Holy crap, I didn't realize that I didn't even have a single post for May. That's pretty sad... so, here's a post!
Currently, I'm working on a short story collection where I'm returning to my true passion when it comes to writing fiction: Slice-of-life. I've had a few people say that they would love to see another collection that was like IN DECLINE.
That makes two of us.
It won't be a very long collection, but it'll contain brand new stories. I'm already working on a rewrite on one of the stories that will be a part of it, and so far I'm very happy with how it's turning out. I'm not sure exactly when the collection will be done. I have to write the stories first. I really hope it'll be before the end of the year, and I'm pretty sure it will.
I haven't forgotten about LESSONS III. Just having a hard time trying to come up with some fresh new drabbles for it. I think I've been going at it the wrong way when it comes to theme, so I think I've come up with something new for it. Another project I hope to have finished before the end of the year.
Speaking of LESSONS, thanks to you guys, LESSONS AND OTHER MORBID DRABBLES has sold its 1000th copy this month! I'm still in shock over that one. Can't thank you guys enough for that.
And Nermal, our chinchilla, is still doing great. That's right... I haven't told you guys how she managed to escape from her cage one night, now have I? Well, that's a post for next month then! She's a lil' troublemaker, that's for sure. Stay tuned...
Well, that's about it for now. Again, I apologize for not keeping this blog up to date. Will keep you guys posted on how my current writing projects are going and if anything new comes up. Have a Happy Memorial Day tomorrow!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Nermal, the latest addition to our family.
Again, I've become a slacker when it comes to blogging but I've been pretty busy lately. I'm happy to announce that we finally went and bought a chinchilla. We've named her "Nermal," like from the GARFIELD comics. I know that was the name of a male cat, but she really does look like a "Nermal."
It's so nice to finally get one. We've been planning on getting a chinchilla for the longest time. So far, she seems really happy in her new home, and I am once again a very happy pet owner. It's nice to have a pet in the room again--even if she does run and jump around in her cage all night long. :)
It's so nice to finally get one. We've been planning on getting a chinchilla for the longest time. So far, she seems really happy in her new home, and I am once again a very happy pet owner. It's nice to have a pet in the room again--even if she does run and jump around in her cage all night long. :)
Friday, April 1, 2011
A new month, a new start... and a new promise.
With it being a new month and all, I've reflected a lot on my writing. While I'm very proud of what I've done, I think I can do better. So, I'm making some changes with the way I write.
#1: No more cursing.
That's right. No longer will my characters have horrible potty mouths. I realize that bad words can scare readers away. Plus, it's just not right. They're called "bad words" for a reason. Is there any reason a character should curse? I think not.
#2: Only happy stories.
No more stories about heart-break, depression, sadness, addiction, etc.... They're just far too depressing. I will only write stories about happy people doing happy things and having happy lives. We need to set an example for our readers.
So, that's my bombshell today. After much thought, I feel that this is the right way to go. Positive stories for positive people. That's my new motto!
....yeah right.
April Fools! :P
#1: No more cursing.
That's right. No longer will my characters have horrible potty mouths. I realize that bad words can scare readers away. Plus, it's just not right. They're called "bad words" for a reason. Is there any reason a character should curse? I think not.
#2: Only happy stories.
No more stories about heart-break, depression, sadness, addiction, etc.... They're just far too depressing. I will only write stories about happy people doing happy things and having happy lives. We need to set an example for our readers.
So, that's my bombshell today. After much thought, I feel that this is the right way to go. Positive stories for positive people. That's my new motto!
....yeah right.
April Fools! :P
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
A GNOME PROBLEM: Now Available!
That's right. A GNOME PROBLEM (a novelette) is now available for Kindle. Just came out over the weekend.
To learn more about you, you can visit the Amazon pages for it:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
I'm pretty psyched about it. So far, the response has been pretty positive. I got a wonderful 4-star review from BigAl's Books and Pals (click here to read the review), and I've heard from a few readers who really ended up enjoying it. I'm a bit nervous about how people will react to this one, since it's such a goofy and odd story. Then again, I'm always nervous about a new release.
This was a fun story to write, because in a way it combines everything I've learned from writing IN DECLINE and the LESSONS books. It's slice-of-life--with a bit of the strange mixed in. I wanted to write a fun and silly story, and I think I was able to do just that.
