Work in progress....
Monday, April 29, 2013
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Guest Speaker & Road Blocks
It’s always exciting when you’re invited to speak on a subject you know quite well. But how do you plan for the things that don’t go as planned?
That’s what happened when I was invited to a local high school to talk about publishing and art to the students. I arrived thirty minutes beforehand to set up. Looking good, I thought as one of the faculty members came in to assist with the cables, only to find out they needed a second projecter because the main one wasn’t working.
Not a problem, I thought. I’ll just boot up my computer and check the internet connection.
Unfortunately, the internet connection wasn’t working, and I a lot of links to show. As the teachers rolled in the new projector, they tried to find the right cable that would fit my mac. Now, if I had brought an ipad, we would have been set. But none of the cables matched. So one of the teachers brought in her laptop for me to transfer all my powerpoint presentations to. Luckily, I brought one of my flashdrives. With the powerpoints transferred, we opened them up to test.
“Wait! My links are missing!” Not only that, but entire words were missing from the slides. Poof! Gone.
Wow! We had about five minutes left before students started coming in, and I was still fiddling with the thing when they did arrive. What evetually happened was this: we decided to run my laptop and hers at the same time. I would signal when to change the slides. It was fun, though, despite the fact that things weren’t looking so hot. But at least her computer worked. I know I lost some attention when we needed to mannually type in the links to what I needed to show, and sometimes my mac wasn’t timed currently with the current slide. But it still worked out okay.
I did mention one of my favorite authors during the presenation. Trish Terrell had sent me an email early that moring, and the subject matched so perfectly with my talk that I printed the email out to read to the class. Trish was an author I had met back when she only had about three to four books published at the time. I told the students how an agent had said she’d never be published and to give up. But I let them know that they were above people telling them their stuff was worthless. Trish had published about fifteen books since then, and so could they.
Nowadays, the road to publishing can lead down many paths. You just have to pick the one that fits you.
That brings me to another subject.
The Road Blocks of publishing.
I can’t believe what I’m hearing about not being able to get into bookstores. Why? Because of one tiny thing.
POD!!!! The infamous “Print-on-demand” issue. Although I believe it to be cost-effective, bookstores do not. That makes my publisher currently related to “Publish America.” The only bookstore that I managed to set up a book signing with was a local one. All others won’t accept it.
Darn… but I’m not going to worry about it.
Writer’s Market still comes out every year. Heh.
That’s what happened when I was invited to a local high school to talk about publishing and art to the students. I arrived thirty minutes beforehand to set up. Looking good, I thought as one of the faculty members came in to assist with the cables, only to find out they needed a second projecter because the main one wasn’t working.
Not a problem, I thought. I’ll just boot up my computer and check the internet connection.
Unfortunately, the internet connection wasn’t working, and I a lot of links to show. As the teachers rolled in the new projector, they tried to find the right cable that would fit my mac. Now, if I had brought an ipad, we would have been set. But none of the cables matched. So one of the teachers brought in her laptop for me to transfer all my powerpoint presentations to. Luckily, I brought one of my flashdrives. With the powerpoints transferred, we opened them up to test.
“Wait! My links are missing!” Not only that, but entire words were missing from the slides. Poof! Gone.
Wow! We had about five minutes left before students started coming in, and I was still fiddling with the thing when they did arrive. What evetually happened was this: we decided to run my laptop and hers at the same time. I would signal when to change the slides. It was fun, though, despite the fact that things weren’t looking so hot. But at least her computer worked. I know I lost some attention when we needed to mannually type in the links to what I needed to show, and sometimes my mac wasn’t timed currently with the current slide. But it still worked out okay.
I did mention one of my favorite authors during the presenation. Trish Terrell had sent me an email early that moring, and the subject matched so perfectly with my talk that I printed the email out to read to the class. Trish was an author I had met back when she only had about three to four books published at the time. I told the students how an agent had said she’d never be published and to give up. But I let them know that they were above people telling them their stuff was worthless. Trish had published about fifteen books since then, and so could they.
Nowadays, the road to publishing can lead down many paths. You just have to pick the one that fits you.
That brings me to another subject.
The Road Blocks of publishing.
I can’t believe what I’m hearing about not being able to get into bookstores. Why? Because of one tiny thing.
POD!!!! The infamous “Print-on-demand” issue. Although I believe it to be cost-effective, bookstores do not. That makes my publisher currently related to “Publish America.” The only bookstore that I managed to set up a book signing with was a local one. All others won’t accept it.
