New short story; Stay Awhile and Listen update
New Short Story: "Kylie's Angel"
The anthology of stories collecting my first horror short, Kylie's Angel, is now available on Amazon! In my humble opinion (the only type of opinion I ever have, I assure you), Kylie's Angel and my second most recent short story, Shara's Path, represent my best work in short fiction so far. For both of them, I focused on honing my skills in character development and atmosphere, and feel I succeeded on both counts. I hope you'll give them a read, as each sits among several other fine stories as well.
Stay Awhile and Listen: Progress Report
This behemoth is the biggest reason I haven't had much time to blog lately, or work on much else aside from gotta-pay-the-bills projects. But, the book's going well. I finished the first draft on May 7, let it sit for a month so I could come back to it with fresh eyes, and began the first rewrite early last week.
Besides going through the first draft and cleaning up all the messes I made (Ah, first drafts. Can't write without them, can't burn them for warmth. Actually, I have a fireplace...), I'm getting in touch with my many interview subjects and peppering them for more information that fills in holes I stumbled into during initial composition. I've also tracked down a few new folks and am working in their information.
And now, a moment to gush. I am so pleased with how the first draft turned out, messes and all, and even more excited about how the rewrite is progressing. It's so freaking awesome to hold the manuscript in my hands as tangible proof that the full story behind Diablo and Blizzard North--and quite a bit about Blizzard Entertainment as well--actually exists. Although I can't hold the manuscript for long. I didn't label it a "behemoth" for nothing.
Once the book is finished and ready to be uploaded to vendors for purchase, I plan to write what I've come to refer to as a book breakdown, a behind-the-scenes dissection of how the book came together. Expect details concerning the writing process and, in the case of nonfiction books such as Stay Awhile, tidbits on how I went about tracking down people for interviews and organizing all my info.
A lot of readers enjoy learning the nitty-gritty of how books are written and published, just like how movie buffs buy DVDs as much for the making-of featurettes as for the films themselves, so book breakdowns should satisfy those interested in the magic (and the not-so-fun stuff) that is writing a book. I'll write a book breakdown for every book I publish, because if for no other reason, reflecting on how a story came to be is important to me. I also plan to write breakdowns for my short stories as well.
Future updates will be infrequent until I've got bigger news to share. In the meantime, Amie and I update the DM Press Facebook page with book updates more often than I update my blog, so if you're not already following us on Facebook, get to e-stalking!
The anthology of stories collecting my first horror short, Kylie's Angel, is now available on Amazon! In my humble opinion (the only type of opinion I ever have, I assure you), Kylie's Angel and my second most recent short story, Shara's Path, represent my best work in short fiction so far. For both of them, I focused on honing my skills in character development and atmosphere, and feel I succeeded on both counts. I hope you'll give them a read, as each sits among several other fine stories as well.
Stay Awhile and Listen: Progress Report
This behemoth is the biggest reason I haven't had much time to blog lately, or work on much else aside from gotta-pay-the-bills projects. But, the book's going well. I finished the first draft on May 7, let it sit for a month so I could come back to it with fresh eyes, and began the first rewrite early last week.
Besides going through the first draft and cleaning up all the messes I made (Ah, first drafts. Can't write without them, can't burn them for warmth. Actually, I have a fireplace...), I'm getting in touch with my many interview subjects and peppering them for more information that fills in holes I stumbled into during initial composition. I've also tracked down a few new folks and am working in their information.
And now, a moment to gush. I am so pleased with how the first draft turned out, messes and all, and even more excited about how the rewrite is progressing. It's so freaking awesome to hold the manuscript in my hands as tangible proof that the full story behind Diablo and Blizzard North--and quite a bit about Blizzard Entertainment as well--actually exists. Although I can't hold the manuscript for long. I didn't label it a "behemoth" for nothing.
Once the book is finished and ready to be uploaded to vendors for purchase, I plan to write what I've come to refer to as a book breakdown, a behind-the-scenes dissection of how the book came together. Expect details concerning the writing process and, in the case of nonfiction books such as Stay Awhile, tidbits on how I went about tracking down people for interviews and organizing all my info.
A lot of readers enjoy learning the nitty-gritty of how books are written and published, just like how movie buffs buy DVDs as much for the making-of featurettes as for the films themselves, so book breakdowns should satisfy those interested in the magic (and the not-so-fun stuff) that is writing a book. I'll write a book breakdown for every book I publish, because if for no other reason, reflecting on how a story came to be is important to me. I also plan to write breakdowns for my short stories as well.
Future updates will be infrequent until I've got bigger news to share. In the meantime, Amie and I update the DM Press Facebook page with book updates more often than I update my blog, so if you're not already following us on Facebook, get to e-stalking!