John H. Carroll's Blog, page 5

Four years published - Self published sales information

Happy Anniversary . . . (s)

So, on November 24th, I celebrated (completely forgot) my 4th anniversary of self-publishing.  On November 30th, I celebrated my 18th wedding anniversary with my wife. Fortunately, I didn't forget that one.

Self Publishing

I decided to finally get around to writing a book in January of 2010, just as I had planned to do 20 years earlier.  2 things got me to finally do it.  I discovered Smashwords and decided I'd give self publishing a try, and I turned 40, at which point I realized I needed to accomplish something instead of making excuses why I hadn't.

I'm addicted to writing books to the degree that I now become anxious when I haven't written for a few days. It's the second most important thing in my life after my family.  I intend to do it for the rest of my life.

In these four years, I've written 24 original works (8 novels, 2 novellas, 4 short stories, and 10 children's books).  I've published 29 titles (4 compilations and an illustrated version of the Emo Bunny that Should)

2014 is the first year I haven't published a book. Difficulties in life have hampered my writing and all other aspects of being a successful self-publisher.  However, things have settled to a large degree and I'm writing more again.

Success

As far as success, I consider that I became a successful writer after I finished my first book, "Rojuun".  As for professional success, I've sold over 13,000 books in the last 4 years.  That makes me a low-level midlister in the self-publishing industry I believe.  It's hard to say. There's not a lot of sales info in the publishing world.  All the companies and most authors believe that sales are a matter of national security *sigh*.

I've decided to share my sales with anyone who's interested.  I've broken it down by book and by sales. There are others who have sold far more, and many who would love to have half this number.  I can tell you that it's taken a crazy amount of work to do this well, and if I had done more work I would have sold more.

If you are writing your own book, you can look at these numbers for information, but keep in mind that they are just the numbers of one author.  If you write, I hope you do it because you enjoy it and not to measure yourself against anyone else.

Sales by book

Rojuun (sales) 380 Anilyia 2853 Kethril 2441 Willden Trilogy omnibus 1092 Dralin 586 Ebudae 1312 Pelya 1146 Wyvern 770 Liselle 461 Rain Glade 224 Alien Coffee 292 Emo Bunny Illustrated 91 Collection 401 Collection 2 14 Wings of Fantasy 597 Blue Haired Alien Girlfriend 117 Test Pilot 217 Don't Ever Change 105 Storage Room in the Grey Void 13 Emo Bunny that Should 149 Zachary Zombie, Lost Boy 221 Drippy, Peg-Legged Rainbow 27 Unholy Cow 72 Attack, Sugar Plum Fairies 176 Phairyphant 27 Naughty Nanoworms 20 Zachary Zombie, Wicked Worm 8 Steampunk Roo 24 Pow the Panda 8 Grand Total - Sales 13844 Rojuun 52968 Dralin 15272 Blue Haired Alien Girlfriend 34386 Test Pilot 34186 Don't Ever Change 37393 Emo Bunny that Should 96090 Zachary Zombie, Lost Boy 40569 Drippy, Peg-Legged Rainbow 28544 Unholy Cow 29862 Attack, Sugar Plum Fairies 58936 Phairyphant 8 Naughty Nanoworms 9 Zachary Zombie, Wicked Worm 1754 Grand Total - Free Giveaways 429977
 Sales by store
Store Total Amazon 8742 Smashwords 527 Apple 2464 B&N 1707 Kobo 250 Sony 43 Createspace 61 Blio 8 Library Direct 16 Oyster 6 Grand Total - Sales 13824 Amazon 233720 Smashwords 50180 Apple 97707 B&N 45680 Kobo 3361 Sony 2831 Blio 82 Library Direct 4 Oyster 4 Diesel 43 Page Foundry 14 Grand Total - Free Giveaways 433626
Disparity in numbers 
There is a slight disparity between the total sales by store and by book. I would estimate that there is a 1% total error margin in the numbers. With 29 titles available through 15 distributors over the course of 48 months (I could show you the number of sales of each book by month in each store, but there’s not enough room here)  I haven't sorted out sales by country, though that information is available to a degree.  I'm also on Wattpad, but I haven't added the download info from there at this point.What to expect in the future  Currently, I'm 30,000 words into Liquid, the second book of the Wyvern Trilogy.  I hope to be done early next year if I can strangle enough time to write.  After that, I have hundreds of books in my mind waiting for their turn.The project that I'm truly excited about is that I've submitted "Dralin" to be published as an audio book.  If that goes well, I intend to make the entire Ryallon series into audio books and possibly even the Demented Children's stories.


