Unearthly Tales

Quincy's Curse and Caleb's World

2012-01-22T10:59:00-05:00

Just a few general things to report. The main thing is that I'm nearing completion of Quincy's Curse, a project that I started many moons ago and have been itching to finish. Even after being shelved for years, only half finished, it still reads nicely today and I've found it very easy to pick up and continue with. My target is 65,000 words and I've just reached 50,000, so not far to go now -- just four or five more chapters at most. Here's a snippet from Chapter One where Quincy, new to the village of Ramshackle Bottom, meets Megan...

Megan shook his hand hard, and when she let go he gazed dumbly at it as if something had just stung him.
After a while he lifted his brown eyes to her. "Pleased to meet you. But . . . I'm not used to having friends . . ."
"We'll soon change that," Megan assured him. Then she shrugged. "That is, if you want to be friends."
"You might not want to know me," Quincy said seriously. "I can bring bad luck. And good luck, too, but it's pretty random. If you hang around with me, you might find a gold coin but accidentally drop it in the river. Or you'll smash a priceless vase, like my aunt just did. Or . . . well, much worse can happen. That's how my parents died."
Megan's eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth. "How did it happen?"
"One night," Quincy said softly, "when I was six months old, our house caught fire. My father was away at another village at the time. My mother was overtaken by smoke and never woke up. By the time the neighbors knew of the fire, the whole house was burning. One of the neighbors heard a baby crying -- me -- and rushed in to save me." Quincy spoke in a dull monotone, as if reciting the words from a well-memorized script.
"That's awful!" Megan cried.
"Two years later, my father died in a freak accident. It was a bad winter, and he left the house one morning and stood just outside under the eaves. Of all the places to stand, he picked the place where a large icicle was hanging."
"It . . . it fell on him?" Megan whispered in horror.
Quincy shook his head. "No, it missed. But it startled him so much he leapt back out of the way and slipped on an icy patch. He fell and banged his head."
"And that killed him?"
"No," Quincy said, shaking his head again. "He lay there a while, dazed. Then a hungry wolf came out of the woods and smelled the blood that was trickling from his head. It came over, and . . ."
Megan clasped both hands to the sides of her face. "It ate him?"
"What?" Quincy frowned. "No, no, nothing like that. It wanted to, but my father struggled to his feet and made it inside safely. Later that day, he told the neighbors all about his narrow escape, which is how I know all this today." He sighed and shrugged. "My father's story worried some of the villagers because we weren't used to having wolves stray so close to our homes. So a group of men went out and headed up to the woods beyond where I used to live to hunt down this wolf."
Now Megan was confused. "So . . . how did . . . ?"
"How did my father die?" Quincy sighed. "A stray bullet caught him. It was intended for the wolf, but it missed and kept on going. It missed all the trees, shot out of the forest, punched through the living room window, and got my father in the head."
"Oh!"
"When my father died, I went to live with my Aunt Josephine and Uncle Gilderoy. I was still just a toddler and it was hard for them to take me in with everything they had going on -- both working and trying to make ends meet and all that -- but they were good people and they tried. Life was hard for them. They suffered all sorts of bad fortune with me around -- years and years of it. I was with them for eight years and they never once blamed me openly, but I think they saw me as a curse, the root of all their misfortune. My uncle worked the horses on a farm until he broke his ankle and suffered for months with gangrene. They eventually took his foot."
Megan frowned. "The horses took his foot?"
"No, the doctors did. Because of the gangrene. They couldn't save it."
"What? Why would anyone want to save gangrene?"
Quincy stared hard at her. "Are you trying to be funny?"
"No! I'm just -- I'm confused. You have a funny way of explaining things."
There was a long moment of silence, during which Quincy frowned and Megan shifted uncomfortably.
"Anyway," he eventually continued, "they died in a freak accident at the market when I was ten."
Megan stared at him. "The doctors?"
"No, my aunt and uncle!"
"I'm so sorry," Megan gasped.

It's not intended as a comedy but I do go off on some tangents occasionally. This smacks of the Airplane! movies a little. Also, I think some Monty Python crept in during another scene. But while there are some light moments, there are also some dark, creepy scenes, like those with the Red-Legged Scissor-Man that I mentioned in my previous post.

I'm expecting to finish the first draft by the end of January, which is certainly doable. There's no great hurry on this one, but I want to see it through before I write the final chapter of Caleb's World, which I kind of got stuck on and had to take a step back from. That won't take long at all once I figure it out. Then I'll have two complete novels, both around 65,000 words, ready to print and proof.

After that, I'm itching to start on Book 5 of Island of Fog. Much of the story is already written in my head. If only I could just lean forward, open my forehead, and let the thoughts tumble onto the page. Oh well, I suppose I'll just have to type the words as usual.

Did I mention that Whitt Brantley is representing the Fog series again? The Sundance Film Festival starts soon and so the next two weeks will be slow in terms of pitching the story to TV/film producers (because they'll all be away at the festival) so Whitt will be submitting my books to publishers instead. I still cling to the hope that one day they'll be snapped up and I'll become massively famous and rich. My books are, after all, already on the book shelf next to J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series at the Barnes & Noble store in Chattanooga...

Oh, and speaking of which: When you set up your books for print-on-demand publishing, you kind of have to offer a 50% discount and return option for book stores, otherwise they won't ever run the risk of buying them. So when I did a book signing at Barnes & Noble last year, and the regional manager bought 20 copies of the first three books, I was over the moon. But 60 books is a lot for a store to keep in stock; normally they keep only a couple of each for "unknowns." Anyway, I suppose it was inevitable that a bunch ended up being returned to Lightning Source, and thus back to me at my own cost. It's like I just bought 31 books at half the retail price (which is more that what I would normally pay) and also paid a fee for the privilege. Sigh. I'm not sure I like handling printed copies in this way.

But never mind. Keep moving forward, that's what I always say. Otherwise you end up moving backwards, sideways, or not at all. It's common sense, really.

What does 2012 have in store?

2012-01-01T14:01:48-05:00

If I were to make a few New Year's resolutions, they would include writing more, promoting more, and submitting more. As much as I like writing, I look back on the latter half of 2011 and can't help being annoyed at how little writing I've got done. Apart from a couple of interviews/featured spots, I've hardly promoted my Island of Fog books at all. And as for submitting to publishers... well, I think I've submitted to a grand total of two.

Well, something got me focused the other day. It was an email from Amazon about ABNA, the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition. I entered Island of Fog into this competition in January 2010 and made it through to the quarterfinals (read about it here), and now I'm wondering if I might have any luck with Caleb's World (formerly The Impossible World). I guess it can't hurt to try.

With that in mind, I aim to finish its last chapter shortly and give it another read-through. The rest is fairly well polished, having been read and edited numerous times.

Meanwhile, I dusted off an older piece that I've been wanting to finish for a long time. Quincy's Curse is half-complete at nearly 36,000 words (target is 65,000) and I really, really like this one. It's a traditional fantasy setting with knights and dragons and all manner of other creatures, and is intended as a lighter read than the Fog series. Having said that, it gets darker as it goes on, and one of the characters is a nasty brute known as the Red-Legged Scissor-Man.

This fiend is largely unknown but could be compared with some of the darker nursery tales like Hansel and Gretel (which, let's face it, is about cannibalism!). If you have a young child who sucks his thumb, warn him that the Red-Legged Scissor-Man will come along one night and snip his thumbs off with his scissors! Or rather, don't warn him, as you're liable to scare him half to death. Check out this excellent short animation (but don't let your kids watch!)...

