Holy Crap! It's Real!

I received the proofs today from my publisher and actually got to hold it in my hand.

I think it was a bigger deal for me than I realized.

Writing a novel has been a life long dream for me. I have few things on my bucket list and this was one of them.

Today, holding the book made it real. The dream, realized.

There is still work to do. The publisher has given me formatting advice regarding headers and page numbers and copyright pages, acknowledgements and a pile of other little things I never though of when all I was going to do was ePub the thing.

I got two of the proofs. They are dated February 9, 2015. The very first printings. They will have places of honor in my personal library. But damn. I have got to fix a pile of stuff...

--Soon to be collectors items!!

Writers Groups

I have found it very useful and encouraging to attend local writers groups. One of these groups is Writers Eating DC.

My Friend Dee drives the bus over there and does a great job motivating me. She is the writer/artist for the comic Reply-All in the Washington Post. 

She drew the trading card of me on the right!

I found this and other groups in meetup.com.

Go check out Meetup and find a group near you. I even found a group near me that focus's on Science Fiction specifically. There are groups meeting every week near you in libraries, schools, bookstores and coffee shops!

--Drink coffee, make stuff up, talk about it with people!

Almost There...

The editor is done working on my book. She did a GREAT job! I learned a lot, mostly because I am making this all up as I go along!

I have begun the actual mechanics of publishing it myself. I have copyrighted the story and even have an ISBN now.

Here is what the final cover will be, I think:

I am still working on the text for the back cover. One more time through and it will be ready for Amazon.

--I am currently working on Book 3!

Travel

I usually write when I travel. I have extra time and usually not much else to do.

I go to conferences that are a lot of waiting around. It adds up. Next thing you know you have a whole chapter done during coffee breaks.

I talked my wife into going with me on this trip. We didn't add any extra days and it will still be work for me. but we will have evening off and she will be able to have fun in Orlando theme park and put some miles on her Fitbit.

I will still get up early as usual and make coffee and write (quietly) in the morning. I also take things I see while on travel for inspiration. I think we are going to see the Harry Potter theme park while there. There will be good photo opts and writing fodder for the lie machine.

--Drink Coffee, Make Stuff Up.

Cutting Room Floor

Killer Robot Sentries

I still have a huge pile of stuff that I cut out of my first book. It's good stuff. It was not necessary for the first story but it was still good stuff.

I have an entire thread I cut out that was a first person log from a lone survivor.  I was using it as a tool to over explain several plot points. I liked the stand alone plot that it developed.

I remembering how influenced the writing was by images I was seeing on Pinterest.com. Photos can really inspire my writing.

Music also inspires my writing. People and places also inspire it.

--I guess I find inspiration everywhere!

Book 3: Without a Storm

I finished the first draft of my second novel:

    The Broken Cage

I am going to take a month or so off before I go back for the second draft. I already know a lot of changes I want to make. I will also run it through my writers group for feedback. I have already reviewed my first two chapters with them for really good feedback.

Book One: Still Falling is with my editor for a final polish.

I started Book Three: Without a Storm. I am a couple chapters in already.

I also started another project that I am excited about. It contains characters and plot that was cut from book one and two. I would like for it to end up as a podcast. Extra material. A classic style Noir-Scifi-Radio-Theater!

The sections were cut out because they are all first person. Kind of first person? It would be about 45,000 words printed but I plan on it being a weekly podcast and blog. Should be big fun. I have already started rounding up the cast for it. More on this later.

--Feeling very creative.

Dinner with Writers

I had dinner tonight with 27 other writes in Washington DC. I Blame Donna Lewis.

I am hooked up with these people via meetup.com.

I am also going to another writers group on Sunday morning and then a photography group on Tuesday.

-Good stuff.