*** Well, thank you for reading my books and allowing me to share my demented imagination.  I wish you all the best.John H. Carroll

Book Review: Upon the Fulcrum of War, The Aielund Saga Book 5

The Aielund Saga

The Aielund Saga is a series of books written by author and artist Stephen Nowland.  I first learned of him through a computer game called Neverwinter Nights.  It has a toolset that allows us to tell our stories through game modules using their game engine.  The Aielund Saga is a high-rated, award winning series of modules made by Stephen.  He's turned them into books that are even better.

You can find the module that includes the story for both of these books here: NWN Module

My reviews of the first two books are here: Book Review: Books 1 & 2 of the Aielund Saga And the review of the second two here: Book Review: Books 3 & 4 of the Aielund Saga

One of my favorite things about these books is that the author paints his covers.  Beautiful artistry. :)

Book 5, Upon the Fulcrum of War





Description:
Two years have passed since the narrow victory at Fort Highmarch, and Aiden Wainwright now commands the rebuilt fortress as Baron of Highmarch. But he finds himself helping to perpetuate a war against the neighbouring Kingdom of Tulsone, with no end in sight and a body count climbing ever higher. Two kingdoms, locked in struggle and unable to break free from the decades-long enmity which propels them toward destruction.

Scarred from his experiences, Aiden joins with some of his old companions and attempts to force a peaceful solution to the conflict, all the while convinced the king and his pet wizard have taken the shell of the ancient armour and seek to use it to bring a new era of tyranny to the realm. When the truth is finally revealed, events take an unexpected turn that could bring final devastation to both realms. 
You can get it at Amazon
Or Smashwords
Review

As it says in the description, this story picks up two years after the 4th book ends.  It is the beginning of a new series in a way, though staring many of the same characters.  Aiden, the main character in all the books is wiser, yet troubled.  He's been working as a pawn . . . errr politician . . . errr baron, running the fortress he helped rescue.  The moment word comes that someone needs help, he blows that popsicle stand and gets back to adventuring as is only proper.

Danger, betrayal, a conspiracy or three, more danger, surprise old friends, new dangerous frenemies, yet more danger, dragons, elves, dwarves and . . . did I mention danger? face our group.

The characters in the story have evolved even more and the interpersonal relationships show an intriguing complexity.  Mr. Nowland weaves the moral conflict of what good and evil truly are as he puts the characters in quandaries that would drive a normal person to madness.  The characters do the best they can to survive, all the while keeping how they truly feel about the author to themselves.

The battles are intense as always and there's no telling who will make it and who won't.  It feels as though the reader is there beside the characters, worrying for their safety.  Even more powerful spells light up the battlefield, taking the imagination to new heights.

As far as criticism, I would have liked to see a new major character thrown in the mix with the adventurers.  I think it could have given everyone a new dynamic to work off of.  Toward the end there was one person that was part of a twist I didn't see coming.  I believe that character will be more prominent in the next book and I look forward to it.

This book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, leaving the reader desperate to get their hands on the next one.  I'm going to be very interested to see how it turns out.

As with all of Mr. Nowland's books, the dialogue has humor scattered throughout, the battle scenes are vivid and intense.  If you enjoy rousing, epic adventures, this is an excellent series for you.

About the Author

I am often astonished by the sheer amount of ideas that go through my head. I have tasked myself to grab hold of as many as I can, weave them into stories, shaping them to my will, and like, writing them down, because people can't read thoughts.

I spent over fifteen years dealing with poor health, including chronic fatigue syndrome (a symptom of other stuff, but annoying nonetheless) which gave me ample time for thinking, but slowed me down in the way of actually writing.

