A Writer's Week #48: The Plot Thickens

This was not a week for those who lack patience, such as myself. I've said in the past that patience is not my strong suit. I think that over this last year, I've learned to be a little more patient, though. However, this week I found myself being tested on three fronts.

First off, I've been anxious to begin writing The Deliverers 3. I've been mapping out the plot for the book over the past couple of weeks, and I'm happy to report that it's starting to come together. But it's not coming together fast enough to suit me, of course. I must say that I really like what I've come up with so far, it's just that I have to come up with the rest of it. Oh well, once I do, then I'll be able to start writing. I hope it comes quickly.

Early cover sketch for Order of the Crystal Lion

Secondly, I've sent The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion out to some test readers, both adults and youngsters. I've already received some very enthusiastic feedback, which is encouraging. I still think there is some editing left to do. My test readers should give me an idea of just how much.

Daniel Vogel continues to work on the artwork. It is coming along--slowly. Great art cannot be rushed, I know, but I'm really getting excited to see how the cover turns out. See? Impatient as usual.

I really can't wait for this book to be ready. I think it's as good as Sharky and the Jewel, and maybe, just maybe, better. Oh well, I'll have a better idea of that after the test readers get through with it.

Audio book cover

Last but not least, the audio book version of The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel is nearing completion. In fact, narrator Jimm Singer has finished the final three chapters. I received Chapter 27 yesterday. He is now tweaking some things that he is not satisfied with. Once that's done, hopefully by the end of the weekend, I'll give the book a final listen, approve it, and submit it to ACX. From there, it takes about two weeks for them to release it on Audible.com and iTunes. That means it will be available by the end of the year, but probably not before Christmas.

The book is a couple minutes shy of five hours long. I'm really looking forward (as I think I've said about 100 times before) to its release. Jimm is just so great with the narrative and all the voices. As I sit and listen to him read the book, I find myself thinking, "Wow, did I write that?" It sounds so good. You are all going to love it, I promise.

So, I've got three projects going on. Two are starting to wind down (hurry!) and one is just cranking up. I've really enjoyed sharing the journey with you thus far, and I look forward to sharing what is yet to come!

A Writer's Week #47: The Kindness of Strangers

Well, it's been yet another busy week here at The Deliverers Publishing Headquarters. So many things have been going on, where to start? I attended another show this week--Ladies Day Out in Danbury, CT. It was a great success for all involved. My wife and children helped me out by gift wrapping copies of The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel. We had a great time and it was fun hanging out with the other vendors. 

The biggest thrill of the day, however, did not result from the sale of any books. I've mentioned before that I am donating 50 cents of each online purchase and $1.00 of each in person purchase of The Deliverers until the end of the year to the Salvation Army. At the show we were gift wrapping books and asking for a donation to the Salvation Army. A woman walked up to our table, and started writing out a check. Then, she dropped it into our tip jar. When we got home and opened the jar, we found she'd written a check for $50 to the Salvation Army. So, than you so much Janice Lelsey Moore for your generous donation! All in all, I've collected $94.50 for the Salvation Army. Please help support the cause by buying The Deliverers for the children in your lives. It's a great book that they will love.

All right, enough with the sales pitch. The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion is shaping up. I've spent the last week making some tweaks. It's mostly ready. There are still a couple things I found that I need to fix. I've sent advance copies of the manuscript out to a few children and adults for a test read. I hope they like it. 

I also was able to reach an agreement with Mother Goose Toys in Litchfield, CT to stock copies of The Deliverers. Thank you Susan, Stephanie and I had a great time visiting with you. So, now there are three spots in Connecticut where you can pick up a copy of the book: Mother Goose Toys in Litchfield; The Barn Gallery in New Fairfield; and Byrd's Books in Bethel. I think I'm going to concentrate on increasing the number of stores stocking my books in the coming year. It's an aspect that I've neglected up to now.

