B.C. Laybolt's Blog, page 5

Weird experiences only writers would understand 2.

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That moment when one innocent message tips you into a rabbit hole of intriguing research from which you never emerge but finally do two days later…

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…with a crammed research browser full of war and guns…

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…and you suddenly find yourself craving a replica musket because muskets.

[image error]I can haz boomstick? No. really. I can haz BOOMSTICK.

“Okay, writahs! Novembah is here!”

NaNoWriMo is upon us! Now is the time to dive into that work you’ve been planning all year.

[image error]By gross income measures, all writers are probably bums.

I’m not the biggest NaNoWriMo’er. Intensive spurts are not my style. I’m more of a disciplinary, brick-on-the-wall-every- day sort of writer.

[image error]My view, every day, at 5 a.m. Yeh. Diagnosis imminent.

But I do love the blizzard of activity that hits the writing community every day-after-we-toss-the-costumes day, especially in the indie world.

In that spirit, I’ll be posting All The Memes to keep the bear poked. And I’ll be posting a host of playlists that hopefully will keep your fingers flying on the keyboard for hours on end. I find nothing eats time like a few hours of ambiance sounds tailored to your character’s environment.

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(NEXT TIME: Sci-Fi Sounds and Scores!)

Writing Playlist: Sci-Fi.

Want to cruise the Andromedan Belt? Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion? Settle in for the long shuttle run from Cixca to Shastre? Who doesn’t, really.

In celebration of NaNoWriMo, feel free to find the sounds in my Sci Fi playlist that work for you, put on a hot pot of writer fuel, and get back to the keyboard.

Behold! Propellant for the creation of fiction, jetted into your earholes.

[image error] Click on the thing for The
Things.

From sipping perk-caff on a star liner to ducking and scrambling to avoid getting your brains blown out on the battlefield. So much space goodness.

Check in regularly; my playlists are constantly being pruned, grown, and added to. Ambiance producers are soul gardeners to me.

Hopefully it will inspire you to hit your word count today! Enjoy!

Sniper. Scoundrel. Saviour.
Click on the image to get the FREE short story about one of the 10th Regiment’s most notorious characters!

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Canadian Indies Rejoice! CAD List pricing detail I missed!

In my post last week about the recent Amazon move to provide direct printing, shipping, and list prices here in Canada, I missed a crucial upside detail.

[image error] Click on the link for the official edict from the ‘Zon!

While this development levels the playing field for Canadian indie authors by cutting the time from that holy ‘Buy Now’ button click to doorstep arrival just in time for winter, it also triggers an exciting benefit pointed out by Engen Books ‘ savvy entrepreneur Matthew LeDrew:

Canadian indies can now list their titles at separate prices than their U.S. listings!

Want to run a weeks’s sale (other than Amazon’s existing sales deals) for your Canadian fans? Well, now you can!

Want to drop the first novel in a series for a Canada-based promotional run? Now you can do that too!

While you could always drop the price listing of any title, the end price was bonded to the USD listing and automatically increased for exchange. This resulted in a discouraging price difference between the .com and .ca listings, and made the classic $XX.99 pricing option much trickier in Canada. Now, all titles in both Canada and the U.S. can be the same price listing.

What’s the downside?

Naturally, Canadian authors who drop their exchange-rate balanced price listing take a hit in their royalty payment. And, as the exchange rate fluctuates, that can be substantial. However, if indies are experiencing slowed sales because of awkward CAD pricing, the flexibility allowing them to adjust their price to a more palatable, attractive listing may be the boost their sales needed.

And, the optics of balanced pricing, plus the knowledge of CAD-specific listing for readers from home may be another benefit for all creators of independent Canadian writing. You couldn’t experiment with either if you were chained to traditional publishing practices!

I’ve standardized the price listing for the paperbacks of both of my novels, To Drown in Sand and To Drown in Ash. And, to celebrate, I’ve dropped the price of Book 1 of the Trilogy to $14.99 CANADIAN! Finally looks like something my mom would decide to buy!

[image error]$26.63?? What kind of price is THAT?!?

Beaver tails, Double-Doubles, and now, Canuck indie fiction! A super development!

Stay tuned, like, or follow for continuing news and updates on any further KDP developments!

Click on the image to grab your copy of the short story that started it all!

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From Notebook to Word Doc

Sunday mornings are Note Transcription day. All the week’s thoughts, scenes, moments, and catchy dialogue bits have to go somewhere to be seeded and start germinating.

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And my trusty old desktop (completely disconnected from the internet) is the perfect planter box.

All part of the manic scramble to catch my brain leaks. Sunday mornings used to be one of Emma’s favourite times, because the typing always lasted longer. She’s still with me. Just in a small jar.

