New Year - 2015

I am very excited to be bringing in the new year with my new book. The sketch is finished. The color is being added. The book is being formatted for the print version. The artwork will be added soon. The book will be printed as a proof for one final check for errors. Then the book will be available to the public.

I am hoping it will be no later than January 31, 2015. This is much later than I had hoped, and I apologize to those who have been waiting, but I believe the cover art was worth the wait.

2016 Writing Topics:
1. Finish the Turik Saga. This is both sad and exciting for me. I have been working on a few other book ideas and am excited to give them a try. I will miss Turik and his world, and may come back to it in a few years. Possible topics are, Rein's years as an assassin, the rise of Kal'Thazar, and the time when Athtarn ruled Malilorn.
2. Hopefully in 2015 or 2016, I will be releasing an adult dark fantasy book. This is much different as the main character is a woman who searches for dark magic to seek revenge.
3. Continue work on my horror novel. Maybe publish by or during 2016.
4. I am also writing a young adult mystery series. The first book is being outlined.

So my New Year's Resolution is to WRITE!

Happy New Year! I hope 2015 is a great year for you!

Dramala

 
Dramala, the Blood Queen!

My FIRST book signing

My first book signing happened a few years ago. I was so excited. I called the book store several times to make sure things were on track and ask if they needed anything from me. I dropped off posters for them to hand that said when I would be there. I was nervous and excited.

I showed up.

The book store had decided to not order my books. They had them for sale at the counter to order. The lady in charge didn't know the manager had me scheduled for the day. They had no table for me. I stood at a podium in the romance section. If you haven't figured it out, I am a fantasy writer. To be placed in the romance section was confusing. I had 8 chairs in front of me as if I were giving a speech. The posters that advertised my arrival was behind next to a pillar in the side of the store. The only time you would walk near the pillar is to use the bathroom. Even then, you would have to turn away from the entrance to the bathrooms to even see the posters.

It was awful. I was the guy you avoid eye contact with so you don't feel obligated to talk to him. A few nice people stopped to ask what was going on. Luckily, I had a few good people who had showed up to support me. They took the bookmarks around and passed them out for free. One even offered to remove all the books from a table for me to use.

I was embarrassed. I felt like a failure. I sold ZERO books. Even worse, it was my birthday. When I finished cleaning up my... podium... I was supposed to go to dinner with friends and family. It was hard. I was upset. I was upset with the bookstore. I was upset with myself. I thought I would be like Ray Kinsella. I thought if I wrote it they would come. I even considered quitting writing. I had several more scheduled signings that I wanted to cancel.

I went to all my scheduled engagements. Some did ok. Some didn't

I learned. I didn't quit. I tried new things, different approaches.

I will be writing in a few weeks to explain what has worked for me.

 

The new cover for my first book! I am hoping this is published before the end of Thanksgiving vacation!

Turik and the Elven Queen

Here is the new cover for Book II, Turik and the Elven Queen. The new cover will be on the book around Thanksgiving.  Turik and the Lost Woman will have a new cover soon as well. The artwork is being completed as you read this.

Good News!

The artwork is well under way. The sketches are being completed. In a few short weeks, the Turik Saga will have a new look and new titles. I hope this doesn't confuse to many people. As I understand it, if you already have a copy of the ebook, it will update and will still register that you have the book. Michael Gauss is doing the new covers! You can check out his work on his blog. It is awesome!

I will be republishing all the books again as the covers are finished. I will be trying www.booksends.com again, as my sales went way up when I used them the first time. I am hoping to get enough reviews then to submit my book to www.bookbub.com .

Advertising Ebooks

I am trying a new ebook advertising company www.booksends.com They are advertising my book, Solerra the Lost Woman, discounted price of $0.99 on September 28. I will let you know how it goes and if it is something worth trying.


The next company I will be trying is www.booksbutterfly.com . This is for free or paid books, but the paid books have to be offered at a discount or the fee is doubled. They have several advertising options. I am going to start with one of the cheapest and if it works well, I will try one that is a little more expensive. This one will be done in October. Come back to see how it works.


Let me know if there is another company that you use to advertise and if it is working or not working.