Artist Daniel Vogel sent me a mock up of the cover for The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion yesterday. It's looking really good. We had to work out the background and the overall color. I think we figured it out, I just have to see how it actually looks before I'm sure. I hope to be able to unveil the cover sometime before Christmas. Exciting stuff!

The audio book version of The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel is nearing completion. My hope is that it will be available in the middle of December. It really sounds terrific. I used my Kindle Fire to play a bunch of videos at the show including the book trailer, my YouTube interviews, and two sample chapters from the audio book. I received a lot of great feedback on the audio chapters. I'll let you know the minute it's available.

I also got a lot of work done on the plot outline for The Deliverers 3. I had hoped to begin writing, but there are still some plot points that I nneed to get settled before I begin. It won't be too much longer, though--either next week or the week after. I'll let you know how things are going next week.

A Writer's Week #46: On To Phase 3

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving filled with food, football, and even shopping if that floats your boat! I had a great holiday with the family, including a fun hike and pic-nic today.

This holiday week was also a very productive writer's week for me. I set up my table at the Run For the Turkeys this past Sunday, and had a really great time. I sold some books, got to meet a bunch of great people, and in the process raised a few dollars for the Salvation Army. So far, my donation total stands at $20. Remember, for every copy of The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel that I sell between now and the end of the year, I'll donate 50 cents to the Salvation Army.

This Sunday, November 25th, I'll be at Ladies Day Out in Danbury, CT from 11 to 4 at the PAL Building. If you're in the area and want to get some holiday shopping done, there's going to be a wide array of vendors, many of whom will be selling locally handcrafted items. Come on down and say hello.

On the writing front, I have concluded all the major rewriting, otherwise known as editing Phase 2. This means that all that remains is to send The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion out to an editor to have her review. Hopefully, I haven't missed anything, or overlooked some critical plot point. If I have, though, my editor will catch it.

The audio book version of The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel is moving along. Narrator Jimm Singer has completed 24 chapters, and only three remain. I'm hoping he'll be finished shortly, but the holiday week has slowed things down a bit. I'm trying to be patient, but now that we're so close to the end I'm really starting to get excited. It sounds really great, and I think you're all going to love it. I'll let you know when it's out.

I am currently roughing out the idea that I've been working on for The Deliverers 3. I am hoping that I'll be able to start writing next week. The idea is a good one, I think, but I still have a lot of things to work out. A lot of the details usually iron themselves out as I write and the characters put their two cents in, but I still have some of the major ideas/themes to hammer out before I start writing. If I can do that this weekend, then I should have a green light to write. I'll let you know how it went next week!

A Writer's Week #44: Irons in the Fire

The activity at The Deliverers Publishing Headquarters continued at a fevered pitch this week. There's so much going on that I'm not sure where to start. First off, I was looking around for a way to talk up my two appearances in Connecticut later this month, and reached out to Carolyn Mueller at the Danbury News Times. She has always been very supportive and did a nice interview with me when The Deliverers was released last November.

Anyway, not only is she putting a promo in her Book Notes feature a week from Sunday, but she also wrote a nice article that is already up on both the NewsTimes.com, but also CTPost.com. I believe it will also run in either this or next Sunday's paper. You can check out the article HERE.  Not only did she talk up my appearances on the 18th and 25th, but she also gave a nice recap of the book, and a plug for The Deliverers blog. She even gave the upcoming the audio book and The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion a mention! I don't think I could have asked for a better article. Thank you Carolyn for being so supportive!

I spent a good deal of time editing The Deliverers: Order of the Crystal Lion. I find that it's starting to go a little more slowly, mostly because I'm just getting tired of editing. I'd much rather be writing, but this is something that has to be done, so it's becoming more of a chore than anything else. I think I've said before that I am impatient by nature, and I'm chomping at the bit to get on with this and get the book published. But I know that a little bit of patience now will mean a better book later, so I'm soldiering on.

