December, and the year 2018 with it, are almost over. Now the time begins to look forward to 2019 and beyond! In that spirit, here's a few things you can expect from me in the coming year.
Showing posts with label Demon at the Window. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Demon at the Window. Show all posts
Monday, December 10, 2018
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Things to Come: An Update
The reason I haven't posted much on here as of late has less to do with not having things to discuss and more to do with finding time. There's a lot in the works, so let me try to catch you up on them.
I'm almost done with The Harlequin Legacy. In fact, I expect to finish it within the next few days. While my pace has slowed from when I started, this still will mark the tenth novel I've finished since getting serious about this last July. I do have a post I'll be making reflecting on that once it's done, but for now, I've still got the last couple of scenes left to write.
From the looks of things, The Journal of Jeremy Todd will be coming out around June of 2017. Things can change, of course, but that's the date Sinister Grin has set, at least tentatively. The only thing I know for certain is that I have to have the final manuscript in their hands by December 1 of this year, so I'll let you know how things work out.
Consequences is about to start a summer publicity tour online, so stay tuned for developments with that. I'll be posting things here, of course, as well as on Facebook and Twitter, and you can also check out Erin Al-Mehairi's page over at Hook of a Book for details, since that's who's running it. If you'd like to be involved somehow, just let her know (contact info's on her site and the Hook of a Book FB page) and she'll coordinate all that with you!
I've begun to think about the next project up after THL, and I think I'm going to pull Justicar back out and finish it up. I've done ten horror novels in the last year, so I think maybe I should go for something different. Not that dark fantasy is so far removed from horror, but since that world doesn't exist, it will still be a nice change of pace for me.
Demon at the Window has just started the submissions phase of its existence, so stay tuned for how that plays out. I wouldn't look for it to see the light of day until after Jeremy Todd, though, so don't get your hopes up too far.
And that's pretty much everything! I will try and keep this page updated as I can, but as you can see I'm busier than ever with a lot of irons in the fire.
See you on the tour!
I'm almost done with The Harlequin Legacy. In fact, I expect to finish it within the next few days. While my pace has slowed from when I started, this still will mark the tenth novel I've finished since getting serious about this last July. I do have a post I'll be making reflecting on that once it's done, but for now, I've still got the last couple of scenes left to write.
From the looks of things, The Journal of Jeremy Todd will be coming out around June of 2017. Things can change, of course, but that's the date Sinister Grin has set, at least tentatively. The only thing I know for certain is that I have to have the final manuscript in their hands by December 1 of this year, so I'll let you know how things work out.
Consequences is about to start a summer publicity tour online, so stay tuned for developments with that. I'll be posting things here, of course, as well as on Facebook and Twitter, and you can also check out Erin Al-Mehairi's page over at Hook of a Book for details, since that's who's running it. If you'd like to be involved somehow, just let her know (contact info's on her site and the Hook of a Book FB page) and she'll coordinate all that with you!
I've begun to think about the next project up after THL, and I think I'm going to pull Justicar back out and finish it up. I've done ten horror novels in the last year, so I think maybe I should go for something different. Not that dark fantasy is so far removed from horror, but since that world doesn't exist, it will still be a nice change of pace for me.
Demon at the Window has just started the submissions phase of its existence, so stay tuned for how that plays out. I wouldn't look for it to see the light of day until after Jeremy Todd, though, so don't get your hopes up too far.
And that's pretty much everything! I will try and keep this page updated as I can, but as you can see I'm busier than ever with a lot of irons in the fire.
See you on the tour!
Monday, January 18, 2016
First Status Update of 2016
Pretty concise title, right? What can I say, I'm saving the creativity for the work.
The Perception of Reality has now passed the fifty percent mark. It's on track to have the first draft complete by the end of the month. This one is up and down for me. Sometimes I think it's running short, other times I think it's running long. I guess the only way I'll know for sure is to look back once it's finished, right?
