Kyle Michel Sullivan's Blog: https://www.myirishnovel.com/, page 92

Organization at my station...

Today was mainly spent going through the files I've downloaded from Derry of the Past and neating the comments attached to them, as I read them. I'm focused on the time period prior to 1973 and around 1981, only, but there's a lot from the whole history of Derry in photos and people's memories. It's like I'm listening in on conversations in a pub as others reminisce. Kind of sneaky but very useful.
I've gotten a lot of images off there that I've posted on my blog as well as links to other sites with information that's helping form the story and characters. Like this image of Edmiston Keys from 1970. People posted so much in the comments about the toys and Christmas shop and how someone once bought a Monopoly game there...a moment I wrote to happen in a shop up by Austin's Department Store is going to be changed to here. It works better.
Brendan is waiting for a clerk at the shop to arrive for work so he can give him a watch he'd repaired for the man and get the schilling he was promised. But his mother catches him and thinks he's planning to buy a toy instead of give the money to her, like a good son should. He's only 11, but it gets rough and a constable has to get between them. 
It comes out that Brendan's actually giving money he makes to his older sister, Mairead, because she uses it for the family while his mother gives some of what they get from the dole to the Catholic Church...even though that's barely enough to live on. In response, his mother takes him to their priest to explain where the money goes...which does not go at all well and sets him down a path of wariness regarding the church.
Needless to say, this all comes back to cause trouble as his life goes on.

Techie blues...

I'm trying to figure out how to set up a new website with GoDaddy...and all it's led me to is wondering whether or not I actually need one. I only used my old one to link people to places where they could buy my books; I didn't sell direct. So what would I use it for?
Other authors have websites that are full of major flash and dash to sell their books, but I'm sure they're putting a lot of money into them. Nicholas Bella writes books along the same lines as me, if maybe a bit more mainstream and with better consistency, and his website's got scrolling and lots of droplets and links to trailers for his work and upcoming and it's like a full-scale business. I suck at that kind of stuff.
I post on Facebook and Tumblr and GoodReads, and those gain me the most in sales. I've never been a big seller, nor do I think my books ever will be. My three forays into mainstream have gone nowhere, and that's despite me sinking thousands of dollars into making them and getting them advertised. So I either get someone to do this for me who knows what they're doing, at a price, or I keep muttering along.
I have found I prefer the latter. I'm not a seriously ambitious person. I've always liked the idea of success, but not to the extent of becoming slave to it. I also know a lot of success is luck and persistence, neither of which I've ever had. I sometimes wonder if I have a touch of ADHD or am on the low end of the Autism spectrum, because I have a hell of a time sticking with anything straight through to the end. I get bored with whatever project I've started and drop it halfway. That I have nearly 3 dozen screenplays written is still amazing to me, let alone a dozen books.
I've only gotten this far with A Place of Safety because I keep shifting off to other projects and then come back to it...and it inches further along. I've got thousands of documents and files and dozens of books collected over the last 20 years, and it's only just now getting close to completion. So maybe this is my inherent method. Tortoise, not hare. Slowly closing in on the finish line.

Slow shift...

I'm trying to get back to reading my books for APoS but I keep dozing off. It's not lack of sleep doing that to me; it's probably just age and sitting on a comfy couch by a picture window on a warm day. I remember when I used to be able to read just about anything while seated in an overstuffed chair at my grandmother's and get so lost in the story I wouldn't hear anyone when they spoke to me. Sucks getting old.
I already see I need to do a better job of setting up Bernadette and Eamonn (her husband). Brendan's brother, Eamonn, already has some solid aspects of Derry in his character, but I'm unclear about their parents. I have ideas about where they came from and how they wound up living in sub-standard housing, but it's still kind of sketchy. Granted, most of the housing in the Bogside of Derry was dilapidated by the mid-60s, but that's beside the point.
This photo shows the tail end of Nailors Row about 1950, and the buildings in the lower-left, facing the wall, had been torn down by 1955. The ones up by Walker's Pillar, shown in previous photos, lasted another 20 years before being demolished. That's the area where Brendan's family lived, and those people all knew each other going back generations.
That's how it was throughout Derry, really. Reading recollections and stories of the place, even drunks sitting in the street could recite a child's ancestry from his great-grandfather or mother. And I don't really have that. There's also the issue of cleanliness. Lots of kids then had head lice (they called them nits) and were less prone to bathing since they didn't have indoor plumbing. That's another thing I never had to deal with, personally. If anything, we were kept extremely clean...and I only hint at Brendan's casual attitude about bathing, so far.
I guess it's time to hone the story down to its basics. Something writing Blood Angel showed me was, I can be overly descriptive, at times. And while it reads nice, it also hides the story. And it's especially unnecessary when being told in first person, like most of my work is. Lean and clean, Kyle.
Never let it be said I didn't aim high with my writing...

