Oh boy, here we go.

I’m sorry I haven’t interacted more!

I had high hopes of maintaining a fun presence on Facebook and using the group to excite readers and help push the Infinite Vampire series to the next level (whatever that means/meant) but I couldn’t hack it. While the books didn’t perform nearly as well as I had hoped, I started to feel a sort of depression regarding them. Interacting with you (members of the group) on Facebook was super fun, and I absolutely enjoyed the hell out of it!

I never ran a Facebook group, or even participate in one really. Because I was living a private life, I didn’t share much on Facebook at all, either. I didn’t know what I should have done or how.

I wish I can send all my Hemoglobetrotters members something great for putting up with me while I didn’t do much on the group. I thought I could send out new reader copies of books, and audio files from the audiobooks I would produce, but I never wrote another Infinite Vampire book. I didn’t record any audio for it either (due to logistical issues).

So, much like the challenges I faced with my fancy juggernaut of an email list management system, I had trouble creating content to put up on the Facebook group. To make everything in my head worse, the Cambridge Analytica Facebook data breach happened right after my books were all released (when I should have been participating in the Facebook group the most). I had issues using Facebook after that, primarily for two reasons

1. I’m a stubborn SOB when it comes to ethics, and I felt that Facebook wasn’t being ethical. How could I then keep using it?

2. If I truly believed they weren’t being ethical, how selfish was it that I was keeping my group there–giving others a reason to stay on Facebook, when perhaps they shouldn’t?

I had tons of other things going on too, and while I should have sat myself down to really work through this, I didn’t. Instead, I worked on a major home remodel because I and my two partners (that my Facebook group knew nothing about) were living in an unsustainable situation. I had to finish the house so we could move, and I worked like a dog for months.

I messed up, I know I did. And while I feel a bit bad about it, I know that what would be better would be to learn and set my sights on growth for the future. I don’t want to close the Infinite Vampire group, because it’ll be the first place I post when I am working on Infinite Vampire books again! But, I’ve learned from this experience, and I have some new goals.

I’m starting a new Facebook group, and it’s called ‘Most Marvelous (M. Lorrox Fan Club and Hangout.’ There are a few big differences in this group than in the Infinite Vampire Hemoglobetrotters:

1. It isn’t promotion based, like Hemoglobetrotters was. With the H. group, I asked for help, and wonderful people signed up. This new group isn’t for me at all, it’s for fans, pure and simple. Anyone will be able to join, post things, etc. (I’ll probably need a moderator at some point, but for now, I’ll manage it myself.) Anyway, it’s going to be a fun place for people who like my work.

2. Most Marvelous isn’t going to be book or genre specific–it’s Matto specific, LOL. According to conventional book publishing wisdom, this is a big risk, but shrug. I might alienate people who either don’t like zombies or don’t like sexy books, and I might end up with a subsection of fans that like both. What happens when I launch my Sci-Fi series? Or the fantasy? Or the historical Werewolf Horror Romance? The only way I can do anything is if it’s simple and straightforward. I don’t want to have to split the fun things I share, so I’m going to try and do it all in the one place.

3. I’m not hiding aspects of my private life in this new group. All anyone has to do is read my bio to find out that I’m not hetero and non-monogamous. I don’t want that to be a secret I check my posts against, know what I mean? I just want to be me and hang out. Maybe that’ll upset some of my audience, but I hope not. I hope they love my books for the plot and the crazy characters in my fictional worlds!

4. I’m going to let other people worry about their online privacy, and I’ll worry about mine. I think Facebook has come a long way in the two short years since the Cambridge Analytica scandal. There’s definitely much more they need to do (I can’t talk about that right now though), but I think they’re at least trying. I’ve decided to stay on Facebook, and I figure I might as well make it a more exciting place. 🙂

Check out the group: Most Marvelous (M. Lorrox Fan Club and Hangout), and if it sounds like it’s something you’d like to join, I’d be super thrilled to have you! -Matto