tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10925423193678113952024-03-28T04:07:41.614-07:00SPECULATIVE FICTIONEERUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger443125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-32480029757874366962024-03-28T04:05:00.000-07:002024-03-28T04:07:07.382-07:00Free 1st in SeriesFor the next 4 days, the first installments in my Spirits of the Earth and Captain Quasar trilogies are free for the taking. So take them, and tell your friends & neighbors about them. Then please post a review on Amazon. Thanks! Amazon Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-56495071714540700382024-03-27T06:56:00.000-07:002024-03-27T06:56:53.415-07:00Based Book BargainsCheck it OutUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-52546464271127724452024-03-16T14:13:00.000-07:002024-03-16T14:13:04.028-07:00Halfway ThereReached the 45K mark in my current work-in-progress, which should be the halfway point if it ends up being the same length as the first book in the series. I've got the plot arc mapped out with plenty of room for surprises along the way. Added some political intrigue to make things interesting, as well as some trust issues the protagonist has to work through. Hoping to keep the momentum going andUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-46531775077707949652024-03-03T06:00:00.000-08:002024-03-10T05:21:23.428-07:00March UpdateMaking good progress on Infidels & Insurgents, the sequel to Dust Freaks & Demigods. Hit the 30K mark this week, and that's about a third of the way, methinks. Doing my best to average 1K a day, even if it means only 500 words on some days and 1,500 on others. So far, so good.I'm fully immersed in this world again, but I still have to go back to the first book to make sure certain detailsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-20092886664507540072024-02-24T06:00:00.000-08:002024-03-27T06:57:59.076-07:00No Bare Chests AllowedSince I started participating in BookFunnel promos last year, I've noticed there are a lot of books out in the world displaying all manner of moobs. That's right: muscly man-boobs. I guess it's an entire subgenre of speculative fiction where half-naked men transform into animals. And it's somehow considered romance? Not sure exactly, but I know there's been some pushback amongst BookFunnel Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-75502169110312460122024-02-13T05:14:00.000-08:002024-03-27T07:45:28.810-07:00Spring Book BlastContinue Onward...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-80445520277524770392024-02-06T11:30:00.000-08:002024-02-06T11:30:15.713-08:00Release DayRookie investigator Sera Chen is having a rough week. Her partner is a clone of the man she killed. His ghost still haunts her nightmares. Her boss seems to be going out of his way to block her investigation. And not only has a dangerous criminal escaped from custody, but a bizarre cult may be involved in a rash of deaths across the Ten Domes of Eurasia.Life has always been precious, but Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-51178603775577691552024-01-28T12:30:00.000-08:002024-01-28T12:30:52.557-08:00Not Much Writing UpdateThe goals this month were to finish final edits on Dust Freaks & Demigods, get the eBook and paperback formatted for their February 6 release, compile the AGROTHARN trilogy into a box set, and start drafting the next installment of Dome City Investigations: Infidels & Insurgents. With three days left in the month, I'm pleased to say I've managed to meet every goal but one. Then againUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-76316084096837289242024-01-10T13:38:00.000-08:002024-01-10T14:01:53.694-08:00The Trilogy is CompleteNow available in eBook and paperback: the Chronicles of AGROTHARN! The first book is currently available wide, and both sequels will soon follow suit. Since Book 1 is going to be included in a StoryBundle next month, and it couldn't be in Kindle Unlimited in order to participate, I figured this was a good time to test the wide open waters again. We'll see how it goes. Sales have been pretty good Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-24430812630019568652023-12-30T13:04:00.000-08:002023-12-30T13:04:08.301-08:00Year in Review: 2023I managed to write almost every day this year, and I'm feeling pretty good about that. No massive word counts, but at least a few hundred words a day, which tends to add up. Spent most of the year working on the Inspector Broekstein and AGROTHARN trilogies, and I'm happy with how both turned out. Also got some practice compiling eBook box sets, and I revamped all of my paperbacks, so Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-48668241696702256202023-12-23T09:19:00.000-08:002023-12-23T09:19:24.178-08:00Another One Bites the DustEdits are DONE on Book 3 in the Chronicles of AGROTHARN! Next I'll take a day to format the eBook, another day to format the paperback, and then one more day to assemble the paperback cover. Probably won't tackle much of that until after Christmas, but I have plenty of time to get it uploaded prior to the January 9 release date. And having next week off work should be helpful.So, what's next? Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-73490696146390074292023-12-04T13:35:00.000-08:002023-12-05T03:13:43.922-08:00Novel #22Book 3 is done: 81K of humorous blades & blasters action and adventure spanning fifteen parsecs of interstellar space! And with that, The Chronicles of AGROTHARN are now complete.After spending three hundred chapters with these characters over the course of the trilogy, it's a bittersweet moment to finally say goodbye to them. On the one hand, I'm relieved that everything turned out as well Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-38754761665111685722023-11-09T08:30:00.000-08:002023-11-09T08:30:19.588-08:00Book 2 Now Available"Good can conquer evil!"Centuries from now, long after the days of recorded history, during the broken-down age of the Post-Apocalypse on a much older Earth, AGROTHARN roams the desert Wastes in search of…something? For some strange reason, he can't remember. And he's not the only one whose memories have become muddled by dark magic.Could it have something to do with the arrival of