So, I started this on the Readers Group newsletters because some of my team are convinced knowing the things I get up to when I'm not at my keyboard is something you want. I am not sure why you want to know - don't really consider myself let alone the things I do outside telling stories that interesting, but I'm here to entertain readers, Some months there were just too many items to post without making my monthly update a novel onto itself. So, here's where you'll find the things I'm doing with my down time.
April 2019
Game: Idle Grocery Tycoon
So, I've always been a big fan of tycoon games. I got stuck in the doctor's office for too many hours of lost writing time and decided to try out some phone games. Usually if I download a game, I play it on and off until I ask myself why I'm playing. This game didn't end going the same way. After a bit of clicking to improve my grocery story, I unlocked the new one. I thought, okay, this was the tutorial level. If I move on i'll get to the story.
There is no story. You upgrade processes. You generate money. You add processes. You upgrade processes. Why do people play these things?
Game Deleted.
Research: Gene Splicing
The actions of my beloved mad scientist character in Blood Phoenix Chronicles forced me to start researching gene splicing for book 4. Regardless of the drama surrounding performing such things in reality, the technology and processes are really quite fascinating. I was surprised to learn that scientists often use viruses to permeate an organism's genetic code with foreign code in an attempt to create hybrids. Obviously, all the reading I did won't be showing up in the novel, but I have far more knowledge on the subject than I really need to help Bradley re-engineer his D&D group with elf and troll DNA so they can help the phoenixes fight creatures out of faerie.
April 2019
March 2019
Blood Cursed by Quincy J Allen
After finally getting around to Blood Ties and regretting how long I'd waited to start this phenominal series, I dove into Blood Curse while waiting for my copy of Blood Oath to arrive. All of the Blood War Chronicles are beautifully written and imagined, leaving me a little envious of his talent and the ideas I should have thought of first. 🙂
Death Becomes Her by Michael Anderle
This one's another case of meeting the author at Superstars and seeing the book in the audible sale. This one's a little outside my normal wheelhouse, but man was it good. A little research shows that the series stars with a science fiction based urban fantasy that morphs into a space opera. I haven't had time to move on to the next one, but it's definitely on my wishlist.
March 2019
March 2019
Viridian Gate Online by J A Hunter
I met James at Superstars in February and really liked him and the advice he gave. So when this one showed up on that audible sale, I jumped on it - mostly for research into a gamerlit novel idea I have. James hooked me with this story pretty much right off the bat. I spent a good amount of my down time reading books 1-4 (and I have 5 & 6 waiting on my kindle). If you're a long time gamer, I think you'll really enjoy not only the LitRPG genre in general, but James's series especially.
Parley by Jamie McFarlane
This one's #3, but its the second book in the core story line. Unlike me, Jamie has his companion stories numbered in his core story line. I realized that when I started to read #2 and didn't find the characters I was expecting. That's the reason I split out my companion books. I didn't want you guys grabbing the story and then feeling cheated. Then again, Jamie's got more readers than I do, so maybe he's right. I'll have to think on it.
As for story, this was as good if not better than book 1. Being laid up for a while, I also went through the next core book (skipping the companion story) and enjoyed the lot.
March 1 2019
February 28 2019
So, I'm back to playing Elite: Dangerous thanks to the encouragement of one my readers. It's far too easy to lose a whole day blowing up ships and collecting bounties, but I really do adore the game. Even with as long as it has been since I upgraded my PC (don't need latest and greatest just to write), the game is still so gorgeous.
Rookie by Jamie McFarlane
So this one was on an audible sale for first books in series. If you've seen my favorite's page or listened to me talk about Elite Gold/Privateer, you know the title caught my attention. As it happens, I'd already bough tthe first five in a box set and just never got around to reading it. I really enjoyed the book. It reminded me of all the cool things I loved playing those games. It also made me want to write Scion, but that will have to wait for the schedule to clear up. I recommend you pick up this series.
February 26 2019
Ferbruary 18 2019
Earlier this month I made the trek across country to Colorado Springs, Co and the Superstars Writing Seminar. As it happens, an author friend made the trek too, but by car. Good friend that she is, she took all my luggage so I could have an easy streamlined flight.
Yeah, that's what happened...sure.
To save a couple bucks, I decided to fly out of Atlanta. The drive there hit construction that ate into my lead time to get through security. You know the score, four lanes dwindled down to one, but some people just have to stay out of that one lane until the last minute and make the merging oh so painful. I arrived, found a parking space in row 42 (things looking up), marching into the airport and got through security in an astounding 18 minutes. I found a seat at the gate, plugged in my laptop and resumed work on Blood Phoenix 3: Vengeful are the Drowned in a great mood.
Then the plot twist hit me. My seat landed me between two boisterous already well lubricated gentlemen. Despite my attempts to work, their "clinking" plastic cups of booze over my laptop and frequent trips to hit on or hit up the flight attendants to more booze made getting into the flow a little difficult. Not a problem, I tell myself, I try to always travel prepared. I put away the laptop and grabbed my copy of Story Physics by Larry Brooks. I try to always have a craft book on hand, though novel deadlines often mean it sits unread or unfinished weighing down my backpack.
My seatmates celebrated and I delved into new knowledge to help me write better books. Then an epiphany hit me like the descending impact of the other shoe - there was a way to make the Blood Phoenix books better...the only catch being that I had to rewrite books 1, 2, & 3 before I could continue on to the end of the series. I tried to resist the siren luring me back into the pages of Ashes of Raging Water until the Superstars conference ended. I failed. 🙂
I've finished the revamp of Blood Phoenix 1, and the results are better than I could have imagined. If you want a sample while I redo Ruled by Tainted Blood, the new first chapter should be uploaded on wattpad in the Cursed Lands sampler by time you get this. Look for it here.
Edit: There was some drama and our wattpad page was taken down. Excerpt should be up on the Blood Phoenix Chronicles page.
Blood Ties by Quincy J. Allen
It took me far too long to get down to this book in my TBR (to be read) pile. So long in fact, that this cover isn't the version I read. After I finished Blood Ties, I was pretty disappointed that I hadn't gotten to it sooner.
Quincy is one of the authors I met my first time at the Bard's Tower. He's a big guy. He'd stand out in any crowd just from the size of his warm personality. Of course, with a Mohawk, kilt and biker leather he's one hard to miss teddy bear. Q has a passion for book and readers, and if you haven't introduced yourself don't hesitate next time you see him. I for one am headed down to Pensacon this weekend to get the newest sequel in his Blood War Chronicles from the Bard's Tower and hopefully meet up with a few of my Florida fans. Say hello if you spot me.
February 18 2019
January 5 2019
The Good, The Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison
I'm taking a break from my mentor's assignment for two books. I'm starting over and catching up with my favorite Hollows series by Kim Harrison via audio. I love the world Kim's built, especially Jenks the pixie who reminds me of a middle point between my own Razcolm (Dumpstermancer) and Wels (Fey West.)
A Fiery Sunset by Chris Kennedy & Mark Wandrey
A reader approached me about my story (The Bottom Line) in the Tale from the Lyon's Den anthology. I hadn't intended that story as more than a one off, but the more we talked the more an idea for a novel grew. I'm behind on the stories of the Four Horseman Universe, so I finished the Revelations Cycle series and started listening to the first in the Omega War. Hopefully, I'll find a good place for my idea and be able to talk the publisher into taking it. If not, it's still a great story
January 5 2019
