C.S. Daley's Blog, page 18
May 28, 2011
Keepers Week 17
The first draft is done. It ended up going 20,000 words over my goal and might even be a little longer when I do the second draft. I have a few scenes I have notes on but haven't written yet. They were story lines which cropped up later in the book and I want to go back and lay in some ground work. Now the interesting part. Normally, I would finish, take a few days off, and then dive into the edits. Not this time. Instead I am putting the book aside.
It will now have to sit patiently while I write the last book in my Dark Lands Trilogy and do my last edit of book 2. I will be completely finishing book 3 (this includes all edits). Which means I have no idea when I will be getting back to Keepers to do the edits and rewrites. I don't think it should be a real problem. It was a different type of book for me and maybe a little time will allow me to make it better. I have to do it this way though. Now that I have the first Dark Lands book up for sale I feel the need to finish everything in that series before moving on.
If all goes well I will be back to edit Keepers somewhere around November. Then I will have to decide on the final title. It was never intended to be Keepers and I don't think it will end up with that title. I have a few thoughts kicking around up there. If one settles in as the winner I will probably have the art for the book cover drawn early.
It has been an interesting couple of weeks. My stomach is barely holding on as the sales trickle in for my first two books. Again, not because I thought I was going to be an instant bestseller. Far from it. It's just the knowledge there is no going back now. After 35 years I have finally let the world see my fiction writing. It wasn't an easy step for me to make.
This weekend I am relaxing and playing video games. Catching up on some reading and sleep. Then it will be time to dive back into the writing process. Plus, Sheri and I are also going to see The Blue Man Group, so a little reward for another novel under the belt.
May 27, 2011
Geeking Out Part 10 ….
Why yes, it has been over a month since I have done a geeking out. I claim unbelievable business. It's either that or admit I just forgot. Perhaps I have had my mind wiped by a Man in Black. It isn't like I have been staying away from the deep end of the geek pool. I have plenty of geek things to share. Now that a few projects are off my plate I hope to get back to my regularly scheduled geekery. Here is a few items to let your inner geek check out.
Rome by Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi
What do you get when you put an Italian film composer and Danger Mouse into a box and shake it up. Pure musical gold. Danger Mouse has become one of the few people in the music industry whose name on a project automatically means you should be listening to it. Danger Mouse wanted to make a rock album with a film disposition. The partnership between him and Luppi is unexpectedly brilliant. Throw in Jack White and Norah Jones and there isn't a song on this album I wouldn't listen to over and over again. One of my favorite albums of the year. Check out The Rose With The Broken Neck & Season's Trees to get a taste of what the album is like.
I Am Very Far Away by Okkervil River
I know this band isn't for everyone. You are either going to love Will Sheff's voice or never want to listen to it again. Their music is moody and somber (although, they always have a few upbeat songs every album). The lyrics are poetic and most of their albums tell a story. Not this one though. It is a little bit of a departure. This time it feels like they put out an album of songs. No really connecting theme. A move which will undoubtedly tick off some people who think bands should never do anything different. I, myself, have really enjoyed it. Check out The Valley & White Shadow Waltz to see if this album is for you.
Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell
Sarah Vowell is one of those people I have to admit a huge amount of jealousy towards. I wish I could write like her. She has an uncanny ability to take history (sometimes obscure history) and make it interesting. This book is about the settling of Hawaii. I learned more about the islands in the first few pages then I had my entire life previously. It really shows how little we spend on the states in history classes. Vowell uses her usual off beat humor to keep you reading page after page. I once wrote a blog about 5 people who I would love to have lunch with someday. I think Sarah is going to be bumping one of those people off.
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett
A very interesting book about a career thief and the person who chased him. What made this thief unusual is he stole rare and valuable books. Not to sell but to keep for himself. I enjoyed this book immensely, but I have to admit I knew some of the bookstores and their owners featured in it. Made the book even more interesting to me. A good quick read.
A Game of Thrones
While I love the book I am talking about the new HBO series here. How good is this series? My wife is watching it and loving it. This series would normally be completely out of Sheri's wheelhouse (although I have to be honest there are a lot of characters to keep track of. She leaned on me the first two episodes). This series has been better than I dreamed it could be. The acting and writing are top notch. They have kept the story true to the books and I find myself wishing I was watching it on DVD so I wouldn't have to wait for the next episode. A great fantasy series laced with politics, intrigue, and war.
May 25, 2011
Delusions: A Love Story
Okay, I have published two books. I am editing a third one to get it published by August. Another will follow in December and another in February. By then I should also have another book well on the way to being finished. At a minimum I will have 5 books out by this time next year. Then I will sit back and let the money roll in. Quit the day job and buy a Ferrari.
