Zachary Rawlins's Blog, page 4
December 12, 2011
Answering Some Questions
I respond to each and every piece of email I get - forgive me if it can take a day or two - but I often get repeated questions. So I thought I would share a few of the most common questions and answers, in case any of you were interested.
Is Alex suppose to be so apathetic?
Oh yes. I'm not that bad of a writer. There is definitely a reason Alex is so flat, and it does play heavily into the story.
Are you going to explain Central/the nanites/the Ether/protocols/etc?
That's a qualified yes. I will fully explain all of these things - to the extent that the characters themselves understand them. There is an element of mystery to some of these concepts.
Is the Central Series a harem anime inspired book?
I actually had to go figure out what harem anime was to answer this one. First off, I don't watch that much anime - I read manga. Second, the only harem anime I was familiar with was Bakemonogatari, which is apparently atypical of the genre. So, while sick over Thanksgiving, I read or watched some classics of the genre, including Ai Yori Aoshi (pretty good), Love Hina (ugh), Negima (pretty good, but icky), and To Love Ru (cute, dumb). And I can now say definitively that that is NOT what i am writing. Alex is not the center of the world, nor are the females in the novel there to adore him.
So, if you were hoping for something like that, I will have to disappoint.
Do you actually write a book every two months?
Not exactly. The Academy and The Anathema were both written before I started, as well as Unknown Kadath and a few other things. Most of my time has gone to editing and formatting lately, rather than writing.
Since I work a fulltime job during the day, I can manage about two books a year. Assuming this become a fulltime gig, I could do three or four. I'm pretty prolific.
Do you have a release schedule for the Central Series?
Despite my gimpy shoulder, I'm still aiming for a January release of The Anathema, and a cleaner edit of The Academy shortly after. The Far Shores, the third book, is about half-written, so there will be a lag there.
Basically, my intention is to put out at least one Central Series novel a year, probably around Christmas.
Do you have a favorite character?
I sure do. My fav in the Academy is Anastasia. My favorite for the series doesn't appear until the second book.
Do you have other books set in the world planned besides the Central Series?
Absolutely. I will be releasing a free short story in between each Central Series novel, starting with The Anathema, that will cover side characters and add depth.
I have ideas for both a prequel dealing with Gaul and Rebecca's Academy days, as well as a story to follow The Central series. If the rest of The Central Series is as successful as the Academy, I will definitely pursue them.
In addition, in conversation with my editors, ideas regarding a book about Margot or Anastasia has been thrown around, and remains a possibility.
That's it for now - back to polishing Unknown Kadath Estates. As always, if you have any questions or anything you feel like saying, I can be reached at spook_nine@yahoo.com.
Is Alex suppose to be so apathetic?
Oh yes. I'm not that bad of a writer. There is definitely a reason Alex is so flat, and it does play heavily into the story.
Are you going to explain Central/the nanites/the Ether/protocols/etc?
That's a qualified yes. I will fully explain all of these things - to the extent that the characters themselves understand them. There is an element of mystery to some of these concepts.
Is the Central Series a harem anime inspired book?
I actually had to go figure out what harem anime was to answer this one. First off, I don't watch that much anime - I read manga. Second, the only harem anime I was familiar with was Bakemonogatari, which is apparently atypical of the genre. So, while sick over Thanksgiving, I read or watched some classics of the genre, including Ai Yori Aoshi (pretty good), Love Hina (ugh), Negima (pretty good, but icky), and To Love Ru (cute, dumb). And I can now say definitively that that is NOT what i am writing. Alex is not the center of the world, nor are the females in the novel there to adore him.
So, if you were hoping for something like that, I will have to disappoint.
Do you actually write a book every two months?
Not exactly. The Academy and The Anathema were both written before I started, as well as Unknown Kadath and a few other things. Most of my time has gone to editing and formatting lately, rather than writing.
Since I work a fulltime job during the day, I can manage about two books a year. Assuming this become a fulltime gig, I could do three or four. I'm pretty prolific.
Do you have a release schedule for the Central Series?
Despite my gimpy shoulder, I'm still aiming for a January release of The Anathema, and a cleaner edit of The Academy shortly after. The Far Shores, the third book, is about half-written, so there will be a lag there.
Basically, my intention is to put out at least one Central Series novel a year, probably around Christmas.
Do you have a favorite character?
I sure do. My fav in the Academy is Anastasia. My favorite for the series doesn't appear until the second book.
Do you have other books set in the world planned besides the Central Series?
Absolutely. I will be releasing a free short story in between each Central Series novel, starting with The Anathema, that will cover side characters and add depth.
