A Writer's Week #128: The Circle is Now Complete

 It took a bit longer than I anticipated, but the Deliverers Series is now complete. Today, I submitted the paperback and Kindle versions of Book 4: Sparkling Mist of Time to Amazon. It will be published February 29. The Kindle version is available for preorder right now. Here's the cover--a big thank you to Emily Hurst Pritchett once again!

A lot of emotions flooded through me when I pressed the upload button. This series is something that has been a part of my life for over 15 years. When I started, I could not have predicted that I would conclude the writing journey here, now. If I knew how it would play out, I might never have started. It took over four years to write book one. It took 2-3 years to write books two and three. Then, I started book four. Book four was really the hardest test in the whole odyssey. 16,000 words in I kind of lost my religion, abandoned the task, and wandered about in the wilderness for about eight years. I had honestly thought the writing chapter of my life was closed. I had burned myself out trying to market my baby.

You see, I was under the impression that if I worked hard enough, I would be able to ditch my day job and make my dream of writing middle grade fiction full time a reality. When it didn't happen after three years of beating my head against the marketing wall at the expense of time with my kids, I gave it up. 

Now, I am older and (perhaps) a little bit wiser. I realize now that if some folks enjoy what I write, I don't have to be a best seller and make a mint to gain satisfaction from it. I owe a great debt to my father for reminding me of that, and for also suggesting refreshing the three existing books as I worked on the fourth.                                                                                                                                

So, a big thank you to all the contributors to the series over the years--Ana Vogel, Daniel Vogel, Jimm Singer, and Emily Hurst Pritchett. I could not have done any of this without your contributions throughout the years.

I also want to thank all of the fellow writers I've met along the way. You have always been one of my biggest sources of support. So, thank you Stephanie Robinson, Jessica Haight, C. Lee McKenzie, Karen Pokras, Margo Dill, and all the rest who have helped with reviews, feedback, and everything. I hope I've been able to return the favor.

What's next on my writer's journey? Look for a collection of inspirational short stories and poems later this year. They were my first foray into writing stories meant to be shared with others. After that, I think I will be revisiting the Dragon Islands, roughly 3,000 years before the events in The Golden Dragon of Ang. Seems like the inspirational well has not dried up after all. As things move forward, I hope you'll all come with me for the ride.

Peace.

FInal Cover Reveal & a Little Story on How We Got Here

Here is the new cover for The Deliverers Book 3:  The Golden Dragon of Ang, Below, I've written about how the three new covers came about and my journey back to resuming work on the fourth and final book in the series, The Deliverers Book 4:  Sparkling Mist of Time.

Here's a link to the updated trailer for the book on YouTube.

So how did we get here? At the end of last year, the Deliverers Series was at a crossroads, although I didn't realize it. I had published book three almost nine years ago, and, while I had written about 14,000 words or so of book four, I had pretty much walked away and was trying to move on. 

Although a lot of people told me they liked the books, marketing the series was difficult and frustrating because getting the word out requires a whole lot of time and effort. As I was feverishly writing a blog post a day, writing the books, and attending fairs and craft shows on weekends, my children were growing up and I felt I was missing that. I also was starting to feel like a failure. So, I shut everything down, and I figured that was the end of it.

Still, over the years I felt like there was still some unfinished business. Periodically, I'd pull up the manuscript for book four on the computer and write a few paragraphs. I even wrote a couple of blog posts saying I was resuming work. But soon after, I would put everything back on the figurative shelf.

That is, until I had a conversation with my dad on Christmas day. He asked me (not for the first time) when I was going to finish book four. Now, my dad is a very smart man. He was an optical engineer and the companies he worked for had projects with NASA that he worked on from the 60's to the 80's. He was the last person I expected to enjoy a middle grade fantasy adventure series. However, he surprised me with his enthusiasm for the books each time I released one. It was more than just liking them because it was his son who wrote them--he really enjoyed them, and that was the best feeling.

All of this is an extremely long way of saying that my dad encouraged, well, I think told is a better description, me to finish the series. So, I decided that I would resume work on the fourth, and probably the final, book in the series. This would mean that I would have to go back out on the marketing trail and resurrect the blog, etc. 

