Keith Robinson's Blog, page 10

Free short story Riding the Serpent now available

This month's short story is the final segment in the run of tales about Hal's friends as they discover their shapeshifting talents and escape from the Island of Fog. Emily is, as you know, the last to transform.

Riding the Serpent
Emily is worried she might be the only one of her classmates without a shapeshifting talent. After an eventful afternoon breaking into the lighthouse and blocking the fog-hole, now there's a mad dash for Elsewhere. Will she discover her ability before it's too late?

Although these stories are completely free, sometime next month I intend compiling these six related segments (not including the Christmas tale) into an ebook and releasing it on Kindle, Nook, Apple, and Kobo. This compilation will form the second book in the Island of Fog Chronicles and will cost $2.99. I don't expect you to buy it if you've already consumed the stories on this website for free, but many have asked for an ebook version, and I intend to deliver -- but at a price, because it's very difficult to mark a book as free on Amazon and Nook, and if I'm going to price it, then I won't cheapen it with that horrible $0.99 label.

So there. :-)

You can find the short story section on the official Island of Fog page, or you can jump straight to it here.

Please let me know what you think! And remember, a free short story will always be published every month on the 15th (even if it's a little late and arrives on the 16th instead). Next month is something completely different.

Robot Blood (Sleep Writer Book 2) is published

And... here it is! Robot Blood, the second book in my Sleep Writer series, is published. It takes place a week after the first book and throws Liam Mackenzie into all kinds of danger on an alien planet. But there's a twist, because Liam can't die and should therefore be perfectly safe on this deadly mission. Or so the Ark Lord says.

ROBOT BLOOD
(Sleep Writer Book 2)

Liam is kidnapped by a small robot and taken into space. There he meets the Ark Lord, a creepy cyborg bent on recruiting a team of so-called invincible soldiers for a very specific mission.

There's nothing special about Liam except that he's seen his own future, which means his chances of survival are pretty much guaranteed, making him ideal for a potentially deadly task. To help him along, the Ark Lord injects Liam with cyborg-creating nanobots...

This is the second book in the Sleep Writer sci-fi adventure series.

Available on Kindle US, Kindle UK, Nook, Apple, and Kobo. See also Goodreads.

Price: $3.99

Brian Clopper (beta reader, author, buddy, 5th-grade teacher, and foot soldier in Quincy's Curse) was kind enough to read the book in its earlier stages and found typos and made some excellent suggestions. I'm glad I sat on it for a week while I was away on vacation, because it gave me time to realize it was missing something. So I inserted some new material somewhere near the end, and now it works much better, a more complete story. Brian had this to say about the book:

"Robot Blood, the second book in Keith Robinson's Sleep Writer series, continues the adventures of Liam, Ant, and Madison as they once again let wormholes get the best of them. Or do they?

This books moves at a swift pace but doesn't sacrifice character development. The kids act like kids. They make both good and bad choices and learn to adapt in a way that makes it clear Robinson knows what it's like to be a kid who just so happens to stray in and out of wormholes like most of us splash through small creeks and streams.

Liam gets thrust into a dire predicament when he is snatched up by the menacing Ark Lord. Injected with nanorobots that change him into a techno warrior, Liam is forced to go on a mission with others equally transformed.

Liam questions their goal and the price of their actions. Robinson does a great job of showing how kids have a strong sense of what is morally right and wrong under extreme circumstances that doesn't come across as out of character or acting too adult.

A concept that Robinson explores in this installment is the idea of whether time is malleable or not. Liam got a glimpse of his future in the first book, Sleep Writer, and knows something crucial about his senior years. The whole thrust of the second book answers the question of whether what he saw in the future is something that is fixed and destined or if his future can be changed. I tend to see time as something that is always in flux and able to be altered, while the author posits that maybe it isn't all that flexible, that what awaits us at the end of the road is something fixed and irreversible. Knowing your future can be a horrible burden or a liberating release. Only time will tell how Liam feels about this.

While Keith tackles some serious philosophical timey-whimey perspectives, the book doesn't feel heavy. It zips along at a delightful pace and is loaded with action and time-traveling grubs. Yes, that's right, grubs who can manipulate time and space. What next, weevils with the ability to fold space? Leave it to Robinson to deliver a science fiction novel with style and import and grubs.

I am eagerly looking forward to the next book in this series, Caleb's World."

