What a Way to End the Year!

Well, I wanted to get my writing back on track, and here it is. As of right now, my first published book in over two years is being processed by Amazon. I'm not sure if I'm going to count it as 2022 (since I finished writing and submitting it prior to the New Year) or 2023 (since it won't be approved and ready for sale until then). I'll probably wait to make that decision until I see how well I'm maintaining my yearly goals. Is that cheating? Only if I get caught.

So, what exactly is the book? It's the first book in an ongoing fantasy series. The series is 'The Shadowmage Saga'. The first book is titled, 'Apprentice'. Here's the cover:

It's not the snazziest cover, I know. But it is an excellent representation of the Forbidden Lands, a locale in the book (obviously). Since I have to rely on stock images for the moment until I can afford to pay a decent cover artist (shout-out to greyghost at Fiverr!), this will have to do.

The book is, at the moment, only going to be available as an ebook. I'm going to hold out on the paperback until I can hopefully get a proper cover done up.

So, what's it about? Well, there are a couple of hints on the cover. It involves saving the world, and saving children. Saving them from what? Bad things. Very, very bad things. But don't worry, this is a fantasy aimed at intelligent young adult readers. No sex, no bad language, reasonable levels of violence (and no gory stuff). As you know, I want to write stuff my kids and grandkids can read without needing parental advisory warnings.

The basic idea is this: Jandar, an apprentice to the Shadowmage, is sent on a mission of great importance to rescue some tribal humans from their magic-wielding oppressors. Why him and not the Shadowmage? Because master wizards are always too busy for that sort of thing, that's why. Jandar gets the short-end of the straw and gets to go save everyone while putting his own life in terrible peril. Because if he didn't, then the book would be really boring.

It's not a Harry Potter style book. It's a bit different from my Meterra books as well, although it's very much of a pulp style, with the action being pretty continuous throughout the book. I had the idea for this book years and years ago, and now it's a reality. I'm excited, and I hope you will be as well. I will post the link to the book as soon as it gets approved by Amazon. The book will be available for the very reasonable ebook price of $4.99 US, and it will be available in all Amazon markets around the world.

So, there it is. What a way to end 2022. I feel good about 2023, I really do. It's going to be a great year. Happy New Year, everyone!

Goals for 2023

I know, it's a bit presumptuous to set writing goals when I haven't been doing much writing for the past couple of years, but I need something to get my creative juices flowing at pulp speed. It's good to be sitting at the keyboard again and putting words to paper, but goals are important. So, let's see what we can do.

First, I'm going to set a reasonable goal of one published book per month in 2023. That's twelve books, whether they be novels or short story collections (more likely the former). Genre doesn't really matter, although I expect there will be a fairly even mix of fantasy and mystery. Maybe four of each. I would like to get another Meterra book done, as well as (of course) more Cameron Vail. I don't know about sci-fi; it's not my go-to genre. But we'll see.

I also want to keep my blog more consistent; daily writing is important, and forcing myself to post daily will help keep me on track for the rest of my writing.

If I'm going to write a book a month, I'm going to need to be consistently writing a minimum of a thousand words per day. Two thousand would be better, but one thousand has to be the floor. Thirty thousand words is a decent book; my mysteries have clocked in at roughly those numbers so far. But forty-five thousand or so should be a reasonable expectation.

So far, these goals seem reasonable and achievable, which is important. But there are other things going on in life besides writing. I do, after all, live on a farm. So, I'm going to set some farming goals as well.

The most important goal is to increase our income from the farm so I can move to a full-time at-home situation instead of driving to town every day to work. That isn't going to happen this year, but it's time to show some significant improvement in the farm income.

Our income from the farm this year came from three main sources: eggs, chicken, and pork. We didn't sell any vegetables from the garden; we just didn't grow enough. But next year, the gardens will be bigger, and I think I learned a lot in 2021 and 2022. So, we might see some actual income from the gardens in 2023.

As for the meat, we're planning to sell lots of meat chickens and raise three pigs instead of just two. For the chickens, the Cornish Cross breed is a quick-growing breed; eight to ten weeks from hatching to butchering. If we can grow a bunch of them (fifty or so) in the spring and sell them, we can do the same in the summer and fall as well. Two or even three sets of meat birds will be an excellent source of income. We're also looking at learning how to butcher them ourselves, which will save a lot of money; it costs quite a bit to butcher a chicken.