I have ideas for both a prequel dealing with Gaul and Rebecca's Academy days, as well as a story to follow The Central series. If the rest of The Central Series is as successful as the Academy, I will definitely pursue them.
In addition, in conversation with my editors, ideas regarding a book about Margot or Anastasia has been thrown around, and remains a possibility.
That's it for now - back to polishing Unknown Kadath Estates. As always, if you have any questions or anything you feel like saying, I can be reached at spook_nine@yahoo.com.
December 6, 2011
Unknown Kadath Estates
Guess I owe everyone an apology. Unknown Kadath Estates volume one should have come out last week.
I know I said it would come out in November, but I am still wrestling with the formatting. It will come out in the next few days, but I am attempting to avoid the last minute formatting errors that plagued The Academy this time around. I hope you can all be patient with me for a few extra days.
The other reason for the delay is illness and shoulder issues. I simply haven't been able to spend as much time working and editing as I would have liked the last few weeks, between a nasty case of the flu and an impingement in my shoulder. Nonetheless, I am still plugging away. Since this is a solo operation, it is a tremendous amount of work.
Anyway, I will try and take some time later in the week to answer some questions that I keep getting emailed, as soon as I get Kadath up on Amazon. The Anathema is still scheduled for January, however, it will probably be closer to the end of the month than the beginning. The text is complete and edited, but correctly formatting a 175,000 word novel takes quite a while.
Anyway, thanks for reading, and as always, you can reach me at spook_nine@yahoo.com if you have anything you feel like saying (I always respond - though forgive me if it takes a couple days. Some days I get more mail than others).
I know I said it would come out in November, but I am still wrestling with the formatting. It will come out in the next few days, but I am attempting to avoid the last minute formatting errors that plagued The Academy this time around. I hope you can all be patient with me for a few extra days.
The other reason for the delay is illness and shoulder issues. I simply haven't been able to spend as much time working and editing as I would have liked the last few weeks, between a nasty case of the flu and an impingement in my shoulder. Nonetheless, I am still plugging away. Since this is a solo operation, it is a tremendous amount of work.
Anyway, I will try and take some time later in the week to answer some questions that I keep getting emailed, as soon as I get Kadath up on Amazon. The Anathema is still scheduled for January, however, it will probably be closer to the end of the month than the beginning. The text is complete and edited, but correctly formatting a 175,000 word novel takes quite a while.
Anyway, thanks for reading, and as always, you can reach me at spook_nine@yahoo.com if you have anything you feel like saying (I always respond - though forgive me if it takes a couple days. Some days I get more mail than others).
November 1, 2011
Slow Going
Well, after an initially smooth launch, I guess problems were inevitable...
I am currently working overtime to correct the weird formatting/editing errors in the Academy, which seem to show up only on some readers, and not others, for reasons that still allude me. I hope to have that run down and a clean version uploaded to Amazon by the end of the week. I apologize again if you had to put up with the occasional formatting error - it was my first time, and I'm working solo. It won't happen again.
Unknown Kadath looks totally awesome, and I can't wait to put it up. As soon as I finish the last of the copy edits, and the designer signs off on the cover, we will be ready to go.
Unfortunately, all of this has been made a little more challenging by a rotator cuff injury in my shoulder, that required a cortisone shot and has put me in physical therapy. While it should heal okay, it severely limits that number of hours per day I can spend typing, so I'm working a little slower than I am accustomed to.
Anyway, I hope you will stick with me, and I promise better things to come. As always, you can reach me at spook_nine@yahoo.com. Thanks!
I am currently working overtime to correct the weird formatting/editing errors in the Academy, which seem to show up only on some readers, and not others, for reasons that still allude me. I hope to have that run down and a clean version uploaded to Amazon by the end of the week. I apologize again if you had to put up with the occasional formatting error - it was my first time, and I'm working solo. It won't happen again.
Unknown Kadath looks totally awesome, and I can't wait to put it up. As soon as I finish the last of the copy edits, and the designer signs off on the cover, we will be ready to go.
Unfortunately, all of this has been made a little more challenging by a rotator cuff injury in my shoulder, that required a cortisone shot and has put me in physical therapy. While it should heal okay, it severely limits that number of hours per day I can spend typing, so I'm working a little slower than I am accustomed to.
Anyway, I hope you will stick with me, and I promise better things to come. As always, you can reach me at spook_nine@yahoo.com. Thanks!