With that in mind, I looked at everything with a view to updating what I had. I redesigned the blog a bit and got a shorter domain name---Deliverers.net. Then I looked at the books themselves. When I first started, I was very blessed to have Daniel Vogel as my illustrator. He drew the cover, map and chapter header for Sharky and the Jewel when he was just 14, and all his covers were really great. However, that first book was released back in 2011 and it seemed to me that since I was making a fresh start, it was time to do some revamping of the artwork. I mean, even J.K. Rowling has updated the art on her Harry Potter books.

That begged the question, who would do the art? Daniel was no longer an option as he had moved on to other interests. That meant I would have to find an artist. How was I going to do that? Well, I started with the Society of Children's Book Writer & Illustrators. They had a nice listing of illustrators that were willing to work with self-published (indie) authors. Listings included their portfolios and websites/contact info.

That's where I found Emily Hurst Pritchett. I loved her portfolio immediately. Her work seemed to match the spirit of the Deliverers. So I reached out and happily, we were able to strike a deal. She was great to work with and I heartily recommend her to anyone who has a project in need of illustration.

So, this year has been a whirlwind of new art, new readers, some old readers, and moving forward with book four. In October I will be making a couple of appearances (I'll have details in my next blog post), and I'm looking to add more.

Work on the fourth book has been progressing. I'm up to almost 28,000 words and have just about finished part one. I hope to have the book completed by the end of November for a potential release early in 2024. Emily has agreed to do the artwork for book four, which she'll start sometime in September. That should give me some time to get a decent way through part 2 of the book.

So, if you've been following me throughout the years, thanks for hanging in there. For all of you who are new, thank you for checking out my work and please tell your friends and neighbors! It should be a fun ride. And to my dad, thank you for never giving up on me and caring enough to get me back on track. Peace.

A Writer's Week #117: A Fresh Start

 Hi everyone. I hope you have all had a great week. My week has been pretty eventful. It's been a while since my last Writer's Week post, but I feel like I've finally done something that's worthy of a post. I have resumed work on The Deliverers 4: Sparkling Mist of Time. The first 12 chapters were completed in 2016. Since then, I have not done much with it aside from some editing and chapter rewrites. Over the last couple months, I've written four more chapters. 

This week, I made the decision to complete the book by the end of this summer and get it ready for publication in time for Christmas. It will take a lot of work, but I'm extremely excited. So, once again I will set a goal to write 2,000-3,000 words per week in order to make those deadlines. I'll write a post each week to keep you updated on my progress.

Coming to this decision was a long process. Writing is a solitary activity. You have to be focused on the task, and it's easy to doubt yourself. I was burned out after three years of intense activity--writing books, writing blog posts, coordinating book layout and design, marketing, selling books at various shows. All of this was happening while my children were growing bigger every time I turned around. So, I stepped back for what I thought would be a year or two. That turned into six or seven. After some talks with my wife and other family members and friends, I decided to buckle down and get back in the game.

Now, I'm starting from scratch. With that in mind, I've come to the difficult decision to redesign and rebrand the series. I agonized over this for the better part of the last year. Daniel Vogel, the artist for the first three books, was just 14 when he did the cover and map for Sharky and the Jewel. He did a fantastic job on all the books and I will always be very grateful for his contributions. However, that was 11 years ago, and I felt that it was time to update the look of the series.

Once I came to that decision, I had to find an illustrator. Daniel has moved on to other things, so I spent a month searching for an illustrator whose style matches my vision for The Deliverers and would be appealing to middle grade readers. Last week, I found her. I'll announce who it is in a future post, but this week, we agreed to partner with each other, and I couldn't be more excited. Right now, she's reading the first book and will be working on some rough sketches next week. Really looking forward to seeing what she comes up with and sharing the journey with all of you. 

Have a great week!

A Writer's Week #107: The Golden Dragon is Coming!

Things have been moving along lately. I just received the final files for The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang from layout designer Ana Vogel and submitted them to Createspace. Once they've had a chance to review them, I'll order a few proof copies to make sure everything is in order, then the book will be all set to release.


With that in mind, I've set up a special counter here on the website. The release is set for April 1st-only fifteen days away! I'm really excited. I'll keep you updated on how things are progressing. In the meantime, here's the complete cover, front and back.

Illustrator Daniel Vogel did a wonderful job. I'll be back next week with a progress report on the new book and my work in progress, The deliverers 4. Have a great week.

A Writer's Week #105: Lights, Camera, Action

This was a very productive Writer's Week. The thing is, I did absolutely no writing. Now how could that be? Well, while I did next to no work on The Deliverers 4, I got a lot done in preparation for the launch of The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang. 

