SFFS: A Snippet from "A Monster Within"

Welcome to yet another installment of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday here on the blog. I'll be in and out this weekend, being stationed up at ConQuest in Kansas City. Thanks for all the comments that you give, and be sure to go visit all of the other SFFS writers through that link and read even more tales.

Since I've been running dry on the new writing front lately, I'm diving back into the archives for a snippet today from another of my Kasey Reynolds stories. This is a first draft of a story I'd written some time ago, and I will probably try to get it going again sometime soon. So, other than the usual warnings about it being a first draft, I'll simply leave you with this snippet:

“You son of a...” Kasey grabbed the wiry pipsqueak by both flaps of his cheap, thinning suit. In the blink of an eye, she spun around, tossing him against the wall.

He crumpled to the ground, allowing the blonde-haired vixen to yank the scattergun off her thigh and aim the barrel straight at his chest. “Now, give me the money you promised me!”

His brown eyes darted back and forth as he watched the end of his life racing upon him, stammering, “I don’t have it.”

Kasey clenched her teeth, air from her nostrils blowing her bangs aside in a rapid rhythm. “Then you shouldn’t have hired me for the task.”

“You’d kill a man over fifteen thousand credits?”

She narrowed her eyes, then flipped her weapon around and clubbed the side of his head. He fell to the ground, appearing unconscious, but Kasey still muttered, “If someone promised to pay me, I’d do it for far less.”

Hope you enjoyed it, and I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things with new material on my novels and short stories.

Weekly Goals - May 22, 2012

Worked on a pair of bookmark templates, but sadly, forgot to look back at my goals and remember which ones I had listed. Alas, I didn't get them finished in time so that I could get more bookmarks made up for my upcoming convention in Kansas City. I should have them for my next event in June...

Results for the week:

1. Finished
2. Not started
3. Finished updates to the Friends in Deed bookmark template

And now the goals for this week:

1. Complete a new bookmark template for The Cure
2. 1000 words on any project.

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals

SFFS: A Snippet from DEATH BRINGS VICTORY

Welcome to yet another installment of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday here on the blog. Thanks for all the comments that you leave, and be sure to go visit all of the other SFFS writers through that link above and read even more snippets from some great authors.

For those who may or may not know, I recently finished all of my work on the paperback version of my latest novel, Death Brings Victory. So, in anticipation of it finally coming available (sometime soon, I hope), I'll be providing another snippet from that novel today. In this one, Aston and Rione have just returned from a strike mission and are undergoing a bit of a celebration with their Rulusian crewmates:

Dillager smiled and repeated the toast, “To victory!”

The two Rulusians again gulped down their drinks. I tipped my glass until the fluid reached my lips and pretended to drink. Bad things happened when I drank too much Jungle Juice, and I had no intention of passing out before I wanted to.

Rione, however, finished the whole glass off.

“Careful,” I warned.

She laughed under her breath. “This is supposed to be a celebration, isn’t it?”

“That’s the spirit!” Dillager poured another round.

I wouldn't want to be Rione, that's for sure...those who read my first book, Heroes Die Young, know exactly what's about to happen to her. For the rest of you, you'll just have to find out yourselves. *smile*

And for those who think they might be interested in Death Brings Victory, check out this blurb:

Aston West just escaped death at the pair of psychotic twin brothers, only to take refuge in a war zone. Fighting alongside his friend Rione Sc’lari, he hopes to help the underdog Torian rebels gain the upper hand against their government. Trouble is, his friendship blossoms into a love that he can’t let happen, or risk Rione dying just like the last woman he had feelings for.

The Torian government drives Aston and Rione into hiding, bringing them even closer. As the noose tightens, he must find a way to save Rione and himself from the brink of destruction. Their only chance to end the war rests on a plot fashioned from bloodlust and vengeance. Aston must decide how far he’s willing to go, both with his love for Rione and his thirst for revenge.

Associate Yourself

I'm here to discuss some of the finer points on the business side of writing. So, if you're sitting there with your hand across your forehead saying, "I labor at writing for the artistic expression aspects" maybe you should go back and read some of my SFFS snippets from past weeks while we proceed. Otherwise, let's go!

I'm not sure how many of you out there are aware, but Amazon has this nifty program, Amazon Associates. In a nutshell, you post some extra code in your links to Amazon pages, and if someone follows your link and buys something at Amazon, you get a slight commission (based on a sliding scale based on how many sales your links lead to, on a directly proportional basis -- the more sales you get, the higher your percentage for the month).