On the editing front, I finally finished the second draft of One Last Dance. Next I'll be tackling a third draft on Demon at the Window, then it goes into the trunk to await submission or release time. After that, I'll tackle Blood Games so I can get it and PoR out to the beta readers.
So far, Hidden Hearts is receiving decidedly positive feedback from the beta readers who are done with it. My wife actually blew through it in less than a week, which for her is lightning fast to read a book. It's officially her favorite of everything I've written, so it will be the next submission once I do another draft of it. Not sure where yet, but I'll keep you posted.
On the submissions front, I did hear back from the publisher about Consequences - well, sort of. The sixteen week waiting period came and went, and nothing. I emailed for a status report and was informed that due to some staffing changes, they were backlogged. I already knew about the staff changes, and expected this, so I agreed to the additional four weeks they asked me to give them. Hopefully the old adage about good things coming to those who wait proves true there.
I did submit the full manuscript of The Journal of Jeremy Todd back around Christmas, so I'm pretty sure I've still got some time to wait before getting a decision on that one yet. Keeping my fingers crossed, though.
And that's where I'm at! I'll keep you all in the loop as more things develop.
Until next time!
The Perception of Reality has now passed the fifty percent mark. It's on track to have the first draft complete by the end of the month. This one is up and down for me. Sometimes I think it's running short, other times I think it's running long. I guess the only way I'll know for sure is to look back once it's finished, right?
On the editing front, I finally finished the second draft of One Last Dance. Next I'll be tackling a third draft on Demon at the Window, then it goes into the trunk to await submission or release time. After that, I'll tackle Blood Games so I can get it and PoR out to the beta readers.
So far, Hidden Hearts is receiving decidedly positive feedback from the beta readers who are done with it. My wife actually blew through it in less than a week, which for her is lightning fast to read a book. It's officially her favorite of everything I've written, so it will be the next submission once I do another draft of it. Not sure where yet, but I'll keep you posted.
On the submissions front, I did hear back from the publisher about Consequences - well, sort of. The sixteen week waiting period came and went, and nothing. I emailed for a status report and was informed that due to some staffing changes, they were backlogged. I already knew about the staff changes, and expected this, so I agreed to the additional four weeks they asked me to give them. Hopefully the old adage about good things coming to those who wait proves true there.
I did submit the full manuscript of The Journal of Jeremy Todd back around Christmas, so I'm pretty sure I've still got some time to wait before getting a decision on that one yet. Keeping my fingers crossed, though.
And that's where I'm at! I'll keep you all in the loop as more things develop.
Until next time!
Thursday, November 19, 2015
A Quick Progress Update
Hopefully I can do this one without rambling too much. Just a quick little note about how everything's going.
The third Cochran Investigations book, Blood Games, is on track to have the first draft finished by Thanksgiving at the latest. It's looking like it'll be the shortest of them so far, but it still might surprise me. I've wrapped up most of the subplots aside from the final acts on them, and am well into act three on the main plot, so hopefully this one is racing toward the finish line.
Once that one's done, I'll be starting on another standalone. This time it's a haunted house tale I'm really looking forward to digging into. The initial working title is Hidden Heart, and if it plays out like I expect it to, it will be less blood and more subtle creep factor. At least that's the intent. I suppose I'll know for sure once that first draft is done.
The second draft on The Journal of Jeremy Todd is finished, and if I get a full manuscript request I'll just have to format it and send it out. I personally can't believe I finished this draft this fast, and I swear I hope to never have to try that again. My brain was hurting by the time it was done.
Since that's finished, I'll go back to the edits on One Last Dance to try and get the second draft of that one done as well.
OLD and Journal are both in the hands of beta readers now, along with Demon at the Window, so I'll be waiting on feedback there before I start on any further drafts of those.
Since I need to take a break before starting the edits on Blood Games, I'll use my normal editing time to try and get Homecoming finished up.