Author Conference

I just read JA Konrath's idea for a conference. It sounds amazing. I wish York could pull off something like this. It would be awesome at the Fair Grounds. I would attend something like this if it was near my area. I would say the most difficult thing would be to organize such a large event.

If any author in the York area reads http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2014/09/author-conference-of-future.html   and wants to try this, I am game.

Title Release

Book IV in the Turik Saga will be Turik and the Dark Sorcerous. Art is being completed. I will post as soon as it arrives.

Dragons

Looking into the idea of writing a book about a world of dragons. Just watched How to Train Your Dragon. I love the idea of different dragons doing different things. I wish I was a better artist. I love seeing the images in my head on paper.

While watching the movie, my daughters says, "Dragons aren't real."
I said, "No but if they were, I would be riding one."
Now to decide which one I would ride.

Turik Saga

The Turik Saga is now going to be 5 books. I originally planned on seven but the story was too drawn out. After much thought, I chose 5 because it won't lose any of the major plot points. It will hopefully keep the action moving at a much quicker pace (I hope the readers agree). I am still awaiting book IV's cover. It should be here any day now. When the cover is ready, I will post the picture. The book should be out shortly after the cover. Part of that depends on the editing and formatting process.

After book V is complete, I will be taking some time off from young adult fantasy. I will be working on three different works. One is the horror story I posted about previously. One is a dark fantasy (for adults), and the last one is a mystery/thriller. When Turik's saga is complete, I will post more about the upcoming book ideas.

Self-publishing

Self-publish is great. There are so many wonderful things about it. You can choose your own title, your own cover art, you own formatting, and your own content.

The problem is...It is a lot of work. I love writing! I love having people read my books. The problem is getting my books into the hands of readers. That means advertising or starting discussions about my books. It means looking into different formatting or even different cover art.

I have had some success with http://www.ebookbooster.com/ I have not tried www.bookbub.com but have heard some good things. I have tried bookmarks and going to book signing and book talks. I have done book fairs. It is not easy. There are times when I think...Is any of this work the time I put into it? Not the writing. I will always write. I mean the advertising. It isn't easy to spread the word about your books. Try www.goodreads.com if you need another way.

The Conclusion

It dawned on me tonight, as I am writing, that Turik's adventures will be over within a year. I recently told someone that they do not realize how much time I spend in Turik's world. Zymaria has been part of my life for four years. I am hoping to finish writing the rough draft by September or October.  I am not sure how much more time I will spend in Zymaria. The thought makes me a little sad.

I will say I have toyed with the idea of writing one or maybe two prequels. One about the rise of Kal'Thazar and one about when Athtarn was fighting a great war. The one may be more of a short story.

Are there any worlds where you go to get away from reality?

Idea Journal

I keep a notebook that is full of writing ideas. As they develop, I add information or possible directions for each of the ideas. I often have several different directions for a story before I write it. I like the characters to direct the story once they start.

I do appreciate that people have ideas they want to share, but right now I cannot write other people's ideas. I have more books to write then I do time. I do encourage you to try to play out your ideas by writing. If nothing else, keep a journal of ideas for yourself.

I do collaborate with a few people about writing. Alexis, you are always welcome to contact me about your writing.

Writing

I finally understand how much writing is a full time job. It is very hard to work all day, write, keep up with social media, return emails, organize cover art, and keep track of my books. If you are an author, my hat is off to you. It is a lot of work.

If you want to become an author, my advice is keep working. There a so many good stories left to be told. Keep writing. And if you want advice about self-publishing follow JA Konrath's blog.

Writing as Job?

My 4th book will be available this summer. I am still working on the finishing touches and will hopefully have the cover art soon. I will be posting a summary of it by the end of May.

Falling Behind

I am working very hard to finish the next book in the Turik Saga. There have been a few set backs...a computer problem was one. I am still working on the Horror story, too, but it is taking a back burner right now so I can catch up on Turik. I am hoping the cover work is finished in May. The cover and title will hopefully be released in May. The book should be starting the editing process in a few months.

I am hoping the Horror story will be out by the end of summer. I will be posting some updates soon.

I have read Maze Runner and Legend. I would recommend both books. Maze Runner starts off a little confusing, but ends really well. Legend is an awesome book. Both make you want to finish the series.