Fully staffed

Having a staph infection fucking sucks.  There is no elegant way to put it.  Especially when you are 34 and it is caught relatively late in the game.  The only way to treat it is with a myriad of antibiotics and the prospect of surgery.  Thanks to said antibiotics I have been chained to the porcelain goddess for close to 24 hours now...and that's about as graphic as it gets.

Still...life could be much worse and I'm grateful for my health overall.  A relatively young man named Daniel Fleetwood does not know if he will make it until December.  Among the prospects of not being able to wake-up again within the next 30 days, Daniel is a HUGE Star Wars fan and is not sure he will be around for the almighty Episode VII The Force Awakens.  A huge push has gone on over the last couple days and I encourage anyone reading this to stop and share his story.  You can find it here.

It is a true testament to the staying power of not only Star Wars, but modern-day storytelling and mythology, when so many people get behind a person like Daniel.  Many of us, for our own selfish reasons, can't imagine not seeing The Force Awakens this December.  We take for granted our good health and the prospect of a future beyond 2015.  Daniel has fought a long, hard battle against a disease that is unfortunately winning.  He has not given up and puts one-step forward each day toward small victories.  We should all take a page from Daniel and realize how lucky we are to win our own small victories everyday.  I'm very inspired by him.

Book 4 is well on it's way to completion.  The short story anthology I mentioned last month is most likely not going to happen by late December.  It was a nice thought.  Look for it early 2016.

Though sales of my book are slim at best, I will be donating all of this November and December's sales to Daniel Fleetwood's GoFundMe page.  I encourage anyone reading to make a straightforward donation to his page before buying any of my books, as that $$ amount is a much more direct and economical way to get his family the funds they need.  If you do that and buy a book, the $2.99 you pay for my book will also go to Daniel and his family.  So, make a donation to Daniel your first priority, but if you want to put a cherry on top, buy a book from me and I will make a donation for the retail price amount you pay.

Thanks for reading!

It's been a while

I've been busy, which is a good thing.

Last month I was gifted a semi-used MacBook Pro.  I was able to retrieve a good portion of one book, but the one I was on a roll with was gone.  I've been busy rebuilding it.  Take notes with a pen and paper.  With Scrivener (my word processing and composition software), it offers a pretty fantastic note window, which I luckily neglected by choosing pen and paper.  Using those notes, the reconstruction was not as hard as it could have been.

Holiday is fast approaching.  I'm attempting to finish a small collection of short stories, but the window is closing, so it may not be until after the New Year.  If you do any shopping, make sure to use those handy Amazon windows on my page.  They give me a cut.

Happy Autumn

Back to Google

Well, the MacBook was officially pronounced dead.  There was a great fourth Stars of the New Gods book, not complete, but close to a couple hundred pages.  Along with that, the first novel of my new trilogy, The Order of Devotion.  Those books, what they were, are now gone.

Let's find the silver lining.

I was honestly struggling with The Order of Devotion.  I know exactly what I wanted to happen story wise, but there were so many characters to guide through the narrative it was overwhelming.  Now that I was forced to step away from the story I am beginning to form some more economical ways fo characters to get from chapter to chapter.

It's a damn shame I lost book four, though.  It's always been one of my worst nightmares, and like a motorcyclist putting their bike down at 60 mph, I learned the hard way and it won't happen again.  If you use Scrivener make sure to set up a Dropbox account and back EVERYTHING up.  I can't imagine how many times I will be hitting the SAVE drop down.

Luckily, I still have a pen and paper.  I remember a good deal of what I've written, so once I'm ready I can start shopping for a new computer and step up to the keyboard well prepared.  

Thanks to whomever has been buying stuff through my Amazon widget.  Every bit counts at the moment

Still working...

I've actually put the logic board of my MacBook in the oven.  Hoping to at least get it to turn on.  Until then I've been using my iPad, notepad, and getting a lot of reading done.  Taking this as a sign that I need to write this story the long way.

Pretty sure there will be a fifth book at this point in the outlining.  Yay

Feeling cursed and asking for a little help from my readers and friends

I was off to a great start.  About 200 pages into the first book in The Order of Devotion trilogy, tentatively called Worse Things Than Death; as well as book four in Stars of the New Gods.

