R.J. Blain's Blog, page 65

The Dusty Recesses of a Broken Mind

It is 11:38 PM (Monday, May 9) as I begin to write this. I can’t remember the last time I took a full day off–I think it was two weeks ago. I knew I’d be in for the long haul, then. A week from now, I’ll be releasing two new books to the wilds. Releasing one is difficult enough.

Two might break me–more than I’m already broken, that is.

I’m late with my coloring book pages. I’m sorry, I really am. They need to wait until Karma and Shadowed Flame are finished. I wanted to be done sooner, but I needed to fix things. I needed to work on the pictures a bit more so I’m happier with them. I need to add background elements to some.

I need time to do it–time not burdened with an upcoming release.

I’m sorry. They’ll be coming sometime during the week following my birthday.

It is now 11:38 AM on Tuesday, May 10. The fact I somehow managed to log back in to complete this blog post twelve hours (exactly) amuses me. I fell asleep between sentences. I’m actually impressed I managed to move the laptop somewhere safe before I passed out.

Welcome to my life.

The first thing I want to discuss in my rambling is the image above. While most of you are aware of four of the titles, two of them are new! License to Kill continues Karma’s story, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to write it later this year. I’ve already started the creative thinking process about the book, but I’m not ready to write it yet.

The Case Files of Karma Johnson cover are short stories and novellas about Karma and Jake. Like Tales of the Winter Wolf, the Case Files will follow both characters. Unlike Tales of the Winter Wolf, there is no set order of when the stories appear, so it’s more of a ‘proper’ anthology, unlike with Tales, which is really a novel broken into many shorter episodes.

I have no idea when I’ll release the first Case Files volume. My minimum word count for any short story collection is generally 30,000 words (a little less than a third of a standard novel) but I’m hoping for more than that in each one. In any case, they’ll be fun. I’ve already written the first story. Many of the stories in the Case Files were inspired from backstory I created when writing the main series, so I really recommend you read Balancing the Scales before diving into the Case Files. That said, if you don’t mind Karma’s motivations and general behavior being ‘spoiled’ before you read Karma, then it’s not a big issue if you read the Case Files first.

Later volumes of the Case Files will have side stories that happen during the series, too. I am really writing these stories because I enjoy pursuing the little things I can’t in standard novel format.

And now it’s back to work with me–lots to do, little time to do it in. As a reminder, don’t forget to check out the facebook event for the book releases. I’m giving away a lot of really cool prizes.

And sign up for my newsletter, too. There will be two short stories in the newsletter announcing the book releases.

Karma’s New (Tentative) Release Date

Sometimes, life just happens. It happens to me, it happens to my editor, and sometimes, it happens to both of us at the same time. Karma’s tentative release date for next week is confirmed to be blown sky high into smoldering little bits of wreckage. I’m sorry.

I’d rather wait and release a better, cleaner book–and so would my editor. We’re sorry. Really.

But, in this storm cloud is a silver lining. My editor and I bumped heads together (yes, it does kinda hurt, not recommended) and talked dates, looked at where we’re at in both Karma and Shadowed Flame, and have set a new release date: May 16, 2016.

That’s right. We’re going to try to release both books on the same day. Since we’re putting in all the effort for the super duper release day party for Shadowed Flame, Karma’s going to sneak it, meekly say hello, and act like I do in most social situations–terrified of exposure to other people.

I love this book so much, and I want it to be the best it can be–and rushing it through editing isn’t the answer. We’re both going to try to make sure it releases on the 16th, but we both have a lot to do on both books.

I wish I was posting a confirmation of release next week, but the stars didn’t align, and I’m choosing to delay rather than release a crappy, error-filled book. (Oh, there will be errors. I’m sure of it. There are always errors, hiding in the pages of a book… but I want to remove as many of them as possible and tell a good story.)

If anything changes (again) I’ll let you know. As a side note, since I’ll be releasing two books on the same day, the newsletter will contain two short stories.

State of the Blain Address: April 2016 Edition

Unsurprisingly, things have been pretty busy! Originally, I was going to release Karma on the 26th, but I’m fairly confident in stating that’s not going to happen. I’ve been busy hammering out Shadowed Flame, which has a hard May 16 deadline. I hate missing deadlines, but I’d rather push it back a bit and release a better book.

Sorry.

So, while Karma is being delayed, I have a few fun announcements regarding the May 16th release party happening on facebook. (Seriously. Come say hi, even if you’re not a big facebook user. There are a lot of awesome prizes I’m giving away.

