Richard Raley's Blog, page 27

Watching, Playing, Reading #2

Watching:  GLOW.  I thought I might like this one at least a little bit, instead I ended up loving it completely.  There's a lot of 80s nostalgia going around (Stranger Things having nailed the Spielberg/Goonies/Stephen King vibes to perfection of course) but something about GLOW just hit the glam metal, big hair cock binge party 80s for me.  There's even a training montage where Stan Bush's Dare starts playing, also known as the other song from the Transformers: The Movie soundtrack after The Touch.  It hit my childhood right in the feels.

Playing:  Hearthstone.  My fingers are still pretty touch and go if not screaming in pain, so I've been keeping away from more active games.  But a card game on a tablet where I only need a single finger proved within my ability for the occasional diversion.  Haven't played since before Mean Streets launched, so I got to experience the returning player experience.  9 free classic packs, about 3500 free dust, not bad.  Ended up dusting some of my wild format collection as well and luckily control mage and control paladin decks focus heavily on classic cards, so cheap enough to put them together with plenty of dust left over.  Also they're giving a free arena run every week at the moment and that's fun.

Reading:  Wildfire by Ilona Andrews.  Yeah, really, I'm reading a paranormal romance novel.  I watched the Good Wife too, you wanna fight, bro?  I will admit this is one of those where I'm glad Kindles have removed the fact you have to physically hold a book, because that cover, man...  Do recommend all of their writing though especially the Kate Daniels series (it's actually a husband a wife writing duo), solid reads all around and the Top 1% of creativity in the genre.  Really remember to rely on the Fantasy over the Urban, with some good world-building.

So...how's summer treating you?  Getting some entertainment in through the heat?  Inc a week over 100 for Fresno, cuz of course!

2017-2018 Release Estimates

Alternate Post Title:  Watch as RR is proven way too optimistic about his ability to dodge the plague yet again.

August 2017:  New cover roll out starts.

October 2017:  King Henry Book Pack One release, Print On Demand versions roll out starts.

November-December 2017:  Assault on Dread Fortress Paine release window.

February-March 2018:  The Glassbreaker Goes Home release window.

May to August 2018:  Gush release window.

November 2018:  FM7 release if it manages to sneak into 2018.

So, that's my best guess on the future.  The post FM6 vacation still has me playing catch up, but on the other hand...I'd probably be in a real asylum if I hadn't taken one, so there's that!  Just wanted to keep you fans informed, I know from the other side how a lack of communication can cause serious angst between a writer and their fan base and that's the last thing I ever want between us!

If I ever cause you angst I want it to be because I destroyed all your shipping hopes and dreams ;-)

Quick Notes July 2017

1..  Halfway through both novellas now.  Both are looking good.  Second one will probably be a little longer than 30k, closer to 40K even.  Not that you fans have ever whined about more content.

2.  Didn't have to go to Idaho after all, instead I got to listen to the war zone Fresno became during the Fourth.  Crazy amount of illegal rockets flying around this year!

3.  2017's bullshit sickness/injury list continues with a sudden bout of finger/wrist pain.  No video games and can only writing every other day while I baby them...sucks, man!

4.  Should start getting the new Foul Mouth cover designs back next month.  GET HYPE!

5.  !!!

6.  Speaking of hype, season 7 of GOT is so close!

7.  Anyway, hand hurts so I suppose it's a good excuse to ignore you all for another month!

8.  !!!

Watching, Playing, Reading #1

Everyone likes chatting about entertainment, right?

Watching:  Flash Season 3.  Yes, it's basically a soap opera, but it has superpowers!  Not enjoying this one as much as Season 2, Zoom and Earth Two being far better handled than Savitar and the Flashpoint seems to be (only halfway through).  Or maybe it's just that this is the first time I've binge watched on Netflix instead of using the DVR week to week.

Playing:  Hearts of Iron 4, Kaiserreich Mod.  Germany won WW1 and come 1936 the world is in even worse shape than what happened on Earth One.  Commies control France and the British Isles.  The royal family and nobility have fled to Canada.  The White Revolution was victorious in Russia and now sits on the edge of Imperialism.  Isolationist America is in political turmoil and readies itself for a second civil war!  Sound fun?  Yeah, its fun.  Might be better than the base game actually, or at least have more replayability.  One of the biggest faults of HoI 4 is that outside of Europe it's very stale and you really don't have enough manpower to get anything done.  Not so here.

Reading:  Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, Stormlight Archives #2 Reread.  I enjoy Sanderson quite a lot, especially for his world-building inventiveness, maybe not as much as some of his hardcore fans (they scare me!), but I never miss a book of his for sure and have been reading them since Elantris first hit shelves back in 2005.  His BIG FETCHING(*Mormon approved curse words only) SERIES is the Stormlight Archives, a world with with highstorms, magic vapor swords, magic vapor iron-man armor, all sorts of other magic-by--talking-fairies thrown on top, and lots of crabs, giant enemy crabs!  His third book is coming out in November, with a smaller ancillary novel arriving early October, so I decided to do a reread on the last book, since it's been awhile and if you think you forget a lot of stuff between releases, try writing a few of your own novels between them and see how the ol' noggin keeps up.

And yes, I'm writing :-P

So...your turn now, what are you punks ingesting for your entertainment needs?

June Quick Notes

1.  It's...sort of hot.  Actually having a shockingly mild summer at the moment in Fresno, with only a couple days near 100 so far.

