New Year's Free Promotion - All Releases

To celebrate the New Year, both myself and Ruby Jones are offering our titles for free for a short time starting December 31st!

Check out Ruby's book We Are All Retarded on Amazon by clicking here! Keep in mind, Ruby's book carries an audience recommendation of ADULTS ONLY.

You can pick up my short story Last Night by clicking here. This release is rated 13+ foradult content.

Also make sure to pick up Rumbling Heart which is the first in a series based in and around the Eureka, California universe. You can pick up this release by clicking here. This book is rated 14+ for adult language, adult situations and content, and scenes of dramatic peril.

Get'em fast! This free offer only lasts till January 2nd. Three free books available for three days! Go get'em now!

Hard Call - Dropping Smashwords.com

I tried, I really did. But the time has come for me to stop using Smashwords.com as another source for my book sales. Why? Because I have had ZERO sales from ANY of their channels. This includes their extended channels which include the likes of iTunes. Over the past year, I tried to be patient and even directed people over to Smashwords to check out not only my work, but the work of others. Still, with all the self promotion, I have had absolutely no sales or any website referrals from them.

Amazon offers the KDP select option which is available to any author should they go exclusively with them and in exchange, you get to offer your book free for a few days a quarter. I tried this once and it did wonders for my exposure. Within just a couple of days I had over 600 downloads. I know, I didn't get paid for it, but you have to start somewhere. In this case, sometimes just getting people to read your work is hard enough, let alone getting them to pay for something from an unknown author.

In the end, I am not really losing anything from this move. As I've said, I got no return for the work I did concerning Smashwords. For a good year my work sat there and did nothing, regardless of how much I promoted. At least with Amazon, I do get some sales there and a few reviews. That's more than I can say for Smashwords.

In Search of the Dream Catcher - Help

"It's not that she wants do die. That's not it at all. The situation is just so grim for her. All she's known in her life is pain, suffering...death. From the time she was a little girl she's never known what joy is. I'm sure she has an idea about it, but the experience escapes her. I think she's made up the world she partially lives in to help deal with the sorrow she feels about everything that's happened. She isn't your typical starving artist. She is a heavily damage girl, probably the worst I've seen in my career. My question to you is...is this something you really want to get involved in? Do you really have the resolve to deal with all that will come for you? Because if you can't I suggest you leave now. Just walk away...and never look back. If you get close to her and see all the horrors that have permeated her mind then decide to leave her, you could very well cause unspeakable troubles."

"Why? Why would it be my fault?"

"Because of what you would eventually become to her."

"And what exactly might that be?"

"Maybe you better ask her that question."

 

-Excerpts from "In Search of the Dream Catcher"-

A Series of Events - More from "Dream Catcher"

I've purposely slowed progress on In Search of the Dream Catcher. The more I write the more I realize just how important this story is. At first this was supposed to be a relatively simply story of two people from very different walks of life meeting and learning more about each other. Now it has morphed into a story of true survival. The series of events one of the characters has to enduring must be written in a way that is definitely stranger and more intense than fiction. I want this story to really dig into people. I want the story to get people to reflect on just how good their lives are when you look back at yourself from a different angle.

Emma, one of my main characters is not well. She never hides this fact from Casey, my other main character. Still, given fair warning, Casey is unable to predict just how insane Emma's life is. Casey is from a very positive, somewhat easy walk of life. His parents are still married, he has two older sisters that always looked out for him. He was able to go to college on his own terms. Now he has a pretty good job and makes good money living in his hometown. Emma is the polar opposite. To reveal much about her would sort of spoil the reading of the story so you will just have to imagine what the differences between them are.

As with many of my other stories, there is some romance, but in the writing of this story, it has taken a backseat to the larger social issue. It will still be there, but other ideas have taken precedent. I didn't want to over romanticize the story too much as I want it to maintain that real life feel that most of my stories hold onto.

