Inklings: Can't Live without My Journal

 Last month, I shared some methods I use to come up with story ideas. In that post, I mentioned that you should always carry a pen and a notebook with you. I really can't stress how important that is.

This week, I thought I should expand on that thought and talk to you a little bit about keeping a journal. Now, some of you out there might be groaning a bit, because you might have to keep a journal for school. Let's face it, it's not as much fun doing some things when it's "schoolwork".

In this case, though, you might be surprised. Keeping a journal can help you become a better writer. Here are a few ways it can do that:

• First, a journal is a great place for you to capture your observations of the world around you. Did you see a great sunrise? Did your friend tell you a killer joke? What was it like building tunnels in the snow after a blizzard? You can record all these moments and others during your day in your journal.
• Journals are also fantastic places to jot down ideas as you think of them. I use a journal for writing down story ideas, different information about the worlds I write about, and interesting people and situations that could be used as the basis of events and characters in future stories.
  
• The more you write, the easier it will get to write. Journals are great places to practice all sorts of writing tools--dialogue, description, storytelling to name just a few.

Last month, I shared some methods I use to come up with story ideas. In that post, I mentioned that you should always carry a pen and a notebook with you. I really can't stress how important that is.

This week, I thought I should expand on that thought and talk to you a little bit about keeping a journal. Now, some of you out there might be groaning a bit, because you might have to keep a journal for school. Let's face it, it's not as much fun doing some things when it's "schoolwork".

In this case, though, you might be surprised. Keeping a journal can help you become a better writer. Here are a few ways it can do that:

• First, a journal is a great place for you to capture your observations of the world around you. Did you see a great sunrise? Did your friend tell you a killer joke? What was it like building tunnels in the snow after a blizzard? You can record all these moments and others during your day in your journal.
• Journals are also fantastic places to jot down ideas as you think of them. I use a journal for writing down story ideas, different information about the worlds I write about, and interesting people and situations that could be used as the basis of events and characters in future stories.
• The more you write, the easier it will get to write. Journals are great places to practice all sorts of writing tools--dialogue, description, storytelling to name just a few.

My journal has become a place for me to work out parts of my stories when I get stuck. If I'm away from my computer, i use my journal to write a quick chapter. I draw little maps in my journal to give me an idea of the world the characters are exploring in my Deliverers series. 

The picture to the left shows a page of my journal. I apologize for its messiness. Sometimes my thoughts need some rearranging. This page shows the first map ever made of the Dragon Islands where the third book of the Deliverers, The Golden Dragon of Ang, takes place. This is the book I'm currently working on.

So, journals are excellent tools to capture all sorts of cool stuff that you can use to either practice different types of writing, or all the ideas that come to you any time of the day or night. If you're not keeping a journal, you might want to consider starting one. You never know where it might take you!

What kinds of things do you record in your journal? How has keeping a journal helped your writing? Let me know by leaving a message in the Comments section! My journal has become a place for me to work out parts of my stories when I get stuck. If I'm away from my computer, i use my journal to write a quick chapter. I draw little maps in my journal to give me an idea of the world the characters are exploring in my Deliverers series. 

The picture to the left shows a page of my journal. I apologize for its messiness. Sometimes my thoughts need some rearranging. This page shows the first map ever made of the Dragon Islands where the third book of the Deliverers, The Golden Dragon of Ang, takes place. This is the book I'm currently working on.

So, journals are excellent tools to capture all sorts of cool stuff that you can use to either practice different types of writing, or all the ideas that come to you any time of the day or night. If you're not keeping a journal, you might want to consider starting one. You never know where it might take you!

What kinds of things do you record in your journal? How has keeping a journal helped your writing? Let me know by leaving a message in the Comments section! 

A Writer's Week #126: Nearing the Finish

 It's been a while since I gave an update on my WIP, The Deliverers 4: Sparkling Mist of Time. That's because a lot of great things have been happening--lots of shows to be specific. I have not been idle on the writing front, however. Book 4 is moving right along, and I am happy to report that the first draft is almost complete. 

Right now, I've written over 43,000 words, and am on track to hit 50,000. This book will definitely complete the Deliverers Series. My concern with writing the ending to the series has always been doing the series justice. I put pressure on myself to make sure that the end of a book works and is a fitting ending to the story. This time around, I'm really feeling it as I'm wrapping up the entire series.