One of those prizes is a complete autographed set of Grace Draven books. An autographed copy of Tiffany Roberts’s Make Me Burn will also be available. I’m really looking forward to the party, to say the least. I really love autographed books. Books are already magical, but having a book I know was, at some point, handled directly by its author makes them even more special. Yeah, I might have a bit of a problem. That’s okay though, right? I mean, we’re talking about books here.

In other news, the immigration process moves forward at a snail’s pace. At least this time, it wasn’t us slowing things down. Lawyers took their sweet time replying to some questions we had. We’re down to filling out a few fields before they double check everything and send the next wave to the government. So, yay! Maybe the end is actually in sight. Maybe.

It does make me worry for the actual move, though.

On to the next subject: Taxes. Tax season didn’t kill me this year, people! It’s amazing! We got a refund. When husband lost his job last year, it shifted us to a lower tax bracket. In Quebec, the tax bracket differences are brutal. For the first time in forever, we didn’t pay over 50% in taxes! It’s amazing! The refund will help undo a lot of the damage from the sewage flood, which is a huge relief. It won’t clear out everything, but it’ll probably save us $150 in interest a month… which is a big deal.

Hmm. Beyond that, there isn’t a whole lot new and exciting. One of my early birthday presents to myself arrived–an autographed copy of Lois McMaster Bujold’s The Curse of Chalion! It’s a gorgeous book, and it has a home beside my first edition All the Weyrs of Pern on my shelf. (Which has a home next to my pair of Flynns and my three Tom Clancys.)

Yeah, I have a bit of a book problem. I’m okay with this.

I’ve made really good progress on my coloring book; the first set of pages was already sent to contributors, and I’ll be updating the coloring book every Friday with new pages. I’m going a bit slower than I anticipated, but this is thanks to being busy doing other things.

Part of the reason I’m so busy is a good one–for my sanity, that is. I’ve been trying to spend at least 2-3 hours a day playing games of various sorts. I want to make sure I play something for at least an hour a day. Unplugging is good. All work and no play makes me cranky.

I can’t think of anything new on the horizon, so until next time, friends!

Discounting Accomplishments

I have a confession. I have a bad habit, although I often take advantage of it. I am a master of discounting my accomplishments and achievements. I often don’t even realize I do it.

I’ve been doing this to myself all day today. I track my progress–or lack thereof–and I beat myself up when I fail to reach my goals.

I was in progress of beating myself up over how little I’ve gotten done. I wasn’t feeling good earlier in the day, so I slept for a while. I’ve been cleaning a lot, and while the accomplishment of sorting through most of my novels is sitting right next to me, I have been hammering at myself for failing to do all the work associated with preparing a home for sale and an international move and writing all the words!

I’m an idiot. Yep.

I have a habit of checking on my word counts for the day, and I was doing my totals for today, and in the midst of beating myself for not getting anything done, I realized I had already surprassed my 2,000 word minimum for the day. I also cleaned, moved books, and otherwise did things other than writing.

In short, I was so obsessed with beating myself up without having actually verified I screwed up. I just assumed I was a fuck up, so I deserved to berate myself for not doing my basic job.

Except I did. I am my own worst enemy.

So, next time you start beating yourself for not being productive, take a look at what you have done. Sometimes, the truth will surprise you.

You’re Invited!

On May 16, 2016, I will be hosting a birthday party for myself–and for Shadowed Flame! The party will take place on facebook, and you’re invited! I have gathered a bunch of awesome autographed books for giving away. There will also be giveaways of ebooks and other goodies.

Facebook and all other social media sites are not responsible for anything regarding the giveaways. (Yep. Had to say it to stay on the right side of the terms and conditions of all those sites.)

Shadowed Flame tells the story of Matia, a colorblind woman with the ability to see the shadows of the human soul. Unfortunately, there’s a big difference between knowing the darkness of someone’s spirit and preventing them from acting on their malevolent desires.

Please enjoy this teaser from the beginning of the book!

For the third time since arriving to work two hours ago, Dad tripped over his own feet and smacked into the carpet of our office. The thump of him hitting the floor drowned out my sigh. I debated whether or not to get up and help him or stay at my desk and observe his efforts to restore his dignity. 

If my grandmother had been wise, she would have named him Hannah as a good luck charm against his clumsy nature. Instead, I was saddled with it as my middle name, a ward against harm and a wish to prevent the Evans family curse from falling on me.