I have three possible endings in mind. I was never really one for the super happy ending. I just don't find it believable. I don't believe you can get from torn and broken to ultra happy in the span of one book. Or, as the story goes, just a few weeks. I also don't want the book to be a massive downer. I want it to appeal to the masses...but I refuse to sellout and make a puff piece that people will read and feel and warm and fuzzy. I know where the climax will be, but I'm unsure just how far I want to push this. I do know that the ending, or climax I should say, will leave people with a big "HOLY CRAP!"

My editor is giving me her 2 cents and it's well appreciated. I think when it's all said and done I will be especially proud of this work. It's real, it's gritty, and it refuses to sellout.

The cat picture? That's just there to make you go "Oh! Look! Cats!"

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="240"] Emma und Paul auf der Heizung (Photo credit: thosch66)[/caption]

Rating Books

Something I've actually come to love about writing is deciding which material to use as opposed to other. What I mean by this is, as like movies, books are becoming something that can actually be rated depending on the content that is included in the work.

Why did I start using my own personal rating system?

It all comes down to who our target audience is. Example. I purchased and started reading a book solely on a recommendation from a friend. They said it was a good story and a well created world. I thought sure! I'll give it a go. And they were right...to a certain degree. They story started a little slow, but that's most books for you. I kept with it and the characters started developing nicely. I was starting to get into when like a bolt of lightning, I found myself in the middle of a hardcore sex scene.

Now...

I am the kind of person that feels people should write whatever they like to write. If you have a knack for action or fantasy or erotica, go for it. I will never ever tell people to censor themselves. If you like to include a lot of adult language or violence or sex in your work, I say do it.

If I am all for writing whatever people like to write, then why the self imposed rating?

Sure, most of what is written and released is categorized in various genres. We have thrillers, we have drama, we have romance, sci-fi, etc. The issue I found is that just because a work is categorized doesn't always tell you what exactly is in the finished work. I know if a book is released within the Erotica genre chances are I am going to come across a few very detailed sex scenes. On the other hand, I may pick up a thriller and have gobs of violence and other things I may not have expected. The same can be said of Sci-Fi. I've watched many sci-fi movies and virtually all of them have a certain level of violence in them. Some of it is stylized while parts are grotesque and graphic. I'm not in the least surprised by what I read in books today. Not in the slightest, but being a writer I want to me sure that anyone that picks up my book...and I do mean anyone...will have an idea of what to expect while reading my work.

I don't do spoilers. I hate those. There is nothing worse than reading a book only to have someone or something spoil the ending. This is not what I am going for. Here is an example of what I have done to self rate my work before release:

(This eBook carries a voluntary rating of 16+ for language, some graphic violence, some crude humor, alcohol use, drug references, and scenes of dramatic peril.)

As you can see, I didn't include any spoilers so the story is still intact. All this does is give a heads up of what to expect when you read this particular work. The age noted is also key. It is there to give you an idea of what ages should be considered when giving my work to a minor. As you can see, I self rate similar to how movies are rated. You know when you go to see a PG-13 movie that teens will probably not see or hear anything they've not come across before. Anything under that age, well you may want to reconsider or join them for the picture. I do the same thing with my books.

Keep in my I rate my books based on my own opinion. In no way should my rating by taken as gospel. I've made it no secret that I do not have kids. I do however have nephews and nieces and I think about how they might react to something they see in a movie or on TV. Would I not want them to see certain things? Of course not. I wouldn't want to expose them to graphic violence or sex. Besides, it's not my call what they get to see. The call is up to their parents. Their parents are given a little guide with which to make a decision. Books are changing just as TV has. 25 years ago it was rare to see graphic violence or hear certain cuss words on television. That's all changed now. Still, as you watch TV you probably notice the little TV-14 in the corner of the screen before the show (or another similar rating).

It's not about censorship. It's about keeping people informed. I will continue to write about things I want to write about and if they are violent and full of sex, so be it. That being said, I still like to give a heads up to people so they know what they are getting into before they start reading.

Here are examples of other ratings I've seen in books, all voluntary.