  — Review by Brian Clopper, Author

By the way, this might be a good time to mention that recently I received a fantastic review of the first book, Sleep Writer, from New York Times bestselling fantasy author Piers Anthony. He's usually pretty matter-of-fact in his reviews, not overly gushy when he likes something and not afraid to say when something needs work. He's read all my books to date, and I'm happy to say he's liked them all so far, but I was astounded by his review of Sleep Writer. See what he wrote:

"I read Sleep Writer by Keith Robinson, published last year by UNEARTHLY TALES. This is a juvenile with a twelve year old protagonist, but as with this author's other juveniles, don't let that discourage you as an adult reader. For my taste this is one of the best novels I've read regardless of genre; it haunted me for several days after I read it. I have remarked before, I believe, on how traditional publishers tend to be stupid, missing some really sharp new authors, and Keith Robinson is an outstanding example, as his Island of Fog series shows.

In this one, Liam has a filthy rich friend his age he calls Ant, short for Anthony (no known relation to me), and they tend to get into incidental mischief the way boys do. A new family moves in next door, with a pretty 15 year old girl, Madison. Liam is disappointed; obviously she won't be any good as a pal. Little does he know! Then she comes over and asks where the nearest cemetery is. About that time Liam, Ant, and the reader, realize that this will get interesting, and not just because he soon develops a hopeless crush on Maddy. She is the sleep writer: in her sleep she writes cryptic little messages to herself calling out places and times. The next one is that night in the cemetery. Naturally Liam, Ant, and Maddy sneak out to make the rendezvous. And lo, an alien portal or wormhole opens, complete with weird alien creatures. The story goes on from there, getting pretty wild at times. They make other connections, and at one point Liam even jumps into a wormhole and briefly visits the alien realm, snatching an alien artifact.

But wild as the story seems, it all makes sense in the end, and there are concluding revelations that made me pause in awe and wonder. This author has found a way to handle the equivalent of time travel without dissolving too badly into paradox. Paradox is inevitable with time travel, but it can it seems be managed it you're careful, though it's best not to examine it too closely.

I'm glad there will be a sequel, Robot Blood, because I really like these characters and this setting. What can I say? Read this novel regardless of your age; I doubt you'll be disappointed, and your mind may be stretched a bit. Buy it for your twelve year old son; he should love it. Maybe your teen daughter will like it too. The final ten percent blew me away, transforming the picture. Maybe it just happened to relate to me in a way it won't to others, but read it and see."

  — Review by Piers Anthony, Author (see the July 2015 newsletter and scroll down a long way)

If you're a fan of Island of Fog and want to try something new, see how Liam compares to Hal. He's a lot more reckless but has the same inner strength and nobility that makes Hal so likeable. And the adventures are pretty wild.

The next book in the series is called Caleb's World, and I expect to publish this around September 2015. Things are hotting up (British phrasing) around here!

Labyrinth of Fire Audiobook now available!

Following on from the release of Island of Fog in audiobook format back in March 2015, the second book is also now available. Labyrinth of Fire can be purchased from Audible, Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), and also on iTunes.

See both books on Audible here.

Once again, Fred Wolinsky somehow managed to maintain the identity of each character while adding a variety of new ones. You almost don't need any dialog tags at all (Hal said, Abigail exclaimed, etc) because the voices are so distinctive.

My personal favorite part of this book in terms of action is the harpy raid on the town of Louis. I remember thinking, "Man, this is a great book! I wonder who wrote it? Oh, wait, it was me..." Hehe. The subsequent events up on Harpy Hill are good too, with all the scratchy harpy voices really adding to their vileness.

As I said in a previous post... If you've read the series (or at least the first book), I hope you'll find it interesting to listen to it played out by a talented narrator. I know of some fans who often read it to their children or class, so it could actually be useful and fun to have an audiobook AND a book so that listeners can hear and read the words at the same time. If you're not an Audible member, you can get the audiobook for free by signing up and becoming a member today.

This book is 9 hours 54 minutes in length.

Next up is Mountain of Whispers. Fred Wolinsky will be starting that shortly, and the absolute latest it will be published is December 1st 2015, probably much earlier.

Let me know what you think!

Robot Blood is finished!

The second book in the Sleep Writer series, Robot Blood, is now finished. I had planned on a June release, but I want to give it one last read-through on my Kindle before I publish in case there are some more typos to pick up (and let's face it, there probably are). And because I'm going on vacation at the end of June without internet access, I've decided to delay publication until July 7.

So all those who are chomping at the bit, please bear with me!

The Sleep Writer Series

Meanwhile, I've already gotten a head-start on the third book in the series, Caleb's World. This is actually an older 70,000-word book (never published), but I intend cutting it down to 50,000 words and rewriting half. Still, with around 25,000 words already written and pretty well edited, I expect a fairly quick publication around October, perhaps even earlier. Stay tuned for more on this.

