On Jan 6th, I wrote about how I had a PTSD-type response to Sandy Hook that rendered me unable to write fiction for six months. After doing some research on my legacy blog (a link to which you can find on my spiffy new website at www.danielwaters.com), I realized I wasn’t able to engage fully with the rest of the world in other ways, as well.

I’d been a fairly regular blogger in the years’ prior, with anywhere from 20-ish to 105 (!) posts each year on my personal blog and another 10-57 a year on my Generation Dead character blog www.mysocalledundeath.com . In 2012, I’d made twenty-one posts, the last on December 4th. Sandy Hook happened nine days later.

I didn’t post again until May of 2015, a gap of nearly two and a half years.

I never really “caught the bug” for blogging (or social media in general) engagement again. There was a flurry of activity around events like the I Still See You Movie, the start of OMZ Press, and new books like My Best Friends are Dead and Aural History, but I wasn’t able to sustain it.

But, we grow, we heal, we learn, we persist, and I certainly miss the very robust and rewarding online relationship I had with readers and nonreaders alike, and so I’m getting back in the ring once again—and am extremely excited to do so.

That said—I need your help! What would you like to see me write about here? I’m aiming at eight monthly posts (I know! I know!) and figure the majority of the content will center around:

• *Lore about my books
• *Lore about me as a writer
• *Lore about the business of writing, publishing, and entertainment
• *Comments, takes, celebrations, or observations on current events/culture

Like I said, I was doing research on my legacy blog and as part of that, I reviewed all the individual post engagement scores, and my main conclusion is I have no idea what was working and what wasn’t!

There didn’t seem to be any correlation between the most read blogs and their content, and the posts that “tanked” seemed to be about the same general topics as the ones that went over like a lead zeppelin. Or Led Zeppelin. I have a trained marketing professional looking into it, but I need to hear it from you, the source of all goodness! Please comment below.

I greatly appreciate you signing up for my Substacks and being a part of the journey. As you know, growing an audience isn’t easy (especially for the more introverted among us), and so I would be incredibly grateful if you felt inclined to refer a friend who you think might enjoy the content to sign up here and/or at danielwaters.com.

I would be just as thrilled if you posted an honest review of any of my books on Amazon, Goodreads, or any other outlet that might catch some eyeballs.

Also, shout out to my O.G. readers and followers at the original danielwaters.com and mysocalledundeath.com. I intend to reward your patience with me!

Vibes,

Daniel