Gary M. Martin's Blog, page 2
April 22, 2020
Rambling
Like most authors my imagination is almost always on. I would think that many authors have already considered how this Coronavirus could be incorporated into a story. I’m sure it could serve as a background, if nothing else, for nearly all genres. I think about it myself on occasion but defer serious thought to a later time. Right now, my plate is full working on another book. Only a few weeks I published a sci/fi book titled “The Nexus”.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086SH86BL
I don’t mean to take this virus lightly. It is wrecking the health of our country as well as our economy. It’s a little scary and depressing when it’s real life. But I do believe we will get through it though I imagine quite a few lives will be permanently changed. I hope that we can all, eventually, make life better than what it was.
I am somewhat used to being alone. Writing is not a group sport. Even so I do miss going out and eating at a nice restaurant, or seeing a movie, or going to an Atlanta Braves game once in a while. I shouldn’t complain though. I haven’t gotten the virus. That’s a good thing.
The book I’m working on now (changing the subject) is tentatively titled “The awakening”. It is also a science fiction novel and possibly a YA novel. The central characters are 18 and 19 but does that automatically make it a young adult novel? The thing is before I write a story, I don’t tell myself what genre I want to write in. I simply write what I’m feeling at the time and figure out the genre at a later date.
In some ways I envy the writers who know their endings before they begin a story. I do have a general idea but along the way I may turn off in a number of different directions. And, though I sometimes run into problems doing this it makes the story seem more real to me as if I’m living it at this moment in time. So, no, I’d rather keep going the way I am.
I have so much I want to do but writing is such a slow process. And then I have to make some time for promoting my products. Which I am not very good at.
I have come a long way since I first started self-publishing. My first books were averaging about 3.5 stars which included some ones and twos in my reviews. Within the last couple of years my average has gone up. My Christian book “The old man and the girl” has 4.3 stars and over a hundred reviews with Amazon and Goodreads combined. The Entity, a sci/fi, horror book (a newer release) has only 3 reviews but they are all 5 stars. The dark strain, which is also a newer book has only 1 review, which is on Goodreads. It is a 5-star review.
One more thing while I’m rambling. The Nexus ebook will be free on Amazon April 24, 25, and 26.
Okay, two more things. A good little video about writing can be seen here if you’re bored.
https://www.gmmartinbooks.com/writer-...
Until next time.
Gary Martin
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086SH86BL
I don’t mean to take this virus lightly. It is wrecking the health of our country as well as our economy. It’s a little scary and depressing when it’s real life. But I do believe we will get through it though I imagine quite a few lives will be permanently changed. I hope that we can all, eventually, make life better than what it was.
I am somewhat used to being alone. Writing is not a group sport. Even so I do miss going out and eating at a nice restaurant, or seeing a movie, or going to an Atlanta Braves game once in a while. I shouldn’t complain though. I haven’t gotten the virus. That’s a good thing.
The book I’m working on now (changing the subject) is tentatively titled “The awakening”. It is also a science fiction novel and possibly a YA novel. The central characters are 18 and 19 but does that automatically make it a young adult novel? The thing is before I write a story, I don’t tell myself what genre I want to write in. I simply write what I’m feeling at the time and figure out the genre at a later date.
In some ways I envy the writers who know their endings before they begin a story. I do have a general idea but along the way I may turn off in a number of different directions. And, though I sometimes run into problems doing this it makes the story seem more real to me as if I’m living it at this moment in time. So, no, I’d rather keep going the way I am.
I have so much I want to do but writing is such a slow process. And then I have to make some time for promoting my products. Which I am not very good at.
I have come a long way since I first started self-publishing. My first books were averaging about 3.5 stars which included some ones and twos in my reviews. Within the last couple of years my average has gone up. My Christian book “The old man and the girl” has 4.3 stars and over a hundred reviews with Amazon and Goodreads combined. The Entity, a sci/fi, horror book (a newer release) has only 3 reviews but they are all 5 stars. The dark strain, which is also a newer book has only 1 review, which is on Goodreads. It is a 5-star review.
One more thing while I’m rambling. The Nexus ebook will be free on Amazon April 24, 25, and 26.
Okay, two more things. A good little video about writing can be seen here if you’re bored.
https://www.gmmartinbooks.com/writer-...
Until next time.
Gary Martin
January 27, 2020
New Books
In the last couple of months, I have published two books. “The dark strain” was the first book I published. It is the second book in the dark series. The first book being “The coming of dark”. The dark strain is the continuation of the life of one of the characters in the first book. The two books are connected but still have somewhat different stories so they can stand alone.
“The coming of dark” is more of a supernatural horror story while the second book is primarily the story of several seemingly unrelated people who suddenly gain powers. Unfortunately, their powers, and one unscrupulous scientist, may be the end of them.
