Lani Lenore's Blog, page 11

Writing a Book Description – 150 words or less…what?

Recently, I got a review for Nevermor on Amazon, and while the review for the book was glowing, (five stars and high praise) one comment the reviewer made was ‘While the summary isn’t the best, the book itself certainly is.’

That got me thinking: why isn’t my description very good? But the truth is that writing a description for a book is one of the most difficult things that I do.   It’s the same problem I have with writing short stories – I just have a lot to say and I need a lot of words to do it!  I’m insistent that my description flows like my book, that it doesn’t sound dumb or silly in any way because most of my works have a serious tone.  So the fact that my description is also wordy and colorful is acceptable, right?

I’m not so sure.

Ever since I published Nevermor, I’ve been going over it again and again, trimming the fat and refining my writing, and one thing I’ve noticed myself doing is trying to keep things a lot simpler than I might have in years past. Readers today seem to like fast-paced tales, and I’ve been adapting to that even though I still like to wax poetic at times.  But it’s not just to gain potential readers.  I, too, don’t like things that drag on and on forever.

I decided to look for resources about description writing, and I found a post that I decided to take to heart. It said that book descriptions should be in 150 words. (The entire post is here if you want to read it.) That kind of freaked me out. Mine was at least 3 times that length!

Another thing that it also challenged me to do is use a lot of “power words” – such as passionate, terrifying, and so on – most of which seem like pitch words to me, and honestly I almost always SHUN words like this, because when I read them, I KNOW they are trying to sell me this book instead of actually tell me what it’s about. I don’t know how many times I’ve looked at a summary and then found that the book attached didn’t live up to my expectations.

Long story short, I decided to take this advice and edit my story description to see if it helps me out at all as far as drawing in more readers.

I went from this:

LONDON, 1873 – In the foggy city, polluted by coal smoke from the factories along the river, 15-year-old Wren is clinging to a small thread of hope: the shimmering silver dream of a better life.

 Wren and her brothers, Henry and Max, are orphans. They wish to be adopted, but no one wants to take in all three of them. Wren won’t be separated from her family, but no matter how hard she fights to keep them together, she fears she will lose them nonetheless.

 She wants more for both of them – for herself. She wants an escape.

 Prompted by a world she sees in a dream, Wren begins to tell her brothers stories of a place where they can be carefree forever – a place called Nevermor. It is an island at the edge of the universe, where all dreams go. There is a boy who guards it, and he is known only as the Rifter. Wren believes that this place truly exists and desires her own life there, where she can keep her family together without anyone tearing them apart.

 Wren gets more than she bargained for when she is kidnapped by the arrogant and volatile Rifter and taken to Nevermor against her will. It is not completely unwelcome, however. The land is beautiful and there is freedom. The Rifter and his pack of wild boys accept her, and she feels that her brothers will be happy in this place too.

 Wren falls in love with Nevermor – and with the Rifter – and yet the more she learns of the conflict between the Rifter and a wicked man called the Scourge, the more she comes to realize that Nevermor is not a place for children.

To this:

Epic, mind-bending, and as sweet as it is vicious, Lani Lenore’s Nevermor is a dark fantasy based on the legend of Peter Pan, geared toward a more mature audience.

Reading Level 16+ – In 1873, 15-year-old Wren longs to escape her life in a London orphanage.  Prompted by a world she sees in a dream, Wren begins to believe in a world called Nevermor, an island at the edge of the universe, where all dreams go.  She discovers the Rifter, a wild and volatile but handsome boy, who guards the realm of dreams from terrifying nightmare creatures.  Wren begins to desire her own life there – to escape with her brothers without fearing that anyone will separate them.

Wren falls in love with Nevermor – and with the Rifter – and yet the more she learns of a conflict between the Rifter and a wicked, black-hearted man called the Scourge, the more she comes to realize that Nevermor is not a place for children.

The new one is much shorter and to the point, at first pointing out what the main draw of my book is – of course that’s it’s based on Peter Pan. Then after that, there’s a extremely short summary of the plotline of the book, which winks at the romantic aspect (which is all too important nowadays). It does not NEAR cover everything that the book is really about, but it might be just enough to make someone curious enough to find out more.

