Guy Antibes's Blog, page 7

A Scholar Without Magic – Draft Done, Editing Begun

Our intrepid snoop, Sam Smith, has more investigations to solve as Vaarek sinks closer and closer to outright war while he tries to get an education at the University of Tolloy. He does develop some new talents and uses them to survive in the descending chaos.

I finished the first draft and two rewrites before the end of 2018. That was my goal and I met it. Considering past timing, I will probably get the book out within three weeks. So you can plan on A Scholar Without Magic publishing before February 1st.

The draft went pretty well. I had a much darker ending, but my wife talked me out of it. That was a good thing because the current version is better and has a good setup for the finale of the series: A Snoop Without Magic.

 

A Voyager Without Magic Publishes Today!

The third book in the Magic Missing Series publishes today. Here is the blurb: 

A Voyager Without Magic cover

Sam Smith, formerly an Apprentice Investigator at the Baskin Royal Constabulary, boards his ship of exile. Not having a home, he doesn’t have much choice other than to sail to the far off land of Vaarek. His voyage becomes filled with death, insurrection, and pirates on the land and the sea, amid exposure to unfamiliar cultures. Sam must tread carefully, as his nose for snooping is called upon at his ports of call, especially since his arch-enemy from Baskin is a fellow passenger.

The book is now up on Amazon. You can get to it by clicking here.

A Voyager Without Magic Update

The manuscript of A Voyager Without Magic is now in editing. I am hopeful to get the book out in early December. In this episode we follow Sam Smith as he voyages from Baskin in Toraltia all the way down to Vaarek on the Continent of Polistia far to the south. He finds that Banna Plunk, his arch-enemy is on the ship with him. That should make for an interesting voyage, don’t you think?

Book Two in Magic Missing Series Released

2nd Book in Magic Missing Series

An Apprentice Without Magic has just been released to Amazon for publication. Here is the blurb:

When Sam Smith joins the Royal Constabulary as an apprentice in the Investigative Division, his disability is kept a secret, but his experiences the previous summer have given him an edge over the other constable-apprentices creating a vicious jealousy. Life doesn’t get much easier, even as Sam learns from the crimes he helps solve with his partner.  In fact, he finds that as he gets closer to finding a master criminal, people start getting killed, more daring crimes are committed, and Sam gets closer to  risking his life.

After a lengthy (for me) time period when I moved, I am finally back to writing at my normal speed. Book Three, A Voyager Without Magic, has already started drafting, but the paperback version of book two is now my top priority.

The book should be available on Amazon in a day or two.

First Draft – Finally done

An Apprentice Without Magic’s first draft was completed tonight. I’d thought I’d like to let you know. I’ll be getting the cover done while I embark on the editing process, and I hope to get the book out by the end of October. 

I like the draft and how the book came out. It gave me some surprises and there might be one or two more that pop-up in the rewrite process. I look forward to presenting it to my readers.

Life Delays Subside!

My moving experience is about over and the past few weeks it has been more settling in than finding places to put the stuff in all the boxes. What this means to you, dear reader, is that I am back in the saddle whipping my manuscript into line with more and more text. I’m about three-quarters through with An Apprentice Without Magic. 

I expect to be done with the first draft by the end of the month and I will take a month to edit, polish, and get a new cover. So, I’ll have the next book out by the end of October and my schedule calls for the next book in the series before the end of the year. 

I did get four books out in the first half of the year, so I will still meet my goal to get six volumes out in 2018. Thanks for being patient. My unexpected move proved a two-month distraction. I have included a picture of my distraction below.

Life Delays Next Book, But All Is Good

I haven’t posted or even written much in the last month. My wife arranged a family reunion with our four grown kids and that happened at the end of July. No time for writing surrounded by family.  I am also moving. After seven years of renting, we decided to buy a house and we move on August 15th. With all the closing stuff and moving, my mind hasn’t been on Sam’s struggles as he becomes an apprentice snoop in Baskin.

I have written about 20% of the next book, but my pace will pick up once I get my new office back in shape. I am hoping for a late September release, but that might happen in October.

Bear with me a few weeks longer and I’ll get back on track soon enough!

A Boy Without Magic – 2nd Edition

After I published A Boy Without Magic, I wasn’t convinced this was the right cover. It is what happens in the book, but the tone of the cover didn’t match the tone in the book, so I had a new cover produced. It is better represents what I think works for the book. It is published and ready to go.

[image error]The other problem that I had was that the book starts when Sam is five-years-old. When I write in close third person, I try to think like the point-of-view character and the five year old Sam comes out sounding like five. I didn’t like that for the start of the book, so I decided to come out with a 2nd edition with another pass at editing, a new cover, the first part of the book removed (We are now introduced to Sam when he starts school at fourteen) and I added nearly another chapter towards the end of the book. Most of the book is the same.

I hope you like the changes. I think if you’ve bought a book and a new edition comes out, you can go to your kindle books and get the update. I hope that is the case.

I am still planning the next installment, An Apprentice Without Magic and hope to get it out by the end of August.

The Magic Missing Magic System – An Explanation

The first review for A Boy Without Magic was a four star review primarily on the magic system in Sam’s world. The explanation is rather simple. Think in terms of everyone having a 3D printer inside them. The pollen is the material they use to make things. Turning pollen into something is an acquired skill and the result is like something made out of plastic. They use their innate ability to collect the pollen, which is ever-present, and their will to join it into a useful object.

The pollen-made objects deteriorate over time. Most other materials last longer and are more durable. Pollen can burn, but it also can withstand a certain amount of heat. People can make pollen weapons, but plastic blades against steel? No contest. Pollen roofs don’t last as long as thatch roofs. Pollen armor is better than no armor, but it gets hacked apart easily enough.

People acquire different skills in making items out of pollen, so there is a lot of variation in pollen-made objects. Where there are good pollen makers, there are poorer pollen makers, but everyone can make stuff…except for Sam, the protagonist.

During the course of the series, Sam will be exposed to seeing pollen made and used in different ways. He even will add to the innovation as the stories progress. Since we are basically looking through Sam’s eyes, the world of pollen-made things will expand as Sam gets more experience.

If you have any thought or comments about the pollen in Sam’s world, put them in the comments.

A Boy Without Magic now released for sale!

Just as I hoped, I have finished A Boy Without Magic and it is now available on Amazon. You can link to it here. It it my wish that you like this series as much as the previous ones.

The book turned out like I had hoped and I’ve just started on the next book in the series: An Apprentice Without Magic.