S.B. James's Blog, page 2
April 6, 2015
Book 3, The Explorer's Son, IS On The Way!
Hi, everybody!
Just a quick update. The Explorer's Son is now in the final stages. However, I'm in the process of buying a house, and will be moved out of my existing home by April 30th, so I'll be packing and running around prior to that.
I'm also working on The World of The Inventor's Son, my Wattpad project, for Camp NaNoWriMo. Once I've got it all done, and I start my email list for anyone interested in direct updates from me, I may be offering the completed version (which would be a comprehensive guide to books 0-3) to anyone who signs up for the email list. This is a project I've been interested in getting set up for quite some time.
This summer should see a lot more productivity for me. The new place I'm moving to will be a lot more peaceful than this place. I'm looking forward to getting more of Ethan's story out into the world.
Just a quick update. The Explorer's Son is now in the final stages. However, I'm in the process of buying a house, and will be moved out of my existing home by April 30th, so I'll be packing and running around prior to that.
I'm also working on The World of The Inventor's Son, my Wattpad project, for Camp NaNoWriMo. Once I've got it all done, and I start my email list for anyone interested in direct updates from me, I may be offering the completed version (which would be a comprehensive guide to books 0-3) to anyone who signs up for the email list. This is a project I've been interested in getting set up for quite some time.
This summer should see a lot more productivity for me. The new place I'm moving to will be a lot more peaceful than this place. I'm looking forward to getting more of Ethan's story out into the world.
February 28, 2015
Upcoming Projects
Hi, everyone! I'm still working on The Explorer's Son, and even though I had the rough draft done back in November, I've been reworking it somewhat to pack some extra punch, and if it turns out the way I want it to, it's going to be, IMHO, fabulous!
This book will be featuring the relationship between Ethan and the mysterious and relentless Aloysius Hardwick. If anybody has been taking a peek at my project on Wattpad, then you'll get an introduction to the character of Hardwick there. Of course, anyone reading the series will know just how close he is to throwing Ethan's entire quest into jeopardy.
Breaking up the intensity of finishing Book 3 are the following projects: building a website (and a mailing list, which I know it seems like everyone is supposed to have), getting my existing books ready for a print version (yay!) and possibly designing new covers. I realize that here on Goodreads, a lot of people end up seeing the original covers that I designed back in May of 2014, and I believe that once I get the final cover that I'm really happy with, I'm going to bother the Librarians here once more to completely update so that everyone will have access to all of the versions of The Inventor's Son and The Inventor's Son The Beginning's covers.
I've also been reading some more than I was. I'm about 15% of the way in to The Last Adventure of Dr. Yngve Hogalum and from what I've read so far, this is classic Steampunk!
I've also been peeking into some YA books outside my genre, and I have to admit I was unpleasantly surprised with {book: Shadow and Bone]. I couldn't get past 30% of that one. Unfortunately, I can't exactly explain what it was that made me put it down.
I'm also reading The Blemished, which has a bit of a paranormal twist on the typical dystopian plot featured in many of the YA books I've been reading lately. I'm hoping this book will pan out where others have faltered. I think the bit of supernatural might keep me interested.
Surprisingly, I got through all three of The Selection books, which are just the sort of dystopian I tend to drop after one book, like I did with the Matched series. Especially when there were times the characters and plotline made me want to groan. However, the finale was pretty shocking and actually really satisfying, so I'm glad I stuck with it.
Natch, I will be updating everyone with all the latest news as it comes up!
This book will be featuring the relationship between Ethan and the mysterious and relentless Aloysius Hardwick. If anybody has been taking a peek at my project on Wattpad, then you'll get an introduction to the character of Hardwick there. Of course, anyone reading the series will know just how close he is to throwing Ethan's entire quest into jeopardy.
Breaking up the intensity of finishing Book 3 are the following projects: building a website (and a mailing list, which I know it seems like everyone is supposed to have), getting my existing books ready for a print version (yay!) and possibly designing new covers. I realize that here on Goodreads, a lot of people end up seeing the original covers that I designed back in May of 2014, and I believe that once I get the final cover that I'm really happy with, I'm going to bother the Librarians here once more to completely update so that everyone will have access to all of the versions of The Inventor's Son and The Inventor's Son The Beginning's covers.
I've also been reading some more than I was. I'm about 15% of the way in to The Last Adventure of Dr. Yngve Hogalum and from what I've read so far, this is classic Steampunk!
I've also been peeking into some YA books outside my genre, and I have to admit I was unpleasantly surprised with {book: Shadow and Bone]. I couldn't get past 30% of that one. Unfortunately, I can't exactly explain what it was that made me put it down.
I'm also reading The Blemished, which has a bit of a paranormal twist on the typical dystopian plot featured in many of the YA books I've been reading lately. I'm hoping this book will pan out where others have faltered. I think the bit of supernatural might keep me interested.
Surprisingly, I got through all three of The Selection books, which are just the sort of dystopian I tend to drop after one book, like I did with the Matched series. Especially when there were times the characters and plotline made me want to groan. However, the finale was pretty shocking and actually really satisfying, so I'm glad I stuck with it.
