Since I published Mage's Burden on June 7th, I've had a blast following the sales and trying to publicize it. I created a Facebook page for the series, and I've posted blurbs and links on a handful of e-book sites. I've gotten 3 five-star reviews on Amazon so far, and that really got me excited! My goal has always just been to have folks enjoy the story, and it seems that it's holding up so far. I know there are folks out there who would hate it, but hey, you can't please everyone.
I've written up my first author's interview here! I admit, I had fun doing that. This story has been rolling around in my head for 20 years, and I love talking about it.
Paperback proofs are in the mail, and I'm looking forward to actually holding a real paperback copy of my book in my hands at last. I'm sure it's going to be an amazing feeling!
Lots of things going on, especially with Jade Mountain. It's all good stuff, but I'm hearing the shower and bed call my name right about now, so I think it's time to hit the hay.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Creeeeepy movies, writing, and other things.
I have the house to myself for a change, and when this happens, I occasionally enjoy a good creepy movie. Oh, I've loved horror books and films since I was a kid, though my tastes have evolved over the years. Although I can still watch some of the old slasher film classics (Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street), I don't go in for body count movies anymore. Creepy ghosts and demons, though? I'm all over that stuff. Watching well-done scary movies like that fire up my imagination and make me want to write! I'm currently watching The Conjuring, and loving it...SUPER creepy without a lot of blood, gore, or teenagers being slashed left and right.
I may try my hand at writing some creepy stories here and there. I do have one started that is specifically a ghost story, but when writing it, it feels more like a thriller than a scary one, even though there are ghosts in it. No, when I watch stuff like this movie, it makes me want to write something reeeeeally scary! It might be fun, even just as an exercise. It might stink, of course, but it might not.
I do have several stories on my laptop at the moment, most of which I started years ago. I go back and read them every so often to see if anything shows up on my internal movie screen that makes me want to dig back into them again. The ghost story was started long enough ago that I'll have to totally rework it to make it more modern. Cellphones weren't nearly as omnipresent back then as they are now, for instance.
Let's see...I have a werewolf story. There's a story on witch hunters back in the Salem days, but it's more of a Hugh Jackman-Van Helsing kind of thing, and the witches are the good guys. The aforementioned ghost story has the most potential, I think. I have something I call the GrimFaerie tale. I have another fantasy story about a young man who leaves an Academy of Mages because he feels that there's something out there beyond the intricate gestures and long-winded, strictly-pronounced incantations that are necessary to perform magick in that world. That one's fun, I used to tell Connor bits of it as bedtime stories.
Yes, I'm aware that most (if not all) of the things I write have supernatural or fantasy elements in them. Well, I like that stuff, so that's what I'm going to write. I just can't see myself writing a plain old dramatic story with no swords, monsters, dragons, ghosts, demons, or other such things. Writing is a hobby for me, and hobbies are supposed to be fun!
It's getting late, and I'll be turning in soon. I'm usually up much later, but I rolled with some pretty strong folks in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class today, and the bed is sounding mighty wonderful right about now. Just in case you might have missed it, and are just DYING to read my book, here's where you can get it.
Mage's Burden...c'mon, you know you want to check it out.
I may try my hand at writing some creepy stories here and there. I do have one started that is specifically a ghost story, but when writing it, it feels more like a thriller than a scary one, even though there are ghosts in it. No, when I watch stuff like this movie, it makes me want to write something reeeeeally scary! It might be fun, even just as an exercise. It might stink, of course, but it might not.
I do have several stories on my laptop at the moment, most of which I started years ago. I go back and read them every so often to see if anything shows up on my internal movie screen that makes me want to dig back into them again. The ghost story was started long enough ago that I'll have to totally rework it to make it more modern. Cellphones weren't nearly as omnipresent back then as they are now, for instance.
Let's see...I have a werewolf story. There's a story on witch hunters back in the Salem days, but it's more of a Hugh Jackman-Van Helsing kind of thing, and the witches are the good guys. The aforementioned ghost story has the most potential, I think. I have something I call the GrimFaerie tale. I have another fantasy story about a young man who leaves an Academy of Mages because he feels that there's something out there beyond the intricate gestures and long-winded, strictly-pronounced incantations that are necessary to perform magick in that world. That one's fun, I used to tell Connor bits of it as bedtime stories.
Yes, I'm aware that most (if not all) of the things I write have supernatural or fantasy elements in them. Well, I like that stuff, so that's what I'm going to write. I just can't see myself writing a plain old dramatic story with no swords, monsters, dragons, ghosts, demons, or other such things. Writing is a hobby for me, and hobbies are supposed to be fun!
It's getting late, and I'll be turning in soon. I'm usually up much later, but I rolled with some pretty strong folks in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class today, and the bed is sounding mighty wonderful right about now. Just in case you might have missed it, and are just DYING to read my book, here's where you can get it.
Mage's Burden...c'mon, you know you want to check it out.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Happy Father's Day!