One reason that my patience is wearing thin on the editing front is that I am anxious to start work on the next book. I have to finish one book before starting another--I just can't concentrate on two at once. However, this week I did sketch out a very rough outline for The Deliverers 3. I even came up with a title, which is something new. I usually can't think of titles until I'm almost done with the book. I don't know if  starting with a title this time around is good or bad, but it was inspiring. I'm not going to reveal the title in case it changes along the way, but I like the idea it sparked and the outline so far. I can't wait to refine it and actually start writing!

The audio book version of The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel continues to move ahead. It should be completed in two or three weeks, depending on how narrator Jimm Singer's schedule shakes out. I still can't get over how great it sounds. Hearing someone else's interpretation of the book is allowing me to step back and view it with some objectivity. I'm finding that it's holding up to my scrutiny quite well. There are a couple lines here or there that make me cringe, but I'm finding that there are many more that make me think, "Hey, cool!"

It kind of makes me wish I could have someone record the unedited version of The Deliverers 2. Listening to a book is a great way to make sure there's a natural flow going on. If you write a mangled sentence, it really stands out when you hear it read aloud. Hmmm, I've got a digital recorder, maybe I should give it a try...Oh well, enough speculating, time to get back to the editing. I'll fill you in on how things go next week!

Interview Special: The Deliverers Group Interview

Today is a special anniversary for me. The paperback version of my first novel, The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel was published a year ago today! When I first published the book, I never thought that I'd be able to do the things that I have this past year. For one thing, I've made a ton of friends through this blog. I've been lucky enough to visit many classrooms and talk to student (and parents) of all ages. I've written a sequel and have mapped out a third book.

This last year has been so great, that it makes me wonder what the next 12 months has in store. Right now I have an idea, but who knows how it will actually turn out? Here's what I'm envisioning: the release in the next month of the audio book version of The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel; beginning to write The Deliverers 3; the release early next year of The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion; more classroom visits; continuing to grow and improve this blog. Wow, it looks like the coming year will be as busy as the last!

Since this is such a special day, I wanted to do something a little bit different. Normally, I interview someone from a classic children's book or fairy tale. Today, I was able to get all four of The Deliverers here to give us their thoughts on what the past year has been like for them, what they've been doing, and what their future plans are. So, without further ado, I give you Eric Scott, Stig the owl, Kate Endria, and Hallo Tosis the dwarf.

Greg:  Well, thank you all for coming and happy anniversary! I must say that you're all looking well.

Stig:  Thank you. It's quite good of you to say so. Happy anniversary to you as well. A most auspicious occasion if I do say so myself.

Eric:  Yeah, it's pretty cool. Thanks for having us.

Kate:  Yes, it's very exciting. I love anniversaries and birthdays and things like that. They're always such fun!

Hallo:  Yes siree, I love a good party, m'self. M' Pappy always said, work hard, play hard. Thank'ee for havin' us here t' celebrate, don't ya know.

Greg:  What has the last year been like for all of you?

Hallo:  It's been like a ride on a dragon's back, don't ya know. Lotsa comin's an' goin's. Everybody sayin' hey, really like the tale, whatcha doin' for an encore. We've also been enjoyin' visits from a large number o' Big Folk. It's a big change from the old days, don't ya know.

Eric:  It's been really exciting. Lots of people have told me they really like the book. I don't think a lot of people at school really believe that it actually happened. They think you just used my name. That's okay, though, because everyone thinks that's cool, so I don't mind. If they really believed I did those things, it would make me feel kind of, like, weird and they might treat me differently. So I'm happy with things as they are. There's an election coming up tomorrow, so everyone's, like, excited. 

Stig:  Things have been rather quiet in my neck of the woods. We owls tend to take things in our stride, and don't get all a twitter about our deeds. To be honest, most owls tend to lead rather exciting lives, so in some respects it's rather old hat back home. I've been doing a little bit of lecturing at university in my spare time.

