Moving the Blog

So I think this will be the last blog on this site.

I haven't been blogging very much lately. The pandemic is using up too much of my energy in very ridiculous ways. I spend too much time scouring the internet for information that just isn't there.

I'll be trying to post more on the Facebook page. So if you want to hear from me, look for me there. And if you don't do Facebook but want to know about upcoming books, you can check the series pages on my website. I try to keep them up to date with what I'm working on.

A big thanks to any folks who were following me here.

And in other news...

Right now all the first in series books are 99c. Click on the title to choose a store.

Space Opera - Facade

High Fantasy - High Barrens

Post-apocalyptic - Lethal Seasons

Tradition Mystery - White Lies

The audiobook for Gleanings is now available at Audible. I'll load more stores as it hits. For some reason it's been really slow this time around.

I'm working on the rewrite of Willow. I am still hoping for a summer release of that.

Stay safe!

Print and Audio Update

Press proofs all, so ignore the "Not for Sale" banners.

I approved the press proof and got the email that Dilemma was available in the Amazon store, and it wasn't until I took this photo that I realized another mistake. The Dilemma cover is matte and the other 2 are glossy. Dang. So I just fixed that and set the wheels in motion again. It should clear in about a day.

Derek loaded all the files for Gleanings, so it's my turn now. I will start proofing the audiobook right away. There are reports of a backlog at ACX that's making the technical review take up to a month! So as of right now, I can't give an exact date when it will be available. But as soon as it clears all the hoops, I will let you know.

Dilemma Press Proof

Woo hoo the press proof is here!

And the best part of all is that there are only a couple of easily fixed snafus. For some peculiar reason the font on the second paragraph of chapter 4 is not only the wrong one, it's a different size. My hand must have slipped as I was formatting. 

I should be able to get on that this weekend. Which means that the print version will be available before you know it.

And since my writing schedule is working out so well, I am going to be really wild and say that the next book should be out in May. 

Fingers crossed!

I'm having such a good time with it. I've been hitting my goals almost every day. And since I finish in the morning, that gives me the rest of the day to think about the next scenes. So by the time I'm back at the keyboard, I have a good idea of what I want to put down. Amazing. 

Plans and Planning

By making a little change in my schedule, I made a huge change in my productivity.

I was getting frustrated about not being able to achieve my writing goals. My dedicated writing time, at the end of the day, was getting stolen by other things. I'd sit down to write and remember a dozen things that I should be doing instead. And the writing always got put off. So I shifted the slot.

My schedule for the day is packed with things I need to do followed by things I'd like to do. But it occurred to me that parts of my day job do not require any creative energy. So I carved out a little time before lunch to dedicate to writing and it's made all the difference in the world.

Apparently I have a lot more creative energy at 11 am. And I am having fun again. Forcing myself to put words on paper at the end of the day was starting to turn into a chore. And I dreaded it some days because I didn't have anything to say. Now I look forward to it. And the story is practically writing itself.

What a difference! I am very excited about what this is going to do for my production schedule. At the very least I will be on time. I might even be a little early. I'd only planned on putting out 2 books this year, who knows what this new productivity will produce!

Audiobooks - Free and Cheap

Have you heard about Chirp?

It's a new audiobook newsletter that showcases the free and discounted. It also has a website where you can find tons of audiobooks discounted at all different rates.

Lethal Seasons has a steep 82% discount through 2/24. You can get the first audiobook in the series for $1.97. Click HERE to check it out.

Scattered Seeds has a 10% discount.

Gleanings is in the works and should be out by mid-March. I've already heard the first few chapters and Derek is doing his usual fabulous job.

A Changed World is a completed 5-book series that is available in ebook and print.

Children of a Changed world is a new series set 20 years later. The first book will be out this summer.

A Touch of Spring

It's such a sweet surprise when the spring flowers start popping up.

There are a few crocuses in the garden trying to bloom. It's a cloudy, windy day, so they didn't really want to open up.

This little guy is a bit more intrepid. He's at a point in the yard that gets a bit more sun.

The pansies I put in the garden in October are starting to wake up a little. It's a little early for them to be re-flowering, but I love seeing the bright colors coming out of last autumn's pile of dead leaves.

A New Book and Other Things

The Dilemma ebook is now available all over. Click HERE to choose a store. Print will be available in a couple weeks.

Facade is still 99c through 1/25. Click HERE if you would like to grab a copy.

The audio books for A Changed World are coming along slower than I'd hoped. Lethal Seasons and Scattered Seeds are available all over. Gleanings is in the works now.

My large print experiment is coming along. I just approved the press proofs of White Lies and Unintended Consequences. I hope to have links for them on the website very soon.

I got started on Book 1 of Children of a Changed world and had to take some time to create family trees. Then I got back into it and had to stop and do some world/setting work. Once that was done, I started writing again only hitting another snag. I needed to do some research on leather making...