Darn… but I’m not going to worry about it.
Writer’s Market still comes out every year. Heh.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Guest Speaker
There’s a lot of good things I can get from
here on out. And lots of things going on in the meantime. For starters,
I’ve been invited to a local high school to be their guest speaker.
They’d like someone to talk about their publishing and art experience.
So I’ve been working on a powerpoint
presenation to share with the students. One of the things I wanted was
an art demo toward the end of the session. I’ve also painted a new image
of my main character as part of my notes.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Quit Grinning & Work!
“You’d have more luck with an octopus versus a girl like that, so don’t even think about it!” Mr. Phine brushed past the young man and stepped inside.
Mr. Phine and his grandson, Joseph. A comical pair that you first meet in book two "Prince". Painted in Photoshop.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Blog Hop
THE NEXT BIG THING
What is a blog hop? Basically, it’s a way for readers to discover authors new to them. I hope you’ll find new-to-you authors whose works you enjoy. On this stop on the blog hop, you’ll find a bit of information on me and one of my books and links to other writers to explore!
My gratitude to fellow author p.m.terrell for inviting me to participate in this event. You can click the following link to learn more about her work. Website: http://www.pmterrell.com/
In this blog hop, I and my fellow authors, in their respective blogs, have answered some questions about our works-in-progress (giving you a sneak peek). We’ve also included some behind-the-scenes information about how and why we write what we write-the characters, inspirations, plotting and other choices we make. I hope you enjoy it!
Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!
******
1: What is the working title of your book?
My next book will be called “No’va” and will take place in the past before the rise of the Dark Unicorn.
2. What genre does your book come under?
This particular series is medieval fantasy.
3: What is a one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Prior to the creation of the Dark Unicorn, it introduces the first four humans into the world of No’va as they try to escape their current, ravaged homeland, and eventually lead their people to a location they believe is safe.
4: How did you develop the idea?
There’s another land mass on the other side of the ocean (an ocean I haven’t mentioned in the story as of yet). It’s there that humans will probably live, perhaps on the southern tip where magic doesn’t exit. The name of the land mass will be called Astra. The land they currently live in is called Mayla (for magic-less). My original idea had the people already living in a harash enviroment. I think what will happen is, Mayla is an overcrowded city with strict rules and regulations. There may be a lot of poor who need help and it’s not happening. So four friends rise up to lead the people out. I think what I’ll do is have the people already living away from the big city, and just hint the reason why they left. This way, they’ll be traveling through an unfamiliar landscape, maybe in the dead of winter.
5: Who are the main characters?
The main characters will be the first four humans: Thomas Gracie, Nickademis, Shafari & Jenario Onyx. Those already following the storyline would be familiar with these characters. In book one, it states which path each of the humans chose. One goes for power, the other money, one for healing, and one for knowledge. Of course, none of them start off that way when they leave Mayla. Once they get into the new world, we’ll then meet up with some of the other characters associated throughout the trilogy. But it’s because they are in this new world where magic exists that people begin to change.
6: Where does the story end?
The fourth book will take us up to the point where Jenario creates the Dark Unicorn.
7: How do you plan to transition a novel that takes place in the past to the rest of the books that are in the present?
Well, I didn’t want to focus on one person’s point of view. There needed to be several, like I’ve had throughout the series. So I thought I’d start the novel off with Wisdom being shown the past. That way, we’ll get to see whatever he sees, not just hear one person’s side of the story.
8: How many books do you plan in your Wisdom Novels series?
There will be two trilogies. The first is called Blue Moon Rising, and the second is Red Moon Rising. No’va will be book four that kicks off Red Moon Rising. I also plan to write one more after all six books are complete where the next generation comes into play. And, of course, there’s a whole different ball game going on due to the effect Dark Magic has on the landscape. Once all that is complete, I’ll probably plan some short stories that focuses on some of the side characters or events that didn’t get mentioned in the main storyline.
9: Do you plan any other genres?
I do have a couple of sci-fi books on hold at the moment. I was considering finishing one of them when I complete the first trilogy just to get it knocked off my to-do list. They’re stand-alone books – a good thing, considering the amount of work needed on my next trilogy. The other thing I need to complete is a western fantasy short story series, yes series. Probably about five of them. I completed the first one, received a comment to write more, so I’ll definitely have to swing around to write the second part when I get a chance.
10: As an illustrator, do you paint your own cover art for the books?
Of course! And everyone else’s too! You can check out all my artwork on my main website: http://www.WisdomNovels.com
******
So, who’s next on the NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP?