Last week I received the interior layout of the book. This week was spent reviewing it and making changes. It's always amazing to me that with all the eyes that look at a manuscript there are always a number of errors that slide through unnoticed. It was the same way at the magazine I used to work for. We had everyone in the office rereading the magazine before going off to the printer and there were still one or two typos that would appear when we received the finished product.

It's one reason why I never read any of my books after they're in print. I know I'll find a couple of typos and it will drive me nuts. I also tend to second guess myself. I'm not the same writer now that I was when I wrote Sharky and the Jewel. I like to think I've improved. If I were to go back and read that book, I know there would be spots where I would think that I could have worded things better, or where I repeated the same word three or four times over a couple of paragraphs, or spots where i could have inserted a little more action and less back story--you get the idea.

Anyway, I should be receiving the "final" interior layout shortly. I'll review it to make sure the changes look okay, then I can upload it to Createspace. Once the interior is set, layout artist Ana Vogel will be able to set the spine width on the cover and I'll be able to upload that. Then I can order a few proof copies and we should be in business.

My other major project for the week was the writing and production of the book trailer for The Golden Dragon of Ang. I had already done a storyboard and a script, but it was long--almost two minutes. That's still an acceptable length for a book trailer, but only just. The thing was, instead of titles, I wanted the video to be narrated. Because of this, I tried to force too much information into the video. I completed a cut with a lot of pictures and some lengthy narration. It was okay, but I wasn't really happy with it.



I did some cutting and edited down the narration. The final version is a minute and twenty one seconds, which coincidentally is the same length as the Deliverers 2 trailer. It moves along nicely now. I like having narration rather than titles that the viewer has to read--it makes it more like a movie trailer.

 My goals for the coming week are to format the Kindle version of the book. I have all the elements I need to do that, I just have to add the changes that I specified in the pdf layout to the Word document that I'll be converting. I have Daniel Vogel's final artwork and maps. I'm toying with the idea of releasing the Kindle version ahead of the paperback, but I haven't made up my mind. I should also be able to resume writing book 4 at some point next week. I'll let you know how that goes. Here's the video. Peace.

A Writer's Week #104: "What's Cookin'?"

The title of this post is something I'd imagine Hallo Tosis the dwarf to be asking right about now. Since he asked, I'll update both you and him. The Deliverers have recently finished up an Assignment, number three to be precise, that I'll be sharing with you all in just a few short weeks. They are currently on Assignment number four.

Lots of exciting things have been happening in connection to Assignment three--The Golden Dragon of Ang. Illustrator Daniel Vogel has completed his work on the pictures and the maps, and brilliant stuff it is. Layout designer Ana Vogel sent me the completed front cover on Sunday. On Thursday she sent me the interior of the book. Now all that remains is for me to give it one more review, send it back to Ana to make any final revisions, then submit it to the publisher. That means everything should be in place in about two weeks! Exciting stuff.

This weekend, production will start on the book trailer. I've been experimenting with a couple of different techniques and I think I'll try my hand at some narration rather than the narrative tiles that I used in the first two trailers. I'm hoping things will work out, if not it will be back to the

Title Page

drawing board.

In light of all the production developments related to book three, The Deliverers 4 was a little neglected this week. I wound up writing 1,250 words, which brings the total up to 11,250 over 11 chapters and 49 pages. It's coming along, but writing will be on the back burner this weekend for sure and perhaps for the entire week. We'll see.

I'm still on the fence about whether this will be book four of five or the final book in the series. Things are still zipping along. The pace seems to be okay to me, it's just that their task is a little more straightforward than usual, so instead of the cliffhanger at the end of the book, I might make that part one while what I had envisioned as book five may wind up being part two of book four. Once again, we'll see how it goes. Have a great week!

Front Cover Reveal

Well now, this is my third cover reveal post since I started the Deliverers Blog. It's pretty cool that the Deliverers Series will soon be up to three books. The first reveal I did was for Sharky & the Jewel and it was the first post on this blog. The second reveal--for Order of the Crystal Lion--was last summer.

Last night, graphic designer Ana Vogel sent the cover for The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang over to me. She's now in the process of laying out the interior and I hope to have the final files soon. I've been looking at it ever since. Artist Daniel Vogel did another great job. I think he really took this one to the next level. Here it is:

This is a really cool cover. I'm so blessed to have such talented friends! I love the rust/orange colors and the orange byline. My mother is going to laugh when she sees it. I know just what she'll say--"Miami Dolphins colors!"

