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May 4, 2013

June 4th - One Month to Release

A remarkable time is upon us. June 4th is the official release date for Secret of the Crystal. 

It's been a long time waiting, but the release date is finally upon us. I started writing Secret of the Crystal two years ago, but this journey has been well worth the wait.

Three books written and the forth on its way, there is plenty to celebrate. Book 2 is scheduled for release in September, and book 3 this winter.

To help celebrate this accomplishment, I will be offering the next 25 people who purchase an autographed copy through my website, a free download code for your favorite reader. The download code is redeemable through the Tate Publishing website.


Stay tuned for more news and updates as we get closer to June.


Happy Reading!!

From the Authors Chair,
Brian K. Larson
The #DyslexicAuthor
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Published on May 04, 2013 10:50

April 28, 2013

The Development of a Story

Often people ask me how I come up with my ideas for the books I'm writings. Well, that's a bit of a difficult question to answer with "I just think it up". 

I do just think it up, but there's more to it than that. I do seem to have a fairly vivid imagination, but it goes beyond that. When I sit down to write, I begin to play the story in my mind like a movie. I try different ideas before I come up with the best possible scenario. Before I can even begin to write a book, you have to have great characters. 
I map out a few key players, assign names and traits and what their relationship is to the protagonist. I also put together a basic outline of the book so I have a direct sense of where the story goes and how quickly it gets there. Add in some twists and surprises and viola! A book is born.  
Well, it's still not as easy as all that. Time is one of my worst enemies. It does takes time to site down and write. But on the flip side of time, it can also be your ally. The more time you site and write, the farther along your story evolves. 
I also discovered that it's OK to change it up during the writing process. By all means, if you discover a better way to make something happen, then do it. Just make sure you'r story holds together and is consistent. You may find it useful to keep notes as you go and where main events occur so you can go back and alter them to fit.  
A key thing to remember is that writing is a work in progress. Even when the book is finished and you begin the first pass editing, you may think of a better way to make something happen that is just awesome. Again, its OK to make those changes as long as it doesn't destroy other events. 
Think carefully if you decide to make major changes. I have never made  major changes to the story when its final as I feel my first instinct is right. When I was finishing my last book, "Secret of the Crystal III - Destiny", I had the ending all ready formulated. I began to wonder if there would be a better way to end the story, so I came up with three possible scenarios. All that did was put me in a conundrum on which awesome ending to actually use. In the end (no pun intended) I ended up using my original idea (OK, OK, you got me, I did intend the pun).
The main thing to remember if you are a struggling new writer and can't decide how to do something, or if you have get a bit of writers block going on, its OK. Everyone suffers that from time to time. I know I have my moments, but I remember the main reason why I like to write - I enjoy it! It makes me happy and relieves stress.
So have fun, site down and get er started. There's no better time than the present. Don't worry if the words don't come right away. Just like any thing else in life, practice makes perfect. It took me nearly 15 months to write my first book, and 4 for my second (mainly because I was so pumped after finishing) and 5 months for my 3rd. 
If you're a writer, or a reader, I would love to hear from you on your thoughts. Please feel free to leave a comment below.
Happy Story Telling...
From the Author's Chair,Brian K. Larsonthe #DyslexicAuthor 
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Published on April 28, 2013 13:36

April 20, 2013

Take my online poll

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Published on April 20, 2013 09:55

April 14, 2013

Countdown to June 4th 2013

Live your dreams... what does that mean to you? I can tell you that for me, living my dream is a reality and I've been on an incredible journey. Truly living my dream will come to fruition on June 4th, about seven weeks from now. 

The next several weeks will be electrifying as there are several things taking place. You can expect to hear about local niche book signing events; The editing team for Secret of the Crystal II - The Forge will deliver the first edited version for review; the design team will be delivering the cover for approval; layout will also begin in June, and with that we are on a fast track to include illustrations through LIVESAY GRAFIX which will bring the second book to life as it did for the first. 

Speaking of the illustrations, a big thank you goes out to Larkin for agreeing to my tight schedule. I certainly can appreciate the hard work that he's putting into this project and I am confidant that we will see some very amazing works.  Stay tuned for sample illustrations to be posted as we progress.

All the while this is going on, I am still writing. I have many more books in concept that continue this epic saga. Secret of the Crystal III - Destiny as I mentioned is completed and is waiting for to be edited.  Book 3 concluded the first 3 in the series  but I left it open enough to continue the story line. You'll have to wait and see about that concept, which has been thought of already. But first, there are three more that need to be written.

Secret of the Crystal IV - Forgotten Legacy is off to a great start with two chapters fully written weighing in at nearly 1o thousand words. I have some great new characters created that I'm sure you will enjoy following. I am very pleased at how this forth book is forming and can't wait to start chapter 3.  

