A Writer's Week #137: Winter Freeze

 Hi all! This month has been a frigid one in my neck of the woods. Temperatures have dipped down into the single digits in January. Once week, there were a couple subzero mornings. Brrrrrr. Not only that, but there was also very little snow. I always feel that if you're going to be frozen, you should have snow to enjoy. Oh well. That might just be me.

My book sales reflected the weather--frozen. There has not been much happening on the sales front in January. That is not entirely unusual, but it would be nice to get a few sales to--break the ice so to speak.

That does not mean that I have been idle. I am still in the process of identifying a social media marketing partner. After some thinking and conversations with some of the marketers I've been interviewing, I think that it would be more feasible to focus on the middle grade market. In other words, I'm going to "stay in my lane". At least for now.

With that in mind, I'll be focusing most of my attention on this blog and my Deliverers Series Facebook page rather than my GSSlombaAuthor blog. As the Owl Flies is more of a one-off work. It has a different niche market that those that are interested can check out. It's not my bread and butter, however. I have also suspended work (for now) on Quirk, my first-person YA fantasy novel. I'll probably continue it someday, but right now the plot is still a little nebulous. It needs to marinate a bit.

Once I made that determination, I began to focus on middle grade fantasy again. First up is Tales of the Dragon Islands. The book is based on the world featured in book three of the Deliverers Series, The Golden Dragon of Ang. as it stands now, I'm not sure if it will be a standalone novel or the first in a series. For now, I'm going to focus on getting the first one written.

This week, I wrote almost 1,000 words of it. That means that right now, it's about 25 pages and 4,250 words long--far from finished, but humming along. I hope to get more written this weekend. as usual, I'll keep you up to date on things as they develop.

Peace

Tales of the Dragon Islands: Prologue

So, I am currently working on two works in progress (WIP) at the moment. This is a first for me, and I have no idea which I will complete first, or even if I will get any completed. This one is tentatively titled Tales of the Dragon Islands. It will cover events in the world Eric and the Deliverers visit in Book 3 of the Deliverers Series.

This story takes place about 3,000 years before the Deliverers arrive on the Islands. I have a basic idea of what the tale will be about and what will happen, but I think I will be discovering a lot of information as I write.

Prologue

Autumn, 785 Year of the Dragon (YOD)

Jongchin, northern coast

 

                It is a time of fear and some unrest on the Dragon Islands. The northern parts of Jongchin have fallen victim to raids from fierce warriors that come over the sea from the northeast. They are vicious and ruthless. They are supported by a silver dragon that breathes snow and ice. As I said, they attack the northern coast of Jongchin as well as the northwestern portion of Ang.

                The raiders are looting and pillaging, setting fire to villages and crops. Some have even stolen children between the ages of 12 and 15. When the silver dragon comes, it is met by our own dragon, the Golden Dragon of Ang, who guides and guards our people from the holy seat of Dragon Home on the island of Ang. Ang is the Head of the islands. The others are Jongchin, the Heart; Shua and Shuay, the Claws; and Hindra, the Tail.

                It is hard to defend against these attacks as our coastline is long and our enemies vary the location of their attacks. Their ships are stout and strong, built to travel long distances. Because of this, our generals estimate the north men come from hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles away. The mindset of the Golden Dragon is not to attack, but to defend. So, to our knowledge, she has never ventured out in search of their homeland.

                I for one, wish the Dragon would lead us against the north men, as the silver dragon does against us. However, that is not her way. She is as a mother to us—guarding and protecting us. Our ships are less sturdy than those of our attackers. They are built for trade and for battles close to shore, not long journeys upon the open sea.

                Now perhaps, the tide is turning. We were able to salvage one of their warships almost intact. The Dragon met theirs in the sky as they were conducting one of their raids. The ship was making off with a dozen or so of our children, captured after their parents were butchered and their farms burned. The two dragons battled in the sky, and the silver dragon was driven off. The Golden Dragon snatched the ship from the water and laid it down upon the sand.

                We killed all aboard save for our children. Alas, not one of their parents survived. Most were taken in by relatives, but there were a few who had no remaining kin. These the Dragon took with her back to Ang. It is my understanding that they shall be cared for in an orphanage. They will grow to serve the Dragon on Ang and shall want for nothing.