On the submission and potential publication fronts, since the open submission period for Sinister Grin runs until the end of the month, I'm not expecting to hear back from them about Journal until sometime after that. They didn't give a lead time on their guidelines page, but I'm figuring up to six weeks there. Consequences is now past the halfway point in the waiting period on it (December 9 will be 12 weeks, and I could have to wait up to 16), so I'm not out of the running yet. I know the publisher was going through some editorial staff changes in regard to their horror line, so I don't know if that will affect anything or not. I've seen nothing on their site to indicate it, so I have to assume the original wait time remains in effect until I hear differently.
And that's it, you're all caught up! I'll update again once I finish Blood Games, or if I get a publisher response I can talk about, whichever comes first!
The third Cochran Investigations book, Blood Games, is on track to have the first draft finished by Thanksgiving at the latest. It's looking like it'll be the shortest of them so far, but it still might surprise me. I've wrapped up most of the subplots aside from the final acts on them, and am well into act three on the main plot, so hopefully this one is racing toward the finish line.
Once that one's done, I'll be starting on another standalone. This time it's a haunted house tale I'm really looking forward to digging into. The initial working title is Hidden Heart, and if it plays out like I expect it to, it will be less blood and more subtle creep factor. At least that's the intent. I suppose I'll know for sure once that first draft is done.
The second draft on The Journal of Jeremy Todd is finished, and if I get a full manuscript request I'll just have to format it and send it out. I personally can't believe I finished this draft this fast, and I swear I hope to never have to try that again. My brain was hurting by the time it was done.
Since that's finished, I'll go back to the edits on One Last Dance to try and get the second draft of that one done as well.
OLD and Journal are both in the hands of beta readers now, along with Demon at the Window, so I'll be waiting on feedback there before I start on any further drafts of those.
Since I need to take a break before starting the edits on Blood Games, I'll use my normal editing time to try and get Homecoming finished up.
On the submission and potential publication fronts, since the open submission period for Sinister Grin runs until the end of the month, I'm not expecting to hear back from them about Journal until sometime after that. They didn't give a lead time on their guidelines page, but I'm figuring up to six weeks there. Consequences is now past the halfway point in the waiting period on it (December 9 will be 12 weeks, and I could have to wait up to 16), so I'm not out of the running yet. I know the publisher was going through some editorial staff changes in regard to their horror line, so I don't know if that will affect anything or not. I've seen nothing on their site to indicate it, so I have to assume the original wait time remains in effect until I hear differently.
And that's it, you're all caught up! I'll update again once I finish Blood Games, or if I get a publisher response I can talk about, whichever comes first!
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Off to the Betas
The second draft of Demon at the Window is officially complete. Strangely, this one came in a little longer in length than the first draft did. I did add an extension to one scene to clarify something I mentioned and never fully answered, but I thought I'd still cut enough to make it shorter, like normal. Oh well.
The next step is to get this one formatted and then it goes out to the beta readers for feedback. While I wait for that to come in, I'll still be working on the first draft of The Ideal Companion Journal and will be starting the edits for the second draft of One Last Dance.
I'm moving through this stuff pretty quickly, but that's how I want it, the more that I've thought about it. If I do end up self-publishing this stuff, my goal is to release a book every three months, for a total of four a year. I'm not going to say that's how it will pan out, but that's the goal. I still plan on Consequences being first, and I suppose from there it will depend on whether or not I submit the Cochran books for publication or decide to do them on my own.
We shall see, I suppose!
The next step is to get this one formatted and then it goes out to the beta readers for feedback. While I wait for that to come in, I'll still be working on the first draft of The Ideal Companion Journal and will be starting the edits for the second draft of One Last Dance.
I'm moving through this stuff pretty quickly, but that's how I want it, the more that I've thought about it. If I do end up self-publishing this stuff, my goal is to release a book every three months, for a total of four a year. I'm not going to say that's how it will pan out, but that's the goal. I still plan on Consequences being first, and I suppose from there it will depend on whether or not I submit the Cochran books for publication or decide to do them on my own.