Anyway, I hope you'll check it out if it looks like something you'll like.
Also, a special thanks to author Imogen Rose for giving away 5 copies of A GNOME PROBLEM.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
March... already???
Wow... time flies. Can't believe it's already March.
February was awesome for me and my books, thanks to you guys. Just when I thought I couldn't beat/match January, I ended up doing just that and also reaching a bunch of new milestones. I can't thank you guys enough, even though I try.
A GNOME PROBLEM is going very well. I've already gone through it a bunch of times... edited... re-edited... all that fun stuff! I think sooner than later it'll be ready for the beta readers, and then I'll have to go from there. I hope it doesn't end up being a failure. I like the story. It was fun. But I won't know for sure until I have somebody else read it.
I'm working on drabbles for LESSONS III, although that's still not coming out for a long time. Probably before the end of the year. I'm taking my time. I still want the other two books to find new readers before I do release III. And more importantly, I want to make sure the new drabbles are good. My biggest fear is that I'm going to start repeating myself with them, but so far I think I've done a good job of avoiding that.
Some sad news: My Black Bear hamster, Gir, has developed a mass of some sort inside of her. At first, I thought she was over-eating, but I had her checked out at the vet at Pet Smart, and they're pretty sure it's some kind of a mass. Not a good sign. But, she is eating and drinking, and they said so long as she does that, then she's not in a lot of pain or anything. So, I'm just going to do my best to keep her comfortable. That's all you can do when you have a small critter like a hamster. It's pointless to have them go through surgery since the survival rate afterward is very, very slim. Just going to keep my eye on her and make sure she's comfortable for as long as I can have her.
I think in the very near future, I'm going to get a chinchilla as a pet. I'm excited about that. I need something that lasts longer than a year. They seem fun and cute. Will keep you posted.
That's all for now. Happy March to you all! And once again, thanks for your love and support.
February was awesome for me and my books, thanks to you guys. Just when I thought I couldn't beat/match January, I ended up doing just that and also reaching a bunch of new milestones. I can't thank you guys enough, even though I try.
A GNOME PROBLEM is going very well. I've already gone through it a bunch of times... edited... re-edited... all that fun stuff! I think sooner than later it'll be ready for the beta readers, and then I'll have to go from there. I hope it doesn't end up being a failure. I like the story. It was fun. But I won't know for sure until I have somebody else read it.
I'm working on drabbles for LESSONS III, although that's still not coming out for a long time. Probably before the end of the year. I'm taking my time. I still want the other two books to find new readers before I do release III. And more importantly, I want to make sure the new drabbles are good. My biggest fear is that I'm going to start repeating myself with them, but so far I think I've done a good job of avoiding that.
Some sad news: My Black Bear hamster, Gir, has developed a mass of some sort inside of her. At first, I thought she was over-eating, but I had her checked out at the vet at Pet Smart, and they're pretty sure it's some kind of a mass. Not a good sign. But, she is eating and drinking, and they said so long as she does that, then she's not in a lot of pain or anything. So, I'm just going to do my best to keep her comfortable. That's all you can do when you have a small critter like a hamster. It's pointless to have them go through surgery since the survival rate afterward is very, very slim. Just going to keep my eye on her and make sure she's comfortable for as long as I can have her.
I think in the very near future, I'm going to get a chinchilla as a pet. I'm excited about that. I need something that lasts longer than a year. They seem fun and cute. Will keep you posted.
That's all for now. Happy March to you all! And once again, thanks for your love and support.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Updates, updates, updates!
A few exciting things have happened. First, I'm happy to say that I was just recently interviewed by a fellow author, Jason G. Anderson, who just put out his debut book, THE VAMPIRE DRABBLES. He said his book came to be after reading LESSONS AND OTHER MORBID DRABBLES, which I take as a huge compliment. I've always said that if it wasn't for David McAfee and his excellent collection, the LESSONS books would've never existed.
Feels nice to be able to return the favor for somebody else!
You can check out the interview by clicking here.
Also, be sure to check out THE VAMPIRE DRABBLES by Jason G. Anderson. I've had the chance to read a couple of them and he's done a great job.
Onto other news, I've finished the rewrite of A GNOME PROBLEM (a novelette), and so far I'm very happy with it. It's still going to be a little time before I release it to the public. I've gone through it a few times already, but as any writer knows, it takes a helluva lot more than "a few times" before you can even think about releasing it to the general public. Still have some work to do, but it's getting closer and closer every day. I'm excited. It was a fun story to write, and I really hope you all enjoy it when I do publish it.