What do you think? Any words of advice as you’ve worked on your own descriptions? Which one of these works better for you?

Project Nevermor 100th Post! – Seeking Inspiration in Art

This is my 100th post on his blog! I wanted to do something special for it, so I’ve been holding off to make sure this milestone post was a good one – but in the course of that, I found myself not posting anything at all!

So, after all this time, I’ve finally decided on something.

As you know, I’m finally back to work on Forsaken Dreamscape. I’ve added several thousand words to it and have some ideas for scenes I want to add.  I’m getting deeper into it now, and I know it can be so much better. I’m adding more action, darkness, storyline, and – you guessed it – a bit more romance as well.

But since it’s that time again, I need inspiration.

Off and on, I’ve spent some time looking for amazing fantasy images that reminded me of the world of Nevermor so that I could visualize and also get some new ideas.  I found some really nice ones and I thought I’d share them with you.

I linked back to where I found them when possible. If you want to follow the long trail to see where they originally came from, be my guest.

(None of this is official Nevermor art.)

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This tree reminds me of the fairy wisps in the treetops, even though these are lanterns. I really love the colors of the night sky.

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This scene reminded me of what the Nevermor forest might have looked like – before, you know…

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The green water in this cave scene sort of reminds me of poison or acid.

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A pirate tavern. We haven’t seen one of these in Nevermor yet, buuut perhaps this is a clue of things to come.

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Captain’s Cabin – This one is an image from a hidden object game. Looks perfect for the Desdemona.

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A nice one of a burning forest. Pretty self-explanatory.

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This lovely lady and wolf came from a Facebook post, but she reminded me of Calico.

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This one reminded me of the Vork tunnels from Forsaken Dreamscape.

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I love this one. Reminds me of how the island might have changed in Forsaken Dreamscape as one looks on from the sky.

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Might seem a little more like Alice in Wonderland, but it has a good feel for a dark and strange landscape.

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This image has been around; I’ve seen it before, but when I came across it again, it really reminded me of how I had imagined Whisper.

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This one is just gorgeous. I imagine Wren and Rifter viewing the heavens, enjoying the fantastic beauty of the Nevermor night.

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-Well, I hope I kept you amused with those images

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Updates:

My biggest news, currently, is the fact that my Project Nevermor Kickstarter campaign didn’t work out. I’m disappointed, but I’m not beaten down by it.  I’m going to keep pressing forward with the book and do whatever I can to bring it to a bigger audience. It’s still getting good reviews from those who do choose to pick it up, and I’m sure it could do much better if only more people knew about it!

Another thing I’m going to be planning for soon is opening a website, other than this one, where I will be able to sell my books directly from the source, annnnd hopefully include some other fun stuff.

Speaking of that, does anyone have any ideas or input for something they’d like to see?

Nevermor, Forsaken Dreamscape, Kickstarter, Oh My!!

I’ve been SO busy these past few weeks. I’ve finally gotten back in my groove with the Forsaken Dreamscape rewrites, and I think I’ve finally gotten past a few rough patches that had me spinning my wheels, but now I think I’ve got everything going the way I want it – for now.  As far as the number of pages on my screen at this moment, I’m a little over halfway through it with the other half untouched.

And it needs some work, let me tell you.

I just noticed yesterday – as I’ve finally smoothed out several bumps in the story and also calmed my irritated grumblings over things I’ve been fighting with – I now see that Forsaken Dreamscape has swelled from its original 119K to 145K! That’s really something, and there is even more that I want to add (and of course some things to take out and rewrite altogether).

When it’s all said and done, I expect to be looking at a wordcount anywhere from 150K to 200 – but I sort of doubt it will be that high. I’m thinking around 170-180 for a good estimate, but it’s going to be great. It’s ALREADY great. You’re going to love it!

During the course of this, I find myself turning back to Nevermor to check things out, and yes, I’ve been reading it again.  As much as I keep reading this, I may not read another book this year!  Oddly, as many times as I have looked it over, there have been a few little parts I’ve even forgotten about.  It’s possible that I’ve just now reached the point where I can read it objectively.  But no worries.  It’s still good. :p

Through all this I’ve been trying my HARDEST to think of ways that I can convince people to get involved with my Kickstarter effort, but not much has happened yet. Still, I don’t intend to give up until it’s over, so expect to be nagged and begged and pleaded with until then.

