Teaser Tuesday: Ten Big Ones

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme, hosted by The Purple Booker, that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along, it is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
1: Grab your current read
2: Open to a random page
3: Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.

I feel like the week has flown by, but then most of my weeks feel that way! I got a couple of chapters written in the latest Galactic Dynasty novel that I co-author with my hubby and muse. I finished reading one novel, The Shop on Blossom Street, and you can check out my 3-star review if you like. And I managed to get more work done on my crochet and cross-stitch projects, plus a lot more stuff thrown in that I'm not remembering right now! Two teasers are below for your enjoyment, one from the book I'm currently reading and one from a novel I've written! I hope everyone's week went well and wish everyone a happy Teaser Tuesday!

Ten Big Ones (Stephanie Plum #10) by Janet Evanovich

The way I see it, life is a jelly doughnut. You don't really know what it's about until you bite into it. And then, just when you decide it's good, you drop a big glob of jelly on your best T-shirt.

These books never cease to make me laugh and are the ones I turn to when I'm needing a good rollicking read! So if you haven't tried this series yet, give it a whirl. I have no doubt you'll enjoy them. Oh, and beware Grandma Masur... that character will make you pee your pants from laughing so hard! LOL

 Starward (Galactic Dynasty #1) by E. M. Lohr and Wendy Lohr

Knock, knock, knock. Startled, I rolled over only to fall onto the hard floor with a grunt, tangled in a scratchy blanket. My mind was in utter confusion as I looked around bleary-eyed for a moment and tried to remember where I was.

Galactic Dynasty is a sci-fi/adventure series that follows Rosa and the crew of Starward on a diplomatic mission to other planets within the galaxy. This particular excerpt is from her first day at the training facility and the chaos and confusion that ensues only increases as she's ushered from one place to the next on the island compound. There are currently four books in this series and the fifth one is being written now, hopefully to be published in the next few months! So, if you haven't heard about this series yet, pop on over to the series page on this website and find out more!

I hope you've enjoyed these teasers and I look forward to visiting your sites soon to see what everyone is reading! Just be sure to leave a link in the comments below!

Happy Reading!

2019 is almost over

Wow, what a year 2019 has been! It's been an odd one for me as I explored new hobbies and continued ones I'd begun a couple of years ago. The biggest thing I noticed throughout the year was that I never seemed to have enough time to do all the things I wanted to do. But then, that's pretty much every year! lol

Looking back on this year, I did manage to get one book published: Peregrinate (Annals of Ellie #3).

This book was a lot of fun to write, but also a challenge since I was writing about a part of the world I've never visited (Australia and New Zealand). But the story was about Ellie more than her surroundings, so it didn't turn out as bad as I was fearing.

Once I got that book published, I turned my focus to the next book in the Galactic Dynasty series that I'm co-authoring with my hubby and muse. We're still working on that manuscript, but I hope to have it published early in the coming year.

For the most part, though, I've been traveling and crafting this year. I'm still working on the afghan that I started a year or so ago as well as a cross-stitch that was also started more than a year ago. I'm steadily working my way through sewing classes and am now in the middle of sewing my first sundress! So excited to see how it turns out! I'll be sure to post pics on here when it's done. I've also crocheted Christmas presents (a slouchy hat and fingerless gloves) for my bestie, completed a paint-by-number for my hubby, and cross-stitched a little tree ornament stocking for my aunt and uncle.

As for traveling, I've been to San Diego and back, taking a month to travel with the hubby in our RV. That was back in January-February timeframe. I've been back and forth to Kentucky several times to visit my bestie. And I've been to Alabama and back to visit my aunt and uncle. There's also been trips to book festivals and a couple of house-hunting trips that ended up telling me that I wanted to stay right where we were instead of moving!