In process...

Got notes back from my editor on Blood Angel...and there were some typos that were so damned obvious, it's embarrassing I didn't see them, myself. I did another skim over the story as I input her corrections, and got it ready to upload to Smashwords...so just did. It's passed the autovetter and now I'm awaiting a final review before it's totally ready to go. Link is above.

I'm a bit nervous about that because in the middle of the book, Léonidès is murdered while being raped. Prior Pious strangles him, thinking he's ending Léon's chance of becoming a Blood Angel...but it doesn't work. They may see this as snuff or something and say they won't carry it.

Then Leon feeds on two men in the course of the second half, killing them. One after raping him, like Pious did to him. He's realizing this enhances the feeding. The second man is condemned to die, anyway, for having murdered a merchant, but it's still difficult to deal with.

Anyway, I've informed them up front that this is a work of gay erotica and horror, but since Smashwords merged with D2D, I'm unsure about what their reaction will be. I did notice that under its listing is the warning taboo erotica. And since the story is being told in first person, by Léon, I'm hoping it's obvious his death isn't absolute.

On a positive note, I got a 4-Star review for How to Rape a Straight Guy on Smashwords:

A confused and angry character, a riveting read. The writing was amazing, as were the characters. I consider this an unforgettable story.

Not very detailed but positive. I'll take it.

I'm currently reading Strong About it All, about how the Troubles and issues with the authorities affected both Catholic and Protestant women in the Derry area. I've got half a dozen more to go through before I turn back to the story...but this is for a specific reason and it's time to make it happen.

What did I do all day?

I honestly have no idea. I paid some bills, balanced my checkbook, bought a few groceries, had a chili-dog at Ted's because they make onion rings that are like crack, worked on the synopsis for BA...and that's it. How does that take up a full day?
I mean, aside from the political junk I do on Twitter?
Oh...and I had an idea for the beginning of BA's 2nd book and wrote that out. Then I read a fascinating piece about William Caxton and his printing of Le Morte d'Arthur, by Sir Thomas Malory. Which also gave me some ideas for the lead-up to the story. Malory was a real criminal...whoa. But I'm holding off doing anything more. Let the story percolate for a while.
Oh...wait...I did spend an hour making popcorn in an air-popper that doesn't really work. You put the kernels into this container, they swirl and get hot...and then half the damn things spit out before they begin to pop. I used a 1/4 cup of kernels to start with, which was half what they suggested, then tried it with two tablespoons; the second one I got 7 kernels popped while the rest went everywhere. It was easier to deal with a pot on the stove, using olive oil, and nowhere near as messy, overall.
Tomorrow, I'm diving back into my Irish books for A Place of Safety. My focus, as mentioned many, many times, is to make the characters as real to locals as I can. I know I'll never achieve perfection but if I can get them close...
I'm also back to having discussions with Brendan about his character. I was thinking of making him lightly autistic and he's not having it. "I don't need an excuse to be solitary or do as I want," is his response. "I am who I am, and that's what drives too many mad." I think the only characters I really need to work hard on are his mother, Bernadette, and his older brother, Eamonn, named after his father. The neighbors already have a bit of an attitude and love their gossip. I just need to keep it from sounding too twee...
Oh, right...that'll be easy...

Rude dude...

In a weird mood off bad food and feelin' crude, it's time to be all misconstrued.
Or not.
Worked this up as a synopsis for Book One of Blood Angel:
Near the end of the 11th Century, after the Norman conquest of England, a young carpenter named Léonidès is raped and murdered by several men he trusts. Only he doesn't die; he becomes a Blood Angel, the highest caste of vampire, with greater abilities than the rest. But he doesn't want revenge; he's seeking control.
This is the first of seven volumes following his story up to modern times, as he grows in power and wealth and struggles against those who want to destroy him...including his own sister.
Just to make it fun, this is how I see the beginning of Book Two - Thirty Years, which is set in the east of France as Germany collapses into all out war, early 17th Century. Léon's got six former monks/vampires as his retinue and he's kept them on a tight leash. Metaphorically speaking, not actually. There are too many around who would read that as a master/servant setup.
Oh, and I see the blond guy in the middle as Léon, with silvery-haired Gregory lying on his chest.
I didn't make it to Canada, today. Felt too weird and edgy, like I sometimes do before having intestinal problems. And I did not want to be caught midway between Buffalo and Niagara Falls in need of a bathroom. I hate to waste food, but the remains of the chili I had for lunch probably should have gone into the trash instead of my belly.
Feeling much better, now. And weird.

