Hello,
The holiday season is upon us once again. If you are looking to share either of my books this holiday season, they will be on sale for $0.99 a piece December 16th-23rd. What a deal! If you have already shared them and are looking for something else, may I recommend what I am currently reading right now, The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. Fantastic read so far!
In some personally exciting news, I have a name for the series of novels I've been working on for the last year and a half. Two books in and still without a name to the series. I'm currently at work on book 3, The Falling Stars, and I stalled out for a little bit trying to finish up a chapter. Instead of closing my laptop in frustration, I decided to take a detour and spend some time thinking of a name for the series. I got one.
Stars of the New Gods.
That's it. Find the Star and When the Red Moon Runs Dry are currently having their Amazon status updated to reflect the new title of the series. It might not be much of news, but it's fun for me.
Thanks everyone and happy holidays!
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Thursday, November 27, 2014
The worlds we build....
As a writer and admirer of science-fiction, I don't imagine myself or my peers in either of those classifications would be here today if in 1977 a young man named George Lucas had not given us and the world Star Wars.
Star Wars is inexplicable. The universal appeal and adoration of those original films is as mystical as that galaxy far, far away. Maybe some people can justly describe the first moment they saw those two words blast from the surface of a theater or television screen, disappear as they got smaller and smaller, only to be followed by a scroll of an ominous introduction to the story you were about to see. I'm always at a loss to translate that complete sense of wonder.
Over a year ago it was announced Star Wars fans would be given a third trilogy, and it would be a continuation of Luke Skywalkers, Han Solo, and Princess Leia. It is the follow-up trilogy we had always hoped for.
In what I think is an even more exciting development is that they have also decided to reboot the entire Star Wars Extended Universe.
If your age is close to mine, you grew up reading the Star Wars novels of Timothy Zahn and Kevin J. Anderson, eager to get your hands on any new Star Wars story out there while you waited for George Lucas to make the next trilogy. I devoured many a Star Wars book that was released throughout the 90's. Not all of them, but pretty close. Flash forward to around 2012, when I get my first Kindle and decide it would be fun to journey back to the Star Wars universe. Unfortunately, I had no idea where in the hell to start. Numerous trilogies, one-offs, short story collections, and comic books left my beleaguered as to what was actually Star Wars-canon. I'm sure a lot of it was good stuff, I read two of the James Luceno books about the Sith and Darth Vader that were both excellent, but the rest of the timeline seemed jumbled. Stories seemed stacked together, many times contradicting events of the others or the films. Honestly, it seemed like a giant mess and much too daunting for someone like me to sort out. I was just looking for some casual reading before bed or in the morning over coffee and cereal.
So I walked away, aside from the Darth Plageius and Darth Vader novels by James Luceno, and decided to come back another day when I had the ambition to figure out the order to tackle the Star Wars monstrosity of an Extended Universe. I had also just discovered the work of another George and his stories of the seven kingdoms of Westeros, so it was pretty easy to walk away with that beckoning.
On October 30, 2012, Disney purchased Lucasfilm from George Lucas and immediately announced the first chapter in a third trilogy would be released come 2015. Over the next year, word trickled out JJ Abrams would be directing a Lawrence Kasdan penned script, with all of the original three cast members returning. The film is called The Force Awakens, and comes out next December. I'm drinking coffee, staying up to see if the first trailer arrives at midnight tonight as it is rumored to.
One of the developments, the one I mentioned before that most intrigues me, is that this past April, the Lucasfilm powers that be hit the rest button on the expanded universe. Not only did they do that, the put a stamp on everything considered official canon. Prequels, Clone Wars animated series, original trilogy, and the new animated series Rebels. So basically, aside from the Rebels series, I knew everything I needed to enter this new, canonically correct Star Wars expanded universe. Not only that, I would be be prepared to move forward as it grew with the new films, books and comics Disney/Lucasfilm planned to pump out for years to come. Most people would probably be skeptical, but what reassured me that Lucasfilm had learned from their mistakes was that they put together the Star Wars Story Group.
