M.L.S. Weech's Blog, page 11

I’ve Finished Reviewing 1,200; I’m 12% Through The 1st Draft of Discovered!

Geetings all,

Maybe if you haven’t tried it already, you can read Betrayed while you wait for me to get Discovered finished.

It’s been a while since I’ve updated you on my progress on things so far, but that’s not because I haven’t been working.

I’d originally picked up 1,200 just to let my mind rest before I got moving on the first draft of Discovered, but then I just fell in love with 1,200. I was genuinely happy with how good I felt it was. I think there were some things that concerned me, but while reading it, I just really felt horrible for setting it in a drawer for this long. (This was either the third or fourth book I finished writing.)

It still does need a bit of work. I have to change the main character’s name, which is currently Steve, but with Oneiros having the success it’s having (relatively speaking), having two characters with that name would be troublesome. Then there are a few ideas I had that would flesh out a few details, but this book is great, and I’m excited to be putting this book out hopefully in 2022, more likely in 2023 (more on why below).

I started working on the official First Draft of Discovered maybe two weeks ago. I just finished Chapter 5. Given how many challenges we’ve had in the past few weeks, I feel like I’ll pick up speed on that, but it does need work, so please don’t be surprised if my Twitter account has big gaps. Those will be spots where I’m adding content (chapters or scenes) that I feel need to be added to help the flow of the story. It’s currently taking two sessions per chapter, and I usually get one session in a day.

Yeah, at 42 chapters, this means it’ll take at least 84 days to get this draft done, and that’s probably not enough time. I’m thinking 100 days is a safer estimate. Writing is obviously still a part of my life, but it falls way below God, my family, and the job that actually provides for my family. I do wish I had more writing time, but I promise I’m making the use of the time I do have.

Once I’ve finished that First Draft, those of you who want to be Alpha Readers can expect to see a post on this blog letting you know.

If you haven’t seen how it all starts, this is the book you want to read .

While Discovered is in Alpha Readers hands, I’ll get to work on the official First Draft of 1,200. In full honesty, I feel like I’ll want to get that draft done before I do the Alpha Draft of Discovered. Those of you looking forward to how this book ends deserve to understand why. First, I like to have projects rotating on a pretty regular basis, and I need to finish one draft of one book before I work on a new draft of the other. But even if I jumped on Discovered as soon as Alpha Readers got back to me, I’m not sure I will have saved up the money I need for the Developmental Draft. Discovered is already over 100,000 words, and that means getting edits done on that book will cost more than its predecessors. So rather than just sit and do nothing while I save up money for edits, I might as well get progress on other titles. This is the main reason why I’m going to finish another draft of 1,200 before I jump back to Discovered.

Saturday is the 1st, so I’ll do one of my annual State of the Weech posts, where I talk about current and future projects. But my hope is this post helps you sort of see the two major factors in how quickly I can release material (time and money). Even if I did find more time to write (which I would love), I don’t have many options on how to generate more money for edits and art (covers, chapter icons, and other things).

That’s where I continue to ask for your support. Please don’t misunderstand. Those of you who follow this blog are always so amazing. We’re a small clan, but I’m just humbled by how loyal and kind you all are. Hazel is definitely doing her part, but I only earn a percent of a percent of her royalties. I honestly am only just about to get the first royalties from that release here in a few days.

The best way to help me is to help my sales, which means telling your friends about my work, convincing them to try it, and posting reviews and ratings on all the bookish places. I’m in a place now where if I’m going to do anything for the business of writing, the writing needs to pay for it. We budget a bit each month for this dream, but at this point the marketing is still costing more than the books are earning. We’re moving in the right direction, but we still have a ways to go.

All this means I have to be patient. I wanted to be releasing four books a year, and now I’m in a place where it might take two more years before I get any new titles out. That really hurts, but in this world, the art matters, not the pace at which it’s released. I hope you’ll be patient with me as well.

I hope to have this draft done by mid April, when I hope Alpha Readers will be ready and willing to see that early draft. I’d love to try and get it to you sooner and get Discovered to Sara’s hands even sooner, but that would require things that I don’t have direct control over.

As always, thank you all for your wonderful support, and thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: Bleach Volume 58 by Tite Kubo

The cover for this volume was taken from its Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

PERSONAL NOTE: My new graphic novel Hazel is out right now, and I’d be honored if you considered picking up a copy!