[image error]#notmorbid. Remembered.

Writing Playlist: Fantasy.

There’s nothing in the world like music to trigger my writing brain. And in 2019, it’s easier than ever to build writing resources that can keep you going for hours at a time.

Talented ambiance artists all over the Tube of You spend countless hours creating amazing content just for the sweet, sweet happiness of our writing earholes.

This week, I’m sharing my playlist for fantasy writing from my channel. Feel free to give it a listen, build your own, or send me suggestions below this blog entry to check out!

Over fourteen hours of music to swings swords by, or sneak through medieval village markets, harrowing graveyards, and lots more, all in one place. They’re great for role-playing game background sounds, too!

I’m constantly adding more to every playlist I have because hoarding. In my day, we had to build mix tapes of this stuff. On ACTUAL tape. Yeeeg.

Lock yourself away with your keyboard and disappear into wherever your inspiration takes you.

[image error] Click here for The Things.

These are just a few of the scores and sounds I’ve gathered that have kept me writing through multiple coffee pots, two novels, and a gazillion upcoming projects.

Before you know it, your characters will be cringing, chasing skittering demon squirrels into the night, arguing with each other, falling off rooftops, and saying things to each other you simply did not expect.

Other genres in upcoming posts!

May your ears send your typing fingers into a frenzy, fellow writers!

A walk in the dark invites an inescapable terror.
A horror short story in the spirit of Cthulhuian nightmares. $0.99 on Kindle today!

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Great Amazon News for Canadian Indies!

The recent announcement that Amazon’s KDP has begun manufacturing in Canada has Canadian Indie authors excited!

[image error] Click on the link for details!

What does this mean?

KDP books will now be printed right here in the True North. That means faster ordering time, less printing and shipping time, and FREE DELIVERY FOR PRIME CUSTOMERS IN CANADA.

This marks a huge step forward for Canadian writers. Now, Amazon Canada will work just as fast to get customer’s copies of their ordered books to their doors as the U.S. Amazon service does.

What other benefits does this bring?

Besides levelling the playing field for Canuck Indie authors’ customers, there are two other important changes that affect Canadian Indies’ businesses:

1: Canadian Royalty reports on our KDP reports will now be generated through Amazon.ca. No more converting .ca sales royalties from inherent .com royalties first!

2: CAD (Canadian Dollar) list prices! Print copies will be automatically listed in CAD on the Canadian ‘Zon. No more discouraging price differences between USD and CAD that can cause customers to not click that precious ‘Buy Now’ button!

What’s the downside?

Author Copy shipments and Proof Copies will still be printed and shipped from the U.S; “as of today” (October 16, 2019). That phrasing could be important, because it may be a hint that those important copy printing locations may someday change. Which would greatly reduce Author Copy shipping costs. Reducing the cost of tailgate sales production would be a game changer for independent writers in Canada.

Stay tuned, follow, or join my email list for updates on these important developments!

Get your copy of my new Sci-Fi thriller today!

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I wasn’t gonna, then I kinda was, now I totally am

Engen books is calling.

Submissions for “pulp era” Sci-Fi From the Rock, their next collection, have a deadline of Oct. 31.

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I didn’t think I had anything that quite fit, but I did find one l’il gem buried in my files (Old Man Laybolt Writer’s Rule #3: Never Throw Anything Out). I thought it might work for the anthology, if I ran it through the brain wash and rinse cycle. A quick three hours of rewrite, and a run through Cliche Cleaner and Grammarly, and I think it might be ready.

Now that I’m reading the third draft, I’m really pleased with it. Pulpy like freshly squeezed! So I’m totally hitting that submission deadline.

Stay tuned to see if it gets in!

Click on the image and grab your copy of Juris Lunence, a short story prequel about the 10th Lunen Regiment! FREE today!

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Just a tease of this year’s work (to be released in 2020)

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Oh, the beautiful expanse of shorts, patiently waiting to be squeezed together into the blessed amazon algorithm.

13 short stories of dark fantasy, all carefully threaded together with character cameos and a tapestry of plot crossings. It will be an anthology that reads like a novel. With blood.

So much blood.

Intrigue, blasphemy, betrayal, and madness.

The Glyph Beckons.

More updates coming soon!

Read the epic short story prequel to my first novel in the 10th Lunen Regiment Trilogy, now available!

The story that started it all!

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Make today matter.

If you’re a writer, write something amazing.

If you’re lifting, make it satisfy.

If you’re loving, squeeze harder.

The clock is ticking, and we only have today.

[image error]Make it amazing.







[image error] A walk in the dark invites an inescapable terror.

A horror short story in the spirit of Cthulhuian nightmares.

Click on the image; only $0.99 USD!

Join my email list

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

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