C.A. Bryers's Blog

Hold Onto Your Butts

It's been seemingly quiet since the release of ISLE OF THE SLEEPING GODS, with scant few updates on social media as to what I've been doing with the copious amounts of free time I've had since then (read that with an appropriate level of sarcasm, please). I know it's a select few who care much about updates when it comes to authors...and even fewer when it comes to updates from indies like me. I suppose that's part of where the "writing is the loneliest profession" stance comes from. People are always excited when it comes to what actors, athletes, filmmakers, etc. are working on, but with writers, it's a bit different. We tend to drop off of people's radars until we remind them of our existence with a new release that we manage to pull out of the ether (or our butts, you decide) once every year. It's the nature of the job, I suppose.

However, blogging is a writing exercise for me and by putting updates out there it helps keep me on task. I (foolishly) imagine someone out there has this ludicrous chart with all the goofy updates on the progress of this and the outlandish plans I have for that covering a wall in their basement, and man, is that dude/dame/whatever just waiting to pounce when I inevitably slip up...which I'm sure I have already any number of times.

So after much blathering, here's the update. The status of Eyes of Odyssium #3? I STILL haven't touched the first draft yet...and yet, I've been editing. But if I'm not editing Eyes #3, my curious mythological blog reader might ask, what am I editing?

SECRETS, that's what.

Yes, I'm working on a secret project, one that I should be ready to talk about within the next month. I'd better be ready, because I'm dead set on rolling it out in time for my back-to-back conventions in early October! I won't say it's a MAJOR release--it's not the long talked-about "Novella 2018" project I wrote in...I forget which year. It's obviously not Eyes #3. But it's important to me and important, I believe, to the future of the series.

I'll get back to you in a month and let you know if I made my deadline, as it's in the hands of the cover art gods at the moment. Till then, take care!

- C

Return of the Blog

I've noticed I'm a bit overdue for a new blog, and it's about time to push that previous bummer of a blog down a notch. The reason I've been procrastinating on a new blog--apart from my deep love of procrastination--is that I've spent the last several months pounding away at wrapping up the Eyes of Odyssium series with Book Three. I haven't made a big splashy announcement of the title, but it is, in fact, carefully hidden on the last page of ISLE OF THE SLEEPING GODS. So, if you're at all curious (and want to buy a groovy book to boot), hop back to the 'BOOKS' page, click on your preferred retailer, and snag yourself a copy!

Moving on from attempts at shoddy salesmanship, I've found myself in the odd and undeniably familiar afterglow of having completed the first draft of a book. I say 'odd' because that afterglow involves a period of weeks where I don't want to so much as look at the damn thing. There are always other areas of this whole author thing I do that needs attention, so I bumble around with that until I'm ready to come back to my poor, neglected first draft. Fortunately, the handful of functioning brain cells I'd tortured throughout the initial writing process are starting to regain some signs that they might be in working order, so it'll be self-editing time soon.

Sigh.

Anyway, I'm off. Till next time, take care!

A New Start?

Each summer, I typically take two weeks to head up to the cabin. Of that time, I often get anywhere from two to four good writing days out of them. Over the last few years, I’ve managed to get quite a bit accomplished on each trip. For instance, A SONG OF SILENCE was written entirely on one such vacation week. This year, however, I wasn’t too optimistic. The biggest roadblock was that, well, I didn’t have anything new to write. Ask most writers, and they’d probably consider that a major setback. All I had on my to-do list was a run-through of the first 150 pages of ISLE OF THE SLEEPING GODS for trimming purposes, and I really didn’t want to squander my rare cabin time for that. I figured the best I could do was to brainstorm Eyes of Odyssium #3 and jot down the juicier bits from those brainstorms so I might have a better picture of what #3 might look like.

