Good Afternoon, Readers!

A Tuesday post, because I was insanely busy Monday and didn’t have time to write at all. 

Not that I’ve had all that much to write about.

I do have news, but I’m saving that for my newsletter, so if you’re not subscribed yet, you may want to (here). It’s not really very exciting news, but you’ll get any news there first before you read it here.

​Writing is going very slowly. I am not thrilled with what I’ve written so far. It’s not any good. To be fair, I’m trying to pull a recollection of what I’ve written already… and lost. You see, I had quite a bit of Daughter of the Sea already written. This was just at the beginning of the pandemic. Only now, I can’t find the stuff I wrote anywhere.

The cold, hard knot that formed in my stomach as I sat down to open the file only to find that the file was nowhere to be found. Not on my iPad, where I do all my writing. Not on the cloud (either one) where I store my manuscripts when I’m not working on them. Nowhere. Only the fact that I was at work on my lunch hour (like now) kept me from a loud, long, despairing wail.

So, I sat down to start again.

And I hate everything I’ve written.

I’m out of practice, too, which means that my writing muscles have atrophied. It’s like drawing blood from a stone at present. As a result, I spent one session writing over the last fortnight and that’s it.

The best way to get the creative juices flowing is the just create, but that’s easier said than done currently.

That said, I did have an idea pop into my head during my morning commute regarding the opening of the book and hoy boy, it’s a really cool naval battle and I’m quite excited about it. I will attempt to work on it during my lunches this week. Hopefully the writing will be easier.

The prologue desperately needs to be fixed, though. I might delete it… for the second time… and rewrite it.

Alright, I have spent what writing time I had today on this blog post. I have to return to staring blankly at numbers and asking other people to make them go down.

For the love of all things good and green, may I soon become a full-time writer.

​Ciao!

Good afternoon, Readers!

In preparation for the most likely outcome of my submission of Soldier, which is to say, silence indicating rejection, I'm struggling a bit with retaining the will to continue submitting and publishing. I have developed a pretty tough skin over the years, but the rejections do wear on me. Couple that with working full time, plus another part time job, plus a monthly video podcast, plus my art stuff, I can feel the burnout starting to take root.

Again.

I feel as if I'm not selling particularly well, and part of that is definitely my fault. I'm not especially good at marketing my work, and so I'm struggling to reach the level of sales I need to reach in order to make this writing lark my full time gig. And I so desperately want to be a full time writer of fiction.

Being so drained, I haven't yet started writing as I promised I would. I feel like I'm in a holding pattern until I pass the indicated deadline from the publisher for my submission and until I get the final edits from my final beta reader for the novel I finished last year.

It's not been conducive to creation, this whole thing called life.

Still, I've not been idle. I've been researching various serial sites where I might publish The Lioness of Shara Mountain. I thought I had settled on a site - Webnovel. Then I read that the contract through them requires first dibs on rights of subsequent related works. The Lioness of Shara Mountain is set in the same world as (albeit a different continent to) The Great Man Series, the first book of which is Soldier... currently on submission. That publishing requirement will not do. So, not Webnovel.

There were a couple of alternatives that my good friend Jen has made me aware of - Vella and Yonder.

Vella is owned and operated by Amazon, and while it does have the structure and monetisation I'm looking for, I really, really, really dislike the way Amazon treats its employees and their authors, so I'm not keen on going with Vella. At all. It's joined Webnovel in my 'Not-Bloody-Likely-Let's-Hope-I-Don't-Get-This-Desperate' list.

Yonder I only just learnt about today, and it looks extremely new. There isn't a lot of information on their site yet about what publishing a serial with them will look like, other than they pay royalties on original content. I've signed up, though, in the hopes that when they're ready, I'll learn more information. For now, they're on my 'Could-Be-Promising' list, though the terms of their contract will dictate whether or not I will seriously consider them.

Currently at the forefront is Wattpad. I used to have a Wattpad account back in the day. I don't know if it's still there. The problem of course, is that it's mad hard to monetise Wattpad stories. They do have an invite-only site where stories can be monetised. But it's invite-only, and so I fear The Lioness will suffer the same problem as all of my other published works - discovery.

Now, I am allowed to ask for payment on Wattpad, which is nice, but also makes my skin crawl. I'm not good at that part. Still, I have both Ko-Fi and PayPal, so I can ask for a tip or a couple of bucks if folks enjoyed the story. And there's always the (very slim) chance that The Lioness gets widely popular there, and is picked up by Wattpad's monetisation site.

For now, though, Wattpad is the surprise leader in my quest to publish The Lioness of Shara Mountain as a serial story.

I'm just sad about the whole discoverability issue, but it's not like I'm not used to it by now.

Listen, the more I think about this latest work, the more I really like it. It's a good story... and perhaps a little too much of my soul for my own good. I really want to give it the best shot possible. So, if any of you know of a serialisation site that might suit, do let me know about it. I'm still researching, and as Beta Reader Three is very busy at present, I have some time.

Thanks so much for your help.

