Future Projects

Update: The Mountain King will be released May 7th instead of April 30th. My schedule was just too crazy in April to get this book out when I originally wanted to, so look for it on May 7th!

As I am working on my current novella I'm thinking ahead to the project I have scheduled this summer that will extend towards the end of the year. I have one more novella for the children's fantasy series I'm writing and then I'm done - for the time being. I won't say that I won't revisit the series and pick up where I've left off because at this point I don't know. In fact, I have an idea for a short story that would be part of that world, but that's another day. A few years off, in fact.

The next project I plan to write is a trilogy that I have wanted to write for years and years! I'm very excited! So far I've come up with the title The Red World trilogy for the entire series (formerly Monolith) but I haven't come up with individual titles that I like. This is unusual because I often come up with titles first and then build a story around that title. I'm sure it will come to me in due time though.

This next story is going to be a sweeping Science Fantasy and it will take place on another planet, a desert planet. The first book will be out in September, or that's what I'm shooting for anyway. I have some research I plan to do for this story too. Part of that research will be reading some of my favorite books: The Bible and Frank Herbert's Dune, plus some books on astronomy and cosmology.

I anticipate that the trilogy should be finished sometime early in 2013. Also between this summer and December I'll be writing another short story and this next short story will actually be the prologue to the next series I plan to write when The Red World trilogy is finished; a steampunk science fiction series.

Writing is the best job in the world to me. I get to sit around and make stuff up. I love it!

Free Short Story: Rainfall

New book cover art for my new science fiction short story, Rainfall. 

A man with a mysterious illness hears voices 

and sees strange visions - but only when it rains.

Rainfall is available at my website. Check it out!

New Short Story!

The first draft of The Mountain King is finished. Working on the second draft right now.

I'm also finishing up a science fiction short story. It's called Rainfall. This story started out years ago as a novel. Let is suffice to say that the novel didn't quite work out but I like the short version. Gleaned from the second novel I wrote it's been a long time in coming. I meant to write this story about a year ago but felt that I didn't have the time and other projects took precedence. It's finished and I just need to make a bookcover for it. For those who read the blog regularly or are subscribed you can pick it up for free next week on Scribd or Feedbooks. it will be free on those sites for a few days. After that, it will be $0.99 on Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, etc.

Don't forget about the Lady Moons giveaway. It ends Saturday!

Antiquitypunk? Anyone? Anyone?

Steampunk.

It's a popular genre and has been for quite some time now. Some might say it's past it's heyday. I don't know about that. I plant to write a steampunk series sometime in the next year so I hope that isn't true. Even if it were in some peoples' minds, publishing is different now so you can pretty much write anything you want and someone will want to read it, no matter how "out of style" the genre may be.

In any case, I don't think the steampunk sub-genre will ever truly go out of style. I follow a fellow on Facebook, Daniel Proulx, who creates steampunk jewelry. He also posts a lot of wonderful steampunk conceptual art pieces that he finds on to his FB page. Here are a few of my favorites:

But it got me wondering yesterday. That and an interview I was listening to on the Adventures of SciFi Publishing podcast about something older - antiquitypunk. Ancient people's used machines often to tell time, seasons and to study the stars. There are other ancient machines as well that I can't recall the names of at the moment. Oh, there's a famous archeological find called the Antikythera Mechanism that comes to my mind.

What would antiquitypunk look like? What would it be like? what kind of stories could populate such a world? Perhaps ancient flying balloons instead of dirigibles? Or mechanical bow and arrows that shoot arrows of fire that explode on impact, like bunker-busters? Or mechanical horses and chariots? Wooden and metal submarines? Airplanes shaped like birds, made of wood with wings of linen? I don't know. There's a lot to think about. It just gets me thinking that perhaps I should write a short story involving this sub-genre just mostly as a place holder for future ideas.

Anyone else out there have any ideas?

Geeking Out: Fan Films

I've only recently been getting into fan films and I'm discovering a lot of wonderful content out there.