In all, it's been an active year. Not so much on the writing side of the house, but hopefully that will pick up again with the new year. I'm hoping to have the next Galactic Dynasty book out as well as possibly the next Annals of Ellie book out in the coming year, crossing my fingers and toes that my brain can recapture my love of writing that seems to have faded in the last year or so. I also intend to continue my book reviews of books I have on my TBR shelves. You can find a page called TBR Pile on my site which lists all of my books I've yet to read and follow the links to the ones I've already reviewed. 

As for crafting, I plan to hopefully have the afghan crocheted, the cross-stitch done, and my sewing classes completed within the next year. And who knows? There will probably be all kinds of other things I'll be experiencing and crafting and writing throughout the year.

So, no doubt 2020 will be just as busy as this year has been. But I don't think I'd want it any other way. Life is short and I believe that we should try to make the most of it while we can. And since all of these things are activities I love to do, that just makes life all the sweeter!

I hope everyone has an amazing 2020 and have a safe and fun time celebrating the passing of another year!

Another Chapter Done!

With all the chaos that has been my life the last few months, not much has been done on the manuscript I'm currently writing.  But I am happy to say that I finally got another chapter written and am almost to the halfway mark in the story!  As with everything I write, I have no doubt that there will be rewrites and massages when I go back through later, but it's a relief and an exciting feeling to have one more chapter written.

So, as I continue to plug away at this manuscript, for anyone who hasn't read this series yet, I hope you'll take the opportunity to get caught up with the first four books.  You can find synopses, book covers, and links on the Galactic Dynasty page of this website.  And I'd love to hear from those of you who have read these books.  Let me know what you think of them in the comments section!

I hope everyone is having as stress-free a holiday season as is humanly possible.  And if you need a break from all the chaos and hustle of this time of year, be sure to check out my various novels.  You might find something new to curl up with and escape the madness for a while!

I'm Baaaaacccck!!!

I know, it's been freakin' forever since I last posted out here.  So, let me do a catch up and we'll see where we are when I'm done.

First, I did take a sabbatical, as my last post indicated.  From August until January, I didn't write a single word.  Instead, I practiced my creative skills in other arenas: crochet, cross-stitch, paint-by-numbers, learning to draw, and sewing.  I was feeling artsy/craftsy and amazingly enough, found I had a talent in those areas of creativity!  Here are some pics of what I've been up to!

Not all of these were done in those few months of sabbatical.  More like started but not finished until way later.  But just starting them made me feel creative in a whole new way and allowed for my mind to relax and learn some new things.  That in turn helped me to get back in touch with my characters and when the new year rolled around, I was ready to sit back at the computer once more and get back to writing.

Which brings me to the belated announcement that Peregrinate (Annals of Ellie #3) is now available on Kindle, Nook, and in paperback on Amazon!!!  I'd begun working on it before I went on sabbatical and ended up writing like a madwoman once I had my mind right again.  Peregrinate has been out for a couple of months (sorry for the late announcement), but better late than never, right?!  So, if you haven't had a chance to check out Ellie's ongoing adventures, be sure to get a copy of Vivication, the first book in the series, and get started!

So, that's been the last year, practically, and I'm still having fun with the various arts and crafts.  However, I am also working on the latest manuscript for the Galactic Dynasty series I'm co-writing with my awesome hubby and Muse!  This will be the fifth book in the series and I'm super excited about it!  Rosa's discovering all sorts of things and her friendship with Daemos is growing exponentially.  So, if you haven't started this series yet, get a copy of Starward, the first book, and see what all the fuss is about!

As you know, I do keep a word count on this blog so readers can see how far along I am on a writing project.  So, Book 5 of Galactic Dynasty is now up and the word count will be updated from time to time so you all can see how far along I am on the manuscript.  I'm hoping to have this book written and published by October, but we'll see!  It's always good to have goals!