Now, I can't guarantee this, but I can assume that most authors out there are providing links to their books on Amazon off your websites and blogs. Why are you giving up on free money? Copy and paste the code they provide in place of your original, and start earning a commission.

I can also assume that most of you help out your various author friends by plugging their books as well. Why are you giving up on free money? Copy and paste the code they provide in place of your original, and start earning a commission.

Once you're logged in, Amazon Associates also has a nifty toolbar at the top of your browser window (as opposed to those nasty toolbars that Yahoo and Google surreptitiously add to your browser menu bars, this one is only visible on Amazon pages). You can easily post a link (while on a book's page) to your Twitter or Facebook page, and promote your books (and those of your friends) the same way you have been. Except up to this point, you've likely been giving up on free money.

(Are you seeing the running theme here yet?)

And the great thing is, the link you provide is the entry point for a user. As long as they buy ANYTHING in the same shopping session after following one of your links, their purchase counts toward your commissions. I can't name the number of times I've seen commissions for books I don't even know about, simply by someone following my links and buying another product. Talk about your free money.

This isn't even counting the recent experience where someone followed one of my links and purchased a Kindle Fire. Free money...

Now I should mention here that B&N also has a version of an associates program, which I am a part of (again, free money for doing what I already was before...promoting my books and others). However, as a point of comparison, I find the Amazon Associates program a far better and easier one. B&N makes you sign up with some sort of third-party vendor, and even then, their interface isn't as intuitive (no toolbar to easily create links directly from a page). But, like I said, free money is free money, so I wouldn't discourage you from signing up...just realize that one is going to be a lot easier to use than the other. 

Writing is a business, and so is promotion. Stop giving up on free money and sign up for your own Amazon Associates account today. If anyone has any thoughts or comments on this, feel free to let me know!

Weekly Goals - May 15, 2012

Had to take a little bit of extra time this morning to finish up one of my goals (though honestly, since I couldn't sleep last night, I should have just stayed up), but it was worth it. Now, hopefully I can get onto some of the others...

Results for the week:

1. Finished
2. Not started

And now the goals for this week:

1. Complete a new bookmark template for Death Brings Victory
2. Complete a new bookmark template for The Cure

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals

SFFS: A Snippet From SEEKER

Welcome to yet another installment of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday here on the blog. Thanks for all the comments that you give, and be sure to go visit all of the other SFFS writers through that link and read even more tales.

For those who haven't yet read my novella, Seeker, I'm giving a little snippet from the middle of that one today. And be sure to stop on by and pick up a copy for only 99 cents! Sometimes, a little goodwill doesn't always go as far as you'd think, as Aston discovers in today's snippet:

The old man’s dim eyes had fire within. His steps were firm against the plush carpet as he closed the distance with surprising speed.

“Mister West, I trust your accommodations are adequate.”

“Certainly. Thanks again for putting me up.”

He glanced at my shirt and pants. “I see you took advantage of the sonic cleanser.”

To move this along, I decided for a change of pace, and went with a pleasant disposition. “That’s a pretty sweet deal.”

“Fortunately, you also know how to use a shower cube.”

So much for being pleasant.

Weekly Goals - May 8, 2012

It's becoming obvious that getting out new material at the moment is going to be a trick. With two events coming up this month and next, I've decided to shift gears a little, and move onto more relevant (and hopefully attainable) goals:

Results for the week:

1. None
2. None

And now the goals for this week:

1. Finish formatting the paperback version of Death Brings Victory
2. Complete new bookmark templates for Death Brings Victory

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals

Hanging out the 'Gone Fishing' sign...

For those who stopped by hoping for another snippet, I decided to take a break from posting this week (am still going to head around and read all the great Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday authors, and hope you choose to do the same!).

However, if you've completely run through the list provided in that link above and still want to read more, you can always head over to my site and check out excerpts from my novels, and most of my short stories are available for free as well. And fret not, I do plan on coming back with a new snippet next week...and will see you all again!

Weekly Goals - May 1, 2012

Alas, the slump continues...

Results for the week:

1. None
2. None

And now the goals for this week:

1. Complete 1000 words on the new Kasey Reynolds story
2. Complete 1000 words on Resurrection

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals