H.R. Jackson's Blog: Writerly Ramblings, page 2

Ask Not For Whom The Crickets Chirp…

… They apparently chirp for the authors.

Just a quickie update for everyone!

We’re currently in second rewrites on Book 2, The Hand of Time, after receiving some excellent feedback from our test readers. We had hoped to get this one out by the end of February, but, alas, as is the case with writing, sometimes you have to go back to the drawing board on a few parts and overhaul the areas that need serious work. We want this one to knock your socks off as much as the first book, so patience is a virtue (or so we keep reminding ourselves!)

At present, we’re hoping for a release sometime by the middle of March. Fear not, dear readers, we will definitely let you know as soon as we’re ready to get this thing out there. We’ve got a wonderful illustrator/artist working on the cover and as SOON as I get the proofs on that, I’ll at least update here so you know what to look for.

As a peace offering, here’s an actual snippet from the book, just to whet your appetites:

The sound of a loud thunderclap shocked me forward into a few wobbly steps, my hand landing heavily on the top of a tan cloth chair back. My body felt as if I’d just been flung down a mountain side, while my head felt like it had been twisted on like a bottle cap. Looking around the room as my eyes began to focus, making it easier to orient myself, details and objects with a familiar feel surrounded me.

Great. Where am I now? I’d about had it with unexpected venue changes for one lifetime. I wondered if I’d have to start carrying a card around that said, “Hi. My name is Dirk. I’ll be conscious shortly. If I seem lost, it’s because I am. Please be sure to let me know where I’ve appeared this time.”

A heavy gust of wind flung cold water against my back and I turned to face the source. An open terrace door tapped against an outside wall leading to a wide terrace, while a lightning outside beckoned for me to approach. I made my way over, stepping out onto the balcony. I was treated to a view of thick pewter storm clouds drenching the streets of the city below with torrents of rain.

In the distance to my right, a large Ferris wheel turned slowly among other pier buildings in a vast marina. To my left, two stadiums towered above clusters of smaller buildings like grand monarchs. Past the pier, a large airship —reminiscent of one of the many built at my father’s factory— drifted drunkenly, buffeted by the winds. Lightning split the sky behind the dirigible followed by a rolling peal of thunder so loud it rattled the door behind me in its casement. I wasn’t on Nemesis Island anymore, which was near Seattle, I was in the city proper.

Gods, why does this keep happening to me?

My recognition spread to my surroundings as the unique architecture drew me back inside. The room itself wasn’t a square. Soft cream painted walls sloped high overhead into a pyramid shape. Built-in bookshelves, crammed to capacity with ancient looking, well-worn tomes, lined each wall about halfway up, broken only by several large triangular windows.

Above the bookcases, metal walkways lined the interior of the room. An elaborate brass work spiral staircase tucked into one corner wound up to the catwalks and also descended into the wooden floor, hinting at another level below me. The entire place would be lit by candlelight with the flameless metal sconces near me as an indicator of that. As it was, the soft crackle of a fire in the hearth across the room lent enough light to the area to combat the darkness from the storm outside.

The rest of the interior looked like a tornado had just blown through. Antique furniture tossed about, broken glass strewn along the floor winking in the firelight. Had that not been the case, the room would’ve been immaculate. Less like a museum, and more like a home that had been well-lived in for a very long time. I groaned as realization crashed over me, reaching up to scrub at my face to counter the wrenching knot that settled in my stomach.

I’m in my father’s tower.

 

That’s it for now! Keep your eyes peeled for further updates

~H.R.

Minutes to Midnight, Chapter 26!

And we’ve reached the end of Minutes to Midnight. This is the last chapter in the book, and I have to admit that I am so excited for the next one! We’ve started the first round of edits, with our sights set on later this month having book two in the hands of our test readers.

It’s been a long, hard road, but I can’t even tell you how happy we are that you’ve listened, that you’ve commented, that you’ve reviewed and enjoyed our first outing!

Not only are we working on book two of The Nemesis Chronicles, but we’re kicking around a potential idea for a new series as well.

I’m excited to have spent this year sharing our story with all of you! Keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for the latest developments.

In the meantime, enjoy this last chapter. Morgan has quite a bit to say. *grins*

Massive Fangirling!