And that has been the story of my life for the last year, throw in some traveling and such as well!  As always, I will do my best to try and be a more frequent poster out here, but we all know how that usually goes! lol  Regardless, I'll try to post pics of finished artsy/craftsy projects as well as updates on manuscripts and publication dates as I have them.  Hope everyone is having a great summer so far and if you're looking for something to read, be sure to visit the other pages on this website.  Maybe you'll find a new series to fall in love with!

Happy Reading!!!

Sabbatical

Hello world!

If you are a coder, you'll understand that.  If not, just know that I'm happy to say 'hi' to you!

It's been a long time since I last posted...*hides face in shame*... but I wanted to let everyone know I'm alive and kicking.  Just not in the writing department.  My characters demanded a sabbatical from all the mischievousness they were being made to get into, so I finally relented and said okay.  But only until after the holidays.  Then they'd better man (or woman) up, because I've got the third book in Annals of Ellie series to finish and the fifth book in Galactic Dynasty to start writing!

Anyway, over the next few months, I'm branching out into other creative outlets such as crochet and cross-stitch and who knows what else.  I'll try to post my progress on various projects I'm working on, just to keep things going here.  And hopefully this much needed break from writing will benefit everyone involved!

So, stay tuned for some different kinds of posts and be sure to check out the books I've already published if you haven't had a chance yet.  You'll find tabs for each of the series at the top of this site.  Maybe one of them will pique your curiosity and have you diving into all new worlds!

Happy Reading!

Joja is Live!!!

Okay, Joja, the 4th novel in the Galactic Dynasty series, is live.  Joja, the character is not alive.  Just in case there was some confusion!

You can find Joja (novel) in paperback on Amazon and electronically on Kindle.  The Nook version will be releasing in another day or two.  Here are the paperback and Kindle links:

Kindle

Amazon Paperback

And even as I'm celebrating this latest achievement, I have begun writing the third book in the Annals of Ellie series.  I even have a working title... Peregrinate.  Yeah, I know, another crazy word that makes people scratch their heads and then use Google.  But I love it!

This time, Ellie and Co. are off to the other side of the world; New Zealand and Australia to be exact!  I'm really excited to be diving into this latest quirky adventure as well as developing out more of Ellie's abilities.  Not to mention her budding romances.  Steamy scenes alert!!!

Anyway, if you want to know what sort of progress I'm making on this latest endeavor, you know the drill... check the word count meter off to the right side of this page.  I'll also try to post the occasional updates when I come up for air.

Until next time, be sure to check out Rosa's latest adventure in Joja (Galactic Dynasty #4)!  Now, I'm off to the writing cave!

Epic Fail!

Wow, so I have not been out here in quite some time!  Failure on my part, but I can say that I have been quite busy.

As most of you probably already know, Perspicacity (Annals of Ellie #2) is now available on Kindle, Nook, and in paperback on Amazon and CreateSpace!  Woot!!!  It did not get the release day treatment it should have, but I promise, you just have to read this book and immerse yourselves in Ellie's world to know that it is awesome!  So, if you haven't been introduced to Ellie yet, check out the first book, Vivication.  And then follow it up with Perspicacity.  It will be time well spent!

Next, if you haven't guessed, I've been hard at work on Joja, the fourth book in the Galactic Dynasty series that I co-author with my hubby (aka, my Muse).  We're just a mere chapter or so away from having the manuscript done.  And then it's edits, edits, and more edits... hooray! (Channeling my inner Archer on that hooray bit... if you haven't seen the show, it's hilarious!)  Anywho, we do have a cover now and it's getting its cover reveal today... so, here it is, peeps:

It's so pretty!!!!

Okay, so I'm not sure when Joja will be released yet.  But as soon as I have a release date, I'll be sure to share it.  *makes a mental note to actually post about it this time*  And I'll be sure to share the synopsis, too, once we have that hashed out to within an inch of its life!

Once Joja is out to the masses, I'll be catching up with Ellie and the gang again.  Who knows what they'll be up to... probably no good... but at least they get to do it in New Zealand and Australia!  Yep, the next book will take place in both of these incredible locations, so you already know this is going to get crazy good!!!