A few months ago I decided to start using a composition software called Scrivener.  For everything published up to this point I used a combination of Microsoft Word and Google Docs.  Scrivener is excellent for raw composition.  You can tailor the templates however you like.  The sidebars offer notecards, character descriptions, outline, location descriptions and a nice bar to separate your chapters neatly.  There is even a built in Name Generator, my most used tool! Once finished, the software preps your book with page breaks and a table of contents.  It's amazing and I love it.  I could not give it a higher recommendation.

All that being said, I was so head over heels for this software I forgot to back up my work as I went along.  Partially out of neglect and also taking for granted Microsoft Word and Google Docs have cloud based back-ups that do it automatically.

Two days ago I go to turn on my MacBook and nothing happens. To make a long story short, the black screen of death greeted me.  In all likelihood my MacBook is dead.  There are a few technical possibilities of salvaging it and the parts are in the mail.  We will see, but everything I have read points to the computer being either dead or in the throes.  All I'm hoping for at this point is to boot it up a few more times long enough to get my books (between 200-300 pages of hard work) in Dropbox until I can find another computer.  Time is of the essence because I'm pretty sure I can keep the momentum if I get back in the saddle quick.

Here's where I turn to you, any of my readers who may be listening.  There is an Amazon search window on this site.  It should be in the upper right hand corner above this post.  I'm hoping to buy a used MacBook off eBay, which can run anywhere from $300-400.  That's not too much, but it's more than I can spend in the immediate future due tomonthly budget.  If you feel inclined to share any of my books you may have enjoyed with your friends, please ask them to purchase my books through the Amazon purchase window on this site.  That way I will get a bigger percentage of the sale through Amazon. If you buy anything through that Amazon window, I get a cut.  Yay! They can also click on any ads here and that might put some change in my pocket.

I hate asking this of any of you.  I appreciate your support and any kind words you all have shared with me.  I plan on keeping the stories coming for as long as I can come up with them.  Assure your friends there will be no shortage of creativity.  Any help is much appreciated and I will make my books free to download anytime Amazon allows it (they authorize special sales, not me).

Thank you.  *hat in hand*

^^^world map I'm drafting for the Order of Devotion trilogy

Blog Hell

When I first started this blog it was done with the intention of adding something to my Amazon Author page.  I did not, nor do I now, have the intention of spending my time writing about my fun trip to the grocery store or whatever other meaningless shit you find on most blogs.  To be honest, I'm not a fan of them and think if one has the desire to invest the time writing stories it is an absolute squander to waste it on a goddamn blog.

My point with this rant is I have just spent a good portion of my day trying to get Google to remove the malicious spam advertisements that keep taking over this blog.  Yes, I've allowed Google to post their AdSense ads on this blog.  I've also added an Amazon.com search bar that can take you directly to Amazon to purchase one of my books.  Simple additions for what should be a simple blog.

The malicious ads are gone for now.  Hopefully they won't be back.  Google has done about fuck-all to help with the situation.  I toyed with moving this blog to WordPress, but that turned out to be even more of a nightmare.

Anyways, when I get a chance and my web developer skills are a little more savvy, expect this blog to get a massive overhaul so it becomes more pleasing to the eye and I don't have to toy with malicious adware or other distractions.

Book Four was started this morning.  First chapter in the bag and loving it so far.  A ways to go, but feeling good about it.

Reboot

Hello.  My blog was hacked by spammers, shut down by Google, and reinstated after I asked the powers that be to review it.  Should be working properly now.

The fever

Sometimes people need change.  Sometimes the best thing to do is not force routine.  Routine is something I cherish.  There is nothing mundane to me about taking a couple hours out of my day, putting on headphones, and trying to use a keyboard to spell out the stories in my head.

I forced myself to step away from the keyboard the last few weeks.  I've been writing some articles for a sci-fi website, taking online classes to learn about web development and coding, and focused a lot on running.  It's been nice to be free of the urgency I often feel to finish a book.  Exercise truly is the best way to clear the mind and keep the gears moving.  It is a great time for thinking up more stories as well.  Endorphins are pretty great.

