Vincent Trigili's Blog, page 6

The Silverleaf Chronicles

Hey everyone!

Now that the Rebirth release is behind us, I am ready to start talking about the future! There will be a few posts on this subject as I want to lay out some plans for the series, some of which were in place since day one, and some of which are new experiments based on what I have learned since releasing my first book in November of 2010.

So first off, in mid to late April The Dragon Chronicles will hit the market. That is an anthology of awesome authors all writing stories involving some kind of dragon or dragon like creature. It is in the same series as The Telepath Chronicles, and it will feature a story by me called “The Storymaster.”

“The Storymaster” is a prequel to what will be my eighth novel, which will be called The Silverleaf Chronicles. Silverleaf is one of those new experiments that I mentioned above, and was not part of my original plan for the Lost Tales brand. If this works out well, I will roll it in to my master plan for the series. If not, I will drop it and try other fun and exciting things.

The first big difference is that Silverleaf will be released as a serialized novel. That means it will be released in six separate parts that are roughly sixty or so pages each. When the time comes (hopefully June) each part will be release one by one with a few weeks between them. Once all six are out, a “box set” (a.k.a. Season One) will be release that will contain all six parts, and the prequel.

The second big difference is that there are no spaceships in Silverleaf. In fact, Season One will feel very much like a Fantasy story instead of my traditional Space Opera. There is good reason for that to be revealed at a later date.

Another big difference is that Vydor and the others do not appear in Season One of Silverleaf. Also, unlike every book since Enemy, it will only follow a single point of view character through till the end of the first season. It is still told in first person past tense, with my typical character driven style, just the POV does not change.

I am setting it up as its own brand for now in order to prevent confusion by those that do not read this blog. Here are the covers we have so far for the six episodes:

Do not worry, the Lost Tales characters you already know and love will be back in future books. In a future blog post I will explain the over arching master plan that has not changed since November 2010. That will help explain where I am going with the series. I think you will be pleased.

Thanks for reading, and please keep spreading the word!

A.I. Chronicles Release!

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. Even today, machines that mimic human thinking surround us. As the intellectual feats of computing machines grow more and more astounding, will there be a day when their apparent intelligence approaches, or even surpasses, that of human beings? And what if these machines then become conscious, self-aware?

Get this latest title in the acclaimed Future Chronicles series of speculative fiction anthologies.

Thirteen authors confront the question of the Singularity: at and beyond that point of time when A.I. becomes more than simply a human construct. From first awareness to omniscience, these original short stories explore that territory where human intelligence comes face-to-face with what is either its greatest hope, or its greatest threat.

How can you join the party?

Join us TODAY, March 13th, in celebrating the launch on Facebook from 5 to Midnight EST.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1535855083368828/

Get your copy of The A.I. Chronicles here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TUIBHL4/

Enter the Giveaway here: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Current News Round Up

Hey everyone! This is a very busy week for us here in Lost Tales HQ! As we approach the release of Rebirth I wanted to touch on upcoming events again. That way everyone has a chance to take part in whichever fun events they choose!

First, Friday March 13th is the release day of Rebirth, but you can pre order it right now at the reduced price of $2.99! After it goes live the price will go to $4.99 so order now and lock in your savings!

Second, also launching on March 13th is The A.I. Chronicles. I do not have a story in it this time, but it is in the same Future Chronicles series that contains Telepath Chronicles and Dragon Chronicles, both of which I am in. These anthologies collections always have great stories by both well-known and not so well known authors. There will be a Facebook launch party on that Friday, with lots of giveaways and time to chat with the various authors. There will be a guest post on this blog that Friday with more information. So be sure to check it out!

Third ALSO on March 13th (busy day!) a special newsletter will go out to everyone on our newsletter list (and the newsletter list only). I mentioned this previously, but I felt I should say it again. It is an experimental promotion with many authors, some of which I know and many I do not. There will be free books, prizes, and other great promotions in it. It will be the first time I have ever sent something like this to my newsletter subscribers so please give me feedback on the emil after you see it.