My first novel was actually done back in aught three, but I didn't care for that sort of thing at the time, so I scrapped it and started writing a new story for Neverwinter Nights, that RPG video game thing you may or may not have heard of.

The story was so successful (filled with rich, creamy character development) that I lamented that only people playing the game would ever see it. In 2009, with my health improving, I resolved to novelize the stories I'd written, in addition to developing the world in which they exist, for fun and profit.

Thus was my first novel conceived, and lo, it was published online, for the enjoyment of all! The saga will be five books in total, with another 4-5 books after that as a second saga that's in the pipeline.

Oh, I also paint. Expect to see more cover art with each title, probably becoming more technically sophisticated each time.


Disclaimer

I have decided to review books that I enjoy. I am an avid reader of fantasy, so most of them will be in that genre. I'm not taking any requests, just reading what catches my eyes. You'll find that most of these are from Indie Authors. The way I figure it, David Eddings, Anne McCaffrey, Alan Dean Foster and Piers Anthony (my favorite authors) already have enough reviews, but Indies could always use a few more.

It is important to note here that while I am a writer, I am doing these reviews as a  reader . I also know a number of the authors I will be reviewing. This is not an exchange of reviews, nor have I been solicited by those authors to write the review.  If I don't like a book, I won't review it.

All my best,

John H. Carroll

Supreme Court and Gay Marriage

Courts and Gay Marriage.

Having a fabulous son who just happens to be gay, I spend a fair share of time paying attention to what happens with gay rights.  Gay Marriage is one of the hottest topics in the United States right now.  On October 6th, the Supreme Court denied petitions to review same sex marriages, which essentially allowed many states to proceed with allowing same sex marriages. Scotusblog

A friend of mine who happens to be an experienced lawyer did a write-up on it that explains the decision.
Legalizing Gay Marriage

There's a lot of misinformation going around about what are "states' rights" vs "Federal overstepping", and what legalizing gay marriage means in terms of expanding that to other lifestyles, so here is my brief analysis of the situation for anyone who may still be confused on those points:The gay marriage ban was an unconstitutional abridgment of rights, which is a federal matter, as are all Constitutional challenges. The Court of Appeals overturned the ban based on that reasoning, and by SCOTUS refusing to hear the cases, they have effectively given the Court of Appeals' decision the green light as to its its validity. This is how the judicial branch of the government operates, and the entire reason it was created. By design, it is in place to prevent states from encroaching on the rights of their citizens under the justification of it being a "state issue". Just because you don't like the outcome doesn't mean that you somehow had your states' rights taken away. It just means that you were wrong to begin with. The concept of marriage falls under contract law, which is indeed under the authority of the judicial system to regulate and decide.People seem to forget that it is called a marriage CONTRACT for a reason. There is no other area of contract law that places prohibition upon competent parties wishing to enter into a contract, other then marriage. The real issue here is not whether or not marriage is a religious or secular institute, it has to do with the unconstitutional curtailing of both personal liberties and the right to enter into a contract by competent parties who are in agreement to contract. Marriage is a legal contract that confers certain rights and obligations upon the parties entering into the contract, just as any other contract would. From a legal perspective, it is no different than two corporations signing a contract to merge.Churches do not have to perform a wedding ceremony if they believe it violates their religious tenets; that is their right under the freedom of religion clause - the legal contract of marriage itself is *not* a religious issue, therefore, religious institutes and states have no right to curtail *anyone* who is competent to enter into a legally binding contract from marrying. Do NOT mistake a religious wedding ceremony for legal contract rights. If marriage was solely a religious-based activity, then there would be no way to have a non-religious marriage ceremony performed. However, this is not the case. A justice of the peace, a judge, the captain of a ship, and a notary public can all legally perform a marriage ceremony, none of which are affiliated with religion. A marriage contract is a legal issue, it just happens to touch the fringes of religion, which is where people seem to get confused.As for the argument that legalizing gay marriage will somehow lead to opening the door for legalizing bestiality, child marriages, or legalizing "marriage to a vacuum cleaner", as I saw someone say on another thread, that goes back to the contract part of marriage. An animal, a child, and inanimate objects CANNOT be a party to a contract legally. Therefore, those relationships will NEVER be legal, since one of the "parties" to the marriage or relationship do not have the legal standing to enter into a contract. So that argument is completely invalid and totally off-base.Feel free to provide this information to others who do not understand this concept, please. I have seen dozens of comments on various threads throwing out all kinds of ridiculous statements that are completely wrong, so perhaps this will help someone counter some of the insanity going around.
In conclusion