I’m going to get a little personal here for a moment.

I am a bibliophile. I love books. I unabashedly blame my parents and grandparents for this fact. It is the greatest gift they’ve ever given me (aside from the obvious “life” one) and I hope to someday pass that same adoration on to my own children. My first real paying job, when everyone around  me was slaving away in a fast food joint, was as a library clerk. I used to spend hours walking through the hushed silence, letting my fingers trail along the neatly arranged spines, just waiting for the next new discovery to capture my attention. I would lose myself in these words, these worlds, brought to life by others more bold, more talented than I and daydream about one day being able to also hold the coveted title of “author”.

When my husband said he wanted to write with me, it was like a dream come true. And it became a reality in February of this year. We self published our first title, the one you’re currently enjoying (or soon to be), Minutes To Midnight. And it was during that process that I learned a very valuable lesson: writing is like pouring your heart and soul onto paper, and publishing that work is absolutely nerve wracking. But when the positive reviews started rolling in, I knew that we’d done something magical.

There are many authors, past and present, who are on my list of “someday want to meet, if even for a second”. Tonight, I will get to be in the presence of one of my biggest influences and most favorite urban fantasy author, and I am absolutely freaking out about it.

I first found out about Jim Butcher’s Dresden File series through the short lived Syfy series. I was instantly enraptured by the world presented, and immediately went on the search for the books that spawned this incredible show. I devoured Storm Front and quickly made my way through each novel until I was all caught up and joining the masses who constantly waited for the next one to be released. It is, without fail, one of the very few books that I will buy in hard cover, ON the day it’s released, because I love them that much.

When we first moved to Seattle, we had the opportunity to see him in person, but were so new to the city that we ultimately didn’t get to because we got lost. By the time we figured out just where we were, it was too late for us to show up, and I was heartbroken. I wanted to tell Jim Butcher just how influential he’d been in my own writing endeavors, to share with him my gratitude for being bold enough to put his work out there for aspiring authors, like me, to enjoy and one day hope to emulate.

So I find it incredibly gratifying to be able to say that the same year we finally published our novel, we will potentially get that chance. This time, there won’t be any “getting lost” on the way. We have tickets. We WILL be leaving early. And our GPS will *not* abandon us tonight. I will stand like the giddy fangirl that I am, clutching my copy of Cold Days and stand in line for as long as it takes just so I can tell him thank you. Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for showing me that perseverance can lead to wonderful things. Thank you for continuing to write, to expand the Dresden universe, and for making me realize that an epic story cannot be contained.

Thank you for showing me that anything is possible. Even in a world where the only magic resides in the written words encased between two covers.

That said, I’ll probably just break down and squee all over him and make a total fangirl fool of myself.

And I’m okay with that.

Minutes To Midnight, Chapter 25, And Massive Fangirling!

I’m going to get a little personal here for a moment.

I am a bibliophile. I love books. I unabashedly blame my parents and grandparents for this fact. It is the greatest gift they’ve ever given me (aside from the obvious “life” one) and I hope to someday pass that same adoration on to my own children. My first real paying job, when everyone around  me was slaving away in a fast food joint, was as a library clerk. I used to spend hours walking through the hushed silence, letting my fingers trail along the neatly arranged spines, just waiting for the next new discovery to capture my attention. I would lose myself in these words, these worlds, brought to life by others more bold, more talented than I and daydream about one day being able to also hold the coveted title of “author”.

When my husband said he wanted to write with me, it was like a dream come true. And it became a reality in February of this year. We self published our first title, the one you’re currently enjoying (or soon to be), Minutes To Midnight. And it was during that process that I learned a very valuable lesson: writing is like pouring your heart and soul onto paper, and publishing that work is absolutely nerve wracking. But when the positive reviews started rolling in, I knew that we’d done something magical.

There are many authors, past and present, who are on my list of “someday want to meet, if even for a second”. Tonight, I will get to be in the presence of one of my biggest influences and most favorite urban fantasy author, and I am absolutely freaking out about it.

I first found out about Jim Butcher’s Dresden File series through the short lived Syfy series. I was instantly enraptured by the world presented, and immediately went on the search for the books that spawned this incredible show. I devoured Storm Front and quickly made my way through each novel until I was all caught up and joining the masses who constantly waited for the next one to be released. It is, without fail, one of the very few books that I will buy in hard cover, ON the day it’s released, because I love them that much.

