Casey Calouette's Blog, page 6

Steel Breach – The Next Series

I’m changing focus and stepping away from the current piece I’m working on. It hit a point that I didn’t like writing it. It felt like a sitcom. I don’t like sitcoms. So I did what I usually do and went for a long hike and thought about it.

I like to write what I like to read. Stories about amazing individuals in amazing places doing amazing things. This could be Louis Zamperini in Unbroken, Guy Sajer in The Forgotten Soldier, or Douglas Mawson. Shackleton, Heinlein, and Hemingway pave the way with hints of Clancy. I like seeing what the worst can do to men, I like writing that kind of story.

Steel Breach will be the next series. This one is going to have a richer world, more vibrant, with many many more hostiles. Space isn’t going to feel so big, in fact it’s going to feel a bit crowded. Where the hostiles were other humans in A Star Too Far, this series will have aliens, and Humans. Because who’s better at war then mankind?

The premise will move away from starships, and instead stay on the ground. This will be the story of a man sent to a Penal Battalion which is in all effects a death sentence and shows how he struggles to survive. In the end the big question is how he will he earn his freedom and what about him will change. I’m looking forward to this one.

Expect to see inspiration from Bordeaux, Somme, Verdun, Stalingrad, and the Chosin Reservoir. My goal is to take that grit from the first third of Trial by Ice and make that the entire novel. A brutal slog where the infantry bear it all.

Almost all of my fanmail remarked on how much they enjoyed the first half of Trial. Originally the entire book was going to be that escape from the frigid wastes, but I thought people would want the fleet action. In hindsight I should have written the book I wanted to. This is going to be that story.

Horizons and a Diversion

Writing is an interesting thing to do. There’s this image that a writer just hammers words down, piles it onto an editor, and then lavishes in praise and wealth. Welp. Not unless you’re Hemingway. The biggest, number one, most important thing, is what to write. You can write an amazing story, but if no one is going to read it, does it matter? On the flipside if you follow the genre too strictly you’ll be boring, derivative, and you’ll find your readers yawning.

So how to find a middle ground? I’m still working on that. My first books toed the line pretty close. My next book, DogForge, was different, maybe too different. On one hand I learned more about writing and myself, so it’s not wasted words. But the frustrating part for me is I could have been writing something else. The lesson for me then is to know my niche, and stick to it.

I’m about 10k words into my newest piece and am about to halt. Not from writing entirely, but from that piece. I don’t particularly like where it’s going. I still think it’s a good story, but I like the military scifi. I like writing it, I like reading it, I like living in that world.

So I’m going back to it. In a few short hours I’ve developed a plot, characters, and an entire universe that I’m excited to write about. So now that’s my new focus. Back to the mil-scifi roots. I think I can say you were right Vincent.

On top of writing this I’ve been hammering at World of Tanks and playing some deeper strategy games. WoT is good for a quick diversion, and with EVE losing its luster I’m searching for something deeper. On my list of games to try :

Panzer Corps (Currently playing this)

War in the East (This looks like a massive monster, very in depth)

Commands Ops : Battles of the Bulge (Tried the demo, looks very interesting)

Command : Modern Air

Expect to see me mention these more. It’s what I do when I’m not writing and my son is sleeping. I might will stream this on Twitch too, so keep an eye peeled.

On the horizon is more good military scifi. And for myself I’m reading some books I enjoyed from the past, first off, The Hunt for Red October and then one of the books that inspired me to become a Tanker, Harold Coyle’s The Ten Thousand.

The goal: learn from those that write better than I and become inspired to write awesome fiction. So here we go, it’s a long road ahead.

DogForge is coming…

Find yourself an easy chair, a fine beverage, and a sledgehammer. DogForge is coming.

I’m putting the finishing touches on the manuscript and writing the copy to go with it. This is things like the blurb (think back cover) and picking keywords. On top of that I’m exploring some promotional stuff. As usual my newsletter subscribers will get it for free, everyone else will get it for a reduced price on opening weekend.