In my opinion, I was far from graceful, but I had managed to avoid my father’s clumsy fate. It made sense to me, although those who didn’t know us well marveled at the fact I could walk in a straight line. If they found out I could cartwheel on a balance beam, they’d probably faint from shock.

Then again, few knew what I knew. I wasn’t my father’s daughter, and I doubted I would ever learn whose daughter I was.

“You could have some pity, Matia,” Dad complained, rolling onto his side and propping his chin in the palm of his hand. Blood oozed out of his nose and dripped down to the stubble of his day-old beard.

No matter how many times everyone told me blood was a vibrant hue, a rich crimson, my traitorous eyes told me another story. Blood was just another shade of gray, a charcoal over the paler slate of my dad’s skin. The carpet, like most of Dad’s clothes, came in at a shade somewhere between black, black, and yet another shade of black.

What sort of prizes am I giving away? So glad you asked.

Autographed 2nd Edition hardback of Terry Pratchett’s Men at Arms (UK Edition)
Autographed Trade Edition of A Thousand Words for Stranger by Julie Czernada
Autographed Series Set of Diana Pharaoh Francis’s The Path Books (Out of Print.)
Autographed Mass Market Paperback of Paladin of Souls by Lois Bujold McMaster
Autographed Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop
Autographed Malus Domestica by SA Hunt
Autographed The Treemakers by Chrstina L. Rozelle
Autographed Future Tense by LJ Cohen
Autographed Ultraxenopia by Molly Phipps
Autographed The Thorn of Dentonhill by Marshall Ryan Maresca
Autographed Andromeda by Amy Bartelloni
… and more!

To win, you’ll need to hop on Facebook on May 16 and come play with us in the event. There will be fun and games and all sorts of discussions about books. This won’t be your standard giveaway, but that’s all I’m going to say.

Hope to see you there!

Productivity Tracking: When Organization Goes Bad

Last week, I did an experiment, and it was hell.

I’m not the type of person to be accused of being lazy; I’m prolific, but not because I write fast. Time and time again, I have told people I’m only prolific because I put a lot of work and effort into what I do. So, last week, I decided to track my productivity by hour.

What a pain in my ass. Seriously. I’m glad I did it, I even did it for three full days before I got a serious case of the ‘fuck its!’

Organization is important for me. So are to-do lists. I have a really crappy memory for things outside of my novels. My books consume the vast majority of my attention, and the rest dribbles out of my ears. I had a lot to do to prepare to release Pack Justice, so I needed to make sure I was getting everything done in a timely fashion. (I did succeed at this goal, so I was fantastically productive.)

However, this method was brutal on me. I already work hard–probably too hard–and all this method did was stress me out while making me work even harder. (That is not nearly a good of a thing as it sounds. I got a lot done, but… stress.)

But, since I did it, I thought I’d share what it looked like. I had to deal with interruptions all throughout, but this is a fairly good representation of my standard day, except I scatter it in different clumps rather than neat hour-by-hour representations.

Time
Type
Starting Words
Ending Words
Total Count


11:00 AM
Writing
54843
55692
849


12:00 PM
Writing
55692
56117
425


1:00 PM
Writing
56117
56456
339


2:00 PM
Writing
56456
57076
620


3:00 PM
Writing
57076
57404
328


4:00 PM
Writing
57404
57960
556


5:00 PM
3 CH Proofed





6:00 PM
3 CH Proofed





7:00 PM
4 CH Proofed





8:00 PM
1 CH edited





9:00 PM
Blog Post



















11:00 AM
Writing
57960
58569
609


12:00 PM
Writing
58569
59000
431


1:00 PM
Writing
59000
59391
391


2:00 PM
Writing
59391
59807
416


3:00 PM
Writing
59807
59990
183


4:00 PM
Writing
59990
60358
368


5:00 PM
Writing
60358
61001
643


6:00 PM
Cleaning/Writing
61001
61195
194


7:00 PM
1 CH Edited





8:00 PM
Cleaning/Writing
61195
61574
379


9:00 PM
Writing
61574
61923
349


10:00 PM
Writing
61923
62003
80
















11:00 AM
Writing
62003
62414
411


12:00 PM
3 CH Proofed





1:00 PM
Writing
62414
63223
809


2:00 PM
3 CH Proofed





3:00 PM
Break





4:00 PM
2 CH Proofed





5:00 PM
Writing
63223
63556
333


6:00 PM
3 CH Proofed





7:00 PM
Writing
63556
64145
589


8:00 PM
Writing
64145
64403
258


9:00 PM
Writing
64403
64836
433


10:00 PM
Writing
64836
65414
578


11:00 PM
Writing
65414
65697
283


12:00 AM
2 CH Proofed

 

My average word count is 434 per hour, although I think I’m more comfortable with saying it’s closer to 300 an hour, since I have these random bursts of good hours that skew things; they’re so much more the exception than the rule. I only get so much done because of the number of hours I work, not the speed I work. Realistically, I’m slow.