                Meanwhile, we are examining the ship. While we on Jongchin are farmers, not seafaring folk, some of the finest shipwrights and sailors are coming from across the Islands to study all aspects of the captured vessel. It is my hope that we shall soon be able to build ships every bit as sturdy as those of our enemies. Then, perhaps, we can take the fight to them.

A Writer's Week #130: Spring Fever

Well, spring has definitely sprung here in Candlewood Corners, Connecticut. Grass is growing, flowers are blooming, trees are budding. Activity has also been rising on the writing front---from scheduling new appearances to working on production of my recently completed manuscript to the launch of a new Deliverers Series video trailer to the writing of yet another new book, things are rising to a fever pitch around here. Good stuff indeed. Here are some tidbits about each project:

Appearances

I've booked several already beginning in May, and I have more in the planning stages. I'll be posting updates on the Deliverers Series Facebook page as well as my Appearances page on this site.

Deliverers Series

I recently completed a video trailer for the overall series. Here it is if you haven't seen it:

You can view all of my Deliverers-related videos on a new video page on this site. There you will find a book trailer for each book, a couple interviews I conducted with myself long ago, samples from the audio book version of Sharky and the Jewel, and some other tidbits.

Book 4, Sparkling Mist of Time, has been receiving some great reviews, particularly from Fairday's Blog, as well as a 5-Star review from Readers' Favorite.

As the Owl Flies

The entire manuscript has been formatted, and Emily Hurst Pritchett is working on the cover and illustrations for each story. This is a really exciting project, as it will bring together short stories and poems I wrote pre-Deliverers. While geared for middle grade and teen readers, it is a departure from the fantasy adventure genre that I'm know for. I'm kind of taking a leap of faith with this little book, so to speak. In any event, I hope you all give it a shot and check it out.

When determining what formats to present the book in, I decided to publish it as an e-book and a paperback right away. After giving it more thought, I also decided to release it as an audio book. SO, once it's all put together, I will be posting it on ACX for auditions. I've already had one narrator indicate that they would be interested in auditioning, so I'm hoping I'll have some interest.

Here is the back cover blurb to give you an idea of what the book will be like:

As the Owl Flies is a collection of stories that warm the heart, and make you smile.

Originally written to be read aloud to friends gathered comfortably together, these stories convey simple, universal truths in a lighthearted, fun way. The whimsical illustrations help bring the characters to life, capturing their foibles and quirks. In between are sprinkled four poems of hope, optimism, and thankfulness that will make you (perhaps) think. Some of the friends you’ll meet within these pages include:

• A squirrel who must decide how to use the gift that is given to him'
• An old man forced to reevaluate his life.
• A disappointing Christmas present, that becomes the greatest gift of all.
• A beaver who yearns to soar.
• A girl whose dreams signal disaster.

A fun, thought-provoking read for all ages, these stories are a breath of fresh air that will revive your spirit and restore your faith in human nature.

Tales From the Dragon Islands

I'll be getting back to middle grade fantasy adventure with my latest work in progress, Tales From the Dragon Islands. I'm not sure if that will be the title of the book, or the name of a series--we'll have to wait and see. I've been working slowly on this and so far, I'm up to about 2,300 words, so just getting started, really. It's about an event that happens on the Dragon Islands about 3,000 years before the Deliverers pay a visit. 

I've been a little nervous about where this manuscript is headed, because I have an idea of the protagonists and where they will end up, but almost no idea of how they are going to get there. This will be very much a case of letting the characters show me what will happen. When this happens to me, it's always very exciting, but also terrifying. Thankfully, after really wondering where this was headed for the first 1,300 words or so, the last 1,000 have given me hope that my characters might know what they're doing. I'll let you know if that continues as things move along.

Peace

Somebody Else's Interview

For a long time now, I've been planning to interview illustrator Emily Hurst Pritchett. However, being the procrastinator I am, I haven't quite got around to it. Now, I suppose the point is kind of moot as Annie's Book Stop of Worcester conducted a great video interview with her.

It's up on YouTube, but I've posted it below. The interview is really great. In it, Emily gives great insight into her creative process, her own personal taste in books and pastimes, as well as what it's like illustrating for independent authors, publishers, and what she's up to with her personal art. As you watch, you might even see a couple familiar books being flashed. 