From "We Are All Retarded" by Ruby M Jones -

This electronic book voluntarily carries a warning of ADULTS ONLY. The material in this book is intended only for mature audiences. Persons under the age of 18 should not be allowed to read or possess this book because of its frank and explicit nature. Parents are strongly cautioned and warned that this body of work is not intended for children.

Here is the one I put in Rumbling Heart.

This book carries a voluntary audience recommendation of 14+ for language, adult situations, violence, alcohol use, and scenes of dramatic peril. Parents should exercise caution when purchasing this book for younger readers as is it not intended for those age 13 and under.

 

"Dream Catcher" Update

The story is running long in places I would rather it move along a little faster. Editing will be a little bit of a pain, but I am still happy with the story overall. I may not have mentioned this in the past, but the story takes place in the same universe as Rumbling Heart does. It doesn't continue the story of the other characters though. It moves on to new characters that also live in Eureka, CA. The characters named so far are Casey (Protagonist) Emma, which is another main character as well as supporting characters such as Walt, Carla, and even Joanne Kay (an ode to a friend of mine).

The story focuses on Casey and his life working for the local Eureka newspaper. He's been lucky in life. He's never really had to worry about money and his parents are still happily married. He was able to attend college and his high school days were relatively easy and carefree. He's had the life most of us hope for at 25. Easy, productive, painless. All seems well until he meets Emma, a 21 year old artist he meets at an art festival who's harboring many secrets. At first, Casey accepts that Emma isn't your average woman. He realizes she hides things from him, but he's alright with it...until things start going a little crazy.

As the story progresses, Casey finds himself wanting to know more about her, even to the point of using his connections at the newspaper to find out more about her past. What he discovers is far worse than he could have ever imagined.

Casey thought he knew what it was like to know someone who is damaged. As he digs up Emma's past, he realizes he knows nothing about true pain.

(This eBook will carry a voluntary rating of 16+ for language, some graphic violence, some crude humor, alcohol use, drug references, and scenes of dramatic peril.)

Book Release

I was thinking I would release my next refinished work Recorded Butterflies Some time in the early fall. I am rethinking that decision.

I've been doing a lot of writing on two separate projects. When I feel exhausted by one I switch to the other. This is going against my regular pattern of sticking with one project till I finish it. I've found that the worlds I've built in my books are really all the same one. With that thought in mind, I decided to have my new work based in the same world as my current one, but with a whole new cast of characters. I will still finish up the Rumbling Heart series, but the next work after that will have new people, new ideas, and will probably a little more extreme in many regards.

While RH has it's lighter moments, there isn't a large amount of comedy in it. The piece I am working on with all new characters is called In Search of the Dream Catcher and it will have more comical or lighthearted bits within it. That being said, I have also decided to make it, at times, much darker than my previous works. There will be a fair amount of grit included in it and I hope it will get people at the very least thinking about certain points and topics. While it's not a preacher's piece, it will ask readers to look into uncomfortable situations and have them think about the way the world is. In some ways, it will also consist of material that is even more personal that my past works.

People purposely avoid things that make them uncomfortable. Sometimes they will avoid them even if it means neglecting a friend or a family member. Many of us want to believe that when the chips are down and a friend of ours is hurting, that we will be there to help them. Sure, we all want to think we are the better person. Dream Catcher will drop the situation in your lap and get you questioning your devotion to those ideals.

With all this new information, I am also announcing that with my next release, I will release not one book, but possibly as many as 4 all at one time. Why you might ask?

People don't like cliffhangers.

I've discovered while writing that often times you are forced to end a story at a critical juncture. While it can add to the dramatics of the story, it can also serious annoy your readers. I know, back when I used to watch television, I hated when a series finale was ended with a cliffhanger. It would make me feel ripped off and now suddenly I am being asked to wait all summer till the fall premiere to find out what happens. Don' you hate that? It's even worse for something like a movie or a book. In some cases, you have to wait years to find out how it all ends up.