As the book was initially coming to a close, I think I was trying a little to hard to figure out the ending. I was trying to force things, so all my ideas were a little bit contrived. Finally, I just kind of let it all go and stopped thinking so hard. Once I was able to do that, it started coming in bits and pieces. Finally, all the pieces came together. I think the ending as I picture it now is a natural and proper path to complete the story.

Book 4 is really starting to come together, I should have the first draft completed shortly. Emily Hurst Pritchett has started sketching out cover ideas. I'm also experimenting with the book layout. This will be the first time I'm doing it on my own, so there's a little more pressure than usual.

Anyhow, I hope to have the book out by either February or March. Stay tuned, I'll be sure to keep you updated. In the meantime, I hope you and yours have a very happy Thanksgiving.

Sharky and the Jewel New Cover Reveal

 Hello, everyone! The time has come to share the new cover for Sharky and the Jewel with you. Many thanks to Emily Hurst Pritchett for her great work on the cover art and design, the map, and the chapter heading illustration. She really has knocked it out of the park if you ask me. 

Here is the new cover:

The 2nd edition of the Kindle version of the book is live. The paperback version is, too, I'm told, but the old cover is still showing on Amazon. However, if you click on that, the "Look Inside" has the new paperback cover and interior. I'm told that it might take a few days for the cover to appear on the product page.

I have updated the book trailer as well. Here is the new version:

Emily has started knocking around ideas for the updated book 2 cover. I hope to be sharing more news on that sometime later this month.

Please let me know what you think of the new cover in the comments below. Also, please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested in checking out my books. It's a great series, but I'll need all the help I can get in spreading the word. Have a great week!

A Writer's Week #120: An Illustration in Progress

 Hey there, everybody. As I've noted here in my previous posts, I've partnered with Boston illustrator Emily Hurst Pritchett to produce new covers and maps for the first three books in the Deliverers Series. I'm hoping to have the completed cover any day now, and I'm on pins and needles with excitement and anticipation. So much so, that I've let my writing completely slide.

I'm finding it hard to concentrate because I'm thinking of everything I'll have to update once I have the finished cover. First, I'll be redesigning the blog to whatever color scheme will match the cover. I'll also have to change the blog's title and graphics. I'll also have to update the interior of the book, the cover and interior for the Kindle version, and the audiobook cover. I'll also have to redo the book trailer. I've always been proud of the original as it's the first video I ever produced:

Actually, while all this is true, I have to admit the real reason I haven't been writing is that I've got a massive case of writer's block. I've never really had trouble in this area before. Usually I'll puzzle over a sticky situation for a couple of days--no more than a week--and get back on track, but this has been going on for over a month. Part of it is due to distraction, but most of it is because there's a major plot twist, and I just can't work out exactly how the rest of the book will play out. Hopefully, I'll get it sorted out soon and will be able to move forward quickly.

Anyway, here is a look at the final two cover choices I picked out of the half dozen or so that Emily presented to me:

These are both extremely rough, but you get the idea. I won't tell you which one I picked. We'll save that for when I have the final version!

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!

The Deliverers 4: Sparkling Mist of Time--Prologue

 Well, where to begin...it's been forever since I posted here. It's a good bet there is no one out there reading after all this time. However, I've decided to post the prologue to the 4th Deliverers book to see if it generates any feedback. Or a response of any kind. LOL. Well, here goes. Let me know what you think.

Prologue

Long Island Sound, 1 October, 1777

The swells of the incoming tide gently rocked the HMS Halifax as she lay at anchor with the other 25 ships in His Majesty’s fleet on Long Island Sound, just off the Connecticut coast. The light of a full moon shone dully through the windows of the aft cabin.

The interior of this chamber, although large, was sparsely furnished. A bunk was built into the wall beneath the bank of windows in the ship’s stern. Against one wall was a bookcase filled with leather bound books. On the other was a dressing table on which sat a wig stretcher holding a powdered wig.