The second book I recently published is titled “The Entity”. This is more of an occult horror. It is the biggest book I have published so far with over three hundred pages on Kindle. It involves several characters and a few unique situations.
I have one review of “The Entity”. Thankfully, it’s a five-star review. Debra M. says, “Touch of The Stand.” She said more but that part stuck with me. Prior to that, I hadn’t thought about it. But I can see some similarities. Though I can’t seriously compare this book to “The Stand” it still feels good to be indirectly compared to a great author like Stephen King.
I have another book I’m trying to finish. I’m close but I can’t say how soon it will be ready for publication. It depends on what problems I run into. Like the song says “some days are diamonds and some days are stone.
As far as my personal reading I am almost finished reading “The Andromeda Evolution” by Daniel H. Wilson. It is a Michael Crichton book following The Andromeda Strain. I will give a review after I’m finished.
One coincidence about that book and my book “The dark strain” is the cover. There is a slight resemblance in the designs. The cover of “The Andromeda Evolution” includes hexagon shapes, mine are more looping.
Originally, I had someone make up a cover for me. It is the picture of a woman standing on broken ground. I didn’t like it. I soon made my own cover and took off the old cover. Unfortunately, with Goodreads I couldn’t do that. Goodreads will not allow one to change book covers. I was able to add an alternate cover which is the one I’m using now.
The entity
One small comment. The picture on the cover of “The dark strain” is the picture of a spiderweb. I took the picture from my front porch. There was a spider in it, but I deleted him, or her.
“The coming of dark” is more of a supernatural horror story while the second book is primarily the story of several seemingly unrelated people who suddenly gain powers. Unfortunately, their powers, and one unscrupulous scientist, may be the end of them.
The second book I recently published is titled “The Entity”. This is more of an occult horror. It is the biggest book I have published so far with over three hundred pages on Kindle. It involves several characters and a few unique situations.
I have one review of “The Entity”. Thankfully, it’s a five-star review. Debra M. says, “Touch of The Stand.” She said more but that part stuck with me. Prior to that, I hadn’t thought about it. But I can see some similarities. Though I can’t seriously compare this book to “The Stand” it still feels good to be indirectly compared to a great author like Stephen King.
I have another book I’m trying to finish. I’m close but I can’t say how soon it will be ready for publication. It depends on what problems I run into. Like the song says “some days are diamonds and some days are stone.
As far as my personal reading I am almost finished reading “The Andromeda Evolution” by Daniel H. Wilson. It is a Michael Crichton book following The Andromeda Strain. I will give a review after I’m finished.
One coincidence about that book and my book “The dark strain” is the cover. There is a slight resemblance in the designs. The cover of “The Andromeda Evolution” includes hexagon shapes, mine are more looping.
Originally, I had someone make up a cover for me. It is the picture of a woman standing on broken ground. I didn’t like it. I soon made my own cover and took off the old cover. Unfortunately, with Goodreads I couldn’t do that. Goodreads will not allow one to change book covers. I was able to add an alternate cover which is the one I’m using now.
The entity
One small comment. The picture on the cover of “The dark strain” is the picture of a spiderweb. I took the picture from my front porch. There was a spider in it, but I deleted him, or her.
October 17, 2019
Short bio of H.G. Wells
H. G. Wells, who is one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time was quoted as saying the following; “Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.”
I think most writers can relate to that quote. Though writing can be fulfilling --especially after it is finished, and you have a few good reviews –it can also be a rather daunting task when you’re writing it. The story doesn’t always unfold the way we want it to and the right words sometimes elude us. But, luckily, there are also those times when the right words come to mind quicker than we can type them out. Those are the magical times.
There are a couple of things that make what Mr. Wells said so remarkable. One is the overwhelming amount of material that he put out in his lifetime, both fiction and non-fiction. Until I had read his biography, I didn’t know that he was such a prolific writer. To be honest I am only familiar with, “The time machine, The war of the worlds, The invisible man and The Island of Doctor Moreau.” Two, one should consider the time in that he lived. He didn’t have a computer to work with. There was no copy and paste or any of the other great things a processor can do. In fact, the manual typewriter had just come out a year after his birth. Which meant he had to either do his whole book in shorthand or work it out on the manual.
A few things about Mr. Wells. H. G. Wells was born Herbert George Wells in 1866 and died in 1946. In 1884 he won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in South Kensington. His earliest specialist training was in biology.
Mr. Wells is best known for his science fiction novels. He is often called the father of science fiction along with Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature four times.
His first novel was “The time machine.” If you haven’t read it or seen the movie(s) is about a society that is divided into two classes. There were the subterranean workers – the morlocks, and the decadent Elei.
A few other novels were published in order.