Back when I was in junior high school, I wanted to paint my room aqua and orange to show my undying love for the Miami Dolphins. Well, now I have a book cover that does the same thing! Thanks, Ana!

I am really excited about this installment in the series, but then again, I've been excited about all of them. I'm not sure exactly how long this one will wind up being--my guess is about 10 or 15 pages longer than the last one. It's going to have two maps, for reasons that you'll learn when you read the book.

Now that I have all the art I can start working on the book trailer. I'll let you know how that's going sometime next week. As soon as I have a firm publication date for the book, I'll start a countdown featuring character interviews, the video trailer and some giveaways. Stay tuned!

A Writer's Week #103: What a Difference a Week Makes

A week ago I was really struggling with the writing of The Deliverers 4. Things were just not gelling in my head and I was finding it tough to focus. The result was a mere 1,000 words written, only half of my weekly goal. As this week got underway, I was determined to catch up by writing 3,000 words. But after the week I had that goal seemed a stretch.

I'm happy to say that I did far better than I hoped. I wrote a total of 4,000 words this week, one of my best writing weeks ever. Book four now stands at 10,000 words over nine chapters and 44 pages. The writing was easy this week and I hope to keep that up in the coming week.

Now, while I'm really pleased with the story as it's progressed so far, I'm a little worried about the speed at which the plot is progressing. That's been a concern since the very beginning when I first started plotting out this book. If I get things wrapped up too quickly, then I think I'll keep writing right to the end of the series and The Deliverers Series will wind up being four books. The other possibility is that something unexpected happens that will add an unexpected twist and give me enough for a complete book.

Either way will be okay. It's kind of exciting not knowing for sure which way it's going to go--almost like I'm a reader rather than the author. It will be interesting to see which way things will go. As I've mentioned before, either the end of book four will be a cliffhanger, or it will wind up being the segway to the second half
of the book, which would have been book five.

This week was also special because I received the preliminary drawing for the chapter header for The Golden Dragon of Ang. It's a picture of a Chinese dragon, and it looks really cool. I can't wait until the book is ready. It won't be long now. When the cover is all set, I'll share it with you here. Have a great week!

A Writer's Week #101: Visions--Past & Present

This week had a lot to do with visions. No, I was not hallucinating, but I did see a lot of interesting things. First of all, I received the almost completed cover illustration for The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang. That was really cool. Illustrator Daniel Vogel and his mother, graphic designer Ana Vogel, have done a

fantastic job as usual. I've been looking at it all week and just marveling at the depth.

It's a big change from the original pencil sketch that Dan sent for my approval a couple of months ago. Since then, I've watched it evolve into what I received this week. All it needs is a little sparkle added to the mist and it will be complete. Once it's done, Ana will add the titles and the cover will be set. I'm getting excited! I can't show you the whole thing yet, but I will share just a bit. I added the Deliverers Series title, but that's not the way it will be on the final cover.

This week I also had to envision the past. I'm at the point in the Deliverers 4 where Eric and the others are sent back in time by the Gatekeeper. It was more challenging than I anticipated because Eric's hometown of Candlewood Corners, CT is loosely based on a combination of the town where I live and the town where I grew up, which was the site of the only battle of the Revolution fought in Connecticut. It was difficult trying to envision what the towns must have looked like

during the time of the American Revolution. Talk about a brain exercise! Seeing the colonial Candlewood Corners through Eric's eyes was very interesting. When this book is done, I don't think I'll ever look at my town the same way.

I got a lot of writing done. I wrote over 2,700 words, which brings the total for book four to more than 5,000 words over three chapters and 24 pages. In the coming week, I hope to receive the finished cover art for book three and to continue work on book four. Once I get the final cover, I'll start work on the book trailer. I've got a couple ideas for that, but I still have to sit down and do the storyboard. I'll let you know how that goes next week!

A Writer's Week #100: Doing What I Love Best

Boy, I really feel good this week. Finally, after months of preparation, research and one false start I was able to get back to doing what I love best--write. The Deliverers 4 is now well and truly underway. This week, I wrote the first 2,336 words of the latest installment of the Deliverers Series. That's the prologue and most of chapter one in 11 pages.

