I was hoping by now to be able to share the cover for my upcoming novella, Gabriel's Hope. But alas, it is not quite complete. Within a day though, it should be.
At the time of this posting, I should be nearly finished with editing. There are only a few minor additions I want to make to it, then I can upload it onto Amazon KDP.
I can't wait, because I have a lot of projects waiting in the wings. It will include editing my alternative military history novel Shadowkill and starting the first draft of the Beholder's Eye sequel.
Oh, and I have a few shorter works I plan on writing as well.
No grass growing under these feet.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Why I went free
Last weekend, on October 5th and 6th, I decided to place one of my ebooks up for free.
At first, I wasn't going to do this, but I wanted to experiment with something: have a shorter work for free, while at the same time promoting a larger work that one had to pay for.
My novella Guest of Honor I placed for free, while at the same time hinged it on the fact I had a thriller Beholder's Eye out there for $2.99. I knew I'd probably sell a boatload of the free product, but at the same time I wanted to see if it would have any residual effect on the paid work.
By Sunday afternoon, I had sold close to 100 free ebooks, while I sold around a dozen of my $2.99 thriller. Not bad. Especially from someone just starting out. Certainly, I'm not going to vacation in Hawaii anytime soon, but I might be able to afford a few extra Happy Meals.
Will I do it again down the road?
You betcha.
Stay tuned.
At first, I wasn't going to do this, but I wanted to experiment with something: have a shorter work for free, while at the same time promoting a larger work that one had to pay for.
My novella Guest of Honor I placed for free, while at the same time hinged it on the fact I had a thriller Beholder's Eye out there for $2.99. I knew I'd probably sell a boatload of the free product, but at the same time I wanted to see if it would have any residual effect on the paid work.
By Sunday afternoon, I had sold close to 100 free ebooks, while I sold around a dozen of my $2.99 thriller. Not bad. Especially from someone just starting out. Certainly, I'm not going to vacation in Hawaii anytime soon, but I might be able to afford a few extra Happy Meals.
Will I do it again down the road?
You betcha.
Stay tuned.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Planning Q4
As we all roll out of Q3 and into Q4, let's take a look at those 2013 goals. How are we doing?
It's funny how, in the span of this year, I've revised a few of my goals based on what story ideas struck me and what I want to accomplish.
I've placed a bit of importance on the creation on new stories vs. revising some of my "really old" stories. Because of it, I hope to have two full-length novels out for indie publication by Q1 2014. I still have one more story to publish this year--Gabriel's Hope, an inspirational novella--and then it's to work on some larger projects.
Also, I have a few short stories I'm going to submit to traditional markets, for I want to be a more hybrid author.
(A hybrid author, if you don't know, is one who self-publishes as well as publishes through traditional means)
How are your goals for this year coming along?
It's funny how, in the span of this year, I've revised a few of my goals based on what story ideas struck me and what I want to accomplish.
I've placed a bit of importance on the creation on new stories vs. revising some of my "really old" stories. Because of it, I hope to have two full-length novels out for indie publication by Q1 2014. I still have one more story to publish this year--Gabriel's Hope, an inspirational novella--and then it's to work on some larger projects.
Also, I have a few short stories I'm going to submit to traditional markets, for I want to be a more hybrid author.
(A hybrid author, if you don't know, is one who self-publishes as well as publishes through traditional means)
How are your goals for this year coming along?
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Last Day to pick up Guest Of Honor FREE! Psst! And get a thriller for $2.99!
Last day only! My ebook Guest Of Honor is free this weekend. Normally a whopping $.99, it is now FREE.
18-year old MEGAN DUST lives the wild life. Parties, booze, boys--you name it, she does it. Her parents don't care what she does, and when she is home they ignore her. Their attitude started over a year ago when Megan's older brother was tragically killed in a car accident.
Then, when her parents die on the same road that took her brother, Megan decides to start over and move far away. She auctions off her parents' property, a country home in northwestern Minnesota, and heads down to the Twin Cities.
Megan knows hitchhiking is dangerous, but lately has become a way of life. And this time is no different. She gets picked up by Bart Simms, an attorney from Minneapolis, who agrees to take her where she needs to go. But only after he conducts a bit of estate planning business.
The Engels are a farming family who live not far from Megan's old place. They revel peacefully in their secluded backwoods sanctuary, and have a strong desire to keep as much of the government away from their family's farming legacy. Hence the reason they sought the impecable skills of Bart Simms, who has a deep reputation for saving many family farms from unwanted death and estate taxes.