(1895) The wonderful visit
(1896) The island of Doctor Moreau
(1897) The invisible man
(1898) The war of the worlds
(1899) When the sleeper wakes
(1901) The first men in the moon
There are numerous books and articles written by H. G. Wells both fiction and non-fiction. One website that I have found allows one to download the works of H. G. Wells for free. It is gutenberg.org. You might want to check it out and see what you think.
If you’d like to see more quotes and an awesome YouTube video, click the following: http://www.gmmartinbooks.com/writer-q...
And one more shameless plug. “The old man and the girl” ebook, an inspirational drama, is free on Amazon October 18 & 19.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B075JJTBFM
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075JJTBFM
I think most writers can relate to that quote. Though writing can be fulfilling --especially after it is finished, and you have a few good reviews –it can also be a rather daunting task when you’re writing it. The story doesn’t always unfold the way we want it to and the right words sometimes elude us. But, luckily, there are also those times when the right words come to mind quicker than we can type them out. Those are the magical times.
There are a couple of things that make what Mr. Wells said so remarkable. One is the overwhelming amount of material that he put out in his lifetime, both fiction and non-fiction. Until I had read his biography, I didn’t know that he was such a prolific writer. To be honest I am only familiar with, “The time machine, The war of the worlds, The invisible man and The Island of Doctor Moreau.” Two, one should consider the time in that he lived. He didn’t have a computer to work with. There was no copy and paste or any of the other great things a processor can do. In fact, the manual typewriter had just come out a year after his birth. Which meant he had to either do his whole book in shorthand or work it out on the manual.
A few things about Mr. Wells. H. G. Wells was born Herbert George Wells in 1866 and died in 1946. In 1884 he won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in South Kensington. His earliest specialist training was in biology.
Mr. Wells is best known for his science fiction novels. He is often called the father of science fiction along with Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature four times.
His first novel was “The time machine.” If you haven’t read it or seen the movie(s) is about a society that is divided into two classes. There were the subterranean workers – the morlocks, and the decadent Elei.
A few other novels were published in order.
(1895) The wonderful visit
(1896) The island of Doctor Moreau
(1897) The invisible man
(1898) The war of the worlds
(1899) When the sleeper wakes
(1901) The first men in the moon
There are numerous books and articles written by H. G. Wells both fiction and non-fiction. One website that I have found allows one to download the works of H. G. Wells for free. It is gutenberg.org. You might want to check it out and see what you think.
If you’d like to see more quotes and an awesome YouTube video, click the following: http://www.gmmartinbooks.com/writer-q...
And one more shameless plug. “The old man and the girl” ebook, an inspirational drama, is free on Amazon October 18 & 19.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B075JJTBFM
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075JJTBFM
November 15, 2017
Giveaway
The old man and the girl is a Christian drama. It is the first Christian and/or drama, book that I have written. Because it was my first venture into this genre’ I found it rather difficult to write. My books before this have been science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
After the first draft was finished I went through the book multiple times in an effort to make it my best work ever. Unlike my prior books I knew that I would be encountering more readers in person. Since this was a Christian novel I expected that a great many of my sales would be at churches.
I bought several dozen books at wholesale and began to sell them directly. I started slow. I am mostly introverted and was somewhat afraid of what kind of feedback I might get. Not that I was afraid of harsh remarks. I felt that most, if not all, of the buyers would be gentle with their criticisms. It was some of the more tepid words which I feared, such as: “I thought it was good,” or “great effort” or “I enjoyed it.” This tells me that my book is average, or just okay. That’s not what I want to hear.
The first four books I sold were to people in my Sunday school class. Then began the long wait for them to read the book hoping that I wouldn’t be disappointed with their evaluation. It was only a couple days later at a Wal-Mart store when I ran into one of the ladies from church who had bought one of my books. She immediately told me that she liked my book. Then, she emphasized her words by saying she really liked it. This made my day.
It was during the next week that I sold a couple more books and got more good praise. One of the books went to my Pastor’s wife. The praise stroked my ego, but I still had a lot of books left.
It was a week later when the Pastor’s wife told me how much she loved the book. This really made me feel good. But it was not to be the greatest news that day. Near the beginning of the service the Pastor unexpectedly announced to everyone that I had written this book. It was a total surprise to me. Like I had said earlier I am more of an introvert. I had not gone around the church announcing that I had a Christian book to sell.
After the service I was besieged by people asking for a copy. I had books I kept in my car. It was raining at the time, so I was having to run to my car to get copies. It was a very awkward situation. I sold all of them but two copies and I’m sure I missed several people because of the rain and my absence to go and get my books.
Meanwhile, my sister, who lives in Alabama ordered 10 copies from Amazon which she sold to friends.
I realize that soon I will run out of customers at my church. It is not a mega church. I’m hoping, however, that other doors will open for me to sell to other churches or Christian organizations.