Well, that's all for now!  I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Halloween.  And I'll catch up with you all again soon!!

Preparations have begun!

Good morning and happy February!

I hope everyone's new year has started off well and continues as we push into a new month.  Pretty soon I'll be releasing the second book in the Annals of Ellie series, Perspicacity and am hoping to have a synopsis to share with everyone before too long.  If you haven't read the first book, Vivication, yet, then check out my publisher's website, Cressen Books LLC, where you can read the synopsis and the first chapter and find links for purchasing Vivication on Kindle, Nook, or on CreateSpace as a paperback!

 

As that particular book wraps up its journey to publication, I've begun preparing myself for my next project, the fourth book in the Galactic Dynasty series.  I'm actually re-reading the previous books to refresh my memory of all the events that have taken place so far in that series and am really excited to begin writing the next novel!  If you haven't checked out this series yet and are intrigued by sci-fi/adventures, then be sure to visit the Galactic Dynasty page on this site to find links for the first three novels!

I believe that's all my news for now!  So it's off to the coffee pot to refill my mug with some 'go' juice and then on to more reading!

A New Year

Good afternoon, all!

It's a brand new year and I've got lots going on that will hopefully all happen this year.  First is Perspicacity (Annals of Ellie #2)!  It's in its final stages of edits and should be published by early to mid-February, fingers crossed!  I do finally have a cover for it, so I'll post it here:

After I finish with Perspicacity, I intend to start writing the manuscript for the next book in the Galactic Dynasty series.  And if I get that done early enough, I'll return to Annals of Ellie to begin writing the third book in that series.  So, lots of writing happening this year!

I've also got a few vacations planned, one to Key West, FL, one to visit my bestie in KY, and others I'm not a hundred percent sure on where they'll be just yet.  I'm looking forward to traveling, though!

I hope everyone has a wonderful, safe, and productive new year and I'll be back on to post more when I get the chance!

Time is Flying... Me, Not So Much

Good morning, Peeps!

It's been a chaotic month or so since I last posted.  I went through the Kindle Scout Campaign program, I've begun work on the next book in two different series, and I've been dealing with a back issue that has yet to resolve itself.  Fun times!

So, first off, Vivication (Annals of Ellie #1) was not selected to be published through Amazon's Kindle Publications.  But because of the awesome response I got from individuals showing their support over the course of the campaign, I will be publishing Vivication through Cressen Books LLC.  The release date for it is this Wednesday, April 27th, and it will be available for purchase on Kindle, Nook, and in paperback through CreateSpace and Amazon!  Just as a reminder of what Vivication is about, here's the cover and synopsis:

Sketching is one thing, drawing is something totally different.  That is if you are Ellie Marshall.  Ellie loves to sketch, to escape to a place of peace in her mind.  Away from her modern, mundane, bible-belt foster homes.   But when her mind decides to draw, it takes over everything.  It demands immediate attention – as in Draw. Right. Now.  And what her mind draws is of future events, of things yet to happen.  Then one day her mind drew a creepy medieval castle…

 



Second, I have been working on the fourth book for Galactic Dynasty and the third book for The Soul of Arial.  I'm actually a little further along in Arial simply because those characters have been in my head lately.  I'll be sure to place a progress bar here on the blog so those of you interested can monitor my progress.  I'm hoping to have both of these books done and ready for publication by the end of this year, so I'm crossing my fingers I can meet that goal!

And lastly, the back issues.  I've been having what feels like a pinched nerve and muscle spasms in my back since the middle of January.  Everything the doc has had me do so far has not helped, so I'm now seeing a neurosurgeon and a pain management specialist to try and pinpoint exactly what's causing the pain so we'll know how to alleviate it.  Because of this, I've only been able to sit in front of the computer for short periods of time and some days are worse than others, causing me to not be able to put my full focus on any project I'm working on.  So, writing has been sporadic to say the least and this does not make me a happy camper.  But hopefully a resolution is in sight.

