Adam David Collings's Blog, page 20

Brandon Sanderson Releases Surprise book Mistborn: Secret History

Prolific fantasy author Brandon Sanderson has suprised us again. He’s written a book in secret and sprung it on us. The novella (almost a short novel) is caleld Mistborn: Secret History. It sits as a companion to the original Mistborn trilogy and provides additional details.

Since this book contains minor spoilers for Bands of Mourning, I’m going to finish that first (Currently listening to it in audio) before I jump into Secret History.

Looking forward to it!

Get Mistborn: Secret History on Kindle

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Glimpses of Light Blog Tour (with Giveaway)

Today I’m taking part in the Glimpses of Light Blog Tour to celebrate the release of this anthology. In the previous installment, Jeanette O’Hagan shared about the inspiration that led her to create the anthology and shared an excerpt from her fantasy story Ruhanna’s Flight.

As part of this post I’ll be giving away a book. See more about this at the end.

I first heard of this anthology through Christian Writers Downunder. I was interested to learn that 2015 was the International Year of Light, and that all proceeds from the sale of this book would be going to support CBM Australia (Christian Blind Mission). I began to think about what sort of contribution I could make.

When considering the theme of light, the first thing that sprung to my mind was Psalm 119:105. “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” This verse is a nice picture of how God’s word guides our steps. I began to wonder, wouldn’t it be cool to interpret this literally. What would it mean if scripture could literally create light for somebody to see their way through the darkness. Being a science fiction writer, the answer to this was obvious – bio-luminescent plants! A story began to form in my mind about a man trapped underground on an alien world, and some very cool local flora that he would discover down there.

I just needed a protagonist now. I thought it would be a lot of fun to set this story in the same universe as my up-coming Space Opera series: Earth’s Remnant. Archer White became the brother of my existing character Braxton White. (Who knows, Archer might even show up again one day).

I have to give a lot of credit to God for this one. I believe his hand was very active in the inspiration and creation of this story. It all just came together.

It is a huge privilege for me to be a part of this anthology. I am surrounded by extremely talented writers. There’s a little something for everyone.

You can get a copy of Glimpses of Light from Amazon:

Paperback
Kindle

Giveaway

In celebration, I am going to give away one paperback book to a commenter below. The winner will be chosen at random and will receive their choice of either Glimpses of Light or Medieval Mars: The Anthology. The giveaway is open internationally. Everyone is eligible except contributing authors to Glimpses of Light.

To enter: comment below and tell me what you most appreciate about light. A second bonus entry will be awarded to you if you are a member of my email list, so sign up if you haven’t already. The give-away will close at 8:00 PM AEST on 19th January 2016.

Coming up Next

This Friday, Charis Joy Jackson takes the baton. Charis is an exciting up-and-coming fantasy author, and is already an award-winning writer for her contributions to Christianity Today magazine. Be sure to check her out at randomthoughtsanddreams.blogspot.com.

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Goals for 2016

Happy New Year!

The beginning of a new year is a great time to set some goals. I’ve been putting a lot of thought into my writing career lately and how I’m going to progress it in 2016. Most of the goals below are writing-related but I’ve thrown in a few other things as well. When setting a goal it is important to consider how you are going to measure success.

Writing Career
Scheduling

I aim to regularly take 1 day per week off from my day job to spend on writing. I already have that flexibility built into my contract but haven’t taken advantage of it often in 2015. My wife is now working full-time which take off some financial pressure and makes this a possibility. I’m not going to commit do doing this every week at this stage, but I’m going to say ‘most weeks’.

I’ll measure this by that fact that I’ve taken a day for writing, or that I have a good reason for not doing so.

Earth’s Remnant

I aim to publish two novellas in my space opera series Earth’s Remnant (still a working title). The first episode is undergoing revisions. After that, it’s back to my editor for copy edits. I’ll need to commission a cover and then put it all together. I’m going to say February as an estimated deadline for this, but it is difficult to judge since I still don’t know how long it will all take.

My second episode is in outlining mode right now. Hopefully, I can have the bulk of the first draft done by the time I publish the first. I aim to publish this in September.

Once I have published two of these, I should be starting to get an understanding of how long it takes to follow the story to completion. That will allow me to plan a realistic release schedule for 2017. My aim is to release more than two episodes in that year.

Terraformed Interplanetary

During 2016 I aim to write and submit a story to the second installment of the Terraformed Interplanetary series being developed by Travis Perry. The first installment, Medieval Mars, was heaps of fun and Travis has a cool concept for the seconed. More on this in the future.

Another First Draft for Fun

I aim to write a first-draft (novella length) of one other project during the year for fun. This, of course, will become another publishable product after edits and revisions. At this stage, it will likely be a fantasy with a heavy exploration element. Think the original Star Trek, but on a sailing ship.