Done and off to the editor...

Blood Angel-Book One-Léonidès is set as tight as I can make it. 25,260 words, but that includes the title, acknowledgements, copyright info and table of contents. I've already set it into proper format to be readied for transfer into ebook form. Just waiting for feedback and notes. 
Three deaths are detailed in this book -- Léon, himself, a Viking he feeds upon, and an unnamed criminal in Alexandria who'd been condemned to death. This image pretty much shows how I pictured the last one, because Léon not only feeds on him, he rapes him, first. He finds that mixing semen in with his blood is far more satisfying in nourishment.
This book is going to have so many triggers...but they all are. I can already tell. They're also going to be a light review of European history as well as a bit of American and British expansionism.
I'm still planning to release it only in ebook, and if I don't get good response to it, no telling when I'll get to Book 2, which is set during Germany's 30 years war in the 17th Century. Guess we'll see what happens.
If response is really good, I may do a coloring book to accompany the series, but that's well in the future.

Errands, today...

Printed out a copy of BA to do a red pen edit, again. Crisp it up, some more...maybe closer to 24,000 words. That's my goal for tomorrow and Sunday. My birthday is Sunday and I want to have a steak at Ruby Tuesday's in Niagara Falls, Canada, to celebrate. I'm headed over at about 5pm. Got my info set up online and my permit printed out, so should be okay.
There used to be a Tony Roma's, over there, but last time I was able to go the building was empty. Too bad; they had a good filet and baked their potatoes just right. They do have a Ruth's Chriss, which is brutally expensive but amazingly good. I had a gift card for there and took my nephew, for dinner. And even with $150 off it was nearly $300. No steak is worth that much.
I realized, today, I've put less than 1000 miles on my car since the beginning of the year, that's how little I drive it around Buffalo. TBH, the city doesn't interest me enough to go exploring, and I have so many things I want to write and know I'm very slow in that, it seems a waste of time to do so.
The Smashwords sale is almost over, and while I've done all right with it, the vast majority of the books chosen were free copies of Hunter 1-4. CK did not get picked up once while A65 was minimal. Which really disappoints me. Granted, there isn't much I can do to change that since it would take a lot of time and effort, and in August I have to set up my website, again, thanks to GoDaddy upgrading their system and refusing to migrate my current onto it. I would dump them, but I've for over $300 wrapped up in that company...so it stays.
And I just keep plugging along.