Like the popularized tales of the Brothers Grimm, this freaky Scissor-Man goes back to nineteenth century Germany, published as one of a collection of scary stories for children. The full book is printed online if you want to see it, and of course includes The Story of Little Suck-a-Thumb. I'm not entirely certain about copyright laws here, but I think the pages of the book are in the public domain in this country. But in any case, the character of the Red-Legged Scissor-Man himself is certainly public domain, the same way that Humpty Dumpty and Cinderella are.

In Quincy's Curse, the Red-Legged Scissor-Man doesn't show up and snip off the thumbs of small children, but he is a fearsome man with a tendency to slash and snip with his razor-sharp blades. Still, the story is about Quincy himself, and the predicament he is in. I don't want to say too much more because, frankly, I like the idea of it too much to give away here! This novel is one I intend submitting to publishers, so I'll be keeping it close to my chest for the foreseeable future.

After I've polished Caleb's World and finished at least the first draft of Quincy's Curse, I'll be starting on Book 5 of the Island of Fog series -- which, by the way, STILL doesn't have a title.

Happy New Year!

On the subject of Santa Claus

2011-12-09T14:21:44-05:00

As Christmas draws near, two separate readers of Island of Fog -- one in North Carolina and the other over in England -- have expressed concern over something that Robbie says to Hal and Abigail. It's a simple line of dialog that made sense when I wrote it and makes sense now... but it's something I might need to remove.

To all young readers out there, either stop reading now or bear with me while I explain! Here's the bit of dialog in question:

Abigail didn't appear surprised. She pulled the scarf from her mouth. "What about the sea serpent?"
"There is no sea serpent," Robbie retorted. "And there's no Santa Claus or Tooth Fairy either, in case you're wondering."

Readers, it's important to note that this is simply Robbie's personal opinion about Santa and the Tooth Fairy, not necessarily a statement of fact. Notice that neither Hal nor Abigail respond; it's just something Robbie blurts out, something he believes.

Let's face it, if you grew up on a secluded foggy island cut off from the internet and TV and everything else we take for granted, then your knowledge of the world would probably be a little different. In that situation, would your belief in Santa Claus be stronger or weaker? If, like Hal and his friends, you believed you were among the few remaining survivors on the planet, would Santa still be around to visit at Christmas? Or, assuming he was still merrily delivering parcels to whomever was left to receive them, would he in fact be able to devote more time and attention to those poor children on the island?

In terms of the story, I don't think Robbie's statement is unexpected. He's twelve years old and questioning the way of the world. But at least two adults I know of have chosen to skip the sentence when reading to younger children. One has suggested I remove the sentence from the next printed edition.

The thing is, Island of Fog is fiction and features all manner of strange creatures. Without wanting to spoil the story for those who haven't read it, a Tooth Fairy is actually perfectly feasible given that Abigail turns out to be a faerie herself! Of course, Robbie is unaware of this fact at the time, but you have to wonder if he reconsiders the existence of the Tooth Fairy later on in the story. Hal could just have easily have said "Dragons aren't real!" only to eat his own hat halfway through the story.

The answer is simple: Santa Claus, like the Tooth Fairy and all other fantastic creatures, DO exist. They just reside in another realm. Just because Robbie thinks he knows everything doesn't mean he's right.

So now I face a dilemma. Should I leave Robbie's statement alone, or remove it? Is it a point of interest worth discussing in a classroom or at bedtime, or does it just complicate life for parents?

More to the point, I wonder how many younger readers have simply ignored the statement in the knowledge that Robbie is clearly wrong about the whole thing. If so, is this a case where "enlightened" adults needlessly worry and fret over a throwaway line of dialog?

Would parents be as worried if Abigail openly disputed the claim that sucking one's thumb makes it smaller? -- or that if you make a rude face and the wind changes, your face will stay like that?

In my stories, all these things are probably true. But I'm just a writer and I can't control what Hal and his friends believe. I can't help it if they blurt out ridiculous claims; I just have to trust that the reader will have the sense to know what's real and what's not. I mean, we all know that dragons and unicorns aren't real. But Santa Claus? Well, duh! Who else is going to bring your Christmas presents?

Robbie can be such a doofus.

Lake of Spirits review by Piers Anthony

2011-11-07T12:42:42-05:00

A little while ago I sent Lake of Spirits to Piers Anthony, who some of you will know as a hugely successful fantasy author and New York Times bestseller a couple of dozen times over. He enjoyed the first three books in the series and I hoped he'd like the fourth installment. His review popped up at the top of his November newsletter, and I can't help feeling a surge of pride at his words. I don't mean to brag, honest I don't, but I'm going to anyway...

I read Lake of Spirits by Keith Robinson. The is the fourth novel in the author's Island of Fog series, intended for young readers; the nine major characters are twelve years old. Don't let that fool you; as with the others, this is a hard-hitting story that may actually be more suitable for adults than children. This time the children are joined by a shape changer who is one of the miengu water spirits, Jolie. She is seventeen and absolutely gorgeous; all the boys are instantly in her thrall. So far so good. But as the cover summary says, "This is a tale of paranoia, betrayal, and impending doom." Yes it is. Jolie leads them into a series of misadventures which are not necessarily innocent. For example, she gets one shy boy to read his not-very-good poetry aloud to villagers, who promptly laugh him offstage, as it were. He is humiliated. Was it an accident, or is there a broad mean streak in Jolie? The girls see her as ugly and don't like her at all. Then one critical girl disappears. Jolie pretends innocence, but they suspect her, as it turns out with good reason. I don't think it is giving away anything to say that Jolie is not at all what she appears. But what she is, is the point of the novel. It's tense, ugly, and makes absolute sense. You won't completely enjoy reading it, but this is another good one, well worth your attention. If I may lapse into a broader discussion (and who can stop me?) I suggest that this whole series is the kind of thing traditional publishers have foolishly shut out. Thank fate for new options, such as self publishing and electronic publishing, notably Kindle, that enables some excellent writers to bypass the closed shop that is Parnassus and reach their readers directly. There's a revolution occurring in publishing, and I'm glad to see it.

This review can also be read on Piers' website here.

I appreciate the notion that my series is one that publishers have foolishly shut out, but the truth is that it's only been seen by a handful to date. The lure of self-publishing was too great back in 2009! Since then, I've obtained an agent, Whitt Brantley (who is back on board and representing the series after a short hiatus); he's submitted the first book to a few major publishers, who have rejected it after a full review, but there are plenty of publishers who haven't seen it yet, so I think there's hope.

One problem might lie in the length of the books, which are each 100,000 words. For MG (middle grade), the books should ideally be more like 60,000 words. This wouldn't be a problem for established authors, but for newbies it seems to be an automatic turn-off as far as some publishers are concerned. And if it's not the length that's putting them off, then maybe it's simply that my writing isn't good enough for them, or that the series is just not what they're looking for. There are a ton of reasons for rejection.

Back in May 2011, Whitt sent the first book to Trident Media Group, who replied:

Thanks so much for the chance to consider Island of Fog. This is such an inventive concept, and Mr. Robinson clearly has a formidable franchise, but I regret that ultimately I didn't connect with the writing in quite the way I'd need to in order to pursue this. I also worry that the length is a bit on the longer side for the current MG and YA market, but then again, I'm not the biggest sci-fi reader, and I'm sure you'll find the perfect co-partner for the project. Thanks again for reaching out to me, and I hope you'll think to do so again if more projects in this genre come your way.

I've since decided to work on shorter books of 60,000 words and try my luck with those, in the hope that getting my foot in the door with something that "follows the basic guidelines" will eventually open another door as far as Island of Fog is concerned.

