Micah K. Chaplin's Blog

Sweet release

As you might have noticed, "Riffs of Regret" is finally completed. And published. And available for purchase. You can find it on Amazon.

I'm also giving away two copies here on GoodReads, if that sort of thing interests you: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

Thanks for all the support. I plan to do NaNoWriMo again in November. Maybe I'll have another book published next year!!

In summary

Writing a summary of my book has probably been the biggest challenge so far. I want to give enough information to be intriguing without giving away too much. Here's my first attempt at a description for "Riffs of Regret":

A weekend of discovering new music sounds like the perfect break from reality for two music fans. Cori Stevens is bored with her job and jaded about the dating world. Luke Walker works hard but lost his creative drive years ago. When two of their friends suggest a road trip to one of the biggest music festivals in the nation, both of them sign on, eager to get away from their everyday lives. As the weekend unfolds, it proves to be a turning point in the lives of all four twentysomethings. Even as they return from their musical excursion, the missed chances, broken hearts and regrets are only just beginning.



What do you think?

Moving slowly

I've now received two of the three sets of edits. It's been interesting seeing the remarks from two very different readers. The second person, I think, was a little nervous about how I would react to her critiques. I was a little afraid of them too. She is a very picky reader, which isn't a bad thing, but definitely had me nervous. But her concerns about some of the dialog and character story lines were actually very good to hear. I know my book won't be perfect, but I want it to be good. I'll definitely have her voice in the back of my head as I do my final read of the book ... possibly next week.

I am still drawing blanks for the cover. I don't know if I should try for abstract art, a scene or depictions of the characters. The last one always makes me nervous because I like to imagine the characters for myself. No two persons have the same vision of a character, and I think that makes it more fun (and also tough for movie-makers). I have touched base with my cover designer, and she's going to offer some suggestions. We'll see what she comes up with. She no longer works in my office though, so I don't see her everyday, and I don't want to hound her. But I am anxious to keep this moving along.

Also, the publisher I worked with on my first two books seems to be trying to woo me back. I'm not sure I want to do that. I wasn't dissatisfied with their service, but I would like more control over cover art, pricing and distribution than I had with them. I've conversed with a few other authors, including Caryn Rose (and if you haven't read her book, "B-Sides & Broken Hearts," do it NOW!) who shared their experiences with various publishers. I think I know which direction I'm going, but I'm giving my old publisher a chance to win me back. We'll see.

First batch of edits = done

I have three friends proofreading my new project. So far, I've received one batch of edits back and made them. Feels like a big hurdle.

After I get all three sets, I'm going to read through the entire thing myself and decide if I want to add, embellish, change, delete, etc. parts of the story. I really want to make sure this story is as complete as possible before I send it through the publishing process.

I still need to work on the cover too. A graphic designer who worked in my office for a few months agreed to help me on this, but now she's gone (her position was temporary), so I'm going to need to get in touch with her and make sure she's still on it. Otherwise, I will be seeking another designer.

As I told you in the last post, the book is currently called "Riffs of Regret." So far, that's the most fitting title, but I don't know if it's catchy enough or descriptive enough. Would it make you pick up the book? Be honest.

Third book done ... but not really

After what feels like forever (it's been seven years), I've finally finished writing my third novel!! I started it during National Novel Writing Month (November 2011), and wrote the last chapter at the beginning of May.

I felt relief, pride and a bit of sadness as I finished the book. Relief because my evenings would be a little more free. Pride because ... well ... I'm proud of this story. Sadness because I love love love these characters, and I'm not ready to say "goodbye" to them. Sure, I could always write a sequel, but I can't think about that now.

The book, titled "Riffs of Regret," is currently in the proofreading stage. I am also working with a friend on the cover design.

I will provide updates here throughout the process.