C.S. Woolley's Blog, page 2
January 4, 2014
New Year
So it's a new year and so there is much to be done!
However before I descend into what I have to complete in the next 12 months I thought it would be a good idea to look back on this year and see what has happened, what was good, what was bad, what worked and what didn't.
I was finally diagnosed after struggling with long term illness, as having fibromyalgia and diverticulitis. Neither are particularly pleasant to suffer with but as a combined force, it is wonderful fun. This has not stopped me from moving forward though.
I was encouraged to start working on some scripts for the first time in several years and really enjoyed writing them - watch this space to find out what happens with them.
I had the covers for the Chronicles of Celadmore revamped and now they are looking superb (even if I do say so myself) I am incredibly happy with them and those that are going to be coming next.
Books were given away left, right and centre in competitions through Momma Says Read (if you haven't discovered this amazing site and woman - go look now!)
I received lots of helpful feedback on novels that are in the works and other projects.
I got the opportunity to work with a fabulously talented composer who has brought so many of my ideas to life through music.
I took the total of my books in the market to eight and had the honour of publishing someone else's work that has been selling well A Miracle of Grace
Plans for revamping the covers of the Nicolette Mace series are now well underway and should be out very soon.
I had a crazy October where I wrote the whole of Rising Empire: Part 1 in a month and then went on to do the NaNoWriMo challenge in November and cleared 70,000 words on a combination of projects.
I did some recordings of soundbytes for forthcoming videos linked to my books that are currently found on https://soundcloud.com/mtts_uk and also one of the rough videos that is on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfi5tL...
The Raven Siren wiki was finally launched and can be found at http://theravensiren.wikia.com/wiki/N...
And I got to review some amazing books!
But that was all last year.
This year is looking even more jam packed with scripts going out to unnamed people and the following publishing dates for people and their diaries!
Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren - Beginnings will be out on February 14th 2014
Rising Empire: Part 2 (Chronicles of Celadmore) will be out on March 23rd 2014
End of Days (Chronicles of Celadmore) will be out on May 14th 2014
Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren - Lily & Rose Saga will be out on July 4th 2014
Standing by the Watchtower: Volume 2 will be out on July 11th 2014
When Darkness Falls part of a New Series!! The Dragonian Wars (Related to Chronicles of Celadmore) will be out on 14th August 2014
Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren - Legacy will be out on November 11th 2014
There will be other books announced and other series publication dates that will be announced later in the year including a new book from Harry Mirfin and the announcement of some children's books, but for now that is all of them!
However before I descend into what I have to complete in the next 12 months I thought it would be a good idea to look back on this year and see what has happened, what was good, what was bad, what worked and what didn't.
I was finally diagnosed after struggling with long term illness, as having fibromyalgia and diverticulitis. Neither are particularly pleasant to suffer with but as a combined force, it is wonderful fun. This has not stopped me from moving forward though.
I was encouraged to start working on some scripts for the first time in several years and really enjoyed writing them - watch this space to find out what happens with them.
I had the covers for the Chronicles of Celadmore revamped and now they are looking superb (even if I do say so myself) I am incredibly happy with them and those that are going to be coming next.
Books were given away left, right and centre in competitions through Momma Says Read (if you haven't discovered this amazing site and woman - go look now!)
I received lots of helpful feedback on novels that are in the works and other projects.
I got the opportunity to work with a fabulously talented composer who has brought so many of my ideas to life through music.
I took the total of my books in the market to eight and had the honour of publishing someone else's work that has been selling well A Miracle of Grace
Plans for revamping the covers of the Nicolette Mace series are now well underway and should be out very soon.
I had a crazy October where I wrote the whole of Rising Empire: Part 1 in a month and then went on to do the NaNoWriMo challenge in November and cleared 70,000 words on a combination of projects.
I did some recordings of soundbytes for forthcoming videos linked to my books that are currently found on https://soundcloud.com/mtts_uk and also one of the rough videos that is on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfi5tL...
The Raven Siren wiki was finally launched and can be found at http://theravensiren.wikia.com/wiki/N...
And I got to review some amazing books!
But that was all last year.
