Never fear. The end is in sight …

15 May

If I was thinking about buying the first book in a series, such as The House in the Woods, I’d at least wonder, “What’s up with the other books?”

And if it was from a first-time novelist who admitted he had trouble finishing things in the past, I might even wonder, “Will the ending to this series even be written?”

So I want to tell you that you can relax.

The story of The Day Magic Died is told in five books, and the next four have been at least drafted. (That means they’re all written, but are still works-in-progress.)

Book Two, tentatively titled Tsilinakaya’s Path, is on course to be available in October. This week I plan to read all the way through it again, primarily looking at the story elements. If all looks good, I’ll turn it over to a proofreader, and then to three people who are “critical readers” – you know, the kind who stop halfway through a poorly written novel because they spotted problems or errors. Continue reading →

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Now published!

14 May

The House in the Old Wood is now available on Amazon.com for Kindle.

The paperback version could be available as soon as this weekend. A proof is being shipped to me, and is scheduled to arrive Thursday. If everything looks good — and I have every reason to expect it will — I will be able to approve it for distribution.

The only thing I don’t know is how long it will take Amazon.com from there. Based on the speed of their activities in regard to the Kindle version, I am thinking that the paperback version could be available this weekend.

But if you have a Kindle, here you go:


The House in the Old Wood

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Closer now

13 May

I think I kind of sort of in a small way think I understand just a little of what my youngest daughter is going through right now as she awaits the birth of her first baby.

I have submitted to Amazon everything that needs to be submitted to publish my first book, The House in the Old Wood.

Amazon is reviewing the cover and content for print edition, and the content for the Kindle edition.  It could be available for Kindle as soon as Tuesday, and I could have a proof of the printed version this week.

I’ll keep you posted.

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Not so fast …

11 May

The cover for the printed version of my first book, The House in the Old Wood, isn’t done yet.

So we took the time to go back through the manuscript again. I am increasingly confident that my wife and I have caught all the typos. Most of what we found would be classified as “style” errors. Those are things that are not necessarily wrong, but are inconsistent. For example:

  • When I am conveying what the lead character’s is thinking, I’ve italicized it. But we found one place where her thoughts were in regular type with quotation marks.
  • I’ve spelled out all numbers. This was a tough one for me. I’m used to a more newspaper-y style, where you use numerals for ten and above. But in the vast majority of books, all numbers are spelled out.
  • Names or titles in quotes — like Mom and Dad — I’ve capitalized.

So most of the things we were fixing weren’t necessarily wrong, and probably wouldn’t stand out to the typical reader. But getting those things right makes for a more professional book that people are going to be able to simply enjoy.

That’s also why I’ve used some of this time to make sure the formatting of the print book and the ebook are good. Getting them adequate wasn’t all that hard. Getting them to look professional took some time. Again, I think it makes it more likely to readers will simply be able to enjoy the books, because in paper or on a Kindle or in a Kindle program on another device, they’ll look like a professional book.

So my anticipated timeline at this point is:

  • Submit the print and electronic versions to Amazon Monday.
  • Get a proof of the print version late in the week.
  • Approve it (if it’s all fine), order some print copies and ask Amazon to list both versions.
  • And then, if all goes well, the book will be available in paperback and Kindle editions the last week of May.

I can hardly wait.

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First book almost ready …

8 May
The House in the Old Wood

Chris Holland made this Kindle cover

My first novel is so close to publication I can almost taste it.

While paper doesn’t taste very good, it’s still exciting.

The text is finalized. I’ve been through the whole book one more time and tidied up a few more things. I’ve adjusted my acknowledgments and the blurb about the author. I’ve written the back cover text. I have the formatting all figured out for print and for Kindle.

What’s left?

The cover.

My friend Chris Holland took my humdrum cover, made a few adjustments and came up with something really nice for the Kindle cover. (That’s why she’s a designer and I’m a writer.)

Now she’s going to work on a cover for the print version. Then I’ll need to get a proof of the print version, and if all looks good, we’re ready to go. The House in the Old Wood, after a review process, should be available in print and for Kindle on Amazon. (There is a review process. I don’t anticipate any problems in that phase, but there is a review.)

And while I’m tempted to just get the Kindle version out there, I’m not going to. I don’t want folks who prefer a printed book to go looking, see it’s just available on Kindle and give up.

But … soon. Really soon.

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