I believe that homosexuality is completely natural.  People have rights regardless of their sexual preference and any activity to prevent those rights is an act of bigotry and suppression in my eyes.  Humanity has spent a great deal of effort coming out of the dark ages of ignorance.  It's vital to continue that progress.
All my best,
John H. Carroll

Ryallon Timeline

I've been working on Dates and timelines for the books in the Ryallon Series.

Explanation of the calendar



There are many calendars to measure the years in the world of Ryallon.  The most common in the continent of Nulanea, where the books are set, is the Altordanian Calendar.  It is the one that nearly everyone on the continent knows about, though many prefer the calendars of their countries.  The Eastern Countries especially prefer a different calendar.  However, for the purposes of comprehension, we'll just stick with this one.
The Altordanian Calendar is split into five ages covering millennia, a primary reason why it's known so well. Every year begins the first day of spring, which is the 1st day of the 4th month
First Age - UnknownSecond Age - lasted 1462 yearsThird Age - lasted 846 yearsFourth Age - lasted 2131 yearsFifth Age - Began 1369 years before the events in the Dralin Trilogy.
Pnonian Empire (mentioned in "Liselle" and "Wyvern") -  Fourth Age 644 - Fifth age 152. 
Morhain - Third Age 821 - Fourth Age 1881.  Ended in the Great Disappearing.
Timeline of books
All in the Altordanian Calendar, Fifth Age (Books that say (tentative) are ones that don't have timelines set in stone.  They may be slightly altered.)
Dralin Trilogy:
DRALIN  Winter 1369- Summer 1381EBUDAE  Summer 1385PELYA  Fall of 1389
Willden Trilogy:

ROJUUN  (Spring 1390)
ANILYIA  (Summer 1390)KETHRIL  (Fall 1390) 

Wyvern Trilogy:

WYVERN Fall 1389 - Winter 1390 
LIQUID (tentative) Summer 1392
CLOUDSWEPT (tentative) Summer 1393
Crazed Trilogy:

LISELLE Summer 1393
BOOK 2 (tentative) Winter 1392 - Winter 1393
BOOK 3 (tentative) Winter 1393
And that's all I have for now.  I hope this helps you sort out the stories as much as it's helped me.

All my best,

John H. Carroll

Notes on the Oxford Comma

Notes on the Oxford comma:

While reading my 'news' feed on Facebook, I cam across the picture below for about the millionth time.  I decided to respond.

1.  It's possible to write lists in such a way that it's not necessary.

Or you could say: We invited Washington, Lincoln and the rhinoceri.
2.  Sentences are understandable without it due to the fact that readers are accustomed to reading without it, thereby making making the rule unnecessary.

3.  I do not use the Oxford comma in my writing.  In 1 million published words, I haven't received a single comment saying something along the lines of, "I can only give this book 1 star due to the fact that there was no Oxford comma, leading me to unresolvable confusion."



All that said, everyone should write in the manner that works for them. The key is to understand the rules and make the writing understandable to as many people as possible.

And I will concede that it may be better to use the Oxford Comma than not.