(Please help!!)

Furthermore, my brain is already trying to wrap itself around the third book in a serious way, kind of wants to start working on it, and has even begun to think: “Is it possible that it doesn’t have to end? Could there be a FOURTH book??” And I’m not talking A Sea of Dreams and Nightmares, which is going to be a side story prequel. I’m talking about the Trilogy becoming a Saga!

While this is an exciting thing for me to think about (it’s like having another child, and I say that because I have no children) I just CAN’T let myself go there right now. There is a long stretch between now and then, and I have to tackle one thing at a time.

Which leads to the question: what does one do when there are so many things to take care of at once?

More Kickstarter Prizes now available to Backers outisde the US!

I was able to update some more of my Kickstarter prizes to be available outside the US!  International Backers can now bid for the $60 prize – at an additional shipping cost.

I hate that it has to be this way, actually, but our shipping costs have gone wayyy up over here over the last years or so, and shipping a lot of heavy books can get very expensive! I hope you can forgive me for the delay, but Nevermor fans in other countries can now get both books in paperback, plus all digital versions. I haven’t made the hardbacks available to you guys, just because they are so heavy.

If any of you would still like to make some kind of bid to get the dedication in Forsaken, I’ll try to come up with a way to make that happen, even if you don’t get the hardback copies.

Hmm, that might be all I have to report for now.

Nevermor Kickstarter Challenge!

So Project Nevermor has seen a few donations come in so far, and that’s been really great to see, but in order to help things move forward, I have decided  to issue a Project Nevermor Kickstarter Challenge!

 But first, as a general update, I’d just like to say that I’m working on finding out what shipping costs might be for countries outside the US for some of the bigger prizes. I know that I have fans dotted all over the globe, and the idea that not all of my fans will have access to my books has been something that has bothered me since the beginning, and since I am going to be shipping this stuff myself, I suppose it’s the least I can do to offer it to everyone I can.  Shipping prices for these things will be additional to the reward cost, however.

 Now back to the challenge!  Check it out!

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Additionally, I’ve added an extended version of my Kickstarter video for anyone who wants to hear me talk a little bit more about writing/Nevermor/Peter Pan. I had to cut some of it just to make the official video a little snappier.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuwOHUZgrsNb3hHU34O9UrA

I also did a short interview with a wattpad writer recently, so check that out as well.

http://www.wattpad.com/20005640?fb_action_ids=548427548547057&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_ref=.UdK93Q0bPL8.like&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582#.UdMjOG2wWc1

Project Nevermor Kickstarter Info – Prizes

Some of you may not have seen this yet, but I posted it on the Project Nevermor site yesterday and also made a video of it, but just in case, I wanted to post this info here as well.

This post details the process of donating on Kickstarter (totally simple) and what rewards you will be able to get for donation amounts.  Check it out and go donate!  (I really really need more backers!)

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(The video pretty much explains everything that it says below….except the last part.)

I’m going to explain a bit about how Kickstarter works.  Basically, you pledge a certain amount to a project and the amount is collected from you at the end of the campaign.  All you need in order to donate is an Amazon account, which most people already have.  The amount pledged determines the rewards you can earn.  At any time, you can alter the amount of your pledge, but no money will be collected until the end.  You can only donate once, which will make you an official backer of the project, but you can raise the amount of your pledge at any time.  As a backer, you’ll get all updates I post concerning the project.

Keep two things in mind: if I don’t reach my goal, no money will be collected, no prizes will be given, and basically all be very sad. But, if I reach and hopefully surpass my goal, you will all have access to something special at the end of the campaign. I’m keeping not a secret for now.

 Also, please don’t pledge money that you don’t have! Even if the goal is reached, if Amazon can’t collect the funds when the time comes, the project is thrown out and I get nothing. So don’t offer up more than you have JUST to fill the bar.

 Okay! Now, on to what you really want to know about: the rewards!

 If you looked at the Kickstarter page, you probably notice that the minimum pledge for Project Nevermor is $1. Also, the tier levels will transfer down, so if you pledge a higher amount, you also get the prizes below that.