Forgotten Legacy, without risking giving away too much, takes place in a time and place before Jhahnahkan and our hero's planet Ackturra, you can learn this from the title. As the reader flows through the first set of books, you will understand where this concept comes from, especially after you have read Destiny. In this forth installment we learn about they how they came to Ackturra and what events happened to send them on their journey. Forgotten Legacy will surly keep the reader on the edge of their seats.

Now, its on to chapter 3 and beyond :-)

From the author's chair
Brian K. Larson
The Dyslexic Author
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Published on April 14, 2013 09:08

April 6, 2013

Book 4 - Forgotten Legacy update

Greetings all,

It's nice to be home today after being away all week in Texas. I attended a bunch of meetings and stuff for my day job. It was a great week and many accomplishments. I feel energized.  

Unfortunately, not being used to the beaming sun in my neck of the woods, I got a nasty sunburn on Friday.

I did have time in the evenings and on my plane to write- and write I did. I have completed the rough draft of the story line to the new book in the Secret of the Crystal series, Forgotten Legacy. 

I got a great start on my character development and have put together my notes and outline for the book. While we all know that these outlines are drafts and things have away of changing as the story progresses, but I gotta tell ya that this book starts out with a BANG! 

I am very pleased with the way the story has begun to develop and am looking forward to progressing this story. 

It's gonna be a good one ;-)

Stay tuned for more updates as this new book develops. 

From the Author's Chair
Brian K. Larson
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Published on April 06, 2013 11:51

March 31, 2013

Secret of the Crystal: Destiny is Finsihed

Well it's a wrap. Some might say it took a long time to compete, but really it took as much time as was needed. 

The 3rd installment, Destiny is now done.  This completes the fist 3 in this first series. It took my 5 months to write, the second only took me 4, but the 1st one took me 15. 

Book 1 is now available, I will autograph your copy if you order via my web page. Of course it is also available through Tate Publishing if you want it without signing, or eBook for those folks that desire a quick fix (you know who you are *grin*)

Here is the chronological order for the first series, all under the same title:
Secret of the Crystal - Official Release: June 4th 2013
Secret of the Crystal II - The Forge - Release: October 2013
Secret of the Crystal III - Destiny - Release: Winter 2013

Yes, I do keep saying 1st series, which means there has to be a 2nd series... and you never know, I'm smelling a possible 3rd series... you never know.

The plans for the second series will also be under the main title of Secret of the Crystal. The concept and format have already been thought of and this will be the order for the second set:
Book 4: Forgotten Legacy
Book 5: The House  of Sö’
Book 6: War of the Zelinites

These titles speak for themselves on what they will be about, but you can be assured, they will be nail biting and action packed.

Finishing up this last title presented unique challenges. Time Travel novels are difficult in keeping everything straight. I promised a spectacular conclusion and well, I feel I have delivered just that. I tie up all those lose ends and provided a surprise ending that is sure to bend your mind. 

...and of course I did write it in a way that opens doors for more.

I hope you enjoy this set of books. I know it's a wait, but I should have book 2 in hand for pre-sales in July/Aug time frame. 

Oh and that brings me to my BIG NEWS that I've been hinting around about. I am looking for readers that would be interested in reviewing the unedited portions of book 2 & 3. Even though I have access to an editing department, there are always mistakes that are missed. Send me a note telling me you are interested and I will be in touch. I am only looking for a handful of readers who are dedicated to the story line and can adhear to a tight schedule to provide feedback.

If you are selected as a reviewer, I will send you PDF formats of the books that you can mark up and send back. It also helps if you have read the first book, you really will want to do this.

So, now its on to the second set of three starting with "Forgotten Legacy". It's screaming to be writing.

From the Author's Chair,
Brian K. Larson
the Dyslexic Author
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Published on March 31, 2013 08:54

March 24, 2013

Secret of the Crystal: Destiny - Update

Greetings everyone,

Well, I meant what I said in an earlier post about not rushing the ending for book 3, Secret of the Crystal: Destiny, and I meant it.

With that said, that is what I've been working on all week, but there just isn't enough room in a single chapter to come to conclusion, so 1 more chapter will be added.

The story in this third book is developing nicely and will have an unexpected ending that, I hope, will surprise the reader and provide a very satisfying ending to the first of three in this series.

So for now, its back to the grind stone... 

From the Author's Chair,
Brian K. Larson
The Dyslexic Author


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Published on March 24, 2013 19:17

March 16, 2013

Writing & editing like a mad man

Greetings one and all,

I've been a very busy the last couple of weeks. Work has been fairly crazy as of late and my writing time has suffered a bit.  Now that the weekend has arrived, I plan to get my writing caught up.  