So, that's been my world as of late.  I'll be back on soon to post links for Vivication.  Until then, I hope everyone has a wonderful week!
   

Reading, Writing, and Back Problems... Oh My!

Good day to you lovely readers!  As you can see, I've already managed to slip into near non-existence on this site only because I've been busy with edits and beginning new writing projects.  Oh, and I've managed to pinch a nerve in my back that has actually prevented me from being able to be at the computer as much as I normally am.  Sigh... getting old is not fun sometimes! lol

So, first, an update on Vivication (Annals of Ellie #1).  The manuscript is completely edited and ready for publication.  However, I'm going into a bit of an unusual route with regards to publishing this latest work.  I've decided to check out the Kindle Scout program and see if I have what it takes to be selected.  Since I'm still in the process of coming up with a synopsis, I've not yet uploaded this manuscript to Kindle Scout for consideration.  But as soon as I do, I'll be back on here with a link and a pleading request that each of you go check out the link and put in your nomination for the novel to be chosen for publication through Kindle Scout.  More on that in the coming days.

Second, I've begun the manuscript for Book 4 in the Galactic Dynasty series which I co-author with my Muse and husband, E. M. Lohr.  The first chapter is complete and it's already taking on an intense feel that I'm really liking.  Death, intrigue, and aliens abound... yeah, it's going to be a wild ride and we're eager to get the manuscript written so we can bring this latest installment to our fans!  I'll be posting a progress bar on this site so you can keep up with how we're coming along and I'll also drop the occasional updates as more is written.

As for the pinched nerve... yeah, I've not been a happy camper these past couple of months.  This happened in early January and I've been fighting with it ever since.  I've been on drugs (the prescribed kind ;)), I've done physical therapy, and still having issues.  So my next step is a neurosurgeon... hopefully I'll be seeing one in the near future so I can find out what to do now to get this nerve to calm down already.  I'm hoping it won't lead to surgery, but one step at a time.  Anyway, because of this, I've been limited to how long I can sit in front of a computer.  And in fact, I've literally had to move my office to a new location in the house to help with posture and whatnot.  Long story!

Anywho... that is what's happening in this author's life right now.  I hope everyone's having a great new year and reading lots of awesome books.  I've been in a James Patterson and Sue Grafton kick lately, plowing through the Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club, and Kinsey Millhone series like a madwoman!  Fortunately there are a ton of books in each of those series, so it's going to take me quite a while to read them all.  And that makes me happy!

What books are you reading?  Have you read any of the books I mentioned?  Feel free to comment away below... I love hearing from you guys!

New Project!

Now that Lineage is live, I'm shifting my focus to a new project that I've been playing around with for a few years now.  I had a rough manuscript already drafted, but now that I've got my Muse/Editor involved, the storyline is morphing into something amazing!  I'm about half-way through the re-write and am reaching a point now where everything I add will be new material.

For years now I've been a huge fan of the paranormal genre (reading it not writing it).  But I wanted to try my hand at it even though I recognize that it's a crowded field.  I still feel like there are new twists and angles that can be explored and brought to life.  Plus, I'm a character person and sometimes all it takes are new and interesting characters to breathe life into a genre that feels as if it's been overdone.  So that's what I'm attempting to do with this new series.

And yes, it will be a series.  There will be Vampires and Lycans and Seers... well, one Seer anyway.  There will be intrigue and flirtations and danger.  There will be multiple attractions for the main character, but nothing set in stone as to who she has to choose.  She can enjoy each one in her own way and not have that whole insta-love or love triangle issue to deal with.

Something a little different with this series than what I've done in the past is that this will be told from one perspective only.  My main character is a female who's had some hard knocks but keeps right on going.  She's willing to explore and take reasonable risks and she doesn't accept everything at face value.  She's curious and a bit endearingly klutzy and loyal to those she cares about.  She's innocent in some respects and worldly in others.  And being eighteen, she's beginning to explore the adult world more which will of course land her in various adult situations.