 Let’s start at the lowest tier.

 I regret that I couldn’t offer a prize for a donation under $9, however, that doesn’t mean that a dollar is not important. Those dollars are SO important, in fact, that if every one of my Wattpad fans donated just ONE DOLLAR, I will have almost reach my goal.  So, they add up.  Just remember that every dollar gets us closer to the goal, AND also closer to the secret reward that will come at the end if the goal is reached.

 For a pledge of $10, you will get an e-book copy of Forsaken Dreamscape through Smashwords.  For those who know, this is the second book in the Nevermor trilogy, which I plan to release early next year. This prize will be sent as soon as the book is published, and will keep you from having to buy it later. I like Smashwords because there are many different formats that you can download for different devices such as Kindle, Nook, and you can even read it on your PC.

 For a pledge of $15, you get the prize I just mentioned, plus, you get an e-book copy of Nevermor through Smashwords.  Since Nevermor has already been released, I will be sending these out immediately after the campaign is over.  So you can be reading Nevermor while you are waiting for Forsaken Dreamscape to be released.

 For a pledge of $20, you get the two e-books and a set of 5 x 7 postcards featuring Nevermor art by artist Omri Koresh, including the never-before-seen Forsaken Dreamscape cover. This is what one of them looks like. Currently, there are two of these postcards, but another might be added before the end of the campaign.  Right now, these are limited, and this campaign is your only way of getting your hands on these.

For the next tier, a pledge of $25, you get all the items I just mentioned, of course, plus the postcards will be SIGNED. They will be hand signed by me, not preprinted. You also get a two-sided Nevermor bookmark featuring the art from the first and second book covers. (hold up) . This is the front, I’m not showing you the back.

For a pledge of $30, you will get all that, plus the PRINT version of Nevermor in paperback.

Like the last tier, for a pledge of $35 , I will SIGN the print copy of Nevermor.

Moving on, for a pledge of $45 or more, in addition to all that I just mentioned, you will get the print version of Forsaken Dreamscape, which of course will not be released until next year. However, you will get the ebook version when it is released, and can be reading while the print version is being shipped.

 As has been the pattern, a pledge of $50 gets your copy of Forsaken Dreamscape SIGNED.

The reward for a donation of $60 will get you all that I just mentioned, plus an e-book copy of Forsaken Dreamscape Deluxe Edition. I don’t know how many of you know my plans for this, but this exclusive e-book version will include the Forsaken Dreamscape, Nevermor version, AND the old Forsaken Dreamscape, PETER PAN version. This is an edited version of the fanfiction story, but only so far as correcting errors.  The contents will be the same, and the characters will be those created by J.M. Barrie instead of how I renamed them.  Even though I’m doing this as a sort of bonus, I still don’t regret changing it to Nevermor.  I still think it’s better in its new form, but I know many fans are still attached to the old version.  I don’t intend for it to be published on its own, but it’s going to be included in this Deluxe Edition of Forsaken Dreamscape. The release date for this is unknown as of yet, but it is planned for some time next year, and you will receive it in ebook form when it is.

 For pledge of $80, you will get everything, plus a hardback version of Nevermor, and it will be signed. The hardback does not exist yet. This was one of the things I was hoping to do with the funds that are raised through this kick starter program. But this pledge will still get you the paperback version as well.

 Now for the big prize.  For a pledge of $100, you get the Nevermor mother lode. You get everything I mentioned; anything I can possibly put my name on will be signed; you also get Forsaken Dreamscape as a hardcover, AND you will get a special dedication in Forsaken Dreamscape for being a Kickstarter donor!  I haven’t decided exactly how I’m going to do the dedication yet, but what I’m thinking right now is that you will be mentioned, by name, at the beginning of the book where it will say ‘this book is dedicated to…’. This would be a great gift for yourself, or if you know someone who is a Forsaken Dreamscape fan, you can have their name put in the dedication instead! This list will appear in all versions of the book, and of course will be there for you when you get your print copies.

 At this point, some of you might be thinking ‘some of these prizes don’t do me any good. I’ve already gotten the e-book and the print book of Nevermor.’ Well, you can simply pass them on to someone else, , or I will give you the opportunity to opt out of any of the prizes that you don’t wish to receive. OR if you simply want to help out the project, but don’t want anything in return, you can opt out of prizes completely.

