A Writer's Week #129: What Next?

 As I noted in my last post, the Deliverers series is now complete. That brings to an end a huge writing chapter in my life. Leaving Eric, Kate, Stig and Hallo behind has been a very difficult thing. The question is, what to do next?

Re-opening the writing side of my life at the end of 2022 was a big decision. The main focus was to refresh the existing three books and complete the fourth. I accomplished that in 2023, and book four was released in February, completing the series. So, mission accomplished.

Greg & Abby writing at Hampton Beach, NH c. 2013

I guess that could be the end. I could stop knowing that there were no loose ends, no hanging threads. Actually, though, there is one thread still dangling. Years ago, when I was fresh out of college, before color was invented and everything was still in black and white, I was a youth advisor to my church's high school community group. It was there that I first started writing with the purpose of sharing what I wrote with others. I wrote a story for the group's Christmas retreat at the request of my deacon. I wound up writing a story every year for 15 years. I would read the story at the retreat and the teens seemed to enjoy them. Each one was tied to the theme of that year's retreat. I would also give copies out to friends and family as Christmas presents.

In a number of those stories, a white owl would appear to guide the main character. A couple years after I left the group and got married, I decided to write a book. As I was casting about for some sort of story idea, my mind strayed back to that white owl and I began to wonder just who he was and where he came from. That's when I discovered that his name was Stig and that he would be sent to help a boy named Eric.

So, there's the loose thread. I've decided to publish 12 of those stories, and I've made the decision to present them with minimal editing, keeping them the same as they were when I first read them all those years ago. This will be going out on a limb somewhat, as these are more spiritual/religious stories rather than straight middle grade fantasy. They are geared toward middle grade/teen readers. The best way to describe them are modern day fables or fairy tales with a religious or spiritual theme. 

Definitely a new market for me, and I hope readers of the Deliverers won't be put off and will give them a look-see. I have reached an agreement with Emily Hurst-Pritchett to design the cover and to do 12 half-page illustrations, one for each story. I'm hoping to release the book in early summer.

I am kind of at a loss as to how to market the book. I might start another blog, but that seems a bit much. For now, I will post updates on this blog and on the Deliverers Facebook page. The book also includes four of the poems I wrote in college. I've asked my wife to do some sketches for those. 

I'm kind of excited about the new project, but also a little nervous. I'll post an excerpt from a story and the artwork, once that's set to give you all a taste. What are your thoughts? Have you ever taken a chance and done something different? What were the results? I'll share what happens for me as this moves along.

Peace.

Another Cover Reveal

 Hi everybody! I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying the start of what looks like a great summer! Things have been busy here at Deliverers Publishing Headquarters, aka White Owl Manuscripts. This week, I received the final artwork and the map for book 2 in the Deliverers series, Order of the Crystal Lion. Illustrator Emily Hurst Pritchett did another fantastic job on the book, just as she did with Sharky and the Jewel.

With all the artwork complete, that meant that I had a boatload of work for myself this weekend. I am happy to report that I successfully formatted the interior and the cover for the paperback and Kindle versions as well as a brand new hardcover version of the book. The updated Kindle version is now live on Amazon (see link above), and the paperback version should be up in a few days. The hard cover will be available late next week or early next, depending on whether or not the Amazon formatting police find anything out of spec.

Oh yes, I also was able to put together a cover reveal video featuring a behind the scenes look at how Emily colors her artwork on the computer. Take a look and get an eyeful of the new cover at the same time:

In going through this book almost line by line after not having read it in many years, I've gained a new appreciation of the book. At the time it came out, all I saw were the flaws, but there are way more successes than failures in the book. I have a sneaking suspicion that I was being too hard on myself, perhaps because in my mind nothing could measure up to the first book. 

So, for those of you who want to see the cover right away, here it is (but please go back and watch the video later):

Once I have a minute, perhaps next weekend, I plan to make an updated book trailer and post it to YouTube. 

So, now it's on to Book 3. Emily is already reading the book. I have so many thoughts as to what would make a good cover that I can't pin a single one down. I think I'll see what Emily suggests. It was her idea to focus on The Machine, and it turned out great.

So, good bye for now. Please let me know what you think of the cover in the comments below.

A Writer's Week #52: Getting Ready to Soar

Let's see, where to start? This has been a very productive week. First off, I was able to donate $100 to  my local Salvation Army. If you remember in November I pledged to donate 50 cents for every book I sold online and a dollar for every book I sold in person during the last two months of the year. Thank you to everyone who purchased a book for Christmas and holiday gifts! The funds I donated were used to help bring Christmas gifts to needy children.

This week, I also launched my own publishing imprint. All of my future books will be published by White Owl Manuscripts, not Createspace. Createspace will act as printer and distributor. White Owl is now listed as publisher of the Kindle version of The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel. With that in mind, I have designed my own logo. You can see it at the left.

Now that White Owl Manuscripts is off the ground, and with the upcoming release later this year of my second book, I'm going to be assessing this blog. I'm thinking about renaming it and switching the domain to my own name. This would give me more flexibility the more titles I release and if (when) I start writing other genres.

Okay, enough of the business stuff. This was also a great week for writing. I left my weekly writing goal of 2,000 words far behind. I wound up writing 3,100 words. The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang is progressing nicely. I'm at 4,800 words, which gets me up to 22 pages and into chapter 4. At this point of the story, Eric and company have been given their Assignment and been sent through the door to yet another world that needs their help. Eric has also had a chat with the Gatekeeper, who has some troublesome information for him.

As for the other projects I've got going on, there's nothing to report on the audio book front. Jimm and I are still waiting for ACX to complete their review process. I'm guessing they'll release it sometime next week, but don't know for sure.

As for The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion, I'm waiting on my test readers and my art department (a/k/a Daniel Vogel) before I can move forward. I'm champing at the bit, but know that patience is a virtue, so I'll keep smiling and waiting. I'll let you know what happens next week!