C.N. Faust's Blog, page 20
June 13, 2013
I’m Still Alive
Hello my darlings,
No, I am not dead. I have not ceased to exist and I have not been sucked into a wormhole. I just have not, for some reason, been around the internet for, what – a week and a half? Or maybe I have lost all concept of time and it has only been three days. Who knows.
You see, my stepfather has been working from home lately. And since I am as of now suffering without a laptop, I just have not had much computer access. Needless to say, I haven’t gotten much writing done, either. I am a closet notebooker when I need to be but my brain usually works faster than I can write, so it leaves me with a headache and cramped fingers. But that hasn’t stopped me from brainstorming on all sorts of amazing ideas for The Hollow Living. Which I am so incredibly excited for.
What else has been going on? Not much. I have considered releasing The Heretic Priest early, though since I put out Baron of Blood not too long ago I wonder if it would be too soon. But then, I am bored and I am tired of having The Heretic Priest sitting on my desk and waiting to be read. I don’t know, maybe? I’ll consider it.
Anyway, I hope you darlings are enjoying your summer. I will update more often.
Your most adored,
C.N.F.
June 5, 2013
Self Q&A – Please don’t judge me
Hello my darlings,
I am lonely and bored-
Pharun: Thanks.
- And so this is what I am doing to kill time before I actually decide to work on something productive. Like my story. I wanted to write out a bunch of questions and ask you, my fellow writers, to respond to on your own blogs (and then I’ll reblog the posts). I will also answer them myself, because it just isn’t fair if I ask you to do something I won’t do myself.
Q: Do you measure progress by word count, or chapters?
A. I measure my progress by word count. I never used to do that (measuring instead by chapters, which is why The Dragon’s Disciples has 11516456498 chapters), but then NaNoWriMo came into my life (and it loses a little more appeal each year) and I was conditioned to become obsessed with wordcount. Now it is just a useful way to set up a goal for myself. If I tell myself my goal is 2,000 words, then I have to write 2,000 words or more to feel successful. If I tell myself to just write a chapter, I am perfectly capable of writing three paragraphs and going boom, chapter – peace out.
Q: How do your characters come into being?
A: They used to break in through windows that were partially cracked or doors that were left slightly ajar. Nowadays I just leave a spare key underneath the porch mat and make them sign a little clipboard.
Q: How do your characters occupy themselves when they are not being written for?
A: They like to play cards and whine.
Q: On a scale of “??” to “Plot”, how would you rate your ability to stay on track with a story?
A: I hover in between “a bunch of random side stories” and “something resembling the original plotline”. Most of my characters are very … aggressive individuals who will bully their way into a story that didn’t have much to do with them in the first place.
Q: How often do you write?
A: I try to write at least 2,000 words a day. “Try” being the operative word.
Q: Do you listen to music while you write?
A: Yes, the quiet is way too distracting. I usually just have to loop my Pandora station, because everyone likes something different around here.
Q: Do you eat/drink/smoke while you write?
A: I eat very little while I write. But I have to keep a drink within reach at all times. Usually it is Dr. Pepper, which increases my productivity and brilliant thought process by 110%.
Q: What do you like the least about marketing your book?
A: Having to badger potential readers like a homeless man trying to scrape enough money together to buy just ONE MORE HIT of [street drug of preference].
Q: If you were not yourself, would you read your books?
A: I would totally be obsessed with my books if I were not me. Probably because a lot of what I write is what other people just won’t give me.
Q: Be honest. Have you ever made someone you hated / were having a hard time with IRL into a character and then killed them off?
A: Here, pick up a copy of the Dragon’s Disciples. Flip to a page, any page, where someone dies. Good, now keep doing that until you can find them all. Yeah, they all represent somebody.
Q: Be honest again. Do you write for a character who is pretty much an insert of you, and who is it?
A: I’m pretty sure that any author who says they haven’t done that is lying through their teeth. We might kill the self-inserts off at one point (in a fit of self-loathing and disgust) but we have ALL done that. For me, Pharun and Shrukian are both inserts of me. Shrukian is more like the “real” me and Pharun is the me that I like to tell myself I am.
Q: That’s sad.
A: I know.
Everything but work
Hello my darlings,
I am doing pretty much everything I can to avoid work, that includes writing The Hollow Living (though I am TEEMING with ideas). So I have pretty much decided on the title for book 4 of the Age of Waking Death series. You ready for this?
Pharun has given Felix flowers. So now you are ready.
The title of book #4 of The Age of Waking Death series is going to be … The Bitch King.
Isn’t that great? After doing a four-day celebration for having finally made up my mind, my first thought was, “Wow, how is that for a seal on the message of ‘I don’t write for kids’???”.
Not that anyone would ever assume that. Ever.
Do you think I will get a lot of flack for it? Because I am already in love with it. And it does have a whole lotta Pharun (which is all I am at liberty to divulge… >.> . Read the books, dammit, so I can talk to you about my evil plots!) so that is pretty much the most befitting title.
Anyway… The Hollow Living is making awesome progress. I am trying hard, however, to keep a good balance between continuing the existing plot between the old characters and balancing the introduction of a handful of new ones. The last thing I want is for a reader to be like, “Why is he talking about people I don’t care about? Hello? Plot? Wheredjago?”
Something like that. That’s usually what I do when an author loses a thread I was blithely following.
At this point, I am too squeamish to propose a possible release date, but let me just say that when it does come out it is going to rock so hard. It’s my favorite yet so far. So much cool stuff happens … and I really wish I could tell you everything that will happen!
But alack-a-day, I cannot. Soon, my darlings, soon.