​Ciao!

Good afternoon, Readers!

As my third and final beta reader makes his slow way through The Lioness of Shara Mountain, I've turned my mind to some of the publishing details. It will be happening soon-ish, maybe. Anyway, I'm workshopping some blurb ideas for the back of the book. I could use some help. Here is what I have so far:

Anyway, it's not great. Blurbs are not my strong suit, so I'm asking for some serious help. Does this sound good? Would you read a book with this on the back cover?

​I anxiously await your opinion!

Good afternoon, Readers!

​I'm obnoxiously busy at present, so please enjoy the article I wrote for Black Gate Magazine a fortnight ago.

My love of gaming is well known amongst my friends and friendly acquaintances, and has since before I could afford my first console. In news that would surprise absolutely no one, my preference has always been for narrative games; where the story plays as much a role in the gaming experience as any tests of skill or intellect. The best games for me strike a delicate balance between challenging gameplay — combat and puzzles — and narrative. In short, I game for the same reason I read. I game to find myself immersed in another world, diving into a story that will delight and move me.

When I struggle with the world, which was quite often these last three or so years, it’s to books or video games I regularly turn. I found that when I was really struggling, I didn’t turn to film or television so much, as I’ve been feeling quite detached with the kind of stories on offer in those media. Few matched the emotional depth I, very specifically, needed. The Untamed, available on Netflix, was one of the few television shows I could tune into precisely because the stakes were incredibly high, and the narrative was spectacularly heartfelt.

Good afternoon, Readers!

This weekend past was lovely. I taught martial arts as per usual for a few hours on Saturday, and visited my father and his girlfriend Sunday, where I finally watched RRR. Brilliant film, for the record. Every bit deserving of the hype.

Slightly less wonderful, I got the first feedback from my third beta reader, and it was, as is typical, less than glowing. Luckily, I've developed a thick skin for writing critique, and I know well which critiques to pay attention to from this particular beta reader. He's very good at ensuring I don't get too big a head, which is sometimes very needed. Mostly, his advice is very good, and his keen eye is a boon, so don't worry. I'm not crushed or anything. It's a good thing he's so forthright. It's one of the many reasons I keep him as my final beta reader. In any case, he's extraordinarily busy, so it will likely be a long while before I get The Lioness of Shara Mountain back from him.

This means I can focus on other stories that I've started and not completed. I think I'll work on Daughter of the Sea, as it's a great stand-alone story set in the same world as my Avalon series (not yet finished... or properly titled... still). Hopefully by the time I'm finished writing that, my subconscious will have done its thing and finished the narrative of the third book so I can at last finish that series and start the submission process.

In the meantime, I've been off exploring other social media options. After Twitter was sold, many of my friends went off in search of a better space. Many of them ended up on Mastadon. I have an account there, though I've done nothing with it, really. In my research, I discovered a Twitter-like alternative called Spoutible.

It is a black-owned site, and has a user-end interface that is very like Twitter. Instead of Tweets, we have Spouts (in which we spout off. Get it?). Instead of things trending, they're making waves (which I rather like). What I'm rather enjoying right now is the promise of being strict about harassment as well as misinformation. We'll see how long that lasts, but that's what made me decide to go there, not least of all because Twitter is opening up to known liars again with no promises of any kind of fact-check.

There are some key differences in the user experience, but they're small. If you're used to Twitter, and don't want to spend a great deal of time relearning another platform, I really recommend Spoutible. It's only recently launched, and so there are a fair few bugs the needed and need ironing out, but my experience has only gotten more smooth since launch date. An app is coming shortly, and will probably have more kinks to iron out, but all in all, it's been good.

I still have my Twitter account, but I'm no longer active on the site. Join me on Spoutible instead. That's where I'll be doing all of the formerly Twitter-ish things.

If you decide to sign up and want to follow me, you can find me here. As you can see, I'm very inventive when it comes to names on my socials...

Anywho, that's all I've got for you at the moment. I shall return next Monday.

Ciao!

Good afternoon, Reades!

Well, we are fast approaching the response deadline for my submission of Soldier, the first book in The Great Man series. I am anxiously checking the email I reserve for my writing stuff daily, hoping against hope that this book is good enough for the publisher to take a risk on me and this story.

It's a series - six books, in fact, which I know is an incredibly hard sell. Stand-alones are easier for publishers to rake a risk on, for obvious reasons. And I'm a huge unknown, who has already published a fair number of titles, none of which sell in any meaningful way.

It's an uphill battle, is what I'm saying. The chances of this query being successful are extraordinarily slim.

Still, I'm hoping, even as I'm trying to prepare myself for yet one more rejection that this poor book has gotten. This one, when it lands, will be especially disappointing. I can't help but hope, and having that hope dashed never gets easier.

I love this story so much. I love the characters. I really want to see it succeed.

Like The Lioness of Shara Mountain, I'm unsure what to do with it. If this query doesn't land, and the book is once again rejected, what then? What will I do with it?