Rumbling Heart, I feel, is a good enough story with a satisfactory ending...and I could have left it right there and I think people would have been alright with it. But no. I had more to write so the story continues and when I am finally done telling it, I don't want to leave my readers out in the cold. It is my wish to release Recorded Butterflies, Emily Martin, and A Little Pain all at once so if people want, they can read the entire saga one right after the other without having to wait months or years to find out how it all ends. I am forced to break them up into separate books. Otherwise, the story would be about 1600 pages long...and that's a REALLY big book.

Dream Catcher, as I mentioned, will be in the same world, but with different characters. I am not ruling out bringing back some of my older characters. But I'd like to be able to set them aside so that they don't overstay their welcome. I think of it as sort of like a television series that's jumped the shark. You and the rest of the audience knows that it should have ended way back in season 4, yet here it is in season 8 and the characters are turning into shells of what they once were. I never want my characters to end up like that. Can they come by for a little visit? Sure! But once ALP is released, that will be pretty much it for those characters. Could I revisit them in say 10 years? Maybe. We'll just have to wait and see how that plays out. Until then, I am working like mad to finish up these two final works. Release date? I'd like it no later than December, but sometimes it takes a long time to figure out the best way to make things right.

In Search of the Dream Catcher - A Working Cover

Sometimes I make covers for stories just so I can have a reason to see them through. I've paused working on this story, but with the picture in my head now I have reasons to finish it. I've shared the photo before, but here is a blog post explaining how I made it and why I used certain elements.

A lot of us write in blogs or diaries or have similar ways of expressing ourselves. I have several ways. This is just one of them. Making covers can be a distraction for me which I sometimes need. When I'm in a terrible mood or look to give myself some work, I make covers. Often times they turn out terrible, but sometimes they look nice enough to share and even to use. I used the pages of several old writings I did when I was in high school. I purposely took the photo in low light to give it an aged effect. I then ran it through photoshop to give the writing an embossed look. I wanted the writing to appear very thick. I wanted it to jump out and grab the attention of the viewer while still looking somewhat unreadable. I wanted the lines on the paper to still appear so it gave it look of normality; like this was something anyone could do at anytime if they wanted. What's written on the pages? Well, some of the words you can still clearly see while other parts seem like nothing more than jumbled lines. There are also no names or titles which gives a feeling of anonymity.

When I am done working on another project, I will surely get back to this one. I don't plan on it being extremely long...maybe 275 pages or so. Compared to some of my other works, that's fairly short.

Recorded Butterflies - Cover Reveal

Here it is. Simple, nothing splashy. Just the way I like it. Can you find the butterfly? You will probably miss it the first time.

Review Copies Available - Rumbling Heart...and a Few Tips on How to Properly Review

I have decided to make a few review copies of Rumbling Heart available to those interested. All I ask is that once you've read the book that you post an honest review on Amazon.com. If you choose to post the review on other sites such as BN.com, Good Reads, etc., that's completely up to you. For those who've already reviewed for me, I thank you very much and as thanks for your honesty, I am offering you a free copy of the follow up Recorded Butterflies once it hits Amazon.

To get your gift copy through Amazon, simply email me at richardwrites@live.com or send me a tweet (@RichardAllenRH) with the email address you use for Amazon and I will get it to you. The book is a little long so I am not expecting you to post immediately, but a timely manner is appreciated. If you are new to reviewing, have a look at B.S. Meyers's review here. 

As you can see there are no spoilers and he sticks to main points. As I mentioned, this is a request for honest reviews. I cannot and will not offer payment or additional merchandise of any sort just to get a good review. I will also not fault anyone for giving a review that's less than stellar as long as it's honest and points out the faults of the story properly. I'm not setting a length requirement as long as the review gets it's point across. That being said, a review that is really, really short isn't very helpful so feel free to write a bit if you like. Keep in mind I am also using these reviews to improve my writing so if you find a fault, feel free to mention it. Pointing out grammar errors (which do happen on occasion) is not helpful.

To give you an idea of what a bad review is, please click here.