When I sat back down to routine for work on the first book in The Order of Devotion Trilogy, I hit a wall.  This wall came to me because I realized I depended almost entirely on the notes and outlines I made.  Outlines have always helped me establish the pace of a chapter, as well as setting up the following one.  I'm a huge fan of the scribbled legal pads and note books that help me design the flow of a story.  It's a loose design, and I know it's malleable, so that's helpful to know I can grab those ideas out of my head that super cede the outline.

The problem with the first book in this trilogy, which is tentatively titled Worse Things Than Death, is the words were not coming to me.  My mind was a vacuum and when I wasn't writing I could not stop thinking about what Marshal Noel and Violetta Iolanda are up to.  

There is a story cooking and I think this series needs to be finished before I can write anything else.  I intend for this fourth book to be the last.  The two characters have become real to me and I cannot ignore my thoughts turning to them and what needs to happen next.

I intend to begin writing the fourth book in the next week.  I'm taking a week to write up a rough outline and then I'm going to hit the ground running.  

From the last three novels I should have this done and published within the next year.  I'm excited to spend the rest of the summer and the remainder of 2015 with Marshal and Violetta.  The Order of Devotion Trilogy will be next, but I need to finish what I started first.

It's really done

The Falling Stars, Book Three of Stars of the New Gods, is out.  You can buy it here

It dropped on Amazon early this morning.  I have no control over when they actually put it on their site, all I know is once the final draft is submitted it can happen anywhere from 12-24 hours.  Thankfully, they put it up quick.

My goal was to have it out between May and June.  This is the first time I've met that goal, so I'm patting myself on the back.

By the time I was finished proofing this book I felt really happy that the end is a crucial turning point for all parties involved.  Up until this point, these characters have been put through the every bad thing I could think up.  It was my way of making them stronger so once the end of this series is upon them they will have the strength to proceed.  The end is very close now and I'm confident these characters are up for the challenge.

The blog has and will most likely continue to take a backseat to life and this terribly hot Oregon summer.  I published a novella called The Necromancer Queen (buy it here).  A new series of stories based in that world are hot on my mind.  That's where my focus will be for the next few months.  The currently untitled Book Four in Stars of the New Gods is very foggy at the moment, but I have an idea of where it will need to go.   I'm pretty sure it will be the last book of the series, so I intend to take my time.

Bring on the fall.  I'm sick of summer already.

The Falling Stars is finished

Wow...

That was a hard one.  That was by far the most difficult thing I have ever written.  Sometimes, it writes itself.  Not the case here.  When I started out, last September, I had a broad idea about where this story was going to go.  For the most part, I stuck to the architecture, but there were a few more things that popped up that I did not expect.

Not sure how many people read this blog or have read my novels.  I am officially on vacation from Stars of the New Gods after this entry to the series.  There are potentially three more books, at least two, that will round out the series.  In the meantime, there is another project that demands my attention.  I hope to have The Falling Stars edited and living on Amazon somewhere between July and August (realistically, but it may be sooner than that).

Not much else to say.  I hope everyone is having a nice Spring and is looking forward to the summer. Here in Portland it feels like summer is catching up way too fast.  That's just how it goes, though.

Anyways, that's all I have for now.  I will try to get back here before the publication or if the books go on sale.

Irons in the fire

Just doing my monthly check-in.

The third novel is coming along fine.  Much slower than I would like, but bit by bit I am discovering that Marshal Noel and Violetta Iolanda have much more to share with me than I previously thought.  It's fun, when the characters start to remind you who they are and how they need to grow.  I've got over 700 pages their lives documented, and I'm excited to add more layers while I peel back others.

Life in Portland is bearing witness to climate change.  This winter has been anything but and the terrible summer we have in store for us will be something to behold.  I say that to the brunch and afternoon beer drinking crowd, as they are the ones most vocal about our lack of rain and 60 degree Farenheit weather.  I like the four seasons, the way I grew up and why I live in the north.

Television is continuing to prove itself one of the best mediums of storytelling.  The Walking Dead has rebounded in the second half of what I consider to be it's weakest season.  The new show, Togetherness, on HBO, is one of the most touching shows I watch.  The Americans is on par with itself, raising the stakes with each episode.  Peaky Blinders, along with House of Cards upcoming season, shows that Netflix has a stake in the game.  Game of Thrones fans will finally be able to hold something over the snobbish readers of the books (myself included) that the playing field has been leveled.