I had originally started with Eric having a dream, which I've done in two of the first three books, but it just did not feel right. Instead, I used a scene I'd envisioned as chapter three as a prologue and it worked really well to set things up. It also made it easier for me to introduce other background elements in the first chapter.

So, all in all I'm really pleased with the way things have begun and I'm really feeling energized. I'm looking forward to getting Eric into the Hallway of Worlds and sending him and Stig, Kate and Hallo back in time to the American Revolution. Now that I've found the right angle, I'm excited.

During my research I discovered a plausible motivation for the British General who commanded the forces
that marched inland into Connecticut in 1777 to take things a step further than he actually did. It was a little eerie, actually, but it convinced me I was on the right track. More on this next week.

Things remain status quo for The Golden Dragon of Ang. Waiting for artwork and layout is always tough, but I know from experience that artist Daniel Vogel and layout wizard Ana Vogel will come through with a fantastically designed and illustrated finished product. Waiting--not my strongest trait.  We're on track for the book to be released in a little over a month! Hopefully I'll have an update for you shortly!

A Writer's Week #99: Book Four, Take Two

We're getting closer to the release of The Golden Dragon of Ang. Work is progressing on the cover and other artwork. The maps are complete. Illustrator Daniel Vogel and layout designer Ana Vogel are on
schedule to everything complete by the end of February. It's really exciting.

Earlier this week, I posted the first part of chapter one, then the blurb for the back cover. Soon, I'll be releasing some interviews with characters from the book. As I've said before, I'm really looking forward to the release of this book. It was a lot of fun to write.

The Deliverers 4, however, is another story-no pun intended. I've been going back and forth on the plot. I worked hard on it this week and I came up with some really good stuff. There are still a few plot points that have yet to resolve themselves, but I think I am ready to begin writing for a second time. The unfortunate part is that I don't think I'll be able to use the original beginning that I wrote right after Christmas. The good part is that I think the new beginning will be better than version one.

I'm planning to begin writing this weekend and I hope to have the first draft completed by Labor Day. At this point, I'm a little nervous about that goal. I can see the end of this book going two ways-either it will end in a cliffhanger, or I'll wind up combining book 4 with book 5 and having one long book. The latter option will happen only if I don't have enough material for the fourth book. As I said, I'm still sketchy on some of the details of the book, so if it winds up being 150 pages or so, I'll ditch the cliffhanger and go right into what would have been the fifth book. So, book four could be 400 pages and the final book in the series. We'll see what happens.

Finally, today the Character Book Club is holding its monthly meeting on Fairday's blog. I'm pleased to tell you that Fairday, Lizzy and Marcus of the Detective Mystery Squad interviewed Kate and Hallo. They had a blast. If you'd like to read what they had to say, click the link here. Have a great week!

A Writer's Week #96: Beginning Another Journey

Hello all. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas/holiday. Mine was great, which is why I'm so late with this post. My children have been at my parents for the last few days and my wife and I took advantage of that by going to New York City yesterday. So, here's a rundown of what's been happening.

Looked up Eloise at the Plaza, but she wasn't home.

 I met with illustrator Daniel Vogel to talk about the progress of the artwork for The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang. Well, actually, I went over to his house for a get together with his family the day before Christmas. He kept me in suspense saying he wanted to wait until the cover was colored and the effects done before I saw it, but the artwork is complete and I should see it early in January. I can't wait!

I received a lot of gift cards from Amazon foe Christmas and I took the plunge and used some of them to purchase some movie making software. I've been pondering it for a while and doing some research. Amazon was offering a fantastic discount after Christmas and that decided me. The software will give me a lot more options when making video book trailers. Once I get it installed I'll take a stab at making new trailers for Sharky and the Jewel and Order of the Crystal Lion. I like the job I did on them, but I felt constrained by Windows Movie Maker. The software will give me a wider range of options and I'll be able to layer more tracks so I'll be able to try my hand at some voiceover.

Finally, I am pleased to say that the day after Christmas I began writing The Deliverers 4. I have to tell you
that I'm still hazy on quite a lot of the details, which is both scary and exciting. As usual, my weekly writing goal will be 2,000 words. I only wrote 900 words over three pages, but the important thing is that I;ve started it. I'll keep you updated on my progress every week.

So, as we sail from 2013 into 2014, things are looking very good. As always, I thank you for your interest in and support of The Deliverers Series and I hope you all have a very safe, happy and healthy New Year. I'll have one more post in 2013, kind of a blast from the past with a new twist. Look for it tomorrow evening! See you then!