When we first moved to Seattle, we had the opportunity to see him in person, but were so new to the city that we ultimately didn’t get to because we got lost. By the time we figured out just where we were, it was too late for us to show up, and I was heartbroken. I wanted to tell Jim Butcher just how influential he’d been in my own writing endeavors, to share with him my gratitude for being bold enough to put his work out there for aspiring authors, like me, to enjoy and one day hope to emulate.

So I find it incredibly gratifying to be able to say that the same year we finally published our novel, we will potentially get that chance. This time, there won’t be any “getting lost” on the way. We have tickets. We WILL be leaving early. And our GPS will *not* abandon us tonight. I will stand like the giddy fangirl that I am, clutching my copy of Cold Days and stand in line for as long as it takes just so I can tell him thank you. Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for showing me that perseverance can lead to wonderful things. Thank you for continuing to write, to expand the Dresden universe, and for making me realize that an epic story cannot be contained.

Thank you for showing me that anything is possible. Even in a world where the only magic resides in the written words encased between two covers.

That said, I’ll probably just break down and squee all over him and make a total fangirl fool of myself.

And I’m okay with that.

Only one chapter to go on this audio adventure! Enjoy!

Minutes To Midnight, Chapter 24!

We’re finally reaching the end of book one, but never fear!

We’re still working on book 2, and have officially started the editing process, so fingers crossed it’ll all go smoothly.

In the meantime, enjoy chapter 24!

 

Minutes To Midnight, Chapter 23!

Oh my goodness, you guys. We received one of the most amazing reviews and I simply must share it with you:

“It’s been an incredibly long time since I’ve last been extremely excited about a book series, the last time being because of the Harry Potter series. And then this book comes along and does exactly that: making me anticipate the next one in the series.

I did not have high expectations when I downloaded the (audio) book, partly because I wasn’t really impressed by the cover, but any doubts were thrown out the window as soon as I had finished the first chapter. At first I couldn’t keep track of the characters, nor what on earth was going on. However, once I got over the initial panic I found out that everything would become clear over the course of time.

So what did I love about this book so much?

First thing that nearly had me jumping up and down in excitement was the language. The writers have a great ability to describe situations in the most vivid of ways. Even if it’s a fantasy novel, you can clearly see in your mind what the scenery and characters look like with just enough freedom to imagine things of your own.

Secondly, I loved the diversity in characters and how in-depth most of them were. You get to see their good sides, but also their flaws. Morgan, one of the narrators, caught my attention in particular. It was great how the author(s) incorporated the Amazones from Greek mythology into a modern world. Morgan immediately proved to be a woman with the courage and power to fight for herself (despite the fact that she needed help along the way), which is something I like to see in female characters. I have grown tired of women being depicted as weak and needy, unable to take care of themselves. Morgan – and the other Amazones – were a welcome distraction because they had the perfect balance between being strong and needing help.

Furthermore, the story has suspense, love, suffering, cool magic abilites AND most importantly: a plot twist that you did not anticipate.

I throroughly enjoyed Minutes to Midnight and can’t wait for the second book in the series of The Nemesis Chronicles!” ~Sifra

Seriously. Thank you, Sifra. Thank you EVERYONE who has taken the time to comment and review and get the word out about our book! Knowing that you enjoyed it, in whatever format you used, really does drive home one of the big reasons we keep on keeping on. Because of you.

And here I go, getting all misty. Damn onion ninjas!

Dirk?

Chapter 23!

Oh my goodness, you guys. We received one of the most amazing reviews and I simply must share it with you:

“It’s been an incredibly long time since I’ve last been extremely excited about a book series, the last time being because of the Harry Potter series. And then this book comes along and does exactly that: making me anticipate the next one in the series.

I did not have high expectations when I downloaded the (audio) book, partly because I wasn’t really impressed by the cover, but any doubts were thrown out the window as soon as I had finished the first chapter. At first I couldn’t keep track of the characters, nor what on earth was going on. However, once I got over the initial panic I found out that everything would become clear over the course of time.

So what did I love about this book so much?