My biggest weakness is my ebook sales. I’ve had a few sales, but they were days apart. My ranking on Amazon has gone up and down. I am simply no good at promoting my book online. And, unfortunately, the books I buy at wholesale on CreateSpace doesn’t count toward my ranking on Amazon.
I believe that this Goodreads promotion will help a lot. It is not necessarily how many people enter the contest or how many people mark my book to read. First, the chance that someone who enters this contest and doesn’t win will then turn around and buy my book is very slim. Second, most if not all the people who mark my book to read will never get to it. It’s hard to find anyone with less than fifty books on their shelf. Most have over a thousand. Some in the tens of thousands.
So, how is this book promotion going to help? One word – reviews. I have seven copies to give away. In hindsight I think I should have gone with ten or more. I wish I could give away more than fifty. If the responses I’ve gotten so far isn’t an anomaly than most of the reviews I get should be favorable. If that rings true, then it will help to bolster my weak promotional skill.
I have several projects I’m working on but can’t say when any of them will be finished. I’ve been slack for the last couple of years when my wife developed cancer and then passed away last year.
After the first draft was finished I went through the book multiple times in an effort to make it my best work ever. Unlike my prior books I knew that I would be encountering more readers in person. Since this was a Christian novel I expected that a great many of my sales would be at churches.
I bought several dozen books at wholesale and began to sell them directly. I started slow. I am mostly introverted and was somewhat afraid of what kind of feedback I might get. Not that I was afraid of harsh remarks. I felt that most, if not all, of the buyers would be gentle with their criticisms. It was some of the more tepid words which I feared, such as: “I thought it was good,” or “great effort” or “I enjoyed it.” This tells me that my book is average, or just okay. That’s not what I want to hear.
The first four books I sold were to people in my Sunday school class. Then began the long wait for them to read the book hoping that I wouldn’t be disappointed with their evaluation. It was only a couple days later at a Wal-Mart store when I ran into one of the ladies from church who had bought one of my books. She immediately told me that she liked my book. Then, she emphasized her words by saying she really liked it. This made my day.
It was during the next week that I sold a couple more books and got more good praise. One of the books went to my Pastor’s wife. The praise stroked my ego, but I still had a lot of books left.
It was a week later when the Pastor’s wife told me how much she loved the book. This really made me feel good. But it was not to be the greatest news that day. Near the beginning of the service the Pastor unexpectedly announced to everyone that I had written this book. It was a total surprise to me. Like I had said earlier I am more of an introvert. I had not gone around the church announcing that I had a Christian book to sell.
After the service I was besieged by people asking for a copy. I had books I kept in my car. It was raining at the time, so I was having to run to my car to get copies. It was a very awkward situation. I sold all of them but two copies and I’m sure I missed several people because of the rain and my absence to go and get my books.
Meanwhile, my sister, who lives in Alabama ordered 10 copies from Amazon which she sold to friends.
I realize that soon I will run out of customers at my church. It is not a mega church. I’m hoping, however, that other doors will open for me to sell to other churches or Christian organizations.
My biggest weakness is my ebook sales. I’ve had a few sales, but they were days apart. My ranking on Amazon has gone up and down. I am simply no good at promoting my book online. And, unfortunately, the books I buy at wholesale on CreateSpace doesn’t count toward my ranking on Amazon.
I believe that this Goodreads promotion will help a lot. It is not necessarily how many people enter the contest or how many people mark my book to read. First, the chance that someone who enters this contest and doesn’t win will then turn around and buy my book is very slim. Second, most if not all the people who mark my book to read will never get to it. It’s hard to find anyone with less than fifty books on their shelf. Most have over a thousand. Some in the tens of thousands.
So, how is this book promotion going to help? One word – reviews. I have seven copies to give away. In hindsight I think I should have gone with ten or more. I wish I could give away more than fifty. If the responses I’ve gotten so far isn’t an anomaly than most of the reviews I get should be favorable. If that rings true, then it will help to bolster my weak promotional skill.
I have several projects I’m working on but can’t say when any of them will be finished. I’ve been slack for the last couple of years when my wife developed cancer and then passed away last year.
May 28, 2016
Stephen King. What's in a name?
I was on Amazon the other day looking up a book by Stephen King when I came across a book that I had never heard of. It was titled “Awaken.” It was a book of short stories. What really got my attention was that the book had only a 2 star rating. What’s more 69% of the star ratings were for 1 (one) star. I couldn’t believe it. Something was wrong. Had I accidently slipped into an alternate universe? I wondered why it had been rated so low so I looked for the reviews. It only took me reading a couple of reviews to realize what was happening.