I've not been posting as much on this blog lately, and to be honest I haven't been writing a whole lot either. But that's about to change. Time to get back in the saddle! I'm nearly finished with edits to Caleb's World (formerly The Impossible World) and then I'm going to start on something completely new and fresh. Meanwhile, Book 5 of the Fog series is screaming to be written and I can't stifle it for much longer...

Stop typing for a second, please!

2011-10-24T09:00:39-04:00

Last week I had some well-earned time off while family visited from England. But usually I'm so busy with website work and writing that I can't find enough time in the day, as my 7-year-old girl will testify.

It's often when I'm in the middle of writing a quote for a job, or knee-deep in programming code, that Lily Beth comes and asks me to play. I can't count the number of times I've held up my hand and said, "Hold on just a second while I finish this." Out of the corner of my eye, I see her sitting down at her own desk in my office and getting her pens and paper out. She usually ends up drawing pictures, but sometimes she writes notes like this one:

I can't help laughing, but at the same time I feel terrible for shushing her in a moment of don't-interrupt-me concentration. This is the trouble with working from home; when she's back from school at 3.15pm, as far as she's concerned it's the end of my work day as well. If only!

When it comes to writing, I don't even bother trying when she (or anyone else) is in the house with me. There's always some kind of distraction, however small. Some authors can apparently block out noise, but I'm one of those cranky types who needs QUIET. I'm fine with a general continuous buzz of noise (like the neighbor's lawn mower) but most other sounds are distracting; I find that the lyrics of songs end up on my page, and SpongeBob SquarePants tends to ruin the atmosphere with his annoying laugh. You've seen The Shining, right? Remember the bit where Jack Nicholson patiently and sarcastically explains the situation to his wife?

"Wendy, let me explain something to you. Whenever you come in here and interrupt me, you're breaking my CONCENTRATION. You're DISTRACTING me. And it will then take me time to get back to where I was. You understand? Now, we're going to make a new rule. When you come in here and you hear me typing"--clack-clack-clack--"or whether you DON'T hear me typing, or whatever the #%$@ you hear me doing; when I'm in here, it means that I am WORKING. That means DON'T COME IN. Now, do you think you can handle that? Good. Now why don't you start right now and get the #%$@ out of here? Hm?

Hopefully I'm nothing like the psychotic Jack in the movie. My wife is certainly nothing like the clueless Wendy; she already understands that writing requires solitude, especially after hearing the same kind of complaints from authors like Terry Brooks at the last Dragon*Con in Atlanta. But for certain cranky authors, a spouse can never be quiet enough no matter how much she tiptoes around. And a child doesn't know how to tiptoe. So the cranky author's best bet is to do one of the following:

Wait until he is alone in the house;
Wait until everyone has gone to bed;
Give up writing.

Since I'm a website designer working out of my home office, I'm able to write in the daytime if I choose -- either when work is a little slow or just because I feel like writing. I can always do bits and pieces of work when Wife and/or Child are in the house: replying to emails, working on designs, and so on. For those things, noise doesn't matter. But I prefer solitude for complex programming or writing. That's when I'm cranky when disturbed. It's also when time flies by the quickest, and that's why small tasks like going outside to put a letter in the mailbox, making a quick phone call, or emptying the dishwasher don't get done until much, much later (if at all).

My poor wife. How does she put up with me? And my poor little girl! Obviously we do play together, but in her mind there's never enough playtime. She'll probably look back on her childhood and remember only the times I continued to stare at the screen, held up my hand, and said, "Hang on a minute..."

Where did Miss Simone come from?

2011-10-04T16:46:40-04:00

I was watching TV the other day when I came across a movie that I haven't seen in a long time. It's a bit of a silly movie, but interesting all the same, and it's kind of "special" to me. See if you can guess why from the title:

Watch the Movie Trailer

Yes. Back in 2002 when this was released, I was busy writing Island of Fog. I actually started the book in February that year, but I saw this movie on TV, and it was while watching it that my character of Miss Simone came to fruition. I can only assume that I didn't write her scenes until later that year when the movie ended up on TV.

If you haven't seen this movie, basically it's about a director who isn't recognized for his work. A huge fan devises a computer program and gives the director the software just before dying of a terminal illness. With this software, the director creates a movie using a computer-generated woman who is so realistic that she passes as a real actress. Spellbound audiences demand to know where this unknown star came from, but the director keeps her "private" and goes on to make several more movies. Other actors in his movies understand that they'll never actually meet the actress, that they're only to work with a green screen (so what's new these days?) against which Simone (or Simulation One) will be added later. The actress becomes a mega-star and the director has to figure out how to allow her to do live satellite interviews and somehow show up in public, even resorting to using a mannequin in the driver's seat of a car...

Of course there are some giant implausibilities and silliness in the movie, and even so-called advanced computers and graphics from 2002 look supremely dated nowadays. But it's fun nevertheless.

Miss Simone is nothing like S1m0ne except that she has the same name and looks nice. The idea of this utterly realistic computer-generated woman who wows everyone kind of crossed over into my books in the form of magical enchantment. However, unlike Simone in the movie, my own Miss Simone is a real woman. (Well, apart from the fact that she's a mermaid.)

So if you want to envision Miss Simone, then you can't go too far wrong with the image above. It was, after all, my original inspiration.

Although, quite honestly, she's evolved a little since then and is probably now more like Rebecca Romijn (Mystique from X-Men). If a movie of Island of Fog were ever made, I'd let Rebecca play the part. Honest. I wouldn't mind too much.

Are prologues necessary?

2011-09-14T20:37:08-04:00

This is a subject many writers seem to ponder over and argue about. I personally like prologues and always read them, but I've heard (albeit only from other writers) that a lot of readers skip or skim over them. Why? Because, writers say, prologues are usually massive info-dumps about the world we're about to enter. The argument is that a prologue, more often than not, is totally unnecessary and the novel is better without it.

*Shakes head violently*

Okay, it's probably true that the privilege of adding a prologue is sometimes abused by the writer. I suspect epic fantasy and science fiction writers are the biggest culprits when it comes to annoying prologues; often they contain gigantic narratives about which king is ruling what land, why his brother has been angered and is seeking to usurp the throne, and what magical stone was lost in the river for four thousand years. Those prologues are all TELL and not SHOW and are, I agree, boring. When you hear such narratives on a movie, at least we have something to look at on the screen -- knights in battle and so on. In a novel, the reader can't help thinking, "Come on, come on, introduce me to the characters and get on with the story!"

Other prologues are thrown in deliberately to trick the reader. You see this on TV shows in the form of teasers: well-known character Kate supposedly shoots another well-known character Rick, and since both characters are best friends and colleagues, the audience thinks, "Oh! What the heck? Why did she do that?" And thus, the audience is hooked for an hour. Later on, towards the end, events unfold and the reason for the shooting becomes clear: because there's an axe-wielding maniac approaching Rick from behind, and Kate is forced to shoot over Rick's shoulder to stop said maniac. This teaser isn't necessary, but it certainly hooks the viewer.

And then there's a really good prologue that offers a tantalizing glimpse of what's to come later, or contains a scene from the past that sets the tone and makes you think, "Ooh, what was all that about? How does that tie in with the story?"

As far as I'm aware, everyone I know likes prologues. And yet an alarming number of writers seem to be of the opinion that prologues are the subject of "lazy writers who can't be bothered to drop the material into the book where it belongs."

Not so! -- at least as far I'm concerned. Whether my prologues are any good is up to the reader, but my own personal reason for writing them is far from being lazy. In fact, the opposite is true; it takes a lot of extra work to do the prologue, and if I simply dropped it and added the material into the book later, it would normally have to be in the form of verbal exposition -- which is far quicker and easier to write, but in my opinion not half as interesting.