Kate:  Calendria is still buzzing about everything that happened, but to tell you the truth, I think I can speak for all of us in saying that we really haven't had too much time to rest on our laurels. I've been working with Papa. He's been showing me what I'll have to do when he retires and I become the first Lady Mayor of Calendria. The audio book is coming out soon, and we all spent some time with Jimm Singer, the nice man who's narrating it, so that he could get our voices sounding as realistic as possible. 

Eric:  Yeah, he did a really great job. It was kind of freaky, because he'd be talking to me and it was like listening to me talking to me.

Greg:  So, how has that process been?

Stig:  Quite fascinating, really. It is really quite remarkable how well he's been able to capture the tone of my voice. Mind you, it is extremely difficult for a human to capture all the nuances of the owlish accent, but he has done much better than I had expected.

Hallo:  Aye, he's a fine lad is ol' Jimm. He's got m' way o' speakin' down pat. M' Pappy heard a recordin' an' thought it was me talkin'. Wouldn't believe it weren't until Jimm done it for him in person, then Pap about keeled over he were so amazed.

Kate:  It's going to be a wonderful production. I can't wait for everyone to hear it. Everyone in Calendria is really excited about it. You should hear Jimm do Sharky--it's like he was right there in the same room with us. It was quite scary.

Eric:  It's really cool. My friends are so jealous that I'm going to be in an audio book. They think it's my voice, but they still don't believe that I actually did the things in the book. Maybe they will after they read about our next Assignment. Oh well, I still find it hard to believe myself! 

Greg:  Can you tell us a little bit about the next Assignment?

Kate:  Well, we really can't tell you too much, we wouldn't want to spoil anything. But we can say that it was really exciting, and a little scary.

Eric:  Yeah, we have to stop this civil war. These people called the Vynistri and their leader, Chancellor Trelango take the DNA of lions and combines them with humans to form a warrior class called the Chazum. Anyway, they're fighting to be free and equal. It's different from the first Assignment.

Stig:  Thet's the way it is with Assignments, you see. They are all different. You never know what might happen. That's what keeps things interesting.

Eric:  Yeah, it was scary there for a while, but it was cool, too. I learned that I could do more than I thought I could.

Hallo:  Aye, I think we all learned some hard lessons on this here Assignment. It were a tough one, don't ya know.

Greg:  Well, thanks for taking some time to fill us in on what's been going on this past year. It looks like the coming year will be just as exciting, so please stay in touch.

A Writer's Week #27: Sticking to the Goal

The writing of the new book continued this week. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up the pace. I had set a goal of 2,000 words a week on The Deliverers 2, and for a while there I thought that I wasn't going to make it. Thankfully, I was able to write just under 2,100 words, thanks to some inspiration on Thursday evening.

All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with the new book, so far. I'm still not sure how I'm going to get there, although I'm pretty sure about where I'll eventually wind up. I've reached 32,000 words, in 37 chapters and 148 pages.

So I'm still chugging along. Each week brings a new challenge to overcome in the struggle to write. When I do write, I can write a lot fairly quickly. Unless I get stuck.

Right now, I'm in a fertile period, which makes me wish I had a whole week off in a mountain cabin. I'd get the rest of the first draft finished and be into rewrites. But, that's not going to happen. Oh well, it's nice to know that I'm close enough to finishing that it's at least conceivable. 


There's nothing much to report on the marketing front. Sales of The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel have hit a summer skid, but I'm really not that concerned. I'm too busy working on the next one. Oh yes, and I had a flash of inspiration for the third book. I have no real plot idea yet, but I think this is going to be a great theme. We'll see. 


The other bit of news concerns this blog. I'm on a crusade to reach at least 100 followers by the end of July. Right now, I'm at 93. If you're a follower, thank you. If you're not, there's a Join This Site button to the left of this post. If you've got a Google account, please follow. Oh, and don't forget to tell your friends! 


The goal for next week is the same--write at least 2,000 words and come up with interesting things to write about on the blog. Once again I'll let you know how I did next week.