H.S. Stone's Blog, page 14

I'm finally going to write a series! (FAQ)

After publishing six standalone novels, I'm finally ready to write a series!
The two or three of you who read my blog may have questions, so here's an FAQ:

1. What about The Driver Series? Doesn't that count? It even says "Series" in the name!
Yes, that's technically a series, but it's a series of short stories. My new series will be one in the more traditional sense in that each book will be a full length novel. I learned a good deal about writing a series from The Driver Series, so let's call...

Reading my TBR

Like many avid readers, I accumulate books faster than I can read them. Through the years, I've bought several shelves' worth of books, and while I've read a large majority of them, there are many books in my possession that I haven't read yet. Throw in the e-books that I've downloaded to my Kindle, and my TBR list is pretty darn long!

At the beginning of this year, I decided to tackle my TBR in earnest. I signed up for the Goodreads Reading Challenge, with a goal of reading 75 books in 2017....

Favorite movies of 2016

After posting about my favorite reads of 2016, I decided to go through the movies I watched last year (thanks to Netflix, where my ratings are recorded) and post my favorite movies as well. I don't watch as many movies as I read books, so I'm only going to list the top 5.


1. "Rogue One"
I admit that, when I first heard that they were making a standalone Star Wars movie, I was skeptical how it would turn out. Then, when the first trailer of "Rogue One" was released, most of my doubts faded. This...

Favorite reads of 2016

In my last post, I mentioned that 23 of the books I read in 2016 received 5-star ratings. Among them, these were my top ten favorites.


1. Illuminae - Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
I'm not sure how to describe this book, but I loved everything about it. Illuminae was like a YA sci-fi love story with zombies and a homicidal AI rolled into one, told in a unique way that makes it even better than the sum of its parts. If that didn't make any sense (or even if it did), go read the book!

2. Attachment...

What I read in 2016

Welcome again to my annual summary of the books I read this year. In 2016, I read 82 books. I managed to read at least 100 books in 2015 and 2014, but this was a busier year for me, especially at my day job. However, I’m still happy with the amount of reading I managed to do in the last twelve months.

The ratings for the books I read this year broke down as follows:
5 stars - 23 books4 stars - 30 books 3 stars - 29 books 
This works out to an average rating of 3.93 stars per book, almo...

2016 Holiday Sale!

It's the Christmas holiday season again, and since this is the most wonderful time of the year, I'm discounting my books on Amazon. Between now and the New Year, every one of my books will be on sale for 99 cents or FREE! Get them before prices go back up!

99 CENTS:
In the Hands of
ChildrenBeyond
New EdenKeep Your
Enemies CloseGiftedAll That
Remains of Me
TransmissionsA House in
the WoodsProtectSearchRescue
George and the
Galactic Games

FREE:
DriveThrough a
Tangled WoodCelestialSpectral Tales
Happy holiday...

New habits

When I undertook the NaNoWriMo challenge this year, I was skeptical that I would be able to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Despite successfully completing NaNoWriMo the last two years, I had more doubts this year than ever before. My day job has been busier, and regular family responsibilities have made it hard to find time to write all year long. Why would things suddenly change in November?

Yet, as we get close to the end of the month, I managed to stay on track! 50,000 words not only looks...

Five Years!

I can't believe that five years have passed since I published my first novel, George and the Galactic Games ! While it's not my best-selling title, the book still holds a special place in my heart. Sometimes you'll read about authors who have a book inside them that's begging to be written, and, more so than any other book I've published, George and the Galactic Games was that book for me. If not for how much I wanted to write the story of George and his adventures, I wouldn't have pushed myse...

NaNoWriMo 2016

It's that time of year again when writers try to pen a 50,000-word novel in just 30 short days! This will be my third year participating in NaNoWriMo, and I'm proud to say that I completed the challenge on my first two attempts. :-)

One thing I've learned about NaNoWriMo is that, as with most things in life, your odds of success are greater if you prepare for it. I've gone into the previous two NaNoWriMos with a rough idea of what I'd write, and this year is no different. Two months ago, I alr...

And zombies

Not too long ago, I watched the movie adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was primarily due to the undead element rather than any love for Jane Austen. The experience made me wonder what other literary classics would be improved by the addition of zombies. My conclusion? Just about every one!

Here are ten examples:
1984 and Zombies - What if the reason that Big Brother suppresses freedom is because it's trying to hide the existen...