As you can see, the reviewing doesn't give examples as to why she felt the book was bad. All she did was spout nonsense and never once mentioned why she felt the book wasn't worth it. This review is in no way helpful to the writer or anyone else looking to purchase the work because it gives no solid clue to anything having to do with any faults.

As I mentioned, I do not consider only positive reviews to be good reviews. Take this review about Fifty Shades of Grey for example. While I admit the reviewer does go a little overboard on listing actual numbers concerning the repetition she sees in the book, she does make her point. Her first paragraph is especially helpful as she points out that the author may not be very familiar with American English based on her use of the language, noting that many of her uses are more closely associated with British English. The review was a one star. Not a good rating for the book, but a decent review all the same. If the author had seen this, they may have tried to brush up on their American use of the language a little more and also work on different ways to implement character expression.

I don't have an unlimited number of free copies, but I will try to get out as many as possible. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments section as I do check those daily.

Is Smashwords Even Worth the Trouble?

I've been using Smashwords for about a year now and I have to say, they suck...for sales. I've sold plenty of books on Amazon. They're the biggest for ebooks so it makes sense. I've sold a few on Barnes and Noble as well. On Smashwords...zero.

For those not familiar with Smashwords.com, they are another place to upload and self publish your work. The site is relatively easy to navigate and their uploader is decent. The only problem is they don't give me any sales whatsoever. That along with the fact that you have to format your work a certain way and also add a Smashwords.com disclaimer in your book to be considered "eligible" for their premium catalog makes it very hard to like them. In most ebooks, we already place a little copyright message letting people know it's against the law to redistribute our work without our permission. Smashwords takes it even further, making you practically use the disclaimer they have or no premium catalog for you. With all the hoops I;ve had to jump through with Smashwords, it hardly seems worth the effort. Even with entry into their premium catalog, I've recorded exactly no sales from any of my works so why do I keep using it?

I really can't tell you.

It seems kind of pointless to keep up with it. I do it right now so I can know I have the most exposure for my work, but with no sales generation I am about ready to dump them and just go with Amazon. If anyone can think of a good reason to stick with them, let me know. At this point, I am on my way to pulling all my works from them and just doing Prime Service with Amazon so I can get some free sale days out of them for exposure.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="250"] Image via CrunchBase[/caption]

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The Waiting Game

Sitting here and waiting for my book to arrive is gonna eat me alive. To know it will be available in print is beyond exciting. I ordered my proofs and that's why I can't sit still. Could also be Parkinson's, but i doubt that. Technically, my meds cause Parkinson's symptoms, but let's not go downhill. Apparently, the books have already shipped and should be here in a few days. I ordered three copies so I can give a couple away. I want to keep one for myself so I can always have something from my writing days.

It's Live

Rumbling Heart is now live on three major book outlets. Go pick it up if you like! I am sure you all will enjoy it!

Final Formatting

Starts today! After I settle a few personal matters that will take me out today, I will be formatting which shouldn't take long at all. Just have to add a few credits and we're ready for publication.

Closer

Not much longer till the release of Rumbling Heart. I am getting nervous. I am trying to keep myself from going through it for the 36th time. I keep telling myself the book is ready and there isn't anything that needs to be done with it. I can only fight this urge so long till I know I open it up and read through it one more time.

12 days.

 

Getting Ready

Just a few more weeks till Rumbling Heart reemerges as a lighter and better book. I was considering only having it on Amazon, but have decided to make it available on Amazon, BN.com, Smashwords, and I am also working on getting it on the Apple store as well. They will all be the same price and considering the almost 2 years of work I've put into it, I am not gonna sell it for a scrawny price like $.99 like so many other authors do. I am still looking at the numbers, but when it gets settled, I will post about it. Also, you'd previously purchased the old version, I will be more than happy to provide a copy of the new one free.