Free short story Darcy the Dryad now available

This month's short story covers the action in Black Woods and the evening's monster-unveiling ceremony in the street.

Darcy the Dryad
Having never been interested in wildflowers and plants before, it was with some surprise that Darcy woke and suddenly knew everything about the woods around her. And the fact that she was invisible didn't escape her notice either.

Once again, it's worth reiterating that these short stories read like chapters. They work great when experienced one after the other, with each offering a glimpse into a bigger story. As always, I'm mindful of the published novels and have adhered strictly to the text where necessary while adding new material around it. Oh, and when Darcy says she has a bump the size of a "stone," I realize that's a fairly British term (as opposed to "rock"), but it's in the original Island of Fog book and therefore must stay! That's how strict I am about this. I can add new stuff between scenes, and I can delve into the lead character's mind as much as I like, but to change even a single word of published dialog would be cheating.

You can find the new short story section on the official Island of Fog page, or you can jump straight to it here.

Please let me know what you think by posting your comments here! And remember, a free short story will be published every month on the 15th. Next month is the final chapter in this series of "recaps" from the first book, because Emily's transformation is the last. After that I'll be trying something completely new.

Robot Blood nearing completion and on schedule for June release

Book 2 in the Sleep Writer series is just about finished. I'm doing a read-through at the moment, doing some small edits as I go, and then I have to write the final two chapters. In case you haven't read the first book, Liam and Ant (both 12) and Madison (14) literally get sucked into alien and time-travel adventures via wormholes. All exciting stuff and well worth a read!

The Sleep Writer Series

Even though each book will be a standalone story, I can't help hinting at the next in the series because, well, these books involve time travel and it's only natural to glimpse the future! Robot Blood (Book 2) unveils something totally unexpected about Ant's chauffeur, and Caleb's Word (Book 3) will be all about that.

And yes, you heard correctly. Caleb's World is an older novel that I wrote years ago. I'm adapting it for this series because it fits so perfectly, and that means I already have a huge amount of the book already written. Of course I'll have to make some tweaks all the way through, but much of the first two-thirds is almost ready to go. The last third will need a rewrite, but even so, it should be ready in just a few months from now.

So the series so far is as follows:

Sleep Writer (already published)Robot Blood (coming June 2015)Caleb's World (coming September 2015)...and Book 4 around summer 2016

For the Island of Fog fans out there, don't lose heart. I fully intend returning to New Earth later this year and publishing early 2016. In the meantime, please do check out Sleep Writer if you haven't already. ;-)

Free short story Bird-Girl and the Shaggy Beast now available

Wow, I left it late this month! So late that this story MAY have a lingering typo or two. If you spot any, please let me know and I'll correct it.

Bird-Girl and the Shaggy Beast
Though Robbie and Lauren had both experienced odd changes and full-blown transformations before, it was during the gathering of shapeshifters at the lighthouse that they really got the hang of it.

You can find the new short story section on the official Island of Fog page, or you can jump straight to it here.

Please let me know what you think by posting your comments here! And remember, a free short story will be published every month on the 15th. The schedule is as follows:

June 15 -- DarcyJuly 15 -- EmilyAugust 15 -- Ideas? What would YOU like to see?

As I wrote the title of this story, I was reminded of The Beauty and the Beast. Yes, Lauren is the beauty and Robbie is the beast. I think the similarity ends there, though. Robbie is not a horrible monster, after all, and it's his dimwitted happy ogre grin that Lauren likes so much.

Whether you agree or not, I'm finding it quite interesting to write these pieces from the various characters' points of view. You'll note that the scenes fit perfectly with the original book, and of course there's some overlap and dialog you've read before, but there are other bits that will be new. And if you read these short stories as a serial, they actually tell the entire Island of Fog tale in a clear, chronological manner, almost like a standalone variation of the novel.

Next up is Darcy, who will be a challenge to write for because her transformation scene in the book basically occurs while she's unconscious. So I'm thinking up ways to make her story more interesting than just banging her head and waking up. Ha!

The price of Island of Fog novellas

I have great plans for the Island of Fog novellas. I published Eye of the Manticore in February, and most of the feedback I've received via email and Facebook has been positive. But is the price of $2.99 an issue?

Take this 2-star review from Amazon:

Not worth the price. This was a very short, although insightful, point of view story from Thomas. Not much outlined and displayed, although it did help (somewhat) explain/describe Thomas's history. I felt this was too short to be worth the price. But i definitely do love Robinson's Island of Fog chronicles and sincerely appreciate his writing and creativity.