First thing that nearly had me jumping up and down in excitement was the language. The writers have a great ability to describe situations in the most vivid of ways. Even if it’s a fantasy novel, you can clearly see in your mind what the scenery and characters look like with just enough freedom to imagine things of your own.

Secondly, I loved the diversity in characters and how in-depth most of them were. You get to see their good sides, but also their flaws. Morgan, one of the narrators, caught my attention in particular. It was great how the author(s) incorporated the Amazones from Greek mythology into a modern world. Morgan immediately proved to be a woman with the courage and power to fight for herself (despite the fact that she needed help along the way), which is something I like to see in female characters. I have grown tired of women being depicted as weak and needy, unable to take care of themselves. Morgan – and the other Amazones – were a welcome distraction because they had the perfect balance between being strong and needing help.

Furthermore, the story has suspense, love, suffering, cool magic abilites AND most importantly: a plot twist that you did not anticipate.

I throroughly enjoyed Minutes to Midnight and can’t wait for the second book in the series of The Nemesis Chronicles!” ~Sifra

Seriously. Thank you, Sifra. Thank you EVERYONE who has taken the time to comment and review and get the word out about our book! Knowing that you enjoyed it, in whatever format you used, really does drive home one of the big reasons we keep on keeping on. Because of you.

And here I go, getting all misty. Damn onion ninjas!

Dirk?

Goodreads Review Of Amazingness!

Oh my goodness, you guys. We received one of the most amazing reviews and I simply must share it with you:

“It’s been an incredibly long time since I’ve last been extremely excited about a book series, the last time being because of the Harry Potter series. And then this book comes along and does exactly that: making me anticipate the next one in the series.

I did not have high expectations when I downloaded the (audio) book, partly because I wasn’t really impressed by the cover, but any doubts were thrown out the window as soon as I had finished the first chapter. At first I couldn’t keep track of the characters, nor what on earth was going on. However, once I got over the initial panic I found out that everything would become clear over the course of time.

So what did I love about this book so much?

First thing that nearly had me jumping up and down in excitement was the language. The writers have a great ability to describe situations in the most vivid of ways. Even if it’s a fantasy novel, you can clearly see in your mind what the scenery and characters look like with just enough freedom to imagine things of your own.

Secondly, I loved the diversity in characters and how in-depth most of them were. You get to see their good sides, but also their flaws. Morgan, one of the narrators, caught my attention in particular. It was great how the author(s) incorporated the Amazones from Greek mythology into a modern world. Morgan immediately proved to be a woman with the courage and power to fight for herself (despite the fact that she needed help along the way), which is something I like to see in female characters. I have grown tired of women being depicted as weak and needy, unable to take care of themselves. Morgan – and the other Amazones – were a welcome distraction because they had the perfect balance between being strong and needing help.

Furthermore, the story has suspense, love, suffering, cool magic abilites AND most importantly: a plot twist that you did not anticipate.

I throroughly enjoyed Minutes to Midnight and can’t wait for the second book in the series of The Nemesis Chronicles!” ~Sifra

Seriously. Thank you, Sifra. Thank you EVERYONE who has taken the time to comment and review and get the word out about our book! Knowing that you enjoyed it, in whatever format you used, really does drive home one of the big reasons we keep on keeping on. Because of you.

And here I go, getting all misty. Damn onion ninjas!

Minutes To Midnight, Chapter 22!

Happy Election Day, everyone in the US.

Anyone else tired of the constant political ads running everywhere lately? I, for one, will be SO glad when this election is over, if only to see the ads stop.

Naturally, so they can be replaced by early Christmas carols, right? *grins*

Book 2 is progressing along and we’re so excited that there’s still such good word of mouth out there about Minutes To Midnight! Keep it up, and I might just make a book trailer for it.

In the meantime, let’s check in on Morgan.

Enjoy!

Chapter 22!

Happy Election Day, everyone in the US.

Anyone else tired of the constant political ads running everywhere lately? I, for one, will be SO glad when this election is over, if only to see the ads stop.

Naturally, so they can be replaced by early Christmas carols, right? *grins*

Book 2 is progressing along and we’re so excited that there’s still such good word of mouth out there about Minutes To Midnight! Keep it up, and I might just make a book trailer for it.

In the meantime, let’s check in on Morgan.

Enjoy!