I’m okay with that. I’m slow, but I’m hard working, and at the end of the day, I do care about results. I push myself really hard because I want to make this career work. Unfortunately, when it comes to writing, the only person who is going to force me to make it work is me.

On deadline crunches, I’ll go back to hourly tracking, because it did force me to stay on the ball. For day-to-day life, however… I’ll stick to my regular to-do lists. Those don’t make me want to stab things.

Pack Justice is Now Available at Amazon!

Happy birthday, Pack Justice! Amazon worked its magic really fast, so Pack Justice is now available for purchase! I had a lot of fun writing this book, and I hope you all enjoy it. There will be an email about the release going out to my subscribers on Wednesday, which will include an exclusive short story.

Sean’s guardian angel is a feline, but his spirit cheetah prefers rival attorney, Andrea Morgan, over him. Trapped in a failing, dangerous marriage and stalked by an accomplice of one of the most dangerous criminals he’s ever prosecuted, Sean’s troubles are just beginning.

A vacation should have offered him a chance to save his relationship with his wife, Idette. Instead, Sean learns he isn’t the only one with a secret, and his discovery of his wife’s true nature should have killed him.

To ensure Sean’s survival, his cheetah strikes a bargain with a wolf. Faced with life-long enslavement to his wife, becoming an instrument of pack justice seems like the far better alternative.

Unfortunately, pack justice is as brutal as it is swift, and should Sean fail to put an end to Idette’s machinations, everything he values will be targeted and destroyed, including his chance to be with the one woman who might be able to help him salvage the ruins of his life.

From Chapter One…

Some men had guardian angels. I, unfortunately, had a cat, and he liked Andrea Morgan far more than he liked me.

My spirit cheetah lounged at Andrea’s feet, and when he noticed my attention on him, he showed me his sharp, pointy teeth. His desire to hunt heated my blood, which cooled as soon as his attention returned to the lawyer he adored.

In a way, I couldn’t blame him. Out of all the female attorneys I had faced in court, she was the one who got under my skin, the one who always managed to piss me off by the end of a trial, and the one who made me lose sleep wondering how I’d finally best her.

I had won the case, but as always when I faced her and proved the victor, it was bittersweet. Normally, there was nothing quite as satisfying as listening to a judge sentence a cop killer to life in prison without chance of parole. The ‘without parole’ part of the judgment caught me by surprise; after Miller v. Alabama, few judges were willing to go so far.

The death sentence was more likely, and California hadn’t executed anyone since 2006.

There would be appeals, and I’d probably have to face Andrea Morgan in court again, which robbed me of my satisfaction and gave me a less-than-healthy dose of anxiety. I forced myself to focus on the good; three women had justice and a chance to get on with their lives. Justice wouldn’t help Officer Andrews, but I thought he’d rest easier with the conviction.

Andrews had been one of the good guys.

Douglass Roberts would lose all future appeals. I’d see to that, even if I had to face Andrea in court again.

All I could do was hope a different defense attorney was assigned the case. Andrea was good—one of the best. But, if my guess was right, the case had been as hard on her as it had been on me. I glanced at the woman out of the corner of my eye.

No one wanted to defend a cop killer and rapist, not in such an open-and-shut case, but she had done her job well. She had fought hard for the man even though he didn’t deserve a single moment of the woman’s time. The way she scowled at her papers made me uneasy. Her blue eyes were dark and clouded, and I wondered if she believed in her client—or if she, like me, despised cop killers and rapists more than other criminals.

I had become an attorney to put men like Douglass Roberts behind bars.

You can buy Pack Justice at Amazon now!

Thanks for reading.

Final Day to Contribute to Indiegogo!

At the time of this posting, there are 16 hours left to contribute to my indiegogo campaign to help offset the costs for print publication of old and new Witch & Wolf novels. With all of your help and support, the campaign has reached the 55% mark, which is a huge deal!