Beyond that I’ve been recharging the creative batteries. Hiking, reading, and thinking. I spent an awesome day hiking around Pictured rocks (see the photo above) and am finishing a memoir of a German soldier on the Eastern Front Circa 1943.

I’m 10.000 words into a story where a has-been starship captain is running from the mob, his debts, and accidentally ends up with a clone of the newly crowned Emperor in a cryogenic tube. To add another layer, he inadverantly took a contract hauling the research equipment for his ex son-in-law. This one has been exciting to write and a lot of fun, I think I know where it’s going to end, but with the crew they have god only knows.

 

Cover Art and Doldrums

My newest book is, hopefully, going to be back from the editor soon. When it is I have a few sections to revise and rewrite (thanks alpha-readers!) and put my final polish on it. It’s exciting, but also nervewracking.

I decided to push the envelope of my niche. I’m not going to reveal everything yet, I’ll save that for the book, but this is going to be like many things you’ve read, and unlike almost everything. I know, it’s vague, but it’ll be worth it. I almost scrapped the project at the end, I had doubts, fears, especially over my own ability to tell a story. Instead I stuck with it. From the cover you can probably guess a few details.

War. Power Armor. Dogs. This isn’t old Yeller, more A Canticle for Leibowitz meets Starship Troopers.

The cover turned out awesome. Justin Adams of Varia Studios did some amazing work. For you guys, my newsletter subscribers, I’ll send out a copy a few days ahead of the release. I’m not going to do the pre-release thing this time around. It might be a good idea for a big selling author, but I didn’t see much benefit.

Thanks again to all of you who have read my works, you folks are amazing.

As far as the doldrums go, I’m waiting till DogForge is out and revised to continue work on my fifth novel. It’s rolling, and almost a quarter done, but I’ve been focusing on the polish for DogForge.

 

iPhone Strategy Games that Don’t Suck

I’ve come to understand that a majority of games for the iPhone suck. They are derivative, boring, overly simplistic, and occupy your time simply because there is nothing better. You play the subpar games and don’t realize how bad they suck until you play a really good one.

I didn’t realize how many games I’d tried until I was forced to wipe my iPhone. The phone was bloated, ornery, and downright difficult. So I uploaded all the pictures to Flickr (1500… wow), wiped the phone, and started picking and choosing.

My taste in games is well, about what you’d expect from a guy in his mid thirties who writes military science fiction. So here’s my (short) list of what’s on my phone. Also, I’d rather pay for a game then get it for free.

Fiz        http://brewfiz.com

Fiz is cute, fun, and surprisingly challenging. It plays like those games that everyone hates (but still sells well…), Clash of Clans or Hay Day, but without any of the annoying waiting, gems, in-app purchases or Facebook money grabs.

The goal is simple, brew beer and sell it. Now this alone would be entertaining, but then they add a great story on top. This one probably slipped under the radar, but it’s well worth the couple of bucks. At times it can move slow and you find yourself brewing beer after beer just to get the next plot point to open. There is some replay value, but not a ton.

Frontline : Road to Moscow    http://www.slitherine.com/games/frontline_rtm_iph

This is my current darling. A simple wargame with some RPG elements. Simple doesn’t quite describe it, I’d say elegant. It’s got enough depth and variety to keep you interested without getting overly bogged in the details. If you’re the sort who criticizes a wargame because the color used doesn’t match the time frame, well, go for something on the PC.

So far I’m in Act I and pushing into the Soviet Union. There is enough variety to keep it interesting, right now I’m playing as the Luftwaffe and hitting the soviet fleet in Tallinn Estonia. Previously I was working to capture Smolensk. The missions are quick paced, over in fifteen minutes or so, but you could stretch it longer and really play some strategies. Replay value here is pretty decent.

There are a few bugs, and the story could be fleshed out some more.

Battle of the Bulge     http://www.shenandoah-studio.com/products/botb/

Like Frontline, BotB is polished and slick. It’s not quite as immersive mainly because it uses tokens rather then unit graphics. While not quite like the NATO tokens, it’s still a bit less detailed than the unit graphics that Frontline has. But the game has much more depth than Frontline. Supply lines, weather, and timeframes all combine to make it a very unique game. It takes a bit of getting used to, and I’m still a hex map kind of guy, but Bulge is very enjoyable.