As you know, the Island of Fog books follow Hal throughout, and writing prologues gives me a chance to go back in time and view a scene from someone else's point of view. Island of Fog's prologue is very short -- less than a page -- and takes place 12-13 years before the story starts on Chapter One. Is it necessary? Well, it's certainly not crucial; the story would survive without it. I've had one or two writer types tell me it's unnecessary, that readers will probably skip it, but I've had more than a few readers tell me they were "hooked" by that short page. And hooking the reader is the aim, right?

Labyrinth of Fire's prologue is probably the least necessary of the four I've done. In retrospect I admit that it's sort of an info-dump, and takes place in the present day, too. In fact, I could easily have transplanted that entire scene into a later chapter without even changing the wording.

In contrast, the prologue for Mountain of Whispers is probably the most important of the lot, containing what I believe is a strong and effective flashback scene. Is it necessary? I think so. Essential? Absolutely vital? Well, yes. Maybe.

The prologue for Lake of Spirits is not vital to the story. If I removed it, the story would quite happily start at Chapter One. But I like the scene, as it offers a view of Simone as a young lass. How else could I do that from Hal's point of view? It's not essential to the plot as those plot details can be dropped in later -- but it does add what I think is an interesting layer. And stories are layered, right? They're not all about plot. They're about character- and world-building. Often the author throws in details that are totally irrelevant to the plot (such as what the characters are wearing) but those details help to build a picture in the reader's mind.

The prologue for Book 5 (coming in 2012) will show what happened on the mainland all those years ago. We already know what happened, but everything has been told secondhand. Wouldn't it be nice to drop back in time and actually see it unfold? I can't achieve that so well without a prologue. A prologue like this allows me to SHOW and not TELL. And although some writers insist you can just call it "Chapter One," I totally disagree; the point of view and the timeline is too vastly different to simply be included in the main narrative of Hal's story.

So I think prologues do have their place in novels. However, I do agree that some writers abuse the privilege and include them for the sake of it. Heck, maybe that includes me; readers should be the judge of that. But for writers to insist that prologues are unnecessary, that we should always just start with Chapter One, seems daft to me. I've heard the arguments and the only one that gives me pause me is the suggestion that "agents and editors don't like prologues and will skip your manuscript if you have one" -- but I've yet to find overwhelming evidence supporting this. And clearly there are plenty of prologues in published novels, otherwise this wouldn't even be a discussion!

Here are some comments on a forum:

I know more than a few readers, myself include, barely even read the prologue.
I read them on the off chance I might miss something important. However, I can't recall a prologue I've read yet that did have something so vital that couldn't have been included in the main part of the novel.
I generally call them 'Chapter One', to make sure they are read.
Whether you personally always read prologues or never read them, be aware that most readers skip them.
If it is critical, the best way to make them read it is to title it Chapter 1 (chapters can also have time gaps and/or be nonlinear...)
Mostly prologues strike me as being lazy. There's information that the writer needs the reader to know, and instead of imparting it in the main text they just put it in a prologue.
I have been told countless times that editor or publishers do not like prologues. Try to put it in your first chapter.
I skip prologues primarily because I see it as kind of spoiler. Also when a book has a prologue, I imagine this to be a weakness of the writing approach

On the same forum, there are an equal number of opposite opinions like "Who told you agents don't like prologues?" and "I personally read them and so do all my friends" and "I can't call it Chapter One because it happened hundreds of years before the story starts."

Personally, I'll keep writing prologues until I'm 100% convinced that I shouldn't. What about you, writers and readers? Thoughts?

What's your general impression of prologues? Like? Dislike? Ever skip them?
What about MY prologues? (Honestly, please.)

Lake of Spirits now available in print

2011-09-09T17:34:17-04:00

Today, UPS delivered my first batch of Lake of Spirits (only a few of which are shown in this picture). They look great and I'm glad (again) that I use Lightning Source to print my books, because they're always top quality. And when I say top quality, I mean that there are no scuffs or dents, no dust, no misaligned spines, no excess glue... everything looks professional. So this batch is ready to send out to those on my list of pre-orders.

I have a feeling this batch will run short very quickly, though, so I'll be putting in another order in the next week or so. If you want a signed copy, order now. Alternatively, get a copy from Amazon USA or Amazon UK.

As always, I'm nervous about the reaction to the latest addition to the series. Is it on par with the others? Better? Worse? Only readers can judge, so please let me know. There's a nice review on Amazon from a reader who bought the Kindle or Nook edition:

"I was thoroughly excited when I found this book, I am glad that Mr. Robinson finished another book. This is probably one of my favorite series, I have read the other three books at least 3x each. But I was disappointed with the ending, I wish that it was soooo much longer. I hope the next book is released soon!" —Shannon

The next book is planned for 2012, but I can say no more than that because I'm not sure of my schedule yet. I'm editing The Impossible World at the moment, and after that I'd really like to start on something new... but we'll see.

On the subject of new books, writing buddy Roger Eschbacher has a brand new fantasy novel for young readers: Dragonfriend (Leonard The Great, Book One) is on its way to me by mail, equally hot off the press. So hot, in fact, that it's not even released yet. I have the pleasure of proofing it for him, although I doubt I'll pick up much since my proofreading brother Darren has already had his hands on it. See Roger's website here.

And I have another book to proofread, namely Brian Clopper's Flame and Fortune, again for young readers (see Brian's website here). I'm a slow reader, so I really need to carve out some more reading time. Yes, I'll cut back on my sleep, maybe use the hours of 3-4am for reading. Setting my alarm clock now... :-)

Dragon*Con 2011

2011-09-06T10:23:06-04:00

My wife and I spent the weekend in Atlanta at Dragon*Con. For those who don't know, Dragon*Con is an annual convention for fans of anything sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and downright weird. On September 2nd-5th, fifty thousand people descended on a few blocks around the Peachtree Center, swarming the Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Sheraton and Westin hotels. There were zombies, stormtroopers, Whovians, Trekkies, and just about everything else you can think of, plus lots of scantily clad Wonder Women. Or should that be Wonder Womans? And in case you're wondering why my wife allowed me to stare at Wonder Woman, it's because she was too busy gazing at muscle-bound gladiators to notice.

But apart from people-watching and costume-admiring, we spent a lot of time sitting in on panels where actors, writers, or otherwise professional types discussed things and answered questions. Does this sound nerdy and boring? Well, it wasn't, so there. And if it was... well, deal with it.

On the TV and movie front, we sat in with some of the cast from Battlestar Galactic including Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama), Michael Hogan (Colonel Saul Tigh), Tricia Helfer (Cylon Number Six), Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek, and also Apollo from the original 1970s series), and Tahmoh Penikett (Captain Karl 'Helo' Agathon).

Then onto a Torchwood panel with Nana Visitor (best known as Major Kira in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), and a Walking Dead panel with Jon Bernthal (Shane Walsh, the cop's so-called best friend), and Laurie Holden (Andrea, the one who shot her zombie sister in the head).

The True Blood panel included the author Charlaine Harris herself along with Kristin Bauer (Vampire Pam), Joe Manganiello (Werewolf Alcide), Jim Parrack (Human Hoyt), and Denis O'Hare (Russell Edgington, the late Vampire King of Mississippi). I can't think why Joe got so many cheers from adoring females. What IS it about him?

We also sat in on a V panel with Joel Gretsch (Father Jack Landry) and Laura Vandervoort (Lisa). Being the daughter of the alien queen Anna, Laura said she spent most of her time on the mothership, so was in an empty room with green screens. Joel said he spent most his time on the fathership.

I walked right past Sylvester McCoy, the 6th Doctor. And in the Saturday morning costume parade we saw the original Scotty from Star Trek dressed as... well, Scotty from Star Trek. (Edit: My bad -- that actor died in 2005.) I just missed seeing Martin Landau, which was a shame, because I loved that old Space 1999 series.

