Tag: science fiction series

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Of Projects and Progress: Where I’m At

I’ve kinda been slacking with telling you where I’m at with my current projects, and it’s time I rectify that. So, buckle up. This may take a minute, because I’m covering them all today.

A Heart of Salt & Silver
Dark Paranormal High Fantasy Romance
Status: Fucking prerelease!

I’ve been hitting the ads hard, though I hate marketing. I’ll be seeking ARC readers soon. Like… this week, if all things go according to plan. *hysterical laughter at the thought of things going according to plan*

The Regonia Chronicles
Dark Science Fiction
Status: Writing

This series is coming along really well. Since the middle of July, I’ve written nearly 50,000 words, bringing the grand total to 128,054 words so far.

And these characters still have a couple planets to travel to, alliances to broker, and a whole ass war to fight.

My previous prediction of this getting split into three books rather than two is pretty damn likely at this point.

And since I’ve stopped and started working on this series between writing other books, learning new stuff all the while, the editing process is going to be interesting. It’ll be like watching my writing skills evolve. I’m dreading it and also looking forward to it.

Where Darkness Leads
Dark Romantic High Fantasy
Status: Neck deep in a rewrite

I’ve already cut 10,000 words, and these bitches aren’t even to the mountain, yet. (For the sake of a reference point that actually means something to you, I’m almost exactly two thirds of the way through.) And this is on top of the 10,000 words I cut in the last round of edits. So basically, I’ve removed a novella from this book.

This is an older manuscript, and I used to be a lot wordier and do a lot of telling rather than showing.

Gotta get this bitch polished.

Allmother Rising
Dark High Fantasy Romance
Status: Beta Readers

I have feedback from most of my beta readers, and I’ve made most of the adjustments.

After I get the feedback from the last betas, I’ll go back to this one for adjustments and then more editing.

Second to None
Thriller Novella
Status: Beta Readers

This baby just started it’s beta reader stage. It’s had two rounds of edits so far, and I’m starting to send it to beta readers.

Thrall
Paranormal Flash Fiction
Status: Beta Readers

This one is also just beginning its beta journey, though I already have fantastic feedback from one.

Soul Bearer
Dark High Fantasy Romance
Status: Released

I’m giving this book a new cover for it’s birthday (later this month). The cover is done, and I fucking love it.

Whew.

There’s a decent amount going on, as you can see. I never have just one project going, though I only ever actively write one project at a time. I’ve attempted to write two side by side, but I always get pulled into one and have to finish the other later.

I have countless ideas for new stories, but as ever, there isn’t enough time in the day. I’ll just have to get to them after I finish The Regonia Chronicles.

Keep reading. Keep writing.

Later.

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Vampires, Aliens, and Trilogies: A Writing Update

Hi, guys!

Last week was pretty productive, thank goodness. I’ve needed a week where I can just get shit done, and though not as productive as I’d like, I still got a decent amount done.

So, there’s this little piece of flash fiction that’s been bouncing around in my head for a couple years now. I have a playlist of songs specifically for it (as per my usual) called 90s vampire nightclub.

The vocalists sound like, well, like they’re not slacking off, but if they had anything better to do, they probably wouldn’t have been recording that day, which fits for the boredom that would set in after living for millenia.

Because these are old vampires running this night club.

They’ve lived recklessly. They’ve lived carefully and slowly, savoring everything. They’ve been every iteration of themselves, and now they just want the music and the drugs and the sex and the dancing, just to pass the time, just to get through another day.

And the music has to be grungy, it has to call to the violence within them. They’ve drawn blood, and they’ve tasted it, drawing that violence within themselves.

And one song is poignant and existential, with just the perfect amount of desperate disdain, reminding them that even after the Earth dies, they’ll still be there, trudging across a dead and barren rock, burning and suffocating, at once and forever.

And I can see them in my head, passing the time in this little nightclub they own in 1990 America, trying desperately to forget what they are and what it means to them.

This scene has been bouncing around in my head for a couple years, and I finally just wrote it.

It’s definitely just flash fiction. It’s less than 800 words.