But Megan has a problem with the Engels. She has never heard of them, and she's lived in the area all of her life. When she explores their home, she finds more that is out of sorts. She discovers a picture of a teenage girl. A girl who resembles that of a recent murder victim from Minneapolis.
Is there more to this backwoods family than meets the eye?
After picking up Guest Of Honor, be sure to also pick up my latest thriller Beholder's Eye. It is only $2.99 in the Amazon Kindle store.
Link to Guest Of Honor
Link to Beholder's Eye
18-year old MEGAN DUST lives the wild life. Parties, booze, boys--you name it, she does it. Her parents don't care what she does, and when she is home they ignore her. Their attitude started over a year ago when Megan's older brother was tragically killed in a car accident.
Then, when her parents die on the same road that took her brother, Megan decides to start over and move far away. She auctions off her parents' property, a country home in northwestern Minnesota, and heads down to the Twin Cities.
Megan knows hitchhiking is dangerous, but lately has become a way of life. And this time is no different. She gets picked up by Bart Simms, an attorney from Minneapolis, who agrees to take her where she needs to go. But only after he conducts a bit of estate planning business.
The Engels are a farming family who live not far from Megan's old place. They revel peacefully in their secluded backwoods sanctuary, and have a strong desire to keep as much of the government away from their family's farming legacy. Hence the reason they sought the impecable skills of Bart Simms, who has a deep reputation for saving many family farms from unwanted death and estate taxes.
But Megan has a problem with the Engels. She has never heard of them, and she's lived in the area all of her life. When she explores their home, she finds more that is out of sorts. She discovers a picture of a teenage girl. A girl who resembles that of a recent murder victim from Minneapolis.
Is there more to this backwoods family than meets the eye?
After picking up Guest Of Honor, be sure to also pick up my latest thriller Beholder's Eye. It is only $2.99 in the Amazon Kindle store.
Link to Guest Of Honor
Link to Beholder's Eye
Saturday, October 5, 2013
FREE this weekend! Guest of Honor ebook! Plus $2.99 thriller!
For 2 days only! My ebook Guest Of Honor is free this weekend. Normally a whopping $.99, it is now FREE.
18-year old MEGAN DUST lives the wild life. Parties, booze, boys--you name it, she does it. Her parents don't care what she does, and when she is home they ignore her. Their attitude started over a year ago when Megan's older brother was tragically killed in a car accident.
Then, when her parents die on the same road that took her brother, Megan decides to start over and move far away. She auctions off her parents' property, a country home in northwestern Minnesota, and heads down to the Twin Cities.
Megan knows hitchhiking is dangerous, but lately has become a way of life. And this time is no different. She gets picked up by Bart Simms, an attorney from Minneapolis, who agrees to take her where she needs to go. But only after he conducts a bit of estate planning business.
The Engels are a farming family who live not far from Megan's old place. They revel peacefully in their secluded backwoods sanctuary, and have a strong desire to keep as much of the government away from their family's farming legacy. Hence the reason they sought the impecable skills of Bart Simms, who has a deep reputation for saving many family farms from unwanted death and estate taxes.
But Megan has a problem with the Engels. She has never heard of them, and she's lived in the area all of her life. When she explores their home, she finds more that is out of sorts. She discovers a picture of a teenage girl. A girl who resembles that of a recent murder victim from Minneapolis.
Is there more to this backwoods family than meets the eye?
After picking up Guest Of Honor, be sure to also pick up my latest thriller Beholder's Eye. It is only $2.99 in the Amazon Kindle store.
Link to Guest Of Honor
Link to Beholder's Eye
18-year old MEGAN DUST lives the wild life. Parties, booze, boys--you name it, she does it. Her parents don't care what she does, and when she is home they ignore her. Their attitude started over a year ago when Megan's older brother was tragically killed in a car accident.
Then, when her parents die on the same road that took her brother, Megan decides to start over and move far away. She auctions off her parents' property, a country home in northwestern Minnesota, and heads down to the Twin Cities.
Megan knows hitchhiking is dangerous, but lately has become a way of life. And this time is no different. She gets picked up by Bart Simms, an attorney from Minneapolis, who agrees to take her where she needs to go. But only after he conducts a bit of estate planning business.
The Engels are a farming family who live not far from Megan's old place. They revel peacefully in their secluded backwoods sanctuary, and have a strong desire to keep as much of the government away from their family's farming legacy. Hence the reason they sought the impecable skills of Bart Simms, who has a deep reputation for saving many family farms from unwanted death and estate taxes.
But Megan has a problem with the Engels. She has never heard of them, and she's lived in the area all of her life. When she explores their home, she finds more that is out of sorts. She discovers a picture of a teenage girl. A girl who resembles that of a recent murder victim from Minneapolis.