Natch, I will be updating everyone with all the latest news as it comes up!
February 7, 2015
The World of The Inventor's Son
I have begun a new project on Wattpad called "The World of The Inventor's Son," and it will be an ongoing guide to the world and characters features in the series. I have two installments so far, and next Friday (February 13th) I will start featuring characters, and obviously the first one to get featured is Ethan.
http://embed.wattpad.com/story/31585733
I like Wattpad's format rather than a typical blog for this project, which is why I have the link. Wattpad will list my installments in the order I need them to be, rather than in the blog form where the newest entries are listed first.
So if you're interested in learning more about the world I've created, follow the link to Wattpad and I hope you enjoy it!
http://embed.wattpad.com/story/31585733
I like Wattpad's format rather than a typical blog for this project, which is why I have the link. Wattpad will list my installments in the order I need them to be, rather than in the blog form where the newest entries are listed first.
So if you're interested in learning more about the world I've created, follow the link to Wattpad and I hope you enjoy it!
October 15, 2014
Meet My Main Character: Ethan
(Excerpted from my WordPress Site, SB James: Doing the Write Thing)
Virtually anyone who has been following my blog will probably know a bit about my series. Now, you are going to be introduced to the title character of The Inventor’s Son:
1) What is the name of your character? Ethan Phillip Stanwood. Is he fictional or a historic person? Yes, he is a fictitious character.
2) When and where is the story set? The Inventor’s Son begins in the Victorian London that we are mostly familiar with, only there are a few differences. It is a world that easily could have been if witches, werewolves and vampires, Devoids, psychics and even the occasional rogue jinn or lamia really inhabited the Earth. The series begins in April of 1890, and on the Monday after Easter Sunday, Ethan Stanwood’s father Marcus leaves for a meeting, never to return. Ethan is then tasked with bringing his father’s most important prototype back to him, only Marcus does not trust that the information of his whereabouts may not fall into villainous hands, so he sets up clues and riddles that he feels only his young son Ethan will be able to solve…
3) What should we know about him? Several things. Ethan is a young pre-teen when the story begins, and aside from that, he has been sheltered and isolated for his entire life. The idea of having to leave the safety of his grandmother’s house and their backyard shed where Marcus works on his miraculous inventions both thrills and terrifies Ethan.
When the series starts, Ethan does not blame his father for keeping him so close to him. Ethan is a sickly boy, and his weak constitution weighs a great deal on all his actions. He knows deep down that he will never attend regular school, and perhaps may never live to adulthood, as many children of his day did not do.
Of course, there is also another reason he is most likely kept out of school, one that is not as obvious on the outside. Ethan inherited magical powers, and in this world, both females and males refer to themselves as witches. There are solitary practitioners, but many witches belong to covens, just like congregations in church or temple. Ethan’s grandmother is a prominent member of the Order of the Crystal Star, and his great grandfather is the Head Priest. Therefore, though it is not addressed quite as much in book 1 as in later books, Ethan is destined to inherit this position once his grandmother is gone, as his mother had died on the night he was born.
4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his life? His main conflict is that his father left London and now he must as well. Murderous individuals are already out to catch Ethan and get the prototype. He fears he is not strong enough to continually outrun such madmen, and he does not want anyone else to be hurt or killed in the crossfire either.
5) What is the personal goal of the character? Ethan would do just about anything to live up to the task his father gave him. He also would love to return triumphant to London and resume his quiet life at his father’s side. These things are all he knows, aside from illness and weakness and silent despair.
6) What is the title of the novel, and where can we find out more? The Inventor’s Son: The Beginning is a great place to get a taste of the world of The Inventor’s Son series.
Virtually anyone who has been following my blog will probably know a bit about my series. Now, you are going to be introduced to the title character of The Inventor’s Son:
1) What is the name of your character? Ethan Phillip Stanwood. Is he fictional or a historic person? Yes, he is a fictitious character.
2) When and where is the story set? The Inventor’s Son begins in the Victorian London that we are mostly familiar with, only there are a few differences. It is a world that easily could have been if witches, werewolves and vampires, Devoids, psychics and even the occasional rogue jinn or lamia really inhabited the Earth. The series begins in April of 1890, and on the Monday after Easter Sunday, Ethan Stanwood’s father Marcus leaves for a meeting, never to return. Ethan is then tasked with bringing his father’s most important prototype back to him, only Marcus does not trust that the information of his whereabouts may not fall into villainous hands, so he sets up clues and riddles that he feels only his young son Ethan will be able to solve…
3) What should we know about him? Several things. Ethan is a young pre-teen when the story begins, and aside from that, he has been sheltered and isolated for his entire life. The idea of having to leave the safety of his grandmother’s house and their backyard shed where Marcus works on his miraculous inventions both thrills and terrifies Ethan.
When the series starts, Ethan does not blame his father for keeping him so close to him. Ethan is a sickly boy, and his weak constitution weighs a great deal on all his actions. He knows deep down that he will never attend regular school, and perhaps may never live to adulthood, as many children of his day did not do.