We shall see, I suppose!
Friday, September 18, 2015
Getting Back on Track
So the crazy stretch at my day slave job is finally reaching its end. What that means is that I will finally be able to get back into the routine I had been using to get my work in this, the fun job, done. To that end, here's a few progress updates, all thrown into one big soup.
Consequences: Not much to report here, I'm still waiting. Yesterday was the one week mark since submission, so the concept that I would have heard anything by now, one way or the other, is just wishful thinking. That's okay, though. See below for what I'm using to try and keep my mind off it.
Demon at the Window: If you remember from a previous post, my normal routine for editing was that the bulk of it was completed on Mondays. Well, since my day job killed that for a couple of weeks, I still have yet to officially begin the edits that will make the second draft of DatW. Now that I get them back, I can get going on this full steam. I'm setting a tentative target of Halloween to have the second draft finished. That may change, especially since I'm not in as much of a hurry since Consequences needs to do its thing before I consider anything more concrete for the timeline on DatW, but at least it's better than what I had (which was nothing, in case you were wondering).
Justicar: I'm starting to get a general idea of what the next scene for the story is, so I will probably get back to this one in a couple of days or maybe a week. Right now it's still gestating, so my main focus is elsewhere, but fret not! This one is not forgotten, just taking a nap.
One Last Dance: If you haven't figured it out by now, this is the next Cochran book. I've got the concept firmly in mind and have been churning away with it for almost a week now. The majority of the cast of characters have been introduced, and it's time to start plugging away at Jack's actual investigation . This is the stage where thought has to come into it, so I don't reveal too much too soon, so it may rest a bit so I can get back to Justicar while the pieces fall into place. And if by looking at the progress meter you have the idea that I'm further along in this one, keep in mind that as a fantasy story, Justicar is projected to be much longer than OLD, so the percentages will be skewed accordingly.
And that pretty well catches me up. I still have some time left on my indentured servitude for the day job, so I need to get to sleep. I will try and do a couple of other posts in the next week or so that have been rolling around in my head, some things that are either not related to writing at all or only loosely so.
Until then, sweet dreams!
Consequences: Not much to report here, I'm still waiting. Yesterday was the one week mark since submission, so the concept that I would have heard anything by now, one way or the other, is just wishful thinking. That's okay, though. See below for what I'm using to try and keep my mind off it.
Demon at the Window: If you remember from a previous post, my normal routine for editing was that the bulk of it was completed on Mondays. Well, since my day job killed that for a couple of weeks, I still have yet to officially begin the edits that will make the second draft of DatW. Now that I get them back, I can get going on this full steam. I'm setting a tentative target of Halloween to have the second draft finished. That may change, especially since I'm not in as much of a hurry since Consequences needs to do its thing before I consider anything more concrete for the timeline on DatW, but at least it's better than what I had (which was nothing, in case you were wondering).
Justicar: I'm starting to get a general idea of what the next scene for the story is, so I will probably get back to this one in a couple of days or maybe a week. Right now it's still gestating, so my main focus is elsewhere, but fret not! This one is not forgotten, just taking a nap.
One Last Dance: If you haven't figured it out by now, this is the next Cochran book. I've got the concept firmly in mind and have been churning away with it for almost a week now. The majority of the cast of characters have been introduced, and it's time to start plugging away at Jack's actual investigation . This is the stage where thought has to come into it, so I don't reveal too much too soon, so it may rest a bit so I can get back to Justicar while the pieces fall into place. And if by looking at the progress meter you have the idea that I'm further along in this one, keep in mind that as a fantasy story, Justicar is projected to be much longer than OLD, so the percentages will be skewed accordingly.
And that pretty well catches me up. I still have some time left on my indentured servitude for the day job, so I need to get to sleep. I will try and do a couple of other posts in the next week or so that have been rolling around in my head, some things that are either not related to writing at all or only loosely so.
Until then, sweet dreams!
