Dispatches from Jamison Shea

Well folks, the deed is done. I FEED HER TO THE BEAST AND THE BEAST IS ME is out in the world, being held and read by thousands of people who aren’t part of my publishing team. The ship has left the port, the circus has moved on to the next town, and in the ensuing quiet, I can finally rest my weary feet and be like… WOW. That was a lot.

So much so that I needed to write (some of) my observations, and maybe for you, it'll be entertaining or answer questions you have or make you feel less alone if you’re out here with me. Some of it was expected, and some of it was far, far out there. And this is longer than I intended, but what can I say? I'm first and foremost a novelist.

SETTING THE STAGE

Hi, hello, I’m Jamison Shea. Two weeks ago, I published my debut YA novel, a dark fantasy about a student who goes through great lengths to ensure her future at the Paris Ballet, including striking a deal with an eldritch god in blood for power. It was released by Henry Holt & Company (a Macmillan imprint) in the US and Canada and Hot Key Books (a Bonnier imprint) in the UK. A Spanish translation will be released by publisher Ediciones Versátil next month.

BEAST is my debut YA novel, but it is not the first that I've ever written. I've been writing stories and long fiction since I was about 9 or 10 years old, and have been telling people I was gonna be an author ever since. Although I originally enrolled as a creative writing major in college, I transferred departments almost immediately so I could write and pursue publishing on my own schedule, separate from my education. My intention was to be in a good place (housing, food, health) first and just pick up the author thing by age 30.

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And well… that somehow worked.

To be clear, this isn’t an instruction manual or a recipe. I don't think there's a way to follow some steps and recreate this dish. I'm only saying all this to set the stage—I don't have a creative writing degree. Like a great many authors now, I didn't do any residencies, workshops, or programs. Not everyone needs them, and I couldn't afford them. (If you’re curious, I graduated university with a degree in Francophone anthropology and Japanese literature instead, which meant couch surfing and working at CVS for poverty wages with no healthcare while NGOs in NY and DC screened my job applications and my university’s career center wouldn’t email me back. Not any better.) I didn't have contacts or colleagues for any industry, much less publishing. So while I'm no stranger to writing, I came into publishing very green.

And you know that trope in fantasy and horror when a character enters a realm and it feels like 50 years, but then they come home, and it’s only been like 15 minutes? Well, that’s me. It feels like I’ve been away at war (trying to publish this book) for the past 10 years, but actually… yo, it’s only been 18 months.

From the first query sent to my book with a Big 5 publisher in major stores, from aspiring author to my face on a Target Book Club pick: a lot happened in the past year and a half. A lot to adjust to, to learn on the job.

So let's get into it.

I just ran through the past year and a half, and there’s still no way I could tell you how to get here. Publishing, querying, writing, being on sub and selling a book, none of it is paint-by-numbers or as simplistic as they make it sound. There are some stories they simply don’t want told, or told in specific ways, from specific perspectives.

And that’s the rub with meeting authors. While I have met quite a few lately, and I can say that most are very kind and supportive, there are a few who treat it like a pissing contest anyway. They want you to know that they’re chosen. That they’re special unlike you, even before they know you. Even if it doesn’t tangibly matter. They need you to know they are liked by their peers and beloved by their fans, and you are simply not them. You might be chosen, but they’re more chosen. Whatever that means.

So what’s next?

I realize that this whole thing sounds like a series of complaints, but I promise you it’s not. I’m teasing myself as much as I tease the industry. I love being an author, and I don’t have any plans to stop. Now that I’m here, y’all gon have to drag me from pub kicking and screaming. Like over my dead body and the ghost that will haunt Scrivener in the afterlife. This is just the beginning, because my goal is world domination.

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I just wanted to make my lil observations to better understand what I was seeing and experiencing and thinking and feeling. As I said, the last year and a half were chaotic, with so much going on that there wasn’t time to stop and process. It’ll be fun to look back at this next year, after having launched a second book, and see what changed. What hasn’t. What got better or worse, if maybe I know more than I think I do.

Anyway, I FEED HER TO THE BEAST is a duology, if you still haven’t heard, so eventually I will be back on the rollercoaster to promote I AM THE DARK THAT ANSWERS WHEN YOU CALL. And in the meantime, the Fierce Reads Thrills & Chills Tour is just two weeks away (imagine me scrolling instagram and stewing with envy while sitting on the news of a whole ass tour!! Goofy!!!). As always, I’m keeping busy with other projects that I’m terrified will disappoint someone. And yet, I don’t care enough and am too excited to stop.

Stay wicked,

Jamison

Signature: Jamison Shea

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