Upping the Gross factor

I'm too bored to sleep.  It's likely the dumbest thing I've ever said, but it's how I feel right now.  I have this weird sense that I should accomplish one more thing before going to bed, but for the life of me I can't muster up the desire to actually do anything.  So I've spent the last 90 minutes wasting time on the internet, because this is what smart people do with their time.

Although, in my own defense, I did have a very productive day, so unspooling here at the tail end of it isn't too big of a deal.  I completed edits on a novel we'll be releasing at Hall Brothers Entertainment soon, and it felt good to get that project finally done.  We're still behind schedule on pretty much everything, but at least progress is being made.  One project down, lots more that are waiting to be addressed.

I'm almost ready to start work on writing my next novel.  It's going to be a standalone book, just a one-off sci-fi action/adventure thing, which I'm excited about.  Most of our catalog over at HBE is books that belong to a series, so it'll be really nice to have something that's completely unattached and just stands on its own.  But it's actually the NEXT novel that I'm going to write that's on my mind tonight.

This one will probably not be written until later in the year, as after I finish Terraformer (which is a working title) I'll write Black Badge Season Three (which is probably going to be the final book in that series) and then I'll probably go ahead and write the third Scrolls book (which is far from the final book in that series, I want to write like 10 Scrolls books).  But, after all of that, I'll write this other novel that I'm just calling MPW for now.

Why am I excited about this idea?  Well, first of all, it'll be another standalone novel, which is something that I dig.  I love series, don't get me wrong, but having a few one-off books in between is always very nice.  I love being able to read a book, then close that book and know that it's over.  So MPW has that going for it.

More than that though, I think it's going to be a very gross book, and that sort of makes me happy.  Black Badge is violent and cynical and dark, but it's not gross.  I have this desire to do something, I hate to use the word graphic, but I think it fits what I'm trying to say here.  MPW isn't going to be an awful book, but it will have awful things in it.  Gross things, and creatures, and stuff like that.  I really can't share anything else, because I'm a big believer in not saying too much before something is actually being written, and this is a long way from being written.  But I'm doing research, and taking notes, and getting excited about the idea of grossing myself out.

So, what else is going on?  Not much really.  I've been on a huge editing roll lately, and it was much needed and quite nice.  It's nothing but helpful to dive so deep into another person's book.  You learn so much just about storytelling in general.  I read the book first to enjoy it, then I read it a second time to edit/study it.  It's kind of a cool process, and one that I feel always makes me a stronger storyteller when I'm done.  And hopefully, also makes the book I'm editing a little better than it was before.  Of course, this particular writer is a super pro, so the amount of actual editing I do on his work is next to none, but I did move around a few commas and find one spelling mistake, so at least I helped a little, hahaha.

Anyways, I guess that's it.  Summer's here, and I hate that.  Summer is awful on every level imaginable.  But enough about that.

Here are some random thoughts to close out this random blog post.

The new Linkin Park album is pretty good.

I have no plans for 4th of July, but I'm certain my family will pull something together at the last minute.  We have a weird habit of coming up with something to do on that holiday like the morning of.

I'm reading a book called The Black Opera, which is about music being so powerful that it can cause volcanic eruptions and stuff.  So far it's horribly wordy and hard to read, which is a huge bummer because I'm in love with the idea of the book.  I'm hoping it gets better, but reading it right now is a pretty big chore, which never equals out to a high entertainment factor.

On TV I've been enjoying Suits, Falling Skies, Teen Wolf and Franklin and Bash.  I'm a little embarrassed over loving the last two of those shows, but whatever.

I might enter another short story contest.  I finished in second place in the last one I entered, which was awesome.  I've actually been considering putting out a cheap or maybe even free e-book of the short stories I wrote for that contest.  I might do that one day soon!  What a great idea!

Okay, that's all for me.  I think I'm going to go lay down and see if I can experience some of this "sleep" stuff that I hear people talking about all the time.  I hope each and every one of you are doing super fantastic these days!

Birthday Book Bomb!

Okay, so I'm blatantly stealing this idea from my friend Martin Ingham, who is an awesome writer.  But it's my birthday, so hopefully that means he'll be okay with me following in his footsteps with the idea of a birthday book bomb.