There is less than $900 to go, and every penny helps.

The first new release featured in the campaign is Pack Justice. Should the campaign fully fund, in addition to adding another title to the book collection, I will be releasing the novel to contributors a little prior to its official release. (Expect 24-48 hours in advance of the book going on sale.)

Pack Justice is slated for release within the next two weeks!

To make things a little more exciting, one of the other new releases, Shadowed Flame, has a good chance of releasing by May or June. Same deal–if the campaign fully funds, contributors will be getting ARC versions of the book a little in advance of the official release.

The final awesome bit of news is that the new Witch & Wolf spinoff series, Balancing the Scales, will be releasing in the very near future–probably by the end of April! This series follows the story of an FBI agent named Karma, who has dedicated most of her life to rescuing kidnapped kids. She learns there is far more than meets the eye to FBI’s best agents, and she’s been shortlisted to join their ranks. What she doesn’t know will forever change her life and will wake the sleeping beast within.

I’m really excited for this book. It was super fun to write and challenged me in so many ways.

Then there’s Silver Bullet, which will be releasing around the end of the year. My cover artist will be working on that cover in the next few months, and I’m pretty eager to close the doors on the first Witch & Wolf series.

I’ve already begun work a new Witch & Wolf series, which follows the story of Declan, a rogue black ops specialist turned thief. Unlike Balancing the Scales and Nature of the Beast, Declan’s story occurs in the aftermath of Silver Bullet and includes many old faces, including Nicole, Richard, Desmond, and the Anderson twins. Unlike the original Witch & Wolf series, the new series will be from only one perspective, Declan’s.

Balancing the Scales and Nature of the Beast are also single perspective sets.

Anyway, back to the indiegogo campaign!

This is one of the biggest changes to the campaign: In addition to drawing, I also paint, and I have a lot of older paintings kicking around, including the two shown above. I will be distributing paintings into the signed book perk. (I am moving internationally within a few months and do not want to take extra items with me, so I thought this would be a nice inclusion.)

The signed book perk is $150, $170 after shipping.

Considering I typically try to sell one of my paintings for between $30-$60 USD, this is a pretty good bargain. There will be at least one painting per perk. If that wasn’t enough, any original sketches unclaimed from the $50 original coloring page perk will be added to the signed book perk. Add in the bookmark I’ll be drawing for each of the signed book perks, and this is a pretty good deal.

The featured perk is $30, and it includes the coloring book and all 7 of the Witch & Wolf novels in all major e-book formats. So, yes, this is a way for you to get legitimate epub versions of my Witch & Wolf novels.

Thanks for all your support, everyone!

Authors, Cooperation, and Competition.

(c) JordyR (Creative Commons – Flickr)

There are millions upon millions of books in the world and almost as many authors, published and unpublished. There are people like me, who share as much knowledge and information as possible. Others are far more competitive in nature, viewing other authors as enemies to be defeated.

Disclaimer: opinions ahead. I’m not prefacing every single one of my thoughts with a ‘in my opinion.’ Assume it’s there, since this is and opinion piece.

I hesitate to use the phrase ‘all authors’ here. Every last one of us has a different reason for writing. Some want money, some want fame, some want both, some want to tell stories and don’t care about the money, some do it on a dare and end up succeeding at a tough career, and some fall into it. No matter what the reason for writing and publishing books, like it or not, we’re all in it together.

It doesn’t matter if you’re traditionally published. It doesn’t matter if you’re self-published, either. Each and every one of us faces similar challenges. There are variations, of course. Traditionally published authors are facing shrinking advances, fewer contracts, and dying series, sacrifices to the machine that is the publishing industry. Self-published authors have to defy skepticism and doubt from the world. Traditionally published books have gone down in quality while self-published books are going up in quality, and the two are meeting in the middle.

In all honesty, it’s a bit of a blood bath, really. I spent a lot on a traditionally published book last year–almost twenty dollars–only to find it riddled with errors. (There was even html code in one chapter, which made my jaw drop.)

This was a book written by a critically acclaimed bestselling author in the fantasy genre. This was a huge release for the book’s publisher, and it had basic formatting errors in it.

It has gotten to the point a traditional publisher is not a guarantee of quality. The gatekeepers, as the industry calls the big publishers, have abandoned their posts in more ways than one, and it’s a sad thing.