Writing Project with my Daughter

I aim to spend time working with my daughter on a superhero project. She is coming up with the majority of the plot and setting, and I aim to teach her what little I know about writing as we progress. We will eventually publish this and I’ll list her as co-author.

Health

I will remain consistent in the use of my dumbbells for regular exercise. I will do this several times per week. I may use a calendar to track and measure this.

Day Job

Develop useful features in the software I maintain at my day job, with the intention of keeping the interest of existing clients, and attracting new clients. If we can keep enough people using the software that will help to keep my job secure.

Well, that’s my goals for the year. I’ll add quarterly posts here to report progress.

What are your goals for 2016?

Qapla’

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Giving Thanks for 2015

We’re nearing the end of yet another year. I’ll be doing a post in a few days about my goals for 2016, but today I wanted to focus on the things in 2015 which I’m thankful for. This idea was inspired by our Thankfulness Celebration service at Door of Hope Christian Church.

Rehearsing for our Thankfulness Celebration Service

Published Author

The big item, of course, is that I became a published author in 2015. My story Lynessa’s Curse was included in Medieval Mars: The Anthology. Just before Christmas, this was followed by a story in the Glimpses of Light anthology.

My Work

Shortly after returning from Christmas holiday last year, I was informed that I was being made redundant. Ironically, this turned out to be something of a blessing. My redundancy payment allowed me to pay for professional editing on my space opera novella, making publication a possibility. I’m still hard at work on revisions at the moment.

Losing your job is scary, especially since there’s not a lot of positions for software developers in Launceston, but not only did I get a consulting client, I was also called back to my old workplace within weeks of leaving. I’m still there and will be until at least mid-2016.

My Wife’s Work

My wife started a full-time contract as a nurse. While technically only a three-month contract it looks very likely that it will continue. This allows me some flexibility to take one day per week off for my writing, which I intend to do more often in the coming year.

My Children’s Progress

School can be a challenge for my kids, but they both continue to give it their all. I am also greatly encouraged by the spiritual development I’ve seen happen in both of their lives this year. It gives me hope for the future – knowing the type of people my kids are growing into.

Back To The Future Day

And who could forget that 2015 was the year we celebrated the arrival of Marty and Doc in their time-travelling delorean from the year 1985. I didn’t get to see them personally but I still enjoyed celebrating their arrival. Great Scott!

So todat I say thank you to God for his provision and blessing. It hasn’t been a perfect year – there’s been plenty of difficult challenges, but he’s brought me through it stronger than before.

See you in my next post and I begin to look forward and set some goals for 2016.

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Goodreads Giveaway – Glimpses of Light

In celebration of the release of Glimpses of Light, we’re giving away two paper copies on goodreads.

See below for details.

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Goodreads Book Giveaway







Glimpses of Light



by Jeanette O'Hagan

Giveaway ends January 10, 2016.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

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Storming – A Dieselpunk Adventure by K.M. Weiland

Storming: A Dieselpunk Adventure by K.M. Weiland

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hitch is an out-of-money pilot, putting on air shows, trying to make ends meet and get a place in a famous air-circus. Unfortunately, this quest has brought him back to his home-town, where many people, his closest family among them, are not likely to be happy to see him. If that wasn’t enough, strange people are falling out of the sky. They have their own language and culture, and refer to the townspeople as “groundsmen”. Where do they come from and what danger do they present?

Storming by K.M. Weiland mixes speculative deiselpunk concepts with ordinary relatable conflicts such as money struggles and family tensions. I’ve always found this a very effective combination. The mystery surrounding the sky people is what draws us into the book, but it is often the down-to-earth conflicts that keep us turning the pages. There are a lot of small-town dramas here. At the centre of it all is a corrupt sheriff who has our hero well and truly wrapped around his finger.

Hitch is a likable protagonist. We sympathise with his struggles and feel the offense of his unjust treatment. He is brave and adventurous. He is however, far from perfect. He’s made a big mess of things in his personal life and this story puts him into a situation where he can no longer run away from it all. Watching his character arc unfold was a treat.

Jael, the sky woman, draws us right in. She is daring, mysterious and beautiful. It was a lot of fun seeing her grow over the course of the story. In little things, like learning to speak English and communicate better with the other characters, finding her place and fitting in. Her goals in the book are more selfless than most. Her greatest desire is to help her people – whether they deserve it or not – and protect the town from the coming danger that nobody else seems to understand.

There are two main villains in this book – one connected with the town and the other connected with the sky people. If Hitch and Jael are going to come through this, see justice done and protect the ones they love, they will have to defeat both.

I recommend Storming to those who enjoy a rollicking fun adventure with lots of inter-character drama.


Get Storming by K.M. Weiland on Amazon.

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Introducing my Co-Author

I have an announcement. I’m co-writing a book, and my partner in this endeavour is somebody very special. It all started earlier today when my Mum forwarded me an email from author J.B O’Neil. He introduced a video on his author page explaining how he co-wrote a book with his 8-year-old son, and it became one of his best-selling titles.