... and by caught up I mean I intend to finish SECRET of the CRYSTAL - DESTINY.

To that conclusion, I need to get busy and focus all my strength and energy into flowing them words down to the page this weekend.

But first I want to share some awesome news, and this is just part of the "BIG NEWS is BREWING" tweet I posted on Friday that is now floating around out there on the twitter community.

The second half of the SECRET OF THE CRYSTAL series is about to launch. Yep, that's right. There will be at least three more books on this series.  I don't want to give up too much about that, other than the first book will be titled:

SECRET of the CRYSTAL          -------------------                         
FORGOTTEN LEGACY

This new book concept is screaming to come out of me.  But don't fret, I'm not going to sacrifice quality in finishing book 3 of the series by rushing it to completion.

The conclusion to will tie up all the loose ends that book 1 & 2 left open so stay tuned for more exciting news of this epic time travel series to come in the days ahead.

Oh and stay tuned for more info pertaining to that "BIG NEWS" ;-)

Now back to our regular scheduled programming, writing!

From the Author's Chair,
Brian K. Larson


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Published on March 16, 2013 10:21

March 3, 2013

Raising Dyslexia Awareness   

Last October was International Dyslexia Month... I wanted to re-post this to help raise awareness and to bring hope to those that do suffer from this little talked about disability.
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October is national Dyslexia Month.   This month aims to raise awareness of dyslexia and promote the support and services available for people with the condition.
Fact: 1 out of 10 people have symptoms of Dyslexia with symptoms of trouble reading, poor spelling, poor writing or mixing up similar words. 

Quoting from the International Dyslexia Association's web site, "Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability, and contrary to some beliefs, it is not due to either lack of intelligence or a desire to learn. In fact, with appropriate teaching methods, dyslexics can and do learn successfully".

Some of the symptoms may include:
 Appears bright, highly intelligent, and articulate but unable to read, write, or spell at grade level.
Labelled lazy, dumb, careless, immature, "not trying hard enough," or "behavior problem."
Learns best through hands-on experience, demonstrations, experimentation, observation, and visual aids.Confused by letters, numbers, words, sequences, or verbal explanations.Reading or writing shows repetitions, additions, transpositions, omissions, substitutions, and reversals in letters, numbers and/or words.Complains of feeling or seeing non-existent movement while reading, writing, or copying.Complains of feeling or seeing non-existent movement while reading, writing, or copying.

Read more: http://www.dyslexia.com/library/symptoms.htm#ixzz29ICtMsxG

One of the major things to remember about people that suffer from Dyslexia is they are capable, bright, and intelligent.  However, because of their learning disability, many are ridiculed, misunderstood and are often called stupid.  This is tragic and is all caused by the lack of public awareness.  

There are plenty of people that suffer from Dyslexia and have become successful such as Steven Spielberg, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Pablo Picasso, and Albert Einstein just to name a few.  

I suffer from Dyslexia.  It is a daily struggle, but like I say, I learned ways to cope with my disability, and if I can do it... you can too...

You can find out more information on Dyslexia by visiting the International Dyslexia Association  
____________________
From the Author's Chair
Brian K. Larson
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Published on March 03, 2013 13:08

Write and Re-write until you get it right

Greetings this fine day,

After last week's computer glitch and loosing several written pages, I had to take a little time to recover.  After all, I had Chapter 12 of Secret of the Crystal: Destiny, perfect... just the way I wanted it... 

Then I was faced with having to re-write my perfectly orchestrated work. I was pretty bummed, but my wife kept encouraging me that I'll write again and will make it even better.

My wife is a wise woman as she was right, but I had to go through a bit of a learning experience to get there.

I wrote the first 5 pages again, trying to duplicate what I had before. Let me tell you, it's not worth it to try and duplicate.  I spent all last weekend trying to put back what was written and it became a very slow process.

That's when I decided to just quit worrying about what had been lost and move on.  You know, dust of the ol shoes and keep a walkin. 

Yesterday was the first day since last Sunday that I had any time to get back at it. A fresh mind is another key - if you are getting fatigued, take some time to rejuvenate. It will make the biggest difference in the quality you write.

The words just flowed like water down a falls to the page.  I finished chapter 12 and wrote a staggering 32oo words; a personal best for me.  The finished product has all the elements I was planning for and some great surprises that help the reader make the connection to the first book perfectly. 

I'm very happy with the way it has turned out, but it took me to write it and re-write it to make it right...

Now on to Chapter 13...

From the Author's Chair,
Brian K. Larson
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Published on March 03, 2013 10:09

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