David R. Michael's Blog, page 10

Writing Progress Report

 
Writing progress report for the week starting Monday, August 6, 2012.
 








Writing Project


Words




Monday








Tuesday


Edited “Trikes & Aliens”.
Created ebook cover for “Trikes & Aliens”.
Created base ebook document for “Trikes & Aliens”.
Formatted “Trikes & Aliens” for KDP, PubIt, SW.







Wednesday








Thursday








Friday








Saturday








Sunday


















Total








 








Publishing/Marketing




Monday





Tuesday


Uploaded “Trikes & Aliens” to KDP, PubIt, SW.




Wednesday


Announced “Trikes & Aliens” on blog, FB.




Thursday





Friday





Saturday





Sunday





 
Reading List

The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Ken Robinson with Lou Aronica.

 
Related Posts:
Now Availalble – "Trikes & Aliens"9 Months of Indie PublishingSerene Morning & Other Tales of a Little Girl – Now Available

“Trikes & Aliens”

[image error]“Trikes & Aliens” by David Michael

Short Story (1300 words)

When his zipabout malfunctions, Rala makes a forced landing in Sally’s backyard. Sally thinks Rala talks funny, but she wants to help. Rala is more worried about Sally’s mother. Because even on this backward planet, children don’t get left completely unsupervised.

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and more!

Now Availalble – "Trikes & Aliens"

 
“Trikes & Aliens” – sci-fi short story by David Michael.
 
When his zipabout malfunctions, Rala makes a forced landing in Sally’s backyard. Sally thinks Rala talks funny, but she wants to help. Rala is more worried about Sally’s mother. Because even on this backward planet, children don’t get left completely unsupervised. (1300-word short story)
 




“Trikes & Aliens” Ebook Edition


Price




Kindle edition (Amazon)


$.99




Nook edition (Barnes & Noble)


$.99




Ebook (Smashwords)


$.99




 
Related Posts:
Now Available – Dragons of the StarsNow Available – Running Free (2 Stevie Buckbee Stories)Now Available – "Insanity"

Writing Progress Report

 
Writing progress report for the week starting Monday, July 30, 2012.
 








Writing Project


Words




Monday


Gunwitch2 (misc editing)


100-ish




Tuesday








Wednesday








Thursday


Edited “Running Free”.
Edited “Stevie Gets Back in the Saddle”.
Edited “Under the Dragon”.
Edited “The First Dragon”.







Friday








Saturday








Sunday


















Total








 








Publishing/Marketing




Monday





Tuesday





Wednesday





Thursday


Created cover for Running Free ebook.
Created base ebook for Running Free.
Formatted Running Free for KDP, PubIt, SW.
Uploaded Running Free to KDP, PubIt, SW.
Created cover for Dragons of the Stars ebook.




Friday


Created base ebook for Dragons of the Stars.
Formatted Dragons of the Stars for KDP, PubIt, SW.
Uploaded Dragons of the Stars to KDP, PubIt, SW.




Saturday





Sunday





 
Reading List

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher.

 
Related Posts:
Now Available – Dragons of the Stars9 Months of Indie PublishingNow Available – Running Free (2 Stevie Buckbee Stories)

Now Available – Dragons of the Stars

 
Dragons of the Stars – 2 short stories about the future, where spaceships controlled by superintelligent AI’s go renegade, venting their human crews into the vacuum of outer space and become the Dragons of the Stars.
 
“Under the Dragon” – The roar of the dragon’s thrusters could not be heard through the vacuum of space. But Allan heard it anyway, in his mind, as the massive bulk of the renegade spaceship eclipsed the light of the distant Sun…
 
“The First Dragon” – This mining outpost had been attacked two weeks ago, the third time in the last year. And so the Company had sent a team of dragon hunters to deal with the problem. The hunters had arrived, and that should have been the beginning of the hunt…
 




Dragons of the Stars Edition


Price




Kindle edition (Amazon)


$.99




Nook edition (Barnes & Noble)


$.99




Ebook (Smashwords)


$.99




 
Related Posts:
Now Available – Running Free (2 Stevie Buckbee Stories)Now Available – THE DOOR TO THE SKYNow Available – New Fairy Moon

Dragons of the Stars

Dragons of the Stars by David Michael

Collection

Two short stories about the future, where spaceships controlled by superintelligent AI’s go renegade, venting their human crews into the vacuum of outer space and become the Dragons of the Stars.

“Under the Dragon” – The roar of the dragon’s thrusters could not be heard through the vacuum of space. But Allan heard it anyway, in his mind, as the massive bulk of the renegade spaceship eclipsed the light of the distant Sun…

“The First Dragon” – This mining outpost had been attacked two weeks ago, the third time in the last year. And so the Company had sent a team of dragon hunters to deal with the problem. The hunters had arrived, and that should have been the beginning of the hunt…

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and more!