In the center of the room a man was seated at a large desk. A lantern hung from a beam overhead, bathing the cabin in a flickering light. The man pored over a map while sipping from a goblet of Madeira wine. Heaving a sigh, he rose and slowly unfastened the brass buttons of his red officer’s jacket. Slipping it off slowly, he hung it from the back of his Windsor chair and stretched.

Running a hand through his graying hair, he walked over to the dressing table, poured some water from a pitcher into a ceramic basin, splashed his face and rubbed his eyes.

He turned to see a black hole in the center of the room. He gaped. It stood upright. From around the edges, wisps of pale gray sparkling mist trailed out and crawled along the Persian carpet. Someone emerged from the opening and stood in the middle of the room. The figure was hooded and cloaked in black—he could not see a face. He rubbed his eyes again, but the specter stood there still. Was it his imagination, or did it sparkle just as the mist did? Suddenly, the hole closed with a snap.

“Good evening General,” the figure rasped.

“Wh--what is the meaning of this intrusion?” the officer asked.

“That, my dear General Tryon you shall learn soon enough,” it replied. “But for now, sit and pour yourself some more wine. It might calm your nerves.”

General Tryon sank unsteadily into his chair and poured the wine with a trembling hand. Slowly, he raised the glass to his lips and drank, never taking his eyes off his uninvited guest. The wine did indeed steady him, but only just a bit.

Taking a deep breath he said, “You have stolen aboard a vessel of His Majesty’s fleet and broken into the quarters of an officer of the imperial British navy. I do not know how, but once again, I demand to know why, sir.”

“Well said,” the mysterious man replied. “I must say that I expected no less from such an august personage. I admit to being surprised to find you on a ship out in the sound and not in the governor’s mansion.”

Tryon winced. “A governor’s duty is to his king first and foremost. In this time of unrest, King George III finds it necessary to send Admiral Lord Howe to oversee His Majesty’s troops. He declared martial law and so my responsibilities as governor were severely curtailed.”

The figure nodded. “Yes, I know. You were sent here to lead an expedition into Connecticut colony to destroy food and ammunition being gathered by the rebels while more important things are afoot.”

General Tryon grunted. “I am not at liberty to divulge the army’s plans to an unknown.”

“Naturally. Why don’t I run through them for you? Your operation is but a diversion to draw the colonials’ manpower away from the true objective. A force is to sweep down from Canada through New York while Lord Howe dispatches another army up the Hudson Valley to meet them, thereby cutting New England off from the rest of the colonies as one would lop the head from a chicken. A neat little plan,” the sparkling man mused.

“How did you come to know all this?” General Tryon asked.

“I know many things, my friend. You regret not being asked to lead one of the forces.”

“Howe should have sent me to command!” Tryon snarled, bringing his fist crashing down on the desk. “The mission will fail without my leadership.”

“You are correct, they will fail. That is why I am here.”

“What do you mean, sir?” Tryon asked, his eyes narrowing.

“You want fame and glory—your name to be remembered through history. I can give that to you.”

An eager light gleamed in the general’s eyes. “Can you? And what would you stand to gain from that?”

“I can help you carry out Lord Howe’s plans, which will restore the American colonies to the crown. In return, all I ask is to lead the first wave of attackers—my own handpicked troops.”

“Your offer is tempting…” Tryon murmured. “But first I must know with whom I am dealing. Remove your hood, sir.”

“Very well,” the man said and pulled the cloak from his head. His scarred blue face sparkled.

“Wh—who are you?” Tryon gasped.

“Someone who will make the name of William Tryon live forever!” the blue man rasped.

A Writer's Week #115: Shaking Off the Dust

Happy weekend everyone! Wow, I can't believe it's been over two years since my last blog post. Time sure does have a way of rushing by. It's been a good, if busy, two years, but all in all things have been good here. I hope you had a good couple of years as well.

When last I posted, I was working on book four in the Deliverers Series. Since then I've been busy working (new job with the same company), and watching the family grow. Christian is now a freshman in high school and Abby is in 7th grade and they're doing all sorts of thing from marching band to bowling leagues to Girl Scouts. Stephanie has been running races and is trying to run a race in all 169 towns in Connecticut (she's at 41 right now). Needless to say, things have been quite busy.