All my best,

John H. Carroll

International Apple Book Bundle Promotion features "Wings of Fantasy"

So as you may or may not have noticed, I put together a box set a couple of weeks ago. What I couldn't tell you at the time, was that it was to be featured in a special promotion on Apple iTunes store, right as the iPhone 6 and iOS8 (which now includes iBooks as a standard feature) are being released. Here's the Smashwords link: http://blog.smashwords.com/2014/09/ibooks-launches-worldwide-book-bundles.html

A screenshot of it, there at the bottom right of the second row. :)
If you don't have it already, here is the link to the book on iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/wings-of-fantasy/id913427017?mt=11
The compilation features great fantasy books by myself, Valerie Douglas, M. R. Mathias, M. A. Nilles, Stephen L. Nowland, and E.M. Sinclair.  I highly recommend checking it and many of the others out.  There's a feast of stories in all of these compilations. :)
All my best,
John H. Carroll

Wings of Fantasy, A Box Set of Fantasy Books

Recently, it was suggested that I put together a compilation of books together.  After thinking about a number of the authors I knew and considering what sort of theme I could come up with, an idea came to me.  That idea grew wings, wings of fantasy . . . and that's the name of the book I came up with, Wings of Fantasy. 

The theme of the book is winged creatures in fantasy: dragons, fairies, monsters and even a city with wings.  The genre is fantasy with full length books and a couple of smaller stories from Indie Authors who have been self-publishing their books for the last few years. 

Each of these authors, myself included, has written and published a number of books that have caught the attention of readers worldwide.  I invite you to explore the Wings of Fantasy and find exciting authors to discover.

 AppleSmashwordsBarnes & NobleKobo  
Wings of Fantasy is a compilation of books written by six of the Indie World’s brightest upcoming fantasy authors. Let your imagination soar as you read extraordinary stories of winged cities, dragons, fairies, and other fantastic creatures of myth and magic.



Rojuun, a novel by John H. Carroll
Book 1 of The Willden Trilogy. Rumors are spreading about a new race called Rojuun. They appeared from the depths of the mountains eight hundred years ago with the intention of taking over the world. Tathan of the Shadows has been charged with learning more about them. However, he must learn more about his very unusual companions before he can succeed.


Song of the Fairy Queen, a novel by Valerie Douglas
It's said of Fairy that if you're in dire need and call their name they'll come. With his castle under siege and his young son in his arms, High King Oryan couldn't be in more dire need. With only Morgan, his High Marshal, and a handful of Morgan's men at his back, he has only one direction left to run...up. And only one ally to whom he can turn: Kyriay, the Queen of the Fairy.



The First Dragoneer, a novella by M. R. Mathias
When two young men go on a hunt that they know will be the last hunt of their youth, they decide they want it to be an unforgettable outing. When they cross a ridge leaving the protection of their kingdom behind, they find a cavern that looks like it needs to be explored. In the cavern they find exactly what they were looking for. In this stony hole lives something they will never forget!



Foxwise, a short story also by M. R. Mathias
Deep in the Lurr Forest there is a valley called Saint Elm's Deep. This secret valley stays in a perpetual state of Spring and hosts the thousands of Fae who live there. The Heart Tree's magic sustains the boundaries that protect them all and their lush forest, but the hoar witch has poisoned its roots. This a short story from M. R. Mathias' #1 bestselling series, The Legend of Vanx Malic.



Fireblood, a novel by M. A. Nilles
Magic is everything to a priest or priestess, inherited by the descendants of the Creators. Over time, Ayali's abilities have weakened, threatening to expose her tribe to the power of the darkness befalling their lands. Beneath the pressures of her family and tribe, Ayali turns down a dark path. She must face the shadows within her before it consumes their world and destroys her life.



Nature Abhors a Vacuum, a novel by Stephen L. Nowland
Aiden Wainwright was the son of a wagon maker in a small country town where nothing interesting ever happened, until a chance encounter with a strange relic changed him forever. His resourcefulness and courage are put to the test when he travels to a nearby town and finds the place on the brink of disaster. Aiden must marshal his limited resources to aid the town and uncover the villains.



Soul Bonds, a novel by E.M. Sinclair
A young slave girl flees from the Lord who owns her, choosing to die in the mountains rather than become one of his 'pretties'. When that death seems all too likely, she is found by one of the Dragon Kindred and Tika's life takes a twist she could never have imagined in her wildest dreams - or her worst nightmares.



Those are the books that you will find in Wings of Fantasy.  I hope they fly you to fantastic new worlds that expand your mind and tickle your imagination.

