Joseph Hunt's Blog, page 4

Synthetics' Society: Volume 1

Do not worry if you haven't received your formal letter inviting you in, or you haven't yet pushed hard enough at the back of your wardrobe, or you've seen the inside of too many normal telephone boxes... well, the synthetics' society isn't just any club... it's a club you're more than welcome to join without any formal invitation.



In fact, all you have to do is pick up the first instalment book, and start reading.



You've just been officially welcomed into the Synthetics' Society!









So far there are three volumes and each volume has three separate titles. The first volume has been announced: Existence, Creature, and Gemini's Child (the dates of release are listed above!) and they go in the order that they are listed. Each novella is around 15k words, so a full volume is around 45k.











Existence

7th December

The first instalment has been released! WOO!

You can add it to Goodreads: >here<

Oh, and don't forget to enter the giveaway on Goodreads... there are 5 signed paperbacks to be given away, right here!



Blurb: Orian “Ryan” Griffith has finished school and is going to be starting his next term in a local village. A safe haven for all walks of magical life.


However, when Ryan’s human friends give him a send off, there’s a little bit more than alcohol in his punch. It’s a concoction his sister had been using with her friends. A potion to give the drinker temporary magical abilities. And without the correct reversal potion, they could be stuck that way.

To make matters worse, they've attracted a whole host of unsavoury magical creatures. And they’re after blood.



Amazon US & Amazon UK




Creature

21st December

You can add it to Goodreads: >here<





Blurb: Orian “Ryan” Griffith is finally where he should be in life. But nothing is going right.



After turning his friends into witches and letting one of them be killed. His position in the village is in question, not only himself, but by his peers. And with the arrival of a man who claims him and his friends as his own, things are only going to get worse.

Ryan must regain the lost friendships if he's going to get through the torment and turmoil of the events that will unfold right before his eyes.

Gemini's Child

4th January

You can add it to Goodreads: >here<



Blurb: Orian "Ryan" Griffith was born 21st May, right on the cusp of being a Gemini. The chances of that happening to a magical child is one in a million. And when a gathering of The Children happens, Ryan is compelled to go along.



He feels like he's been saved by them, he feels like they've opened up a new understanding. And they have, but unfortunately, it will only inform him of all the malice he's about to inherit.



There's no room for error when you need to get out of the village that's surrounded by hundreds of guards, all on full alert, and jump right into another.




Are you going to join the Synthetics' Society?


The above blurbs for Creature and Gemini's Child, are working blurbs... so they're being used whilst the instalments are going through proofs and edits.





Joseph Eastwood




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Writing 101: Description!

Description is essential to any creative writer. You need to know how to describe, and you need to know how to do it effectively.



I've been reading two writing books:



The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression (2012) by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi



The Describer's Dictionary: A Treasury of Terms & Literary Quotations (1995) by David Grambs



I usually try and stay away from these kinds of books because they always make me doubt myself and my skills as a writer... and like I predicted, they have done. But it is only early on in my career and I guess that the more that I write and the more that I publish, the more that my readers will be able to notice the change in me.



Anyway, since I've been reading these, I have noticed that I do have a pattern of words that I will use, over and over again; word such as, "glanced" "nodded" "smiled" just simple words, that after reading these books, I now know that there are more ways to give depth and also make my writing seem less stilted, and repetitive.



I have come up with a way to teach myself, and also you guys. (Well, by trying to teach other people the lessons that I have learnt, I will be teaching myself.) Fun, huh? YES!



I will NOT be going through the books and just copying and pasting the information there for you. I'll be writing a few different posts, and I'll be explaining in my words (as that's the only way I can learn) some very effective ways of describing.



Including:



Textures, people, places, animals, and colours!



So, welcome to a mini crash course in description. Take it or leave it... either way, it's free.



Starting on Monday 10th!




Joseph Eastwood




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Lumen is a PAPERBACK!

I've neglected you, my lovely, yet lonely, blog. I'm sorry. I really am. I will vow to blog more often. I promise. I hope you believe me. (I do, I really do. But you've let me down before, Joe.) Yeah. But I said that I promise, Blog. I promise to blog more often. I really do. (Yeah, yeah. I'll try and believe you. When is this promise going to come into play then?) Um. Today. Right now. This second. Jeesh, Blog. Put me on the spot why don't ya. (Good! I'm glad you're taking me serious! Pfft.)



Before I openly admit to you guys that I'm crazy. I think I'll tell you all about Lumen being a PAPERBACK!



What's that Joe?