Below you will find authors who will be joining me by blog, next Wednesday. Do be sure to bookmark and add them to your calendars for updates on Works in Progress and New Releases! Happy Writing and Reading!
Grace’s blog: http://storytellergirlgrace.wordpress.com/
Mark Covington: http://vmarkcovington.com/
JJ McMoon: http://www.jjmcmoon.com/JJ_McMoon/Writer.html
What is a blog hop? Basically, it’s a way for readers to discover authors new to them. I hope you’ll find new-to-you authors whose works you enjoy. On this stop on the blog hop, you’ll find a bit of information on me and one of my books and links to other writers to explore!
My gratitude to fellow author p.m.terrell for inviting me to participate in this event. You can click the following link to learn more about her work. Website: http://www.pmterrell.com/
In this blog hop, I and my fellow authors, in their respective blogs, have answered some questions about our works-in-progress (giving you a sneak peek). We’ve also included some behind-the-scenes information about how and why we write what we write-the characters, inspirations, plotting and other choices we make. I hope you enjoy it!
Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!
******
1: What is the working title of your book?
My next book will be called “No’va” and will take place in the past before the rise of the Dark Unicorn.
2. What genre does your book come under?
This particular series is medieval fantasy.
3: What is a one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Prior to the creation of the Dark Unicorn, it introduces the first four humans into the world of No’va as they try to escape their current, ravaged homeland, and eventually lead their people to a location they believe is safe.
4: How did you develop the idea?
There’s another land mass on the other side of the ocean (an ocean I haven’t mentioned in the story as of yet). It’s there that humans will probably live, perhaps on the southern tip where magic doesn’t exit. The name of the land mass will be called Astra. The land they currently live in is called Mayla (for magic-less). My original idea had the people already living in a harash enviroment. I think what will happen is, Mayla is an overcrowded city with strict rules and regulations. There may be a lot of poor who need help and it’s not happening. So four friends rise up to lead the people out. I think what I’ll do is have the people already living away from the big city, and just hint the reason why they left. This way, they’ll be traveling through an unfamiliar landscape, maybe in the dead of winter.
5: Who are the main characters?
The main characters will be the first four humans: Thomas Gracie, Nickademis, Shafari & Jenario Onyx. Those already following the storyline would be familiar with these characters. In book one, it states which path each of the humans chose. One goes for power, the other money, one for healing, and one for knowledge. Of course, none of them start off that way when they leave Mayla. Once they get into the new world, we’ll then meet up with some of the other characters associated throughout the trilogy. But it’s because they are in this new world where magic exists that people begin to change.
6: Where does the story end?
The fourth book will take us up to the point where Jenario creates the Dark Unicorn.
7: How do you plan to transition a novel that takes place in the past to the rest of the books that are in the present?
Well, I didn’t want to focus on one person’s point of view. There needed to be several, like I’ve had throughout the series. So I thought I’d start the novel off with Wisdom being shown the past. That way, we’ll get to see whatever he sees, not just hear one person’s side of the story.
8: How many books do you plan in your Wisdom Novels series?
There will be two trilogies. The first is called Blue Moon Rising, and the second is Red Moon Rising. No’va will be book four that kicks off Red Moon Rising. I also plan to write one more after all six books are complete where the next generation comes into play. And, of course, there’s a whole different ball game going on due to the effect Dark Magic has on the landscape. Once all that is complete, I’ll probably plan some short stories that focuses on some of the side characters or events that didn’t get mentioned in the main storyline.
9: Do you plan any other genres?
I do have a couple of sci-fi books on hold at the moment. I was considering finishing one of them when I complete the first trilogy just to get it knocked off my to-do list. They’re stand-alone books – a good thing, considering the amount of work needed on my next trilogy. The other thing I need to complete is a western fantasy short story series, yes series. Probably about five of them. I completed the first one, received a comment to write more, so I’ll definitely have to swing around to write the second part when I get a chance.
10: As an illustrator, do you paint your own cover art for the books?
Of course! And everyone else’s too! You can check out all my artwork on my main website: http://www.WisdomNovels.com
******
So, who’s next on the NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP?
Below you will find authors who will be joining me by blog, next Wednesday. Do be sure to bookmark and add them to your calendars for updates on Works in Progress and New Releases! Happy Writing and Reading!
Grace’s blog: http://storytellergirlgrace.wordpress.com/
Mark Covington: http://vmarkcovington.com/
JJ McMoon: http://www.jjmcmoon.com/JJ_McMoon/Writer.html
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