All my best,

John H. Carroll

Understanding gay attraction

Gay attraction

So, for those of you who don't know, my son is gay.  As he says, "I'm the rainbow and the pot of gold at the end."  He came out to his mother and I when he was 14, an act that took courage.  His mother said, "And . . ."  I said, "Who wants coffee?" knowing he loves coffee and it would be awesome for him to have some while we talked about it.

JoeIn the time since then (He's 17 in a couple of weeks), he's flourished and truly come into himself.  All that aside, he's just an awesome person in general.  He's caring and giving and he has a sharp sense of humor that delights and occasionally startles.  I couldn't be more proud and thrilled to call him my son, simply for the person he is.

Me and Joe
But anyway, the reason for this blog post is because of something he posted on Facebook recently.  It's about knowing how he is attracted to the same sex.  I thought his response to the question is perfect and I believe it should be shared with others.

Joe's words:

"So, for a long time I have been asked a question that I consider rather silly when I tell people I'm gay. I tend to get the question, "Have you ever been with a woman?" and when I answer no I get a follow up question,"Well then how do you know that you're gay." 

For a long time I haven't come up with an answer to this question because I feel it is silly for me to humor a question that can be answered with, "How do you know your straight if you've never been with a man?" and that I feel questions my confidence in who I am as a person, but I think it is finally time for me to humor so here it goes. 

I know that I am attracted to men and not to women because in my life I have never felt romantic feelings for a woman. Before you go saying, "That's not a valid answer!" let me explain. When I have talked to women it has never led me to get the light-hearted tingly feeling that is associated with love, even with all the things I've discussed with them. However, when I've talked to SOME guys I have experienced this feeling. Along with that, I also gain a sense of security when talking to a guy (whom I'm attracted to) that I have never experienced with a woman. 

Furthermore, there is a sexual aspect that most of society can't get over. When people talk about this, they usually ask about the genitalia, and I can assure you that this is of no interest to me, but it's more then just the genitalia. When I find someone attractive it is usually because they have deeper set eyes, more predominate cheek bones, and broader body build, traits that women don't have. Now I'm not saying that I can't see what makes a woman attractive in today's society or admire them, I'm just saying that overall: their physical traits, mental characteristics, and yes their genitalia combine to make them romantically and sexually unattractive to me while a man's does. 

So I think this should put a silly end to a silly question."


Fabulous!

I hope this post helps people to understand.  I'm also thrilled to share how awesome my son is.

All my best,

John H. Carroll

Rain Glade, My favorite story

Rain Glade

My emo bunnies recently asked me what my favorite story is that I wrote.  After some consideration, I realized that it would have to be Rain Glade.  It's a novella set in the world of Ryallon where the Willden, Dralin, Wyvern and Crazed Trilogies are set.

Out of all of my books, it's not just my favorite, but I believe it's the best work I've done.  The emo bunnies proceeded to interview me about it.  Then they hijacked my blog to post it.  You can give them carrots and hay if you like it.  They're pretty sure you won't though.  Nobody ever does.


Amazon  Smashwords  Barnes and Noble  Apple  Kobo
Description:
The Kingdom of Paruth is a country torn by centuries of civil war. All young men are conscripted into military service by the king or the lords of provinces. Women are left to care for children and trade on their own for the most part.

In an insignificant village, in a forgotten corner of the kingdom, lives a simple peasant girl by the name of Rain. She wonders what the future holds for her, or if the future even cares about her fate.

Rain’s friend Verna has taught her to dance through the forest in the moonlight. The colorful woman finds pleasure in nature and life.

Jacob is a young man conscripted into Lord Greffen’s militia. He discovers Rain injured one day and seeks to aid her.

The world of Ryallon holds many places filled with magic and mystery. How will one such glade change their lives?

Show more Show less Why is Rain Glade the best?
For a few reasons.  The biggest is that it's my highest quality writing.  Another is that the story is perfect.  It's a tragedy, unusual for me, but it came out even better than I expected.  The next reason is that the characters came out even more vivid and interesting than I expected, especially Verna.  Finally, the descriptions of everything came out wonderfully.