But finally getting it down felt like an accomplishment, even though I literally could have done it at any point in time and just…didn’t.

Idk why, either.

But it’s done, now.

I also made some progress on editing Where Darkness Leads (nearly 10,000 words).

I’ve been steadily writing The Regonia Chronicles (I added nearly 4,000 words last week, 30,000 since July 14th) and decided that I may have to break it into three books. We’ll see what the final word count comes in at, but there are a couple natural breaks.

And doing three books would let me move the end of book one back to where it used to be, thus avoiding an absolutely MASSIVE cliffhanger that, if I were reading it, would make me mad. I’d get the next book, for sure, but I’d be super pissed about the cliffhanger.

So idk how many books it’ll end up being.

But I have titles lined up for both scenarios and potential covers for if it’s two books. Though they’ll likely change, regardless. I almost never go with the first covers I come up with.

But all in all, last week was a fairly productive week, despite the overtime at work.

I’m interested to hear your opinions, though. Three books with no (potentially) rage-inducing cliffhanger or two books with a massive cliffhanger?

Let me know in the comments. As always, feel free to subscribe to stay up to date on everything relating to my books. With the release of A Heart of Salt & Silver coming up, I’ll have giveaway news soon, and subscribers will always be the first to know (as well as having the added benefit of an extra chance to win).

Keep reading. Keep writing.

Later.

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An Unexpected Visit from the Science Fiction Muses

Hi, guys!

Exciting things are happening.

The week before last, I completely redid the cover for A Heart of Salt & Silver. I’m so happy with how it turned out. I have a few more steps before I can reveal it to you all, but it’s coming.

But last week, something happened that hasn’t happened in a long time.

The sci-fi muses visited me.

The Regonia Chronicles has been sitting on the back burner for a while, like… a long ass time.

But while at work, I was listening to music and came across a song that just… resonated with the story.

It had an epic sound to it, with lots of dips and crescendos.

And I just started picturing the scenes from the book as if they were in a movie trailer.

And now, for the first time in about a year, I want to jump back into writing that one.

It’s insane the effect that music can have on us, especially in creative endeavors. Finding that perfect song to listen to during a scene can really make the writing experience that much better.

It’s part of why I’m trying something new with The Regonia Chronicles. I’ve written a soundtrack into it.

The Regonians of Daen Tribe are very music oriented. it’s deeply rooted into their culture. So, of course, when they hear human music, it’s a big deal. They notice the songs, and check displays for what song is playing.

So, when they check, I put the song title and artist (and year, because in the human society of 3018, songs over 1,000 years old are completely free, songs over 500 years old can be downloaded in batches of 100 for a single credit, over 250 years old cost a credit for 50, etc., so the year is necessary for their pricing.)

I’ve timed them for my reading speed, which I know isn’t universal. I’ll have to look up average reading speeds and go from there later. I’ll also need to make the playlist public on Google Play at some point. But those are tasks for editing.

Of course, the songs aren’t necessary for the reading experience and have no bearing on the plot. The books can be read without ever looking up a single song.

But I kinda like that extra element.

And it’s just one more thing that makes me excited to jump back into that series.

I just need to push through the rest of Second to None, first.

And if i’m being honest, this thriller may well turn into a short story. I’m about halfway through the plot and sitting at about 10,500 words.

So, basically, I just need to keep that song around me, wrap up in it like a blanket, and hammer through the rest of Second to None before the sci-fi muses desert me, again.

Which means I have some fun times ahead of me. Second to None is about to get bloody. Those characters have a lot to deal with.

But compared to the shit going down in book two of The Regonia Chronicles…

Let’s just say those humans and aliens are facing down some serious shit.

For now, I’m going to jump back into Second to None and wreak absolute havoc on some characters that are only just beginning to see how fucked up one of their friends really is.

If you want a peak at just how dark the human soul can get, check out my recent release, World for the Broken. This dark post-apocalyptic romance gets into the nitty gritty of human emotion and resilience.

Check it out here: mybook.to/WorldForTheBroken

Keep reading. Keep writing.

Later.