Martyn Stanley's Blog, page 7
June 4, 2014
The Good and the Bad - where's the Ugly?
Good news, I managed to get about 50 pages edited with my beta-reader/first editor. The end is in sight! There's a few more chapters to go, about 150 pages I think. (It's double-spaced) I think the edits are going well though, I'm waiting for my beta-reader to read ahead now.
I've been itching to get The Blood Queen out for so long!
I'm still writing out the early chapters of book 4 'The Temple of the Mad God'
The bad news, is disappointingly I've had a 1 star rating on The Last Dragon Slayer! It's the first 1 star it's had and there's no explanation. I wonder if the reader has an early version which wasn't as well edited as it should be? I hate it when there's no explanation - you can't learn anything from that. I had a 1 star for book 2, but I think that person had probably read book 1 and enjoyed it, but I hadn't got the edited version of 2 up at the time. Hopefully book 3 will eliminate these problems, I know you can't please everyone as well - but if people really hate the story I'd love to know why.
I've been itching to get The Blood Queen out for so long!
I'm still writing out the early chapters of book 4 'The Temple of the Mad God'
The bad news, is disappointingly I've had a 1 star rating on The Last Dragon Slayer! It's the first 1 star it's had and there's no explanation. I wonder if the reader has an early version which wasn't as well edited as it should be? I hate it when there's no explanation - you can't learn anything from that. I had a 1 star for book 2, but I think that person had probably read book 1 and enjoyed it, but I hadn't got the edited version of 2 up at the time. Hopefully book 3 will eliminate these problems, I know you can't please everyone as well - but if people really hate the story I'd love to know why.
June 2, 2014
Add to Goodreads!
I'm looking at trying to make a widget for the back of my books so you can add them to goodreads with one click.
I'm not sure if this is possible though. If anyone knows it can or can't be done, I'd love to hear from them!
I'm not sure if this is possible though. If anyone knows it can or can't be done, I'd love to hear from them!
May 29, 2014
More work!
I'm still looking at the covers.
Isis Sousa has mocked up a bolder cover with bigger text and more emphasis on the author:-
https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/h...
Here's the old one:-
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.ne...
I'm still not sure whether to emphasize the series name as the brand or the author name. I do think the book title should be a little bolder.
What do you think? Which cover looks best?
Isis Sousa has mocked up a bolder cover with bigger text and more emphasis on the author:-
https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/h...
Here's the old one:-
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.ne...
I'm still not sure whether to emphasize the series name as the brand or the author name. I do think the book title should be a little bolder.
What do you think? Which cover looks best?
May 27, 2014
'The Blood Queen; - Add it now!
I've created the file for 'The Blood Queen'
The Blood Queen
It's not finished. I've come upon an issue that warrants some jiggery pokery, in order to keep the characterization realistic.
Personally I think my original version of events was fine. However my beta-reader, come muse, come editor thinks otherwise and he's read a lot more books.
It will slow me down, but I'm still aiming to get the book fully edited and polished and released for mid July.
I will try to announce the release date a week in advance.
The Blood Queen
It's not finished. I've come upon an issue that warrants some jiggery pokery, in order to keep the characterization realistic.
Personally I think my original version of events was fine. However my beta-reader, come muse, come editor thinks otherwise and he's read a lot more books.
It will slow me down, but I'm still aiming to get the book fully edited and polished and released for mid July.
I will try to announce the release date a week in advance.
May 22, 2014
Big Cover Reveal! What do you think?
Well, it's here!
The big cover reveal for book 3!
I haven't created the book listing on Goodreads yet, as I don't have the blurb ready. However the cover is I think, READY!
Do you like it?
Let me know what you think in the comments!
Martyn
The big cover reveal for book 3!
I haven't created the book listing on Goodreads yet, as I don't have the blurb ready. However the cover is I think, READY!
Do you like it?
Let me know what you think in the comments!
Martyn
May 21, 2014
Automotive Woes
I have been without car for several years now. We do have a rather nice, shiny family car - which I bought brand new on a 0% deal in 2013.
However most days I've been driving 2 miles to work in an old pick-up truck which has since been exported to Burma or a van.
Now the van I only recently swapped to. It's a nice little runner, 1.3 TDi and does great mpg. It's got alloy wheels and body colour bumpers too - it's really not bad. Oh, did I say it's free? It's a company vehicle so I don't have to put fuel in or anything.
Now that sounds great doesn't it? It would be great, I'd happily keep the van and forgo having a car indefinitely. However as the sales guy is doing a lot of running about at the moment, and is doing MORE and more - he's borrowing it a lot. This means musical vehicles twice a week and having to find an alternative means of getting to work on some days.