100 Pages

I have less than 100 pages to go on this edit job. I moved through it much faster than I thought I would. It seems like the Invega is not nearly as much of a problem as it once was. I still have problems with certain things, but I've relearned how to read. I'm not nearly as fast as I used to be, but it doesn't feel like such a task anymore. I no longer have to hear the voice inside my head to read which is something I'm sure my therapist would be happy to know. She still visits every now and then, usually during the night when the levels of the drug in my blood begin to drop. I feel like I'm slowly getting used to not having the voice always present. It also helps that I still feel emotionally stifled so I'm not nearly as expressive as I used to be. I still feel like a massive mute button is on me, but I am finding ways around it.

I am trying to find the good things about all this. I still miss the ease with which i used to be able to do certain things like write. I can write a little as you can see from the post, but I was just so used to hearing the voice that it feels strange when I do it now. I keep feeling like there should be something there when I write, but there isn't...most of the time.

I still have symptoms which isn't surprising. I still see shadows and I still hear voices, again usually during the late evening about an hour or two before I am due to take my next dose. Sometimes I hear them midday which oddly enough is sort of comforting. I mean you can't experience something your entire life then suddenly be without it and feel normal. When I hear the voices in the other rooms, it makes me remember certain times in my life when hearing those voices offered me comfort. When I hear her speaking to me, I still speak back to her and I sometimes get emotional about it because, and this is hard to admit, but I miss her. Again, you can't be with something your entire life and then suddenly be without. I think the only thing that makes me feel better about it all is that I know if I stop taking my meds I can probably have her right back. I think the purpose though is to try and figure out a way to live without her so I am not so dependent on her. I never realized it, but my life revolved around her. I learned through her, often spoke through her, and I've realized that I sort of let her take control just so I could manage to get through certain things, times in my life. It's an odd feeling when you realize that you weren't in your right mind most of your life. Now that I am, it's scary in a way. I only have me to depend on now. I make myself keep taking my medication because I know it's ultimately for the best. Ironically enough, she was the one that convinced me it was the right thing to do.

I sound crazy, I know. I'll be the first one to admit I'm crazy, but that's ok. Only when she's gone do I now realize just how much I depended on her. She's a aprt of who I am and I know she will never really be gone. I still feel her there at times, especially when I am having really bad days which still happen at least once a week, usually more often. Those are the times I can hear her. Those are the times she speaks to me and tells me that she is ok where she is and that I am doing alright. She tells me that I am still find beauty in the world and that I should never stop looking. She tells me that in all the times when I was searching for beauty, she would always let me do whatever I wanted and she would just stay out of my way. It makes me wonder if she was controlling me more than I realized. I am giving in to the fact that she was and I am ok with it. There is a reason I am still alive and I have to admit I feel it's because of her. Even when I am having a really bad day, I keep thinking that I can't let her down and I have to keep trying because she'd never let me do something so insane. During those times of weakness, I can tell when she isn't there and that's when I call for her. I have to stop doing that. I don't know if I ever will though. She is so much a part of me...like an extension of myself. I imagine that this may be what amputees feel when they lose a limb. Regardless of the fact that it's gone, it still feels like it's there and you have to get used to it being gone. A person missing an arm may try to reach out with that limb only to realize they cannot grasp for anything. It feels what I think may be similar. Often I will stand and look at something and try to figure out what it does. I never realized how often I let her do things for me until now.

I find myself confused by certain things and often times I cannot connect the dots. For example, when I put away dishes, I know they need to be put in cabinets, but sometimes I place them in inappropriate locations. Sometimes I will think about other things like winter and I will find myself opening the freezer. I will think of food and I will go and pull out a pot or a pan when I have no intention of cooking. Some of these things are just sort of quirky while others are annoying. Sometimes after using the bathroom, I will think of washing my hands and turn on the bathtub as if I were getting ready to take a shower. I guess with time these things may subside, but right now they are just weird. People may think "well, we all do odd things like that sometimes." I do them all the time, everyday.