Forth, April 17th is currently the tentative release date for The Dragon Chronicles. You will want to get a copy of this, as it will contain a novella by me called The Storymaster, which is a prequel to Silverleaf.

Finally, I am currently working through the second draft of Silverleaf. I have also received the first round of mock up covers for it. I am very excited about this book, and there will be news forth coming on it after we survive March. It might be my favorite book so far! I am shooting for a May or June release for it, but we are too far out to tell yet.

That is all the current news right now. Please remember to spread the word about the books and please leave reviews of every book that you have read! Thanks!

Volume 7: Sac’a’rith: Rebirth is up!

So the next few weeks will be a bit hectic here at Lost Tales HQ. We have three releases coming up, and lots of editing and formatting to do!

First, as those of you on my email list already know, Sac’a’rith: Rebirth is now available for pre-order at most ebook sellers! Right now it is on sale at Amazon for $2.99, but it will go to $4.99 on March 15th, so order now and lock it your purchase at the lowest possible price.

Special note to the pre-readers, I expanded the ending a little bit and added other clarifications based on your questions. You will just have to re-read the whole thing to see what changed. I think it is much improved with those minor additions, and it is all thanks to you!

The official release date for Rebirth is Friday March 13th (yes that was deliberately chosen). Everyone that pre-orders will have the book automagically delivered to them on that day.

That brings me to my second piece of news. Come March 13th I will be sending out an unusual email (for me) to my mailing list. It will be filled with promotions of lots of different books from lots of different authors with many special sales, free deals, and a huge give-away. These will only be offered to members of the various authors mailing lists and not published anywhere else. I have never taken part in a cross-audience promotion like this before. I hope it is a wild success, but we will see.

Next you will want to mark April 19th on your calendars because that is the tentative release date of The Dragon Chronicles. Dragon is the next anthology I am in, and like The Telepath Chronicles it will be filled with short stories (20-40 print pages each) written by some famous and some unknown authors. There will be a launch party for it on Facebook, which will feature prizes, games, and general mayhem. So try to make time to drop by.

My story in the anthology is called The Storymaster, and it is a prequel to my eighth novel, Silverleaf. The first draft of Silverleaf is actually already finished. I have set it aside to ferment some while I take care of getting Rebirth out and the March thirteenth promotion. Right now I am hoping for a May release of it, but it might slip to June. A lot more to come about that as the days roll on.

As always, thank you very much for your support! Please spread the word about the series, and please post reviews on every book you have read. It really helps!

I am not a runner

When people see me pumping away on a treadmill, or pushing myself up the hills on Liberty’s campus one more time, they all assume I am a runner. When people see me run the Virginia 10 Miler with its cruel hills, they all assume I am a runner. I tell everyone, “I am not a runner,” but no one believes me.

They say to me, “You must really love running,” and I tell them, no in fact I do not. They point to the 735 miles I ran in 2014 and say, “Oh really?” To which I reply, “Yes, really.” If I could stop today, I would never run another mile again.

Understand, every single step I take, even when walking, I feel pain. Every mile I run hurts. I have never experienced the runner’s high, and I have never enjoyed my runs. I do all I can to take mind out of my body and forget that I am running. I blast audiobooks in my ears, I mentally work on my novels, or anything else I can come up with so that I do not notice I am running. Running hurts. Running is hard.

So why do I do it? Let me explain. In 2003, my son was born. At that time I was fat. Oh, most people that looked at me would not have known it. I have a large frame that hides my weight well. I was fat, and worse, I was fat with a failing heart.

At that time I could not walk the distance from my front door to my mailbox with out getting winded. That was maybe twenty or thirty feet. I saw the doctor for a physical and suddenly everyone was in a panic. You see my iron count in my blood was zero (yes, zero). My ejection fraction of my heart was below 40% (that is a measure of how well your heart is working, and that is a dangerous score). I had several instances were my blood sugar fell below rush to the ER and hope he survives levels. I was in chronic pain, and slept many extra hours a day just to make it through. All of my vitals were bad, and the doctors were unsure why.

