Imagined Pasts

Blog Post No. 442

It’s odd to think that in the future, today may be part of the good old days. While I was working on last week’s blog post, I started to think about when I first started this blog, some eight years ago. I had tried and failed to start several blogs and I had some friends in similar boats. Eventually something clicked and this took hold. I had hoped it would be part of a little network of blogs with my friends with guest posts and posts linking across multiple sites, like webrings of the early internet, but it didn’t happen. Even though some of my friends have websites and blogs, I’m the only one who does regular posts.

Tackling the Monster

Blog Post No. 441

The time has come. No more dragging my feet. It’s the first week of may and I have only three months before I’m planning on starting the fifth novella (and last one for a while). I have to start the second draft of the Invasion Novel. I had intended to spend the time between releasing Break/Interrupt and now working on short stories, but I found myself struggling to do anything productive in the last few weeks. Maybe it was burnout from the final push of getting the novella out. Maybe it was the stress from the inevitable mistakes that I had to scramble to fix at the last minute. Maybe it was distributing the book to folks around the county in the middle of a pandemic, or the cost with no chance of making the money back in the current climate, or the general weight of being isolated.

The end of a Road

Blog Post No. 440

*My new book, Break/Interrupt, is officially out. I’ve started local distribution. If you would like a copy, please comment or send me a message.*

The release of a book is both an ending and a beginning. For the writer, it’s the end of a project that took months or years to write, edit, and publish. For the readers, it’s just the beginning. They get a new book in their hands that will take days, or (if their a fast reader and like the book) hours. The time disparity is one thing, but what’s really sitting with me right now is how the book is perceived totally differently by both parties. By the time I get a book out the door (like my new novella, Break/Interrupt, for example) I’m so sick of it that I question if anyone is even going to like the stupid thing.

Suburbia

Blog Post No. 439

*Break/Interrupt has been officially released and I’ve started local distribution. If you want a copy, please leave a comment or send me a message. Thanks.*

Since I haven’t been using my vehicle very much, I’ve been going for a weekly drive in order to keep the battery from going flat (and other general benefits of not having a car sit for too long). I saved a lot in gas over the last year, but I’ve had to fill-up a few times. After my last drive, I was in need of some fuel but decided to wait until late to go to a station in an attempt to avoid people as much as possible. At about nine at night, I hopped into my vehicle and went for a drive.

Surprise, Surprise

Blog Post No. 438

Surprisingly, the sample copies of my new novella, Break/Interrupt, came in earlier than expected. Not surprisingly, there was a mistake and I had to pay to upload a new file in order to fix it. The books came in last week, but I spent the weekend searching for coupon codes online in hopes of avoiding the steep cost of making the fix. It was just a little thing. The text on the back cover was off centre. Some of the issue is from the wildly varying printing and cutting tolerances that comes from print-on-demand books. Also, I was relying on the previous book’s cover as reference and since this book is significantly larger, the spacing was off.

On Order

Blog post No. 437

I’m once again in a holding pattern while I wait for the sample copies of Break/Interrupt to ship. It’s never fun to get to a point when you feel like you’ve finished a project to have it come to a screeching halt because of something out of your control. I’m so close, but still at the mercy of the printer and shipping company. The process is always a bit wonky, too. Like with most things, you get a tracking code when the books are finished but with every book I’ve ordered the status never seems to change until the books have actually been delivered, then it all updates at once. It’s a little frustrating, but what are you going to do?

Cover Reveal – Break/Interrupt

Blog Post No. 436

I have a sample copy of the new book on order right now (to make sure there are no printing issues). Since I’m so close to making it available to the public and ordering some copies to sell, I’m happy to share the amazing cover by Glen Hawkes.

Glen was nice enough to do the cover of the last book, Broadcast Wasteland, and I think he outdid himself this time. It goes to show, when you hamper an artist and graphic designer with an idea, they will make something good with it. When you let them take your idea and run with it, you end up with something amazing. For more of his art, comics, and kids books, check out his website.

I hope to have copies of the Break/Interrupt at local stores within the next couple of weeks. It all comes down to shipping. I may do some limited deliveries if I can make sure to avoid people (though it would really be nice to have a chat with folks).

I think that’s all for this week. Just excited about that cover and the imminent release of the fourth book in the Synthetic Albatross Novella Series, Break/Interrupt!

Searching for a Topic

Blog Post No. 435

With all hands on deck working to finish Break/Interrupt by next week, there it’s anything else going on for me to talk about. Since I’m still hiding at home, I don’t even have the day job to complain about or regular excursions around the city on which to muse. I’m always excited to get to the end of a project, but I seem extra eager for this one. Since time in the pandemic is so weird, it’s felt like I’ve been writing and editing this thing for a year and not the eight months it’s really been. Wow, it’s only been eight months. Also strange to think about.

On Schedule – Break/Interrupt

Blog Post No. 434

I think it would be fair to call this an update, but the title came before content so I’m leaving it. As I write this, there are 14 days left in the month and left to get the coveted discount on the sett-up fee at the printer. I just finished the last review/edit of Break/Interrupt and there is one step left before I do the layout and put the cover together. I’m, as always, thankful for all the people who took the time to read the book over for me, look for mistakes, and give their opinions. It’s one thing to read the book, it’s another to do it in the middle of edits while it’s being iteratively improved. I hope the story was good enough to make up for any shortcomings in those early drafts. I really don’t know how I could put out a book without all that help.

The Near Future

Blog Post No. 433

It’s getting to be crunch time for Break/Interrupt. With the usual deadline of getting the novella to the printer by the end of March in hopes of using a discount code for the setup cost, I’ve got less than three weeks to wrap it all up. Right now I’m still waiting on the last edits to come back, but (hopefully) since it’s in the final stages of the editing process, there won’t be too much to change. Fixing typos is easy enough, but rewriting sections due to plot holes or other mistakes this late in the game is a tough nut to crack. I’ve done it before, though. I should be able to do it again. If not, I just bite the bullet and pay full price. Besides, I’m the one who set the April release date. Not only does that leave the whole month open for me to actually get the book published, but I can always change it. It’s not like I need the books for an upcoming event or anything.