This was not the Stephen King of “The stand, It, Cujo” and numerous other blockbusters. Now if this is the author’s real name I think he should use it, but it seems to me he is making no effort to distinguish himself from the great author Stephen King except for a small note under editorial reviews that is easy to overlook that says: Please note: if you are looking for books by Stephen King, bestselling author of Doctor Sleep and the Shinning please visit his author page. The word “author page” is in blue so one can click on it. This note in itself is misleading. One could assume that the publisher was merely pointing you to his author page.
Could it be that this author of “Awaken” and other subpar books seriously thought people were buying his books for what they were and not confusing him with bestselling author Stephen King? Let’s check out that hypothesis.
Here are a few details:
Awaken. RATING: 2.0. REVIEWS: 103. PUBLISHED: 01/07/2016. PRICE: $6.99
Messiah. RATING: 1.0. REVIEWS: 7 PUBLISHED: 04/10/2016. PRICE: $0.99
Descendants. Rating: 2.3. REVIEWS 90 PUBLISHED: 01/07/2016. PRICE: $6.99
(The note referring to bestselling author Stephen King’s author page was more prominent, but still nothing saying that this author is not that bestselling author)
Beast Control. RATING: 2.4. REVIEWS 63. PUBLISHED: 05/08/2015. PRICE: $4.99
Redstone. RATING: 2.3. REVIEWS: 81. PUBLISHED: 12/12/2014 PRICE: $4.99
Blood rituals. RATING: 2.5. REVIEWS: 96. PUBLISHED: 12/12/2014. PRICE: $4.99
Could this author really believe that he could get all these reviews without people confusing him with the bestselling author – bad reviews at that – and still move up on Amazon’s bestseller’s list? I can’t believe that. I think that he just couldn’t stand up on his own merits.
This is an insult to authors (such as myself) who struggle to make a good book that people want to read and then have to go to the arduous task of promoting it. I’m envious of just getting that many reviews in such a short period of time. And what about the prices? If I could sell a book with a 2.0 rating for nearly seven dollars I wouldn’t get so upset with a bad review. I’m not the greatest writer, but I’m always striving to be better. It irritates me when someone can move up so quickly by riding on someone else’s accomplishments.
I guess there’s only one thing I can do. Tomorrow I go to the courthouse and see how much it costs to change my name to Dean Koontz.
Gary
This was not the Stephen King of “The stand, It, Cujo” and numerous other blockbusters. Now if this is the author’s real name I think he should use it, but it seems to me he is making no effort to distinguish himself from the great author Stephen King except for a small note under editorial reviews that is easy to overlook that says: Please note: if you are looking for books by Stephen King, bestselling author of Doctor Sleep and the Shinning please visit his author page. The word “author page” is in blue so one can click on it. This note in itself is misleading. One could assume that the publisher was merely pointing you to his author page.
Could it be that this author of “Awaken” and other subpar books seriously thought people were buying his books for what they were and not confusing him with bestselling author Stephen King? Let’s check out that hypothesis.
Here are a few details:
Awaken. RATING: 2.0. REVIEWS: 103. PUBLISHED: 01/07/2016. PRICE: $6.99
Messiah. RATING: 1.0. REVIEWS: 7 PUBLISHED: 04/10/2016. PRICE: $0.99
Descendants. Rating: 2.3. REVIEWS 90 PUBLISHED: 01/07/2016. PRICE: $6.99
(The note referring to bestselling author Stephen King’s author page was more prominent, but still nothing saying that this author is not that bestselling author)
Beast Control. RATING: 2.4. REVIEWS 63. PUBLISHED: 05/08/2015. PRICE: $4.99
Redstone. RATING: 2.3. REVIEWS: 81. PUBLISHED: 12/12/2014 PRICE: $4.99
Blood rituals. RATING: 2.5. REVIEWS: 96. PUBLISHED: 12/12/2014. PRICE: $4.99
Could this author really believe that he could get all these reviews without people confusing him with the bestselling author – bad reviews at that – and still move up on Amazon’s bestseller’s list? I can’t believe that. I think that he just couldn’t stand up on his own merits.
This is an insult to authors (such as myself) who struggle to make a good book that people want to read and then have to go to the arduous task of promoting it. I’m envious of just getting that many reviews in such a short period of time. And what about the prices? If I could sell a book with a 2.0 rating for nearly seven dollars I wouldn’t get so upset with a bad review. I’m not the greatest writer, but I’m always striving to be better. It irritates me when someone can move up so quickly by riding on someone else’s accomplishments.
I guess there’s only one thing I can do. Tomorrow I go to the courthouse and see how much it costs to change my name to Dean Koontz.
Gary
May 23, 2016
The doorway trilogy
I started THE DOORWAY story a few years ago while sitting and watching television. I'm not sure what inspired me. I wrote several pages of the story then put it away and forgot about it. Probably a year later I came across the story while looking for something else. I decided to finish it, thinking of it being a short story or maybe a novella. As it turned out I had enough words for it to be a novella. But near the end I had another idea. I would end the story with a cliff hanger.