I will not bore you with the details, but what followed was more doctors and drugs then I can count. There was talk of a pacemaker and being placed on restricted activities for fear of heart failure. Understand in 2003 when they were talking about this, I was only twenty-eight years old. I was looking at a life of drugs and fear. At one point I was taking ten pills a day. It got to the point where they started prescribing new pills to counter the side effects of the other pills. It was getting pretty darn scary.

I looked at my son, and decided that would not be the father he knew. He would never know that man. Most people that know me will tell you I am stubborn. Well, in this case that was the virtue that saved my life.

It has taken over a decade of hard work, lots of failures and set backs, but I sit here today typing this after losing fifty pounds, twice. I sit here typing this with a Black Belt in American Freestyle Karate, and belts in two other styles of martial arts. The last 5k I ran, I won for my age group. Oh, and I am off all my medication. ALL of it. That pacemaker? Still might be in my future, but my levels are almost normal level for now.

How did I do this? I am afraid to tell you, because the answer is so simple that most people will discount it but everyone should know, because it probably can help everyone reading this.

I forced myself to exercise. I forced myself to eliminate most processed foods. I avoid corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup as if it is poison, which it is. I try to eat a large variety of vegetables, fruits, meats, and fats. I eat smaller meals through out the day instead of major ones. I drink a lot of water, and only drink zero calorie drinks. I have cut that white garbage out that we call sugar, and try to avoid artificial sweeteners as much as I can. I prefer “no sugar added” to “sugar free.” Sure I use some artificial sweeteners, I still have a sweet tooth or three, but far, far less than most.

The results speak for themselves. My son only knows the man that can out run him, and all his friends. My son only knows the man that wins fights in karate matches. My son only knows the man that led him to the top of the mountain ahead of his entire youth group. My son only knows the man that can play basketball with him, and ride bikes.

I will always be diabetic, I will always have a weak heart, I will always have chronic pain, and I will always be one mistake from knocking my sugars out of control. The road in front of me is easier because I am healthy for the first time in my adult life, but it is not easy. Today I saw a box of Dunkin Donuts offered for free at a meeting, and did not touch a single donut. That is a huge victory. I cling to those victories each day. The fight really is one box of donuts at a time.

You see, I do not run because I love running. I run because I love my wife and do not want her to be a nurse or a widow. I run because I love my son and do not want him to be fatherless.

I run not because I am a runner, but because I am a survivor.

 

There goes the planet…

Hey everyone!

Almost anyone reading this post will have at least read Enemy of an Enemy, and should hopefully remember the battle for Arken IV. That battle was won through the use of large rocks that pummeled the planet. Over the years I have had some people question me on that. I did in fact spend months researching the attack, years ago when I wrote that scene, and I am sure my description is accurate.

Today I came across this video put out by the Discovery Channel that shows what one big rock would do to the Earth. In the book, dozens of rocks were used, so picture this… but much worse. I would say it would be effective, no?

The Null, and Other Updates

Time for one of my hodgepodge update posts! This has been a big week here for us, and those of you on the Lost Tales email list got a small surprise this week. I hope to be able to do more of that kind of thing in the future.

First up, we had a new release this week! It is a short story, about twenty pages or so, and it is not part of the Lost Tales universe. It is called The Null and it is a stand-alone short story I wrote specifically for The Telepath Chronicles. If you have not yet read any of the Future Chronicles, then I highly suggest you drop by Amazon and check them out. Every one of them is a collection of masterpieces from some of today’s best authors.

As you all know, I typically write Space Opera and Fantasy, but when I was invited to write for Telepath I decided to try something a little different. I find it helps keep my mind fresh if I break off from time to time and tell a different story in a different world. The Null is exactly that. I see it as a troubled superhero story, but many tell me it is more of a thriller. I will leave it to the reader to decide.