The issue here might not just be the price. It might be that the novella is too short or simply not good enough to tell a full story. But the heading is "Not worth the price," which makes me think the price is indeed a major issue. Would the reader have given it a higher rating if it were free or $0.99? I don't know.

I'd really like to delve deeper into this and figure out how much of an issue the price is, versus the story itself. Would $2.99 have been too much for ANY novella no matter how good? Or would this novella have received a 2-star rating even if it were free? If that reviewer is reading this, please don't be shy! I'm always open to criticism and feedback, good or bad.

Before Eye of the Manticore was published, another reader once mentioned that $2.99 would be too much for any novella. Well, let's think about this. All the Island of Fog books are 100,000 words and were originally priced at $3.99 (except for Book 1, which is free in most places). Since Eye of the Manticore was looking to be about 40% of the length, at around 40,000 words, you could argue that its price should also be 40% at $1.60. So that reader was right.

However, $1.60 is a problem, for reasons I'll explain. As it stands today, the books are $4.99, meaning a 40%-length novella should be $1.99. This is better. But you see, authors earn 70% of the list price if the book is $2.99 and above, and only 30% if lower. This is a huge difference. A book priced at $2.99 earns me about $2.09 per book. A book priced at $2.98, just a penny less, would only earn me $0.89. And a book priced at $1.99 would be $0.59. This is the dilemma authors face for these shortish books.

So I opted for $2.99, the lowest price I could manage without drastically cutting my royalties. If I'm going to write novellas, or indeed any book, then I need to make it worth my while financially. It's not like I'm rolling in money from writing. The best I can hope for is to justify the time I spend away from actual paid work.

Then again, if a reader refuses to buy a novella for $2.99, then it's all for nothing. So there's a bit of a standoff here. I won't write them for less, but a reader might not buy them at that price. What to do?

It always surprises me when a reader says the price is too much. I forget that readers naturally have a different mindset. In my head, the violin starts up and I think of all the hours I spend writing and editing. I think to myself, "Why should this reader get it for less than the price of a Big Mac Meal, which is gobbled up in two minutes?" There's a reviewer who loved Book 1 (which was free) but complained that "the other books cost money" and gone on to ask where they can download them for free.

I think the internet -- complete with piracy -- has made a lot of people feel a bit too entitled. We occasionally spend $2 just to get cash out of an ATM, or $3 on a slushie or coffee, and we don't even blink. But spending the same on a book from a favorite author for hours of entertainment...?

All that said, every reader is different and has a unique case to put forward, and I'm not one to argue. The only thing is, I need to choose whether to write novellas that people balk at buying because of the price hurdle. I do seem to be selling Eye of the Manticore, but it only has two reviews -- a 5-star and a 2-star, which makes my overall rating pretty poor -- so it's hard to say what average readers really think.

Any and all thoughts on this subject are much appreciated!

Free short story Night of the Centaur now available

It's the 15th of the month, so here's another free short story...

Night of the Centaur
Dewey's dramatic transformation one stormy evening nearly got him captured by Miss Simone and a horde of goblins. Honestly, though, he was more concerned about running around naked in the rain -- not to mention the sinister voice in his head.

You can find the new short story section on the official Island of Fog page, or you can jump straight to it here.

Please let me know what you think by posting your comments here! And remember, a free short story will be published every month on the 15th. The schedule is as follows:

May 15 -- Robbie and Lauren (combined)June 15 -- DarcyJuly 15 -- Emily

I won't be detailing Hal's transformation since that's fully described in Island of Fog, and Thomas's story is detailed in the novella Eye of the Manticore. Therefore, the series of transformation stories will be up to date by mid-July, and after that I'll be moving on to other characters in the past, present, and future.

A few readers have asked whether these stories will be available in Kindle format. Currently the answer is no, but I might put them out as a collection when they're all done, a full "book" that will be available on all the usual channels (Kindle, Nook, Apple, Kobo, etc). If I do that, it won't be for profit. I'll price the book at $0.00 where possible, but Kindle and Nook will charge $0.99 as a bare minimum. How does that sound?

Free short story Nameless Monster is available today

It's the 15th of the month, and as promised, here's another free short story...

Nameless Monster
Though not actually the first to transform, it was Fenton's startling change – right in front of Dr. Porter – that brought Miss Simone to the island and started the ball rolling, the promise of a new beginning just around the corner.

You can find the new short story section on the official Island of Fog page, or you can jump straight to it here.

Please let me know what you think! And remember, a free short story will be published every month on the 15th.