I really need to go to bed. As you can tell I have had way, way too much caffeine today.
Your most adored,
C.N.F.
June 3, 2013
Pharun likes to argue
Hello my darlings,
(Little anime Pharun is clearly upset because the last few chapters of “the Hollow Living” haven’t been about him)
Pharun: Well darling, it is ABOUT ME AFTER ALL!
Me: Not everything is about you, Pharun.
Pharun: THIS BOOK IS!
Me: It is partially about you.
Pharun: No one else is important enough. I am the most interesting one! Who else are you going to write about?? Shrukian? Good luck with that one!!
Me: SHhhhhh, you’re upsetting the readers.
Pharun: I hope they are upset with the PATHETIC WAY I AM TREATED AROUND HERE!
Me: Yes, yes. You are abused so roundly.
Pharun: *sorrowfully* She makes me sit in dark corners all by myself.
Me: *sighs*
Pharun: And I can only eat mushrooms.
Me: Ok, Pharun, that’s-
Pharun: And if I so much as make one darling whimper she has Shrukian come beat me with a 2 x 4 ….
Me: I think that’s enough. I’m sure our readers get a good idea of what is going on in this house.
Pharun: I should hope they do. I don’t know why I waste myself on you.
Me:
June 2, 2013
Help make it happen! Indie Gogo Campaign
Hello my darlings,
So in the span of a few hours, I decided not to go with a Kickstarter campaign. For several reasons I began an Indie Gogo campaign instead (which is the hipster version of Kickstarter). It works the same way, and I switched my goal from $1,000 to $2,000 (because after they and Paypal take their cut I will have just the amount I need).
But here is a link to the campaign: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-age-of-waking-death-an-epic-fantasy-gothic-horror-book-series/x/3512153?c=home Even if you cannot donate, please spread the word! I am ready to make this series happen in a big way!
Perks for donating:
$20 – a poster of “The Dragon’s Disciples” signed by the author!
$35 - the poster, plus an eBook copy of “The Dragon’s Disciples”!
$50 - the poster, plus a signed paperback copy of “The Dragon’s Disciples”!
$100 – the poster, plus signed paperback copies of “The Dragon’s Disciples” AND “The Heretic Priest”!
$500 - not only will you be my hero, but you will receive the poster plus signed HARDCOVER copies of “The Dragon’s Disciples” and “The Heretic Priest”. Plus a mention in the dedication of “The Hollow Living”!
I have signed up for fixed funding. So if I don’t reach my entire goal, you are refunded and you lose nothing. If the goal is reached then there are awesome perks to be had. Everyone wins!
Thank you darlings, let’s make this happen!
Your most adored,
C.N.F.
Considering a Kickstarter Campaign
Hello my darlings,
For a little while now I have thought about starting a Kickstarter campaign to fund the expansion of the Age of Waking Death series into libraries, bookstores, etc. I haven’t quite decided if I should do this with Createspace’s expanded distribution or Lightning Source publishing. The biggest difference between the two (for me) is that Lightning Source has a return policy and Createspace does not offer one. (What is your opinion? As a reader, would you be more inclined a book that you had the option of returning?)
So what I am thinking of is that the campaign will be for the first three books, so The Dragon’s Disciples, The Heretic Priest, and The Hollow Living. The money will go towards printing, distribution, purchasing isbns, registering with the library of congress, advertising, etc. I am thinking of a number around $800 – $1,000. As far as incentives go, this is what I am thinking about offering.
A $20 donation gets you a poster signed by the author. The poster will look like this:
A $35 donation will get you the poster and an eBook copy of “The Dragon’s Disciples” for whatever eReader you have.
A $50 donation will get you the poster and a paperback copy of “The Dragon’s Disciples”.
A $100 donation will get you the poster, a paperback copy of “The Dragon’s Disciples” and the ebooks in whatever format for “The Dragon’s Disciples” AND “The Heretic Priest”.
What does that sound like to you guys? Let me know your opinions!
Your most adored,
C.N.F.
Book Titles: Headache or Smooth Sailing
Today's featured guest blogger is Charles Yallowitz, pressing upon the most concerning topic of title choosing! You can find his blog here.
First, I’d like to thank Amber Skye Forbes for letting me do a guest blog. I chose the topic of How You Come Up With Book Titles. I’ve never written about this topic, which is why it was interesting.
Awesome guest blog by Charles Yallowitz about titling your novel.
5% off The Dragon’s Disciples Paperback – Coupon Code
Hello my darlings,
I know I have done something similar for Baron of Blood – but considering how The Heretic Priest will be released in a few months I thought I would do the same thing for The Dragon’s Disciples. So here it is! Order The Dragon’s Disciples from this specific Amazon store: https://www.createspace.com/4211630 , enter THIS coupon code at checkout: BK6U5K4N and it will give you 5% off. How awesome is that? You will want to hurry up and procure your copy, seeing as how I am going to be holding a Goodreads giveaway for hardcopies of The Heretic Priest, and you will want to be able to see the two of them sitting side by side on your bookshelf!
Your most adored,
C.N.F.
June 1, 2013
Cover Reveal: Intimate Strangers (Captive Hearts #2)
Reblogged from Legends of Windemere:
Blurb:
With evil lurking on every corner, can two veritable strangers survive on love alone?
Chelsea Reid shares one sinful night with a delicious stranger and she winds up pregnant. Disowned by her parents and forced to leave university, she accepts an offer from her boss, Hannah Magnus-Dunlop, to stay with her and her family.
Christiaan ‘Tiaan’ Carstens had everything going for him.