The second biggest audience was for Tom Felton, aka Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies. He was really good, but then, he's English. :-)

But the biggest audience, not surprisingly, was for Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia from Star Wars, in case you live under a rock). She's just not very princess-like, though. Or maybe having her home planet of Alderaan blown up by the Death Star has made her cynical and irreverent. But she was a lot of fun.

On the author front, we saw Charlaine Harris again on one of a few author panels, as well as the legendary Terry Brooks, Jonathen Maberry, Mercedes Lackey, Timothy Zahn, Elizabeth Donald, Kevin J Anderson, S M Stirling, Scott Sigler, and Michael Z Williams.

Author panels are different to actor panels. With actors, it's fun to see them in the flesh and see what they're like in real life, but I find the audience questions very same-y; I've lost count of the number of times actors have said how much they liked working together on set and how they felt like one big family... but there were some funny stories as well, and you come away wanting to see them on TV again so you can say, "I met him/her!" Okay, "met" isn't really the right word. The only big actor I've really "met" is Edward James Olmos at last year's convention; he was washing his hands at the next sink along in the restroom, and we talked for a minute. You see how I mingle with the stars?

With authors, it's interesting to learn how they do things and how they got where they are today. Sci-fi writer Kevin J Anderson writes his novels using a digital recorder as he takes walks through the woods. Terry Brooks' classic Sword of Shannara was a massive bestseller, but the sequel was rejected by his editor, who tore it apart and suggested Brooks rewrite 400 pages (which he eventually did). Unlike most authors, Mercedes Lackey had no rejections at all for her novels. But then again, she "knew" people.

By the way, it turns out that Terry Brooks' Shannara series is pronounced "SHANNER-rah" and not "Sha-NAR-rah" as I thought. But I'm not the only one. Many, many people in the audience were muttering, "Is that how Terry pronounces it? Really?" I think the general consensus is that the author is wrong.

I've come away from all these panels with a new (or maybe just a more solidified) direction. I'll continue self-publishing my Island of Fog books and not bother trying to submit it to publishers or agents. But I won't self-publish anything else until I've tried and tried to find a publisher. I've heard this before, but it's always a nice reminder to hear when super-famous authors are rejected numerous times before striking it lucky. I've only had a few rejections for Island of Fog, and I self-published even before those; I really didn't give it a chance with traditional publishers at all.

So, as they say in all the good sci-fi shows: Never give up, never surrender, so say we all, and long live the Doctor!

Lake of Spirits available on Kindle and Nook

2011-08-30T11:40:04-04:00

As the title of this post suggests, Lake of Spirits is now available for all those who read ebooks:

On Amazon's Kindle (UK edition here)
On Barnes & Noble's Nook

If you don't have a Kindle or Nook device, you can always download the free software to your computer or phone -- just follow the links on the Kindle or Nook pages. I have the free apps on my phone and the ebooks look great.

(I'm aware of a typo in the Kindle description, and will fix that in due course.)

Also available now is a free preview of the first three chapters.

I've updated my Buy Books page accordingly. Note that you can now pre-order signed printed editions of Lake of Spirits if you want to get an early copy! That's because yesterday I uploaded the files to Lightning Source (my printer) and am now awaiting submission approval, after which I can push the big fat red button that says "Publish."

Once published, the book will start showing up as available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and at that point I can stock up. So if you plan to buy a printed copy, please feel free to pre-order so you can be sure of an early copy from that first batch (probably in 2-3 weeks from now).

And when you've read Lake of Spirits, PLEASE let me know what you think by posting feedback or reviews. Ta muchly, folks! :-)

Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign

2011-08-29T11:02:48-04:00

This is a short post to mention a brilliant networking idea for writers. Why couldn't I think of this? Basically, it's like a writer putting out an announcement to say, "Hey, I've got this hall booked for writers, come on in and introduce yourself," and every writer in town showing up to say hello.

http://rachaelharrie.blogspot.com/2011/08/third-writers-platform-building.html

So I'm showing up to say hello as well. After all, the sausage rolls are free and I get to talk about self-publishing!

(Incidentally, Book 4 of my Island of Fog series, Lake of Spirits, is now being "processed" by Kindle and Nook, so it should be available shortly. I'll post separately about that.)

Lake of Spirits proofreading and editing is finished!

2011-08-25T10:11:09-04:00

As the title of this post suggests, I'm finally finished with Lake of Spirits. Well, almost. I just want to read it through one more time before I publish it. Experience has shown that I always find additional typos on that final read-through!

So this post is to say that I'm about to post to say the book is published. I expect Lake of Spirits to be available on Kindle and Nook by the last day of August, and in print within the first week or two of September (that process is a little slower). I'll post further announcements on both momentous occasions.

I said long ago that this book would be published "sometime during summer 2011" and, later, "sometime in August 2011," and I'm happy to say I managed to keep that promise... but only just. It's been a tough couple of months -- too much work and not enough time to write. (This is a complaint from the writer in me; obviously there's no such thing as too much work in the real world. I just wish I had a clone. When is a clone-making machine going to be available to the general public? Come on, stem cell researchers, get on with it!)

I want to give my ego a boost and post the following words from Iguana Proofreading. To avoid spoilers, this is a snipped version of the summary. There are also lots of other comments and notes, and these have helped me clean up the manuscript where needed. Sometimes, things that are perfectly clear to me are a little vague to readers, and that's why writers need proofreaders.

Well, you've outdone yourself this time...! This is excellent! In many ways, your best yet. This is a different kind of adventure... not a physical adventure, with a quest or a journey. This is a psychological adventure. This fourth installment engages the emotions like no other before it, and is really a rollercoaster of anger, jealousy, resentment, revenge, fear, pain, and sorrow. This shows that you don't have to send the main characters on wild and wonderful journeys battling fantastic creatures and monsters; you can beguile the reader in a much more personal, intimate way.

Jolie is your tool, your key, to this -- and she proves to be a masterstroke. All throughout, I was kept guessing as to whether she would prove to be a good egg or as nasty and conniving as the gradually building suspicions allude to. Was she doing all those things on purpose? Was she just a little bit immature and naive, and not realising the extent of her behaviour? Was she misunderstood... or was there something else going on?

This reads very much like an Enid [Blyton] book -- I remember the occasional 'special' character popping up in, say, Famous Five tales and forming the focus as a befriended stranger. Edgar springs to mind, the son of a nasty uncle and auntie that the kids always had run-ins with. (I think that book was about the kids running away to go live by themselves on an island, or something like that.) Jolie is very much like that, with not everyone warming to her, and treating her with suspicion.

This has a different feel to previous books in the series, but certainly not unwelcome. This is an insightful look into daily village life -- their daily lives -- and gives you a chance to see what things are like back home when the children are not on a wild adventure or mission in dark and dangerous lands. [The village of] Carter is starting to become familiar, and I felt as a reader that I myself was starting to settle into my new home and learning the layout of the buildings, the woodland trails that surround the village, and the people that live there.

There are some areas that need some clarification, a little more detail, all of which are detailed below and within the Comments throughout the manuscript itself, but all in all, there's not a lot wrong with this at all! Try as I might, I couldn't find any areas that needed a major rewrite and in my mind, apart from the little bits and bobs I mention, it's just fine as it is! Nicely balanced, exciting, tense and emotional, and a bloody good read!

Thanks, Darren! I had to laugh at the comparison to an Enid Blyton book. On the one hand, I feel like my books are far darker in tone than Enid Blyton's adventures for children. But I do see Darren's point and I can easily imagine Blyton readers enjoying the play-off between the characters in Lake of Spirits. For all those Blyton readers out there, this is probably more like the introduction of Ragamuffin Jo and George's instant dislike of her, only a whole lot more serious.