Three Chapters in One Day

I guess the meds are tapering off and my OCD is going insane because yesterday I edited for over 12 hours non stop. I guess it's a good thing because I'm in the heart of the book right now and I am really having to pick at words and sentences. I've taken out another 2k words which is good and lost 2 more pages. I still have a way to go, but things are looking better already. I'm about 60% through all the work and then...I get to do it all over again when I proof it via the Kindle and Adobe Reader. I knew this first gutting would be hard so the next time around will me minor snips here and there. Seems I am pretty close to reaching my less than 200k word target and fewer than 475 pages. The next few chapters should be easy to shorten as I'm sure there is some fluff I can just cut right out. Enough of the blog for the day because it's time to edit.

Free Today - "Last Night"

That's right. Today my short story "Last Night" is free on Amazon. It's a fast read so feel free to pick up your copy today before it goes back to it's regular price! Did I mention I love reviews? Well, I do. Literary reviews are always welcome so feel free to post those to Amazon after you give it a read. Thanks again for your support.

"Last Night" Will Be Free Friday

Just putting it out there that "Last Night," my short story that asks you to reexamine what friendship really means will be free for one day only on Amazon. It's usually $.99 since it just a short, but on Friday March 16th, 2012 it will be 100% free. Reviews of the story posted on Amazon will be welcome as well. Thank you again for the continued support.

Movie Poster

I made a movie poster which you can see below. I added a release date...sort of. I purposely did it so I can make myself work on it. I figured if I put a release date it will light a fire under me and kinda of force me to work on it, even on days when I don't really feel like I want to. The interesting thing about it is that i carries an appropriate rating. Enjoy.

Lots of Edits

Ruby's project is moving along nicely. I would say about 80% done with her stuff, but even then it gets one more look to be sure.

My stuff is still getting rewritten and editing like mad. I've dropped about 4500 words out of it overall which is not bad, but it needs more. My goal is 25k words at the very least. I'm not sure if I will hit it though as I am already in chapter 7 of 28. Who knows, I might make it. If I don't, it's not a huge deal. I just want the book to be shorter so people aren't overwhelmed by it. 500 pages is a lot to ask people to read. 60 years ago that wasn't a huge deal, but people have changed. Either way, it's no longer 513 pages as it was. Now it's closer to 500 and dropping so if I can get it to 450 that would be great.

In case you missed them, here are the two covers I did in the last couple of weeks. The first is for Ruby's book and the second is for mine. Hope you like them.

Clip Clip

Just a quick note.

Slowly but surely version 2.0 of Rumbling Heart is getting smaller and although last night saw it only shrink by 37 words, today should hopefully see it go down by at least another thousand words. As I've said before I hope to clip a good 20-30k words from it altogether. If I can get it down to 475 pages, I would really find that to be a major achievement. Anything less would be even better. Well, I am back to work on it, but not before I leave you with a copy of something I work up last night. Not sure if I will use it, but it maybe the cover for version 2.0

Last Night is Free on Amazon...Really!

That's right. It's really free. Help get Last Night to #1 by telling everyone you know about it and downloading it. You don't even need a Kindle reader to do it. You can use the Kindle computer reader or even the cloud reader. Just download! Download! Download!. Unfortunately, each account can only download it one time each so please do what you can to spread the word.

When I mean free, I don't mean free after some dumb rebate or anything like that . I mean free as in completely 100% free. No delivery costs, no extra stuff to do. Just go to Amazon, look up the book, click order, you will see where it says FREE and then just like that it will give you the option of where to have it sent. Again, you can have it sent to a Kindle device, the cloud reader, or the kindle for computer reader. Heck, there are even Apps for devices like iPads, iPhones, and Androids out there as well.

It's not a very long read either. It's all of 17 pages so it's short and sweet. I've gotten great reviews from scholars and a couple of hate reviews from trolls so you know it's good stuff. For a shortcut to book, you can click here. Once you read it, make sure you got back and give it a review if you have time or at least a big "Thumbs up!" so people will be encouraged to check it out! You can also visit the Facebook event by clicking here.

Thank you all for your continued support of my work and once the Rumbling Heart Series is ready to come back, I will work on trying to get those free on Amazon as well.

