A world not one's own

This sluggish week between Christmas and New Year, when the weather is dreadful and dull, when you aren't quite sure what to do with yourself, is a perfect time to rediscover the ancient art of reading.  So go find something fascinating and lose yourself in a world not your own.

Permission granted

You have my permission to go see a movie this weekend, if you've done your assigned reading that is…apparently the new Star Wars movie is pretty good, who said miracles don't happen nowadays?

Go sing something?!

Usually you get an assignment to go read something, but just for fun, go sing something, maybe Handel's Messiah or five verses of your favorite traditional carol, I'll even settle for Jingle Bell Rock at this point, just no Justin Beaver (I know that's not his name!).  Merry Christmas!

What day is it again?

Happy Cyber Monday!

Or was that Saturday?  Black Friday now starts on Thursday, I really can't keep these things straight!  Maybe I'll just crawl back into a fantasy novel: things make sense there.

Happy reading!

The Christmas Classics

Warning: this post has nothing whatsoever to do with my books or writing or literature.  Thank You: Management.

I grew up back in the dark ages when we had three TV channels and a VCR was considered cutting edge.  Back then everybody watched the same movies and shows because that was the only thing on and it was the same thing year in and year out.  I still don't like 'The Wizard of Oz,' but we watched it faithfully every year because that's what people did back then don't ask me why.  At Christmastime things really got exciting because there were all sorts of 'classics' to watch, most of which I wonder how they ever came my that moniker except that there was nothing else on and it sort of became tradition and around the Holidays we have a soft spot for tradition.  I'm not sure these so-called classics will survive to pass on to the next generation, at least in my house.

Charlie Brown is just depressing, and that's all I will say about it.  Rudolf has its endearing moments but the clay-mation is kind of creepy and Santa is a downright jerk.  Frosty is okay but nothing I want to watch again unless I'm stranded in an airport and there's nothing else on except CNN.  Of the newer 'classics,' 'Elf' and 'The Santa Clause' are cute and I don't mind watching them (only the original on the latter however) on occasion, and no 'Home Alone' is not even on the list; I'd rather watch Charlie Brown.  The one movie that should be on this list, but it isn't, is 'The Nativity Story,' which I think is an awesome rendition of the actual Christmas story.  Yes it is a bit cheesy at times, but it is also heartwarming, a little mysterious, funny, suspenseful, and an intimate look at what the characters might have actually experienced and felt.

As a kid I never really understood who Joseph was and the struggles he had to endure in a culture that looked on out of wedlock birth as a capital offense and the courage it took for him to claim that baby as his own.  With all those angels and wise men you kind of overlook the fact that Mary was probably just a teenager and got to travel a long ways while eight months pregnant before cars and highways after her entire family and community basically decided she was just another fluzie, and did I mention the jealous King who decided to kill any upstart Messiahs?  Talk about drama!  This is way better than melting snowmen or determining how santa is going to get through the fog.  Maybe one day it will be placed among the Christmas pantheon right alongside Linus wearing a blanket on his head and proclaiming, 'hockey stick!'  If anything, it is at least a lot less depressing.

To be continued…?

As an indie author, I'm always looking for new or better ways to publish my work.  I've been a smashwords fan from the beginning of my indie career (a breathtaking 3 years) and am still a happy client.  I expanded to amazon because, well, it is amazon, though I really have not been too thrilled with their treatment of non-amazon exclusive authors (or even non-prime members on occasion).  I dabbled with 'draft to digital' but found no reason to switch from smashwords.  Today I thought I'd explore google play, but apparently they are closed to new authors temporarily (I believe it dates back to May!) but, 'hey, come back soon and check it out!'  Soon?  Six months is not soon (this is November).  I begin to wonder if they are scrapping the program, and if so, it would be nice if they'd just be honest and say so.  But I do believe they also purchased Oyster (a monthly reading subscription service) so maybe something is brewing?  But for now, I guess I'll just stick with the same old same old.

'Tis the season!