Spoiler free summary: In Volume 58 of Bleach by Tite Kubo, the battle against the Vandenreich reaches a peak as Captain General Yamamoto takes the filed. He unlocks his Bankai, ready to end the war before it begins, but can he?

Character: Some fans feel like the arc here is telling. We see an aspect of Yamamoto that makes the events of this volume more than a typical manga moment. I’m just not one of them. When people talk about character, they’re looking for sympathy, competence, power and proactivity. If the opinion is that we see Yamamoto’s key character deficiency, then I go back to the Azien arc, when we saw that same failing. That doesn’t mean this fight isn’t cool to see, but we come to a point where when characters reach a certain power level, it becomes harder to create a sense of awe or worry over the characters. This volume exemplifies that worry.

Exposition: The fighting continues, which means exposition take a very distant back seat. Yes, there is some “you see how I had the upper hand all along?” dialogue, but that’s always expected at this point.

Worldbuilding: This is where fans will get what they want. If you’re one who cares about Bankai and power levels and the mechanics of those elements, this was where you get your money’s worth. It was cool seeing Yamamoto’s Bankai, but the way the volume goes sort of undercuts it for me. This is sort of the down-side to this arc. We have so many characters who are more or less world-breaking powerful, so the creator has to develop even more powerful people, and that trick sort of gets old after a while. So yeah, it’s cool to see a new move, but cool moves aren’t as satisfying when they don’t really advance the plot (or even reverse it). I can understand why this volume had to happen, but it falls short of the goal in shock factor, which makes the events in this volume unsatisfying for me. If you liked it, feel free to explain why in the comments below. I’d be interested to know.

Dialogue: Aside from the aforementioned “witness my overwhelming power!” stuff, there isn’t a lot of character building dialogue. While not great, it’s not as annoying as the short-comings of the worldbuilding. It’s just kind of how things go.

Description: Now what is satisfying about the aforementioned Bankai is that the rendering of that power is pretty epic. This sort of art and moment is destined for anime (which I believe and hope is forthcoming, though I may be wrong). Even without full color and movement, the art of this fight is exactly what Bleach fans have come to expect.

Overall: The thing is, I wish there was more drama and set up in this fight. I never really felt this fight was going to go any other way than it did. I think if that fight had been more dramatic, this volume and arc would have been more satisfying. Also, we don’t care about Yamamoto. He wasn’t really a character in the story. I was honestly more worried about other members of the guard. Yamamoto is more of a plot device than a character, and that hurts the overall story. So this is little more than what we’ve seen. “Oh, you thought that guy was powerful? Check this guy out!” If the formula works for you, you’ll love this arc. If you’d like a bit more than just the reapplication of the same old formula, then this arc isn’t as satisfying.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Announcing the First Winning Book Cover in January! Vote For This Week’s Cover!

Greetings all,

We’ve inching closer and closer to the 2021 M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Year. We have a winner for the first week of January. Before we do that, please let me remind you that you can still vote for the 2021 M.L.S. Weech December Book Cover of the Month right here.

What that said, the winner of the Week 1 January 2021 M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Month is …

Spark by Hadwin Fuller had a beautifully dynamic cover. I loved the color and action of the image.

You can choose the next cover to compete for January’s title right here.

I’d also be appreciative if you took a moment to pop on over to my YouTube page and gave it a like and a subscribe. It’s just another way to help out your friendly neighborhood independent author.

As always,

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Visits From A Man Named Nobody 60

// // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // //

He left, trying to be as cheerful about it as he could be. As he wandered through the mall, he used his PID to request a ride. 

He made it to the exit and saw a car waiting. He took a moment to look around, failing to see anybody around. He knocked on the driver’s side window, intending to ask if the car was there for him. The PID indicated his ride was still a few minutes out, but the driver might not have taken the time to say he was there. 

The tinted window rolled down, revealing Nobody’s masked face. “I’ll take you home.”

Paul stood there, dumbfounded. It was strange to even consider. The man could immediately teleport wherever he wanted. Why would he own a car? What wasn’t strange was the fact that he was there. Nobody almost always seemed to appear when Paul was at his most angry or frustrated. It also happened to be when Paul least wanted Nobody around.

He went into the back seat and buckled in as if Nobody were indeed the public driver  he’d requested. 

“You own a car?” Paul asked.

“I’m borrowing it,” Nobody said.

“The perfect and holy Nobody stole a car?” Paul challenged. 