At the time I wanted to leave the story open, but only had a vague idea of where I was going with it. I published this first story on Amazon.
I decided I wanted to make this next book a little darker, a little scary. But not too much, it was to be a children's book. This was my first (and so far only) middle grade book so I wasn't always sure where my boundaries were. Since I hadn't decided how I was going to get the kids home I continued this book as well.
The third book (the last one. This book here, however, is all three) is a little more whimsical. All ends well. Though there is no cliffhanger at the end I left open a possibility of there being another book.
I can't rightly judge how good or bad this book is. I have had only one review and it was on the first book. The lady who did this review had also reviewed other books of mine. She made some good suggestions and I made some changes.
To be honest I have not done much to advertise this book. I had even forgotten that I had set up some FREE DAYS for it on Amazon. It's only good till tomorrow May 24th. But since my 90 day contract on Amazon for Kindle Select ends the 25th and will renew on the 26th. I plan on adding 3 more FREE days for May 27th - May 29th.
Sometime in June I also want to have a giveaway for my paperback book.
I really need some feedback on this book. If the feedback is good then I'll plan another adventure for the kids. If not I'll count it as good experience and move on.
Thanks
Gary
At the time I wanted to leave the story open, but only had a vague idea of where I was going with it. I published this first story on Amazon.
I decided I wanted to make this next book a little darker, a little scary. But not too much, it was to be a children's book. This was my first (and so far only) middle grade book so I wasn't always sure where my boundaries were. Since I hadn't decided how I was going to get the kids home I continued this book as well.
The third book (the last one. This book here, however, is all three) is a little more whimsical. All ends well. Though there is no cliffhanger at the end I left open a possibility of there being another book.
I can't rightly judge how good or bad this book is. I have had only one review and it was on the first book. The lady who did this review had also reviewed other books of mine. She made some good suggestions and I made some changes.
To be honest I have not done much to advertise this book. I had even forgotten that I had set up some FREE DAYS for it on Amazon. It's only good till tomorrow May 24th. But since my 90 day contract on Amazon for Kindle Select ends the 25th and will renew on the 26th. I plan on adding 3 more FREE days for May 27th - May 29th.
Sometime in June I also want to have a giveaway for my paperback book.
I really need some feedback on this book. If the feedback is good then I'll plan another adventure for the kids. If not I'll count it as good experience and move on.
Thanks
Gary
April 5, 2016
Rifts, Demon, The awakening.
It has been nearly two weeks since I published “Demon” the second book of the two book series “Rifts”. I have to admit that writing them was both fun and torturous. When the thoughts and words flowed it was a great and euphoric experience. But that was not always the case. Sometimes I had to muddle through the process of writing. I can’t always wait for inspiration.
“Demon” climaxes what “Rifts” started. It begins to show the real evil and those who are meant to oppose it.
I wasn’t sure that I would be able to publish “Demon” before the end of March, but I made it. As I had stated in a blog earlier in the year I plan to make this my year. I had been approaching my writing more like a hobby. But I can’t do that anymore. Time is short.
I’ve published two books this year. They were Rifts and Demon. Combined they were over 120,000 words. I am on my next book tentatively titled “The Awakening”. I am a little over 20,000 words on it. I’m hoping to have it published early next month. I have an outline for the book after that, but one thing
at a time.
“The Awakening” is primarily a young adult novel. It is to be a science fiction thriller story with a bit of horror rolled into the mix. I can’t really give any more detail about what I plan because sometimes I don’t stay with my outline. Along the way to the end I often see another route to take that seems more interesting.
If I stay with my plans for the book after that I will just say that it involves a church burning that happened years ago, a haunting, and a mystery.
Gary
“Demon” climaxes what “Rifts” started. It begins to show the real evil and those who are meant to oppose it.
I wasn’t sure that I would be able to publish “Demon” before the end of March, but I made it. As I had stated in a blog earlier in the year I plan to make this my year. I had been approaching my writing more like a hobby. But I can’t do that anymore. Time is short.
I’ve published two books this year. They were Rifts and Demon. Combined they were over 120,000 words. I am on my next book tentatively titled “The Awakening”. I am a little over 20,000 words on it. I’m hoping to have it published early next month. I have an outline for the book after that, but one thing
at a time.
“The Awakening” is primarily a young adult novel. It is to be a science fiction thriller story with a bit of horror rolled into the mix. I can’t really give any more detail about what I plan because sometimes I don’t stay with my outline. Along the way to the end I often see another route to take that seems more interesting.
If I stay with my plans for the book after that I will just say that it involves a church burning that happened years ago, a haunting, and a mystery.