A paperback! They came through the door on Monday afternoon, and it's now Wednesday (around midnight) so I've been writing and procrastinating in the meanwhile. I did forget to tell you all about the paperback, but I'm here now, and I'm telling you guys just how excited I am! EEEEEK!





And the formatting just like amazing! (If I do say so.)



If you have read Lumen and you are wanting a paperback copy of Lumen, you can order that from me! If you haven't read Lumen, then you can also order from me! Hehe.



If you would like to order a paperback copy, then you can email me at josepheastwood@ymail.com



United Kingdom: £8 + £3 (p&p) = £11

USA: $10 + $6 (p&p) = $16

Australia: $10 + $10 (p&p) = $20



The above delivery costing is for 3-5 days. WHICH IS AWESOME!



If you're from anywhere else in the world, please do not hesitate to contact me.



Oh, crap! I almost forgot to tell you guys that I will be signing your books! And also, I shall also write you a little letter and I'll sneak it into the book. So, get your orders in as I'll be making a huge bulk order soon!






Joseph Eastwood



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Prologue of Lumen on YouTube!

As I promised ages ago I've uploaded a video of me reading out the prologue of Lumen on YouTube! I hope that you enjoy it!



Hopefully I'll be uploading a new chapter soon because it was quite fun to do.



I'm also planning on doing some more YouTube videos where I speak about Lumen or my other projects. As well as some Q&A videos.



A lot of you have told me how much you love my accent. Which I get really giddy about because I'm not from London so I don't have that  accent. I'm from the North West of the UK.







I love the thoughtful pose I have in the video.



If you have enjoyed this video, then please subscribe to the channel as I'm sure to be uploading more.




What did you think?




Joseph Eastwood




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BETA & Proofreaders Wanted!

Hi guys! I have a lot of projects at the moment that are all coming to a close and I'm looking for some BETA readers and proofreaders who'll be happy with a copy of the eBook in exchange of thoughts and perhaps corrections.



This will all be before the release of books, so it's awesome in that sense, and if you say yes, then you're going to be helping me massively and I need the help.



I need you guys... I rely on you guys because you're my readers. I write for myself but seeing some people take so much joy from my words is the best feeling in the world.











The above images are some of the covers of the serial novels/novels that I'm nearing the end of and I know how easy it is to miss things on the first look. Plus, I'm also thinking about publishing paperback copies at the same time as the ebook, so I'm very excited about that. 2012 has been my year, but I can tell from the huge progress I've made in such a little amount of time that 2013 is going to be even better!



So join me. If you think you can read a 50k word ebook in a week or under, giving me feedback or writing a review, then please message me at josepheastwood@ymail.com with Proofreader or BETA Reader in the subject title.






Joseph Eastwood



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LUMEN! FRIDAY FREEBIE!

IT'S FREE! IT'S FREE! IT'S FREE!



Lumen is now free from now until Monday! If didn't buy a copy, then get yourself a free one!



This version has not been updated (so warning) there could be some errors etc. if you do download a copy, Kindle will notify you once I've uploaded a newer version.



I'm putting Lumen up for free because it's nearing the end of its KDP select cycle, and I'm not going to be putting it back up for a second time as I'd like to upload to Smashwords and Barnes & Nobles, also, try for Apple! YAY!



So, soon... I shall be on all platforms! How awesome does that sound? Super amazing. Right?


Joseph Eastwood



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Sink or Swim!

Lately, I've been thinking about my so far short journey as a published author... and it's been awesome! I published Lumen at the end of August and then three short stories in September and October. (I fell behind schedule since starting university, but I did get a lot of planning for several new short story series and novellas.)




I've now changed the cover of Lumen, and I'm changing / rewriting Lumen because after originally publishing, I found several errors. And I know that there are still errors in the one up on Amazon, however, I've kept it up, and once I upload a revision I'll be emailing Kindle and they should message each person who's bought a copy... or as of midnight tonight (US or 6 a.m. UK time), downloaded a free copy... Kindle should notify you of an update. The NEW version. The BETTER version.




Lumen in the UK or Lumen in the US




So, you can either keep a page open and wait for it to go free, or check back here... or, you can go to my page as I'm sure I'll be posting to that whenever I notice the change.




Oooh, more news: Lumen's cycle on KDP select is coming to an end... and that means I'll be able to upload Lumen to Smashwords, and then perhaps to Barnes & Noble and Apple!





Mock Cover


When I do finish going over Lumen I will be releasing it as a paperback as well. I wasn't sure if I would release it this year, but I have a good feeling that before November is up Lumen will be available for you as a paperback. AND I CAN'T WAIT!