Nobody, who hadn’t started driving yet, turned back in his seat. That opaque mask covered the flat stare, but Paul felt it just the same. “I didn’t steal this car. More importantly, I’ve never once said I was perfect. Anyone who says they’re without sin is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

The phrase felt like a Bible verse, which annoyed Paul even more.

“So what it is?” Paul asked. “What’s the little pearl of wisdom you plan to throw at me before you drop me off and vanish?”

Nobody turned back in his seat and began to drive. “Why don’t you tell Lidia how you feel?”

Paul shut his eyes. His anger surged, but he wanted to keep it under control. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Answer the question that I asked,” Nobody said.

“No!” Paul said. So much for keeping my anger in check. “You think you can just randomly appear and ask all these pointed questions, and I’ll just go through your imagined script without wanting answers of my own?”

Nobody didn’t say anything. 

“Why do you get to have all the answers you want, and I have to sit here and be interrogated?”

Nobody didn’t say anything.

“So you’ll ignore me unless I answer your questions?”

Nobody didn’t reply.

“Then pull over,” Paul said. “I’m done explaining myself to you.”

Not only did he refuse to say anything, he just kept driving. 

Paul’s rage flared, and he flung his fist into the center compartment nestled between the front seats and the back row of the car. By some miracle, he managed to pull the punch, but he still put a tiny ding in whatever material the compartment was made of.

“Let me out!” Paul roared.

The car pulled over. Paul stared at the door. What was he going to do, walk the rest of the way to his dorm? Maybe he could call for another ride? He glared at Nobody.

“Lidia and Jordan are happy,” Paul muttered, resting back in his seat. The car pulled off the side of the road and continued its journey.

“So,” Nobody said. “Don’t you think you could do more for Lidia?”

“I wouldn’t do that to Jordan, ever, and Lidia isn’t some sort of thing we can fight over. She could have kept trying to start a relationship with me. She didn’t.”

“Why not compete for her?” Nobody asked.

“I already said I wouldn’t do that to Jordan, even it if worked that way, and it doesn’t,” Paul said. 

“Why?”

“Because it’s wrong.”

“So there is a wrong,” Nobody said. 

Paul flung his arms in the air. “Of course there is!”

“Who decides what that is?” 

Paul rolled his head in disgust. There it was, his inevitable need to turn this into a conversation about God.

“Everybody knows there is a right and wrong,” Paul said. 

“But who decides what that is?” Nobody asked.

“You’d say God.” Paul didn’t bother hiding the sneer from his tone. “But people know what right and wrong is.”

“But where does that awareness come from?” Nobody asked. “If were were simply mammalian animals, we’d kill each other or worse just to satisfy our animalistic needs and wants. Some people stoop to those methods because their need seems so great to them they have no choice. So we do indeed have morality, but what is the source of that morality?”

Paul waited, frustrated at the logic. He thought years back about how Dorny would rant and rave at him for hours. There wasn’t any logic in what he said, just random thoughts filled with portions of the Bible even Paul knew were misquoted. Of course, thoughts of Dorny only led to thoughts about Bill, who also spoke with such reason and logic.

“You know the worst thing about your religion,” Paul muttered. “You all can’t get along yourselves. Some of you say this is what God wants, and others say this is what God wants.”

“When I want to understand what God wants, I turn to his Word.” Nobody said it so softly it was hard to hear under the engine of the car. 

“Yeah, but you can’t even agree on that!” Paul shouted. “And what does any of this have to do with Jordan and Lidia.”

“Everything,” Nobody said simply. “Everything comes down to a person choosing what master they want to satisfy. If you wanted Lidia, you could pursue her. She may refuse you, but that’s her choice.”
“I’ve already told you, I’m not going to try and take Lidia from Jordan. She’s not a thing to steal,” Paul said. 

“Then why do you covet her as if she were a thing?”

… to be continued …

Some New Reviews for Hazel!

Greetings all,

I was ill last week and glad to have some reviews to share.

Well, this week I feel better, but I’m still also glad to have some more reviews to share!

Hazel is still going strong. Oh, I’m not selling hundreds a day or thousands a week, but I am selling a pretty steady number that I’m not quit ready to estimate until she’s been out three full months. The good news is that the sales are also yielding reviews, and that’s fantastic.

So I’m happy to share this three-star review from Goodreads and this five-star review from Amazon.