Running Free & Stevie Gets Back in the Saddle

Running Free & Stevie Gets Back in the Saddle by David Michael

Collection

Two flash fiction stories about 13-year-old Stevie Buckbee.

“Running Free” – Running sprints after soccer practice isn’t so bad with the help of Cocoa, one of Stevie’s horses.

“Stevie Gets Back in the Saddle” – Jack Rabbit, Stevie’s first horse all her own threw her and kicked her over spring break. Now it’s time to get back in the saddle.

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and more!

Now Available – Running Free (2 Stevie Buckbee Stories)

 
Running Free & Stevie Gets Back in the Saddle – 2 flash fiction stories about 13-year-old Stevie Buckbee.
 
“Running Free” – Running sprints after soccer practice isn’t so bad with the help of Cocoa, one of Stevie’s horses.
 
“Stevie Gets Back in the Saddle” – Jack Rabbit, Stevie’s first horse all her own threw her and kicked her over spring break. Now it’s time to get back in the saddle.
 
Keywords: girl, horse, family, barrel racing
 




Running Free & Stevie… Edition


Price




Kindle edition (Amazon)


$.99




Nook edition (Barnes & Noble)


$.99




Ebook (Smashwords)


$.99




 
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Free Fiction – A Stevie StoryThe Girl Who Ran With Horses – Now Available!Now Available – New Fairy Moon

Almost Time to be a Writer Again

 

The Journal 6 has been released, and the emotional rollercoaster ride of the post-release period has begun to slow down. Which means I get to be a writer again soon. The fun part will be remembering where I left off.
 
My writing goals for 2012 have been shot to hell. In fact, they’ve been shot to hell since late March. Which is a bit earlier than I expected them to come under attack, but that’s the nature of trying to plan for an entire year: There are a lot of days-weeks-months between 1 January and 31 December.
 
How I was able to think, back in December, that I could hit those writing/publishing goals and develop, test, and release The Journal 6 is beyond me. Even back then I knew that I would be doing each and all of those things from January through at least July.
 
I’ve done software version upgrade releases a number of times before, for a number of products. I should know by now that I get more obsessive and single-minded the closer I get to the software release date. And that the obsession doesn’t go away with the release. It takes time (for a variety of reasons) to fully recede and allow other activities some mindshare.
 
But, no, I chose to ignore that experience and make plans as if I was some kind of relaxed, easy-going, and balanced fellow–and absolutely not the obsessive, single-minded type of guy I can be.
 
In fact, based on my experience with writing goals over the past several years, I should learn from that experience and stop making detailed writing goals at all. Stick with a very simple set of overarching goals, like:

Write.
Publish.

 
Within any given year–sometimes even within a given month–those can easily cohabitate with my other overarching work goal:

Develop software.

 
Rotating through this Trynamic Trio over the course of a year, obsessing on one, then the next, then the next, I should be able to get all sorts of stuff done. In fact, that’s how I’ve worked for years. I just never seem to remember that when I’m making my goals in December. Maybe this year I’ll finally learn.
 
All of which to say: Once the new release of The Journal has settled down (hopefully within the next couple weeks), I plan to shift my obsessive mentality to the completion of Gunwitch2.
 
-David
 
Related Posts:
The Approaching End – My Goals and Deadlines for 2012Things That Loom and Goals That AdjustMy Latest Heresy: I Don’t Want to Write Fulltime

Last of the Mohicans with Zombies!

 
And Magic!
 
And Natty Bumpo is a woman!
 
Sorta.
 
In 1718, in an England that might have been, the law found Rosalind Bainbridge guilty of witchcraft. In lieu of execution, she became Private Bainbridge of the 101st Pistoleers.
 
A Gunwitch of the King’s Coven.
 
Twenty-four years later, dishonorably discharged and working as a scout on the Amerigon frontier, Rose’s past comes looking for her. A summons and a request from the officer who saved her from the hangman’s noose. A reunion with another veteran of the 101st, someone she never wanted to see again. And a meeting with the Misses Janett and Margaret Laxton, the daughters of the man who pressed her into service as a gunwitch.
 
Reluctantly, Rose agrees to take Janett and Margaret to their father at Fort Russell. No one knows the swamps around New Venezia better than Rose and her bloodsister, the enigmatic Chal. The trip should take only a few days.
 
But there’s more waiting in the swamps than mud and mosquitoes. War and betrayal threaten Rose and the girls, while an ancient, unspeakable evil pursues them all the way to the walls of Fort Russell.
 




Gunwitch: A Tale of the King’s Coven Edition


Price




Trade paperback (Amazon)


$14.95




Kindle edition (Amazon)


$6.99




Nook edition (Barnes & Noble)


$6.99




Ebook (Smashwords)


$6.99




 
Related Posts:
Now Available – Gunwitch: A Tale of the King’s CovenWin a FREE Signed Copy of Gunwitch: A Tale of the King’s CovenExcerpts Should Include a Blurb