We also have laying hens, although we're going to be streamlining the flock to focus on one particular breed of chicken. We'll have to look over our egg production to see if selling them as a consistent product is a viable option. We had some issues with eggs this year; we need to make sure we do better for 2023.

As for pork, we did okay with raising the pigs this year, considering we had no clue what we were doing and we started late in the year. Our pigs weighed over 280 pounds each after slaughter, and we got a LOT of meat from them. Forty pounds of bacon alone. We actually sold enough pork that we made a profit and still had plenty of meat left over (including the bacon). So, we're going to look at picking up three bacon seeds this spring and raising them for the meat. We had enough takers for our pork packages this year that I have no doubt we'll do even better next year.

Finally, the big question: Should we get a couple of cows? I'm inclined to say 'no' right now, although I won't rule it out for later in the year. The main reason is because we're still new at this, and we don't have anywhere to put the cows for now. Which is ironic, since this used to be a dairy farm. But we've repurposed the barns, so bringing cows in would be a major undertaking.

Now, I can see the pros to raising a couple of cows. First, milk. Dairy products are getting insanely expensive here on the Island. Having a milking cow would mean we'd have a steady supply of milk, cream and butter that didn't cost us anything beyond the feed. But it would require me to get up every damn morning and milk the cow. The second cow would be a beef steer; raising a beef cow would mean we would be set for the year with whatever meat we wanted. But it's not going to be cheap.

So, it's something to think about for the upcoming year. In the meantime, though, writing has to happen. I'm going to get to that now.

Back to Formula...?

 

Yes, back to formula. Specifically, the writing formula. The one that has been successful for hundreds if not thousands of professional writers. And what is that formula? It depends on who you ask.

No, it's not that the formula is different. Not exactly, at least. The variations are there, but they are slight, often just in wording the same idea in different ways.

Now, bear in mind, there are two schools of thought on writing. The first one, and the one that most people think is the only acceptable one, is the one that involves outlining books, rewriting and polishing a manuscript, and sending it off to a publisher or an agent in the hopes of being signed to the next Stephen King contract.

The second one, and the one that works better for me (and many, many other writers, even if they don't publicly admit it) is where you just write. Finish the book, spell-check it, give it to a reader to do another spelling and grammar check, then publish the thing on Amazon or some other online self-publishing outlet. No re-writing after it's done.

My mentor in this...actually, I've had a few, but the most immediate one is Dean Wesley Smith, who has written and published a few hundred books over the years, as well as run his own publishing house. He's the one who introduced me, through his blog, to Heinlein's Rules, as well as my first awakening to the possibilities of writing, Pulp Speed. It was that post that made me sit up and realize that all my beliefs about writing were wrong. I didn't have to sit and rewrite constantly; I didn't have to spend weeks worldbuilding and outlining. Just sit down and write. That's how the professionals did it back in the days of the Pulps, and that's how many of them still do it today.

It's a simple formula; just write. And it's one I've neglected for quite a while as we got the farm established. But it's time to get back to formula and make the magic happen once again. 2023 will be a great year.

Back at the Keyboard...

...And it's about time. This won't be about farming, nosiree. There's writing to be done!

I've completed another fantasy book. It's not Meterra; it's an idea I've been toying with for quite a few years. I laid down the foundation of the book a couple of years ago, but only now is it ready to be read and published. I've sent it to my first reader (Hi, Mom!).

I think one of the things that's held me back from getting more stuff published is the dearth of usable cover art. If I had even a modicum of artistic talent, I'd look into doing them myself, but I gave up on art when I failed stick people in second grade. And with the economy in the current state, paying someone else to do it is not a viable option, unfortunately.

But, let's face it: It's the writing itself that matters. And I have finally sat my butt down in front of the keyboard and knocked this one out. It went so well that I've already started on the sequel and gotten the first chapter of that book done as well.

I'll find something I can slap on as a cover, just to get the book out. I haven't published anything since 2020, and it's time that changed. 2023 will see more accomplished, even with the increased workload on the farm. Because writing matters to me, and it's time I gave it the attention it deserves.

So, what's this one about? It's about a wizard. An apprentice wizard, to be more precise. His name is Jandar, and he's apprenticed to a very famous and powerful wizard, the kind that makes Gandalf and Dumbledore look like the Wizard of Oz. But this is Jandar's story, and the famous and powerful wizard doesn't take up a lot of screen time. Jandar gets sent to a faraway place on a mission to serve his master, and finds himself embroiled in a very serious mess, one that he has to fix in order to save humanity from eternal slavery. And why does Jandar have to do it, instead of the all-powerful super-wizard? You'll have to read it to find out. Suffice to say, Jandar's actually the only one who can do it.