Those four people have been tasked with keeping the continuity straight, the contradictions nill, and making sure Star Wars fans have a streamlined experience when they venture into the films, literature, television shows, and video games. I cannot imagine a more dream job. The four of them are, in a way, the overseers of Star Wars universe building.
Now, how I've found this inspirational, aside from the relief my Star Wars fandom will be that much more nurtured. I've hit a wall the last month with the third novel, The Falling Stars. It's the third act, not the final act, but it is where I plan to turn the tide of the story and bring a much broader picture of the universe Marshal Noel and Violetta Iolanda live in. As I have been moving slowly along this story, I keep getting distracted because I don't know the story behind a planet or a group of people. Sometimes I think to myself that it doesn't matter that much, and that I can come back later and fill in the blanks. The most important part of a rough draft is just getting it done.
That doesn't seem to work, though. So, I move laterally and start handwriting a story about a planet or a person, just to make that character or setting a little bit more dimensional. It is taking away significantly from the progress of the actual novel, but I feel like the world building will make this story much more enjoyable and clearer to myself and the reader. It's always been a dangerous line of distraction for me, the lateral writing and character notes, but I'm embracing the risk and hoping it pays off. I'm not working under a deadline other than the one I have in my head, and I feel it's a worthy experiment and investment in the story. I know I have a few more stories to tell about Marshal and Violetta after this novel, so this story will be sturdy enough to hold however many others come after it.
My favorite science-fiction and fantasy series have one thing in common: solid world building. Star Wars, Star Trek, A Song of Fire and Ice, Lord of the Rings (especially LOTR!!!!), and the Arthur C. Clarke 2001-3001 novels. Marvel's new cinematic universe has also taken great lengths to make sure the films all exist and ripples from one and other's events are felt. It's resonating all around me how important world building is, and now I don't feel so guilty for slowing down and highlighting the finer details of the world I'm trying to tell you all about.
Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. Anxiously awaiting the Star Wars trailer while scribbling out a few of those details in my beat-up notebook.
Goodnight.
Now, how I've found this inspirational, aside from the relief my Star Wars fandom will be that much more nurtured. I've hit a wall the last month with the third novel, The Falling Stars. It's the third act, not the final act, but it is where I plan to turn the tide of the story and bring a much broader picture of the universe Marshal Noel and Violetta Iolanda live in. As I have been moving slowly along this story, I keep getting distracted because I don't know the story behind a planet or a group of people. Sometimes I think to myself that it doesn't matter that much, and that I can come back later and fill in the blanks. The most important part of a rough draft is just getting it done.
That doesn't seem to work, though. So, I move laterally and start handwriting a story about a planet or a person, just to make that character or setting a little bit more dimensional. It is taking away significantly from the progress of the actual novel, but I feel like the world building will make this story much more enjoyable and clearer to myself and the reader. It's always been a dangerous line of distraction for me, the lateral writing and character notes, but I'm embracing the risk and hoping it pays off. I'm not working under a deadline other than the one I have in my head, and I feel it's a worthy experiment and investment in the story. I know I have a few more stories to tell about Marshal and Violetta after this novel, so this story will be sturdy enough to hold however many others come after it.
My favorite science-fiction and fantasy series have one thing in common: solid world building. Star Wars, Star Trek, A Song of Fire and Ice, Lord of the Rings (especially LOTR!!!!), and the Arthur C. Clarke 2001-3001 novels. Marvel's new cinematic universe has also taken great lengths to make sure the films all exist and ripples from one and other's events are felt. It's resonating all around me how important world building is, and now I don't feel so guilty for slowing down and highlighting the finer details of the world I'm trying to tell you all about.
Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. Anxiously awaiting the Star Wars trailer while scribbling out a few of those details in my beat-up notebook.
Goodnight.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
When the Red Moon Runs Dry
Good evening.
This post is a long time coming. I finished When the Red Moon Runs Dry. It's done and up on Amazon if you would like to buy or borrow it.
I have a few things to share about it since I'm done and can reminisce about the story.