Next stop: Kindle and Nook. Stay tuned!

Reviews and featured spots for Island of Fog series

2011-08-16T10:09:56-04:00

Basically, what it says above -- this is a listing of websites and blogs that have featured one or more of my Island of Fog books. I'll continue to update this "sticky" post and use it like a scrapbook. :-)

Main book pages on Amazon with reviews...

Special reviews, interviews, features and spotlights...

Why I write a chapter summary for the next book

2011-08-15T10:28:02-04:00

I'm still sluggishly working my way through proofreading edits for Lake of Spirits. I've decided that I hate commas. Just when you think you have them nailed in place, they squirm free and start moving around. Worse, someone slips you a slightly altered rulebook and you end up second-guessing everything you've done.

I won't go into actual examples, because I'm pretty sure very few of you care as much as I do. I'll just say that my proofreaders have found a whole bunch of commas that should be there and a whole bunch that shouldn't -- or, as I said above, they've just squirmed free and moved to different positions in the text.

Also, should I write "fore hoofs" or "fore-hoofs"? Or just "forehoofs"? Or should it be "hooves" rather than "hoofs"? ...although this is more of a British vs. American thing, and I decided long ago to go with "hoofs" and "roofs" and so on. Sigh. I can spend ages looking for an answer to the stupidest little thing, and sometimes I just end up changing the wording.

Anyway, I digress. The point of this post is to say that Lake of Spirits is still in the editing stage but should be ready for publication this month as planned, and meanwhile I'm starting on a chapter summary for the fifth book.

The next installment, continuing directly where Lake of Spirits leaves us dangling, has been rattling around in my head for ages, and now I've started a written summary to get it clear. Writing a summary forces me to think hard about details, about how the story progresses from one stage to the next, instead of having a collection of only vaguely related scenes floating around. Often the story changes quite dramatically from what I had originally imagined, making me realize that what was floating around in my head earlier just wasn't practical.

Years ago, I would have started into the manuscript without much thought about how the plot gets from A to B and eventually to Z, and I'd find, after ten chapters, that I was writing myself into an impossible corner, or sending myself off the beaten track. This is what happened during Island of Fog. I wrote the first third of the book countless times, changing it around and ditching stuff I'd spent ages on; for instance, the fourth chapter became the first, while the first three chapters were dropped entirely. If you'll recall, Hal and Robbie wandered deep into Black Woods and found the fog-hole, but in my first draft I started out with a lot of fun but ultimately slow and pointless stuff. One example I remember is when the children (and originally there were twelve of them) snuck out at midnight to meet in a secret place around a campfire, as they did on a regular basis. I thought it was fun and interesting, but really all they did was talk and it all seemed a bit blah when I stepped back and thought about it.

Another scene, which came around Chapter Eight in my original manuscript, was when Hal crept out of the house one night, climbed into his dad's pickup, and waited. His dad was planning to go off for one of his monthly meetings Out There, in the dead of night. And so he did, with Hal hiding in the back of the pickup as his dad drove to the edge of the island. There, a bridge appeared, rising up out of the water as if by magic. They drove to the mainland, and eventually stopped in a field where there were other "dads" waiting. They'd talk about their secret communities and question whether any transformations had started taking place...

There was a bit more to it than this, but the fog itself was originally something "different" to what's in the published book. I still like the idea of it to some extent: a sort of magical cloak that hides the inhabitants but not the island itself. Hal and his friends would see "wraiths" in the night, ghostly figures that they couldn't understand. These wraiths were actually real live people wandering around the island in the real world, and they, too, would see wraiths from time to time -- only they were seeing Hal and his friends. So it was like one island with two realities occupying the same space.

Another part I really liked was a tunnel under the lighthouse. You remember where Emily found those crates stuffed with smart clothes, at the base of the lighthouse? Well, in my old version of the story, under those crates is a hatch leading down to a man-made tunnel that stretches under the sea to the mainland. What better way to reach Out There? When the children got the generator working, the fluorescent strip lights in the tunnel flickered on and off, and it was altogether creepy down there... especially when a distant figure started running toward them.

And there was a scene on the mainland with an exploding boat, that a critic told me was too James Bond-like. He was right. The thing is, in that old version of Island of Fog, there was no virus and everybody lived normal lives -- but Hal and his friends were effectively invisible.

Ultimately, I couldn't get it to work. I wrote and rewrote that first third of the book, around eight chapters, and "wasted" a lot of time on it. No wonder it took six years, on and off!

That's why, with Labyrinth of Fire and Mountain of Whispers, and more recently Lake of Spirits, I used a chapter summary. Once I'd ironed out the story, it took only four or five months to actually write it.

And this is why I'm now writing the summary for the fifth book, entitled something like [Unknown] of Dust. Here I am again, trying to find the right word. I might have used "Land," but it's too close to "Island" and also begins with an L (the same as two other books in the series). I would use "City" but City of Dust has been used way too many times, and plus, the story isn't really about a city! Anyway, it'll come to me eventually. The "Dust" part is important, but I reserve the right to change it. World of Hurt seems appropriate, in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way...

This reminds me of the suggestions I received from kind readers when I was trying to think of a title for Mountain of Whispers:

Replacement order, watery events, and ideas for book title

Back to the idea of a chapter summary. One other reason to do this, and to do this now, is to make sure I'm clear about what kind of setting up or foreshadowing I need to include while I'm still editing the previous book. For instance, in Lake of Spirits, Hal has an object (which I won't divulge here) that he carries with him to the end of the book. At that point he could either throw it away or carry it with him. It kind of served its (small) purpose in that last chapter, but in the back of my head I always saw a bigger purpose for that object in the next book. So, now that I'm writing the chapter summary for the next book, I can decide for sure whether that object will be used or not. If not, then I guess I can ditch it quite easily at the end of Lake of Spirits; or, if I decide to use it, then Hal can slip it back into his pocket. I've already made up my mind about this, and therefore the finished book has been edited accordingly.

This is the advantage of thinking ahead. I've been accused by two readers of deus ex machina regarding Abigail's glass ball (in that it seemed to be a convenient answer to a problem), but I don't see it that way because I planned it like that all along, and the glass ball continues to serve the plot in later books. Then again, what's been in my head all along doesn't necessarily translate to the page, so the readers' opinions are valid and, although I stand by my guns on this matter, I'm well aware of the danger of having sudden, convenient solutions presenting themselves. It reminds me too much of Enid Blyton's adventure books: when a group of children ended up quite literally in a hole and needed to climb out, it transpired that one of the children happened to be carrying a length of rope looped around his waist under his shirt -- just in case! It was never mentioned prior to that scene, and was a terrible case of deus ex machina that should be avoided at all costs.

I'm really excited about the summary for Something of Dust. Some of the young shapeshifters will end up running around the streets of a city filled with Crazies, so it has a zombie apocalypse feel to it. And if we're putting a zombie tag on Book 5, it's fair to say that Book 6 is looking like a werewolf story. I can feel it in my bones.

I should be finished with the Book 5 summary by the time you're able to buy Book 4 later this month. :-)

What blog posts do you like and dislike?

2011-08-06T12:37:52-04:00

I received a fantastic email yesterday. More on that in a moment! But first, a bit of routine self-doubt...

Like most authors, I often wonder about the point of blogging and self-promotion and all that stuff. Obviously it's worth doing, because every little bit helps and I won't get anywhere at all if I crawl under a stone and never emerge. But even though I'm committed to blogging like this, I wonder what kinds of posts are the most interesting. I tend to target this blog at adults and other writers, which is odd when the books I write are primarily for younger readers. But as far as I can tell, far more adults have bought my books than younger readers, and most of the feedback I get is from adults.