This series is intended for the mature young adult and older audience.  I haven't settled on whether I intend to market this as New Adult or just stick with General Adult fiction yet.  Either way, I believe it will be an enticing read for a wide range of ages.

So, with all of that said, I will be posting a progress bar soon so anyone curious can see how the manuscript is coming along.  As for my other series, once I finish this first book in this series, I'll be switching to The Soul of Arial series and begin working on book 3, Aboveworld.  After that, I'll be back in the sci-fi/adventure realm with the fourth book in the Galactic Dynasty series.  Lots going on, but then that's what us authors live for... to write stories!

It's Live!!!

Lineage (Galactic Dynasty #3) is now available on Kindle, Nook, and in Paperback!  Below are the links for purchase:

Kindle - $4.99      Nook - $4.99      Amazon Paperback - $10.99       
CreateSpace Paperback - $10.99

Now that Lineage is live, I'm starting to move on to the next writing project.  It's still a work in progress and there's not a title yet.  Once I've gotten a little further into the manuscript, I'll log back on here and share more details.  Until then, enjoy the latest installment to the Galactic Dynasty series!!

Almost There!

Good morning all!

It's been a while since my last update so let me bring everyone up to speed.  Lineage (Galactic Dynasty #3) will be releasing Wednesday, Sept. 9!  So excited for this latest installment in the sci-fi/adventure series I co-author with my Muse to be out there for you readers!  To tide you over until the release, here is the cover and synopsis:

Lineage –  For all of us, the link from past to present… and to the future.  DNA that carries more than traits binds Rosa to her alien past, to a synthetic intelligence, and directly links her to both human and Metrusian races.  The first to be of both worlds.  An onus that she must embrace as fate will not have it any other way.    Aliens, synthetic intelligence, and Earthlings – a lineage fusion of galactic proportions.




Once Lineage goes live I'll be turning my focus to The Soul of Arial series to begin work on the manuscript for Aboveworld (book 3).  I'm really looking forward to getting back in the mindset of Arial, Rayner, and others as their journeys continue!

I'm also working on another writing project.  I haven't quite decided where it's going yet, but once I have a firmer feel for the actual manuscript, I'll post some updates and more information on it here.

I hope everyone had a great summer and got a chance to read a lot of awesome books!  If you haven't had a chance to check out the Galactic Dynasty series yet or have been meaning to catch up with it before the release of Lineage, be sure to visit my publisher's website for both Starward (book 1) and Vagar (book 2).  The first chapter of each book is on the site as well as purchase links for Kindle and Nook and for the paperback version.

Have a great rest of the week and I'll try to log on again soon with more updates!

Almost There...

Just three more chapters to go and the manuscript will be complete for Lineage (Galactic Dynasty #3)!!!  The Muse and I are so excited to be near the end of this latest installment in our sci-fi/adventure series and hope to have everything polished and ready for publication by the end of this summer if not sooner!

And silly me just realized that I hadn't shared the cover on here yet, so it's up above.  What do you guys think?  Compared with the first two books, I love how this series' covers are laying out!  Below are all three book covers:

There's not much else to report at this time.  Just feverishly working to get this latest novel ready and out there for you awesome readers to enjoy!  Hope everyone's having a great Wednesday!

Character Challenges

Good morning all and Happy Friday!

Sorry it's been a while since my last post, but I've been hard at work on the latest manuscript and am happy to share that I'm over half-way through the first draft!  13 Chapters have been completed and there's at least 7-10 more to go.  The Galactic Dynasty series is getting more and more interesting as events continue to unfold and I'm loving where this latest book is taking the characters!