This story was in my head for a very long time. Before I even knew who Marshal Noel or Violetta Iolanda were, I knew very well who the Masokan Pirates were. A poor group of slaves and misfits, on a drug-induced crusade, with the most powerful weapons at their disposal. When the Red Moon Runs Dry was almost the first novel I wrote, but the problem I kept running into was that these Masokan Pirates would have been easily dealt with by the hundreds of governments and warlords that exist in the future.
Find the Star was my answer to that problem.
Shattering the military infrastructures around the galaxy made it a perfect time for the Masokan Pirates to start building a galaxy in the eyes of their God. Six years after the cataclysm in Find the Star is where the story of the Masokan Pirates attempts to do just that begin.
This story was in my head, but I did not begin to flesh it out until I discovered a podcast called Hardcore History, narrated and produced by a man named Dan Carlin. He happened to be doing a series of podcasts on Genghis Khan, followed shortly there after on the reformation of Christianity in Europe. Those two historical events are what gave me insight into why human beings might do the things they do in a harsh existence. I do not mean to infer that the Masokan Pirates are based on Christians or any other religion, only religious extremists of all creeds. It was a perfect storm of historical perspective for me as I was finishing my editing on Find the Star and could not wait to begin writing When the Red Moon Runs Dry. If you have never heard Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast, I highly recommend you do so. It's free on iTunes and other places.
While creating a universe in which When the Red Moon Runs Dry could take place, I realized that it should set the stage for the next story of Marshal Noel and Violetta Iolanda. I was planning on taking a break from this universe, but a story came to me I could not ignore. I just started The Falling Stars, which will be the third book in this series I still do not have a name for. I stand by that this series will end with either four or five books, and I really hope it does.
Anyways, I don't expect there are a lot of you out there reading, but I'm grateful for the few who are. I will try to update this more, but The Falling Stars is drawing much of my attention.
This post is a long time coming. I finished When the Red Moon Runs Dry. It's done and up on Amazon if you would like to buy or borrow it.
I have a few things to share about it since I'm done and can reminisce about the story.
This story was in my head for a very long time. Before I even knew who Marshal Noel or Violetta Iolanda were, I knew very well who the Masokan Pirates were. A poor group of slaves and misfits, on a drug-induced crusade, with the most powerful weapons at their disposal. When the Red Moon Runs Dry was almost the first novel I wrote, but the problem I kept running into was that these Masokan Pirates would have been easily dealt with by the hundreds of governments and warlords that exist in the future.
Find the Star was my answer to that problem.
Shattering the military infrastructures around the galaxy made it a perfect time for the Masokan Pirates to start building a galaxy in the eyes of their God. Six years after the cataclysm in Find the Star is where the story of the Masokan Pirates attempts to do just that begin.
This story was in my head, but I did not begin to flesh it out until I discovered a podcast called Hardcore History, narrated and produced by a man named Dan Carlin. He happened to be doing a series of podcasts on Genghis Khan, followed shortly there after on the reformation of Christianity in Europe. Those two historical events are what gave me insight into why human beings might do the things they do in a harsh existence. I do not mean to infer that the Masokan Pirates are based on Christians or any other religion, only religious extremists of all creeds. It was a perfect storm of historical perspective for me as I was finishing my editing on Find the Star and could not wait to begin writing When the Red Moon Runs Dry. If you have never heard Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast, I highly recommend you do so. It's free on iTunes and other places.
While creating a universe in which When the Red Moon Runs Dry could take place, I realized that it should set the stage for the next story of Marshal Noel and Violetta Iolanda. I was planning on taking a break from this universe, but a story came to me I could not ignore. I just started The Falling Stars, which will be the third book in this series I still do not have a name for. I stand by that this series will end with either four or five books, and I really hope it does.
Anyways, I don't expect there are a lot of you out there reading, but I'm grateful for the few who are. I will try to update this more, but The Falling Stars is drawing much of my attention.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Spring Cleaning
Hi there,
So, I finished the first draft of When the Red Moon Runs Dry. Very happy with it! No doubt there is still a ton of work to do on it, but for now, I'm taking a break from the lives of Marshal Noel and Violetta Iolanda. I plan to start editing and rewriting in the middle of May, so whenever that's done, I will do my best to get it up on Amazon as soon as possible. Again, I know I still have a lot of work ahead on it, but I'm very excited to share it. After that, I'm thinking I have one or two books left in the still-untitled series. I'm hoping it's just one more book, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be two.