However, there’s been something I’ve been considering for a couple of months now. For those of you who know, THE 13th PARAGON Part I: SCRAPPER has been my “freebie” of sorts so far as ebooks go (so go nab it now while it’s still FREE!). It’s a common strategy amongst indies, and I’m sure that strategy has garnered me a few sales and perhaps even a few new readers who now look forward to new books in the series. But as the current direction of Odyssium is really diving headfirst into its supernatural aspect (which SCRAPPER scarcely, if at all, touches on), I thought it might be a good idea to offer up a new starting point for newcomers–a new taster–something more representative.

So, let’s fast-forward to that C.A. guy, except in the FUTURE…i.e. C.A. a month or so after cabin trip #1 of 2018. How did it go, asked nobody really? Well, I’m about 24 pages deep into “Novella 2018” as it’s so creatively called so far, and for the most part, I like it. It toes a fine line between being a prequel to SCRAPPER as well as a preview to the current Eyes of Odyssium series, so…kinda neat.

That said, I feel like I should make a preemptive apology to print readers. The plan right now is for this to be an ebook exclusive for the foreseeable future, though I do want to include it in a future Odyssium Collection down the road. Haven’t had a chance to write anything new on it since I got back because we’re in the aftermath of a hectic move, so hopefully I can pick up where I left off when things cool down. I figure by the time cabin trip #2 wraps up, so too will the first draft.

 

Till next time,

– C

IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT Cover Reveal!

It’s that time again, isn’t it? With IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT looming on the horizon and the package prepped and ready to go, it’s time to talk about something different this time. We’ve already talked about the delectable goodies contained within IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT (link to details blog), so now let’s turn our attention to the first thing your eyeballs will try to wrap themselves around as far is this collection is concerned.

Returning for another go-round behind the artist’s table is your master of the Daily Zen, Dennis Willman of Iron Dead Studio ( https://willman1701.deviantart.com/ – careful kiddies, there may or may not be some NSFW stuff on there, but that’s just how the man rolls). As usual, our roles remained unchanged: I come up with a concept, and Dennis executes it. This time it was a unique situation, being several stories tucked into one distinct package, so it required a different approach and therefore it became more complex.

As you can see, most of the stories within IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT are represented in one wedge or another on the cover. The idea was to release the collection as a whole and follow it shortly thereafter by single digital offerings of each story, each using a variation on their section of the cover art. I don’t have a wide release date set for the collection, BUT!!! – print copies will be available for the first time at MSP ComiCon 2018 at the Grandstand in the State Fairgrounds in St. Paul, MN on May 19th and 20th for you early birds who want to get in on the goods before everyone else.

I’m really excited to get this one out there, as it takes a different spin on the whole Odyssium thing by looking into the past, present, and future of the timeline. I hope you enjoyed seeing the new cover—I know I love it—and I hope you’ll save a spot on your bookshelf for a copy of my newest baby.

 

Till next time, take care!

-C

 

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GEARING UP FOR 2018 (yes, I know we’re 2 months into it)

 

With the day job moving well away from the holiday rush and back towards some semblance of sanity, my self-imposed exile from all things writing too seems ready to come to an end. I’m thankful for the reprieve. Like stories that gnaw on your brain until you get it out of your head, there are more leisurely things that tend to do the same thing while you’re toiling away being all productive and all that nonsense. For me, those things that I kind of crave for are the things I used to enjoy back when I had this funny thing called “free time.” Sure, I have a little here and there, but I somehow managed to rewire my brain over the last several years into thinking that if I wasn’t writing with that free time, it was wasted and therefore, as George Carlin once said: “it’s bad for ya.”

One of my old hobbies was playing video games, and I did get the chance to do a little bit of that over the last couple of months. UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END was a fun getaway (though it did drag and get repetitive in parts), and I’d been hankering to lay the Bat-smackdown on baddies in BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT again. I’m currently whipping through the PS4 remake of SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS, and yowza, does that game boggle my eyes all over again with its pretty new coat of paint. Absolutely stunning. I do want to play FATAL FRAME: MAIDEN OF BLACK WATER before I soldier back onto the battlefield again, so we’ll see if I can keep that nagging urge to work at bay a little longer.