Is there more to this backwoods family than meets the eye?
After picking up Guest Of Honor, be sure to also pick up my latest thriller Beholder's Eye. It is only $2.99 in the Amazon Kindle store.
Link to Guest Of Honor
Link to Beholder's Eye
Friday, October 4, 2013
Happenings In The Outhouse 04-Oct-2013 / Hope
I started writing this blog post late Wednesday night, for my wife and I had just returned from a recent trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. With the raging debate over debt ceilings and affordable healthcare and government shutdowns, I just shook my head and concentrated on our own little world.
To make a long story short, my wife has been having eye problems and in the middle of this summer she had a cornea transplant. Her eyes started healing until close to a month ago when the doctor discovered some residual problems. She was scheduled for an appointment Tuesday morning. After the initial exam, my wife Melissa asked if her eyes were getting better.
"No," the doctor said.
Not what we wanted to hear. However, we already knew it to be true.
That night, she had an emergency cornea transplant--her second one in a little over 2 months. Because of it, we had to spend an extra day at the Mayo. I didn't mind. I'll do anything for the love of my life, the reason I write.
Gabriel's Hope is getting closer to publication. I'm in the middle of the final edits, then I have to finalize the cover art.
To make a long story short, my wife has been having eye problems and in the middle of this summer she had a cornea transplant. Her eyes started healing until close to a month ago when the doctor discovered some residual problems. She was scheduled for an appointment Tuesday morning. After the initial exam, my wife Melissa asked if her eyes were getting better.
"No," the doctor said.
Not what we wanted to hear. However, we already knew it to be true.
That night, she had an emergency cornea transplant--her second one in a little over 2 months. Because of it, we had to spend an extra day at the Mayo. I didn't mind. I'll do anything for the love of my life, the reason I write.
Gabriel's Hope is getting closer to publication. I'm in the middle of the final edits, then I have to finalize the cover art.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Is there a statute of limitations on spoilers?
**Warning, this post does NOT contain any spoilers**
Spoilers, in layman's terms, are the revealed conclusions to works of art, such as books or movies. It's hard to read a review that doesn't say, "Warning, this review contains spoilers." And in today's social media climate, it's hard not to tweet or post about the shocking ending to Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, or Breaking Bad with everyone.
But do spoilers have a statute of limitations? I mean, if one hasn't by now read the conclusion to A Christmas Carol or seen all six Star Wars movies, are they to blame? Should they be subject to every criticism of the book or movie? Should they sit through every rant about the characters just because the movie or book came out "so long ago!"
I think not.
New fans are coming to our works all the time. New fans that get to experience the truth behind Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker or what happens to Ned Stark in Game of Thrones should be free to do so in their own time.
They should be free to experience the anticipation we all felt when we watched these movies or read those books. I didn't read Lord of the Rings until the Peter Jackson movies came out--it was when Fellowship first came to video that I watched it and then had to read the books. I'm glad the movies weren't exactly like the books, but I still got to read the rest of it before Towers and Return came to the theaters.
At work, some of my co-workers are watching Breaking Bad for the first time. I am currently in season five--waiting patiently for the rest to come out on Netflix. It's fun to listen to them talk about the episodes that I watched a month ago.
And I'm careful not to read anything on how it actually ends.
Spoilers, in layman's terms, are the revealed conclusions to works of art, such as books or movies. It's hard to read a review that doesn't say, "Warning, this review contains spoilers." And in today's social media climate, it's hard not to tweet or post about the shocking ending to Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, or Breaking Bad with everyone.
But do spoilers have a statute of limitations? I mean, if one hasn't by now read the conclusion to A Christmas Carol or seen all six Star Wars movies, are they to blame? Should they be subject to every criticism of the book or movie? Should they sit through every rant about the characters just because the movie or book came out "so long ago!"
I think not.
New fans are coming to our works all the time. New fans that get to experience the truth behind Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker or what happens to Ned Stark in Game of Thrones should be free to do so in their own time.
They should be free to experience the anticipation we all felt when we watched these movies or read those books. I didn't read Lord of the Rings until the Peter Jackson movies came out--it was when Fellowship first came to video that I watched it and then had to read the books. I'm glad the movies weren't exactly like the books, but I still got to read the rest of it before Towers and Return came to the theaters.
At work, some of my co-workers are watching Breaking Bad for the first time. I am currently in season five--waiting patiently for the rest to come out on Netflix. It's fun to listen to them talk about the episodes that I watched a month ago.
And I'm careful not to read anything on how it actually ends.
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