Early readers of The Null are all asking for more stories in that universe. I take that as a good sign that the story was actually enjoyable. So drop by Amazon and check it out! It is only 99 cents, and it is free if you have Amazon Kindle Unlimited.

Second, Sac’a’rith: Rebirth is on its way to editing! I had some great feedback from the pre-readers, and once again modified the ending based on their input. It seems it is the endings that get adjusted the most through the pre-reader process. Maybe with the next book I will just leave the ending off and make the pre-readers write it! *grin*

We are aiming for a Friday, March 13th release date, but that might be a little too aggressive. Only time will tell. If it is not released on the 13th, then it will be shortly after that.

Third, the writing of Silverleaf is going well. I have about 50,000 words down with makes it officially “novel” length by some standards, but my novels all run little more than twice that so it is better to think of the rough draft about half way done. Once we get closer to the Silverleaf release, I am planning to pull back the curtain some and expose a bit of the master plan for the Lost Tales universe. Watch this web site for details.

So remember, sign up for the Lost Tales mailing list, because surprise things appear on it from time to time, such as free short stories, options to be a pre-reader (and there by get every new book free), and other promotions as options come my way.

Please remember to spread the word about the Lost Tales series! Thanks eveyone!

Robby Episode 19

Robby Episode 19

Webcam – Part 6

Originally Released on October 9th, 2005

When I made this one I used a real photo of Mars and made it large enough so that it would be plain what happened in the last frame. Of course the “Robby Accuracy Police” got on my case a little for the slightly larger-than-life Mars. It seems that it worked since they all figured out what happened well enough to complain!

Click Image for large size

Update on Volume VII and Other News

Just a fast update on where we are at with the upcoming release of Sac’a’rith: Rebirth. The rough manuscript is complete, and a call has gone out to the Lost Tales email list for pre-readers. I must say that this call has gotten the biggest response of any call for pre-readers yet!

My wife is doing another editing pass, and then the manuscript will be sent out to pre-readers. Pre-readers have traditionally helped me with big story issues. For example the ending of The Sac’a’rith was redone after one of my pre-readers pointed out the original ending did not fit with how the universe works.

Once I have accumulated all the feedback from the pre-readers, I will do another editing pass and incorporate all their feedback. Once this is done the book is almost release quality, but I try to push beyond “good enough,” and I send it off to our professional editor.

She takes about two weeks to work through a book of the length that I write. Once we get the file back from her, I go through all her edits one by one and do a final editing pass and then the book is ready for release. So all this means we are getting closer to release!

In other news, I have started the eighth book, which is titled “Silverleaf.” I will talk more about that in a future update, but I will hint that it is the next step in the master plan I have for the series as a whole.

I have also completed the rough draft of The Storymaster. That story will be included in The Dragon Chronicles (more on that as it gets closer), which will be out in early spring. It is a stand-alone story, but is intended to be a prequel to Silverleaf.

101 Stories On The Go

So I have not talked much about this project as I was not sure it would actually happen, but over a year ago I was invited to a massive anthology with some really big names in it (including Hugh Howey the biggest name in independent publishing), but it fell through and restarted some many times I almost gave up on it, but it actually happened! As of this morning the anthology is live on Amazon, and at least in the US Amazon store FREE.

It is 101 different authors, each of us writing a single 1000 word story. I have not had a chance to read much of it yet, so I can not attest to any of the content other than my own story. I am sure it runs the gambit of family friendly to not so friendly and awesome stories to not so awesome. That is just how these things work out.

The collection includes a story I wrote featuring Dusty and Spectra called “Rage.” It is official canon to the series, and started out as a cut scene from Spectra’s gambit. Since the anthology is FREE you might as well get it, even if you just read Rage.

Click the cover, or here to go to Amazon and get the book. I hope you find much enjoyment in it!