My daughter Chloe has been talking for a while about how she wants to write a story with me. I thought, why not take it the next step and do what J.B. O’Neil did.

Chloe jumped at the idea and we started brainstorming ideas straight away. After an hour, we had a protagonist, some world-building and the beginnings of a plot. We ‘broke ground’ on the first draft just before dinner.

Chloe and I take a selfie with our initial outline.

So why am I doing this? Here’s a couple of reasons.

Quality Time

I’ve read so many acknowledgements pages in books where authors thank their spouse and children for being ‘widows and orphans’ during the writing of a book. While it is sometimes necessary for an author’s family to be understanding and respect their author’s time, isn’t it even better to be able to share that part of your life with them? One of the most important things a parent can do is spend time with their children. Doing something together that we both love will create lasting memories that money cannot buy.

Education

My daughter will learn so much through this process. Already, I’ve been explaining the concepts of story structure, character arc, point of view and the rules of grammar. She’s gobbled it all up hungrily (oops, better teach her to kill those adverbs). Not only will she learn about writing, she will also learn about publishing. We’ve discussed the differences between traditional and self-publishing and the logistics of print-on-demand. She’ll even learn some entrepreneurial skills, and how to wisely manage any royalties we may earn. Phew, it’s been an eventful afternoon.

It’s Fun

Seriously, what better way to spend an afternoon than inventing a new superhero with someone. Yes, the story will be about a 10-year-old girl who develops super powers. That spawned a bunch of questions. I’m pretty excited by the premise.

I’ll give this a try with my son as well, if his attention span holds. He also wants me to help him make a computer game so we’ll see which project wins out.

Chloe has her turn at the keyboard.

Now I just need to be disciplined enough to not use this project as an excuse to avoid revisions on my upcoming novella. Let the fun commence.

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Glimpses of Light – Cover Reveal

Earlier this year, I submitted a short story to the Glimpses of Light anthology being produced through Christian Writers Downunder. This story is set in the same universe as my upcoming space opera series (working title: The Remnant). Well things have been moving along of late and the book is due out on the 17th of December. Today the cover was revealed to the world.

This book features stories and poems from 21 writers, including award-winning authors and poets Jo-Anne Berthelsen, Paula Vince, Lynne Stringer, Adele Jones, Jo Wanmer, Jeanette Grant-Thomson, Ellen Carr and Nola Passmore, as well as some newcomers such as myself. Did I mention that all profits are going to charity?

You can learn more on the announcement over at Christian Writers Downunder.

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Shadows of Self (Mistborn 5) by Brandon Sanderson

Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This books plunges us back into the new era of the Mistborn series. These books – set in an early 1900s era lack the epic scope of the original trilogy, but they are no less worthy. It was the characters that gripped me in the first book – The Alloy of Steel. Those characters continue to shine in Shadows of Self.

We see the return of some familiar characters from the original trilogy. The Kandra – a race capable of taking on the appearance of one who is dead – play an important part this time.

Brandon Sanderson continues to weave various threads together, making it clear that there is an ongoing narrative at play beneath the surface.

I was originally planning to give this book a 4 star rating, but the last chapter and epilogue lifted it to 5 star, from a good solid enjoyable read to something extra special.

I’m enjoying the development of the relationship between Wax and Sterris. What started as a marriage of convenience – I think has the potential to become a strong loving relationship. I think it’ll be fun to see it play out.

This book contains adventure, heart-break triumph and tragedy.
I’m looking forward to the release of the next book.

I listened to the audio version of this book and I want to give special credit to the narrator – Michael Kramer. Not only did he give the characters unique voices, but he had to deal with (and presumably invent) a number of accents described in the text. Great performance.

Get it on Amazon

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A Time To Speak by Nadine Brandes

A Time to Speak by Nadine Brandes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Time to Speak picks up directly after the shocking end of A Time to Die. Parvin’s recent adventure has changed her, but now she is being called to change the world. Her eyes are open to the corruption and evil that leads her world. Her quest takes her to the high city to challenge the council, but these things never go according to plan. Parvin soon finds herself, carted off like animals. This time her adventure will take her to frozen wastelands and beyond.

It was fun seeing Parvin transition from a character undergoing a transformation over the course of the first book, into someone with a greater destiny. She no longer lives just for herself. She is called to speak – but will anybody listen?

Nadine Brandes’s Out of Time books speak to me and challenge me in a way that few fiction books do. Not only are they gripping adventures, but they make me think. While the first book challenged me to make my life count, this one challenged me with Parvin’s example of faith and bravery. It’s one thing to say you trust God. It’s another to put everything on the line and place yourself in his hands.

Once again this book has a strong climax with an ending that will have you clamouring for book 3.

Get ‘A Time to Speak’ from Amazon

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