October 25, 2011
Edits and The Academy
Well, I guess that somehow, maybe in file confusion or in format uploads, some people found significant errors in the text. While I can't afford a professional editor and copywriter, I did have eight people, including several teachers and such, do edits on it, and I did several extensive checks with both automated grammer and spelling software, as well as the old Chicago Manual of style - but apparently I didn't do so well.
Apologies on that. Not sure if an older version of the text got uploaded in error, if the formatting problems are device specific, or if I just messed up in general, but as soon as possible I will review the thing and reedit the text, hopefully to everyone's satisfaction. I'm very busy at the moment, but I will try and make this a priority.
If you noticed errors you would like to see fixed, go ahead and hit me up at spook_nine@yahoo.com and I will take care of it. If possible, let me know what you read it on as well, so I can preview that specific format and correct it. Thanks!
Apologies on that. Not sure if an older version of the text got uploaded in error, if the formatting problems are device specific, or if I just messed up in general, but as soon as possible I will review the thing and reedit the text, hopefully to everyone's satisfaction. I'm very busy at the moment, but I will try and make this a priority.
If you noticed errors you would like to see fixed, go ahead and hit me up at spook_nine@yahoo.com and I will take care of it. If possible, let me know what you read it on as well, so I can preview that specific format and correct it. Thanks!
October 14, 2011
Release Schedule
I've gotten a fair number of questions about it, so I thought I would briefly lay out the schedule. I am currently writing two different series, plus a couple side projects, so every other book will be a volume of The Central Series, with other books alternating between. Here is the upcoming releases:
Nov 2011 - Unknown Kadath Estates Vol 1 - Paranoid Magical Thinking
Jan 2012 - The Central Series Vol 2 - The Anathema
March 2012 - Dead to the World (short story collection)
The third volume of The Central Series will come out in the summer of 2012. And that's about as far ahead as I have planned, though I think it's safe to expect a new book every 2-3 months, a new volume of the Central Series with every other release.
I'm also planning a related book, based on Margot, the vampire girl from The Central Series, which might appear before the end of 2012, if all goes well.
As always, feel free to hit me up at spook_nine@yahoo.com, or check out the Facebook page for The Central Series.
Nov 2011 - Unknown Kadath Estates Vol 1 - Paranoid Magical Thinking
Jan 2012 - The Central Series Vol 2 - The Anathema
March 2012 - Dead to the World (short story collection)
The third volume of The Central Series will come out in the summer of 2012. And that's about as far ahead as I have planned, though I think it's safe to expect a new book every 2-3 months, a new volume of the Central Series with every other release.
I'm also planning a related book, based on Margot, the vampire girl from The Central Series, which might appear before the end of 2012, if all goes well.
As always, feel free to hit me up at spook_nine@yahoo.com, or check out the Facebook page for The Central Series.
October 13, 2011
Influences and The Academy
Influences are a funny thing. Publishing the Academy has given me a unique opportunity to hear from lots of people who have read the book - a fun experience and a privilege, I might add - and one of the first things they share is what they feel were the book's influences.
Its fascinating to me, because it says almost as much about the person, and their relationship with the material, as it does about the book itself. It also interesting to see the certainty with which some readers ascribe scenes, events or characters to an inspirational source. Sometimes it's things that I expected. Sometimes it's things that I have never even heard of, or didn't like.
Oddly enough, the main influence on The Academy (from my perspective) is one that no one has ever mentioned to me - namely, X-Men comic books.
I've been reading them since I was eight, and fascinated by the idea from the first time I heard it. While I hated the movies, I've stuck with the books over the years, and continued to enjoy them as an adult. But I always had questions I felt like the authors of the book never addressed...
I wanted to know more about what happened at the school, when they weren't saving the world. It was, after all, a houseful of teenagers on their own. Why was there never any sex? Or drinking? Or any of the things that I spent all of my time as a teenager obsessed with?
But it went further. I could never bring myself to fully trust Professor Xavier, and couldn't understand how the other characters in the book did. After all, how could you trust someone who could control your thoughts? How could they be sure that anything they did wasn't a result of his manipulation? How could they be sure his intentions were good?
Two decades of wondering about these kind of questions is largely what lead to the first seeds of the Central Series. But no one has ever made the comparison, because everyone's relationship to a book is private, individual and unique.
As always, if you want to reach me for any reason, hit me up at spook_nine@yahoo.com. Thanks!
Its fascinating to me, because it says almost as much about the person, and their relationship with the material, as it does about the book itself. It also interesting to see the certainty with which some readers ascribe scenes, events or characters to an inspirational source. Sometimes it's things that I expected. Sometimes it's things that I have never even heard of, or didn't like.