Took a few days off writing to "recharge". Found myself just kind of wasting time. I had all these great ideas, or at least I thought them so, floating around during this last composition, but each time I sat down to start writing them, they just felt dull. A friend of mine has been using writing prompts lately from a website we both read, io9. I started writing based on one, but two sentences in an idea just came to me and I had to stop working on my writing prompt. I wasn't sure what it was, but then 40-pages later, I realized I started my next book. I guess the writing prompt worked, even if my book has absolutely nothing to do with the prompt I initially started on.
I'm a big believer in pushing through creative malaise or frustration by simply continuing to write. It has never failed me, and has often lead to bigger and better things creatively. The ideas that have been stored away either in outlines, rough drafts, or my head will always be there and I can get to them when I am ready. I just was not ready, and felt lazy for not being able to get one of them going. By turning my attention to something out of my comfort zone, the writing prompt, it got the wheels turning and something completely unexpected and exciting came out of the process. Not trying to sound like a preachy writer or anything, but I would encourage anyone stuck trying to start a story or come up with an idea to make sure you don't stop writing, because if the motor is not running and the wheels aren't turning, you won't go anywhere.
Happy spring, everyone. It seems funny to write that on a particularly dismal rainy, April day. I live in Portland, Oregon, so my part of the world takes baby steps toward warmer and brighter days. I hope wherever you are that your part of the world is finding its way towards bluer skies and warm nights.
Thank you for reading.
So, I finished the first draft of When the Red Moon Runs Dry. Very happy with it! No doubt there is still a ton of work to do on it, but for now, I'm taking a break from the lives of Marshal Noel and Violetta Iolanda. I plan to start editing and rewriting in the middle of May, so whenever that's done, I will do my best to get it up on Amazon as soon as possible. Again, I know I still have a lot of work ahead on it, but I'm very excited to share it. After that, I'm thinking I have one or two books left in the still-untitled series. I'm hoping it's just one more book, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be two.
Took a few days off writing to "recharge". Found myself just kind of wasting time. I had all these great ideas, or at least I thought them so, floating around during this last composition, but each time I sat down to start writing them, they just felt dull. A friend of mine has been using writing prompts lately from a website we both read, io9. I started writing based on one, but two sentences in an idea just came to me and I had to stop working on my writing prompt. I wasn't sure what it was, but then 40-pages later, I realized I started my next book. I guess the writing prompt worked, even if my book has absolutely nothing to do with the prompt I initially started on.
I'm a big believer in pushing through creative malaise or frustration by simply continuing to write. It has never failed me, and has often lead to bigger and better things creatively. The ideas that have been stored away either in outlines, rough drafts, or my head will always be there and I can get to them when I am ready. I just was not ready, and felt lazy for not being able to get one of them going. By turning my attention to something out of my comfort zone, the writing prompt, it got the wheels turning and something completely unexpected and exciting came out of the process. Not trying to sound like a preachy writer or anything, but I would encourage anyone stuck trying to start a story or come up with an idea to make sure you don't stop writing, because if the motor is not running and the wheels aren't turning, you won't go anywhere.
Happy spring, everyone. It seems funny to write that on a particularly dismal rainy, April day. I live in Portland, Oregon, so my part of the world takes baby steps toward warmer and brighter days. I hope wherever you are that your part of the world is finding its way towards bluer skies and warm nights.
Thank you for reading.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Home stretch...
In the home stretch of finishing the sequel to Find the Star. It's called When The Red Moon Runs Dry, and I guess it won't be anywhere near finished, just a big first draft I can set aside for a few weeks. The momentum I've had on this story surprised me, especially here in the last few weeks as the candlelight of the story usually starts to dwindle for me.