Gary
March 21, 2016
Rifts published
I am happy to say that book one of “Rifts” and book 2 of “Rifts” (titled “Demon”) have now been published.
It is a great release to be finally finished with the writing of them. It took a lot of hours of editing, rewriting, editing again, rewriting, reading again and again to make sure that it all made sense (as much as a science fiction, occult thriller can).
To me the most difficult thing was the characters. This was not a straightforward story with one main character. Several of the characters had prominent roles, and I had to bring them together in certain situations without making it seem like a series of accidental encounters.
Creating characters with their own unique personalities is a skill I’m still working on. I feel like I’m getting better at it. I’ll have to wait for the reviews to see what others think.
I put myself under pressure to finish these two books before the end of March. Actually, I had intended on publishing it as a single book, but because it grew so much I decided to make it into two books.
I started on another book some time ago writing on it when I got tired of writing on “Rifts” but I soon had to put it to the side and pay full attention to the two book series in order to be able to finish them on schedule. Now that ‘Rifts” is on the market I will be concentrating on my next book “The awakening.”
I put a chapter of “The awakening” on my website a while back for others to read. I hope to get a feedback or two so I’ll know if I’m heading in the right direction. The website is: http://www.gmmartinbooks.com
I really enjoy writing a book for the first time. Not so much when I have to go back and edit. I have just begun a process where when I finish the first draft of the book I set it aside for a day or two. When I get back to it I will read the entire book slowly, one sentence at a time. I usually find a lot of mistakes then. I will wait a few days or so after that and read it again. It is a real pain in the lower extremities to do that, but it works.
The awaking is an easier book to write so far. The story revolves around one main character so I won’t be jumping around so much.
Unfortunately, this book will take a bit longer to write. I had taken some time off my real job, but will have to return shortly so I can eat.
Gary Martin
It is a great release to be finally finished with the writing of them. It took a lot of hours of editing, rewriting, editing again, rewriting, reading again and again to make sure that it all made sense (as much as a science fiction, occult thriller can).
To me the most difficult thing was the characters. This was not a straightforward story with one main character. Several of the characters had prominent roles, and I had to bring them together in certain situations without making it seem like a series of accidental encounters.
Creating characters with their own unique personalities is a skill I’m still working on. I feel like I’m getting better at it. I’ll have to wait for the reviews to see what others think.
I put myself under pressure to finish these two books before the end of March. Actually, I had intended on publishing it as a single book, but because it grew so much I decided to make it into two books.
I started on another book some time ago writing on it when I got tired of writing on “Rifts” but I soon had to put it to the side and pay full attention to the two book series in order to be able to finish them on schedule. Now that ‘Rifts” is on the market I will be concentrating on my next book “The awakening.”
I put a chapter of “The awakening” on my website a while back for others to read. I hope to get a feedback or two so I’ll know if I’m heading in the right direction. The website is: http://www.gmmartinbooks.com
I really enjoy writing a book for the first time. Not so much when I have to go back and edit. I have just begun a process where when I finish the first draft of the book I set it aside for a day or two. When I get back to it I will read the entire book slowly, one sentence at a time. I usually find a lot of mistakes then. I will wait a few days or so after that and read it again. It is a real pain in the lower extremities to do that, but it works.
The awaking is an easier book to write so far. The story revolves around one main character so I won’t be jumping around so much.
Unfortunately, this book will take a bit longer to write. I had taken some time off my real job, but will have to return shortly so I can eat.
Gary Martin
February 19, 2016
Addicted to writing
I just published a new book titled “Rifts”. It will be in print paperback in 2 to 3 days on Amazon and in ebook format on Amazon sometime this evening in US. Other countries will take a little longer.
The entire process is both exciting and painful, from writing the book to finally publishing it.
Writing is great when the words just seem to flow forth in a seemingly endless stream. Unfortunately, that is not always true. Some days I have to force myself to work, to reach into my head and just pull the right words out. In the end, however, it is great to be able to say, ‘I wrote this book.’ It is both a sense of great accomplishment, and relief that the book is finally finished.
Publishing the book feels good, but it’s also frightening. If it is the first book you’ve written you probably think that it will be greeted with tremendous praise. You don’t see how anyone can see it as anything less. It’s possible that it could be as great as you think. But it’s not the norm. On the first book I think most indie writers see our stories as they unfold in our minds not as people actually see them on paper. But we are soon brought down to reality when the critics find faults in our stories that we never knew were there.
But back to ‘Rifts’. I sought to make it the best that I could, but is it enough? It is a complicated story with a lot of characters. Originally it was to be one book, but it kept growing. Now I wonder if it will be seen as a well-constructed, intricately plotted story, or a string of scenes, bad characters, and a confusing story line. My thought is that it is somewhere in between, but it is difficult for me to judge my own work. I have to just wait and see what others think. The waiting is a pain in itself.
