Jeffrey Caston's Blog, page 3
May 24, 2021
Food promotion -- First Story Free Through Friday 5/28
Since I am closing in on releasing a prequel story to my "Food" extreme horror short story series set in the grim dystopia of Pacifica, I am running a promotion offering the first story, Food,
FREE through Friday.
Food drops you into the world of Pacifica, a grim world set in the far future of the Pacific Northwest where the formerly lush, green lands and friendly people have been replaced by shortages, hardship and a, well let's just call it, a demanding monarchy. And the second short story, Food: The MVP Room, is still 99 cents. Plus, they are both available on KU.
This series is a pretty violent look at what can happen where human need is great, but the available resources--not so much.
Thank you for all the support on this site and "happy" reading!
Jeffrey Caston
Food drops you into the world of Pacifica, a grim world set in the far future of the Pacific Northwest where the formerly lush, green lands and friendly people have been replaced by shortages, hardship and a, well let's just call it, a demanding monarchy. And the second short story, Food: The MVP Room, is still 99 cents. Plus, they are both available on KU.
This series is a pretty violent look at what can happen where human need is great, but the available resources--not so much.
Thank you for all the support on this site and "happy" reading!
Jeffrey Caston
April 14, 2021
Food Stories Update 4-14-21
I am closing in on releasing a Food/Pacifica prelude story and I'm pretty excited about it.
I've titled this one Food: Winner, Winner, Chicken _ _ _ _ . Yup. Gonna be brutal, but I hope people find it interesting. I'm hoping to have it out by maybe the end of the month, but might be in the first part of May. I'm always going to want to put out the most polished product I can. I'm in a final editing phase now. The cover is conceived but not put together yet.
Anyway, this prelude will take place several years before world-wide societal collapse, an event I am calling the Downfall in the Pacifica setting. It will go through a few key events that lead to a monarchy in what is left of the PNW. (And you'll get a brief glimpse of Garren's ancestors!)
I'm also adding some more ties between these Food/Pacifica stories to the overall Horrific Northwest setting I'm just loving writing about.
I'll blog again once I get the cover done, which will hopefully be pretty soon.
Oh, and I am taking some of the prior comments to heart and really trying to flesh out this brutal, brutal world. The original story was based on a nightmare and then whiskey fueled rant that I cranked out at like 3 in the morning one night after bolting awake. That one was 2,500 words. MVP Room was about 5,500 words. This prelude story is easily going to get to 15,000 words.
I look forward to anyone giving their thoughts on it and in the meantime, I still have Food and Food: The MVP Room for the Kindle and on KU.
Thanks!
Jeffrey Caston
I've titled this one Food: Winner, Winner, Chicken _ _ _ _ . Yup. Gonna be brutal, but I hope people find it interesting. I'm hoping to have it out by maybe the end of the month, but might be in the first part of May. I'm always going to want to put out the most polished product I can. I'm in a final editing phase now. The cover is conceived but not put together yet.
Anyway, this prelude will take place several years before world-wide societal collapse, an event I am calling the Downfall in the Pacifica setting. It will go through a few key events that lead to a monarchy in what is left of the PNW. (And you'll get a brief glimpse of Garren's ancestors!)
I'm also adding some more ties between these Food/Pacifica stories to the overall Horrific Northwest setting I'm just loving writing about.
I'll blog again once I get the cover done, which will hopefully be pretty soon.
Oh, and I am taking some of the prior comments to heart and really trying to flesh out this brutal, brutal world. The original story was based on a nightmare and then whiskey fueled rant that I cranked out at like 3 in the morning one night after bolting awake. That one was 2,500 words. MVP Room was about 5,500 words. This prelude story is easily going to get to 15,000 words.
I look forward to anyone giving their thoughts on it and in the meantime, I still have Food and Food: The MVP Room for the Kindle and on KU.
Thanks!
Jeffrey Caston
February 23, 2021
Food Stories Update 2-23-21
A few updates on my Food stories.
I released the second story, Food: The MVP Room on Kindle Unlimited.
I've still got a prequel planned. It'll taste like chicken. Well... sorta. That one will take place a long while before Food, but it will help explain a bit how Pacifica came into being. Spoiler alert ... it ain't pretty.
But I also have a second sequel to the main story about 60% drafted. I've given it the title Food: Chef de Cuisine. It will introduce you to the kitchen staff and a few more monstrously brutal cooking techniques to feed the King and Queen. And I'll be introducing (finally, I suppose) a protagonist I hope you can root for. I haven't quite figured out what I want to do for a cover concept, but it'll come to me.
And the last of this little series will be Food: All Hate the King. It's conceptualized plot-wise in my head. I just gotta get those fingers tapping those keys and get it written.
But I promise these won't be the only literary forays and visits to Pacifica.
I released the second story, Food: The MVP Room on Kindle Unlimited.
I've still got a prequel planned. It'll taste like chicken. Well... sorta. That one will take place a long while before Food, but it will help explain a bit how Pacifica came into being. Spoiler alert ... it ain't pretty.