Find the Star was a real learning experience in terms of composition, and I tried to make good habits while writing this follow-up novel. I kept thorough notes while writing. I utilized outlining when I had trouble formulating a character or scene in my head. I corrected glaring spelling and grammatical errors as I went along. Basically, I tried to stay organized so once I come back to start the editing process, it is a little less daunting than last time.
There is at least another week, probably two, left of writing on this first draft. It's a bit self-congratulatory to be talking about the finish line when I'm not there, and not really that close. Who knows? Some idea could pop into my head in the middle of the last chapter, and then there are another hundred pages of writing to do. I guess I am just happy that for all the errors I will surely find when I revisit it with a critical eye, I feel like I have the story I want. I feel like I better know the characters I had before, and am enjoying giving life to the new ones here. This universe in which they live is one I feel much more comfortable bouncing from planet to planet in. It's mostly those things that compelled me to write this post.
I have no idea when this unfinished book will be published, but hopefully soon. Hopefully.
Find the Star was a real learning experience in terms of composition, and I tried to make good habits while writing this follow-up novel. I kept thorough notes while writing. I utilized outlining when I had trouble formulating a character or scene in my head. I corrected glaring spelling and grammatical errors as I went along. Basically, I tried to stay organized so once I come back to start the editing process, it is a little less daunting than last time.
There is at least another week, probably two, left of writing on this first draft. It's a bit self-congratulatory to be talking about the finish line when I'm not there, and not really that close. Who knows? Some idea could pop into my head in the middle of the last chapter, and then there are another hundred pages of writing to do. I guess I am just happy that for all the errors I will surely find when I revisit it with a critical eye, I feel like I have the story I want. I feel like I better know the characters I had before, and am enjoying giving life to the new ones here. This universe in which they live is one I feel much more comfortable bouncing from planet to planet in. It's mostly those things that compelled me to write this post.
I have no idea when this unfinished book will be published, but hopefully soon. Hopefully.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Hi Reader
Hello,
Not a huge fan of blog writing, more of blog reading. However, I have entered the world of self-publishing in the last few months and every piece of advice garnished from my fellow authors demands the self-published author have a blog. Here it is.
No promises here. I will try to update this as much as I can, but when I have spare time to sit in front of my computer, it is either to work on my current book or update my fantasy basketball team. I hope you understand.
If for some reason you have stumbled upon this blog and are shaking your laptop, wailing, "Kyle! No! More, please! You must give me more of your words!", then I will point you in the direction of my first novel, Find the Star. It's my first novel, and the first in a series of which I don't have a name for but am currently deep in composition of its sequel. If you decide to spend your $2.99 or $0.99 on it, I very much hope you enjoy it. To shamelessly self-promote myself and my publisher, Amazon, if you sign up for their Prime Membership, you can download my book and any future books I put out for free from the Kindle Lending Library. There is also a treasure trove of authors and books in the Lending Library you have access to.
Again, no promises here and I doubt there are more than three people who will read this before my next update, but I will try to keep this fresh. Thanks for being a reader, reader.
Not a huge fan of blog writing, more of blog reading. However, I have entered the world of self-publishing in the last few months and every piece of advice garnished from my fellow authors demands the self-published author have a blog. Here it is.
No promises here. I will try to update this as much as I can, but when I have spare time to sit in front of my computer, it is either to work on my current book or update my fantasy basketball team. I hope you understand.
If for some reason you have stumbled upon this blog and are shaking your laptop, wailing, "Kyle! No! More, please! You must give me more of your words!", then I will point you in the direction of my first novel, Find the Star. It's my first novel, and the first in a series of which I don't have a name for but am currently deep in composition of its sequel. If you decide to spend your $2.99 or $0.99 on it, I very much hope you enjoy it. To shamelessly self-promote myself and my publisher, Amazon, if you sign up for their Prime Membership, you can download my book and any future books I put out for free from the Kindle Lending Library. There is also a treasure trove of authors and books in the Lending Library you have access to.
Again, no promises here and I doubt there are more than three people who will read this before my next update, but I will try to keep this fresh. Thanks for being a reader, reader.
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