Yes, it is that time of year again: time for the random Christmas Hymn Lyric Review.  What does it have to do with my books?  Nothing, but who cares?  Now down to business.  This hymn has always been a little odd to me, and I don't think I've ever heard more than the first or second verse, but we're working on a piece in choir right now that contained the words 'Glorious now, see Him arise, God and King and Sacrifice,' with the traditional melody and it made me curious.  So I found the entire thing for your erudition (and my own).  It is actually quite an interesting little composition, if politically incorrect, but then any traditional Christmas hymn is technically that nowadays so without further ado: 

'We Three Kings:'

We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light

Born a King on Bethlehem's plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light

Frankincense to offer have I
Incense owns a Deity nigh
Prayer and praising, all men raising
Worship Him, God most high

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes of life of gathering gloom
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light

Glorious now behold Him arise
King and God and Sacrifice
Alleluia, Alleluia
Earth to heav'n replies

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light

Bits and pieces!

I was going to enter a writing contest based on the classic fairy tale of sleeping beauty, but in deciding I am not author enough to compete therein, I have published my two attempts at remaking the classic tale in 'Over the Hills and Far Away,' for the more serious tale and made a Foible out of the other.  Look for 'On Sleeping Beauties: A Foible.' at smashwords, apple, and barnes and noble soon!

I have also released my fourth 'In Shadow' book, 'Captain of Shadow,' so forget the preorder.  It has also been released at Amazon in both stand alone and as part of the complete collection.  Enjoy!

To preorder or not to preorder?

Well we are a day older and a day closer to the release of my new preorder and I don't think anybody cares, when I was assured this preorder thing was the best thing since sliced bread, but then store-bought sliced bread isn't all that great either, so maybe I'll just take my chances next time and release the book when I'm done with it.  It's a great little trick to rack up opening day sales for big name authors, but for us nobodies, it really is kind of silly!

No trick, just a treat!

Get a free copy of my new book, 'Captain of Shadow,' but act fast, like good chocolate, this deal won't last long.  Use coupon code MX94P at smashwords.com before Oct. 21!

Perks

The book is done and scheduled for release on November 1st, but if you have the entire 'In Shadow' collection in one volume and are actually excited about this book, you might want to update your copy:)

Dipping a toe in

So I have tried 'draft to digital' with one book, limiting distribution to a bookseller called Tolino since it is already everywhere else with smashwords, and I'm still having trouble publishing a multivolume set in one volume, even with their automated system.  Smashwords has a 'style guide' that is rather extensive, but once tried, is not difficult to implement though more complicated books are still rather indigestible to their 'meat grinder.'  D2D boasts that it has no style guide save your own, which has its own set of problems.  I cannot say that I am so impressed I am going to bother switching over quite yet, but we'll see once I try updating my 'In Shadow,' box set when the new book comes out.

Update: it seems that though D2D does not have a style guide, they have a style guide, go figure.  I'll be sticking with smashwords rather than reinventing the wheel.

On Indie Publishers

I have been publishing with smashwords for three years now and have had a generally pleasant experience, but I must admit I am thinking about 'seeing someone else.'  Through a certain blog post, I became aware of a site called Draft to Digital, which does very much the same thing.  My only quibble with smashwords is their so-called Meatgrinder, the software they use to convert your word document into an ebook, has trouble with a complex internal navigation system (the hyperlinks and bookmarks that form your table of contents) and it is like trying to herd cats whenever I try and update or publish a 'box set' or volume with more than one book or table of contents in it.  The resulting ebooks work just fine, but the Meatgrinder has indigestion and the people that supervise the process chuck my book into the 'needs attention' bin wherein I go back and edit, and reset everything and rinse and repeat for about 8 times before someone finally lets it slip through and gets it updated.  This draft to digital seems to have a much smoother upload process, but I can't just start over.  Apparently you lose all your reviews, links, etc. if you switch and basically start with a clean slate, so all the momentum (if any) I've built up over the years is summarily lost.  I might try it with something like my 'Sampler Platter' and see what happens.  For a simple book, smashwords is great, but I dread the coming update of my 'In Shadow' complete volume when I release the new book.

On preorders

So in my last post, I notified the anxiously waiting world (tee hee!) about my upcoming book release.  The problem is, I don't know if I can wait until November.  It is supposed to be the readers who are impatient for the next book, not the author!  But since I am not a huge name author with hordes of avid readers out there (or any at all?) waiting rabidly for my next release, this whole preorder thing may not make a whole lot of sense.  We'll see how the writing process goes, but this is fair warning that the book might be out sooner than I promised.