I don't know. Part of me just wants to file the story away. A failure. It couldn't cut it.

Another part of me is still aching to share the story.

Yet another part is already gathering a considerable amount of "fuck you" energy (you know the kind. It rears up with obstinant defiance when anyone says 'you can't do that.' It isn't exactly fair that I have that going on, as the query has yet to be rejected... and there's a chance it will not be... however slim).

Once again, I find myself contemplating a number of options. I could submit the book to Renaissance Press, whom I really love working with, but have not really been selling through at all. I love them, so chances are, I'll definitely try them first. I was hoping for more of a global reach, but Renaissance has a lot going for it for such a small press.

I could self-publish it, but there's so much expense and time involved in that option. I don't have funds, and I don't have an awful lot of time. At all. I'm already working three jobs in an effort to keep myself housed and fed. I don't have what it takes to give this book's development and marketing the time and energy it so richly (in my opinion) deserves. Self-publishing is as much a recipe for failure as just filing it away, in my experience.

Perhaps I could go the web novel route, as I'm contemplating with The Lioness of Shara Mountain. Perhaps I'll launch The Lioness that way as a kind of test to see if it will be a viable thing for Soldier and the subsequent books in the series. That option is still more expensive, as I still need to get book covers and editing all sorted.

So, I'm currently spending my time wishing for a publishing contract, and trying to figure out a Plan B for one of my favourite stories I've ever written. It's taking a considerable amount of brainpower.

Any advice you can offer will be welcomed, and even considered.

In any case, I'll find out soon enough. If I'm lucky, I'll have hit on a viable Plan B by the time I hear. All the same, give the manuscript your best wishes.

I'm still hoping Plan A pans out.

Ciao!

Good afternoon, Readers!

So there are a lot of things I have thoughts on, guys! SO MANY.

I'm going to start with my return to martial arts. I love it. I've missed it. I'm so happy to be training and teaching again. I honestly wish I could do it more, but there just aren't enough hours in the day. Perhaps one day (soon, I hope), I'll be able to reduce me hours in the 8-5 and start doing the things I really love more. I wish all offices everywhere turn to a results-based wage instead of a time-based wage. One day, perhaps, we'll get there.

This week, I watched the first episode of HBO's The Last of Us and I have thoughts. I'm going to save that for another blog, though, if they'll have me back. Near as I can tell from the first episode, though, this is one video game adaptation that was done exceedingly well. While I do have some grumbles, particularly as they relate to Joel's character, but overall, it was so very good. Pedro Pascal was not my first choice (though I was not as hesitant about him as I was when I first heard the casting for Geralt in The Witcher), he is a brilliant actor and he does very well in the role. Bella Ramsay as Ellie was exceptional. She portrayed the cursing young teen perfectly. So perfectly, in fact, that I had a good belly laugh when we first meet her. I will be eagerly continuing the watch.

But, like I said, I'd like to expound on that further elsewhere.

If you're wondering about my writing, The Lioness of Shara Mountain is now off and away to beta reader 3. There will be one more edit and then I will be publishing it. Right now, my mind is on what kind of book cover I would like for this one. I have a couple of ideas. Since I am leaning towards publishing this as a web novel on an online platform, I will have to come up with the cover myself. I'm thinking that maybe I'll do a painting on canvas and use that, but first I have to do a couple of mock-ups to see which design I'll be actually painting. I'm not sure yet. I've got a little time, so we'll see.

I've not quite decided how I'll have this published, yet, so it might be I try the traditional route. That's looking less and less likely, though.

With TLoSM all written and off, there are a number of other projects that I have on the go or waiting for a start that I should get to. I'm not sure which of these I want to resume/start. There are just so many. I'm thinking I should start the third and final book of The Avalon Series... which still doesn't have a proper name. Once the series is done and written, I can start shopping it. I don't really want to do that until it's all complete. You know, just in case. I'd hate to have the first two books published and then something happen and readers never get to read the end of the story. Once that's complete I have a new story begging for attention, but I think I'll return to rewriting The Great Man series. I've done the first three books, as I recall. It's the last three that need rewrites. Cai has been whispering to me again, and so I think I ought to finish rewriting his story. I should get it all done, as the first book, Soldier, is on submission right now. If a miracle happens and it's accepted, I would like to have the series done as much as possible before the first edits roll in.

For now, though, as is tradition when I've finished a story, I'm giving myself the rest of the month off... or as much of the month as it takes for my third beta reader to get back to me.

Oh, and Sunday we streamed the first episode of Nights at the Round Table. It was fun, though it started with a whole bunch of technical issues I needed to iron out. We got there in the end. I am wildly out of hosting practice, so it was a little awkward on my end, but it'll get better as we go along. As long as I can continue to get panellists! I've missed chatting nerdy books with friends! The episode will go up on our YouTube channel Sunday the 29th. I'm kinda nervous about this.

And that's where I'm at this week. Tonight I'm going home to continue working on my crafting stuff, and I think I'll rewatch the first episode of TLoU.

​Ciao!