Gone Editing

Hi all! I've decided to forego this week's interview to concentrate on editing The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion. I've finished with Phase I of the editing, and am now going to tear down and rebuild a couple of scenes. I'd like to get this done by Thanksgiving, so I'm spending the next two evenings editing and rewriting. I'll be back on Wednesday with someone from the Reading Crew and to wish you a happy Thanksgiving! See you then.

A Writer's Week #45: Heading Into the Holidays With a Thankful Heart

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is now less than a week away, and we'll soon be (if we haven't been already) launched into the holiday season. I don't know where the year has gone, but I do know that I have a whole lot to be thankful for--a healthy, happy family; good friends; a good job that I enjoy; and lots of good news on the writing front.

With that in mind, I've decided to give 50 cents for every copy of The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel sold online between now and the end of the year to the Salvation Army. I will also donate $1.00 for every copy of the book that I sell in person. So far, I'll be donating $6 at the end of the year. I'd love to be able to donate at least $50. The Deliverers makes a great gift for the young readers in your life, so pick up a copy or two and help support a great organization at the same time.

Production continues on the audio book version of Sharky and the Jewel. Narrator Jimm Singer says recording could be finished by the end of this weekend, then I'll be giving the whole book a final listen. After I give my approval, ACX will prep it for release on Audible.com, Amazon.com, and iTunes. If all goes according to plan, it could be out as early as the first week in December. I'll keep you updated.

The editing of The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion is moving along. I've edited 195 of 265 pages. Once I get done with the first editing pass, I'll go back and make the bigger changes--fixing or deleting scenes that don't work, and any other large changes that I think may be needed. So far, I've identified only two or three areas that need to be shored up, which is great. I was worried there would be more. We'll see how the last 70 pages go.

Artwork for The Deliverers 2 is progressing as well. Daniel Vogel has sent me a rough layout of the cover, and is working on a drawing of the crystal lion. I think the cover concept is good, and I'm looking forward to a final rough with some color.

All this means that I'm on track for an end of February, beginning of March release. I'll be off work for the last week of November, so I'm looking forward to being able to devote a lot of time to these projects. I'll let you know how I'm getting on next week. Until then, may you and your family and friends have a happy, safe Thanksgiving!

What's Christian Reading? Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing With Fire

This week, Christian returns after a long hiatus to give us his thoughts on an interesting book; Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing With Fire, by Derek Landy. Let's see what he's got to say about it.

Here's what Christian says the book is about.

"Skulduggery Pleasant, the skeleton detective, and his apprentice Valkyrie Cain, once known as 12 year old Stephanie Edgley, have gone up against another one of Mevolent’s high ranking generals, this one much more powerful than Nefarain Serpine.

“His name is Baron Vengeous and like Serpine he would love to see the Faceless Ones come back to the world that we know and call home. Skulduggery and Valkyrie know that the return of the Faceless Ones would mean the destruction of Earth and would plunge the world into darkness.

“Baron seeks to wake the grotesquery, a monster that is made from the most harmful creatures of fable the world has to offer. It could make a portal that could let the Faceless Ones back into the world. Will Valkyrie and Skulduggery complete Valkyrie’s training or will the world be plunged into the reign of the Faceless Ones?" 

Here's what Christian liked best about the book.

"I liked the part when Valkyrie strode out of China’s bedroom and said, 'Here I am.' I think it was funny to read about the look on Baron's face."

Was there anything he did not like about the book?

"Was there anything I didn’t like? I have to say no. I loved every part of it."

So, how did Christian rate Playing with Fire (don’t try this at home) by Derek Landy?

He gave it five out of five flaming monkey heads.

Monday Interview Series: Rapunzel

Today, I'm up in a tall tower speaking with a lovely young lady with the longest hair I've ever seen. Yes, that's right, I'm visiting with Rapunzel.

Greg:  Hi Rapunzel. Thanks for inviting me to spend some time with you.

Rapunzel:  It's my pleasure. I never get visitors here, except for Dame Gothel, and she's no fun. She says she's my mother, but we don't look anything alike. Her hair's way too short, for one thing. I wish I could get out of this tower and see the world. What's it like outside?

Greg:  Some parts of it are quite nice, but there are other parts that you'd do well to stay away from. So I take it you're not happy in your tower?

Rapunzel:  Oh it's not so bad. I've got cable, my laptop and my smartphone. 

Greg:  Really? I'm surprised Dame Gothel lets you communicate with the outside world.

Rapunzel:  She doesn't mind because she monitors my e-mails and won't let me disclose my location. But I can only update my blog and play Angry Birds so many times before it becomes tedious. That's why I advertised for a prince.

Greg:  You, what?

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!