So maybe I should ask YOU what I should be blogging about... or not. What kinds of posts do you roll your eyes at and skim over? Which ones do you find most interesting? What would you like to see more of? Is there anything you'd like to see that I've never done before?

There are plenty I could name who comment on my posts on a fairly regular basis, and I'm very grateful to those readers for making it seem to the outside world that people are actually reading! There are also those who read these posts but never chip in, and that's fine; just knowing you're reading is good enough for me. And then there are the rest, probably the vast majority of subscribers, who may or may not read these posts. I have no way of knowing! Hmm, maybe I should introduce an anonymous "LIKE" and "DISLIKE" button...

Anyway, back to that fantastic email I received:

I was given a print out of your blog by my Landlady, whom had been told I was writing a novel. I am ashamed to admit this, but I stuck it in my desk and forgot all about it, until I was in a car wreck and had nothing to do or read. Once I started it a couple of things came to mind: First, that I am extremely excited to read your work and as soon as I have the funds I will be purchasing them. Secondly it was really helpful in getting me back to my computer and finishing my manuscript. So in that alone, I had to write this and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Sincerely, KM Anderson

Thank you, Karen, and thanks also to all those others who continue to read my posts. Message to all: Don't be afraid to tell me if I'm being boring. My idea of an interesting post might involve nerdy facts and figures, or the ins and outs of punctuation, which might please about 1% of you. Feedback is useful from time to time -- positive or negative is fine, as long as it's constructive.

Creepy and not great for impressionable children

2011-07-31T20:09:05-04:00

With the fourth book in the Fog series, Lake of Spirits, due out later in August, I've rekindled my efforts to push the series around on the internet.

To be honest, I've not done a whole lot of marketing for the electronic editions in the past, and I need to, because there are lots of excellent websites and blogs out there that review ebooks just like mine. So I'm currently submitting Island of Fog to various reviewers and hope to start seeing some reviews popping up here and there over the next months or so. I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, I went to visit Barnes & Noble's website today for the first time in a while, and found that I'd garnered a few more ratings. I also got a negative review for Mountain of Whispers:

1/5 stars: "Creepy and not great for impressionable children"
I have always wondered about the mind of someone who writes about the most inocent creature on the face of the Earth, a child, as if they are a focus for attacks from the evil one. Creepy story in a whole creepy series, I would not recommend this for your children. —Mary Ellen Gobel Pierce

Assuming this is genuine and not a certain disgruntled pastor from Tennessee rearing his ugly head again (see previous post), it strikes me as odd that a reader would struggle through all three books in a series even though they're only worthy of one star. Or, if all three books were enjoyable enough to read and the only beef is that they're not recommended for children... well, a "poor" rating seems a little unfair. On the other hand, I do like the description "Creepy story in a whole creepy series," so thanks for that, Mary Ellen Gobel Pierce, whoever you are!

Of course, there will always be negative reviews, and that's fine. It's up to the reader to decide what are genuinely helpful comments and what are not. The best reviews are those that provide detailed comments about what's good and, where necessary, what's not so good.

If you've read the books and haven't reviewed them or given them a rating, I would be eternally grateful if you would. Below are some helpful links. It doesn't matter if you review the electronic or printed edition, as they're automatically combined:

USA Amazon

UK Amazon

Barnes & Noble (USA only)

Thank you!

Lake of Spirits is being proofread

2011-07-20T20:27:00-04:00

Lake of Spirits is currently being proofread by four very smart people and I hope to get all edits back by the end of July so I can polish and complete the book early August.

Because of the nature of book printing, it takes a little while to get a printed proof back, check it over, then receive a first batch of stock copies (that is, assuming the proof is good enough to approve in the first place). But there's no reason to hold up the electronic versions, so Kindle and Nook readers can expect to see it available a little earlier.

After that, I'm torn. Aside from finishing The Impossible World, I want to write Book 5 of the Fog series as well as a completely different standalone novel. But which first? Hmm. Well, the answer is both. I going to attempt one of those "write a book in a month" things again, probably through September, while I take my time on Fog Book 5.

These standalone novels will each be a little over half the length of the Fog books and will be part of a series named Unearthly Tales. Yes, finally, after many years I'm planning to use my publisher name as an umbrella title. Think of the Goosebumps series. Think of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

The first in line will be The Impossible World, which as you may remember was written last November as part of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). It's fitting, then, that the next in line for this series of Unearthly Tales will be another that I plan to write in the space of a month (or thereabouts). And who knows, maybe all of them will be written this way. The thing is, when I scan through The Impossible World, it's really not bad at all considering how quickly I wrote it. I mean, all modesty aside, and once I've ironed out a few wrinkles, it reads pretty well and (according to beta readers) is pretty creepy and effective. And it's certainly weird enough to be included as part of my Unearthly Tales series. I need to redo the cover and polish the text, and maybe even think of a different title, but otherwise it's ready to go!

When it comes to non-Fog books, I swing like a pendulum between self-publishing and finding an agent. Right now I'm thinking of self-publishing again. After reading about the success of a fellow author (whose first two books I helped to proofread) I'm awed and inspired enough to kick myself up the backside.

So here's to the next few months, which are shaping up to be ridiculously busy. Fun -- but busy.

Thinking about Island of Fog: Book 5

2011-07-16T11:09:02-04:00

Look, I just said I was THINKING about it; don't get all excited yet! After many months of possible titles knocking about in my head for the fifth book in the Island of Fog series, I'm still not completely decided. Sadly, the titles I would be happy with are already used -- and recently, too -- so I need to avoid them like the plague.

But in any case, having completed Book 4, Lake of Spirits, almost exactly as I envisioned back when I started, I'm now rubbing my hands, stroking my chin, and plotting the chapter summary for Book 5 with a maniacal giggle. It's going to be interesting as, throughout most of the book, I'll be working with only four shapeshifters as they set off on a mission to... well, now, that would be telling.

I plan to start writing Book 5 in September. Before then I need to finish editing Lake of Spirits, publish it in August, and then polish the totally separate standalone novel The Impossible World so that this unfinished manuscript is not hanging around my neck like an unfinished manuscript.

Meanwhile, I continue to receive nice comments from readers and I really must add them to my review section. Here's one from Jenna in Colorado:

I love your books, they're some of my absolute favorite books. I couldn't put them down once I started. I can't wait untill you write the next books. You're one of the best authors and I hope you continue your books for generations to come.

Speaking of generations, I've been asked several times if I intend sticking with the same characters throughout the series. In short, yes. Will they remain the same age? Again, yes. Everything that happened in the first three books took place within a couple of weeks, and the fourth book starts shortly after. Books 5 and 6 will follow as part of an ongoing storyline.

Will there be a Book 7? Not sure. I've toyed with the idea of a spin-off series, set in the same world(s) but a generation later... or perhaps with Miss Simone and her friends when they were undergoing their first transformations. I think that would be fun. What do YOU think?

All right. Back to work...

On the search for a literary agent

2011-07-05T11:37:02-04:00

A few days ago I was informed by my agent, Whitt Brantley, that he needs to "let me go" for the time being. He represents a lot of projects that he firmly believes have great potential, but right now he needs to focus on those that are actually moving forward and generating income rather than those that might one day find a buyer. It's a case of too many properties and not enough time to devote proper attention to them all. I understand where he's coming from and we're parting on good terms, with the understanding that if he happens across an interested party in the future and my books still happen to be available, then we'll hook up again.