This is irritating. I don't suppose it should bother me that much, but it does. It suits the company for me to keep the van at home when it's not being used as I only live 2 miles away. It suits my wife as it's free, and she rightly points out - there's not much point in spending a lot on a car when I do 4 miles per day.
I could let the sales guy have the van and it's really tempting, I want to - I feel like it would make my life easier NOT to have in some respects.
The trouble is I'm the only one working, so we're not particularly well off, and I like cars. This is something of a burden. If I was the sort of person who'd be really happy pottering about in a 1.0 litre 12 year old, 3 door hatch - I'd have a car I'm sure. The trouble is I'm just not that person. I think having an Mazda MX5 spoiled me (Miata to USA people!) I bought it from 12 months old in 2001 and kept it for 7 years. I've never kept a car that long before or after. It was just a brilliant, brilliant car though. Nothing went wrong with it, it was a dream to drive - literally like a big go-kart for the road. It was practical, cheap to maintain... In some ways I wish I'd kept it, or had another. I gave it up to have a works vehicle, because I needed one at the time and I wanted to save some money. I so, so miss it. There's something incredible nice about putting the roof down on a nice day and going for a spin through some twisty B-roads, it's exhilarating. Now of course we have two kids, so I don't think I'd get so much use out of it. I did almost argue the case for having an old Porsche 911 convertible, but I don't think the rear buckets are good for car seats and they are bit of a ticking time-bomb. If your gearbox goes it can cost the value of the car to replace!
Every week when the next jigsaw of car-swapping and arranging transport to work comes around, I get all cross and look at cars. This week I found a great coupe cabriolet MX5 for £7000 and a Series 2 Lotus Elise for £12000, both great cars. I moaned to my wife about it, argued the case - then gave up.
Reluctantly.
I know it probably sounds ridiculous, it's probably mainly because I owned an MX5 for so long that I feel this way - but I desperately want a 2 seater sports car - even though it really wouldn't be sensible. Arguing the case and getting angry about it makes me feel better, but not much. :(
However most days I've been driving 2 miles to work in an old pick-up truck which has since been exported to Burma or a van.
Now the van I only recently swapped to. It's a nice little runner, 1.3 TDi and does great mpg. It's got alloy wheels and body colour bumpers too - it's really not bad. Oh, did I say it's free? It's a company vehicle so I don't have to put fuel in or anything.
Now that sounds great doesn't it? It would be great, I'd happily keep the van and forgo having a car indefinitely. However as the sales guy is doing a lot of running about at the moment, and is doing MORE and more - he's borrowing it a lot. This means musical vehicles twice a week and having to find an alternative means of getting to work on some days.
This is irritating. I don't suppose it should bother me that much, but it does. It suits the company for me to keep the van at home when it's not being used as I only live 2 miles away. It suits my wife as it's free, and she rightly points out - there's not much point in spending a lot on a car when I do 4 miles per day.
I could let the sales guy have the van and it's really tempting, I want to - I feel like it would make my life easier NOT to have in some respects.
The trouble is I'm the only one working, so we're not particularly well off, and I like cars. This is something of a burden. If I was the sort of person who'd be really happy pottering about in a 1.0 litre 12 year old, 3 door hatch - I'd have a car I'm sure. The trouble is I'm just not that person. I think having an Mazda MX5 spoiled me (Miata to USA people!) I bought it from 12 months old in 2001 and kept it for 7 years. I've never kept a car that long before or after. It was just a brilliant, brilliant car though. Nothing went wrong with it, it was a dream to drive - literally like a big go-kart for the road. It was practical, cheap to maintain... In some ways I wish I'd kept it, or had another. I gave it up to have a works vehicle, because I needed one at the time and I wanted to save some money. I so, so miss it. There's something incredible nice about putting the roof down on a nice day and going for a spin through some twisty B-roads, it's exhilarating. Now of course we have two kids, so I don't think I'd get so much use out of it. I did almost argue the case for having an old Porsche 911 convertible, but I don't think the rear buckets are good for car seats and they are bit of a ticking time-bomb. If your gearbox goes it can cost the value of the car to replace!
Every week when the next jigsaw of car-swapping and arranging transport to work comes around, I get all cross and look at cars. This week I found a great coupe cabriolet MX5 for £7000 and a Series 2 Lotus Elise for £12000, both great cars. I moaned to my wife about it, argued the case - then gave up.
Reluctantly.
I know it probably sounds ridiculous, it's probably mainly because I owned an MX5 for so long that I feel this way - but I desperately want a 2 seater sports car - even though it really wouldn't be sensible. Arguing the case and getting angry about it makes me feel better, but not much. :(
May 20, 2014
I've seen a WIP!
The latest cover WIP by Isis Sousa is very, very close.