Deadlines

One perk of being an indie author is no deadlines, until now.  I am trying out the new feature at smashwords called an 'asset-less preorder,' which is basically an announcement that your book is going to be published on day X but you don't have the final manuscript done yet.  I like the preorder feature but previously you had to finish the book and then put it up for preorder, whereas I would like to publish the thing the minute I have it finished.  This way, I can use preorder without having the book done yet and get the best of both worlds, but now I also have a deadline.  The book is two thirds done and the release date is November 17th, I should be able to make it.

It is the fourth book in my 'In Shadow' series, so if you have noticed a slight price increase in the boxed set, it is in anticipation of the next book joining the series.  Those of you who have already purchased the 'In Shadow' boxed set are in luck, you get a freebie!  Take a sneak peek at the book here.

Now a word from…wait, we don't have a sponsor.

For all of you Anne of Green Gables fans or guys wondering what a girl wants in a relationship, here's a nice little article.

The reading sensation of the summer!

Have you read it?  Can you put it down?  Is there a sequel?  When does the movie come out?

What am I talking about?  The Book!  You haven't heard about it?  It has taken my family by storm, I would assume it would do the same internationally.  It hasn't?  Oh well, it is certainly worth a look.  And yes, it is a board book, you know, the ones made out of thick cardboard for small children, but it is one of those books you don't mind reading 100 times in a row; it is that good.  Go check out, 'Shh, We Have a Plan,' by Chris Haughton.

Dog days

It's hot, go to the library, they have air conditioning, oh yeah, and books!

A word from your local library?

The 'dog days' of summer are upon us!  Grab a book and escape from the heat.

Life according to plan?

I've reached the halfway point on the new Shadow book, at least on the first draft.  I didn't plan to write another one for a bit, but for some reason these things never happen 'according to plan!'

My Bingley is showing!

~"I read this book a while back, but have been busy with writing/publishing my own book. However, I wanted to review this book - and here I find I have some time... and still remember the book.

I enjoyed how the author kept my interest over all the books. And kept track of all the characters.

The one complaint I would have... and I did try to find the author to point this out - spelling. For example the word aide is a noun, meaning an assistant/helper etc but it was repeatedly used as a verb - which should have been aid. (To help). There were a couple of others, but this misuse was the worst.

As for the story - I thought it was very cleverly done. I enjoyed it. At times it was 'page-turning' but at all times interesting.

Because of my annoyance over the spellchecker mistakes I am only giving it four stars - it could so easily have been 5 star."~

This was a review I received the other day over at smashwords on my 'Serpent and the Unicorn' complete edition, and I really got a kick out of it.  I really appreciate a thoughtful review, especially when it shows that perhaps the English language is not yet dead after all.  I am very glad to see there are a few people on the planet who know a thing or two about grammar (besides my sister).  Sadly, I am a self-taught grammarian and still have very much to learn upon the subject, so I appreciate all the help I can get; I was a biology major who would have happily taken a few English classes and skipped the Organic Chemistry and calculus, but that was not an option at the time, nor did they teach grammar in high school during my time there (and I'm sure it is even worse now), rather I spent an entire year studying nothing but direct objects and the rest of the time reading (and learning to hate) modern lit.

This is the part of the post where I start to sound like Mr. Bingley (Pride and Prejudice) bragging about his horrible letter writing abilities and then Mr. Darcy scolds him for being so proud of his haste.  I will admit outright that it drives me bananas to see the rapid decline of basic spelling and grammar abilities in the public at large, most especially on the internet.  Yes, I am a hypocrite, but mostly through ignorance (such as the above example).  I admit I am far more interested in 'the story' than I am in the grammatical perfection thereof, and my older works tend to become neglected once they are published and 'out of sight, out of mind.'  I am always trying to learn new things, to improve my craft, etc, but whatever I may pick up along the way, alas does not get applied to some of my older writing, mostly because I am far more interested in writing a new story than I am in revising an old one.