So here’s what’s on the horizon for 2018. Once I get my butt back in gear, it’s nose to the grindstone on self-edits for Eyes of Odyssium #3, followed by the mandatory round of professional edits. While I’m doing my edits, I very much hope my contracted work comes in soon so I can finally release the MUCH-delayed IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT shorts collection.

Also, I’ve already started plotting hard for Eyes of Odyssium #4, which will be my SIXTH (holy crap, how did that happen?) novel-length book in the series. I’ve got the ending for that pretty well squared away, but I suppose it needs a beginning and a middle or something like that, doesn’t it? So yeah, I’ll be working on that too.

As of now, the planned release date for Eyes of Odyssium #3 is completely up in the air, considering things have gone wonky with the Collection release. The Collection WILL release this year–I’ve got it slotted in to appear at MSP ComiCon 2018 in May, if I get a spot there. Eyes #3 may release this year…or it may not.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. Very little of it is, actually. Despite the hiccups, Odyssium is still alive and well. I often wonder anytime I step away from it for any period of time if my drive and passion to go on will still be there when I come back to it. I’m happy to say I’m excited at how Eyes #4 is starting to take shape in my mind, and I’m eager to pick through Eyes #3 in the edits so I can take a good look at what the heck I wrote last year.

Till next time, take care!

– C

GEARING UP FOR 2018 (yes I know we’re 2 months into it)

 

With the day job moving well away from the holiday rush and back towards some semblance of sanity, my self-imposed exile from all things writing too seems ready to come to an end. I’m thankful for the reprieve. Like stories that gnaw on your brain until you get it out of your head, there are more leisurely things that tend to do the same thing while you’re toiling away being all productive and all that nonsense. For me, those things that I kind of crave for are the things I used to enjoy back when I had this funny thing called “free time.” Sure, I have a little here and there, but I somehow managed to rewire my brain over the last several years into thinking that if I wasn’t writing with that free time, it was wasted and therefore, as George Carlin would say: “it’s bad for ya.”

One of my old hobbies was playing video games, and I did get the chance to do a little bit of that over the last couple of months. UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END was a fun getaway (though it did drag and get repetitive in parts), and I’d been hankering to lay the Bat-smackdown on baddies in BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT again. I’m currently whipping through the PS4 remake of SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS, and yowza, does that game boggle my eyes all over again with its pretty new coat of paint. Absolutely stunning. I do want to play FATAL FRAME: MAIDEN OF DARK WATER before I soldier back onto the battlefield again, so we’ll see if I can keep that nagging urge to work at bay a little longer.

So here’s what’s on the horizon for 2018. Once I get my butt back in gear, it’s nose to the grindstone on self-edits for Eyes of Odyssium #3, followed by the mandatory round of professional edits. While I’m doing my edits, I very much hope my contracted work comes in soon so I can finally release the MUCH-delayed IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT shorts collection.

Also, I’ve already started plotting hard for Eyes of Odyssium #4, which will be my SIXTH (holy crap, how did that happen?) novel-length book in the series. I’ve got the ending for that pretty well squared away, but I suppose it needs a beginning and a middle or something like that, doesn’t it? So yeah, I’ll be working on that too.

As of now, the planned release date for Eyes of Odyssium #3 is completely up in the air, considering things have gone wonky with the Collection release. The Collection WILL release this year–I’ve got it slotted in to appear at MSP ComiCon 2018 in May, if I get a spot there. Eyes #3 may release this year…or it may not.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. Very little of it is, actually. Despite the hiccups, Odyssium is still alive and well. I often wonder anytime I step away from it for any period of time if my drive and passion to go on will still be there when I come back to it. I’m happy to say I’m excited at how Eyes #4 is starting to take shape in my mind, and I’m eager to pick through Eyes #3 in the edits so I can take a good look at what the heck I wrote last year.

Till next time, take care!

- C

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE DORKY.

Today, we have a couple of announcements here at Odyssium R&D. Do you want the good news or the bad news first?