Will you nuzzle our cheeks please?

Ummmm sure . . . *nuzzle*

Thank you. Now, what do you mean it's your highest quality story?

It's actually very difficult to get thousands of words all in the correct places.  In my novels, I get most of them in correctly, but sometimes the words stray, get wasted, or just aren't interesting.  In Rain Glade, I believe each word, sentence and paragraph accomplished a lot in telling the story.  There was little waste in the 25,000 words I used to tell it.

Why would you write a tragedy?  What inspired it?  And do you have any spinach leaves to feed us?

Sure, here's some spinach leaves. 

I was inspired while listening to a song; "Travelling Soldier" by the Dixie Chicks.  It's a song about a young woman who falls in love with a soldier who goes to war and doesn't come back.  It made me consider what a similar circumstance would be in a fantasy world with magic and sword carrying soldiers. Since I was driving at the time, I had my wife write down notes for the story as I came up with them.

As far as why it's a tragedy, well, the song was a tragedy.  More importantly, I believe that war in general is a tragedy.  It's a waste of life when we should all be working together to ensure the prosperity and health of humanity.  Telling a story of love when death may take one of the lovers is the sort of thing that tears at heart strings.

Hearts don't actually have strings.

Whatever.  *sigh*

You said the characters are more vivid and interesting than you expected.  What do you mean?

Rain, the lead character who the book is named after, came out much deeper in personality than I originally expected.  She had such low self-esteem, yet was generous to those around her.  There was potential in her, and if she had lived under different circumstances, perhaps she would have been great.

More than anyone, Verna fascinated me though.  She is a Druid and Rain's best friend.  There is such life and vitality in the character.  I didn't expect her.  It was as though Verna popped off the page and said hello to me.  It's odd, but I've had characters that were aware that I waswriting about them, but no one ever like Verna.  I fascinate her just as much as she fascinates me.

That's not just odd, it's borderline crazy.

Whatever, get on with the questions.

When you say the descriptions of everything came out better than you expected, you're talking about things like the sky, buildings and stuff like that?

Yes.  I took the time to concentrate on showing the scenery, from Rain's loft to the forest path into the town and especially Rain Glade.  Verna's cottage is detailed and musical.  The people jump out from the page (not literally thankfully)

Since this is a novella rather than a novel with 100,000 words to work with, I focused on creating these scenes with a minimum of words.  I'm happy with the effect.

You seem to be very happy about everything in this book.

I really am.  It's one of the best stories of Ryallon in my opinion.

We don't like happy.

Well, it's a bit of a sad book.

We like sad.

Yes I know.

Can we have more cheek nuzzles now?

*sigh*  I suppose so.

All my best,

John H. Carroll

I'm All Out of Soap

Perhaps this is too much information, but I stepped into the shower this morning and realized I hadn't gotten a new bar of soap.  I thought to myself, "I'm all out of soap".  Then Air Supply started up in the back of my mind and I sang, "I'm all out of soap."  When I was done in the shower, I got on my computer and wrote this parody song. . . . Yes, this is my life.  *sigh*

I'm All Out of Soap
Sung to the tune of Air Supply's, "All out of Love"
I'm standing alone with my head under waterThinking of all the dirtI need to get clean but what else can I doI'm filthy and oh so wet

I wish I had soap to wash myself withFor times when the grime feels so ickIt would make me believe that tomorrow would bring a brand new bar of soap, 
brand new bar of soap



I'm all out of soap, I'm so lost without itI need it so bad, believe me I need itI'm all out of soap, I'm dirty without itI can't be too clean, I've now got to go to work

Perhaps I can use some of my wife's shampooOr maybe her sweet body washI'm reaching for it, am I smelling it too?does the feeling seem oh, so right?

And what would she say if I used her loofah nowAnd used it to wash myself?There's no easy way, I bet my skin would sayPlease wash me or be filthy, be filthy

[Chorus]
Ooh, what is this loofah forWhat is this loofah forWhat is this loofah forWhat is this loofah for
[Chorus] I hope you enjoyed this little parody.

All my best,

John H. Carroll