Music has been a tremendous source of relief and inspiration this past couple of months.  I have discovered that I am a doom/stoner metal fan.  My coworker plays in a band called YOB, who had their record ranked by Rolling Stone as the best metal album of 2014, and I took interest.  YOB plays extended songs as compared to the traditional 10-12 track album.  It is fantastic music and it is the best thing I have to write with.  A couple of cups of coffee, accompanied by a YOB album, produced over 4,000 words last weekend.  I hear Stephen King writes to hard rock and metal.  There is something to be said with that type of musical composition and arrangement.  YOB is a fantastic band regardless, and you would do well to check out anything they have to offer you.

I'm very excited to finish this third novel.  I'm quite certain, at this point, there is a fourth and fifth novel to complete the story.  The Stars of the New Gods will hopefully end in five books, and then I can get on with the other stories that are waiting in line.  I have fantasy, general fiction, and a nice little horror story, all of which I really want to get to.

2015

Well...there are still no hoverboards.  I've been holding my breath since I was 8-years-old and watched Marty McFly skip across water on a neon-pink floating skateboard.  If I can get my grandkids one for Christmas in thirty-years, I'll call it even.

I'm very excited for the year ahead.  If I keep the pace and writing schedule I'm on now, I should have The Falling Stars, Book 3 of Stars of the New Gods, finished and ready for publication early-to-mid-summer.  I also started working on a novella I would like to publish in tandem with the book.  It's solely a story about Marshal Noel, taking place between book two and book three.  It's kind of inconsequential to either book in the series, but it's a good yarn I started spinning one day when I hit a creative wall on The Falling Stars.  I really hope it works out that I can release them both at once, but if I had to guess, the novella will come after the novel.  Book Three is taking first place in my scraps of time to write.

2015 is an exciting year for science-fiction fans.  I would be lying if I said I was not counting down the days until the new Star Wars film premieres.  Until that day, I will be gobbling up any of the new content Lucasfilm and Disney throw our way.  If you haven't been paying attention, the Star Wars universe is launching two new comic book series through Marvel, four new novels through Del Rey, and the new animated series Rebels is doing a great job in the television department.  As a new Marvel fan, I'm also excited for Ant-Man and the second Avengers film.

Part of me is awaiting for the announcement of George R.R. Martin's sixth A Song of Fire and Ice, or Game of Thrones.  I hope we at least get an announcement and a publication date.  Many people have been down on the man about how long he takes to write novels in his series.  These are not just novels.  There are incredibly complex, detailed, and rich accounts of the stories and characters in his head.  They should not be rushed and we will all be rewarded when we sit down and open the first page of The Winds of Winter.

We are also experiencing somewhat of a cultural renaissance in good television.  The division seems absolutely cut-and-dry right now between absolute garbage and quality storytelling.  A new season of True Detective, quite possibly one of the most intriguing dramas of all time, awaits us with a new tale.  The Americans, my favorite show of 2014, starts it's third season after an earthquake of a second season finale, making the characters question everything they know.  Mad Men ends it's frustratingly extended finale, which I will still watch despite how pissed I am AMC is milking it by extending it a year longer than they should.

John Scalzi will be debuting the television adaptation of his series, Red Shirts, this year.  Scalzi is the Stephen King/John Grisham/JK Rowling of science-fiction right now.  Whenever he or Brandon Sanderson publish a novel, it reminds you how astonishing the gifts of good writers are.

It is also rumored that posthumous publications from J.D. Salinger are to be expected in 2015.  I am both thrilled and nervous about the publications Mr. Salinger spent the better part of his life working on in the quiet, New Hampshire forests.  Nervous because, well, if you have read his last published work, Hapworrth 16 1924, it suggests that the author has become so engrossed in the process of fleshing out his own characters that it became borderline delusional.  Whatever my hesitation is, I will read, and I'm sure enjoy whatever Salinger has deemed fit to publish from his vault of manuscripts.

It seems dumb to voice excitement for the new year, because in two months the daily problems of life will whisk away the excitement.  We always dress-up our best selves for the end or the beginning of each year.  Why is it that somewhere in the middle the threads start to run and the polish on our shoes starts to fade?  Why can't everyday be the year we bring out our best, our optimism, and the lists we should be checking off and not making.

Happy 2015, belated!  We're not there yet, but we'll get there soon.