Authors are paying the price for this in more ways than one. While the traditional publishers scramble to survive in a world where it’s getting easier and easier to publish a good-quality book, self-publishers are fighting to improve their reputation.

I’m definitely one of the ones trying to meet–or exceed–traditional publisher book quality. Am I there yet? In my opinion, no. I can do better, and I want to do better.

But, I’ve noticed a lot of posts where people are trying to reignite the feud between self-published and traditional published authors, and this is hurting all of us. We’re giving each other bad reputations.

At the end of the day, we’re writers. Some of us choose to bypass the gatekeepers. Maybe our books aren’t mainstream enough–mine certainly aren’t. I write edgier fiction. I write fiction for people like me, people who enjoy trying to puzzle things together, people who don’t want everything handed to them on a silver platter, people who want to explore a world by walking through it rather than reading through twenty pages of exposition at the beginning of the book.

I’m in a narrow audience, and I know it. I write more mainstream stories, but even my Witch & Wolf novels are not intended to be easy, casual reads. They’re meant to fit somewhere between thriller and mind fuck. I own this. I pay for it in reviews when readers just don’t want that sort of read.

I understand I will likely never be a bestselling author, not because of the quality of my work, but rather the nature of it. I don’t write erotica. My sex fades to black on the page. My stories aren’t for everyone–or even most people.

My successes and failures have absolutely no affect on any other author’s. That’s it. It doesn’t matter who my competition is. Why? Every reader has a different interest. Some will love my books, others will hate them. If I don’t do a good job of connecting with a reader, they will move to a different author. End of story. Another author’s work does not make it any easier or harder to forge a connection with a reader. That’s all on me.

If they don’t resonate with my books and writing, they don’t resonate. If they don’t resonate, they won’t buy my books.

It doesn’t matter if I self-publish, traditionally publish, dance naked under a blooming cherry tree in the spring, or yodel from a mountain top. If my writing doesn’t resonate with a reader, that is no one’s fault except my own.

Authors cooperate with each other all the time, and shockingly, everyone benefits. Some review books. Some host guest posts written by other authors. Some just share a post about a new book release. There are lots of ways authors help each other, even if it’s listening when the going gets tough

Competition is natural; I’m competitive by nature, but I’m not competing with other authors in the fiction world. I am competing with myself. I want to do better than I did last month. Some months I fail. Some months I do better.

I could compete with authors who have more sales than me, but I don’t see the point. It’s hurtful to me and to my intended target. It doesn’t help either one of us out. It doesn’t help sales. It doesn’t help me connect with readers.

I will say what authors screaming at each other does: it hurts us all. When we get up in arms because we don’t like what this person did, we all look bad.

Authors together are far more effective than authors divided. There are bad people out there. There are authors who are just bad people, who just want to make money, and who don’t actually care about books.

Fuck those people.

I’m of the firm belief there is one person an author should be concerned with: their next reader.

In-fighting doesn’t help us connect with readers. Competition can be a great motivator, but it’s a bad thing, too. My performance is relevant to one person: me.

Don’t judge yourself based on what I’ve accomplished. My books aren’t yours. My experiences aren’t yours. My audience probably isn’t yours, neither… and that’s okay.

Sharing knowledge, sharing resources, and sharing experiences helps us all grow. Competition can help us grow, too, but competitive cooperation is where the real money is at. If you’re trying to write a better book, the readers benefit. You benefit. Everyone benefits.

If your competition is also trying to write a better book, the bar moves ever upwards.

Authors showcasing good books can help them float to the top among all the competition… but if you alienate those authors who could help lift you up, all you’re doing is hurting yourself.

Those authors will go on to help someone else, and all you’ve done is lost yourself an opportunity. Being a writer is a lot like crossing a bridge. Other authors are often readers, and if you burn your bridges with them, all you’re doing is burning your audience.

Consider that the next time you take aim at your fellow author, no matter how their books came to the market.

Four Days Left to Contribute to Witch & Wolf Print Editions & Coloring Book campaign!

There are four days left to contribute to my indiegogo campaign to help bring my Witch & Wolf novels back into print–and into print for books releasing this year.

The ebook edition of Pack Justice will be releasing in a few weeks. Karma, a new Witch & Wolf spinoff series, releases within the next month or two. Shadowed Flame will also be releasing in the next few months, and Silver Bullet will be out by the end of the year!

If the campaign fully funds, all contributors receiving a digital perk will also receive a copy of Karma.