And I quite agree with this reviewer, my older books could certainly use a thorough going over (I began 'Serpent' nearly eight years ago and it was my first attempt at a real story).  I am currently going through 'Thus It Began,' mostly because I need to review my history for a new 'Shadow' book I'm working on, and some of my writing from that point is enough to make me cringe, and it is my own work!  I'm still enjoying the story but I am finding all sorts of little things to edit or improve.  The good news is that I think I have come a long way as a writer (this is not to say that I still do not have a very long way to go!).  The bad news is, I probably will never go back and rewrite the stories as they deserve.  I will try and revise them as time allows (fixing grammatical errors, etc.), but, at least to me, it is like going back and trying to prune a mature tree into a shape it never had.  When they redid the original Star Wars movies, I really didn't think they improved things by tampering with the original scenes, I vastly prefer the original versions, warts and all.  While my writing skills have improved in the years since I wrote those stories and I know they could benefit from a thorough rewriting, some part of me is reluctant to tamper with them.  I wrote them with the best that was in me at the time, and somehow they just wouldn't be the same.  This is not to say, that when I actually have the time to do it, they won't get a good editing, but it is not on the top of my project list at the moment.  

I will definitely fire my editor though…except I can't fire myself…that's the hateful thing about being a 'non-professional' writer: you actually have a life outside of writing.  And, if I have to choose between actually writing something new or fixing something old, I'm all about writing something new.  The older kids get neglected when the new baby comes along!  I really do appreciate constructive input and will add it to my authorial toolbox, but it may be awhile before my older books benefit from it.

The least of all news

I've done some very minor updates to my individual 'In Shadow' books, correcting a few spelling and grammatical errors, nothing exciting.  The complete volume is another beast entirely so it may not get the update for a bit.

Too hot...

Too hot to be outside?  Perfect!  Grab a book!

Summer book sale

Smashwords.com has its annual summer book sale, many books on sale, including mine.  Go read something!

The snail's on the thorn

"The lark's on the wing;

the snail's on the thorn:

God's in His heaven-

all's right with the world."

~Robert Browning~

I ran across this little poem (or part of a poem) the other day on another blog and thought it rather a timely thought.  It doesn't really matter how upside down or curious human society suddenly becomes, the sun still rises, the moon continues to tread the course of the heavens, and creation in all its ancient rhythm ticks ever on like a faithful old clock.  It is a very good thing to sit back and reflect for a moment on He who made the clock and keeps it wound, all our meddling with the definition of time can do nothing to affect the functioning of the gears or the passing of the hours.  We may call hours minutes and minutes hours and think them interchangeable but we cannot actually change the true reality thereof.

Fast away the warm month passes...

Summer is fleeting, I hope you are working on your writing contest entries or reading something worthwhile!  Or just enjoying life (though such past times are most certainly doing just that).

A timely review: having nothing whatsoever to do with writing

I like to be efficient, prompt, and on top of things, so I shall attempt to compare and contrast two film versions of arguably the world's most beloved romance: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.  And no, I don't usually review books or films on this blog, but as it is summer, why not do something a little different?  Besides, as I love the book, it must have influenced my writing style, right?  Thus it is totally relevant…ah ha.  Version One, starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy came out in 1995.  Version Two, starring Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet came out in 2005, and as it is 2015, that makes this a very timely review.  I grew up with version One, which eventually led me to reading all of Miss Austen's works, of which this book is still my favorite.  Version Two came out while I was dating my husband and he boldly took me to the movie, one of only two guys in the entire audience, a feat worthy of Darcy himself!  So I have fond memories associated with both versions, so hopefully my critique is somewhat less unobjective than it otherwise might be.

We'll start with the general splendor, beauty, and enjoyment found in the costumes, settings, music, and general ambiance of the film.  I loved Two's depiction of rural english life of the period and it was probably far truer to the real thing than the more elegant and refined environs found in One, but both have wonderful music, beautiful cinematography, and great costuming, no complaints here!

Run time: we have just over two hours for Two and somewhere between five and six hours for One, so depending on your schedule and how desperately you need an Austen fix, both have their advantages.  If you want the entire book and have time to enjoy, One is by far the superior, but in this fast paced age,  sometimes there is only time for Two.