Correct answer: THE BAD NEWS FIRST! Come on, get the worst out of the way first so you have something to look forward to once that hurdle’s cleared, right? Right. So, here we go:

The bad news is that IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT, the first volume in a forthcoming line of neatly spaced Odyssium Collections is being put on the back burner for an early 2018 release. As mentioned before, it’s due to a matter beyond my control–though the wait, I believe, will be worth it. More news to come on that when it arrives, which I hope will be soon.

The good news, however, is that the first draft of Book Three of the Eyes of Odyssium series is not only DONE, but it’s a hefty sucker (at least by my standards–stop looking at me like that Stephen King and Tom Clancy’s ghost with your monstrous, leaden tomes!). The first draft comes in at a hair under 450 pages, not including the as-yet-to-be-written Behind the Scenes goodies. And yes, as I’ve already alluded to the fact there are certainly bigger books out there, my personal sweet spot for these Odyssium books are typically between 350-400 pages with everything included. So the fact this one–when it’s all said and done–will come in within shouting distance of 500 pages is not quite what I was expecting, but I’m happy with everything that made the cut so far. And hey, I’m just glad it didn’t end up so big I had to make it a Part I/Part II-er like it was the last book in a series of Young Adult movie adaptations…or a 13th PARAGON book.

So when will it release, since the first part of 2018 belongs to IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT? Erm, that is to be decided. Through December I don’t get really any book work done due to the day job, so December is going to kick off a short writing reprieve for me that will maybe last a few months before I start reeeeeeally editing Book Three. I’ll be taking a small breather, catching up on some games that’ve been loitering around on my to-play list and in general, trying to enjoy life a little with the family. During that time, however, my brain will be churning up ideas for Book Four of Eyes of Odyssium. I have a concept ready for it, but it’s nowhere near ready to even outline yet.

So, that wraps up today’s announcement from my teensy corner of the interwebz. Until next time, take care and Thor: Ragnarok on!

(sorry, saw it last night and felt compelled to be a dork.)

THE HOME STRETCH

It’s been a good while since I’ve written a blog, and since I’ve made a teensy bit of headway on the new novel, I thought now might be a good time to change that. As it stands, the new book (Book Three of Eyes of Odyssium) is teetering on the brink of 90,000 words…or as far as my Word file is concerned, just shy of 340 pages. Considering what I have left to write, I think we’re easily looking at the longest Odyssium book thus far. I’m definitely approaching the climax, but I also have at least two additional chapters to go back and plug in…somewhere.

All that said, I think I’m still on track for completing the first draft by my goal date, which is Thanksgiving. Because after Thanksgiving, the day job more or less takes over my life until after Christmas, so I’d like to have things more or less wrapped up by then. I know, word counts and goal dates are all well and good, but IS THE BOOK ITSELF ANY GOOD?

Well, I don’t want to spill any beans on it so soon, so I’ll just say it’s shaping up rather nicely.  It’s turning out to be not quite what I was expecting, while at the same time being everything I’d hoped it might be, if that makes a lick of sense. Though I’m tempted to say more, I’ll hold off for now except for maybe one little thing: IOTSG. What is that?

I’m sure you can figure it out.

And one last thing before I get back to work for an hour or so before nighty-night – a small piece of the cover art for IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT has trickled out, particularly the section pertaining to a little short story called MY NAME WAS SOLORINE. Simple, yet captivating and dramatic. I can’t wait to see what Dennis Willman whips up for the rest of it.

Forthcoming Collection Reveal: ‘IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT’

With a tentative release window of September 2017, I’m hoping to release IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT, which is just the beginning of what will become a series of Odyssium Collections. This exciting anthology features a collection of stories set in the past, present, and future of the established Odyssium timeline, and comes packed with bonus material as well. Once again, the incredible Dennis Willman of IRON DEAD STUDIO will provide the cover art for what promises to be an absolute feast for the eyes.

Included in the collection will be:

A SONG OF SILENCE

The centerpiece of this collection, the novella A SONG OF SILENCE acts as a brief but fascinating interlude as we continue the journeys of Salla Saar in Book 2 of the Eyes of Odyssium series.

THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE

THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE is a companion novella to A SONG OF SILENCE that tells the other side of that particular story. But if you’re thinking it’s simply the same tale told through someone else’s eyes, think again. While A SONG OF SILENCE is thoughtful and emotional, THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE is action-packed, fast-paced, and visceral.

THE HOLLOW-HEARTED

Previously available in digital format and in a limited edition paperback sold only at conventions, THE HOLLOW-HEARTED joins this collection for its official print release. THE HOLLOW-HEARTED is a spinoff novella that sheds more light on Natke Orino and her first major break in the field of exploration as she and her team uncover the truth about an assassin known as Cary the Hollow-Hearted.

SQUIRM

In THE 13TH PARAGON books, Croe Kidson unknowingly joined a scrapping vessel, and was later forcibly recruited by the Gargazant Ikahn military syndicate. Join me in continuing Croe’s bizarre misadventures in this brand-new novella which launches an off-kilter new series aptly titled Strange Days of Odyssium.

MY NAME WAS SOLORINE

In what is surely to be the most controversial addition to the collection, step ahead into the future of the Odyssium timeline in this mysterious short story, MY NAME WAS SOLORINE.

As mentioned above, IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT comes jam-packed with bonus material. First up is a brand-new bonus chapter called A WOMAN SCORNED that sheds a little more light on the events that took place at Tempusalist in THE 13TH PARAGON Part II: FROM ASHES OF EMPIRES. Then we have THE SCRAPPED CHAPTERS, which includes a deleted scene from THE 13TH PARAGON Part I: SCRAPPER. And on top of that, I’ve included over 40 pages of Behind the Scenes commentary that delves into each story, which has become a staple of the Odyssium series.

Forthcoming Anthology Reveal: ‘IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT’

With a tentative release window of September 2017, I’m hoping to release IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT, which is just the beginning of what will become a series of Odyssium Anthologies. This exciting anthology features a collection of stories set in the past, present, and future of the established Odyssium timeline, and comes packed with bonus material as well. Once again, the incredible Dennis Willman of IRON DEAD STUDIO will provide the cover art for what promises to be an absolute feast for the eyes.

Included in the anthology will be:

A SONG OF SILENCE

The centerpiece of this anthology, the novella A SONG OF SILENCE acts as a brief but fascinating interlude as we continue the journeys of Salla Saar in Book 2 of the Eyes of Odyssium series.

THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE

THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE is a companion novella to A SONG OF SILENCE that tells the other side of that particular story. But if you’re thinking it’s simply the same tale told through someone else’s eyes, think again. While A SONG OF SILENCE is thoughtful and emotional, THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE is action-packed, fast-paced, and visceral.

THE HOLLOW-HEARTED

Previously available in digital format and in a limited edition paperback sold only at conventions, THE HOLLOW-HEARTED joins this collection for its official print release. THE HOLLOW-HEARTED is a spinoff novella that sheds more light on Natke Orino and her first major break in the field of exploration as she and her team uncover the truth about an assassin known as Cary the Hollow-Hearted.

SQUIRM

In THE 13TH PARAGON books, Croe Kidson unknowingly joined a scrapping vessel, and was later forcibly recruited by the Gargazant Ikahn military syndicate. Join me in continuing Croe’s bizarre misadventures in this brand-new novella which launches an off-kilter new series aptly titled Strange Days of Odyssium.

MY NAME WAS SOLORINE

In what is surely to be the most controversial addition to the anthology, step ahead into the future of the Odyssium timeline in this mysterious short story, MY NAME WAS SOLORINE.

As mentioned above, IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT comes jam-packed with bonus material. First up is a brand-new bonus chapter called A WOMAN SCORNED that sheds a little more light on the events that took place at Tempusalist in THE 13TH PARAGON Part II: FROM ASHES OF EMPIRES. Then we have THE SCRAPPED CHAPTERS, which includes a deleted scene from THE 13TH PARAGON Part I: SCRAPPER. And on top of that, I’ve included over 40 pages of Behind the Scenes commentary that delves into each story, which has become a staple of the Odyssium series.