Emily is working on illustrations and the cover for As the Owl Flies and I have started the Tales of the Dragon Islands book. I'll share more of that shortly.

Peace

 

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.

ISWG First Wednesday: Monthly Question & a New Release!

Well, another month has come and gone. Right at the very end of February I had a significant event, but I will save that for after this month’s question:

March Question:

Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing? 

No, I have not used AI for any element of my writing. I am hesitant to use it, even for synopses, because I think it’s sort of a slippery slope. So far, I’ve even held off using it to develop illustrations for my blog posts. It’s just not a place I’m comfortable going right now.

Will my outlook change as time goes by and the technology, and the ethics evolve? Could be. But for now, I’m going to keep it old school and wait and see what the future brings.

Now, on to more exciting things. Leap day was an exciting one here at Deliverers Towers. The final book of the series, Sparkling Mist of Time, was set loose upon the world.

So far, it's been well received. I've written before about what a convoluted process it was to complete this book. In the end, though, it was worth it all and I believe that I could not have ended the series any better than this. Many thanks to everyone who has assisted along the way. 

So what's next? I've already alluded to that. I'll have more info as things progress. The point is, the journey will continue and I will be following my own path. How cool is that? If you had asked me a year and a half ago, I would have said they journey was over. Just goes to show that you can never say never.

I'll be making another post soon. Until then, Peace!

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.

ISWG Wednesday First Post: The Story's the Thing

 

The awesome co-hosts for the December 6 posting of the IWSG are C. Lee McKenzie, JQ Rose, Jennifer Lane, and Jacqui Murray!

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional! 

December 6 question: Book reviews are for the readers. When you leave a book review do you review for the Reader or the Author? Is it about what you liked and enjoyed about your reading experience, or do you critique the author? 

I always try to review the book. If there is something I think the author did particularly well, I will point that out. For the most part, though, the book is the thing.

Speaking of books, Book 4 in the Deliverers Series is complete. I am currently rereading, proofreading and editing it prior to sending it out to my beta readers after the first of the year. If anyone out there would like to be a beta reader and perhaps post a review on Goodreads, please reach out in the comments section. 

IWSA Wednesday First Post

Hello! Happy November, and welcome to my first Insecure Writer's Support Group Wednesday post!

The awesome co-hosts for the November 1 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, Jean Davis, Lisa Buie Collard, and Diedre Knight!

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

November 1 question: November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

Well, the short answer is no.  I just have trouble writing like that. My writing pace tends to be slow and slower.  After all, it's taken me nine years to write book 4 of the Deliverers Series.  After about 7 years off to pay more attention to my family as they grew up, it is almost complete.

Once I've finished writing, it's been edited, and artist Emily Hurst Pritchett has completed the artwork, it will be launch time. Hopefully that will be sometime in March. 

I've never really been very good at book launches, or marketing in general for that matter. Anyhow, I could really use all the suggestions you could give when the time comes.

I guess that's all I've got this time around. Thank you for allowing me to become part of the group and I look forward to traveling around and meeting you all. 

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 #124: Getting There

 It’s been a while since I shared my writing progress with all of you—all the way back in May, actually. A lot has happened since then. The new cover, map and chapter header illustration for the Order of the Crystal Lion was completed by illustrator Emily Hurst Pritchett. I was able to update the Kindle and paperback versions of the book, and got a new hardcover version published on Amazon. I made a completely new book trailer in addition to a cover reveal video.

Emily has also just completed the new cover for book 3, and I should have the updated paperback and Kindle versions, as well as a new hardcover version published shortly. She and I have agreed in principle to a deal for art for the upcoming fourth and final book in the Deliverers Series. This project will be slightly more ambitious than the previous three books. I’m planning to have a prologue, part one and part two. There will be a cover and a map, but there will be two different chapter heading illustrations, one for each part of the book. There will also be a pencil drawing for the front page of part one and one for part two. Emily does great pencil drawings, and I think this touch will make book 4 truly special.