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Demon at the Window Update #2
And another one is finished.
The first draft of Demon at the Window is officially complete. It clocks in at just over 81,000 words and around 260 pages (in MS Word Manuscript Form, formatting will shrink that). There are some strings left untied, but that was by design. At some point, I'll be going back to these characters and telling the story of Jack Cochran's next big case.
For now, the satisfaction of another book under my belt. Once I have the timeline established for Consequences, I'll figure out a potential release date for this one too. Until then, my next step is to format, bind, and print it for my wife (my official First Reader) to read over and give feedback on. Then, editing for the second draft so I can clean it up some. This one won't hit beta reader stage until after the second draft, so if you're one of them and you're waiting on it, sorry, but you need to wait a little longer. This one is a little more complex, so I want to make sure it's right before you get it.
Well, closer to right, anyway.
For now, sleep. Next up, Justicar. The progress meter's updated to reflect this being done, I'll add Justicar to it once I have something to report.
'Night folks!
The first draft of Demon at the Window is officially complete. It clocks in at just over 81,000 words and around 260 pages (in MS Word Manuscript Form, formatting will shrink that). There are some strings left untied, but that was by design. At some point, I'll be going back to these characters and telling the story of Jack Cochran's next big case.
For now, the satisfaction of another book under my belt. Once I have the timeline established for Consequences, I'll figure out a potential release date for this one too. Until then, my next step is to format, bind, and print it for my wife (my official First Reader) to read over and give feedback on. Then, editing for the second draft so I can clean it up some. This one won't hit beta reader stage until after the second draft, so if you're one of them and you're waiting on it, sorry, but you need to wait a little longer. This one is a little more complex, so I want to make sure it's right before you get it.
Well, closer to right, anyway.
For now, sleep. Next up, Justicar. The progress meter's updated to reflect this being done, I'll add Justicar to it once I have something to report.
'Night folks!
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Progress Update
Feedback has starting coming in for Graduation Summer, and to my relief it's mostly positive. My wife has some issues with the sex in it, but overall liked it and gave some pretty good advice about things I hadn't really considered before. The beta readers have also thought it was pretty good, and have likewise given some good feedback I will be incorporating into future drafts. Revisions for the second draft are moving along, maybe at about 25% right now, and should be done pretty soon; it's mostly copy edits, proofreading, and obvious fixes. Then I incorporate the rewrites and revisions based on beta feedback. I'm still on target for my goal of getting it submitted and / or published by the end of this year or start of the next.
Based on my initial estimates (which may change depending on how it goes), I'm at the halfway point for the first draft of Demon at the Window. I haven't really talked about the timeline goals for this one, mainly because it's starting to look like GS has to come out first, but I'm starting to think maybe the middle or end of next year for it. You don't have to read GS to understand this one, but I think if you did it would enhance this story considerably. So I'm not setting any time frame, even a tentative one, for Demon until I have a better idea of what's happening with GS.
Wow, a shorter post this time!
That's it for now, stay tuned for more updates as things progress!
Based on my initial estimates (which may change depending on how it goes), I'm at the halfway point for the first draft of Demon at the Window. I haven't really talked about the timeline goals for this one, mainly because it's starting to look like GS has to come out first, but I'm starting to think maybe the middle or end of next year for it. You don't have to read GS to understand this one, but I think if you did it would enhance this story considerably. So I'm not setting any time frame, even a tentative one, for Demon until I have a better idea of what's happening with GS.
Wow, a shorter post this time!
That's it for now, stay tuned for more updates as things progress!
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Demon at the Window: New Project Update #1
I have no idea what's happened to make me so prolific as of late, but I'm liking it. A lot. I suppose if writing is a form of stress release, as many writers find it to be, then I must be pretty freaking stressed out. I don't even have the edits finished on Graduation Summer yet - in fact it's not even going to end up in the hands of beta readers until Monday at the earliest - but I'm already nearly a quarter of the way through the new project's first draft. I guess that means I can let you in on it now, huh?
