Jonathan Moeller's Blog, page 117

The Pulp Writer Show, Episode 69: Verisimilitude & Research For Writers

In this week’s episode, we discuss verisimilitude for writers and how much research to do so a novel feels real without getting bogged down in the details.

I also answer questions about audiobooks and new book covers.

As always, you can listen to the show on Libsyn, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Amazon Music. You can also listen to it on YouTube:

-JM

DRAGONTIARNA: STORMS update for March

Starting this week (and month) at 45,000 words of DRAGONTIARNA: STORMS.

Progress has been pretty slow, but I had a lot of Real Life stuff (taxes, etc.) in the second half of February. But! All that’s mostly wrapped up now, so hopefully we can pick up the pace a bit here.

Today I will work on a chapter with Tyrcamber and Ruari, which I haven’t done since September!

-JM

one year of WRAITHSHARD

A year ago this weekend I was getting ready to publish WRAITHSHARD: SWORD & FLAME.

Boy, I had no idea of the twists and turns that were coming for the rest of 2020, let me tell you!

But WRAITHSHARD: SWORD & FLAME’S Kindle Unlimited term is almost up, and the book will be coming to all retailers sometime in March if all goes well.

-JM

Episode 68: Marketing Funnels For Indie Authors

In this episode, we discuss the idea of the “marketing funnel”, and how to best utilize it for indie authors.

I also answer questions from readers about the DRAGONTIARNA and GHOST NIGHT series.

As always, you can listen to the show on Libsyn, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Amazon Music. You can also listen to it on YouTube:

-JM

DRAGONTIARNA: STORMS progress update

Starting the week at 24,000 words of DRAGONTIARNA: STORMS.

That puts me at Chapter 5 of 27.

I think that technically means I’m about 14.8% of the way through the rough draft. Definitely more to write yet.

Today I’ll be writing a scene with Niall of Ebor and Moriah Rhosmor. Haven’t done that since September!

-JM

X-Men Apocalypse

I finally got around to seeing X-MEN APOCALYPSE.  I can’t remember why I didn’t see it back in 2016, but I was in the middle of getting ready to move at the time, which knocked everything else off the radar for about half a year.

The movie got bad reviews, but I honestly can’t fathom why. I’m not going to argue that it was Great Cinema (TM), but it was solid, entertaining, and adhered to the rules of proper storytelling.

I have to admit that Apocalypse did give off a Sauron vibe, but Second Era Sauron, when he still had the ability to take a charismatic physical form and persuade rather than terrify. Like, I’m sure there were some pre-Nazgul who were like “Yeah! Uncle Sauron is right! We’re going to burn down the old world and make a better one. And I can tell he’s serious, because he gave me this really nifty magic ring to help!”

Then again, I am comparing the X-Men to the Silmarillion, which might be a category error. But that is the way my brain works. If I see something nonsensical in a science fiction story, I’ll start inventing a logical and coherent backstory for it.

But! That was a bit of a digression. I’d say X-MEN APOCALYPSE is an enjoyable movie to watch with a bowl of popcorn. Though I suspect it was more enjoyable to watch it at home than in the theatre because it is a long movie that might need a bathroom break halfway through.

-JM

a free audiobook!

Since I started self-publishing back in 2011, I’ve been giving away some of my ebooks for free. Currently, you can get FROSTBORN: THE GRAY KNIGHT, CHILD OF THE GHOSTS, DEMONSOULED, and a few of my other of my titles for free in ebook form.

Until recently, there hasn’t been any good method of giving away audiobooks for free, but the software has come a long way since then, and I’ve been experimenting with some of the programs. YouTube is apparently a common method. I don’t really like YouTube all that much and avoid it unless I happen to need to find an instructional video on a specific technical topic (choosing the proper kind of wood screws for deck repair, for example) but apparently a lot of people use YouTube for recreational viewing and listening.

That means you can currently listen to CLOAK GAMES: THIEF TRAP for free on YouTube! (As an added bonus, my podcast will be uploaded to YouTube as well.) If you’re looking to listen to something for your next walk or car ride, check it out here:

-JM

DRAGONTIARNA: STORMS progress & preview

Now 10,000 words into DRAGONTIARNA: STORMS. A short six-word preview:

-The Battle of Cintarra. The rematch!

Meanwhile, THE GHOSTS and GHOST EXILE series comes out of Kindle Unlimited today, so I’ll be reactivating the books on the other platforms. I’ve also been uploading the audiobooks to Google Play, Kobo, Chirp, and Scribd as time allows, and you can see one of the new covers below:

-JM

The Pulp Writer Show, Episode 67: How To Focus On Writing

In this week’s episode, I discuss how to focus on writing new fiction even when faced with other urgent tasks.

I also give an update on new and upcoming publishing projects and answer reading questions about AVENGING FIRE and the CLOAK MAGE series.

-JM

DRAGONTIARNA: STORMS underway!

Now that GHOST IN THE TALISMAN is done, it’s full speed ahead on DRAGONTIARNA: STORMS!

The book will probably be out in early April. I had hoped for March, and March is theoretically possible, but STORMS is going to be a long and complicated book, and I’ve got a bunch of Real Life stuff coming up in February and March. (STORMS a LOT of territory to cover, and like DEFENDERS and CROWNS, there will be sequences with all five of the main POV characters.) So early April is most likely.

I am also starting on the next GHOST NIGHT book, GHOST IN THE LORE. That will come out after DRAGONTIARNA: STORMS, so probably May.

I do have a couple of side projects that are nearing completion in the next few weeks, too:

–WRAITHSHARD: SWORD & FLAME will be leaving Kindle Unlimited and enter all the other ebook retailers the last week of February. The remaining four books will follow in the first half of April. SWORD & FLAME gets out Kindlue Unlimited at the end of February, and the other four books’ KU term ends in April.

-THE GHOSTS and the GHOST EXILE audiobooks will soon be available on Google Play, Kobo, Scribd, Chirp, and all the audiobook stores outside of Amazon/Audible/Apple. Actually, as of right now, CHILD OF THE GHOSTS and GHOST IN THE FLAMES are available wide, and the rest of the GHOSTS audiobooks will soon follow.

-The first thirteen FROSTBORN books are now available in hardback on Amazon, and the last two should follow shortly.

-You might recall that one of my writing goals for 2021 was to write a short book about how to write a novel. I’ve been working on it since October, and it’s almost done! STORYTELLING: HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL will be out in the first week of March. You can see the cover image below.

-I might have something new to try with audiobooks if I can figure out how to make the software work.

Thanks for reading, everyone! More books coming soon.

-JM