FALCONS FINISHED!

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Woohoo! Last Tuesday I finished the major rewrite of Blood of the Falcon! Three days before deadline, too. I was so stoked that instead of posting about it, I dove into the next stage of the project: the formatting and beautifying of the final product. So it looks like end of April might become the release date after all. 

My embarrassing confession is that the text, when formatted in the size I want, is 30 pages too long to fit into one volume. So I used the old dividing point, the one the editor advised way back when, and will be putting the novel out in two volumes at the same time. That way, I also have plenty of room for maps and appendices. I could let the Amazon page limit dictate the content, but because this is a personal project, I feel like I would be untrue to my novel if I let Amazon's thing govern the result. So two volumes it will be.

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Almost There...

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Over a month since my last post? Yikes. Well, it's only because the end of the novel project is at hand and I've been obsessively rewriting the conclusion. Now, there's only one chapter of Falcons left to revise! One chapter!!! This is the week. I'm stoked. Hoping nothing goes wrong or gets in the way. This project went on for several months more than I expected, but it's almost over now. I can almost taste the glorious words "The End."

Back when I was panicking about the number of pages still to go, I feared I would have to move the deadline yet again, but it looks like the end of March it will be. April will be a whole 'nother adventure. I've formatted a novella and a short story for self-pubbing, but never a full-length novel, a novel that, in truth, is long enough to be two novels. That task will take time and diligence and a sharp eye, or the results may be disastrous. Then maps and covers and proofreading. My goal was also to have a website set up before the novel's release, but I'm not sure I can fit that in as well. Me, busy? Never. So here goes nothin'...

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Blood of the Falcon, Progress Report

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Ack, this novel rewriting business is eating my lunch! My brain is on the verge of fried. Honestly, I did not expect rewriting a novel that I know so well to be so difficult. I was trucking along, enjoying myself until about three chapters ago. Then the end felt soooo near, and for some reason writing became exhausting. Is it because I’ve spent a year and a half revising something that originally only took me six months? Is it because I have a “perfectionist” issue? Is it because all those loose ends are starting to tie up and there are too many details for my shrinking brain to handle? I think it’s the latter, actually.

But I shall persevere! Hoping to be finished with the major part of the project and reach “The End” by the end of March. Then comes the proofreading, formatting, covers and maps, etc. in April. That’s the tentative schedule at present.

So, the updated progress report:

Where We Stand This Week

pages left to revise: 65

bad things that happened: a hero faces the demons chasing him

good things that happened: … nothing? hmm, that’s a good sign

Wow, sixty-five pages left is far fewer than I had feared. Hurray!
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Mists Climbs the Charts!

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Experimenting with this self-publishing thing prompted me to enroll my novella, Mists of Blackfen Bog, into the Kindle Select program. Whatever your feelings may be about this potentially ebook-monopolizing program, I found that it allowed me to experience a momentary high. Mist's first "free" campaign just ended, and while it lasted, the novella rose to #37 on the free Fantasy ebook list. What a glorious sight it was. 

Next weekend, the novella will be available for free once again. Just saying. *wink-wink*

How well will it do on the 11th? We shall see.

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My Heartfelt Wish For All Spammers...

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This post has absolutely nothing to do with writing, sad to say.

Spammers are evil. Up there with lice and the bubonic plague. I haven't posted much this month because the invasion over at LegendFire has really sapped my enthusiasm for almost everything internet-related. They even became a problem at LiveJournal, so I'm probably going to shut that blog down. 

LF's ban filter is growing longer by the day, tons of ip addresses and suspect email addresses that are used to spread useless ads all over the world's unsuspecting forums. The best solution? Dig into my savings envelope and upgrade LF's license so we can have a spam filter. That sounds like a painful process. I am not looking forward to it, though I'm sure the results will be worth the trouble. Better than nailing one spammer after another on a tedious individual basis.

I really loathe spammers. Even more than the taste of cough medicine and hitting my funny bone. If I knew who these people were and could find their computers, I would pour a million hungry, genetically-engineered rats into their cubicles (or secret warehouse basements) and cheer the little beasties on while they chewed every cord in sight and treed the quivering spam people atop their desks for all eternity.

Ahem ... tea, anyone?

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"Fire Eater" Receives Review!

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There's nothing better than knowing that folks are reading what you write and find themselves enjoying it. Angela, from the blog "The How-To Life," posted favorable words about Mother Mirrah's attempts at prison reform.You may read her review of "Fire Eater" here: Review Of Ebook Fire Eater
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"FIRE EATER" at Smashwords and Amazon!

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Decided it was time to add to my self-pubbing ventures by publishing "Fire Eater" at Smashwords and at Amazon's Kindle Store. The story is a fantasy novelette at 8,300 words, so not too long a read, but still meaty, nonetheless. I have a particular fondness for this story, because it marked my first publishing success. Nothing like that first acceptance letter that reduces a grown girl to tears. It appeared in the now-defunct Midnight Times in 2007 (I think it was 2007), then good ol' Martin Davey told me he couldn't believe I sold that story for free. So when the rights reverted to me, I tried selling it again. This time Kaleidotrope bought it, of which I am exceptionally proud. However, since the story was a reprint, I still received not one dime for it, even if my payment was three copies of the magazine, the equivalent of $15, which I would've spent on copies anyway.

Good thing about Kaleidotrope is that it receives reviews. I was able to track down three. The links to them are:
Kimberly Todd Wade (quotes from Ms. Wade's wonderful review earned a place on the cover!)
SFRevu
Rich Horton (excited about this Locus writer mentioning "Fire Eater" from among a year's worth of Kaleidotrope stories)

So a year and a half later, it's time to shove the story out there again. This time it's available at Smashwords and in a day or so at the Kindle Store (will provide link when it's available). For the readers of my blogs, here is the coupon code for a free purchase of "Fire Eater" from Smashwords: SV94M

The code is valid through January 31.

Enjoy! 

EDIT: Amazon has given its approval already. So here's the link to the story in the Kindle Store: FIRE EATER FOR YOUR KINDLE
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