But I also have a second sequel to the main story about 60% drafted. I've given it the title Food: Chef de Cuisine. It will introduce you to the kitchen staff and a few more monstrously brutal cooking techniques to feed the King and Queen. And I'll be introducing (finally, I suppose) a protagonist I hope you can root for. I haven't quite figured out what I want to do for a cover concept, but it'll come to me.
And the last of this little series will be Food: All Hate the King. It's conceptualized plot-wise in my head. I just gotta get those fingers tapping those keys and get it written.
But I promise these won't be the only literary forays and visits to Pacifica.
December 18, 2020
Food stories update...
I have two more short stories now in the editing phase and shaping up nicely. They are both going to be in the Food series. This series is in the Pacifica story-line, a horror-dystopia set in the future and the remnants of Washington, Oregon, northern California, and slivers of British Columbia and Idaho.
The first one is Food: Winner, Winner, Chicken_ _ _ _. That one takes place several years before society's "Downfall," which separates people into two classes: (1) those who make the hard "choices" to restore order; and (2) the unfortunate souls who have to live with those choices. This one is a prelude to Food.
The second one is Food: The MVP Room. This one takes place immediately after the original short story. It will tell you more about the Kingdom of Pacifica and what life is like for the royal servants.
Jeffrey Caston
The first one is Food: Winner, Winner, Chicken_ _ _ _. That one takes place several years before society's "Downfall," which separates people into two classes: (1) those who make the hard "choices" to restore order; and (2) the unfortunate souls who have to live with those choices. This one is a prelude to Food.
The second one is Food: The MVP Room. This one takes place immediately after the original short story. It will tell you more about the Kingdom of Pacifica and what life is like for the royal servants.
Jeffrey Caston
December 15, 2020
Raven novel preluded drafted
I have gotten the prelude for the first Raven novel drafted. It's about 4,500 words and if I do say so myself, it is brutal.
I am using it to introduce the novel's antagonist. Part of my goal with this was to create an antagonist who the reader absolutely loathes and fears. If I have batsh!t crazy protagonist who breaks the law by dispensing his own brand of violent justice, I felt like I needed a next level brutal protagonist. It will be interesting playing the scenes in my mind and writing them down when they finally meet in the story.
I am using it to introduce the novel's antagonist. Part of my goal with this was to create an antagonist who the reader absolutely loathes and fears. If I have batsh!t crazy protagonist who breaks the law by dispensing his own brand of violent justice, I felt like I needed a next level brutal protagonist. It will be interesting playing the scenes in my mind and writing them down when they finally meet in the story.
November 23, 2020
Started a full Raven novel
Well, I decided that I am going to put aside one of the two novels I have been working on and shift over to writing the first Ravenbrood novel. It will feature the dark, not so heroic superhero, the Raven, who protects the Puget Sound region from truly evil forces.
The Ravensbrood series will be a subset of the Horrific Northwest setting that I started with Immunity.
I've had the rough outline in my brain for a long time. I've fleshed it out a bit and I have enough to proceed with a first draft. I've started the drafting process and I intend to crank on it as quickly as I can. I'll blog on the progress every once in a while.
I look forward to releasing it soon!
The Ravensbrood series will be a subset of the Horrific Northwest setting that I started with Immunity.
I've had the rough outline in my brain for a long time. I've fleshed it out a bit and I have enough to proceed with a first draft. I've started the drafting process and I intend to crank on it as quickly as I can. I'll blog on the progress every once in a while.
I look forward to releasing it soon!
July 26, 2020
Charity Book "Writers in Lockdown" Promotion
Hello Everyone:
I wanted to tell everyone about an upcoming promotion...
So the Writers in Lockdown, a short story anthology of assembled writers' short stories has been released.
Writers in Lockdown: A collection of short stories
The point of this anthology was to show that nothing will keep us all down and how we can help each other. The stories were written during the Covid-19 lockdown that so many of contend with on a daily basis.
I contributed a short story, How the Raven Met the Angel, to this anthology. This story had earned an honorable mention in a short story contest. And I am finding out there's a lot of good stuff in this volume. I personally bought a paperback copy and it looks great. I'll forever cherish it for the cooperation and global efforts it represents.
I am told it has sold in excess of 100 copies. It is on track to meet its costs and then the royalties earned will be donated to charity. I am told we really close to getting to the charity level.
So, the editor, Faith, who worked really hard getting this put together, is going to be running a promotion on it on the 29th of July. The ebook will be 99 cents for a day.
If you want to read what the human spirit can come up with during trying times, look no further than Writers in Lockdown.
I wanted to tell everyone about an upcoming promotion...
So the Writers in Lockdown, a short story anthology of assembled writers' short stories has been released.
Writers in Lockdown: A collection of short stories
The point of this anthology was to show that nothing will keep us all down and how we can help each other. The stories were written during the Covid-19 lockdown that so many of contend with on a daily basis.