Speaking of characters... as you all know, I'm a huge character-driven reader.  If I can't connect with the characters, the story tends to lose my interest quickly.  Same goes for writing.  I've got to be totally into my characters or I rapidly lose my connection with them and therefore am unable to write their stories.  So, as a whole, I find it very easy to slip into the various mindsets of my different characters and love spending time in each of their individual heads.

With that said, I have encountered probably the most difficult character for me to write to date.  This character is in the Galactic Dynasty series and plays pivotal yet vague roles in the development of the story as well as being the supporting character to my main characters.  His name is Daemos and he is actually an it... he's Artificial Intelligence at its most refined and he's extremely complex.  This translates to him being very difficult to grasp in my mind in order for me to write him into various scenes.

On the one hand, he's a computer program.  He's logic and databanks and 1's and 0's.  On the other hand, he's an evolving program and he's beginning to simulate near flawlessly the various human interactions that he has observed and analyzed from the human characters he's encountered.  But he's still just a computer program at the core of it all and he does not actually feel the emotions he tries to simulate.

Anyway, he has been the most challenging character to write because I'm trying to get inside the mindset of a computer that is attempting to evolve to a more human-like state.  And sometimes I get ahead of myself and give him characteristics or actions that make him more human-like.  That's when my co-author has to step in and tone things down to where Daemos actually is in his development or evolution.  You should hear the heated discussions that take place when we're dealing with Daemos in particular and amazingly enough, Daemos is the only character that we tend to have heated discussions about.  And I'm sure it's because Daemos is the most difficult character for me to figure out and portray.

I love the challenge that Daemos continuously presents to me, though.  I feel that because of this challenge, I am able to develop more as an author.  It forces me to step outside my comfort zone and explore unique solutions in order to make Daemos as realistic an AI as possible without losing the fact that he is just a computer when you strip everything else away.  I think that he's actually preparing me for when I begin exploring the other alien species that my human characters have yet to meet in this series and hopefully when I reach that point, I'll be able to come up with some intriguing species that my readers have yet to encounter in other sci-fi/adventure novels.

So, as much as I sometimes want to bang my head against a wall where Daemos is concerned, he is rapidly becoming my favorite character out of all the ones taking up space in my head.  He's unique and fascinating and a complete enigma, even to his creator, and I really look forward to seeing just how far he'll go in his evolution.

For the writers out there, who has been your most challenging character to date?  And what made them so challenging for you?  I'd love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below and happy writing!

For the readers out there, who has been your favorite fictional character to date?  And what makes them your favorite?  I'd love to hear from you as well, so please leave a comment below and happy reading!

Final Edits In Progress

Good morning all!

In the last post I talked about splitting Two Worlds into two books, Underworld and Aboveworld.  Well I am happy to report that Underworld has been submitted for final edits!!!!  That means that I've got a cover to design and a synopsis to draft between now and when I get the edits back.  Then it's final tweaks, formatting, and Underworld will be ready to share with the masses!

Since the final edit process can take up to a few weeks, I actually do have some time on my hands for other things.  That means I'll probably begin formulating plans for the third book in the Galactic Dynasty series.  My intentions are to get the third book out by the end of this year, perhaps even sooner, and then move into the third book in The Soul of Arial series, Aboveworld.  But we'll see how it all flows.

I'm really looking forward to diving back into the world of Galactic Dynasty.  I've missed Rosa and Daemos and I can't wait to figure out what all is going to happen next with them as well as the rest of the crew of Starward.  And of course, they have a Metrusian with them this time, Raz, who I'm sure will be getting into all sorts of mischief right alongside Rosa and Daemos.  Should be a lot of fun!

I hope that everyone is staying warm and safe in all this snowy madness we've been experiencing these last few weeks.  And if nothing else, be sure to curl up with a book and escape to another world for a few hours!

Happy Reading!

Dividing a Book in Two

Good morning, peeps!  And Happy Friday the 13th!!!  As you can probably guess, I love this particular date.  I'm not of the superstitious nature and completely embrace this date because it's a special date for the Muse and I.  Every time there's a Friday the 13th in the month, he takes the day off work and we enjoy the day together.

