T.H. Simon - The Secret of Siam now available in Kindle Store

[T.H.]

Hi everyone, I'm T.H. Simon. I've been writing books for years now, but have just recently decided to self publish them. I'll be publishing a new book every six months in the Kindle Store. I have the first ten fully planned (not sequels - varying genres, characters and stories - but 'connected' in ways). My first book, The Untold Legend, was just published in the Kindle Store this week.

The Untold Legend

When writing The Untold Legend, I knew I wanted the book to be many things: A tale of action and adventure; a love story; a coming-of-age story; a philosophical and hopeful story with heroes and villains that showcases the world and contains a mystery at its core. A more complete description of the book can be found in the Kindle Store and at my website. Also, I'll be discussing writing in general on Twitter.

Rules: I want this thread to solely be focused on writing: the process, the inspiration, etc. I look forward to discussing with all of you!

[Erica]

Welcome T.H.! What inspired you to begin writing books?

[Jane]

Hey? Rules? Okay. Why every six months?

[Annie]

What are these rah-ools you speak of, TH? ^_~

Hello, welcome, and congrats on the 1st pub!

Hugs,
Ann

[Nat]

Welcome TH and yay for your first book! I was planning on doing a scheduled release like yours (my original plan was much faster, then reality smacked me in the head.) and I wish you luck with keeping to it.

[T.H.]

Erica wrote: "Welcome T.H.! What inspired you to begin writing books?"

Hi Erica. I've wanted to write books since I was a child. The origin is likely in my over-active imagination. My parents say I used to go off and play with my action figures for hours without interruption. My first "books" were basically drawn with crayon and consisted of stick figures and few words. I'm pretty sure that only I understood them. But they were stories I wanted to see play out, and so I created them. That dream stuck with me, despite growing to pursue an education and career in very different fields than writing. When I was 20, I told myself I was going to write at least one book, and it would be a story that encompassed all the things my 20-year-old self wanted to share with the world, but this time using words instead of stick figures. It would have meditations on deeper subjects like family, purpose, disappointment, friendship, compulsion, societal expectations... but also would maintain some fun aspects, like adventure, travel, love, and a hero's struggle. That became the basis for this current book: The Untold Legend. When it was first written (12 years ago), it was much more rough than it is now and has been heavily edited since I've gotten back into writing in recent years (and subsequently written four additional books to come out every six months... to be followed by more!). Sorry if this a longer answer than you were expecting.

[Erica]

T.H. wrote: "Erica wrote: "Welcome T.H.! What inspired you to begin writing books?"

Hi Erica. I've wanted to write books since I was a child. The origin is likely in my over-active imagination. My parents say ..."

I don't know that any author would have a short answer to that question. That is an inspiring story. I wish you the best of luck with your books!

[T.H.]

Jane wrote: "Hey? Rules? Okay. Why every six months?"

Short answer: It helps keep me accountable. Long answer: Six months will allow for two releases a year, and give me some cushion time. As writing is something I do on the side, it takes me approximately six months to write the first draft of a book (with a MS Word single-spaced page count in the 300s), but then I need to read through and edit it a few times after. All said and done, I estimate it will take about a year for me to 'complete' a book for publishing. With three additional books (2 novels, one collection of short stories) written, that means I won't have to keep anyone who is interested in my writing waiting a full year until 2020!

[T.H.]

Annie wrote: "What are these rah-ools you speak of, TH? ^_~

Hello, welcome, and congrats on the 1st pub!

Hugs,
Ann"

Thanks! I appreciate the welcome!

[T.H.]

Nat wrote: "Welcome TH and yay for your first book! I was planning on doing a scheduled release like yours (my original plan was much faster, then reality smacked me in the head.) and I wish you luck with keep..."

Thanks! I have a feeling I'll need to be on top of it if I want to keep to my schedule long term (fingers crossed). Having three additional books already waiting for release will certainly help.

[T.H.]

On July 1, I released my second novel: The Secret of Siam



My wife and I traveled to Thailand for two weeks on our honeymoon. Throughout the trip, I was in constant awe of the culture, the history, and the places that we were fortunate enough to visit. This novel is, in a way, a love letter to the Kingdom of Thailand, celebrating the beauty, mystery, and wonder I experienced there.

A description of the book can be found here