There are a lot more parts to a book than you realize!

The Story Behind the Artwork

Alex has put together a book about all the covers he has created for my books. It's a wonderful breakdown of the process and his sketches through to the final product. I wrote a little about working with him. I think it's a really cool compilation.

To download a free copy click HERE.

To visit Alex's website click HERE


In other news - Facade is discounted to 99c right now. Click HERE to grab a copy.
And the Scattered Seeds audiobook is rolling out to retailers. I'll have a central link for all of them pretty soon.

Dilemma - Cover Reveal

Ta Da!

And here it is in its superb entirety.

As usual, the latest cover from Alex is my favorite. And this one especially so. I love the light coming through the branches and the tone. Don't you just want to go check out that garden?

It will be released on January 23th.

The first book in the series, Facade, will be discounted to 99c from January 16 - 25. As soon as the price changes hit the retailers I will post them here. Sometimes it takes a little while so I'll start a little before the 16th..

Dilemma is the third in an ongoing series. 

Dilemma Cover Reveal Tease #2

Another really cool peek at the wonderful artwork for this cover.

I can't believe it has taken me so long to come back to this world. As often happens, it was nice to visit with characters I haven't seen for awhile. That's part of what makes me a genre-hopper. It's nice to step away from one world and into another. I put this one on the back burner so that I could get the Tales of Haroon series started. Now that I have 2 books done for that, I felt it was time to get back to Elaan, Hunter and Trash.

The release date is January 23rd, as long as I can keep to schedule. There is another little surprise coming up in the meanwhile. I'll have more on that soon.

Dilemma Cover Reveal Tease #1

Here is a small piece of the fabulous cover for Dilemma that Alex has created.

I think he really did an amazing job on this one, so I want to tease it out a little. I will have Tease #2 next week. And then the week after, you get to see the entire wonderful image.

Despite the hiccups and wrong turns, the book is finally coming back together. I have decided on a firm release date (fingers crossed) of January 23rd. I am going to do a preorder on this one in the 2nd week of January with the full cover reveal. More on that when the links go live.

There are some other exciting things in the works, too. I'll talk about them once they are firmed up.

I think it's going to be an exciting year ahead.

Happy New Year to You All!

Audio Update

It's almost done.

I hope to review the last few chapters today and then send it to ACX for approval.

BUT

It's Christmas and then New Years and they will be closed for the holidays. So I am hoping that the files will be approved and out to retailers by mid-January.

I will update as soon as I know!

Planning for Brain Fog

I found a note I had left for myself for my 2020 writing calendar. It said to plan for brain fog in January and February.

I'm going to assume I wrote that note when I wasn't feeling well because I don't want to plan for brain fog. I want to plan a way through or over or around it.

My writing skidded to a halt last winter because I wasn't healthy. That isn't something that should be a yearly occurrence. I realize that you can't plan to not catch a cold, but I shouldn't expect to be flattened by my allergies for months.

I've been chipping away at them all year, trying to keep on top of it. I found some helpful supplements, and have been trying to avoid trigger foods. One of which is sugar, and man that's my downfall. And this time of year makes it even worse with cookies and candy everywhere.

Part of the problem is the fatigue. It creeps up on you, stealing your initiative. Before you know it, you go from not wanting to spend the energy doing good things for yourself to not even having the energy to think about it. Getting out of the desk chair to take a walk in the sunshine becomes a monumental task.

I've had some long stretches of good energy this year. That makes you less complacent when you start to slide back into the allergy doldrums. When you know what a good place you can get to, you don't want to settle for just getting through the day.

The note was a good reminder. I need to watch myself more carefully because I have a lot of plans for 2020 and all of them require a healthy body.

Looking Back at 2019

How did it get to be December?

Maybe it's because I'm getting to be an old fart, but time is passing way too fast. Now it's December and there are things on my list that have been there way too long.

I only managed to get one book out this year. I was going to say that I wasn't sure why that was, before I took a look at my publication schedule for the past couple of years. I started with my first mystery in 2012 and got 1 or two books out each year until last year.

In 2018, I released 4 books. The previous year I only managed one. Now I think I understand what might have happened. I pushed too hard and my brain needed a break. I'm a slow writer. But I've been slow and steady for awhile now. Last year I got on the treadmill and apparently used up my creative juices. I'd like to get a little faster, but not if it means extra downtime to recharge.

I'm still working on the rewrite for Dilemma. I hope to have that out after the holidays. And I am already brainstorming for the first book in the Children of a Changed World series. I've got a cast of characters and a loose plan of action.

There are several stories waiting to be written. I've got a lot planned. Now I just need to get it all on paper.

Those Dang Deadlines

I was stressing out about my self-imposed deadlines looming closer and got belligerent with myself. The book I was writing had stalled and I couldn't figure out the next step. So I took a little time out to play.