So, as I was saying... I've only just published this year, and I'm only 19, I'm doing everything on my own and it's tough, but I love it. I love the satisfaction. And I figured that there were two ways to look publishing. Sinking or swimming.




For the longest time of my life I've always sunk, and I've never really pulled through with anything. But, now I feel like I've started to float again, and things are looking up... I have a novel out on Amazon. I have a novel which needs editing. I have 20k+ words to go on another novel. 35k+ words to go on another. Those statistics would've been a dream to me a year ago... and now it's reality.




I'm glad that people are enjoying Lumen and my short stories. You guys are letting me live my dream as a professional writer. Without you guys, there really wouldn't be a me at all.




What do you think of the cover art?

And will you be downloading your FREE ebook?

Or have you already got a copy?





Joseph Eastwood



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Day 1 #NaNoDiary2012

Today I woke up at 3:30 pm, so I didn't have the best of starts to NaNo... but, I'm glad that I'm not starting a new project for it, I love looking at my word count and seeing the dent that's already been made. As I've previously mentioned I'm using a project that I want to add 50k+ words to.




Starting word count: 15,372

Finishing word count: 17,126

Words written: 1,754


A very good feeling, and I'm sure that it will only get better. I'm hoping to treat myself tonight (whenever it becomes available in the UK) to an episode of The Vampire Diaries! Very excited for that as I've seen some trailers for this weeks episode.



So here's an excerpt of the project that I'm working on:



Excerpt, Clandestine






“Leave—me!”
I shouted, thrusting my body, trying to swing or sway, knock their balance,
anything to get away.

“Have
you seen him?” the man to my right said. “He’s like a lost pup.”

A
tremor started in my veins, tickling at my wrists and eating its way up my
arms. The closer it came to my chest the faster I started to breathe, and then
it touched me, and I spasmed, I let it all out; my muscles burst inside, giving
in to a burning sensations.



“Argh!”
Both of the men yelped as they dropped me and fell to the ground, crippling
inside themselves.






Clandestine is up on Goodreads for you to add to your 'to-read' list. [LINK]



You can also add me as a buddy on NaNo! [LINK]



Remember that the first word down in a new project is always the hardest, and if you've got your 1,667 words down, then well done, you're on your way to winning NaNo.




How's NaNo been for you?

Have you exceeded 1,667?





Joseph Eastwood




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Day-to-Day... a Downwards Spiral...

The life of a writer is completely glamorous, it's full of book signings, writing all of the time because everyone loves everything that you write, oh, and TV interviews.




So, I wake up at 9 in the morning, take a shower, get my breakfast and a big mug of coffee... and then I start writing, I will write for about 2 hours before I have my lunch. After lunch I take an hour power nap.




Grumpy Joe: No! No, no, no! That's all wrong! The life of a writer is not glamorous and your life is not like that at all!




Ha... you're right little miss grumpy pants. I lied. I'm currently sat in my sweatpants that have a tomato sauce stain and a t-shirt that I split coffee down. And I haven't slept yet *sigh* I guess I do need that nap after all.




I don't really know if I could give you a definite "day-to-day" guide of my life because every day is different, some days I can write 5,000 words, and other I can barely manage a 140 word tweet.




Grumpy Joe: yeah well, that's because you spend a lot of your time watching reruns and playing on The Sims... jeesh, you know what you need to do if you want to do some writing... but oh, do you do it? NO!




*gulp* 




I watch about 3 - 5 hours worth of TV a day... it's so bad, and I know I need to cut it out because it's just me procrastinating. And to address my other issue of The Sims... I have cut that out, and I only really play on it once a week, or when I'm not feeling particularly well.




So, other than the TV obsession, my day does have some structure to it... depending on whether or not I have university that day will determine when I go to sleep the night before, and wake that day. But, on MY DAY which is every other day, and on those days I will spend most of my time on the internet... and a lot of the time I will be doing nothing, and I will just be on Facebook, trying to think of something to post on my page, or trying to think of something to blog about. When what I should be doing is WRITING and yes, it's easy for me to tell you, and for you to tell me that I need to be writing... but I need to do one thing, and one thing only, open the word document and start typing.




I guess you could say that I don't have a day-to-day schedule, and this blog post has been a lie... I'm sorry guys... I feel like I've lead you along and now you're feeling a little bit lost. But if you have something to share, like a tip on how to keep that word document open, then please share... because at the moment I've just been feeling a little drained. 





