R.A. McCandless's Blog, page 10

Update on Hell Becomes Her Re-Cover

Who says artists and writers can't be friends!?
Today, we’re working on the cover for HELL BECOMES HER and I just love the process with my artist. Most of my responses to her are in all caps and end in exclamation points of extreme happiness.
Julie: Do you like this?Me: YES!Julie: What about this slight change?Me: YES! YES!Julie: Hmm . . . Me: YES! YES! YES!!!!111111
Read out loud, it probably sounds like the diner scene from When Harry Met Sally.
I’m ok with this.
An interesting side note about...

Tears of Heaven - Newest Cover Reveal

Today, I’m editing COMPANY OF THE DAMNED which is a lot of fun. It’s like seeing a classic car going through the final process of an excellent paint job.
As promised, here is the new cover for TEARS OF HEAVEN. The cover IS NOT up for sale yet, but IT WILL go live in a few days. You're getting a preview, and I can't wait to have this one sitting on my shelf.
Next up will be the new cover for HELL BECOMES HER, which I’ll rush out to you ASAP. Then, as mentioned, I’ll start teasing the cover for t...

Recover Reveal - Teaser 1

Alright, so tomorrow, we’re going to do a cover reveal.
Really, it’s a recover reveal.  New cover art for TEARS OF HEAVEN.
This will align better with the look and feel of the third book, COMPANY OF THE DAMNED, which will release in a month or two. We’ll do a proper cover reveal with teases and prizes and whatnots to really sell that one.
Here’s your one-day tease for the new cover art:

Still No Day Spa at Camp

There are still no pictures of me.
On the homestretch of last week's camping trip, the Scoutmaster turned to me and noted, “I gotta say, Rob, I’m really impressed with your camping ability.”
I don’t camp.  I made this clear to him when he asked me to come on the trip six months ago.
I know how to camp, but I don’t.
One of my first camping experiences was “gold mining” with my father in the Toiyobe National Forest. Gold mining, in the McCandless dictionary, roughly translates as “fixing equip...

Updates and a Brief Hiatus

Stay angry, my friends!
A quick rundown of a lot of things that are going on in the coming months.
First, I’m taking a vacation. Not a real vacation. My oldest son is going to Scout camp, and I’ve been asked to be a parent volunteer. I’ve camped before, and I’m not bad at it, but I definitely don’t like it.
My idea of roughing it is no day spa.
This means I’m out for a week. Starting Thursday, July 4th, you’ll likely still see tweets from me if you follow my twitter but they’re mostly auto-tweets...

Library Reading Wins and Lessons

Surrounded by books and readers!
Author readings are a fun thing. I’ve attended a few in my time, and they’re generally enjoyable. Some deviation is always bound to creep into the system, so I thought I’d share my recent experience in the hopes that if you attend one, or are invited to read at one, you can be a bit better prepared. This isn’t a comprehensive list, by all means, but these are the major learning points for me:
People Will Buy the Book(s)Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone...

The Day Before and Yesterday

I'll take pretty much any excuse to get my shirt off!
Crohn’s is kinna a crappy disease to have. It causes inflammation/swelling in the digestive system, which causes bloating, cramping, and pain. At the point where the pain is a real problem you can’t take a narcotic, because they slow down your digestive system, which is your problem to begin with!
While I’m always in some level of pain, it’s usually minor enough that I’m used to it. I don’t really notice it unless someone—like my doctor or n...

Help Me! - Dragon Awards

Sure, it's pretty enough. But can it fight!?
While awards are both an ego-stroke and ultimately meaningless, they’re still a thing. For smaller writers and publishers, they are an invaluable way to get the word out to potential readers and reviewers. There’s nothing like winning an award to make folk sit up and take notice in an otherwise obscure book.
One of the major awards out there, the Dragon Awards, is completely reader-nominated. It's also a really groovy-looking awards!
This means it req...

A Short, Short Time Ago

It's like all they do is argue!
Perhaps the world is becoming a better place after all. I mean, not immediately an order of magnitude better, but baby-steps toward no longer pulling the overly-patient dog’s ear and gnawing.
Two recent events have given me a new hope.
The FirstYesterday morning at the gas station, half the pumps were wrapped with yellow “Caution” tape and “Out of Service” boots were on the pump handles. This forced me to have to pull forward and then back into the stall to reach...

Cover Reveal for Daniel Peyton's REMNANT

Pretty groovy cover reveal from Daniel Peyton:

The year is 2522. Anna is a Remnant—a secret Christian in a world that has banned any form of religion.
She is also an astro-geologist working with her Robot, named Z, for the Planetary Science Commission.
The PSC has worked for 200 years to find alien life on another planet, and finally, after two centuries, a primitive lifeform has been discovered. Faced with the reality of evolved primitives on a forested moon, Anna begins to question all she has...