Or you know, not. This delusion is actually one which belongs to many other people when they find out you can mosey over to Amazon and buy my books. The world outside seems to think because Amanda Hocking & J.A. Konrath have sold a bazillion copies of their e-books it is really easy to do. Put it out there and enjoy the filthy lucre as it jumps into your pocket.
The reality is far less glamorous. I will be right back teaching next year. I will still be planning with my wife on how to retire and live on a teacher's pension. I won't be driving a Ferrari (although, I secretly long for a Mini Cooper. Not so secret now but oh well). I mean as of right now I can't even sell a copy of my books to everyone in my family.
I knew this was the way it was going to be. A grind to get recognized and maybe never having it happen. I fought with myself on even releasing the first young adult novel because I wasn't sure about my skill level when I wrote it (I feel much more competent now and think the 2nd book of the series is a big step up). The book I just finished was easily the best thing I have written. The book I am going to write after I finish The Dark Lands has me so jazzed I started writing notes this morning.
I love to write. I am getting better. As much as it would be fun to give into the delusions, I know I can't. To give into them would be to set myself up for quitting. If you expect the universe and get a flea the failure will crush you like a giant anvil dropping out of the sky (with a Road Runner sticking its tongue out at you to add insult to injury).
I try not to tell my co-workers I write. I make no mention of publishing my books (although, I slipped recently). It always leads to the delusions. The truth is I am currently selling very few books. This has to be okay. I do it because I want and need to express myself. To not write would be like opening a vein. I have worked hard to become an everyday writer. So, I will keep on pushing. Striving to get better. I will keep writing and love doing it. I will not fall in love with the delusions. I will leave those for other people.
The Shadow Men at Barnes & Noble
Amazon Link for A Very Zombie Holiday
Barnes & Noble Link for A Very Zombie Holiday
May 23, 2011
The Shadow Men Published
I was never really sure where the whole publish myself thing was going to end up. I still don't know. It was single-handedly the scariest moment of my life when I hit the publish button for A Very Zombie Holiday. I knew there wasn't going to be a sudden rush to snap up my books and send me into instant stardom. This is going to be about the slow walk. Getting better, putting myself out there, enjoying myself and seeing where it takes me. Maybe it takes me to a place where I say I gave it a shot and go back to writing for myself. With all the mixed up feelings bouncing around in my head I am proud to say I hit the damned publish button again.
Today, The Shadow Men (The Dark Lands book 1) came out. It was an interesting book to write. I experimented with a few things I had never tried like multiple viewpoints and a complete lack of description on what the main characters looked like (I wanted my reader to put in the face they saw). It was a fun book to write. I approached it like an old-time Saturday serial. Action, monsters, take a deep breath and then more action and monsters. I am happy to say the second book is now in my final edit stage. This is good because if people like the first one they are going to like the second book (I think my novel writing skills have improved with each book).
It has been a weird last year. I went from completely stuck on a YA book I couldn't seem to finish to completing my first adult novel and publishing my first two books (I also think I have figured out how to fix the issue which was hanging me up in the unfinished YA and will return to it early next year). I hope a few of my readers will wander out and buy the new book. I hope you enjoy it and come back for more. I appreciate you giving me a chance and hope I returned some genuine moments of entertainment. If you did, tell a friend. Maybe I can sell enough copies to buy some premium cat food (one of my dedications in the book was to my kittens. They are now demanding better food as payment for their inspiration).
The Shadow Men at Barnes & Noble
May 22, 2011
Keepers Week 16
I have been working my ass off again (sadly no actual ass has been lost in the working). Last week I finally published A Very Zombie Holiday. This week I have been busy getting The Shadow Men ready for publication (should be ready to publish tonight or tomorrow). Where does that leave the lovely Keepers? In a good place, that's where.
My word count passed 109,000 words today. All but one of the major story lines has been completed and most of the hooks I am leaving for the next book have been set. In other words, almost done. I should be finished no later than Monday. This leaves me terribly excited because editing The Shadow Men has started my creative pump going and I am getting my brain ready to start book 3.
Keepers has been fun to write and I am looking forward to editing it for publication. However, this is going to be some time from now. First, I have to finish my final edit on Dark Lands book 2 and then write the last book in the trilogy. Then I will come back and finish Keepers. By this time next year I should have five books for sale online. Of course, at my current rate of sell I will be able to buy a few cups of coffee.
The best news is I am about to be back to one book at a time. This whole juggling three books at the same time is wearing me out. I also am hoping to have a few comic scripts written and ready for submission. I almost feel like a real writer. Got to go now I have some formatting to do.