Found this great journal--this has to find its
way into The Deliverers 4!

A Writer's Week #95: Lots To Tell

Okay, where to start? This week has been just fantastic. First off, we capped off our book drive for the Salvation Army. We wound up with a grand total of 114 books! You can see a sampling of them in the picture below. On Monday and Tuesday, volunteers will be packaging the gifts and the books for the families. Distribution day will be Friday, December 20th. I'll update the blog with photos as things we move along.

A big thank you to all those who purchased copies of The Deliverers Series books. Thanks to you I will donate 67 copies. Thank you, too to my wonderful author friends who donated copies of their wonderful books. Here's a list with links to their books. Please support them. Not only did they answer my call for help, but they are very generous with donations to other worthy causes as well!

C. Lee McKenzie  Alligators Overhead               Karen Toz  Pie and Other Brilliant Ideas

Margo Dill  Finding My Place                          Kimberly Sentek  Oh Brother! A Nico and Tugger Tale

Celia Carlile  The Christmas Song

Another big thank you has to go to author Stephanie Robinson who donated a stack of books that she had purchased at her school's book fair. She and co-author Jessica Haight have written a wonderful book, The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow, that will be published by Random House/Dellacourt in the fall of 2015.

Speaking of Stephanie and Jessica, they were nice enough to feature me on their blog this week. On Wednesday they posted a wonderful review of The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion. On Friday, they featured a nice interview with me. It was a lot of fun chatting with them about my writing and my plans for the Deliverers Series going forward. There is also a giveaway for you to enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Order of the Crystal Lion.

With all this going on, it was hard fitting in any writing. I don't think I'll begin work on The Deliverers 4 until after Christmas, but I have been busy making final edits to The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang. I should be finished with those sometime today (thank you snow!).

I was also a little surprised when I received an email from illustrator Daniel Vogel. It contained a new conceptual sketch for the cover of The Golden Dragon of Ang. I thought the original concept was fine, but apparently he wasn't satisfied. He ran it by his mother, graphic designer Ana Vogel, and she agreed. So, it was back to the drawing board--literally. He had rendered the original illustration on the computer, and as I said, I liked it. The handdrawn version was head and shoulders better than the first, though. It really blew me away. I quickly gave my approval. The good news is that we should still be on schedule for a completed cover in early January and a publication date sometime in February!

This has turned into quite a long post, but I have one more piece of news. For the next week, the Kindle version of both books in the Deliverers Series will be on sale for just 99 cents on Amazon! Please stop by and purchase a copy of Sharky and the Jewel and Order of the Crystal Lion before this deal goes away! Please share this with your friends, too. Thanks and have a great week!

A Writer's Week #94: With a Little Help From My Friends

It's been a couple weeks since I've had a chance to sit down and compose a Writer's Week post, so let's get caught up. Hmmm, where to start? I had a fantastic day at the Newtown Holiday Festival last Sunday in Newtown, CT. Everybody was so friendly and a sold some books to some great kids, made some friends and hopefully some new fans. For every book I sold, I donated a matching copy to the Salvation Army for their wonderful Christmas Distribution program.

  


 

Thanks to everyone who has purchased a copy of either Sharky & the Jewel or Order of the Crystal Lion and some wonderful authors who have donated copies of their books (C. Lee McKenzie, Karen Pokras Toz, Kimberly Sentek, Margo L. Dill and Celia & Orison Carlile) I have 88 books. With a week to go, I only need 12 more books to reach my goal of 100. Help us do it by visiting my store. Thanks so much! We're almost there!

Last night I sat down with illustrator Daniel Vogel for the last of our meetings to review progress on the cover for The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang. It is really coming along. We discussed some tweaks and color/style points. I'm really pleased and excited by the way it's shaping up. I should have the final artwork to review shortly after Christmas and the finished front cover in early January, which means we're still on track for a February release. I'm really looking forward to it as I'm extremely pleased with the book.

With all this activity, I have not allocated much time to finishing the plotting of The Deliverers 4. That's okay, though. Most of the major plot points have been worked out. I think I'm ready to start writing and I'll let the characters sort out how to handle whatever crops up. That being said, I suppose I need to get on with writing the darn thing. So, my plan is to begin writing this week. I'll let you know how I make out next week.