I love the independent arts. Indie news. Indie films. Indie books. Indie music. Indie art. Open source software and programs. Fan films. I just love the great stuff that's coming out of people, on their own steam and their own resources. It's like a Renaissance of independent content and culture.

Anyway, I saw The Hunt For Gollum last night and I loved it. You can watch it here if you haven't already seen it - if you happen to be a big Lord of the Rings fan like I am, you'll enjoy it. I plan to watch another one, Born of Hope, which can be found here. The production values, the score, the acting is wonderful in tHfG so check it out. Oh, and it's free, of course! You can also get a free copy of the soundtrack which is also good. And if you really like it, donate to them. On the Born of Hope website there is a Paypal donation button. Indie artists and content creators work hard. Show your appreciation with your pocketbook when you can.

Then there's the matter of a Dune fan film that was in production in Spain but the breaks have been put on it by the Herbert Foundation. I hope this can get worked out because i would love to see a well made Dune fan film. In fact, I would love to see Dune remade, by a director who loves and respects the work who can get the right amount of funding/budget for it. Dune always needed at least two films for the story to properly be told. Below is some wonderful Dune artwork I found on Mark Molnar's sketchblog.

If someone could use his art as the conceptual art for a new Dune film trilogy or series - I would be in Sci-Fi heaven!

Continuing Work-In-Progress

As my work-in-progress continues I've collected all kinds of wonderful pics from the internet to inspire me as I write. Sometimes they really add to what I'm writing and other times when I don't feel particularly inspired it can fuel the writing process. Anyway, here are some beautiful pictures I've found both on my own and from others on Pinterest:

Perhaps a dryad? I don't know but she definitely has an influence on the story. At first it was merely a great, big tree but now it is something more. Not a main character or an active character or anything but not just a tree either. There is a tree in The Mountain King called the Mother Tree. Ancient and similar to Old Tree, yet not quite as ancient. The difference is that the tree in my story is a baobab tree. Which brings me to this picture:

What a perfect specimen of a baobab. or at least I think so!

A storm is a brewin', storm a' brewin'. . . 

                                                 A mountain fortress in Poland, I think.

                                  A moody picture of a wood. Appropriate for the story I'm writing.

This last one is a possible fairy ring someone found in Africa. I've forgotten which country. Didn't know there were fairy rings in Africa. And don;t forget that I'm hosting a giveaway of my book The Lady Moons! Sign up before April 20th to get your copy!

Back to writing. . .

Lady Moons Ebook Giveaway Starts Today!

ebook giveaway!

UPDATE!!: The Lady Moons ebook giveaway starts today and ends on April 20th! In order to get your free copy, sign up at the website, Epistle Publishing. Sign up because there will be goodies throughout the year for subscribers! Here are the details of the giveaway (from my website):

1. The giveaway will start April 2nd and end on April 20th. Sign up for the Epistle Publishing Newsletter to get your free copy ofThe Lady Moons. Then email epistlepublishing@gmail.com and tell me the title of a good book you've read and enjoyed recently and tell me who the author is. You don't have to write up a review or a report. Just the title and author name. Any genre is fine except erotica. Don't forget to let me know your first name along with your book entry so I can credit you in the newsletter (of course, if you'd rather not have your name mentioned, just let me know in your email.)

2. After sign up you will have your choice of file type to download: .mobi, .epub, .html or .pdf. There are no paperbacks or hardcovers at this time. All books published by Epistle Publishing are ebooks.

Of all those who participate in the giveaway, the first ten participants who sign up will be chosen to receive a free copy of my next release in the series, The Mountain King. But wait - there's more!

Of those ten, two participants will be randomly selected to win a free eGift card worth $10.00 of their choice from either Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

About the Epistle Publishing Newsletter

The newsletter will be sent out once to twice a month and will be a great way to keep subscribers informed about new releases from Epistle Publishing. It will also feature my own picks for books I recommend and reader's picks and recommendations of their favorite books. New giveaways will be hosted throughout the year and these will be posted on the site and on the blog. However, information on special giveaways and goodies will only be sent via newsletter.