Michell Plested's Blog, page 20

Mik Murdoch is back!

After a very brief hiatus, Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero is once again available for purchase and download. As you  no doubt know, Evil Alter Ego Press (EAEP) acquired the rights to the Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero series the beginning of May. Since that time, things have been moving extremely fast and book one, Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero is once again available. The book has undergone a few, subtle changes. It has been edited for better readability and the cover, while still sporting the original iconic image, is now a gorgeous wrap-around. Oh yes, and it has a new, lower price too! If you haven’t had the opportunity to experience Mik Murdoch yet, please take a moment and go here to […]

Reviews are Critical! And Needed…

Believe it or not, an author’s success is not based on selling books…at least, not just on selling books. Okay, I realize that is a counter-intuitive statement, but let me explain. If I sell 100 books to friends and family who have me sign said books to go up on their shelves, all I’ve done is sent 100 books out into the world to collect dust. Those friends and family who don’t actually read the books might tell the occasional visitor (who asks about the book) about how they have a friend or family member who is a writer. Likely, that is where the word-of-mouth promotion ends. On the other hand, if I sell 20 books to strangers who read […]

Singularly Focused

I’ve been away from writing new work for a while and it is weighing heavily on me. I haven’t added any words to Scouts 2, Jack Kane 2 or anything on Wattpad. Why? Cause I’m a publisher now too. You probably already know this but, my partner Jeffrey Hite and I started the press, Evil Alter Ego Press (EAEP) just over a year ago. Last year we published three books. This year it will be more (four in the next four months or so). Granted, three of those books were previously printed by another publisher but we still need to go through all the right steps to ensure quality books come out the other end. That means editing, proofing, layout and […]

Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero – Available June 1

I’ve been working very hard to get Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero ready for print. Ever since my former publisher and I agreed to part ways, I have been planning for the relaunch. It will happen June 1st, 2016 and I couldn’t be happier. The book will feature a familiar, but improved, cover. I’ve had a crack team of proof readers going through the book with a fine-toothed comb to iron out some of the issues and clunky bits of the story. Evil Alter Ego Press (EAEP) will be offering the book at a much-reduced price (and the eBook for $0.99 too). In other words, Mik Murdoch 2.0 should be improved in almost every way. And it doesn’t end there. Mik […]

The Hard Work has Begun

The acquisition of my books by Evil Alter Ego Press (EAEP) means I can’t quite focus on new writing. At least, not yet. Every book, published or unpublished, has errors in it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a book without a few. That being said, EAEP wants to put out the best product possible. That means more time put into reviewing/revising. New layout. New cover. All that good stuff. Fortunately, I have some wonderful people working with me on all of that. The refreshed cover for the first book is complete and I have word-police sifting through the book as we speak. I expect the resulting product to be glorious. You may say, “But the new cover looks like […]

The Big Announcement

I’ve been vaguely hinting about a big announcement for a few weeks now. The time has finally come where I make the big reveal. So, here goes… The print and eBook rights for Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero and all books in the series have been acquired by Evil Alter Ego Press (EAEP) effective April 30th. What does this mean? Five Rivers Press has removed all distribution for the series and will no longer publish the series. The books are currently considered out-of-print and are only available as used books. Effectively, I am no longer a Five Rivers author. As of June 1, 2016, Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero will be available for purchase as a print and eBook from Evil Alter […]

Waiting (Im)patiently

I have a major announcement coming up (Sunday) that has essentially killed my writing productivity. Instead, I’ve been preparing for the announcement and everything it means going forward. Trust me when I say, the waiting has been VERY difficult. I hate being idle but the creativity just isn’t there so I have to live with it. I’m not actually writing this post to intentionally tease you either. I just realized that I’ve been silent for almost two weeks and I wanted to let you know I AM still alive. In other News I will be at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo again this year (as a spectator-only). […]

The Missing Link

Have you ever been working on a story and it’s almost there, but there is something missing? Maybe it needs a character or a scene or a plot point that would change the work from pretty good to fantastic? In my case, I’ve been thinking about my next Mik Murdoch novel. For those of you who have been paying attention, I have been talking about Mik Murdoch: Crisis of Conscience. That book WILL be coming out soon. The exact date is still a closely guarded secret but, I promise, will be announced in a few weeks. No, the book I’m thinking of is Mik 4. The final title is still a while away from being decided. Anyway…I started thinking about […]

Great Things are Coming

There are a number of changes coming in my life, none bad…just different. I know I’m teasing you a bit here because I haven’t given any details. Just be assured that I will be making an announcement in a few weeks. It will involve my books (naturally) and what’s coming and how soon. I know I’m excited to share and I hope you are happy with what you hear. In other news, GalaxyBillies is the little train that could. If you don’t know what GalaxyBillies is, it is a serialized story I wrote and podcast a few years ago. Two years ago I decided to put it up on Wattpad. It did okay until it was featured. That’s when it […]

Review: Tunnel in the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein

I first read the novel, Tunnel in the Sky when I was barely into my teens and it is a story that has always stuck with me. It tells the far-future tale of a school group that goes off-planet for their final exam. To pass, they need to survive several days in an unknown, alien environment filled will predators and prey (some of whom are human on both sides of the scale). There is a problem and the several days becomes a much, much longer period of time. The story fascinated me then and still does today for many of the same reasons. Surviving and even thriving when the odds are stacked up against you is a theme that resonates […]