What the Azathoth is Going On Here?

Posts have been few and far between for a while now, culminating in a long period of seeming silence. I haven’t updated anyone on what’s going on with the books or posted anything of use on the blog, facebook, twitter or tumblr. A few particularly astute readers have taken the time to track me down and demand answers but I’ve been cagey even then.

The truth of the matter is, many nasty things have happened in the last six months or so added up with recurring bouts of problems with my hands and fingers that have really put a hurt on my writing work. Not all of what’s happen only concerns me and my affairs so I’m not even at the liberty to divulge them all (except for the knowledge that my Grandmother had a stroke earlier this month – and we’re lucky that she’s recovering nicely) that have left me psychically and mentally fatigued.

I keep trying to put off saying that I’m exhausted, depressed and looking at a complete rewrite for “Tasting Ash.” Shortening the projected story line has ruined the flow and it needs serious work before I can release it to anyone. Meanwhile I’ve lost one of my first readers to mysterious (and worrisome) circumstances. I’ve also been casting about for a new editor to go over the second books in both the Eldritch Elysium series and The Four Horsemen series, in preparation to committing them both to paperback.

All in all I’m a bit overwhelmed and tired, I had some awesome plans for the new year (setting up a proper newsletter, taking the site to it’s own page, offering up a few ecourses on self publishing) but now I’m cutting my project list waaay back and just trying to keep my head above water for the nonce. Books will be published, stories will be written – it’s just going to take a lot more time and right now I feel like I’m at the bottom of the hill looking up with a giant boulder in front of me that needs pushing.

Free Friday!

Ah weather. Last week there were ice storms bad enough to knock the power down in my area for three days of frozen hell and today it’s scheduled to be in the 80’s. That’s going to be hell on my herb garden.

Anywho, enough of my domestic misery – I’ve got a present to make up for all the downtime! On Friday, I’ll be giving away copies of my first novel, “The Uncertainty of Death,” for free on Amazon.

The-Uncertainty-of-Death-cDeath… it is the most frightening unknown to us all. For centuries people have personified and anticipated the horror and majesty of this unavoidable reality. We even invent legends to avoid it.

Unfortunately, she is someone we cannot escape.

No one expects a harried, overworked, and socially awkward business woman to become the deliverer of their fate. Death has never been good at games of skill or chance and is keenly self-conscious, always going the extra mile to make others comfortable. But in The Uncertainty of Death, two mortals, Leo Kaylor and Jules Harper are about to meet Death for the first time, and she is not what they imagined in. Together, Leo and Jules embark upon a chaotic journey that will test the very meaning of life and friendship in the first of this apocalyptic Four Horsemen series.

See you Friday, enjoy the freebie!

The Not Vacation

Another book launch under my belt, another year old, new banner for the site, ‘nother new banner for the site, new signature, lots of promotion, new cold and another dip into the top #100 Free Kindle Titles for all of three days to show for it.

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Hitting The Ceiling

Well another NaNoWriMo is done and I got through it, by the skin of my feverish teeth, yet again. After that I needed a little time to recover (I’d managed to catch a cold on top of a recurring illness and then just when I thought I was done with them both – I got another) then I dove headfirst into editing, “In The Absence of Famine,” and between both books I’ve come to realize something.

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Rough Draft of Book 2 in the Four Horsemen Series – FINISHED

Whoohoo! I did it again, wrote “the end” at the end of another thrilling glimpse into the lives of Mitei, Leo, Jules and Aedan. And as per usual I did it while sick off my ass and otherwise indisposed! I’m still kind of floating on cloud 9 with the feeling of accomplishment but that will all come crashing down in the next few days as I start the revision process.

Which brings me to my theme for the upcoming weeks. Revision and editing, essential tools in any writer’s bag o’ tricks.

I was doing that thing I do for fun, where I pretend to play games (but actually don’t because I find them too distracting from the work at hand) and then spend all my free time incognito on the forums for that game living vicariously through others and chatting inanely about anything but writing – when I came across a bunch of nubile young writers distraught over various things. The writer’s block myth was one of those things. Revision and editing was another. One potential writer actually admitting to never having done a revision!

So, since I’ll be busy doing revisions and edits like a hurricane for the next few weeks. I figured now is as good a time to tackle the subject as any. Keeping in mind that: everyone H A T E S revisions, that my revision process is as ever changing as my writing process and that normally I’d love to let my books simmer in a dark corner for 1-10 years – this should be awesome!