Khrug, WarlockUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-71450169083572583992023-10-21T10:39:00.007-07:002023-10-22T02:48:37.236-07:00Halfway ThereMade it to the 40K mark today in the AGROTHARN threequel, and things are moving along nicely. Plenty of conflict, humor, and action, with lots of fun surprises along the way. I've kept two characters apart who've been inseparable throughout Books 1 & 2, so I'm looking forward to bringing them back together soon. Should make for a thrilling second half.If I keep up my current pace, I'll have Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-41737187037672910612023-10-01T11:19:00.002-07:002023-10-01T11:21:53.201-07:00A Quarter of the WaySeptember came and went, and I managed to draft the first 20K of the final Chronicle of AGROTHARN. So far, it's part post-apocalyptic western and part intergalactic space adventure, so you could say I'm having a blast with it. Brought in a wily character from the third Captain Quasar novel, further cementing the fact that this series exists in a universe parallel to that one. I don't plan onUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-45254705676014137782023-09-19T14:08:00.004-07:002023-12-25T03:10:08.001-08:00Release DayNow available for fans of Thor: Ragnarok, Masters of the Universe, and Napoleon Dynamite, a new
sword & sorcery saga with chuckles guaranteed... eBook PaperbackLong ago, before the days of recorded history, during the Hyperbolean Age of a much younger Earth, AGROTHARN the Interstellar Semi-Barbarian roamed the ancient volcanic lands in search of fame and Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-69674380005760531062023-09-03T10:47:00.006-07:002023-09-05T06:51:06.316-07:00August/September UpdateHow'd it get to be September already? August was a bit of a blur, but I managed to finish edits on the second AGROTHARN novel, and both books are ready for pre-order. I also started drafting Book 3, but now that the school year's in full swing, it could be a little while before I complete it. Tentative goal: December 1. Even more tentative goal: have it ready for pre-order by Christmas.I'm Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-77190347174189517312023-08-08T08:48:00.008-07:002023-08-15T08:35:37.363-07:00Box SetsI've got a couple of new collections available this week. Some might call them box sets or boxed sets, but since there aren't any real boxes involved, maybe they're bundles? No idea. But I had fun assembling the 3D covers, which didn't turn out half bad: First up were The Inspector Broekstein Mysteries, which include all three of the novels I released earlierUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-61595990439209704082023-07-31T13:48:00.004-07:002024-01-10T13:39:54.996-08:00Novel #21The first draft is done! Took me forty-six days to write a little over 80K, trouncing my previous record of 54K in sixty days. Not that it's a competition or anything; I just like to set goals as a way to motivate myself, and I'm always looking for opportunities to beat my own personal bests.Unlike the first book, this one wasn't smooth sailing all the way through. Sure, there were plenty of Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-72797626258944419902023-07-21T16:59:00.005-07:002023-08-20T14:03:10.093-07:00Home StretchIt's been thirty-five days since I started drafting the AGROTHARN sequel, so time for an update. Averaging ~1,700 words a day, I've made it to the 60K mark with about 20K left to go. I've got the next six chapters mapped out and a general idea of what the finish line will look like. Can't ask for more than that. I mean I could, but part of the fun of flying by the seat of my pants is connecting Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-41354514085022842192023-07-03T05:33:00.004-07:002023-08-20T14:02:55.989-07:00A Third of the WayLast month ended up being fairly productive on the AGROTHARN front, and I managed to draft an average of two chapters a day. So now I'm a little over a third of the way through the sequel, and if I can write two to three chapters every day this month, I should have it finished by August 1. Considering the momentum I'm riding at the moment, that seems like an achievable goal. I don't usually Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-39940119611779098522023-06-17T07:59:00.002-07:002023-08-20T14:02:41.756-07:00June UpdateSo far so good this month. Final edits are done on the first AGROTHARN book, and the new, improved paperback version of BackTracker turned out well. Now all I've got on my writing plate is the AGROTHARN sequel. Three chapters in, and things have been...interesting.I started out with a pretty good idea how the story would open, picking up right after the end of Book 1 with all of our characters Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-21898385626697373322023-06-03T16:34:00.010-07:002023-08-20T14:02:25.127-07:00Feels Like SummerWe've had four days in a row of 90-degree warmth here in West Michigan, and while it may not officially be summer until the 21st, our current weather begs to differ. Ever since I started teaching, way back at the turn of the century, summers have meant a change of pace. I ran an eight-week day camp for a few summers, then switched gears to teach guitar lessons, and then I made a habit of Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-12852828561599926052023-05-22T07:54:00.010-07:002023-08-20T14:17:13.800-07:00New Release(s)This month has been all about those edits—and eBook formatting, and paperback formatting, and cover assembly for the paperbacks. But the hard work has paid off, and now, at long last, the Inspector Broekstein trilogy is ready to greet the masses. Book 1, Murders at the Manor, will be available tomorrow; Book 2, Lives on the Line, will be released on June 20; and Book 3, Whispers in the WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092542319367811395.post-42958194133389590462023-04-29T15:03:00.013-07:002023-08-20T14:18:58.988-07:00Novel #20The Inspector Broekstein Trilogy is complete! I finished drafting the third book today, and it turned out even better than I had hoped, considering I've never written a novel in two months before. Then again, it's only 53K, so cranking out a chapter a day was fairly manageable.I'm working on the blurb now; here's what I've got: Invited to the heart of Maine for a weekend getaway on Lake Unknownnoreply@blogger.com