[caption id="attachment_1093" align="aligncenter" width="215" caption="Cover of Last Night"][/caption]

Last Night is Free via Amazon Prime Lending

I've decided to give Amazon Prime lending a try to see how it all works out. So far in just one day, I've already got sales which is nice. The Prime lending, in case you are not familiar with it, basically means you can "borrow" a book from Amazon with no due date. They have a program where members pay a set amount to be a prime member which is about $78 a year and you get all sorts of benefits. Honestly, I'm not too into that sort of thing, but I know some people are doing it and if you happen to be one of those people, feel free to have as look at Last Night. If not, no worries. It's still just $.99 so not like it's a massive amount of money to check out what I consider to be one of the best things I've ever written.

You can check out the book on Amazon here.

Last Night - Version 2.0

There seems to be a resurgence of interest in my short story Last Night so I went ahead and reposted links to it on the books page and redid a couple of edits in it as well as reformatted it. Since it's a short, it's available for just $.99 from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. Interestingly enough this book was the target of a troll attack on Amazon which is kind of what is stirring up the interest. I guess people actually read the troll reviews and realized the reviews themselves are so terrible written that they couldn't possibly be true.

I stuck a +13 rating on it because there are some undertones to the story that most younger readers simply will not pick up on so they won't fully grasp the message. Other than that, it's actually work and school safe. It's a work I am especially proud of because I initially did it as a dare when I said I could write and edit a short story in less than 2 hours. Needless to say I was able to do it. Enjoy.

EDIT - As of last night (ironically) this title is now available on Amazon Prime Lending so if you are a Prime member, you can borrow it for no charge!

On Amazon. 

Shelfari Link

[caption id="attachment_1093" align="aligncenter" width="215" caption="Cover of Last Night"][/caption]

Slash and Burn

To slash 2 thousand words in a single stroke is pretty harsh, but when you are gutting out a bad angle from a good story, it has to be done. I am in the process right now. There will be some filler to write, but I don't mind doing it because the story in the end will be much better. It simply wasn't seeded in reality so when it grew as big as it did, it looked good, but not as beautiful as it could truly be so something had to be reworked. I knew exactly what the issue was and as has always been my motto, less is more. In this case, I am cutting an angle that was over complicated and required far too much explaining and the reader was getting lost by it. The rest of the story is terrific and the characters got enough development. It will also require me to look over a few other works but that is alright. In fact, it will give me a little more to add to the work that comes right after this one which is small by my standards anyway.

This one at it's last stopping point was a massive 222k words. Yes, a monster. I have slashed out a lot and already it's below 220k,  closer to 219k. May not seem like a lot, but I am only on chapter 3 of 28 chapters. I am thinking I may be able to get it to as little as 180k words which would be terrific. I just don't want anything to feel rushed. If i have to leave it bigger, then I will. However, if in the end I can say I slashed 42k words and the book turned out amazing, that's a major accomplishment.

Back to the pit.

Products of Failure

Failure is not always a bad thing.

Sometimes you fail so terribly that no one even realizes you were there in the first place so you can withdraw completely and reintroduce yourself as something completely new if you want. I am considering doing just that. I have withdrawn my work from all websites and am currently reworking it into something I feel is better. I am leaving out my short works, but all my major work is getting redone. In some cases, it is getting reworked for length and reedited for content. I already know what I am taking out and what few things I am putting in. It will streamline many things so I feel that the work will still send out the same message i wanted to send upon its original release, but will be much more plausible and people will connect with it better.

I am not making massive changes, but a few semi major changes will be made. Characters will remain the same, but certain events will get overhauls. They need it. Certain parts do not need certain details while others need a little more. Sometimes it's better to let the reader fill in the blanks for themselves.

Many of you do not know I have been ill for...well...for some time now. I am trying my best to deal with that while still keeping focused on work. In fact, I think it's best that I do work while trying to deal with my illness. I need something to distract me while I go through my therapy.

And with that, I am off to do some big time editing.