Without the graphics it can feel dry, and this is a bummer seeing that the game is really detailed.

Recently Slitherine (the makers of Frontline) purchased Shenandoah (BotB) so the merger between the two should be great.

If you’ve got some recommendations please share! (And yes, I should be writing fiction instead of playing iphone games…)

Polishing and a Beta Read

The next manuscript is almost complete. I’ve edited through two of the acts, and am starting on the third. I still have a few lingering questions, though hopefully my beta readers an set me at ease. Once I complete my draft it’ll go to Max. Hopefully in under a month it’s out in the world.

I’ve had thoughts about finding an agent. It sounds so strange to say the words, to even think it. There’s a certain legitimacy that comes from dealing with a major publisher, that sense of “making it”. We’ll see, I’m rather inpatient, and waiting an entire year for a story to get into paperback would be tough.

Once I finish reading Rangers Apprentice I’m going to move on to Tigers in the Mud. It’s a story about a German Tank Commander in World War II. I enjoy a good depiction of history through the eyes of those who were there. I read A Higher Call  and really enjoyed learning about how different the Luftwaffe was, and the rebellions inside the officer corp. Again, a great depiction of history brought to life. So many of our veterans of this war are passing that the history itself is seen only in books.

As far as other entertainment I’m playing Skyrm and Elite. Though I don’t have more than 15 minutes or so at a time for each. Once I rack up more time I plan on broadcasting some playtime via Twitch too. Speaking of games, I’ve been really watching how games unfold a story. There’s a huge budget to these and I think there’s a good deal to learn and see. It doesn’t all apply to writing a novel, but lots to learn on the subject. More on this in another post.

 

Editing and Plotting

I’ve probably used the above photo, but it’s humid out, and I want to think of snow.

My first draft is always an ugly thing. A story evolves as I write it. Sometimes the end I have planned just doesn’t work. The characters take it elsewhere and I think it becomes a better story. This really happened in my newest book, the third Act was completely different. So… rewrites! The edits are progressing slowly, but man, this one has been fun.

This book is different, it’s not a hardcore military science fiction. I’m not going to pigeonhole it yet, I think a category can alienate people, so I’m just going to call it science fiction. (Not romance) There’s still starships, battles, power armor, but the main character is totally unique. And she has a 1200 year old AI trapped in her skull…

My newest book, to be titled Wright and Rong, is going to be about a Father and his Son-In-Law. As you could guess, they don’t get along. At all. Right now I’ve got a few thousand words written and I’m poking at the plotting. Even if it all changes by the end I like to have a plot, a pathway at least. Without a framework I find my writing ambles away. This book should be fun, it’s not a straight up comedy, but a lot of the characters are inspired by comedic people.

I’m currently reading John Flanagan’s The Rangers Apprentice and thoroughly enjoying it. It has a great storyline, is well written, and hits what I need for a good story. I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series. It’s definitely inspiration as well, I want to write something my son can get into when he gets bigger. Rangers Apprentice in space maybe? The Lost Cadet… that sounds catchy…

On the video game front : Not much EVE, Mostly Skyrim and Elite.

 

3d Printed Starships, Artwork, and the next Novel

I connected with a very talented individual and had the Sa’Ami starship from the cover of Edge of Solace made into a 3d model. I’m still finalizing a few details but basically you’ll be able to print the model you see above.

Print? Oh yes, the additive cells in the book are nearly a reality. Well, almost. You can either find someone who has a 3d printer, or go to somewhere like shapeways.com and have them print it for you. The model is 6″ long, and about an inch in diameter. If you print it out of plastic it’ll run you about $40, if you do it out of Ceramic it’ll be about $20. I’m undecided on how to release it, I may give the files away to my newsletter subscribers, or just make a link at Shapeways and let people buy it there. The main reason I’d let the files go is so no one thinks I’m making anything off of it. Either way keep an eye out, if it proves to be popular I’ll have more models commissioned.