IN DECLINE is going to get a new cover sometime soon. It's time. I think I have an idea that'll represent the stories a lot better. Stay tuned!
I'm still hearing wonderful things from readers who have read my LESSONS books, which makes me happy. I'm glad that people have been enjoying them. They were fun to write. I know not everybody will like them, as with anything else, but so far I have to say the general reaction to both books have been extremely positive.
That's all for now. Will keep you posted!
Feels nice to be able to return the favor for somebody else!
You can check out the interview by clicking here.
Also, be sure to check out THE VAMPIRE DRABBLES by Jason G. Anderson. I've had the chance to read a couple of them and he's done a great job.
Onto other news, I've finished the rewrite of A GNOME PROBLEM (a novelette), and so far I'm very happy with it. It's still going to be a little time before I release it to the public. I've gone through it a few times already, but as any writer knows, it takes a helluva lot more than "a few times" before you can even think about releasing it to the general public. Still have some work to do, but it's getting closer and closer every day. I'm excited. It was a fun story to write, and I really hope you all enjoy it when I do publish it.
IN DECLINE is going to get a new cover sometime soon. It's time. I think I have an idea that'll represent the stories a lot better. Stay tuned!
I'm still hearing wonderful things from readers who have read my LESSONS books, which makes me happy. I'm glad that people have been enjoying them. They were fun to write. I know not everybody will like them, as with anything else, but so far I have to say the general reaction to both books have been extremely positive.
That's all for now. Will keep you posted!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Progress on A GNOME PROBLEM (a novelette)
Well, even though I've been slacking with my blog, I haven't been slacking with my writing. I went over a short story that I had written last year called, "A Gnome Problem." Re-reading it, I forgot how much fun I had writing it. It was even more fun to read it. By the time I finished it, I decided that it was time to go back and do a re-write.
I also realized that this was one of my longest short stories. If you've read any of my stories from IN DECLINE, you'll notice that for the most part, I keep my stories pretty short. I don't do that on purpose. I just make a story as long as it has to be in order to tell the story. This one, however, was quite long. Over 6K in words.
That's when I realized that maybe I can turn this into a novelette.
A novelette, from what I've read, begins at 7,500 words and the max limit is somewhere around 14,000 (as that would be a novella).
On the rewrite, I'm not even close to finish, and I'm already over 5,100 words. I'm pretty sure I can reach 7,500 without any problems.
Why am I doing this? Well, I think it'd be neat to have something other than a short story. Short stories are fine and well, but maybe if this ends up being a novelette, more people might give it a try. Plus, the story is an odd one. I don't think I could ever include it in an actual short story collection, unless I came up with several other stories with the same theme.
So, I've been making a lot of progress on A GNOME PROBLEM. This time I might use some beta readers to get a feel of how people will react to it. It's an odd, odd tale.
Lots of cursing, too. Hope that won't bother people. Well... I'm sure it will, but nothing I can do about that. My characters have potty-mouths at times, and I'll be damned if I'm going to censor them!
I also realized that this was one of my longest short stories. If you've read any of my stories from IN DECLINE, you'll notice that for the most part, I keep my stories pretty short. I don't do that on purpose. I just make a story as long as it has to be in order to tell the story. This one, however, was quite long. Over 6K in words.
That's when I realized that maybe I can turn this into a novelette.
A novelette, from what I've read, begins at 7,500 words and the max limit is somewhere around 14,000 (as that would be a novella).
On the rewrite, I'm not even close to finish, and I'm already over 5,100 words. I'm pretty sure I can reach 7,500 without any problems.
Why am I doing this? Well, I think it'd be neat to have something other than a short story. Short stories are fine and well, but maybe if this ends up being a novelette, more people might give it a try. Plus, the story is an odd one. I don't think I could ever include it in an actual short story collection, unless I came up with several other stories with the same theme.
So, I've been making a lot of progress on A GNOME PROBLEM. This time I might use some beta readers to get a feel of how people will react to it. It's an odd, odd tale.
Lots of cursing, too. Hope that won't bother people. Well... I'm sure it will, but nothing I can do about that. My characters have potty-mouths at times, and I'll be damned if I'm going to censor them!
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