Beginning of the last chapter of BA

This takes place after Leon's met with the Oiym council and his new life is set to begin. I've trimmed the story down to just over 25,000 words by removing more repetition than I'd thought was in there.
This is going to be the Smashwords avatar. Oh, and this bit has a hint of gay sex in it, FYI.
-----
The next evening, I was sent home. Same ship. Same crew. Without Nethys but with Gabrielle. I still had my love of the prow of the ship, which worked out well; she preferred the stern to watch the coast slip past, silent and unapproachable. 
Not that I didn't try to speak with her. Our first morning en route, as the sun rose, I saw her seated in her chair, regal as ever, so had approached, saying, "You traveled with no one?" 
She had not moved as she said, "I do not think my ladies in waiting would have enjoyed being part of this ensemble." 
Which made sense. I doubt they would like to have seen her feed, like she had the night before. 
Our sustenance had turned out to be condemned men from Cairo and Alexandria. The Oiym had a quiet arrangement with Caliph Al Afeal, which basically boiled down to, We'll take some of your prisoners and dispose of the bodies; that way you don't have to pay the executioner or undertaker. No questions, please. 
I had been led into a simple room with high windows, where nine men had been chained to the walls, all well-cleaned and barely clothed. All standing. Most swarthy, strong and beefy while others were trim, and none slovenly in body. Shopping had been good in the cities' jails. 
Seeing them had brought a flood of hunger washing over me, filling every pore of my being. It had been weeks since my Viking, so every bit of control I had was needed to keep me from tearing into them. On top of this, all of them had been howling with anger and fear. They had thought they could intimidate us with their curses and scowls and fists and kicks as they yanked against their chains. All that had achieved was for couple to have their trousers fall to reveal genitals that could have been...well, acceptable. 
Anileh had given an overly dramatic huff and said, "Oh, Uttah, no females, again? It seems you're falling into a rut of the same offerings over and over..." 
"Hardly," she'd smiled back. "Our last gathering was eleven months ago." 
"You gave me a fine murderess, who was both useful and tasty...and who thought she could cut my throat with her lengthy fingernails. It was enjoyable. The gathering before that, I had to make do with a runaway slave. He was merely adequate." 
"You are always free to forage for yourself," Nethys had said, her voice on the cool side. Then she had turned to me. "The newest of our kind is allowed first choice." 
I knew she had noticed I'd already locked in on a beardless man with short hair, fine shoulders, full chest and a hint of paunch to his belly. He'd had a sharp scowl of a face and had worn tight knitted breeches cut to below his knees and held in place by a cord, showing off fine legs and a rich crotch. Dark hair swirled over much of his body. The need that grew in me was for far more than just his blood. 
"What was his crime?" I had asked, pointing to him. 
A scroll had appeared in her hand. She'd unrolled it and read, "Murder. He was robbing a merchant's home and was caught by the man, so killed him. He claimed the man had cheated him of his wages." 
"That's rather an overreaction." 
"That could be said of all humans." 
The rest of the ensemble had agreed. 
So he and I had wound up in a finely appointed bedroom with him unchained. The one door had been bolted and the two windows both looked at a drop of perhaps two-hundred feet to jagged rocks. He could not escape me. 
I had figured I was not the only one planning to have fun with his dinner before feeding; Nishu and Ninsira had taken a pair of well-endowed men who were larger than my choice, while Uttah's lad was probably the youngest and slimmest of the group. Nethys had chosen to join the male Oiym in just feeding, if the screams and cries of terror after I had left the chamber were any indication, while I did not want to know what Gabrielle had done. 
I had stripped down to my leggings, my dick pressing against the cloth, showing I was very ready for more than just a meal from this man. 
He'd stood in the center of the bedroom, watching me with fear and anger, asking what I think were questions in his language. I had circled him and he had turned to keep me in sight, his stance wary and filled with warning. 
Then I had pounced and we'd wrestled...and the feel of his body next to mine had sent fire exploding through me. He had gripped me around the torso, thinking to throw me, but instead we'd wound up rolling across the floor. 
After some twisting and turning and kicking and fighting, I had grabbed him from behind, my arms around him, my wrists crossed, and I had pinched his tits as I licked the back of his neck. 
He had howled and struggled more, then we had rolled apart. He'd staggered to his feet, his eyes wide and wary, as I circled him, again...and pounced...and grabbed him around the waist to lift him up...and licked and kissed his tits, this time. 
He had pushed against me, kicking and struggling, and I had grown lost in the glorious feeling of his body crushed next to mine, twisting and turning and pressing even harder against me. I had heard the pounding of his heart. His howls of anger and disgust had only made my emotions wilder. The sweat on his body, trickling through his hair and soaking us both, had only added to the eroticism of the moment. 
We'd kept going like this for several minutes. Perhaps even an hour. Together. Apart. Fighting. Rolling on the floor. Me grabbing his ass and his thighs and pinching his tits and groping his crotch. Him pushing me away. Kicking me away. 
Needless to say, I never wanted it to end.

I'm insane...

Another draft done on BA...and another 2000 words added. Plugging in the origin of the Oiym, the first Blood Angels, and settling Léon with his six monks, once Prior Pious is dealt with...it just kept going and going and going. It's now 118 pages and 26,500 words.
I'm going to print it out, again, and see if there is anything I can drop that isn't necessary...like maybe the last 5 pages. It's just getting to be too much...because I can see where I'm cutting corners on parts of the story just to get past it, and I do not want to add more. Sometimes I can get lost in the detail and forget the scope of the tale.
Aw, fuck it. The book will be what it's going to be. There's fun gay sex in the first half of the book, then Léon is raped and turned and there is vicious gay sex in the second half of the book. So why am I worried about making this literature on the level of Hemingway or Cheever? A lot of self-importance there.
I do like combining gay sex in with solid stories and writing. That's what I've aimed for in all my books...well, except for Carli's Kills and The Alice '65. Blood Angel is going to be no different. I'll write it as best I can then publish it and see what reaction I get.
There's some gay sex in A Place of Safety, but only alluded to in Derry and dealt with more directly in Houston. None of it is in Return. I think part of my issue with BA, right now, is I'm getting antsy and want to turn back to APoS. But I can't until BA is published...which will only be in ebook form so it's not as intense a process.
Another couple of joys, at the moment, are being about to hit 70 years old (on the 31st) and being on antibiotics thanks to what my doctor thinks might be a light case of bronchitis due to the smoke from that fire a few weeks back. I've been hacking up a lung for a couple weeks, so I guess it's good I can take the damn things. But I'm on them for another 10 days.
Oh, and a packing job in Ketchum, Idaho is on, middle of the month. I'm not looking forward to this one.