Faithfulness to the book: One is almost word for word the entire book, no contest here.  Two is Pride and Prejudice, but then again, it is not.  Much of the dialogue is either rushed or has characters speaking right on top of each other, making it hard to understand; even knowing the story inside out I had a hard time following it.  There is also a fair amount of invented dialogue and some of the original words/phrasing have been changed, which is rather awkward, especially when some of the archaic phrasing has been left intact while some straightforward lines have been changed, theoretically for clarity, but it makes for an odd mix.  At one point Darcy should say something about performing to strangers, but strangers has been changed to 'people I don't know,' which is just awkward and I would hope people know the definition of stranger.  Also, the characters seem to be modern people with modern manners stuffed into dresses and bonnets rather than actual characters of the period in Two, which impairs one's ability to really lose oneself in the film, whereas One has no such difficulty.  Also, with its time crunch, Two tends to minimize some of the main plot points, and there is probably some intent to gloss over something that isn't a major issue today and thus not comprehensible as a significant social crisis (the infamous elopement), whereas One takes the time to actually portray the issue, explain its significance, and the characters' response to it.

Acting/casting: I'll get into this more specifically with each major character, but in general, I was not impressed with the casting for Two while One was spot on.  One has a natural chemistry between the characters, which flows and draws you in.  Two leaves me feeling awkward the entire time, I felt like the new kid at school starting halfway through the first semester; I always felt like an outsider.  It is something like the difference between the original Star Wars trilogy and the prequels.  The original characters have chemistry and draw you along on a fantastic adventure through the galaxy, whereas the prequels are just awkward, and I sadly must rank the love story therein as the worst film romance of all time, because it just isn't believable.  I have to say the same about Two, Mr. Collins' perceived attachment is about as deep as this Darcy's portrayed attachment to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth: One's Elizabeth is a bit old in appearance for a 20 year old, but otherwise, she is a perfect Elizabeth.  Keira Knightley is the last person I would have chosen for Elizabeth in Two, she is just too snarky, and for all of her faults, Austen's character was never snarky.  The scene where she insults her mother to her face was not in character at all and I had to make sure I was watching an actually serious production of P&P and not a spoof!  Darcy is supposed to be afflicted with pride, but that seems to be Elizabeth's fault in Two's rendition rather than prejudice.

Darcy: I will say it outright, Colin Firth is the penultimate Mr. Darcy, I should probably recuse myself but then this review wouldn't be complete!  I don't like Two's Darcy at all, he's not attractive, he has no depth of character or personality, he's way too awkward (maybe that's intentional) to get any girl to fall for him, and overall I just found him irksome.  Firth does wonders portraying Darcy, especially when he says nothing at all, which is most of the movie, Two's Darcy just stands around looking awkward like some kid at his first school dance.

Mrs. Bennet: both portrayals, while very different, were excellently done.  I do like that there is a bit more affection amongst the Bennet clan displayed in Two than in One, they are actually a family, if a crazy one.

Mr. Bennet: again, I enjoyed both actor's interpretations of the character, especially in Two where Mr. Bennet actually shows some affection towards his wife and younger daughters, there is a warmth there that One is lacking.

Mr. Bingley: I do not like Two's Bingley in the least, he minds me of a golden retriever (and I'm not trying to slight the dog, but this is not a dog movie so a lead character should not mind me of one): not too bright, desperate to please, no will of his own.  While Bingley should display an easiness of temper and be malleable to his friends/sisters, this is too extreme.  One's Bingley does a wonderful job.

Mr. Collins: if you want odious, you can't do better than One's Mr. Collins, Two's is just creepy and Mr. Collins, while annoying, obnoxious, conceited, falsely humble, and none too bright, he is not creepy.

Lady Catherine: Two's Lady Catherine is probably my favorite, she just has a superiority about her that One's can't match, though One's is still a decent rendition.

Charlotte Lucas: Two's Charlotte is a more interesting character though One's does a fair job.

The Gardiners: they are almost non-characters in Two though some of my favorite characters in the book and One.

Lydia Bennet: I am not sure if the boisterous Lydia of One or the snide Lydia of Two is better, but both bring out different aspects of the insipid girl, a pity Two doesn't have more time to delve into her character.  Her situation has been reduced to a mere subplot.