When I first started writing I imagined writing as being this wonderful, magical thing. I didn’t envision all the work I would have to be doing. I guess I figured that some publishing giant would pick up my first book and handle the editing, the publishing, and all the promotional work. All I would have to do is sit at my desk a few hours a day and write.
All the complaining aside I still love it. I make a few dollars off my books. I would love to make a lot more, but even if I don’t I can’t see myself quitting. I have to write. I’m addicted.
The entire process is both exciting and painful, from writing the book to finally publishing it.
Writing is great when the words just seem to flow forth in a seemingly endless stream. Unfortunately, that is not always true. Some days I have to force myself to work, to reach into my head and just pull the right words out. In the end, however, it is great to be able to say, ‘I wrote this book.’ It is both a sense of great accomplishment, and relief that the book is finally finished.
Publishing the book feels good, but it’s also frightening. If it is the first book you’ve written you probably think that it will be greeted with tremendous praise. You don’t see how anyone can see it as anything less. It’s possible that it could be as great as you think. But it’s not the norm. On the first book I think most indie writers see our stories as they unfold in our minds not as people actually see them on paper. But we are soon brought down to reality when the critics find faults in our stories that we never knew were there.
But back to ‘Rifts’. I sought to make it the best that I could, but is it enough? It is a complicated story with a lot of characters. Originally it was to be one book, but it kept growing. Now I wonder if it will be seen as a well-constructed, intricately plotted story, or a string of scenes, bad characters, and a confusing story line. My thought is that it is somewhere in between, but it is difficult for me to judge my own work. I have to just wait and see what others think. The waiting is a pain in itself.
When I first started writing I imagined writing as being this wonderful, magical thing. I didn’t envision all the work I would have to be doing. I guess I figured that some publishing giant would pick up my first book and handle the editing, the publishing, and all the promotional work. All I would have to do is sit at my desk a few hours a day and write.
All the complaining aside I still love it. I make a few dollars off my books. I would love to make a lot more, but even if I don’t I can’t see myself quitting. I have to write. I’m addicted.
January 25, 2016
Best year ever
I have determined that 2016 would be my best year as a writer, and the turning point of my career. That doesn’t mean that the fireworks started going off on January the first. I accept the fact that I have a lot of building to do. I expect it to be gradual in the beginning, but I also expect that things will speed up as the momentum grows.
First, I have to make some great books that people will read. Easier said than done.
“The coming of dark”, my one true successful book, got a lot of good reviews. But it got a few bad reviews as well. Most of the bad reviews had to do with the editing. I am finally addressing that issue. The book is being edited now. It should be done soon.
I have a book titled “Rifts” that I plan to release sometime in February. This will be published in two books due to its length. Along the way I am posting a couple of chapters each week of the upcoming book as a preview on my blog. This has increased my website views substantially. As soon as I publish the first book, however, I will be removing the preview.
I have another book that I hope to release in the next few months titled “The awakening”. I plan to post previews of that on my blog when I remove the previews of “Rifts”.
I have another book started which may start out as a novella. It is a supernatural, detective story. I plan on this being a series. Tentatively titled “The age of murder.” The main characters Canon and Marie.
I have been concentrating most of my time on writing and haven’t worked up a suitable promotional campaign. I have been concentrating on getting the first “Rifts” book published.
I have started an email start up list. I have my first newsletter draft. So far it doesn’t involve my books. I may make a mention of one of my books if: I have a new book about to be published, or if I have a book that becomes an international best seller, or I become king.
First, I have to make some great books that people will read. Easier said than done.
“The coming of dark”, my one true successful book, got a lot of good reviews. But it got a few bad reviews as well. Most of the bad reviews had to do with the editing. I am finally addressing that issue. The book is being edited now. It should be done soon.
I have a book titled “Rifts” that I plan to release sometime in February. This will be published in two books due to its length. Along the way I am posting a couple of chapters each week of the upcoming book as a preview on my blog. This has increased my website views substantially. As soon as I publish the first book, however, I will be removing the preview.
I have another book that I hope to release in the next few months titled “The awakening”. I plan to post previews of that on my blog when I remove the previews of “Rifts”.
I have another book started which may start out as a novella. It is a supernatural, detective story. I plan on this being a series. Tentatively titled “The age of murder.” The main characters Canon and Marie.
I have been concentrating most of my time on writing and haven’t worked up a suitable promotional campaign. I have been concentrating on getting the first “Rifts” book published.
I have started an email start up list. I have my first newsletter draft. So far it doesn’t involve my books. I may make a mention of one of my books if: I have a new book about to be published, or if I have a book that becomes an international best seller, or I become king.