Relaxing and getting my mind into something totally different seems to have done the trick. I came up with the exact thing I needed to tie together the disparate themes that were emerging. Whew.

However, as the book release creeps closer to the holidays, I am facing a different problem. If I release in December, will it drown in all the holiday hype? Will anyone care because it isn't holiday themed? Or does any of that matter? Hard to know.

I think for now I will stay in the head-down-and writing mode. Adding more books to the inventory can't hurt. Plus the old 'make a splash or die' technique doesn't hold true anymore. Ebooks are always there. And with print on demand, physical books can be, too. I'll get the book out when it's ready and run a promo after the holidays.

Plans change, life can throw you a curve. Stay tuned for further updates.

Kitty Time

Bertie was having a good old time trying to catch the birds that were landing in the stick-on feeder.

Rascal prefers to hang out in the new box fort and watch the birds from a height.

That is when she isn't stretched out in a different kitty space, lazily watching the local wildlife.

We have some very brazen wildlife.

And that is a shared kitty space that goes in and out of fashion.

You must always make some kitty-space or they will make it themselves and that is often a problem. I have a box by my desk where Rascal sleeps most of the morning. Bertie prefers the basket on the shelf, or sometimes the guest chair in my office. There are favorite spaces in every room and almost every week there is a new favorite place that was an old favorite place a while ago. Or maybe the new favorite place was the other's chosen place... It's best not to get involved in kitty-games.

Lethal Seasons Ebook Only 99c

I'm running another promotion for Lethal Seasons, book 1 in A Changed World. The ebook will be 99c for a limited time.

It doesn't officially start until Sunday but some of the retailers need a few days to do a price change. So I dropped the price early and they are rolling out slowly.

As of this afternoon, I know it has dropped at Amazon but not at Barnes and Noble.

Click HERE if you would like to check your favorite retailer for the discounted price.

Draft 2 Digital has given us a neat little tool to collect all of the retailer links in one place. Today they started allowing audiobook links! Very cool. So I spent a little time loading them in today.

Scattered Seeds audiobook is still in the works. It got a little delayed. I think it will be available at the beginning of November.

That's all for now.

A New Banner

As you can see, I made a new banner for the blog with the first book in each series. It's really amazing the tools that are available for the technologically challenged!

The release date for the next book is shifting again. Life has gotten in the way and I need a little more time. I've decided to accept the fact that I can't write as fast as I'd like to. At least not this year. Maybe next year I will have a better handle on my time-management and stress.

Scattered Seeds audio is in the works. Still looking at late October, early November for that to come out. And then we'll start on Gleanings. There was a lovely review of Lethal Seasons audio book on Audible that confirmed what I already knew - they said Derek did a great job. But even though I was sure he did a wonderful job with reading my story, it was very nice to have a stranger say so.

I'm planning a promo for Lethal Season at the end of the month to drum up a little more interest. I'll post here when it goes on sale.

Fall has finally arrived in my neck of the woods. Temperatures dropped about 20 degrees overnight. I had that odd laundry basket with shorts and sweatpants, summer shirts and hoodies. The leaves are dropping but not many of them have changed. It's a strange autumn so far.

Bits and Bobs

I have a lot of snippets for this post.

Lethal Seasons Audiobook is now at Nook.

Scattered Seeds Audiobook is in the works. I'm thinking about a 99c promotion on the Lethal Seasons ebook when the Scattered Seeds audiobook comes out. Some promotion sites allow you to mention audiobooks. By the time Scattered Seeds is out, Gleanings will be in the works.

I sat down today and made a plan for audiobooks of the rest of my novels. It's going to take some time, but I hope to have them all out by the end of 2020.

I also made a plan for large print editions for the rest of my series. That won't take as long, but it will be several months before all of it is released.

Dilemma (Transmutation Book 3) has hit a bit of a snag and I'm pushing the release date to November. Somehow I always think I can write a book faster than I have in the past. Sometimes, when a story is really flowing, it feels like it should finish sooner. But there's a lot of thought and planning that has to go into science fiction and sometimes I need to take writing time to sort things out.

The next story up will be the first book of Children of a Changed World. I've been brainstorming that. One of the main characters will be Willow, Bridget and Wisp's daughter. It will be about 20 years on.

2020 is already looking like a really busy year!

Lethal Seasons Audiobook is Out!

Hooray! Lethal Seasons audiobook is now available all over. I've been told it might take awhile to roll out to smaller retailers and subscription services, but it's on the way.

Here are some places you can get it right now:

Apple

Audible

Amazon

Google Play

Kobo

It should be arriving at Nook Audiobooks soon.

Book 2, Scattered Seeds is in the works. I expect that to be available around the end of October or the beginning of November. Depending on schedules and technical issues, the rest of the books should be coming out every 6 weeks. Yippee!