 Remember that you don’t have to have the money right this minute in order to pledge. It won’t be collected until later.

Rewards will be delivered in one package, so if your package includes copies of Forsaken Dreamscape, your rewards will not be delivered until it is released, to save on postage. The postage is covered unless otherwise noted. The ebooks, however will be sent to you as soon as possible while you wait.

 I think that about does it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I’ll try to answer as best I can.

 I hope you all will share and help spread the word about Project Nevermor!

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To my international fans: One of my biggest issues during the publishing process is that I have a lot of international fans, and I’ve struggled with the thought that not all of them will have access to my books.  Some of the prizes have been made available to you. I plan to send the ebooks to anyone I possibly can, and the signed postcards will also be available to you with an additional shipping cost, but the heavier books are a little iffy, and I’m not sure about shipping. I feel a little weird about setting a standard shipping price, because it just doesn’t cost the same to ship to every country.

I’m still trying to look into this, so maybe I can some up with something soon. I’ll have to add additional shipping costs to the amount of the donations, but first I need to figure out exactly how much that will have to be.

So much to do!

Project Nevermor is now LIVE on Kickstarter!

Today is the day!  I have so much to do! First, of course, I had to change up the blog a bit to update this change!

I hope you all are excited to help me out as I press through the next 29 days of this project!

I could tell you more, but I want you to check it out for yourself. Here’s the link:http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/20196376/project-nevermor

Head on over, watch the video and check out the rewards!

(in the future, you can simply click the widget on the sidebar to visit the project)

I’ll be updating soon through this blog and also hope to have exclusive posts through the actual Kickstarter site, which you’ll only be able to get if you’re a backer of the project (minimum $1 pledge). I also have a couple of explanatory videos that I’ll be channeling in from Youtube which talk about all the prizes and such, so all that should keep you entertained for a bit.

Sorry this post is so short! I’ll be back with more info soon!

 

Preparing to Launch ‘Project Nevermor’ on Kickstarter!

Great news! Project Nevermor on Kickstarter has been approved and I’m prepared to launch on July 1st! (That’s Monday!!) I’ll be back on here then to link you there, so check back!

This is an exciting thing for me, because if the project is successful, I think it will really help the books out. I will appreciate all help, but you will get some good stuff in return as well!

I’m not going to tell you everything or show you the video yet, because of course I want you to actually go to the Kickstarter page and check it out in person, but I feel like I’m offering good value for the donation rewards. Some of the items are exclusive, there are signed items, and of course there are books!

I’m very anxious to see how it will turn out. During the project month, I’m going to be doing some other fun stuff to keep things moving, and that includes blog posts, videos, challenges and story info.

And if I reach my ultimate goal, not only do you get prizes, but you’ll all get something very special at the end!

Yes, it’s going to be like a month-long fair of sorts, but you have to get your own balloons and cotton candy. :p

For those who have never used Kickstarter before, I’ll help you along by giving you a breakdown of the process but feel free to ask questions. There should be a faq section, and your question might be helpful to others.

In Forsaken Dreamscape news, I’ve been working hard for the last couple of weeks and it’s really shaping up – or at least the beginning is. I’ve had a lot of great ideas for stuff to add to give more form to the story and characters and I’m feeling good about it. The third book has also been swimming around in my head, but it’s welcome there. I need those ideas, even if I’m not ready to start writing it yet. It will help me keep everything lined up.

I hope you all will join me on Monday! Once I launch, please share the project to help me spread the word. I need to reach my goal, and the more who know about it, the better!

Planning for a New Month: Should be a good one

June is almost over and I feel like I have barely gotten started, but I’ve made some unexpected progress this month.

I’ve been promising a Kickstarter, and while I’ve been thinking about it, one thing that’s been holding me back is the fact that I needed to make a video. I never intended for it to be movie-like or anything. I intended to do what I did, and that’s to sit in front of the camera, introduce myself and describe the book series. Still, it bugged me. I couldn’t figure out the right time to do it,  where to do it, what to say…

And then suddenly it was done! :O

The video sort of happened by accident. It was meant to be a practice run, and it turned into the real thing. After I actually got in front of the camera, the hard part was over. It was just me talking about my project and that’s all it needs to be. It’s not spectacular, but I like it, and I think it does what it needs to do: to connect and share my passion for the project. I’m a normal person with limited resources, and I think backers can appreciate that.