Periodically, I've entertained thoughts of getting back to my writing. I've struggled with the question of whether to finish Eric's story, or to venture out on a new path. After much internal debate, I've decided to continue Eric's journey through to the end. I'm not sure where that will lead, but right now completing his story is the goal.

I am currently in the process of reevaluating what I've written on book 4 so far. Once I've done that, I'll rewrite the parts that need to be and carry on. I don't know if I'll publish the remaining books in the series or not. I will definitely serialize them here and I may wind up publishing a Kindle version. We'll see how things go. I would dearly love and appreciate any feedback you could give as I post pieces of the story here. That would be a great help!

To kick off this next phase of my writing life, I'm making the kindle versions of books 2 & 3 available free on Amazon for the next few days. It's the first time I've made them available for free. Please download, read and write a review. Here is the link to my Amazon writer's page:

https://www.amazon.com/Gregory-S.-Slomba/e/B005PFPA64/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

That's it for now. I'll be back with another update soon.

A Writer's Week #114: Summer Perspective

Hi again everyone. I hope you've all be having a great summer--I know I have. In June, I decided to take a break from blogging and writing. I'd been going at it nonstop for almost three years and I needed to stop and take stock. Now that summer's coming to a close and my kids are getting ready to go back to school (did I just hear a loud groan form the living room?), I think it's time to get back on the horse and continue my writer's journey.

Before my little vacation, I'd been about 56 pages and 13,000 words into book four in the Deliverers Series, Sparkling Mist of Time. At the time I had some questions about the direction of the book, how short I was worried it was going to be, and whether or not I was going to have to combine my vision for books four and five into one larger series-ending book. Frankly, I was too wrapped up in things to look at those issues objectively, hence my main reason to step back and get a little perspective.

Last week, after not thinking much about writing at all for a couple of months, I printed out the 56 pages of book four and sat down to read it. I have to admit I did so with more than a little trepidation. I thought for sure I'd find the thing was full of holes. Turns out, it held up pretty well. Some of the issues I was worried about didn't seem to be issues at all with the distance of a couple of months.

I edited it pretty heavily, but the overall plot structure this far is sound. In fact, I came up with  a solution to a

situation that had been bugging the heck out of me without having to really think much about it. It resolved itself as I read. I've figured out who's behind all the sparkling mist that's been seeping into troubled worlds. The upshot is that I think I have a firm direction and I'm reenergized to bring the rest of the book to life.

So, I am setting myself a goal of 2,000 words a week. This is the same modest goal that I've had in the past and one that works well for me. Hopefully, I'll be able to write much more each week, but if time becomes an issue, no worries. As usual, I'll keep you up to date on my progress. Have a great week!

Deliverers 3 Preview

I thought I would kick off this week with a preview of the third book in the Deliverers series which will be out by March. The book is titled The Golden Dragon of Ang. So, without further ado, here;s part of chapter 1.

The Golden Dragon of Ang

Chapter 1--Dark Times

            Numb. That’s all he felt. He sat there in the pew, the words of the priest flowing over and past him, none of them sinking in. Just like when his mother had told him the news. Just like when his father had died.

            He’d been through it all before. He never thought he’d have to go through it again so soon—too soon.

            Eric Scott shook himself, trying to snap back to the here and now. It did not seem possible. His mind kept straying to the day before yesterday, the day Gordy was killed. There had been a car accident. Eric’s cousin, Gordy Bungee, and his family had been coming back from their summer vacation when their SUV had been sideswiped by another vehicle that had drifted into their lane.

            Their car had flipped over the guard rail and down an embankment. Eric’s uncle Rocco, his aunt Matilda and his cousin Jeff had escaped with minor cuts and bruises. Gordy had not been as lucky.

            So now, just three years after his father had died in a hiking accident, Eric found himself at a funeral for another family member who had died much too young.

            He had not been particularly close to Gordy until this year. For one thing, at 13 Eric was two years younger than him. He had always been closer to Jeff, who was his own age.

            Still, all three had spent a lot of time together over the past year or so. Although he could be a real jerk sometimes, it had been Gordy who had encouraged him to keep playing hockey after he had been ready to quit.