 Bingley's Sister(s): there isn't time for the requisite social intercourse in Two, thus this role is almost as non-essential as the Gardiners, the little we see of Caroline though, she does a good job.  One's duo really brings out the snobbery and flesh out the characters well.  I do miss Mr. Hurst sleeping on the divan throughout the entire movie though.

Overall: if I need a quick Austen fix, I'll watch Two, but in all else, One is far superior in almost every aspect, at least if you are a devotee of the book, but if you prefer a more modern retelling (though set in the same period), Two just might be your movie.

A writing pox on you and your house!

Have you ever caught that flu that knocks you out for three weeks, making you completely useless for anything?  I think I have the writing ague, that silly little writing contest has infatuated me and I'm working on various incarnations of the same tale; I'm rather enjoying it!  You can to, have you started your story yet?  Only six months to go!

Ladies and Gentlemen, sharpen your pens!

I missed it last year, but now's the time if you are interested in rewriting a classic fairy tale.  Check out the writing contest here.

Of vital unimportance

I did a minor update on my 'In Shadow' series (not the complete volume, only the individual books), fixing a few typographical errors, nothing too exciting, but welcome news for all you eager grammarians out there.

Neither an author nor a handyman be?

So I've given up writing and taken up furniture refinishing instead, writing is definitely more fun, but there is something rather exciting in taking a beat up dresser and painting it an obnoxious blue.  I don't think this is my new vocation but it is a nice change of pace.

Excitement, adventure, a Jedi needs not these things!

Thankfully I am not a Jedi, but the Star Wars movies would be rather dull if Yoda were in charge.  I'm revisiting some of the old Star Wars books, a staple of my young life, and rather interesting to read from an adult perspective (have I really grown up?).  I can't say I like what they did in the later books, bringing in some weird alien force from outside the galaxy, but some of the earlier ones are as much fun to read as the movies are to watch (and some are down right terrible).  It will be interesting to see what the upcoming movie will entail, though it seems they'll just ignore the 'expanded universe,' hit the reset button like they did with Star Trek, and move on from there.  Any bets on whether Leia gets her own song and dance number like all proper Disney Princesses?

Good excuses...

You'd better have a good excuse for reading this blog, it is a beautiful day outside, go play!

Facelift...

I've updated 'The Legends of the Brethren' series, a collection of short stories.  Volume I is now a free sampler and Volume II is now the complete collection, with 12 new stories!

Friends, old and new?

I hate deserting an old friend, a companion that has stood faithfully by through many adventures for nearly fifteen years, but alas, both my geography and experience necessitate it.  So I bid a fond farewell to Peterson's 'Guide to Eastern Birds.'  But like many an old book, I can return to it at leisure or need and renew our acquaintance though I have found younger and more relevant friends to accompany me into the field.  Yes, I fear birdwatching is even more an obsession for me than writing this time of year.

Early Retirement?

After tackling a few major project lately, I think I'll take the rest of my life off…that will last about as long as it takes for me to find another project, say a day and a half...

Public Health Advisory

No books news, but this is certainly an important issue that you might want to be apprised of!

Hungry?

Now that a certain book is out of the way, I can get busy with other projects.  My latest is a collection of all my free books in one volume, something like an artist's portfolio, but I made a little mistake and am too lazy to correct it, so anyone who downloads the book will get an inadvertent freebie!  Look for "The Sampler Platter" coming soon, and no, the recipe for the cover photo is not contained within, but it can be found over at my other blog.  Enjoy!

Finally! Now I can take a vacation…?

I just published the last of the 'In Shadow' trilogy, "Shadows Fall" and the entire trilogy in one volume ('In Shadow') including the first book of "The Serpent and the Unicorn," at smashwords.  Enjoy!  Now maybe I could take a few days off…?  

Book news

The last book of the 'In Shadow' trilogy is done, save for the editing of course, blah…  I'm hoping to release the entire trilogy in one volume along with the third novel.  Stay tuned!

A delay!

You'll have to wait a little while on the third installment of 'In Shadow,' not years, but perhaps a month or two, this intense writing schedule is occasionally interrupted by that thing called life!