May 20, 2011
E-book 101
I feel like I have been giving myself my own graduate class on how to publish your own books. I am going to have to grade myself on a curve because as of right now I am still feeling a little clueless. It was a hard decision to go the self-publishing route. I won't repeat all the reasons I said in past blogs. Once I decided to do it though I knew there would be no looking back. Well, no looking back as far as not doing it. There will be plenty of looking back and saying, "damn, I did that wrong."
I love writing but writing a book takes a long time. A long lonely time (this is why kittens are a requirement. They provide good writing company). My current novel is now over 107,000 words long and not done. The wonderful thing is I know it will be done. I do a little everyday and someday I get to hold up my hands, do a victory dance, and ignore my kittens look of total disdain (my kittens do not appreciate my dancing ability). Then, of course, the editing starts. These are all things I know how to do and am getting better at everyday.
Publishing your own book adds a whole new wrinkle. I have to format the book for sale on all the different platforms. Originally, I was going to pay someone for this job. It isn't cheap though, and frankly I was starting to get a little nervous about the cost of doing my Dark Lands Trilogy (not to mention I was completely at the mercy of their schedule). I wanted to pay them though because I really wanted to just concentrate on writing. I decided to see how hard the formatting was and give the self-publishing a test run but with what? After thinking about it for a while I realized my zombie dad short stories were generally well received. The only problem was I didn't have enough for a small book. I started writing new ones to fill out the collection.
Luckily, my writing program, Scivener's, is awesome and comes with a big helping hand when it comes to formatting. As good as the program is I have to do all the spot checking to make sure that spaces and margins are right. That the book itself looks good in e-book format. This means doing a line by line edit looking for formatting errors. While I am sure there are plenty of people who self-publish who don't do this I want my book to be as good as it possibly can be. I could not believe how many spacing errors there were (apparently, I have a twitchy space bar finger).
Once the formatting was done I added my cover. I can't draw a lick so I paid someone to design my covers (Michael Hart did a great job). I then hit publish and waited for the sales to not roll in. The first few days were good but those sales died away quickly. It confirmed what I suspected was going to happen. Friends bought it but getting out into the world was going to be a totally different trick. It also confirmed I really couldn't afford to pay someone to format my novels. It would take forever to recoup the money for formatting and covers. I was going to have to do it all myself (at least in the beginning. Maybe someday when my delusions of grandeur become reality, I can pay someone).
This means I am now a publishing house. I have to write. I have to edit. I have to find other editors because I suck at editing. I have to hire an artist and I have to format my books. The last step is the doozy though. I have to become a marketer. I have to find a way to bring people to my books. If I don't all of this effort becomes a whole lot of work with very little gain. When I say gain I don't just mean monetarily. I am not expecting to get rich here. I just want to entertain. I want someone to read my books and think, "that was great". Well worth the time (thankfully despite the small sales on, A Very Zombie Holiday, this has already happened). Maybe the novels are not good enough and I never will get this feedback. I guess at that point I will have to make a tough decision.
In the meantime. I am plugging away at formatting, The Shadow Men, and should be done this weekend. Originally, I was going to wait until June to publish but now I think when it is ready I am going to put it up. So sometime this weekend or early next week my first novel will be out there and my education continues. I have the writing part down. Now, I have to become a show barker and draw in a crowd. It was lonely writing the books but I am hoping that doesn't have to mean the books live a lonely life.
Amazon Link for A Very Zombie Holiday
Barnes & Noble Link for A Very Zombie Holiday
May 18, 2011
Growing Up Geek
Geek is chic right now. So chic that people are apparently pandering to us. By the way this pandering is coming from really beautiful women who are "supposedly" not really geeks (I find it a little interesting that I never hear the word pandering when it comes to beautiful men who are faking being a geek). The idea of being pandered to is humorous. Considering that in sixth grade when I knew that my life had become completely enveloped by the notion I was a geek I couldn't get any girls in my class to talk with me. I am sure it had something to do with my geek-sports-loner hybrid which completely confused them. Being a geek when I was a kid was a ticket straight out of the "in" group.
At some point I no longer cared about the 'in" group and I went on my merry way being a geek. Well, not really a geek more of a geek missionary trying to spread the good word of all things geek. I can remember more than a few eyeballs rolling back into people's heads when they asked exactly the wrong question. The one that usually got me going was, "what are you reading?" I think I might have put the girl sitting next to me in my high school creative writing class into a coma when she asked me about the book Dune.