It's Father's Day!! For me, that means that Christina feeds me a ton of my favorite foods, I get to watch whatever I want, and Connor says, "I love you Dad!" It's a pretty good day, overall. Granted, I'm going to pay for eating all this tomorrow, but I'm toootally ok with that. There's a chocolate trifle on the way that would choke a rhino, but since I'm a highly skilled chocolate eater, I'm pretty sure I can handle it.
Lately, I've been missing my own father quite a bit. He always set a great example. Even now, I still do my best to live life in a way that I hope would make him proud. The man didn't have an ounce of quit in him, and showed me the meaning of true strength every day. He was a go-kart racer, bowler, pool player, mechanic, water skier, gardener, softball and tennis player, ultralight pilot, handyman, and a Marine. He said what he thought, and was far funnier than he ever knew. He faced many troubles in his lifetime, and he just waded through them all with quiet tenacity. Losing a hand only slowed him down for a while, and then he went right about his business, doing everything he had always done as though it was the most normal thing in the world to do it all with one hand.
There are lots of things going on right now that I'd love to discuss with him, but alas, the conversations are pretty one-sided. I do still feel his presence, though. His voice comes unbidden to my mind often, as does his laugh, and the lessons that he taught me over the years.
I often wonder how my son will remember me in years to come. I'm firm with him, but we also love to wrestle and laugh together. We talk far more openly than my Dad and I ever did, and I'm extremely glad of that. Some of our discussions are absolutely hilarious, though I often can't let him know just how much I'm desperately trying to be serious. My father showed his love through all of the things he did every day, though he never voiced it. I've chosen to be far more vocal with Connor, telling him every single day that I love him and that I'm proud of him, even when he's in deep trouble. I support him doing things that are totally different from my own interests in the hopes that he finds and follows his own passions. He's only twelve years old, but he's as tall as me. More and more often, I catch glimpses of the man he will become, and it makes my heart swell with pride and love. I look forward to seeing him grow up, even as I lament the child that is slowly being left behind.
One day, maybe he'll be blogging about me. Hopefully, I can give him some good material. Whether you're a father or not, I send you wishes for a happy day today!
Lately, I've been missing my own father quite a bit. He always set a great example. Even now, I still do my best to live life in a way that I hope would make him proud. The man didn't have an ounce of quit in him, and showed me the meaning of true strength every day. He was a go-kart racer, bowler, pool player, mechanic, water skier, gardener, softball and tennis player, ultralight pilot, handyman, and a Marine. He said what he thought, and was far funnier than he ever knew. He faced many troubles in his lifetime, and he just waded through them all with quiet tenacity. Losing a hand only slowed him down for a while, and then he went right about his business, doing everything he had always done as though it was the most normal thing in the world to do it all with one hand.
There are lots of things going on right now that I'd love to discuss with him, but alas, the conversations are pretty one-sided. I do still feel his presence, though. His voice comes unbidden to my mind often, as does his laugh, and the lessons that he taught me over the years.
I often wonder how my son will remember me in years to come. I'm firm with him, but we also love to wrestle and laugh together. We talk far more openly than my Dad and I ever did, and I'm extremely glad of that. Some of our discussions are absolutely hilarious, though I often can't let him know just how much I'm desperately trying to be serious. My father showed his love through all of the things he did every day, though he never voiced it. I've chosen to be far more vocal with Connor, telling him every single day that I love him and that I'm proud of him, even when he's in deep trouble. I support him doing things that are totally different from my own interests in the hopes that he finds and follows his own passions. He's only twelve years old, but he's as tall as me. More and more often, I catch glimpses of the man he will become, and it makes my heart swell with pride and love. I look forward to seeing him grow up, even as I lament the child that is slowly being left behind.
One day, maybe he'll be blogging about me. Hopefully, I can give him some good material. Whether you're a father or not, I send you wishes for a happy day today!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Thrilled...just thrilled!
It's only been a few days since my book was published online, and I'm trying not to bother everyone in the world about it. I'm failing miserably at that, I think. There are SO many things I need to be doing, and although I'm actually getting them done, I just want to run around town and tell people that they should read my book! I mean seriously, I've been wanting to publish a book for over 20 years! I'm EXCITED!!
Of course, I want folks to like it, but I realize that many won't. Some folks don't even read that kind of book in the first place! "I stick with hard-boiled detective thrillers, man, none of that mystical swords and sorcery crap for me." I get it. But even so, I hope that it's generally well-received out there in the world. In case you want to see what all my fuss is about, the book is here! I'll be working on the second book in the series now, and with renewed enthusiasm, and I'll do my best to get it up and running as soon as possible!
With that, it's back to the paperwork here before classes start. Lots of things checked off the To-Do List today, but there are still quite a few left to be handled, so away we go!
Of course, I want folks to like it, but I realize that many won't. Some folks don't even read that kind of book in the first place! "I stick with hard-boiled detective thrillers, man, none of that mystical swords and sorcery crap for me." I get it. But even so, I hope that it's generally well-received out there in the world. In case you want to see what all my fuss is about, the book is here! I'll be working on the second book in the series now, and with renewed enthusiasm, and I'll do my best to get it up and running as soon as possible!
With that, it's back to the paperwork here before classes start. Lots of things checked off the To-Do List today, but there are still quite a few left to be handled, so away we go!