It's a really great image. I'm desperate to share it, but I need to get closer to finishing the text. I am going to incorporate the portrait of Saul from the cover into the book 1 profiles. Vashni is looking great.
I feel a little bit scared about releasing book 3. I've had such great feedback for book 2, that I think the change of pace and tone in 3, well - it could go either way. My biggest concern is that not enough people press on to book 2. I get great feedback for book 1, but book 2 is still not really moving. In some respects I think - should I have written one, 2 million word epic? It'd take a long time though - and I don't know if readers would be prepared to invest their time to read so much into a new author - plus I'd lose the chance to allow feedback to shape the series.
Book 4 is well underway at least, and I think the opening is very, very strong.
More rejection from agents and publishers today! I'm not perturbed though! If they won't take me on, then I'll Lightning Source my paperbacks, set them up with a non-sale return policy and send some postcards out to book stores.
I am also planning on de-KDP Selecting the entire series at some point. So Kobo and Barnes and Noble readers should be able enjoy them too!
It's a really great image. I'm desperate to share it, but I need to get closer to finishing the text. I am going to incorporate the portrait of Saul from the cover into the book 1 profiles. Vashni is looking great.
I feel a little bit scared about releasing book 3. I've had such great feedback for book 2, that I think the change of pace and tone in 3, well - it could go either way. My biggest concern is that not enough people press on to book 2. I get great feedback for book 1, but book 2 is still not really moving. In some respects I think - should I have written one, 2 million word epic? It'd take a long time though - and I don't know if readers would be prepared to invest their time to read so much into a new author - plus I'd lose the chance to allow feedback to shape the series.
Book 4 is well underway at least, and I think the opening is very, very strong.
More rejection from agents and publishers today! I'm not perturbed though! If they won't take me on, then I'll Lightning Source my paperbacks, set them up with a non-sale return policy and send some postcards out to book stores.
I am also planning on de-KDP Selecting the entire series at some point. So Kobo and Barnes and Noble readers should be able enjoy them too!
May 19, 2014
Cover for 'The Blood Queen' is back on!
Had a pretty dismal weekend for sales of The Deathsworn Arc, 'The Last Dragon Slayer' sold one copy in the UK.
Not sure why things have dried up so suddenly.
I'm still hoping the release of 'The Blood Queen' will revitalize sales. The cover is back on, I've given feedback and I'm waiting for a new WIP.
I'm still editing and polishing my first 1000 words of 'Temple Of the Mad God' and I'm waiting for my beta-reader come editor to read the rest of 'The Blood Queen' before I start attacking it with my proof-reader.
I had some rejection from publishers and agents recently too. I may have to accept self-publishing is my only option for Deathsworn Arc and look at traditional publishing for my second series. I really need to understand why 'The Deathsworn Arc' isn't being picked up. I know it's a good story, I get generally good feedback. Readers enjoy it, I think people enjoy book 2 more than one, perhaps because the companions are not so much the bunch of strangers thrown together, as they were in book 1.
I do wonder if it's the atheist, free-thinking themes of the series that puts agents off. I find the topic of faith and religion fascinating though, and I don't know if I can write anything without involving it at some level.
Perhaps my fortune will improve with the release of book 3 'The Blood Queen' ?
Not sure why things have dried up so suddenly.
I'm still hoping the release of 'The Blood Queen' will revitalize sales. The cover is back on, I've given feedback and I'm waiting for a new WIP.
I'm still editing and polishing my first 1000 words of 'Temple Of the Mad God' and I'm waiting for my beta-reader come editor to read the rest of 'The Blood Queen' before I start attacking it with my proof-reader.
I had some rejection from publishers and agents recently too. I may have to accept self-publishing is my only option for Deathsworn Arc and look at traditional publishing for my second series. I really need to understand why 'The Deathsworn Arc' isn't being picked up. I know it's a good story, I get generally good feedback. Readers enjoy it, I think people enjoy book 2 more than one, perhaps because the companions are not so much the bunch of strangers thrown together, as they were in book 1.
I do wonder if it's the atheist, free-thinking themes of the series that puts agents off. I find the topic of faith and religion fascinating though, and I don't know if I can write anything without involving it at some level.
Perhaps my fortune will improve with the release of book 3 'The Blood Queen' ?
May 15, 2014
Free Prequel Updated!
I've thrown a few paragraphs into my Free Prequel to the 'Deathsworn Arc: The Last Dragon Slayer'
It's here: -
http://www.wattpad.com/40626548-death...
It's a slow moving project, and it's very, very rough. I'm not editing or proof-reading or polishing, I'm just throwing my thoughts out as they come.