2.  Last month I did get the time to start in on Gush, began making some progress and I REALLY like what I've got so far, but sadly my momentum got killed by a sudden case of food poisoning that destroyed me for about a five day period.  Still, I'm hopeful to get back to it in the last half of this month.

3.  Right now I'm jumping between four different POV lines.  Gush, Novella 1, and Novella 2A/2B.  So while no one work seems like it's moving along, I am starting to make progress bit by bit.

4.  The first novella is very plot based and while it has two POVs they're in the same location more or less, T-Bone and Eva both taking part in the assault on Paine's hideout.  Been struggling with this one a little bit, but I've fixed the problems that rose up and I'm happy with the altered direction I'm taking.  Mostly it comes from me being an author that prefers either difficult conversations between diverse characters or build up to huge moments of conflict and with Assault on Dread Fortress Paine, it's a very typical action take, I guess you could say.  Something you'd expect at least, with lots of faceless enemies that I usually resist.  So basically I have to keep telling myself "Bad Raley!' every time I try to backstory for every rando.

5.  The second novella however is almost totally character based.  I mentioned that I was unsure about the POVs and kicked around a few of them, but settled on King Henry's 3rd person POV and Vicky Welf.  Still going back and forth on the title but it takes place two weeks after FM6, where both  of our characters visit home for the first time in a long while.  If you like slice of life and world-building this is a novella for you.  Still...might be a few important moments where something plot based happens...

6.  Still waiting on my covers to come through in August/September before I release anything else.  Probably be putting out the King Henry Book Pack with FM1-FM3 then, plus looking to do the print-on demand versions as well.  Not sure when I'll finish the novellas yet.

7.  Might have to go to Idaho for the Fourth of July.  Had an aunt move up there a couple years ago and my grandparents are pretty determined to visit, only they really can't travel alone any more, so might have to help out.

8.  E3 starts this weekend!  Can Sony possibly top last year?  One Winged Angel with live orchestra to start the show with a hypexplosion plz?

The Most Important FM Fan Question Ever!

What is your favorite curse word or phrase?

Yay, I Survived!

Need a few days to find my center and I was required to serve on a jury this time around over the last few days, but our civic duty nightmare is over and now I'm free to focus on nothing except writing for the next 3 months.

That and watching comic book movies...

Cuz Guardians of the Galaxy, man.  And Spider-man.  And Wonder Woman.  And you know...it's a Fresno summer, so probably be lot of sweating involved.

But mostly:  write, write, write!

Still Alive

Been busy with my non-writing half of my life so not much to report.  My writing brain is back, so there's that.  Just about finding the focus and time to get into the next book.  As is I've been dealing with birthdays, family visits, dental appointments, and still have the dreaded Jury Duty at the end of the month to deal with.

My hope and plan is that after I convince the government to tell me to fuck off already, is to start Gush in May.  Or restart Gush, whatever.  I really like a whole unobstructed month to begin a project.  This month...very obstructed, so I've just been faffing about on the two KH novellas I had ideas for.  Which are also coming along.

But so far, no idea when any of this will be done, or when it being done I will start on FM7...

But my brain is back and working, so that's an important improvement over Feb and March!  Even when a writer isn't writing, they're always thinking and there's a whole lot of that to do to make sure a novel is the best it can be.

Writing Break Continues Quick Notes

1.  So yeah, I'm still taking it easy on the writing front, even if the urge is growing.  Lots of turning on the laptop and looking at blank pages thinking about how I could write and sometimes I even do burst out a quick few paragraphs, but nothing much at the moment.

2.  Finished up all the formatting on King Henry Box Set One, which will be coming out sometime in March.

3.  Paid my taxes, yay?

4.  Have completed the formatting on the print-on-demand versions, not sure when I'll get around to putting them through Createspace, but some serious progress on that front.

5.  New covers!  I've tasked the team at Deranged Doctor Design to craft six covers for the main King Henry books.  They'll be ready and should roll out August to September.

6.  Have jury duty in April, boo!

7.  A lesser known King Henry classmate will be in the first novella I'm working on, along with Tyson and a much more well known classmate, do know that much so far.

8.  No estimates on when it or Gush or really anything will be done.

9.  Here's hoping my brain starts working soon!

The Life of Raley

So, what have I been up to?

Mostly nothing.  Still relaxing, planning, and doing some good ol' ruminating on the books and stories I'm planning to work on in the next couple years.  Pretty sure I know exactly how to start FM7 now, also came to a rather important realization on how FM9 should end once we get that far in the series.  These are tiny epiphanies, but very important to the process and ones that are very hard to have when you're focused 110% on a project, and a good reason why taking a break can be the best thing you can do before diving in.

That said, I have been keeping busy with "busy" work.  I've made covers for the two novellas meant to release this year, as well as a new cover for FM5.5 in the same style.  Did a cover and formated King Henry Box Set One, which will be coming out in March.  Basically FM1 to FM3 sold together at a lower price, so nothing you fans will need, but a good deal for newbies.  I've finally formated print on demand versions for the series as well and have two of the six covers finished.  Expect them soonish.  I hope!  A more concrete soonish than ever before at least!

I did another round on the net looking for a professional cover artist and did find one I like this time, will look into it more when I get some money from FM6's sales.

Other than that...video games, movies, TV shows.

Been sick for the last couple weeks.  YAY asthma + respiratory virus!

Am planning to start in on the novellas and Gush in Feb, so hopefully those status updates start moving!