Chapter heading for book 3,
The Golden Dragon of Ang

                                                                                

Book 4 is moving along slowly. I’ve almost finished part one, which has now reached over 27,000 words. I’m guessing that I’ll need another 2,000 to 3,000 words to complete it and move on to part 2. That should get the book to roughly 120 pages. Part two should be interesting to write. I’ve got a general idea as to what will happen, but I’m expecting that the characters will show me what will actually happen. Anyhow, I’m hoping (you never know for sure until it’s done) that the outcome will be successful and that the book will be a fitting conclusion to the series.

I have also signed up for two events in the beginning of October. I'll post specifics as we get closer. I'm hoping to add something in September as well, since the covers for all three of the books will have been updated well before.

That's it for now. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. I'll be back soon with my third and final (until book 4 is published!) cover reveal.

The Deliverers 4: Chapter 5--Keller Tavern

The tavern looked like a large, rambling colonial house. It had several brick chimneys that rose up above the gray slate roof tiles at odd intervals. The two story building was clad in white clapboards. Green shutters flanked each of the many windows that looked out on the street. A square, painted sign depicting a rider on a horse stood on a post in front. Eric still could not believe how unchanged it was from his own century.

A sturdy carriage with a team of horses harnessed to it stood in the road in front of the tavern. The driver looked down at Eric and Kate disinterestedly as they went through the gate in the white picket fence that lined the road and approached the large green front door. Eric turned the worn brass doorknob and pushed the door open.

The hum of leisurely conversation and the slightly sweet scent of pipe tobacco washed over them as they stepped inside the foyer. Directly in front of them was a staircase leading to the guest bedrooms. On their right was a closed door. To their left through a wide, open doorway they could see tables and chairs and a fire crackling in a field stone fireplace beyond. It was from this room that the talk and the tobacco smoke emanated.

Suddenly, there was a banging and scraping from upstairs and three men in embroidered silk coats, white wigs and tri-corner hats came scrambling down the staircase. Pushing past Eric and Kate, they pulled open the door and hurried out to the carriage. As they left, one of them called back over his shoulder. “Hurry with that baggage, boy. We have to be in Hartford by dark.”

Eric and Kate turned and saw a trunk and several other pieces of luggage with legs teetering down the stairs. “Coming good sirs!” the baggage called. Under its breath it muttered, “If you swine carried your own bags, you might get out of here all the quicker.”

“Uh, hey, need a hand?” Eric asked.

The baggage stopped in the middle of the flight of stairs and a boy’s face peeped around the edge. He looked to be about the same age as Eric and Kate. His brown hair was tied back in a small pony tail. Stray wisps trailed across his pale face.

“Oh, hello, didn’t see you there,” he said. “Yes, I would gladly accept a hand, as many as you can spare. Thank you.”

Eric and Kate both relieved the boy of part of his load. Together they carried it all out to the carriage. Two of the men had already entered and settled themselves. The other waited for them at the rear, hands on hips.

“Make haste. We are already behind schedule thanks to the muddle at breakfast!”

The boy began strapping the luggage to the rear of the carriage with large leather straps and brass buckles. Apparently he did not do it fast enough to suit the man who pushed him aside and fastened the buckles himself. After tugging on the load, he gave a nod of satisfaction and alighted into the carriage without even looking at them. He gave a shout to the driver who snapped the reins and they were off with a pounding of hooves and a cloud of dust.

The boy snorted as he watched them go. “Humph, not so much as a farthing tip, ungrateful wretches.” He turned to them. “Hello, I am grateful for your help. My name’s Mathias. Welcome to Keller Tavern.”

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 #122: Forging Ahead

 Well, it's been a while, but I'm continuing to work on the fourth, and most likely final, book in The Deliverers Series. In the last week I've written a little over 2,000 words, bringing me to 20,250 words over 92 pages. 

Although shy of my regular goal of 2,500 words per week, I'm pretty satisfied with the output. That's because this has been a really busy week. I drove down to Georgia and back over 4 days to pick my daughter up from school. Although I did not do any writing on the trip, I was able to lock down the plot details for the first part of the book (I'm thinking of calling it Act I) as well as some ideas for the book's second act. Plus, I think artist Emily Hurst Pritchett and I have hit upon the right scene for the cover of The Deliverers 2.