            After a nearly fatal first practice where he almost got his head knocked off, Eric had vowed never to play again. Gordy would not stand for that, and became almost like a personal coach to him. He helped Eric learn to really skate, develop his stick work and his awareness on the ice. By the end of the season, he was no longer an embarrassment. Eric had been looking forward to playing again this winter, but now…

            The service was concluding and everyone stood to go to their cars and drive to the cemetery. Then there would be a gathering at his house. His mom had offered to host it. Great. No chance to slip off home and leave the sadness and gloom behind.

            What had Gordy done to deserve this? The same thing my dad did, he thought, nothing. Why did this kind of stuff have to happen? And why was it happening to his family?

            He did not have any answers, and that frustrated him.

###

            It was dark. Eric could not see anything. Suddenly, a sickly green light illuminated the room. It was

empty except for a group of people in the center. They were gathered around something that he could not make out. As he came closer, he recognized his mother, his uncle Rocco, aunt Matilda and Jeff among other friends and relatives. They were weeping over the object, which Eric now recognized as a coffin.

            A black sparkling mist leaked out from under the lid, trickled down the sides and spread out across the floor, obscuring everyone’s feet. It crawled along the ground toward him. It chilled him as it engulfed his shoes and his body tingled all over. A feeling of dread crept over him.

With a creak the lid of the coffin was slowly opened from the inside by a skeletal hand. Eric tensed, not knowing what to expect. The coffin’s occupant sat bolt upright, and Eric gasped.

It was a corpse. Rotting flesh revealed glimpses of the skeleton beneath. Its head turned to Eric and regarded him with worm-riddled eyes. The zombie’s decaying lips drew back from yellowed teeth in a cruel smile that both repulsed and intrigued him. There was something familiar about this unholy creature.

“Hello Eric, so nice to see you again,” it rasped. “I trust the Assignment in Vynistra City had a satisfactory conclusion.”

That voice, it sounded like…”Selango,” Eric whispered.

The zombie smiled wider, and part of its left ear fell off.

“Ah, it’s good that you know me,” Selango said. “So often people are forgotten after they’ve died. I was worried that you might not remember, but I knew that you could not be so cold and heartless.”

Eric looked at the people crowded around the coffin, all of whom were still sobbing, seemingly oblivious to the grisly specter.

“What are you doing here?”

“For starters, I’m dead. I can be wherever I want. But the real reason I am here is to give you my condolences. A terribly tragic loss—he was too young to die so senselessly. And to think that it all could have been avoided. I don’t want you to blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault, not really.”

“What wasn’t my fault?” Eric asked.

“Your cousin’s death,” Selango said.

“It wasn’t my fault. I didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“No, that’s true. You did not cause the accident, but you could have prevented it”

“What?” Eric could not believe it. “How could I have done that?”

The zombie Selango shook its head. “If you had only accepted my offer, this whole tragedy might never have happened.”

“Your offer? What offer?”

“Think my boy. Think back to that distasteful chain of events in Vynistra City. You and your friends had me locked up in that cell with all the other riff-raff. I offered you the chance of a lifetime. My freedom for the most powerful weapon ever created. You turned me down. And now your cousin lies dead.”

“I don’t see what that has to do with it,” Eric frowned.

“The mist! Did I not say it was a source of unimagined power? If you had heeded me, I would have

shown you how to mold it, shape it, use it to achieve your heart’s desire. With it you could have done anything—prevented that accident or brought your cousin back to life.”

Eric glanced down at the mist swirling around his feet, then back at Selango. “Dad,” he murmured.

“Yes, you could have brought him back, too,” Selango said, nodding sadly. “Ah well, the road of life is littered with missed opportunities. Still, it is a shame. What did you gain by denying me, anyway? Freedom for some mongrel cat people you’ll probably never see again. Was it really worth all this pain and anguish?”

The zombie gestured at the people around the coffin. They were looking at Eric with a mixture of rage and contempt. They began marching, arms outstretched, toward him.

“Your fault, your fault!” they cried.

“I want my son!” his aunt screeched.

“My husband, I miss my husband!” his mother wailed.

The crowd was closing in, ready to overwhelm him. Eric covered his head with his arms as the zombie Selango cackled and the sparkling mist rose to blind him.