This year is looking even more jam packed with scripts going out to unnamed people and the following publishing dates for people and their diaries!
Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren - Beginnings will be out on February 14th 2014
Rising Empire: Part 2 (Chronicles of Celadmore) will be out on March 23rd 2014
End of Days (Chronicles of Celadmore) will be out on May 14th 2014
Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren - Lily & Rose Saga will be out on July 4th 2014
Standing by the Watchtower: Volume 2 will be out on July 11th 2014
When Darkness Falls part of a New Series!! The Dragonian Wars (Related to Chronicles of Celadmore) will be out on 14th August 2014
Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren - Legacy will be out on November 11th 2014
There will be other books announced and other series publication dates that will be announced later in the year including a new book from Harry Mirfin and the announcement of some children's books, but for now that is all of them!
September 11, 2013
Kickstarter
So after much consideration and planning, I decided that I want to put out the Kevin Metis Saga in print in the UK. It's something I have been considering doing for a while now, but haven't really had the funding to do it.
That is until it was recommended that I should try crowdfunding.
Ergo, it's now live for the next 22 days http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1...
The Kevin Metis Saga: Nicolette Mace: The Raven Siren
That is until it was recommended that I should try crowdfunding.
Ergo, it's now live for the next 22 days http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1...
The Kevin Metis Saga: Nicolette Mace: The Raven Siren
August 11, 2013
Siren Internet Serial
The Siren blog has become so popular in the last few months that it is now going to be serialized on deviantART, fictionpress and noveljoy. Not only is the literature going to be serialized, but there are plans afoot for an online weekly comic strip of Siren.
The blogs are being expanded from focusing on Siren and Fred to include Harry, Danny, Metis and Long's blogs.
The Siren blogs themselves fill in the year gaps between the chapters in The Kevin Metis Saga: Nicolette Mace: The Raven Siren and the eight year gap between The Kevin Metis Saga and Beginnings.
Fred's blogs provide background information on events that we don't get to see in the books as the follow Siren.
The plans for Harry, Danny, Metis and Long blogs have yet to be finalized but will see the first of them rolling out in September.
The blogs are being expanded from focusing on Siren and Fred to include Harry, Danny, Metis and Long's blogs.
The Siren blogs themselves fill in the year gaps between the chapters in The Kevin Metis Saga: Nicolette Mace: The Raven Siren and the eight year gap between The Kevin Metis Saga and Beginnings.
Fred's blogs provide background information on events that we don't get to see in the books as the follow Siren.
The plans for Harry, Danny, Metis and Long blogs have yet to be finalized but will see the first of them rolling out in September.
July 19, 2013
Standing by the Watchtower
So the project I have wanted to do for ages has finally come to fruition.
I had the idea of putting together the poetry book around Christmas last year. My driving force for raising money for Macmillan was my grandma Hilda.
My grandma Hilda was a wonderful woman, firm, fair and loving. There were times she absolutely terrified me when I'd been naughty, yet whenever my family went to visit her and my grandad Arthur there would always be fresh crunch waiting for us (Crunch was her name for flapjack). She was an amazing woman, a lot of how special she was I have learnt after she died.
My Christian faith is very important to me and a few years ago my mother came to me and presented me with my grandma's bible. It contains within it some of the most inciteful annotations of theology expressed in the most simple way, which is an incredible feat. She was generous and well loved by so many and had a lighter side to her that I have seen in pictures of her dressed as the good fairy, her costume made completely out of tin foil.
When I was only just in double figures of age, she was diagnosed with lung cancer, which eventually claimed her life. It was just after her 50th wedding anniversary and she had mysteriously received a card which simply read "It's midnight, Cinderella." that she was diagnosed. Over the next few months my mother spent a lot of time visiting her and we went down on several trips to see her too. I can remember camping because of how sick grandma Hilda was.
It was a very difficult time for my extended family during which the Macmillan nurses cared for my grandma and supported my grandad. So I wanted to be able to do something for other people and families that are suffering from the effects of cancer, to be able to support Macmillan in the wonderful work they are doing and educate people that they are there.
Standing by the Watchtower: Volume 1 is available from amazon in paperback and kindle, smashwords in multiple digital formats and createspace in paperback.