This one's called Demon at the Window.
Jack Cochran is struggling to get his private investigations firm off the ground. When his assistant gives him a case involving someone stalking some of her friends, he thinks it's just going to be an easy way to make a buck, a thought that's reinforced when his new client tells him they think they're being stalked by a straight from the bowels of Hell demon. But as Cochran digs into the case, he discovers that maybe there is more reality to what he considered myths than he ever dreamed of.
This one is still a bit in the horror genre, with touches of mystery and thriller thrown in for good measure. If my projected word count is accurate, I'm sitting at about 25% complete on the first draft. I'm not even going to guess about time to completion on this one, but like Graduation Summer I intend to submit it for publication and do it myself if a publisher doesn't bite.
A bit of backstory:
I've had the idea to do a book about a PI named Jack Cochran for a while now. I always knew he would end up investigating things that are supernatural, but that he was a skeptic himself. Every time I started one of these tales, I couldn't get it to go anywhere. After the third failure, I shelved it, but the character stayed with me.
Fast forward a few years. I needed a name for a TBI agent to put in Graduation Summer. As a joke for myself, I used Jack. I finished the chapter he first appeared in, and thought nothing else about it. As the story progressed, I suddenly realized that I could build on this. I figured out why Cochran would have left the TBI and started his own investigation firm. The rest clicked into place when I had an idea for his first case.
I started writing it fully expecting another dud. Three failures with him before, remember? But to my pleasant surprise, it was falling into place this time. So, like a good little artist when the Muse starts talking, I ran with it, and here we are.
It'll be a bit before this one escapes into the wild. I need to let GS run it's course first. But there is something else on the horizon. Call it a spiritual sequel to GS. Hey, if Marvel and Stephen King can do an interconnected universe, why can't I, right?
Keep rooting for me, and let's hope Jack makes it to a completed draft this time, what say? More later, once I'm further along. More on GS once I get some beta feedback.
Thanks for stopping by!
This one's called Demon at the Window.
Jack Cochran is struggling to get his private investigations firm off the ground. When his assistant gives him a case involving someone stalking some of her friends, he thinks it's just going to be an easy way to make a buck, a thought that's reinforced when his new client tells him they think they're being stalked by a straight from the bowels of Hell demon. But as Cochran digs into the case, he discovers that maybe there is more reality to what he considered myths than he ever dreamed of.
This one is still a bit in the horror genre, with touches of mystery and thriller thrown in for good measure. If my projected word count is accurate, I'm sitting at about 25% complete on the first draft. I'm not even going to guess about time to completion on this one, but like Graduation Summer I intend to submit it for publication and do it myself if a publisher doesn't bite.
A bit of backstory:
I've had the idea to do a book about a PI named Jack Cochran for a while now. I always knew he would end up investigating things that are supernatural, but that he was a skeptic himself. Every time I started one of these tales, I couldn't get it to go anywhere. After the third failure, I shelved it, but the character stayed with me.
Fast forward a few years. I needed a name for a TBI agent to put in Graduation Summer. As a joke for myself, I used Jack. I finished the chapter he first appeared in, and thought nothing else about it. As the story progressed, I suddenly realized that I could build on this. I figured out why Cochran would have left the TBI and started his own investigation firm. The rest clicked into place when I had an idea for his first case.
I started writing it fully expecting another dud. Three failures with him before, remember? But to my pleasant surprise, it was falling into place this time. So, like a good little artist when the Muse starts talking, I ran with it, and here we are.
It'll be a bit before this one escapes into the wild. I need to let GS run it's course first. But there is something else on the horizon. Call it a spiritual sequel to GS. Hey, if Marvel and Stephen King can do an interconnected universe, why can't I, right?
Keep rooting for me, and let's hope Jack makes it to a completed draft this time, what say? More later, once I'm further along. More on GS once I get some beta feedback.
Thanks for stopping by!
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