Oddly enough, the main influence on The Academy (from my perspective) is one that no one has ever mentioned to me - namely, X-Men comic books.
I've been reading them since I was eight, and fascinated by the idea from the first time I heard it. While I hated the movies, I've stuck with the books over the years, and continued to enjoy them as an adult. But I always had questions I felt like the authors of the book never addressed...
I wanted to know more about what happened at the school, when they weren't saving the world. It was, after all, a houseful of teenagers on their own. Why was there never any sex? Or drinking? Or any of the things that I spent all of my time as a teenager obsessed with?
But it went further. I could never bring myself to fully trust Professor Xavier, and couldn't understand how the other characters in the book did. After all, how could you trust someone who could control your thoughts? How could they be sure that anything they did wasn't a result of his manipulation? How could they be sure his intentions were good?
Two decades of wondering about these kind of questions is largely what lead to the first seeds of the Central Series. But no one has ever made the comparison, because everyone's relationship to a book is private, individual and unique.
As always, if you want to reach me for any reason, hit me up at spook_nine@yahoo.com. Thanks!
October 11, 2011
Introduction and How I Got Here
Hello! Apologies for the late introduction - between my day job, and the writing thing, I haven't had much time to do anything else. I have the next two books slated for publication written already, though, so all I have to do is editing, and have a little more free time.
A bit about me as a writer - I've been writing since I won a creative writing contest in the fifth grade, for an apocalyptic fantasy story that I wrote. Unfortunately, since all the good guys died horribly and the bad guys won, I ended up having to talk to the school shrink a bit, too. Hints of things to come, I suppose.
I studied Lit and Creative Writing at UCSC, where I primarily wrote very technical, grim, violent poetry. While it got a fair amount of respect and attention, it wasn't the kind of stuff that most people like to read, and frankly, I didn't enjoy writing it that much. I got positive responses to my poetry, so I just stuck with it, and the more good feedback I got, the more I felt compelled to produce it.
The funny thing is, I've never been much of a reader of poetry. I read a mix of science-fiction, non-fiction, noir detective/crime, communist-era Russian lit, South American magical realism, William Burroughs, and comic books/manga. I would be the only kid in advanced composition class reading Zelazny, Gibson and Lia Block.
Fast forward another eight years, and after reading a very unsatisfying paperback, I wondered why I didn't just write a book that was like the books I enjoyed reading. The idea captivated me, and I started to spend hours everyday writing. My first two novels failed, part of the process of figuring out how to write one. My third, The Academy, languished on various publishers desks for a year or so, always getting good responses, but never actually moving to print. In the meantime, I wrote a couple more books, waiting around for a publishers phone call.
Eventually, I decided that I was tired of waiting, and that an e-book was the way to go. Thus, you have The Academy, and my forthcoming projects, which I sincerely hope you enjoy.
If you ever wish to, for whatever reason, I can be reached at spook_nine@yahoo.com. Thanks!
A bit about me as a writer - I've been writing since I won a creative writing contest in the fifth grade, for an apocalyptic fantasy story that I wrote. Unfortunately, since all the good guys died horribly and the bad guys won, I ended up having to talk to the school shrink a bit, too. Hints of things to come, I suppose.
I studied Lit and Creative Writing at UCSC, where I primarily wrote very technical, grim, violent poetry. While it got a fair amount of respect and attention, it wasn't the kind of stuff that most people like to read, and frankly, I didn't enjoy writing it that much. I got positive responses to my poetry, so I just stuck with it, and the more good feedback I got, the more I felt compelled to produce it.
The funny thing is, I've never been much of a reader of poetry. I read a mix of science-fiction, non-fiction, noir detective/crime, communist-era Russian lit, South American magical realism, William Burroughs, and comic books/manga. I would be the only kid in advanced composition class reading Zelazny, Gibson and Lia Block.
Fast forward another eight years, and after reading a very unsatisfying paperback, I wondered why I didn't just write a book that was like the books I enjoyed reading. The idea captivated me, and I started to spend hours everyday writing. My first two novels failed, part of the process of figuring out how to write one. My third, The Academy, languished on various publishers desks for a year or so, always getting good responses, but never actually moving to print. In the meantime, I wrote a couple more books, waiting around for a publishers phone call.
Eventually, I decided that I was tired of waiting, and that an e-book was the way to go. Thus, you have The Academy, and my forthcoming projects, which I sincerely hope you enjoy.
If you ever wish to, for whatever reason, I can be reached at spook_nine@yahoo.com. Thanks!