Sunday, June 08, 2014
It's published! It's published!!!
Over the last few weeks, I decided that it was time to just bite the bullet and get Book 1 published. There it was, just sitting on my laptop, doing nothing at all but waiting. If I got hit by a bus, then that's where it would stay, and that thought didn't sit well with me. It's not that I think my writing is that amazing, it's just that I think that some folks might really enjoy it. Lots of people love fantasy-sword and sorcery tales, and I think mine is decent. With that in mind, I started working seriously towards publication.
Amazon.com is my go-to for buying books, and their Kindle Publishing division is extremely author-friendly, so I decided to start there. I've seen some really good books on that site as well as some stuff that wasn't nearly as...um...polished. I figure that mine falls somewhere between the two, so I read their publishing guidelines, watched YouTube videos on Kindle formatting, even had one guy format it for me. That didn't turn out so well, but it was due to my own original formatting being incorrect. I set about fixing that as quickly as possible, but geez, that process made me itch. In the end, I finally figured it out, so the next one will be far easier.
I knew that I wanted a quality book cover, so I asked around and several folks agreed to give it a try. Unfortunately, nothing suitable turned up, so I found a fellow on the internet and commissioned one from him. WOW!!! I sent that image to another guy who made it into a book cover that knocked my socks off. I admit, I got all teary-eyed when I first saw it. It has been my dream to publish a book since I was old enough to know what books were, and there on my laptop was the cover of a fantasy novel with my name on it!
Finally, I was ready to get it listed on Amazon. I followed the directions on the website, uploaded the file, previewed it, made some corrections and uploaded it again, and then a third time. It was after 1am last night when everything finally looked right to me and I clicked 'Save'.
This morning, I awoke to an email that had arrived at 6:27am, alerting me to the fact that my book was LIVE! And so there it is. I now have a book that's listed on the largest book retailer in the world! As of this writing, 10 folks have purchased my book. That's pretty darned exciting, and I'm grateful to those of my friends who've bought it. I know they're doing it because they're my friends, and it means a lot, even if they never read it.
While contemplating the whole publishing process, I've had plenty of time to prepare myself. I think there will be lots of folks who say nice things about the story, but I'm equally certain that there are also folks out there who think nothing of totally trashing someone else's work by giving them a 1 star rating and a scathing review. I get that. I figure that their opinion is their opinion, and they are entitled to it. At least they had to buy the book before they could say anything about it!
There is a lot going on at the moment...we're in the process of acquiring a new home for JMMA, which involves applying for an SBA loan, which involves a TON of paperwork. Between that, running the school, training, and family time, there doesn't seem to be much opportunity to sit and work on Book 2, but I've got a running start and I've found that even short stints of writing can eventually lead to some good work. I'll get it finished eventually, and then Book 3 will be next. One word at a time, I'll get the story out there.
Amazon.com is my go-to for buying books, and their Kindle Publishing division is extremely author-friendly, so I decided to start there. I've seen some really good books on that site as well as some stuff that wasn't nearly as...um...polished. I figure that mine falls somewhere between the two, so I read their publishing guidelines, watched YouTube videos on Kindle formatting, even had one guy format it for me. That didn't turn out so well, but it was due to my own original formatting being incorrect. I set about fixing that as quickly as possible, but geez, that process made me itch. In the end, I finally figured it out, so the next one will be far easier.
I knew that I wanted a quality book cover, so I asked around and several folks agreed to give it a try. Unfortunately, nothing suitable turned up, so I found a fellow on the internet and commissioned one from him. WOW!!! I sent that image to another guy who made it into a book cover that knocked my socks off. I admit, I got all teary-eyed when I first saw it. It has been my dream to publish a book since I was old enough to know what books were, and there on my laptop was the cover of a fantasy novel with my name on it!
Finally, I was ready to get it listed on Amazon. I followed the directions on the website, uploaded the file, previewed it, made some corrections and uploaded it again, and then a third time. It was after 1am last night when everything finally looked right to me and I clicked 'Save'.
This morning, I awoke to an email that had arrived at 6:27am, alerting me to the fact that my book was LIVE! And so there it is. I now have a book that's listed on the largest book retailer in the world! As of this writing, 10 folks have purchased my book. That's pretty darned exciting, and I'm grateful to those of my friends who've bought it. I know they're doing it because they're my friends, and it means a lot, even if they never read it.
While contemplating the whole publishing process, I've had plenty of time to prepare myself. I think there will be lots of folks who say nice things about the story, but I'm equally certain that there are also folks out there who think nothing of totally trashing someone else's work by giving them a 1 star rating and a scathing review. I get that. I figure that their opinion is their opinion, and they are entitled to it. At least they had to buy the book before they could say anything about it!
There is a lot going on at the moment...we're in the process of acquiring a new home for JMMA, which involves applying for an SBA loan, which involves a TON of paperwork. Between that, running the school, training, and family time, there doesn't seem to be much opportunity to sit and work on Book 2, but I've got a running start and I've found that even short stints of writing can eventually lead to some good work. I'll get it finished eventually, and then Book 3 will be next. One word at a time, I'll get the story out there.
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