The video has been competed and uploaded, and I hope to be sharing that (along with an extended version of me running my mouth) with you soon!

I’m still working on the backer gifts, because I want them to be good, but I don’t want to promise anything that I can’t deliver, but I hope to send to project for approval shortly so I’ll be ready to run it next month.

Throughout the month of the campaign, I hope to be able to post some videos, maybe some giveaways, and keep things interesting to keep people involved. I also plan to do a video showing off some of the prizes…where possible. (Some of the prizes have not been achieved yet). I’ll need your help to share it around, and also hope you’ll be interested in helping me out!

In other news: I’ve begun working on Forsaken Dreamscape again, and in a few months I’m going to start buzzing about it on here, showing official descriptions, teasers and excerpts, and I may even have some character art to show off. So, even though this blog hasn’t been terribly active in the last couple of months, it’s going to pick up soon.

I’m excited to start bringing more info to you about Kickstarter and Forsaken Dreamscape! Hope you’re excited too!

Mid-year Update on Nevermor Progress

I haven’t been keeping up my posts very well, have I? Maybe I just can’t think of catchy titles for them, or maybe I’m not working as hard as I should so I have nothing to report. Eh. I’m about to get back to it, I swear. In the meantime, here’s a general update to let you know anything I might have forgotten to say, and things I’ve been doing behind the scenes.

Forsaken Dreamscape: Though I got a lot of work done on the story in April, I’ve taken a break since then and haven’t done much recently. I’m about to start again, however. I still have many changes to make and I want to be certain that I get enough editing done before I release it. One of my regrets is that I wrote Nevermor so quickly that I didn’t spend enough time editing, so I don’t want to let that happen with this one.

Updating Nevermor: Reading through Nevermor is almost unending. I keep looking back at it to make sure I’ve got the right feeling for where I’m going. I also really do enjoy it – and even after so long, I’m STILL editing.  I am STILL finding a few little mistakes/things I want to reword. I’ve always thought I could edit one document forever and never be completely satisfied. I’ll change something and then later I probably change it back. Yes, sometimes you just have to let it go, but I’m currently about to update all versions (again) and that takes up some of my time. I’m still reviewing it frequently.

Kickstarter: I’m still brainstorming about Kickstarter and still intend to go forward with it. I still have to do more planning on rewards, and I have to make a video, but I want to start going with it soon – within the next month or two. I’ll keep you posted.

A Sea of Dreams and Nightmares: In my last post, I announced a new book I wanted to write as a prequel to Nevermor, which was going to play a big role in my Kickstarter plans. I did start on this and wrote a couple of chapters, but now I’m thinking that it’s going to take too much of my energy to plan and write this book. If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it right, and I think now I need to be focusing on Forsaken Dreamscape instead. So, for now, this project is going to be on hold.

Forsaken Dreamscape (Peter Pan version): People are still asking me (weekly) about the old version of Forsaken, where they can read it, if I’m going to put it back up, if it’s still going to be around or exist after I change it, so on. For a while I wasn’t sure what I’d do, but I think I’ve settled on a plan.

I know in the beginning that I changed the story to Nevermor because I didn’t want to publish it as Peter Pan/wanted to turn it into something I would love more. I don’t regret my choice to change it, but people still like the old version, and likewise, it has been online for so long that I want people to know that I am the original writer of it. What I have decided to do is release a DELUXE version of Forsaken Dreamscape that will include the Nevermor version and the Peter Pan version. This will probably only be sold as an ebook, (would be really long ans costly to print) but that way, fans can have a copy of the old version, and I’ll have let it be known that it is mine. The old version will be edited for errors, but will be mostly unchanged.

So, that’s where I am right now. I’m planning for where I want to go with Nevermor as far as what I can do to promote, plus writing. In addition, I want to start up a website so that the books can be purchased directly from me, and there is just soooo much to do!  It’s unending, but I’m having a good time with it.