I’ve contracted with Justin @ Varia Studios for my next cover. I expect to wrap up the first draft in a week or so, then it’ll be editing time. I really enjoyed writing this novel, especially the end chapters. I can see where it’s headed and I can’t wait to get to those scenes. So many juicy details to wrap up in one. I now write at 5am until I go to work and my daily productivity has doubled. My goal now is to complete a novel every 45 days. I used to have to get a toddler to sleep, then squeeze in writing before bed. But 5am is suiting me well.

Edge of Redemption is being really well received, I hope you guys are enjoying it!

 

 

Edge of Redemption – PreOrder

It’s almost here. Edge of Redemption, the final book in the Star Too Far trilogy is out on Friday.

Amazon now offers preorders so I’m going to give that a try. For now until Monday I’m offering the book for $0.99.

http://amzn.to/1oJIKh2

If you’re just getting into the series then get this one now, and can wait till August 28th, I’ll be running another promo that weekend and Trial by Ice will be on sale for $0.99.

Be sure to sign up for my newsletter, all of my subscribers got this book for free.

Doubling My Daily Goal, Covers, and More Fiction

We all have a comfort zone, a place where we can work and do our best and know it’s a good safe place. A place where things are convenient, pleasant, nice.

I don’t like it. I’m not happy with it. It’s not enough. It’s never enough. And so it was with my daily count. And so it was with my fiction. And so it is with the gentleman (me) stomping through a bog in the photo above.

When I was in Alaska I was absolutely, positively going to fish. It was totally different than back home. Everything about it was out of my comfort zone and I loved it. Every river, stream and lake was fresh and new. The fish behaved different, they struck when they’d normally not, they were in place I’d never think to look. It was a blast.

Which led me to think about my writing. Was I stuck in a comfort zone? Did I need to get out of it?

So I did. My daily writing routine involves sitting down around 8pm, sometimes later, and writing a thousand words. It used to be a challenge, now I’m done in 45 minutes, or I could be if I weren’t distratced by EVE, Elite, Youtube, Twitch… you know the routine. So instead, by bedtime, I have my thousand words. Not very efficient, but it was my 1k a day.

I set out to get another 1k a day. But I didn’t want to sacrifice family time. Time for a bit of time management. I asked myself, when can I write?

Ten minutes first thing in the morning
Five minutes before work starts
Five minutes during my coffee break
Five minutes during my lunch break
Twenty minutes at the end of my work day before I go home (sorry honey!)

Oh hey, look at that, 45 minutes more of writing time a day.

Speaking of comfort zones I’ve defined one I’m squarely NOT in.

Book Covers.

I shudder when I think of doing it. My hands get clammy, my ears itch, my eyes water up. I am a graphics art retard.

My first cover I did myself and got lucky. I’ve tried to do better, it’s not my thing. So for Edge of Solace I hired Adam Burn, he did an amazing job. For Edge of Redemption I hired Justin Adams at Varia Studios. He too did an amazing job.

But I’ve been watching covers, good ones, and I’ve noticed a trend. Actually I didn’t notice the trend until I was browsing Damonza’s website, http://damonza.com/ and read this :

IMPORTANT: I strongly recommend NOT creating a scene from the book on the cover. A reader will browse a small thumbnail of your cover (among many others) for only two seconds before deciding whether to click for more information. Creating a specific scene from your book simply makes the thumbnail less clear and less likely to generate sales. The best book covers have a simple image that evokes an emotion and tells a straightforward message.Damonza.com

This makes a lot of sense, and was something I never thought of before. It’s visceral, emotional, rich, and I totally missed it. It’s not that my covers were bad, they just didn’t evoke an emotion like I wanted.

At one time I had a post where I couldn’t understand why http://damonza.com/ was so expensive, but now I do. Mr. Damonza, if you happen to read this, I offer you my sincerest apologies.

I’m still going to explore having Justin do a cover, but I’m also going to explore having Damonza do one, if he’ll have me.

As far as writing outside of my comfort zone, well, you’ll have to wait and see when that book is done…