I had the idea of putting together the poetry book around Christmas last year. My driving force for raising money for Macmillan was my grandma Hilda.
My grandma Hilda was a wonderful woman, firm, fair and loving. There were times she absolutely terrified me when I'd been naughty, yet whenever my family went to visit her and my grandad Arthur there would always be fresh crunch waiting for us (Crunch was her name for flapjack). She was an amazing woman, a lot of how special she was I have learnt after she died.
My Christian faith is very important to me and a few years ago my mother came to me and presented me with my grandma's bible. It contains within it some of the most inciteful annotations of theology expressed in the most simple way, which is an incredible feat. She was generous and well loved by so many and had a lighter side to her that I have seen in pictures of her dressed as the good fairy, her costume made completely out of tin foil.
When I was only just in double figures of age, she was diagnosed with lung cancer, which eventually claimed her life. It was just after her 50th wedding anniversary and she had mysteriously received a card which simply read "It's midnight, Cinderella." that she was diagnosed. Over the next few months my mother spent a lot of time visiting her and we went down on several trips to see her too. I can remember camping because of how sick grandma Hilda was.
It was a very difficult time for my extended family during which the Macmillan nurses cared for my grandma and supported my grandad. So I wanted to be able to do something for other people and families that are suffering from the effects of cancer, to be able to support Macmillan in the wonderful work they are doing and educate people that they are there.
Standing by the Watchtower: Volume 1 is available from amazon in paperback and kindle, smashwords in multiple digital formats and createspace in paperback.
June 7, 2013
Tumblr
So today I was convinced it was a good idea to join tumbr. I have never really liked the idea of blogging much, to my mind it doesn't really serve much of a purpose.
The idea that my opinion on some matter or a description of my day or some event never really struck me as something that anyone would want to read about. So to have not only a blog on goodreads but also on tumblr has been a bit of challenge to this perception.
Character blogs I have always thought are a great idea, means you can give infill stories that have no particular place within a book that people can read whilst you are working on other books and even update when a series has finished to tie off loose ends that may have been overlooked. Well it at least works for my Siren books.
So now it looks like I should really have something to say and have topics to talk about not just sitting down and creating something from nothing or posting just for the sake of trying to get people to find me.
This being said, I may have gone forward in terms of newfangled technology today, but I am still looking forward to the end of the day when I can curl up with Robin Hobb Collection: Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, Assassin's Quest and start thumbing through the pages of a brand new book!
Nothing in the world still beats the anticipation of sitting down with a paperback and drinking in a new, well written yarn.
The idea that my opinion on some matter or a description of my day or some event never really struck me as something that anyone would want to read about. So to have not only a blog on goodreads but also on tumblr has been a bit of challenge to this perception.
Character blogs I have always thought are a great idea, means you can give infill stories that have no particular place within a book that people can read whilst you are working on other books and even update when a series has finished to tie off loose ends that may have been overlooked. Well it at least works for my Siren books.
So now it looks like I should really have something to say and have topics to talk about not just sitting down and creating something from nothing or posting just for the sake of trying to get people to find me.
This being said, I may have gone forward in terms of newfangled technology today, but I am still looking forward to the end of the day when I can curl up with Robin Hobb Collection: Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, Assassin's Quest and start thumbing through the pages of a brand new book!
Nothing in the world still beats the anticipation of sitting down with a paperback and drinking in a new, well written yarn.
June 3, 2013
Mondays!
So Rising Empire is inching closer to being finished! Just 9 days until the first draft of it should be done and then the joy of editing is to be had!
The biggest distraction from writing I have found though is not, as some people find, the internet. But for me what seems to distract me more than anything else is my xbox...
I just love gaming as much as I love to read or write. This has been a stumbling block in the past as writer's block often drives me straight into the arms of my consoles. I should point out that I don't just have an xbox 360, I have the wii and ps3 and an awful lot of older consoles and much loved games that I love to replay. To act the hero and save civilizations from danger, or to be the villain and destroy them is as much fun for me as it is to rediscover the adventures of Roger and Titty in Swallows and Amazons.