Oh yes, this coming week will feature a couple of exciting things that you should watch for. Order of the Crystal Lion is being reviewed on Wednesday the 11th on The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow. They will also be running an interview with me on (gulp) Friday the 13th, which I hope does not prove to be unlucky for either myself or them. Jessica and Stephanie are good friends and I am grateful, as usual, for their support!

I also have one other bit of news that I will share with you next Friday. I can't say much, but if you have a Kindle, like middle grade fantasy, and like to save money you will love this announcement. Watch this space on Friday to find out what it is. Peace!

New Assignment

Hi all. Long time, no see. Sorry about skipping the last Writer's Week. The truth is, the past week was very rewarding and productive. I met with  illustrator Dan Vogel to review the progress on the cover for The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang. It's coming along great and will be complete by Christmas. I'll share it with you when it's all done.

This weekend, I had a book signing at the Barn gallery in New Fairfield. It was a beautiful day. I saw a number of old friends and made a couple new ones. To be honest, the turnout was less than I had hoped. For a while I was disappointed, but after a lot of thought and some prayer, I decided to take a big step.

You might say that I took a new Assignment from the Gatekeeper. The Gatekeeper is the guy in my books that gives different missions--Assignments--to Eric and the other Deliverers. For a little over a year now, I've toyed with thoughts of how I could use my books to help others. I say toyed with because I kept running up against a, "I can't give stuff away, I have to make money" roadblock in my head.

This weekend changed all that. I now realize that the most important thing is that I write books and that I share them with as many kids as possible. Not only that, but I should be looking to get books to kids that don't have many--or in some cases, any.

With that in mind, I will be donating books to the Salvation Army to be distributed to children in need. I'm going to start in my own backyard and hopefully expand over time. My local Salvation Army collects new toys for children whose parents can't afford presents at Christmas. There are about 500 families that have registered this year. Not all of these families have children of reading age, but most of them do.

I am hoping to donate books, my books and those of any children's authors who would like to donate, to as many of these families as possible. I will pay  for a bunch myself using money that I've made from previous shows this month. From now on, when I sell a Deliverers book face to face or on this website, I will donate a second Deliverers book to the Salvation Army.

That's my mission and my Assignment this holiday season. I've posted it at the top of my blog, along with a donation button. If you would like to donate some cash to the cause, please do. The Deliverers 1 costs about $4 and the Deliverers 2 costs about $5 to produce, if you need a donation guideline. All funds donated (after Paypal's small processing fee) will go towards the purchase of books for kids in need. If you'd like a great book in the bargain, then go to my Store, buy a copy of book 1 or book 2 (or both), and I'll deliver a second copy to the Salvation Army. I'll personalize it with a book plate that tells the recipient it was donated by whomever you name.

I'm going to start small, but hopefully this will grow over time. I'd love to be able to offer a range of titles. If you are a children's author, please consider donating 5, 10, 25, however many copies you can. I promise they will find good homes. Email me at gregslomba@hotmail.com and we can work out the details. Thanks!

A Writer's Week #91: A Golden Day

A lot of exciting things happened this writer's week. I worked out a big chunk of the plot and background information for The Deliverers 4. I met with illustrator Daniel Vogel to work out the concept for the cover of The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang. I'm preparing for a great show next weekend (see Appearance Alert at the bottom of this post). But all of that pale in comparison to what's going on today.

Today is my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. It's hard for me to believe. We held an anniversary party for them at the beginning of August. We did that for two reasons. Number one was because we wanted it to be a surprise (it was). Number two because with children coming from as far away as Vermont, Florida and Montana, the logistics worked better in the summer than late fall, and we wanted all five children to be there. We're so far flung that the last time we were all together was almost ten years ago. I'm so glad we were able to pull it off.

My parents are really fantastic. They raised five children without any of us being seriously damaged. My father, Albert Slomba, is brilliant. As an optical engineer, he was a leader in his field and worked on many important projects including the Hubble Space Telescope. My mother is equally brilliant, but made the decision to stay home and raise her five rambunctious children. She did an outstanding job and even managed to find time volunteer frequently and spent several year as the Director of Religious Education for our parish.

I can only imagine the trials of raising five children. My wife and I have two and the challenges of that are

The entire brood

huge enough to me. I couldn't imagine having five. Still, my parents managed to pull it off and made it look easy (to us). Along the way there were challenges, both mundane and extraordinary.