This whole "are they really a geek" argument is non-sense. Who cares really? (Not my friends thankfully but clearly someone does or this whole thing would be a dead issue). Did all those years of being told you were weird permanently damage your ability to form rational thoughts. Now, suddenly, there is some geek test that must be passed or you can't be in our group. Which by the way is the same thing that happened to many of us as children, we were excluded.
I find all this silly bickering particularly alarming in that some of it is coming from women and is directed at other women. She's too pretty. She's dressed like slave Leia. She is selling her movie. I feel like I am in a soup line and someone is screaming, "no geek for you!" I really believe with all of my heart the best thing about being a geek is sharing what I love. My wife would never have considered herself a geek when she met me. Living with me for nineteen years has convinced her otherwise. She is every bit as geeky as me.
If you don't think all this fighting amongst ourselves is doing any harm (especially women on women hate) you are wrong. I know there are going to be some women out there who think I should shut the hell up, being a man and all. The thing is I have a particularly interesting perspective to share. I am a teacher.
I recently asked my class of 6th graders how many of them identified themselves as geeks. About 1/3 of my class proudly raised their hand (not as many as I thought would but way more than would have when I was a kid). Where it got interesting for me is only two girls raised their hands. I talked about it with the young ladies of my class and they were pretty brilliant with their answers.
Many of them read or watched geeky things. They just didn't feel comfortable thinking of themselves as geeks. It wasn't as socially acceptable for them. They also looked at many of the things they liked as exceptions. This was really evident with comic books where only one girl read superhero comics but most of my class read my set of Bone I had brought in.
Young girls are still being fed a heaping handful of "look this way, act this way, think this way". One girl's mom actively discouraged her from reading comics "because they were for boys." It is really easy for a young boy to identify himself in the nation of geek. Not so much for young girls. They are still fighting for their share of the pie. This is where the women geek on women geek hate has to end. And it is hatred (when you start talking about punching someone in the boobs you have crossed over to the dark side).
You have to think about who is out there watching. That young girl who got teased about her Star Wars lunchbox isn't the only one out there. Some boys in my class actually laughed when I started talking about comics with my one superhero loving lady. All this putting up walls and creating division so we can be some sort of exclusive club is only making it harder for young people (particularly girls) to proclaim their geek love.
I spent a lot of years getting teased. I feel no bitterness. It is what it is. I am completely stoked that we seem to be at a place where having a deep and meaningful discussion about why I think the Green Lantern movie is going to be a flaming pile of doggie doo in public won't get me weird looks (okay, it will but not because of Green Lantern but because I might be slightly weird). There really is no place for elitism in the geek nation. No room for exclusion. There is no geek standard or entry test. You want to call yourself a geek be my guest. And remember the next time you say you want to punch someone in the boobs, some young girl just might think you are serious and decide to never shout to the heart of the world, "I am a geek goddess!" How tragic that loss would be.
May 16, 2011
Self-Doubt in the Land of Art
There is no going back now. The first book is out there. On one hand it is just a collection of short fun zombie stories I put together. On the other hand I wrote it and my own lingering self-doubt tends to dominate my thought process. I have ventured off into unknown territory and I am not going to lie, I am terrified.
What if no one likes it? What if it just sits in the online store for months on end drawing not a whiff of interest? Does this mean at long last I have to admit to myself there is no future here? Is it confirmation that I am just another deluded person who thinks they can write? Do I get to pack up the dreams into the hope chest and lock it away in the closet?
I don't know the answers to these questions. Next month my first novel will be out there for everyone to see. A few months later the seoncd. In fact, over the next six months I have three books ready to go. I have one in the editing stage and one almost done. Within the next year it is very likely I will have six books for sale. Only, what if I throw this book party and no one comes? Where do I go from there? It really scares me in a way I can't begin to describe.
I spent almost an hour with my finger hovering above the publish button on A Very Zombie Holiday. I actually had to will myself into doing it. I have spent a lot of years in my life being told I couldn't do this thing called writing. I then spent a lot of years believing it. Now I am just taking a leap of faith. I am not stupid. I know that just because I put it out there doesn't mean it will sell. This doesn't worry me nearly as much as the thought, "what if it is bad?"
When I decided to do this my only desire was to have people who were not friends and family read my writing and enjoy it. My self-doubt is like a plague hanging onto my skin. The book was published on Saturday and luckily I was really busy and didn't think about it much. Today, I haven't been able to stop. All the self-doubt gets tangled up in my brain and it feels like a dark cloud beginning to hover. I know my old enemy depression is hovering near by and I am trying to ignore it.