As always, if you’ve tried some of my work (even it you hated it), I’d be grateful if you’d be kind enough to leave a rating and review on all the bookish places. It means a lot. We’re coming up on the end of the year, which means the State of the Weech is coming and some other general news. So we’ll see if things calm down enough this week to allow for more news-based posts on Saturdays. Until then,

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: Bleach Volume 57 by Tite Kubo

PERSONAL NOTE: My new graphic novel Hazel is out right now, and I’d be honored if you considered picking up a copy!

The cover for this volume was taken from its Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

Spoiler free summary: In Volume 57 of Bleach by Tite Kubo, Ichigo is trapped in Hueco Mundo, leaving the Vandenreich free to attack Soul Society. Luckily, the captains are there to defend, but can they win?

Character: So this doesn’t have arc so much as it increases our fear for our teammates. There are a few captains that (with the exception of Aizen) seemed unbeatable, and this new cast of enemies brings us a new level of worry for the cast. There is some arc in that these characters, all used to being the most powerful guys around, now have to deal with the humbling truth, and that’s somewhat interesting, but it’s more of a shock factor.

Exposition: Given that this is a “fight” manga, there really isn’t much more to it (nor should there be). These manga are like the rewards for patiently enjoying the story that comes before. I remember two fights, which is a good sign, but I don’t really remember much more than the two captains (who shall remain nameless) who fight in this chapter. This means that we didn’t have too much exposition if any.

Worldbuilding: This volume also serves to establish the new power levels given the Vandenreich. Obviously, they need to be a threat, and there’s really only one way to establish that. However, as we see those power rankings play out, we learn about how they work.

Dialogue: This is what one comes to expect of the combination of Bleach and fight scenes. There’s a lot of, “My power is so great!” followed by, “Oh, really?” Insert awesome power move. Rinse. Repeat. Now that probably wouldn’t cut it in a full novel, but in manga or animated action, it works. I think anime will evolve, but there will always be room for this level of dialogue. So it’s not quality, but it is what’s expected.

Description: The art continues to improve as the story evolves. The fight scenes are not quite to the quality of Demon Slayer, but I really believe that’s the best manga ever (I said it. @ me if you want.) So it’s a little unfair to judge anything against that standard. However, this is still very cool.

Overall: Honestly, fans of Bleach have been waiting for this volume. Bleach is mostly about fights (much like Naruto). While a lot of the other arcs center around the action, some of the other (and, probably, better) manga have more story progression rather than action with a slice of justification via dialogue. But if you like Bleach, what you’re looking for is the fight, and it’s good to see the volumes finally get down to it.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

The 2021 M.L.S. Weech December Book Cover of the Year is Live!

Greetings all,

We’ve tallied the numbers, and we have our final entrant into the 2021 M.L.S. December Weech Book Cover of the Month. Let’s announce the winner.

The final entrant into the 2021 December M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Month is …

An Outcast in Another World by KamikazePotato is certainly an unusually titled entrant, but it has great line art. That means you can vote for the December 2021 M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Month right here.

You can vote for the Week 1 January 2021 M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Month right here.

We’d be grateful if you took a moment to jump over to our YouTube page and offer it a like and subscribe. This is where you can see me talk about the covers and try to articulate why I liked them so much.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

The 2021 M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Year is Live!

Greetings all,

We’ve tallied the numbers, and we have our final entrant into the 2021 M.L.S. December Weech Book Cover of the Month. Let’s announce the winner.

The final entrant into the 2021 December M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Month is …

An Outcast in Another World by KamikazePotato is certainly an unusually titled entrant, but it has great line art. That means you can vote for the December 2021 M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Month right here.

You can vote for the Week 1 January 2021 M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Month right here.

We’d be grateful if you took a moment to jump over to our YouTube page and offer it a like and subscribe. This is where you can see me talk about the covers and try to articulate why I liked them so much.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Visits From A Man Named Nobody 59

// // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // //

That was the moment they decided to look remorseful. “But my hope is if you just remember when we are hanging out that there are three of us, then it won’t feel so … frustrating … when I’m around you two.”

“Maybe you’ll find someone,” Lidia said. Hearing it from her stung. “I have a few friends who … “

“You will not set me up on a date!” Paul didn’t bother trying to hide his frustration or annoyance. He took a breath in an effort to sound more calm. “Listen, you know what happened last time I had a girlfriend. I’m just not ready to try that again.” I don’t think I deserve to have anyone in my life, let alone someone like you.

