The Summertime Blues? Or the Summertime Blahs?

I've been really dragging my heels lately on promoting my latest book (obligatory link and picture here). Part of the reason is because it's out in digital right now, and not in print. I hate doing double-promo (once for digital, once for print). So I tend to center my efforts around the print version, when I promo both release types.

I'm probably doing the book a disservice. It's got a great plot, marvelous hero (Nathan Stokes, one of my more original heroes), and it's set at a casino I absolutely adore (I love casinos anyway, but that's another story!) I should be out there shouting from the rooftops about this book because I think it really ROCKS. But I've been remarkably quiet about it.

I think I've got the Blahs. This is my 17th book and it is SO hard to fire up that old promo machine and get out there and talk about the book. A couple of things are conspiring against me:

1. It's summer. I live in Minnesota. We don't get a lot of summer, so I try to enjoy as much of it as I can. Which means I'm not as on-task at my computer as usual.
2. My WIP: I'm nose-deep into a new book and it's giving me fits. I spend most of my time struggling with it. I've almost chucked it once or twice (anyone who knows me knows that this is tantamount to the End Times). I've just now gotten my mojo back on that book and I hate to take a break from it.
3. I took a month off. Oh, I still went to the Day Job 40+ hours a week, but I just did some editing, some reading, some relaxing. I don't do that kind of thing often. I do it maybe, let's see, once every two or three years? And damn, it was fun! And I kinda wish I could do it again.
4. I'm not sure what works, promotion-wise. I've been doing this for 3 years now, and I have no idea what resonates with readers, what makes people want to buy a book. Sometimes I feel it's all futile. Other times I feel I've really made a connection. I'm not sure if my efforts do any good, so it's hard to get out there and do...anything. 

Okay, that's all the excuses. The bottom line is...it's a damn good book and I need to get out there and promote it! And I will. As soon as I finish this blog post, and work on chapter 9, and cut some flowers, and...