Despite all of this I did it and I am pround that I did. I love to write. I hope some people love to read what I write. I don't know what is next for me if I keep putting out books and no one reads them. I am kind of stubborn so I imagine I will just keep writing. I am not unique in this world of depression or self-doubt but I am trying very hard to not let it control me. It's all a grand adventure now. Thanks to all of my friends and family who encourage me. Who stand by me and say, "don't be stupid, hit the publish button."
A Very Zombie Holiday US Amazon Link
May 14, 2011
A Very Zombie Holiday
It is nice to finally be ticking some of the projects off the list. Keepers is still not done. I haven't finished the final edit of The Darklands book 2. I am about two weeks later than I wanted to be with finishing up my zombie dad short story collection but at long last I can stick a fork into it. That sucker is done.
The book comes in at 13 stories and 18,000 words. That means there are eight brand spanking new stories and two small revisions on the old stories posted on my blog. I decided to stick with the zombie holiday theme because I still found it entertaining but it did make the stories more difficult to write. I scrapped several stories because I thought they were really bad. I might go back and take another run at them some day. I introduced a new character and changed the point of view on one of the stories (a brilliant idea from my brother Jerry).
I decided to format this book on my own for the Kindle and the Nook. It took way longer to do then I expected but for a first crack at formatting I am pleased with the way it turned out. I uploaded the book Thursday night and immediately ran into my first problem. Despite the fact these stories were read, reread, and then read some more I unbelievably made a continuiety error in one of the stories. I actually think I could have gotten away with it but it has been driving me crazy all day today. So, I did a quick edit and resubmitted.
This is really one of my biggest fears going the self-publishing route. I think I can string words together fairly well but I also know the value of a good editor. I really don't want to look stupid. There are going to be mistakes, I know, but I tried really damn hard not to let many of them slip through to publication. I felt a little better today when I was reading the New York Times and saw two glaring errors in an article I was reading. Even editors don't catch everything.
I hope my readers will want to go out and pick up a copy. I priced the book to sell at a whopping $0.99. My plan all along was to have this book out before the novel and hopefully sell a few to strangers who would then buy the novel when it comes out in June. I think for the price you will be entertained. One of the new stories I wrote was amongst my favorite things I have ever written. If you buy the book check back in and take a guess at which story.
Here are the links to purchase. You will need either a Kindle, a Nook, an iPad (running Kindle or Nook software) or a PC (with Kindle or Nook software running). I hope you enjoy them. I know I enjoyed writing them.
Amazon Link for A Very Zombie Holiday
May 11, 2011
Fuzzy Nation
I should know better than to start a book late in the evening when I know it is going to be good. This is a problem I have had ever since I became a veracious reader. As a child I would read well into the night and far past my bedtime. By high school my world had become a book. In an ultimate case of geekery I once stayed up all night reading Startide Rising by David Brin (still one of my favorite books of all time) and didn't get it finished. The next morning was the very first time I ever cut school. I had to stay home and finish the book. It was too good not to know how it finished.
Even with all of this history of late night reading I couldn't help myself when at 12:01 am Tuesday morning Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi downloaded to my iPad. The book is based on Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper. Mr. Scalzi was a big fan of the original and decided he really wanted to take the characters and the shell of the story and give a modern sensibility. In a lot of ways it started off as a professional writer doing fan fiction. He wasn't really thinking about publishing it. I am glad he changed his mind.
Little Fuzzy was one of my favorite books in high school. It is one of the first books I can remember making me cry. When I read that John Scalzi was updating the story I was excited. I am a big fan of Mr. Scalzi. I knew he would do the original proud and looked forward to seeing what it was going to look like. So as the book downloaded I thought to myself, "I am only going to read one chapter and then go to bed." Again, I should have known better.
After the first highly entertaining chapter I thought, "just one more chapter." Then it became, "I need to read until the first Fuzzy appears." Five hours later when I crawled into bed to get a whopping two hours of sleep before work I was done with the book. I absolutely adored it. It was funny, heart warming, sad, and flat out entertaining. My favorite book by Mr. Scalzi since Android Dreams (and I frakking loved Android Dreams).
I can give no higher compliment to the book then to say I couldn't put it down. He took the original idea and made it his own without losing the gentle kindness of the first one. The story becomes less black and white. The giant corporation is still the evil bad guy but our good guys feel more human. More capable of making a mistake or being greedy. It adds a nice touch to the story.
If you like science fiction, I think there is a good chance you will like this book. Here's the thing I think, there is a good chance you will like this book even if science fiction isn't your thing. It doesn't go real heavy on the world building. Instead it is a simple story about friendship, love, and what makes us human. Go get it now but don't start reading it late or you could be up all night.