Thumbnail sketches for Book 2

Hammering out some of the Book 4 plot details also helped me answer a question that I have been debating ever since I had the idea for Book 4 almost eight years ago--would the series run for five books as I'd always envisioned, or would Book 4 end it all? Originally, I thought that the material that will make up Act I would be Book 4, and that my idea for Act II would have been Book 5. The trouble is, Book 4 would have been the shortest book--probably about 170 pages. I would have ended rather abruptly, too, with book five picking up right where the previous book left off. In other words Book 4 would end in a "cliffhanger", but why? Yes, I know it might create interest for the series finale, but it seems better to move from one part, or act, right into the second.

So, that's what I've decided to do. Now, there's always the possibility that as I'm writing Act II I discover that the series is not quite done, but as of now I'm pretty confident that The Deliverers will be four books. Once it's complete I can concentrate on the next adventure. What that will be I can't say for sure, but I'm looking forward to whatever challenge awaits. Have a good week everybody. 

A Writer's Week #118: Progress

 This week has been busy, but good. I was able to make my weekly writing goal. I wrote almost 2,200 words, and the book is moving along. I'm at over 18,000 words and things are beginning to get interesting. I know that the plot will take an interesting twist shortly, but I'm not exactly sure how everything will progress from that point. I have a general idea of the direction I will be taking, but nothing concretely mapped out. Hopefully, I will be able to sort things out smoothly as I go. We shall see.

On the series rebrand front, my illustrator has done a bunch of thumbnail sketches for the first book cover. I find the creative process fascinating. Each person seems to have their own fairly unique approach. She'll use those thumbnails to narrow down her ideas to two or three cover sketches. She should have those ready sometime this week, then I'll get a chance to give my feedback. I'm really excited to see what she comes up with. Some of the thumbnails were quite intriguing.

As I contemplate what the cover might look like, it reminds me that I'm going to have to do quite a bit of work re-doing my marketing materials. I'm going to do new book trailers for all three books. At this point I'm not sure if I'll keep what I have and just replace the visuals, or if I'll rework them all from scratch. I'm thinking it will have to be the latter, but I won't know until the artwork and cover designs are complete.

I'll also have to redesign the blog, rework the interiors of the books, and numerous other small things. I plan to do book launches for each of the three as if they were being published for the first time. Really, they are going to be brand new. Again, I'm really excited.

Once I have some working sketches to share, I will also reveal the talented artist's name and show you some of her previous work. Hopefully, that will be next time. See you then!

A Writer's Week #116: Charting a Course

This week was a busy one at work, so I did not accomplish as much as I'd hoped. Still, I managed to get a fair amount done in spite of it all. When I stopped work on The Deliverers 4 in mid-2014, I did so because I was feeling burned out writing-wise and stressed about life in general. As I look back on that time, I think one of the underlying reasons I decided to stop was that I just wasn't satisfied with where the fourth book was heading. The plot was a little one-dimensional and I just didn't have the energy to at the time to figure out exactly what was wrong, tear it down and rebuild it.

I never really totally let the book go, however. From time to time I'd pull out a printed copy of what I'd written and make a few changes here and there. I'd also catch myself turning over different ideas and alternatives in my head. Sometimes, a completely different idea for a book would pop into my head, but each time I'd discard it as either too much effort, or not good enough. All the time, Eric and his friends were in the back of my mind patiently waiting for me.

So here we are in Fall, 2016 and Eric and Stig have started nudging me (I guess they were getting impatient). So last weekend I fired up my laptop and discovered it needed 58 updates! As I said earlier, this week at work was really busy. I'm working on a big project with a high learning curve.

All the same, I managed to tackle some of my plot issues and work out an updated and improved story line. I still haven't figured out the ending, but I did plot out the majority of the book. I was also able to begin rewriting. While I haven't progressed very far in that regard, I've started and that's what counts.

My goal for the coming week is to continue to work on rewrites and to begin writing writing the rest of the book the following week. Once I get to that point, I'll start posting parts of the book here. Please feel free to provide feedback. As I said last week, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this book. I may go the full release route as I've done with the previous three, or I might just release it on Kindle, or maybe I'll just serialize it here. We'll see where this journey takes me. I hope you'll come along for the ride.

I'll see you next week. Peace.