They had a son (me) who was so hyperactive that he danced on the desks of his first grade class when his mother came to visit. They bore the weight of a daughter who was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of six (she made it through with flying colors). They had a three year old son (not me) who decided to run around the neighborhood naked. This does not even cover the usual cuts, bruises, stitches and teenage angst that all parents deal with.

Through it all, they kept their cool and were always loving and supportive. They made it look so easy to us that we took what they did for granted. I was probably the most guilty of this. As the oldest, it was all just business as usual to me. I didn't appreciate it until I had children of my own. I try to follow my parents' and my in-laws' example (they've been married 51 years), but I am not always successful.

Whatever I do in life, through all my successes and failures, my parents have always been my yardstick. They set such a great example. Now that we're all grown and out of the house, it's nice to go over and see how much they enjoy just being together. They truly are best friends and that is the key, I think. All of us kids own our parents so much. Thanks,Mom and Dad for always being there and always being supportive. We love you and hope God blesses you with many more years of happy marriage!

Appearance Alert:  My next show will be November 2 & 3 at the Santa's Arts & Crafts Festival at the Coco Key Resort in Waterbury, CT.

A Writer's Week #90: Fun Times

Another fun week has come and gone, but not before leaving me with a great feeling. First off, I had a very nice interview published on the New Fairfield Hamlethub. Kate Mattiace was such a pleasure to talk to. That's one of the cool things about being an author--I get to meet so many nice people.

All set and raring to go

That was never more evident than today when I exhibited at the St. Mary's Harvest Tag Sale and Craft Show in Stamford, CT. I met a lot of great kids and had a chance to chat a bit with most and quite a lot with a Couple who were really interested in finding out what it's like to be an author. Then, I was fortunate to be placed next to some lovely ladies who were a pleasure to talk to. Anyone who has spent seven hours sitting at a show knows that it can be pretty tedious if the people in the space next to you aren't too friendly. Thanks for helping the day roll by, ladies!

Another nice thing that happened to me today was a surprise visit from a very old friend of mine--Mike Argenio. We went to high school together and he lives and teaches in Stamford. He brought his daughter, Emma, to meet me  right after her soccer team scored an impressive 4-2 victory. I'm looking forward to possibly visiting his 6th grade class sometime after the holidays.

On the writing front, I did not have much chance to work out any more of the plat for book 4, but I did submit the completed manuscript of The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang to layout artist, Ana Vogel. I hope to meet with artist Daniel Vogel next week to check out the initial concept for the cover and discuss next steps. I'll let you know how things are going next week.

Appearance Alert:  My next show will be November 2 & 3 at the Santa's Arts & Crafts Festival at the Coco Key Resort in Waterbury, CT.

A Writer's Week #89: New Paths

Things were jumping all over this week. At work I found out my department is switching locations to a nearby town. This will entail re-configuring offices ad training space to fit the new location. This is both a daunting task and a wonderful opportunity. My hope is that we can design a space that will better serve our department's role and personnel. Our bank is now bigger and having some extra training space all in one location will be ideal. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

On the writing front, the rewriting and editing of The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang is complete. I will now send it over to layout designer Ana Vogel. Artwork will take a few months, but illustrator Daniel Vogel will work it in between his schoolwork. At this point, we're still on schedule for a February release.

I have begun mapping out the story line for The Deliverers 4. There is one thing that is disturbing me about

the plot for this book. I pretty much know how it will go--at least the basics of the story. The problem is with the villain--I don't know who he is. I introduced him, or the idea of him, at the end of book 3, but I really don't know who he--or she--is. I know what they're supposed to do and why, but that's it. I have a feeling that I amm going to find out the particulars along with the characters. This always winds up leading to the best results, but it's nerve-wracking.

Finally, I have formatted an ebook version of Sharky and the Jewel that has been published on Smashwords. I had fiddled around with Smashwords last summer, but became a little frustrated with the process. This month, however, I dropped my exclusivity agreement with Amazon and decided to tackle it again. I now have versions that are compatible with Kindle, Nook, and other Epub formats such as iBooks, and Kobo. I'm not totally satisfied with the layout on the Epub version, so I'll probably tinker with it a little more. Once I get it set, I'll tackle the formatting of Order of the Crystal Lion. 

Appearance Alert:  I will be appearing at St. Mary's Harvest Craft and Tag Sale in Stamford, CT on Saturday, October 19th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Please stop by and visit is you are in the area. I would love to see you!