That said, I'm not about to sit around twiddling my thumbs. When I've finished editing Lake of Spirits and published it (probably in August) then I'm going to start looking for another agent. Also, I have another project to edit and fine-tune, namely The Impossible World, and I intend shopping that one around at the same time.

So I expect to be busy from September onwards finding a literary agent... although honestly my focus will likely be on The Impossible World and other projects, because I actually enjoy self-publishing the Island of Fog series. If I happened to find an agent in September, and he said, "Okay, take the Fog books off the market so I can pitch them to publishers," I'd be both excited and sad -- especially as Lake of Spirits ends on a bit of a cliffhanger!

Speaking of Lake of Spirits, I'm halfway through a first edit. Later this week I'll be sending it off to proofreaders. I should be about ready to publish it sometime in August.

In other news, I read that J. K. Rowling ditched her agent, Christopher Little, and switched to Neil Blair -- who used to work for Christopher Little and recently set up The Blair Partnership. I can imagine that's a bit of a blow for Christopher! Still, reactions like this one on the Express website are plain stupid:

Now she has millions, the man who took her all the way to the top is no longer needed. I have not read any of her books, or seen any of the films. Now I would not even consider reading the books or watching the films. Money has gone to her Head!!!!

Your loss, pal. What, so Rowling's genius at storytelling didn't have anything to do with the success of Harry Potter? It was all down to the agent? Hmm. The agent was smart enough to represent her and find a publisher, but ultimately it was Rowling's writing that earned her millions of fans, not Little's literary representation. And let's face it -- Little got rich off this too, at 15% of probably everything Rowling's earned to date. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. But if Little had rejected Rowling's manuscript in those early days, the author simply would have moved on to the next agent. She could have been just as successful without Little's help, but Little couldn't have had the same success without Rowling.

On the other hand, and as my dad suggested: Since Christopher Little now has a vacant spot in his agency, maybe he'd consider my Island of Fog books? Hehe. He can take ME all the way to the top, yes sirree.

How many self-published books sold to date

2011-06-30T11:26:05-04:00

I've always been interested to know how many books self-published authors are selling. I'm nosy like that. We all know that big name authors sell a bazillion copies of every title, but most self-published "Indie" authors don't sell more than a handful. It's true! So I often browse looking for facts and figures, and there are quite a few authors who are happy to blog about their endeavors and reveal everything, however meager (or spectacular!) their sales might seem. I enjoy reading those blogs. Some authors are doing much worse than I am, which makes me feel good about myself, and then there are those who sell hundreds of books a day, which makes me shake my head in wonder.

So I decided to post my own sales figures. I'm often asked how many I've sold, and I always dodge the question because it's sort of like being asked what my salary is; it just seems like it should be private information. Also, if I say to someone I've sold x amount and he's expecting a much higher figure, he might laugh at me. Or, if he's expecting a much lower figure, then it might seem like I'm bragging. Whether my sales are good or not partly depends on your expectations... but, being completely objective about it, it's safe to say that I'm doing better than some and not as good as others!

SALES FOR ALL THREE BOOKS IN THE ISLAND OF FOG SERIES

These days my books are in print as well as available on Kindle and Nook, but initially I sold only printed editions. Over time, the electronic editions have (slowly) taken over as the majority. But here are the figures to date...

483 printed editions
320 electronics editions:
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803 total

Or, going by the different titles regardless of whether they're printed or electronic, the results are pretty much what I'd expect in that the first book sells a lot more than the other two:

456 Island of Fog
196 Labyrinth of Fire
151 Mountain of Whispers
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803 total

What should I make of this? I'd prefer to see an equal number of books sold, meaning that those who bought the first book liked it enough to buy the other two. But in reality that doesn't happen. Even those who liked it might not have gotten around to buying the others, or they can't afford them. Still, I can't escape the fact that there are bound to be those who didn't like it and didn't want to buy the others. I try not to think too hard about this, though, and I tell myself that I have several incomplete series on my bookshelf (often the first book only) just because I haven't got as far as buying the others yet.

I should add that, in addition to the above figures, I've "given away" 30-50 books (reviewers, swapsies, various agents, managers and publishers, and so on. I've also got all three books in the local public libraries, and in school libraries as well, and I know they're checked out constantly (from what I've been told) -- hopefully by lots of different readers rather than one who hasn't returned them!

PRINTED VS. ELECTRONIC

I've sold more printed editions personally (signed and shipped from my home) than on Amazon. But electronic sales are taking over, and June in particular was a strangely exciting month for me. Recently I've been selling 15-30 Kindle books a month (in the US and UK), but in June I sold 64. Why? What happened? There was a big jump about a week ago, where I sold 10 overnight and then another 10 over the next few nights, and so on... but I can't figure out why. My Google Analytics reveal no sudden noteworthy spikes, so should I assume word-of-mouth recommendation on some forums somewhere? Or just coincidence? Meanwhile, Nook sales show a similar but less pronounced jump, from around 10-15 a month to 29 in June.

I'm not complaining, but this is the problem with Kindle and Nook -- all you see are numbers, and there's no way to figure out for sure what causes these numbers to rise and fall. At the beginning of May I dropped the price of the electronic Island of Fog from $2.99 to just $0.99, which is fairly standard. I'd heard that books then end up on "under a dollar" listings and sales typically increase. Well, I didn't notice the slightest difference, unless this sudden spike halfway through June was something to do with that.

Incidentally, of June's 64 Kindle sales, 58 were Island of Fog. I'm hoping that the readers will go on to buy the other two books once they're finished! Then I'll make some money, because those sell at $4.99 each (of which I get 70%).

MAKING PROFIT, OR NOT

I've read many reports of self-published authors who spend thousands of dollars setting up their books. Some of them earn their money back, and some don't. Most would agree that the money isn't really important. It's true -- obviously we all want to be rich, but that's only going to happen if we "get lucky" and start selling hundreds a day when word-of-mouth spreads like wildfire across the internet. In the meantime we Indie authors know (or should know) that we just need to get our books out there and never mind about making profit.

That said, making profit is important to me in the sense that I'm able to justify spending my time writing when I should be working. Kindle and Nook pay me money each month (June's total electronic earnings are around $75, for example) and this is money earned while not doing anything whatsoever to promote my books (apart from occasional blog posts). Ongoing monthly residual income of ANY amount is good, right?

Initially I spent $750 on an editor for Island of Fog. It was a big leap for me, but worth it. I never paid for an editor again because my brother does it for me now (he's a trained proof reader) so really the only expenses are minor fees here and there, plus stocks of books for myself. Oh, and I bought two huge banners for outdoors "event booths" at $108 a couple of years ago. But even including all these expenses, plus shipping materials and so on, to date I'm $785 in profit. Not that I really "see" that money; it's just lost in everything else, and I only have a spreadsheet to tell me the profit exists at all. But it shows me that my efforts are reaping some small, excruciatingly slow rewards in the long term.

PROMOTION, OR LACK OF

Some authors pay money to promote their books. I don't. Sometimes paid promotion reaps huge sales, and sometimes it doesn't. I have neither the time nor the interest to get into that sort of thing. Most authors agree that it's best to "get involved" with social networks and especially Kindle forums, but again, I have neither the time nor the interest. If it was as simple as posting a "Buy My Book" message, I'd do it. But it's not. You have to introduce yourself, sidle in and mingle, make small talk, add to discussions, gain respect and generally become part of the community before anyone will bother looking at your books. But it's not for me; I can't "get involved" when I really just have one ulterior motive.

So I stick to occasional blog posts. I may never sell hundreds of copies a day and become one of those self-published bestselling successes you read about in the news. But I'm doing what I like doing and I never feel like it's a chore. If it becomes a chore to write and promote your own books, then what's the point?