This isn't an epic fantasy in the Tolkien vein; it's a pulp-action adventure. Lots of action, lots of fun stuff going on, not a lot of deep thought and philosophical musings. Hopefully, it will also be defined as 'fun'. Because if it's not fun, what's the point of writing in the first place?

Here's a brief excerpt of the book. Jandar has been magically transported to where he is meant to be, but he's been spotted by some unsavory goblins.

************************

       Jandar quickly gauged his distance from the copse. If he hurried, he should be able to beat them there, so he let his cloak billow about him as he ran. The cloak made a tempting target for archers, but the goblins didn’t seem to be using them. Grateful, he outdistanced them and ducked into the copse before they could run him down.

      Once he was out of sight of the road, he called to mind one of his favorite spells, the spell of Camouflage. Though he would not actually be invisible, he would blend into the surrounding terrain well enough that only the closest scrutiny would notice him, assuming he could remain perfectly still. He stood by a thick maple tree, the only one wide enough to provide him with suitable cover.

      Closing his eyes, he focused on the words of power. He could hear the goblins approaching, but he forced them out of his mind and concentrated. With the scale of a chameleon in hand, he spoke the words in a soft voice so as not to draw further attention to himself. He felt the scale disappear as it absorbed the magic of the whispered words, and after a moment of silence he opened his eyes.

      He watched the goblins tramp into the forest, their beady eyes looking everywhere for their prey. Jandar stood absolutely still, not daring to breathe too deeply. Two of the goblins ran right past him, oblivious to his presence.

      “Where did he go?” demanded one of them.

      “He must have slipped through to the other side.”

      “We should have brought the dogs,” said the first one. “They could sniff him out.”

      Not likely, thought Jandar. The spell of Camouflage also masked the caster’s scent, making it match the surrounding smells as well as the visual terrain. But he wasn’t about to explain that to the goblins.

      Out of the corner of his eye, Jandar saw a larger goblinoid approach. Unlike the majority, who were at least a foot shorter than the apprentice, this one stood more than six feet tall, his leathery skin and hide armor nearly blending together in a form of camouflage of his own. Regally, the tall goblinoid looked around, watching his minions continue their futile search. Behind him, six other goblins guarded three human children.

      “Azrak!” he shouted, and one of the searching goblins turned back.

      “I hear and obey, Master!” he simpered with an obsequious bow. “What do you wish of poor Arzak?”

      “This human that we saw appears to be some sort of crafty woodsman. Probably from the Panther tribe.” He sniffed the air and laughed raucously. “Or what’s left of them, anyhow. If you put your nose to it, you’ll smell him out.”

      “The Panthers are crafty indeed, Master!” agreed Azrak. “But they are not crafty enough to elude the Eyes of Jenkra!”

      “Not usually, no,” admitted Jenkra with a scowl. “Why has this one eluded my Eyes?”

      Azrak shrank back, almost whimpering. “It is not known, Master Jenkra! The human must have used the copse to distract us and ran out the other side.”

      “Then why aren’t my Eyes through the copse as well?” demanded Jenkra, glaring at his cowardly minion. “Send ten, now! I want that human found before he warns his village of our approach!”

      “Of course, Master!” replied Azrak with alacrity. He grabbed the nearest two goblins and chastised them on behalf of Jenkra, ordering them to grab four other goblins each and scatter to the other side of the copse to find the errant human.

      “What troubles you, Master?” asked Azrak in a tense voice.

      “I don’t like his appearance,” answered the tall goblinoid. “It is too convenient. The other tribes may have learned what happened to the Panthers, and intend to ambush us before we return to the Temple.”

      “The humans are fools,” hissed Azrak. “They cannot stand up to your mighty magic, Master!”

      “No, they can’t.” Jenkra looked around, and his eyes narrowed. “Cease, Azrak. I must concentrate.”

********************

Will Jenkra discover the hidden apprentice? Will the goblins triumph? Will the other tribes suffer the same fate as the mysterious Panthers? How will Jandar overcome the odds and save the day?

You'll have to read it to find out.

In the meantime, I have other fantasy books published, including The Devil's Playground, an anthology of stories from the world of Meterra. Check it out on Amazon, and enjoy!