackson said...

I guess it was, Lizann. Not easy, but important decisions never are. Thanks. I'm sure I'll be happy with it down the road.

Jim said...

does this "explain" your recent 'less-unabsentness' from twitter?

Deborah Jackson said...

It certainly does, Jim. That and a bad cold. Major consultations with other writers, this decision and all the work that needs to follow it. I miss Twitter though. I will get back to it when I can find the time again.