I contributed a short story, How the Raven Met the Angel, to this anthology. This story had earned an honorable mention in a short story contest. And I am finding out there's a lot of good stuff in this volume. I personally bought a paperback copy and it looks great. I'll forever cherish it for the cooperation and global efforts it represents.
I am told it has sold in excess of 100 copies. It is on track to meet its costs and then the royalties earned will be donated to charity. I am told we really close to getting to the charity level.
So, the editor, Faith, who worked really hard getting this put together, is going to be running a promotion on it on the 29th of July. The ebook will be 99 cents for a day.
If you want to read what the human spirit can come up with during trying times, look no further than Writers in Lockdown.
July 11, 2020
"How the Raven Met the Angel" earns an honorable mention in the second SIA "You Tell Us" short story contest
I'm very happy to report that my short story,
How the Raven Met the Angel
earned an Honorable Mention in the SIA "You Tell Us Short Story Contest, Part 2."
I submitted this short story and among several entries, it earned an honorable mention. I'll be releasing it soon by itself.
But...
I actually encourage anyone interested to actually check it and a bunch of new short stories out that were recently released in a new anthology Writers in Lockdown .
Writers in Lockdown: A collection of short stories
Since the contest also coincided with the coronavirus lockdown, I submitted it for publication of this book, which is available as an ebook or as a paperback. The short stories in this collection were written by fellow writers during the recent events and the lockdown. It is a non-profit book and once we pay for the production costs, the proceeds are going to be donated to a charity.
I'm really proud to have participated in the contest and the anthology, among several other really awesome stories. I have met new and interesting people and learned a lot.
I submitted this short story and among several entries, it earned an honorable mention. I'll be releasing it soon by itself.
But...
I actually encourage anyone interested to actually check it and a bunch of new short stories out that were recently released in a new anthology Writers in Lockdown .
Writers in Lockdown: A collection of short stories
Since the contest also coincided with the coronavirus lockdown, I submitted it for publication of this book, which is available as an ebook or as a paperback. The short stories in this collection were written by fellow writers during the recent events and the lockdown. It is a non-profit book and once we pay for the production costs, the proceeds are going to be donated to a charity.
I'm really proud to have participated in the contest and the anthology, among several other really awesome stories. I have met new and interesting people and learned a lot.
June 22, 2020
Release of new short story -- Food
I had a long night last busy, but it was worth it...
I finished up and released a grisly new short story, entitled Food.
Set in the far future of the Horrific Northwest after the resources and governments had finally given out, a man sits home, alone, watching old cooking shows, wishing he could have enjoyed the foods of his Puget Sound ancestors.
Spoiler alert -- It doesn't work out so well for him.
Food: A Horrific Northwest Short Story
I'd love to hear from anyone's who reads it.
Jeffrey Caston
I finished up and released a grisly new short story, entitled Food.
Set in the far future of the Horrific Northwest after the resources and governments had finally given out, a man sits home, alone, watching old cooking shows, wishing he could have enjoyed the foods of his Puget Sound ancestors.
Spoiler alert -- It doesn't work out so well for him.
Food: A Horrific Northwest Short Story
I'd love to hear from anyone's who reads it.
Jeffrey Caston
June 12, 2020
Writing Life of an Indie Author -- Part 2 -- Learning More and Loving It
I have found that creating the stories that have been bouncing around in my brain for decades now isn't enough.
Established indie authors will typically tell you the writing is the "easy" part. Well, the writing is challenging, but wow am I learning that, yeah, there is a lot of stuff to learn and deal with as an indie author that isn't necessarily part of the writer's skill set. But learning is NEVER a bad thing.
So on my journey here, when I first published Immunity, I knew the word count. I had an idea of what I thought the page count would be when it finally made it up on Amazon. But when it came up as 650 plus pages, I thought that was a bit odd.
(Okay, actually it was more like -- GASP!! Whaaaatt!!)
Next came MORE publication research and more work.
Long story short, I have, sorted out some data issues and now it is listed as 397 pages, which is what I thought it should have been all along. Same book. Same data, just a slightly different length.
Oh well, live and learn, right?
Immunity: A Novel of the Horrific Northwest
Established indie authors will typically tell you the writing is the "easy" part. Well, the writing is challenging, but wow am I learning that, yeah, there is a lot of stuff to learn and deal with as an indie author that isn't necessarily part of the writer's skill set. But learning is NEVER a bad thing.
So on my journey here, when I first published Immunity, I knew the word count. I had an idea of what I thought the page count would be when it finally made it up on Amazon. But when it came up as 650 plus pages, I thought that was a bit odd.
(Okay, actually it was more like -- GASP!! Whaaaatt!!)
Next came MORE publication research and more work.
Long story short, I have, sorted out some data issues and now it is listed as 397 pages, which is what I thought it should have been all along. Same book. Same data, just a slightly different length.
Oh well, live and learn, right?
Immunity: A Novel of the Horrific Northwest