So here's how it works.  As a writer, the greatest thing that can happen for me is when people are buying and reading my books.  So, since it's my birthday and it's socially acceptable to be a little selfish on your birthday, what I'd like to ask is that you help get more people buying and reading my books today.  How can we do that?  Well, if you're able, buy one of my books today.  Print editions are 10 bucks, e-versions on Kindle and Nook are just 3 bucks, and if you're able to pick one up today, that would be a huge gift to me.

Of course, times are tough, so if you don't have the money available, maybe just take a moment to spread the word about my books to someone you know.  Toss a link up on facebook, or tweet your homies, or email your bookish cousin, just let someone know that you know a guy who writes some books and that they're available.  I really believe my available works span a lot of different taste profiles.  Black Badge is gritty, dark, cynical, violent, action and mayhem.  Scrolls is action packed, magical, a little romantic, coming of age, funny, and mysterious.  The Bond: Conqueror is a galaxy spanning action sci-fi tale of revenge.  And if short stories are more your speed, then I've got great work in both Undiscovered and Villainy, the two short story compilations available at Hall Brothers Entertainment.

Here's the link to the Hall Bros Entertainment store:  STORE

If you'd rather buy the books on amazon.com you can do that too.  Just head over there and search for the books by their exact title, because it tends to kickback a ton of results unless you search for exactly which of my books you're after.

Anyways, anything you can do to help make my first ever birthday book bomb a success would be hugely appreciated.  You write in a vacuum, and even after you release a book it just kind of floats out there and it's always such a great feeling when you know people are buying them and telling people they know that this is stuff that's worth reading.  Thanks to each and every one of you for all the support you've shown me over the years, and I hope you'll continue to stick with me as I continue to write more books!

Scrolls: Nekros buying guide

Finally, after some long barren months, I have a new book being published today.  This is the second entry in the Scrolls series, which is by far my favorite thing I've ever written.  I always like to put together these quick buying guides so my friends and family can have easy access to pick up the book.  If you're unaware of Scrolls, later in this post I'll give you information on the first book and where you can purchase it.  But for now, here's the information for Scrolls: Nekros.  

Magic comes with a heavy price.

Marty Schultz and his friends have seen the destructive ways in which magic can be used. They've also seen how it can be harnessed to save people in need. But they're still just college students, and they've made use of a power they don't fully understand.

Marty seeks normalcy, a chance to be a student and start a relationship with his beautiful co-worker. But life has a way of becoming complicated in a hurry. A necromancer walks the streets of their college town, and Marty finds himself being the reluctant hero once more, even though doing so could mean the end of his new romance before it ever begins.

Those closest to Marty have issues of their own. His sister is convinced he's up to no good, and she's decided to take a job in town so she can investigate further. His ex-fiancee is tortured by hellish visions, a side effect from her use of magic. His best friend is struggling to keep the unexpected consequences of a spell from coming back to haunt them. All the while, the key to bringing Marty the normalcy he desires most is lost, and finding it again will lead them into dark alliances and the depths of a magical criminal underground they never knew existed.

I'm very proud of this book, and hope you'll consider picking up a copy.  You can buy Scrolls: Nekros from the following places:

Hall Brothers Entertainment.com (where's it's available individually, or at a reduced rate in a bundle with the first Scrolls book)

amazon.com

Nook

Kindle

Now, for those of you who aren't familiar with the original book.  Here's what it's all about, followed by info on where you can read it/buy it.  

Marty Schultz is a young man who just wants to be left alone. While his fellow students at Barker State University are living it up, Marty keeps his distance, spending most of his time alone. The used bookstore where he works specializes in the trade of ancient scrolls and Marty copies down their details for use in his web-comic. Little does he know that in the right hands these scrolls can be used to perform powerful magic and his use of them has drawn the attention of some very dangerous people. As Marty struggles to come to grips with the reality of the scrolls and his growing ability to harness their power he also has to face the past that he moved over 3,000 miles away to escape. 

Marty just wanted to be left alone, but that’s no longer an option. His life is suddenly very full and whether he likes it or not he has to find a way to deal with it. But if he’s going to reconcile with his angry ex-fiancée whom he left two years ago with no explanation, pacify his big sister who is trying to uncover a secret he’s worked hard to hide and get out from under the thumb of a scheming classmate, first he’s going to have to find a way to survive against a magic wielding madman who has decided that Marty Schultz must die.

You can buy Scrolls Season One at:

Hall Brothers Entertainment.com (where it's available in a bundle with the second book for a reduced rate)

Amazon.com

Nook

Kindle

Or, if you'd rather, you can read the entire first book for free ONLINE.