He couldn’t shake the feeling he was going through some sort of cosmic punishment. The universe knew where he came from. It knew his background. It knew the monster he could be if he were given the chance. It actually did him a favor showing him that potential. Knowing he probably should’t be in a relationship didn’t do anything for the loneliness he felt. 

“Well, if you realize you’re ready, I’d like to help you try and find someone,” Lidia said. It was like being suffocated with a hug. 

Paul offered a fake smile. “Thanks, but I think I’ll know when I’m ready. When that time comes, I’d rather not make this mistake again.” He pointed at the two of them. “What we tried to do was have everything. And that’s not how it works.”

“Why not?” Jordan asked. 

“Because you can be in a relationship or a friendship, but you’re one person with only so much time,” Paul said. “Trying to let me tag along just puts more pressure on me and emphasizes the fact that you’re settling into a pretty serious relationship. Are you guys really thinking about getting married?”

They looked at each other. A lifelong friendship made it pretty easy to read Jordan’s expressions.

“You’re not just thinking, are you?” Paul asked. 

Lidia gave him a shy smile, but Jordan’s head sank. One wanted him to be happy and excited. The other knew how little Paul appreciated change. Paul couldn’t do anything to affect that smile though. 

“How long have you been engaged?” Paul asked.

“I asked her last night,” Jordan said.

“Isn’t that … “ Even as frustrated as Paul felt, he knew his question was rude. It didn’t stop him from asking it. “I didn’t think you’d get serious with a woman who wasn’t Christian.”

They looked at each other in that same guilt-ridden fashion. Oh.

Lidia looked at him. “Jordan was very up front about his beliefs. From the beginning he talked about how important his faith was and how it affects every decision. One of the things that I liked about him was that he was a man of conviction.”

Sure, he’s willing to dump you over a sky bully, but at least he’s up front about it. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” Jordan cut in sharply. “I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re mentally ripping someone apart, and I don’t deserve it. You’re trying to make it like we had some huge debate in the middle of our relationship. That’s not how it went.”

“The truth is I had questions,” Lidia explained. “Part of what helped us come closer together was how easy he was to talk to about God.”

“And now you’re a Christian, too.” Paul muttered.

“I was baptized last week,” she confirmed. “And no, it wasn’t some ultimatum to get married. I didn’t even know he was thinking of asking until he did last night. We’ve been growing together in faith, and our relationship grew stronger.”

“You were just using me as an intermediary tool for an argument,” Paul said.

“Dude!” Jordan said. “You’re mad, and you feel left out. We’ve treated you like a third wheel, but that doesn’t mean you have a right to be a jerk. We asked you out tonight to tell you the news. We know where we stand in regard to the faith. But we’ve been able to stay friends because we know how much we can count on each other, and I need to count on you now.”

Paul shut his eyes, trying to think about a friend who almost never asked him for anything. He reminded himself how often Jordan had sacrificed for him. He reminded himself that he was the one who wanted Lidia and Jordan to be together.

“Can I just be honest?” Paul asked. 

They looked at each other again. Then Lidia turned back and nodded. 

“I want to be happy for you, and a part of me is. Tonight just sort of went south. I know you’re happy together, and I want you to be, but I’m not in a place to celebrate right now. Can we maybe try this again later? I’m just still processing the fact that you two are doing this, and honestly I’m jealous. I need to get my mind right so I can actually be happy for you.”

Jordan smiled at him. “That’s fair, and I’m sorry tonight didn’t work out the way we planed.”

Paul stood. “I’m not exactly prone to letting things go like they should.” He held out a fist for Jordan to tap. As he did, Lidia added her hand.

“Oh!” She yanked her hand back. “Is that a ‘you two’ sort of thing? Did I interject.”

Paul laughed. “No, I’m just saying goodbye. You two should try and enjoy the evening. We’ll do this again when I’m not so resentful.” So maybe never.

A 5-Star Review for Betrayed

Greetings all,

This review comes at a great time because it’s been a rough few weeks here in the Weech household. We’re battling an illness, so we’re glad to have some content to present you that’s low maintenance.

That said, a nice five-star review really helps keep the motivation up. So we’d like to share this review with you all.

As always, if you’ve read some of my work, we’d be grateful if you’d take a second to offer a rating and review. I’m actually pretty close to 100 ratings on Goodreads, and I’m excited for that milestone.

Thanks for reading,

Matt