When it IS complete, I may remove it, edit it and polish it, proof-read it and get a couple more pairs of eyes cast over it, then publish it as a Kindle Title. It's far too rough to publish at the moment, and it's a slow burner - I'm more focused on 'Deathsworn Arc 3: The Blood Queen' and 'Deathsworn Arc 4: The Temple of the Mad God'
It's here: -
http://www.wattpad.com/40626548-death...
It's a slow moving project, and it's very, very rough. I'm not editing or proof-reading or polishing, I'm just throwing my thoughts out as they come.
When it IS complete, I may remove it, edit it and polish it, proof-read it and get a couple more pairs of eyes cast over it, then publish it as a Kindle Title. It's far too rough to publish at the moment, and it's a slow burner - I'm more focused on 'Deathsworn Arc 3: The Blood Queen' and 'Deathsworn Arc 4: The Temple of the Mad God'
May 14, 2014
More Agent Interest!
After another round of submissions inquiries, I've had several more requests for manuscripts!
I'm dabbling with the idea of trying my luck with YA and NA specializing agents. My fear is that 'Deathsworn Arc' is a little bit old for YA. I suppose I perceive YA as being 'teen' novels. Now I don't think my books are very suitable for under thirteen's. I actually think they are probably best suited to fifteen plus, maybe fourteen plus?
Superficially they are fantasy adventure stories. However they deal with some adult themes and they have some graphic violence in them.
They look at attraction, racism, inter-race relationships, senescence, longevity, the meaning of life, purpose, faith, morality, pragmatism, the notion of bravery and honor...
They also have a deeply routed theme of atheism and pragmatism. I can't explain why, but over the last few years I've become ruthlessly logical and rational, perhaps even a little 'cold'. I wonder if it's partly because of the increased presence of religious extremism in the news, and partly because my mother seems to be inclined to believe in anything and everything. I can't believe in anything, unless there is strong observable, repeatable evidence for it. When I rationally consider the existence of a creator god, I find it impossible to find a rational, logical route to one existing. I can find many rational, logical routes for primitive humans inventing a god and then later developing the idea.
When I decided to use my fantasy series to explore atheism and loss of faith, I wasn't sure it was a good idea. I try to keep it subtle, and keep the story about the characters. There's still a risk these themes could put off deeply religious people. That's a risk I'm willing to to take. A wise man once told me, if you want your work to be loved by some, you have to accept it might be hated by others. When you're trying to evoke strong emotions in your readers, you are taking a risk. Nobody likes a flat roller-coaster, or a plot without twists, people get enjoyment from being surprised.
I always like to have story elements cross books too, I want every book to feel both complete in it's own right, but also a part of a bigger story.
I managed to go through about 30 pages with my beta-reader come editor last night and managed to implement about 10 pages of edits! I'm now ready to start editing the chapter called 'The Challenge of Burgess'
Anyone who has read book 2 will know this chapter involves a duel... Or two :)
I'm dabbling with the idea of trying my luck with YA and NA specializing agents. My fear is that 'Deathsworn Arc' is a little bit old for YA. I suppose I perceive YA as being 'teen' novels. Now I don't think my books are very suitable for under thirteen's. I actually think they are probably best suited to fifteen plus, maybe fourteen plus?
Superficially they are fantasy adventure stories. However they deal with some adult themes and they have some graphic violence in them.
They look at attraction, racism, inter-race relationships, senescence, longevity, the meaning of life, purpose, faith, morality, pragmatism, the notion of bravery and honor...
They also have a deeply routed theme of atheism and pragmatism. I can't explain why, but over the last few years I've become ruthlessly logical and rational, perhaps even a little 'cold'. I wonder if it's partly because of the increased presence of religious extremism in the news, and partly because my mother seems to be inclined to believe in anything and everything. I can't believe in anything, unless there is strong observable, repeatable evidence for it. When I rationally consider the existence of a creator god, I find it impossible to find a rational, logical route to one existing. I can find many rational, logical routes for primitive humans inventing a god and then later developing the idea.
When I decided to use my fantasy series to explore atheism and loss of faith, I wasn't sure it was a good idea. I try to keep it subtle, and keep the story about the characters. There's still a risk these themes could put off deeply religious people. That's a risk I'm willing to to take. A wise man once told me, if you want your work to be loved by some, you have to accept it might be hated by others. When you're trying to evoke strong emotions in your readers, you are taking a risk. Nobody likes a flat roller-coaster, or a plot without twists, people get enjoyment from being surprised.
I always like to have story elements cross books too, I want every book to feel both complete in it's own right, but also a part of a bigger story.
I managed to go through about 30 pages with my beta-reader come editor last night and managed to implement about 10 pages of edits! I'm now ready to start editing the chapter called 'The Challenge of Burgess'
Anyone who has read book 2 will know this chapter involves a duel... Or two :)