The following links should take you directly to the payment page for that perk type. Use THIS link if you want to look over the campaign.

I’ll be adding this as a campaign update after I’m done this post, but, if the original coloring pages aren’t claimed, I will be distributing them among those who are taking the signed books. (Other art may also be included with this perk, at my discretion.) I will also be adding digital copies of all books to the signed and unsigned book perks.



Thanks so much for your support and happy Easter!

$1 USD

Collection of 5 Coloring Pages

Contributors will receive my thanks and a digital copy of five coloring pages drawn and inked by RJ Blain.

$10 USD

Digital Coloring Book

You will receive a complete copy of the digital coloring book. All images are drawn and inked by RJ Blain, the author of the Witch & Wolf series. Minimum of 50 pages of various sizes and difficulty.
Estimated delivery: July 2016

$17 USD

New Novels & Coloring Book

Contributors of this perk will receive ebook copies of Pack Justice, Shadowed Flame, and Silver Bullet as well as a digital copy of the coloring book, drawn and inked by RJ Blain. Novels will be sent to contributors as they are released.

$20 USD

Coloring Book & 4 E-Books

This perk includes a full copy of the digital coloring book (min 50 images, all drawn and inked by RJ Blain) and a copy of the following e-books in epub, mobi, and PDF formats: Witch & Wolf Books 1-3 (Inquisitor, Winter Wolf, and Blood Diamond) and Beneath a Blood Moon.
Estimated delivery: July 2016




$30 USD



Coloring Book & 7 E-Books

This perk includes a digital copy of the coloring book (drawn and inked by RJ Blain) including a minimum of 50 images and copies of the following books: Witch & Wolf Books 1-4 (Inquisitor, Winter Wolf, Blood Diamond, and Silver Bullet) and 3 Standalone Witch & Wolf Novels (Shadowed Flame, Pack Justice, and Beneath a Blood Moon.) Unreleased Titles (Silver Bullet, Shadowed Flame, and Pack Justice) will be delivered on the book’s release date.

Estimated delivery: December 2016

$50 USD + Shipping

Original Coloring Page

This perk includes one original coloring page (drawn and inked by RJ Blain), a copy of the digital coloring book collection (minimum 50 images drawn and inked by RJ Blain), and e-book copies of the following books: Inquisitor, Winter Wolf, Blood Diamond, Silver Bullet, Beneath a Blood Moon, Pack Justice, and Silver Bullet in e-pub, mobi, and PDF formats. Shipping is $5 for this perk (totaling $55 for this perk level.) Unreleased titles will be fulfilled upon the novel’s release.

Estimated delivery: December 2016

Ships to: Canada, United States

 

$60 USD + Shipping

Unsigned Print Editions

This perk includes an unsigned print copy of the following titles: Witch & Wolf Books 1-3 (omnibus), Silver Bullet, Beneath a Blood Moon, Shadowed Flame, Pack Justice. Books will be shipped as they are made available. $15 for shipping will be added to this perk level for a total of $75. Books are priced at $12 a piece, which is approximately $3 cheaper per book when sold at full price. Retail prices will vary. This perk includes a copy of the digital coloring book. US addresses only.

1 out of 20 claimed

Ships to: Canada, United States

$75 USD + Shipping

Pick Your Page

Contributors of this perk will be given a list of themes they can choose from for a coloring page. These will be included in the main digital coloring book set. The contributor will receive the original page (drawn and inked by RJ Blain.) In addition, the contributor will receive 7 W&W e-books (Inquisitor, Winter Wolf, Blood Diamond, Silver Bullet, Pack Justice, Shadowed Flame, and Beneath a Blood Moon) in epub, mobi, and PDF formats. Unreleased titles will be delivered as available.

0 out of 5 claimed

Estimated delivery: August 2016

Ships to: Canada, United States

$150 USD + Shipping

Signed Print Editions

This perk includes signed copies of Witch & Wolf Books 1-3 (All in one Inquisitor, Winter Wolf, and Blood Diamond), Silver Bullet, Beneath a Blood Moon, Pack Justice, and Shadowed Flame. The contributor will receive a exclusive coloring page in bookmark sized, drawn & inked by RJ Blain, which isn’t available in the digital coloring book. Contributors will also receive a copy of the digital coloring book. Books will be shipped as a complete set. $20 additional for shipping. ($170 total)

2 out of 10 claimed

Ships to: Canada, United States