A Writer's Week #82: Getting Back Into It

Hi all! I took a break last week to go on vacation and we had a wonderful time. I spent next to no time writing, thinking about writing, blogging, marketing--well, you get the idea. We spent a few days down in Williamsburg. The kids had a blast and so did Stephanie and I.

I took a lot of pictures to use as inspiration for book 4 of the Deliverers Series (okay, so I did think a little about writing, but it wasn't about book 3). There's going to be a little bit of time travel back to the Revolution involved, so the trip was just what the doctor ordered.

In any event, I returned ready and raring to go, and that's just what I did. I wrote 2,800 words on The Golden Dragon of Ang, bringing the word total to 56,650 over 247 pages and 58 chapters. I'm working my way through the climactic scene and then it will be on to the denouement and the first draft will be complete. You'll be hearing all about it in the coming weeks.


While on vacation, I received a photo from a young reader named Ryan--all of seven years old. He had made a Lego display of his favorite summer reading book for a contest at his local library. He chose The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel. I posted it to Facebook that day (all right, I suppose I thought about blogging and Facebook on my vacation a little bit, too). The picture is at the right. Can you guess who everyone is? Here is the lineup: front row- Hallo (short legs) with axe, Eric with torch, Kate with bow. Back row - Dwarf king with short legs and sword, Sharky, the Guardian of the Jewel.
Platform- black powder barrel, mini-scale mountain with jewel on top and Bolliwog. Quite a nice display, I think. Thank you again, Ryan!

When I returned from vacation, I stumbled across a review of the audio version of Sharky and the Jewel that I did not know was out there. It was by Martha of Martha's Bookshelf, and it was a really great review. In it she praises the storytelling of Jimm Singer, who really did a fantastic job of narrating the book. If you have not had a chance to take a listen, then you really should. The book is digital and can be dowloaded and played on your cell or e-reader or ipod, etc. You can check out a preview on Amazon HERE. Oops--the one thing I did not do over vacation was try to sell books, so I guess it's kind of backed up.

Oh well. While I'm at it, don't forget that The Deliverers 2 is out now in paperback and Kindle! Okay, enough selling. I did manage to sell a few books this week, so things are starting to move along. The new book also received a couple of great reviews on Amazon as well, so this was definitely a great week! Thanks for all your continued support, and I look forward to sharing some more news next time!

A Writer's Week #79: What A Release!

I had another great Writer's Week this week. Before I get to the really good stuff, I wanted to fill you in on the progress made on the third book in the Deliverers Series, The Golden Dragon of Ang. In spite of everything that was going on, I was able to write 1,500 words or so. The word count stands at 51,500 over 53 chapters and 225 pages.

This book looks like it will be at least as long as book 2, which was 265 manuscript pages and 63,000 words. I'm coming to the climax of the book, but I have the feeling that there are still one or two twists in store that I have not discovered yet. We shall see.

The other day, illustrator Daniel Vogel sent me a second draft of the map for The Golden Dragon of Ang. It's looking really good. Once the final version is done, he'll start work on the other five. There will be a map of each of the islands in this book as well, which should keep him pretty busy.  

Of course the main news of the week is that book 2, Order of the Crystal Lion, was released on Amazon. I also received an order of paperbacks, so I'm going to be hitting the road at a couple of shows in the next couple of months. I look forward to seeing some of you then.

The release went pretty well. I have to admit that my marketing stinks. I haven't set up a blog tour or anything like that. I do hope to get the book reviewed and do some interviews over the next couple of months. As always, I'll keep you up to date on when and where. I find that most of my success occurs when I'm meeting readers and selling books in person and that will be my game plan.

Still, I have had a number of Kindle sales. I was surprised that sales of the Kindle version of Sharky and the Jewel have also spiked. I did reformat the interior of that book to more closely reflect the interior of the paperback, including the chapter illustration and map. All in all the Kindle versions of both books look great. Oh yes, I almost forgot. The first paperback copy of the book was sold in the UK. That was kind of a shock.

Anyway, thank you all for such a nice response to the new book. I've received great feedback on the book, the cover, the trailer, and practically everything else! I'll update you on the sales progress for book 2 and the writing of book 3 next week. I'll leave you now with the trailers from both books. Enjoy!