Anyway, that's actually not what this post is about.  Just wanted to gush about how awesome my Muse is for a moment. lol

No, this post is to inform you awesome followers and readers that a somewhat major decision was reached over the last couple of weeks.  I've been talking about Two Worlds for the last several months as the sequel to Prophecy Revealed (The Soul of Arial #1).  Well, after working on it these last couple of weeks, I've come to the realization that I was trying to cram two books worth of material into one book.

So... Two Worlds has been broken into two books.  The new titles are Underworld (book 2) and Aboveworld (book 3).  Underworld is almost complete.  I just have another chapter or two to add to the manuscript and then I'll begin the final editing process.  Plus I still have to create the cover and come up with a synopsis.  But if all goes well, Underworld will be releasing very soon!!

I'm excited about this decision because it's going to allow me to explore each of these fascinating worlds more in depth.  Well, Arial will be exploring them and then telling me what she sees so I can write it.  You know how characters are!

Once Underworld is published, I'll be switching gears and will begin writing the first draft for the third book in the Galactic Dynasty series.  This is the series I co-write with my Muse and hopefully we'll have the third book out to the readers of that series by the end of this year.

I think that's all the news I have for now.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day and an amazing weekend.  And if you're looking for some good romantic reads to curl up with this weekend, be sure to check out my publisher's Romance page.  All of the books on that page are amazing and would make a great addition to any romance reader's collection!

Take care and Happy Reading! 

It's a Brand New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Sorry I've been silent for so long, but as you can see by the progress bar on the right side of the screen, I've been hard at work on Two Worlds (The Soul of Arial #2)!  It's coming along beautifully and I hope to have the full manuscript written by the end of this month.

So, speaking of the new year, what's in store?  Definitely the publication of Two Worlds, which I hope will take place by March.  *crosses fingers and toes*  Then it's on to book 3 in the Galactic Dynasty series that I'm co-authoring with my Muse.  If all goes well, I should have that book ready to publish between October-December.

On top of getting two new books out this year, I'll also be putting my editor/cover creator/formatter/publisher hats on and helping the other authors in the Cressen Books publishing family get their books out there to the masses.  I also have two trips planned this year, one to Norfolk, VA and one to Indianapolis, IN as well as a possible third trip but that one's still in the works, so not sure yet if it will happen or not.

2015 looks as though it's already shaping up to be a busy, exciting year!  On a personal note, I've challenged myself to read 50 books this year as part of my Goodreads Challenge for 2015.  And I'll always be working on other writing projects that may or may not see the light of publishing.  Never know!  If any of the books I read this year turn out to be review-worthy, I'll be sure to post the review on the site here and share my thoughts with everyone as well as posting the review over on Goodreads.  And if you're not a member of Goodreads, head on over and check the site out, maybe even send me a friend request while you're at it!

Okay, so I'm off of here for now.  I'll try to be a more consistent blogger this year... one of my goals for 2015.  I hope everyone's new year has gotten off to an awesome start and I look forward to sharing this year with all of you awesome peeps!

Happy Release Day!!!

It's October 1 and you know what that means... Vagar is here!!!!  This second installment to the Galactic Dynasty series can be found electronically on Kindle and Nook, and in paperback on CreateSpace and Amazon.  I'm beyond stoked to finally get this next piece of Rosa's adventure out to my awesome readers, so go forth and get your copies and let me know what you guys think about the latest addition to this sci-fi series!

Synopsis:

An alien outpost, an evolving computer, and a secret DNA-imbedded message. A combination that spells intergalactic intrigue and deadly consequences for Rosa, the reluctant space trekker, and the Earth delegation to the stars. Follow Rosa’s ever-twisting fate as the Earth team meets the Metrusians and navigates the novel realm of galactic politics and the entangled web of treasonous schemes.