Joseph Eastwood




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How To: NaNoWriMo

November is coming up, and you all know what that means... a lot of writers are going to be sat up to their laptops and pushing out 50,000 words in 30 days or under. Some people don't think that it's a good way for a writer to spend their time... but I don't think of a better way. Writers write, and what better way to get the party started and the words rolling than to have an army of writers and an event like NaNoWriMo to kick it all off.



And the best thing is, if you do make it to the end with 50,000 words, then you have a novel... so well done, and congratulations.



I have created a list for you to use as a pre-NaNo check list, you can right click and save this image, and keep it as a reminder. Oh, and don't forget to share it with others.









Snacks: this is very important, if you're writing at night time, you're going to get peckish, so keep some snacks around, they don't have to be coated in sugar (but that's how I like them) you can always chop an apple up, or eat orange segments.



Stationary Hunt: it's always nice to have some new stationary around. I've bought some nice new pens and a new notepad to write it during my stay at the crazy house that will be, all because of NaNo. Also, if you have a strong start at the beginning of November, then there will be a better chance of you going all the way!



Read! A lot: don't forget to do some reading, before, after, and during the event. Oh, and don't forget to keep those writing books by your side.



Caffeine up: keep your levels peaked, eat chocolate, drink tea, drink coffee... and if you're no fun, then use herbal stuff... because believe me, you're going to need some caffeine if you're being 100% committed to NaNo, or it will swallow you whole.



Characters run the show: they really do! Plan some amazing characters and they will run the show for you!



Plan spontaneity: yes, ha ha, you can't really plan to be spontaneous. You can, however, plan days where you will kill a character, or introduce a character. If you see the calendars that I've created below, you'll see on some of the days I've add "kill someone"... I'm sure it will be fun to be a bit spontaneous!



Unplug: take yourself away from the internet. Facebook and twitter are both your enemy and friend during November as you'll be connecting with people and sharing your NaNo experience... but you'll also be wasting time where you could be getting those 1,667 words down.



Keep saving it: it's become second nature to me to press ctrl + S whenever I'm not typing, just so that I'm saving my work... and it's really helpful, it's even more helpful if your laptop is prone to crashing and/or overheating. Don't forget to save it



I've also created 5 desktop backgrounds... ones which you can easily nab, just right click and save as. There's a fun little commentary that's the same in each picture, you might use some of the points as a guide: I do have, on 2 occasions: "kill a character" which could be fun, depending on where you're up to in your novel.




Blue copy!



 Orange copy!



 Pinky/Red copy!



 Purple copy!



 Black and White copy!






I hope you enjoy your calendar. So, on with the post...




How do you do NaNoWriMo?


There is no definitive guide to writing a novel in 30 days, even if there are people who claim to know the secrets and blah--blah, there just isn't. Each person is unique and each person will write their novel differently...



Time - when do you usually write? Well, whenever that is, you should write then. I usually write in the evening or at night time, and I don't think that will change for NaNo, so I'm not going to try and force it. I think if you have a good thing going on... then don't try and stop it.



Goals - you need to know yourself, you need to know how much you can write in a certain time frame. Some people can only write a little amount at any one time, while others have huge bursts and then can't write for a while after.



I've created three different brackets, the first is the bare minimum that you need to be a NaNo "winner", and then the second two are for those of you who are more daring.




Minimum

1,667 words a day

11,667 words a week

50,000 in 30 days




2,000 words a day

14,000 words a week

60,000 in 30 days

(AN EXTRA 10k)




2,500 words a day

17,500 words a week

75,000 in 30 days

(AN EXTRA 25k)



Treat yourself - create some positive reinforcement and treat yourself. It's always good to treat yourself, especially after a hard day of writing.



Sweets, chocolate, TV... yes, TV, that's going to be my vice... and I'm going to use it to my advantage, I'll be watching TV after each successful writing day. It can be something as simple as that. Or you can buy yourself something, something to do with writing.



Plot & Plan - I love plotting and planning, I do it for hours, days, before I start to write because starting a new project is terrifying. However, with NaNo it can be fun to just be spontaneous and plan to do random things... you can plan to introduce new characters, or kill someone, or have an invasion of some kind. Planning characters is a way forward, if you get stuck, you can always look back at your character, see what they would do, and just let them lead the way.



Oh, and don't forget that there is a world outside... you do need fresh air, and yes, you also need to socialise.



I hope these have been handy. I know that they've helped me (and they are still). It's not long now until NaNoWriMo 2012 starts, and I can't wait... and a lot of you guys can't wait, and I'm going to be posting to my blog daily with posts "#NaNoDiary2012" that should be fun!




Are you doing NaNoWriMo?



Joseph Eastwood




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