Because of this, much of this evening has gone into playing final fantasy when I am so close to finishing reading Shadow of a Dark Queen it seems almost criminal, but I just can't help myself!
The biggest distraction from writing I have found though is not, as some people find, the internet. But for me what seems to distract me more than anything else is my xbox...
I just love gaming as much as I love to read or write. This has been a stumbling block in the past as writer's block often drives me straight into the arms of my consoles. I should point out that I don't just have an xbox 360, I have the wii and ps3 and an awful lot of older consoles and much loved games that I love to replay. To act the hero and save civilizations from danger, or to be the villain and destroy them is as much fun for me as it is to rediscover the adventures of Roger and Titty in Swallows and Amazons.
Because of this, much of this evening has gone into playing final fantasy when I am so close to finishing reading Shadow of a Dark Queen it seems almost criminal, but I just can't help myself!
May 14, 2013
Tuesday 14th May
So busy, busy, busy! Yesterday Lady of Fire went on offer for free download and has rocketed up the charts since then. Has been very gratifying to see!
Besides that I have spent the last three days with my best friend, makes a total of 33 1/2 hours of hanging out time and I am still not sick of the sight of him!
In fact as busy and as much hardwork has gone into the last three days, it has been a wonderful three days that have made me feel so happy and blessed. Couldn't really ask for more!
It has meant I have not gotten any reading done and Shadow of a Dark Queen is looking at me with a pouty face demanding I finish reading it.
I have managed to get much further with Rising Empire and End of Days though which is very exciting!
Besides that I have spent the last three days with my best friend, makes a total of 33 1/2 hours of hanging out time and I am still not sick of the sight of him!
In fact as busy and as much hardwork has gone into the last three days, it has been a wonderful three days that have made me feel so happy and blessed. Couldn't really ask for more!
It has meant I have not gotten any reading done and Shadow of a Dark Queen is looking at me with a pouty face demanding I finish reading it.
I have managed to get much further with Rising Empire and End of Days though which is very exciting!
May 5, 2013
Sunday 5th May
So today has seen me pay for spending the day in York yesterday. The lovely ladies from Malaysia and Korea (who are visiting for 6 months) wanted to see the capital of Yorkshire, so we went for the day.
This wasn't strictly speaking the best idea considering that my body still isn't responding to the drugs for diverticulitis and fibromyalgia and I was still recovering from the blood poisoning I contracted earlier in the week from an insect bite (yeh it hasn't been a great week for my body really). However having been bed bound for so long, I needed the day out.
Sightseeing, dining out, enjoying the world, the beauty of York, Holy Communion and Evensong in the Minster were all wonderful but this morning I woke up and my body ached like you wouldn't believe. It feels like I have been thrown into the middle of a rugby scrum and then used as the ball.
So today is definitely a good day to take it easy and rest and maybe play on Mass Effect 2 if I can make it downstairs without too much effort...
On the plus side though I have finally come up with the link I was missing at the end of Rising Empire. Think I should do weekly roadtrips and days out as they seem to work wonders for my inspiration.
I also managed to get further in reading Shadow of a Dark Queen and meant to only get one chapter further but lost two hours to reading. Love it when you get so lost in a book you lose all track of time.
This wasn't strictly speaking the best idea considering that my body still isn't responding to the drugs for diverticulitis and fibromyalgia and I was still recovering from the blood poisoning I contracted earlier in the week from an insect bite (yeh it hasn't been a great week for my body really). However having been bed bound for so long, I needed the day out.
Sightseeing, dining out, enjoying the world, the beauty of York, Holy Communion and Evensong in the Minster were all wonderful but this morning I woke up and my body ached like you wouldn't believe. It feels like I have been thrown into the middle of a rugby scrum and then used as the ball.
So today is definitely a good day to take it easy and rest and maybe play on Mass Effect 2 if I can make it downstairs without too much effort...
On the plus side though I have finally come up with the link I was missing at the end of Rising Empire. Think I should do weekly roadtrips and days out as they seem to work wonders for my inspiration.
I also managed to get further in reading Shadow of a Dark Queen and meant to only get one chapter further but lost two hours to reading. Love it when you get so lost in a book you lose all track of time.