Of course, there is also another reason he is most likely kept out of school, one that is not as obvious on the outside. Ethan inherited magical powers, and in this world, both females and males refer to themselves as witches. There are solitary practitioners, but many witches belong to covens, just like congregations in church or temple. Ethan’s grandmother is a prominent member of the Order of the Crystal Star, and his great grandfather is the Head Priest. Therefore, though it is not addressed quite as much in book 1 as in later books, Ethan is destined to inherit this position once his grandmother is gone, as his mother had died on the night he was born.
4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his life? His main conflict is that his father left London and now he must as well. Murderous individuals are already out to catch Ethan and get the prototype. He fears he is not strong enough to continually outrun such madmen, and he does not want anyone else to be hurt or killed in the crossfire either.
5) What is the personal goal of the character? Ethan would do just about anything to live up to the task his father gave him. He also would love to return triumphant to London and resume his quiet life at his father’s side. These things are all he knows, aside from illness and weakness and silent despair.
6) What is the title of the novel, and where can we find out more? The Inventor’s Son: The Beginning is a great place to get a taste of the world of The Inventor’s Son series.
August 2, 2014
Social Media Sabbatical
I'm taking a week long social media sabbatical starting August 3, and I'll be back next Sunday! I'm finishing up The Scientist's Son.
July 22, 2014
About The Inventor's Son Series
The Inventor's Son series actually began its journey a long time ago, while I was still in grade school. The idea was a young boy who had to go look for his father after something disastrous happened to force his father to run. The story line sat in the back of my mind and I had gone on to other things.
Last summer, I decided I was going to begin publishing my original fiction works. Other people were doing it and getting their ideas and work out before readers, so I figured I would try my hand at it as well. I went through my journals and computer files, where I've got ideas for books all stored away for future use. I had a series about angels that I'd started, one about vampires, and a space opera. The space opera had a universe I could start working this story line into, and very early drafts of this series had Ethan Stanwood as the son of a scientist who had gone off to another planet to do some research and that his uncle sabotaged the research.
So, you may be asking yourself, why did I change the setting from a sprawling space opera to Steampunk fantasy? The reasons were: 1) Because I thought the idea that Ethan would be flying all over the universe was going to be a bit too much for me to handle, as I myself am not the biggest fan of hard science fiction, and I know my tendency to want to keep things accurate as far a space travel and different planets goes and 2) I love history, and when I started to take notice of Steampunk as a genre, I realized I could easily take my plot and put it in a fantasy version of Victorian London, and then have Ethan try to find his father as he travels to different places around the world.
The result was finally finished and published to Kindle store as Book 1 in May 2014. The material I had originally thought to include as a prologue was expanded and published to Kindle store and then to Nook store as a stand-alone work in June of 2014. As I write this, The Beginning will be available at Kobo, iBooks and Scribd. Book 1 will follow to all those outlets and Nook store in mid-August 2014.
Moving forward, I am working on the next installment of the series, which will continue to chronicle Ethan's travels and travails with his group.
Last summer, I decided I was going to begin publishing my original fiction works. Other people were doing it and getting their ideas and work out before readers, so I figured I would try my hand at it as well. I went through my journals and computer files, where I've got ideas for books all stored away for future use. I had a series about angels that I'd started, one about vampires, and a space opera. The space opera had a universe I could start working this story line into, and very early drafts of this series had Ethan Stanwood as the son of a scientist who had gone off to another planet to do some research and that his uncle sabotaged the research.
So, you may be asking yourself, why did I change the setting from a sprawling space opera to Steampunk fantasy? The reasons were: 1) Because I thought the idea that Ethan would be flying all over the universe was going to be a bit too much for me to handle, as I myself am not the biggest fan of hard science fiction, and I know my tendency to want to keep things accurate as far a space travel and different planets goes and 2) I love history, and when I started to take notice of Steampunk as a genre, I realized I could easily take my plot and put it in a fantasy version of Victorian London, and then have Ethan try to find his father as he travels to different places around the world.
The result was finally finished and published to Kindle store as Book 1 in May 2014. The material I had originally thought to include as a prologue was expanded and published to Kindle store and then to Nook store as a stand-alone work in June of 2014. As I write this, The Beginning will be available at Kobo, iBooks and Scribd. Book 1 will follow to all those outlets and Nook store in mid-August 2014.
Moving forward, I am working on the next installment of the series, which will continue to chronicle Ethan's travels and travails with his group.
July 1, 2014
Blog Post #1 about The Inventor's Son: The Beginning
My book is being featured on Tuesday July 1st 2014 at eBookSoda, a new readers' site where they'll send you ebook recommendations tailored to your taste. www.ebooksoda.com.
And I am off to Camp NaNoWriMo to write more of the draft for Book 2, The Scientist's Son, where Ethan's adventures continue, and his father's enemies draw ever closer...
And I am off to Camp NaNoWriMo to write more of the draft for Book 2, The Scientist's Son, where Ethan's adventures continue, and his father's enemies draw ever closer...