Shadowy news

Dearest nonexistent fans,

I am almost done proofing the second installment of the 'In Shadow' series and once I get the ebook formatted, hope to have it out in a week or two.  The third book is probably a third of the way written, at least in the rough.  I have hopes of releasing them all in one volume once the third book is publishable.

Enjoy!

Still more questions you didn't ask (#5):

In this ever popular series (or so I like to imagine), I answer urgent questions from my avid (and nonexistent) fans.  Such as this:

Some of your phrasing is a little, shall we say quaint, or odd, or enigmatic, or archaic mayhap; what's the deal?  Is this just creative license or did you fail out of english in high school?  Can't you just stick to modern english?

Thank you for that phenomenal question (you are welcome).  I am a self-professed lover of old books (just check the book list on my other blog) and also enjoy watching such works brought to life on screen, in perusing such material, sometimes I will come across an archaic turn of phrase or a way of expressing something or an interesting word that sticks with me and eventually ends up in my writing.  One of my greatest disappointments with modern life is the decline of our language and literary skills.  Some newspapers write at a 4th grade reading level, thinking their readership too dense to understand anything else.  Modern society tends to 'dumb things down' instead of asking people to 'rise to the occasion,' as it were; we are all of us special which means none of us are.  Instead of trying hard, learning from our mistakes, and doing better next time, everyone gets a trophy for showing up.

I might write in prose but good writing (I am not making a personal claim here) should also be poetic in a sense: it should have a rhythm all its own and just flow from word to word, sentence to sentence; it should bear the reader whither you will on a sea of words, sometimes calm, sometimes stormy, but always suited to the narrative.  My writing is not complicated or hard to understand (i.e.: Ulysses) but I do throw in an outdated phrase, word, or bit of grammar from time to time, and yes, I feel free to mix and match from any and all periods and cultures (Tolkien would have a fit, but I can't say I like his elvish poetry either, so we'll agree to disagree).  I am a verbophile, I love words and phrases and dabble in them as a painter does their paints.  Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but it is something I enjoy and hopefully my readers (if any) have fun with it too.

An inconvenient obsession

The thing I hate most about reading a series that is still in progress is waiting for the next installment; the thing I hate most about writing is that when you have an idea, you feel like you HAVE TO write it up, right now, regardless of what else is happening in life.  Not that anyone likely cares, but for those of you in the first camp, rejoice ye few, I now have a very rough draft of the second book of the 'In Shadow' series so may soon get the thing published (if I can get it edited) and have even started the third book.  As for me, I'm definitely in the very midst of the second camp and unlikely to escape until the third book is written, edited, and published.  I guess if I must have an obsession, it is better writing than gambling; I don't necessarily make money, but at least I don't lose it!

A slight change

I had initially only planned to write one book, but as 'Shadow of the Unicorn' looks like it will turn into an actual series, I have decided to offer the first book free (where I am able to), it may take a little while for this change to be reflected at most retailers (and at one I am incapable of making such an offer), so enjoy!

It's a Book!

Even after 15 kids, I can still get excited about a new addition to the family, right?  I just published my first new book in The Chronicles of the Brethren series in several years and it looks like it might be a trilogy (triplets!), I'm working on the second one now and we'll see where it goes from there.  This is a series within a series, as it were, kind of like 'The Serpent and the Unicorn,' and it is highly recommended you at least read Serpent first, just to know the world better, but it can be enjoyed without too.  Enjoy, 'Shadow of the Unicorn,' the first in the 'In Shadow' series.

Believe it or not?

Believe it or not (I really don't), I am in the final stages of editing my not so long awaited new book (I started writing the thing in December!).  It is fun to be dabbling with my Brethren series again.

Is there help for the obsessed?

Well, dear nonexistent fans, you will be delighted to hear that I am about three quarters of the way through the next book in the 'Chronicles of the Brethren' series.  Every spare moment of late has been consumed by this task, I never get to choose when and what I write, rather it seems an idea suddenly comes, and like an addict, I can't help but write; sometimes it is rather inconvenient!  When I actually have time and interest, I have nothing to write about but when I have something I really want to write, the time is not there.  I wonder if there is some sort of psychological disorder specific to writers?  And if so, is there help?

New Year's Resolutions?

Forget the gym, go countercultural and read something!