Weekly Goals - December 6, 2011

A great week in finishing the short story, but spent myself, apparently. So, now it's time to spend the rest of this month getting as much work done as I can on the novel.

Results for this week:

1. 400 words (vs. goal of 1000) on Resurrection
2. 1750 words (vs. goal of 1000) on "Temptation"

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. 1500 words on Resurrection

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals

SFFS: An Excerpt from "Temptation"

Nearly missed the deadline for getting in on this week's Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. It's been a heck of a busy week. But thankfully, I'm all signed up, and once again bringing out the first draft material. First off, a big thanks to TK Toppin for great reviews on my first Aston West Triple-Shot. I always enjoy feedback, as it keeps me motivated to put out new material. And now, without further comment, I present a snippet from my new Aston West short story "Temptation":

“You look like someone who’s down on his luck,” came a sultry voice from beside me.

I lifted an eyebrow and turned to look, my other hand instinctively grabbing my Mark II blaster. With one glance at the woman standing there, my grip on the weapon relaxed, though my grip on the bottle didn’t.

“You might say that,” I told her and looked back to the front, where I could surreptitiously watch her in the mirror behind the bar. Her light brown skin was held tight in place by a white dress that showed far more than it covered.

She was forward, I’d give her that much. “How would you like your luck to change?”

I stared in disbelief, not entirely sure whether I wanted to ask how. Part of me was intrigued by the possibilities, but the other part reminded me over and over again that nothing good usually happened when I met pretty women in unfamiliar places.

As always, if you enjoyed it (or not), leave a comment...

Weekly Goals - November 29, 2011

Well, as expected, the holiday weekend tended to get in the way of the writing production. So, hopefully this week will allow me to near completion of my short story so I can stick with work on the novel during December.

Results for this week:

1. 0 words (vs. goal of 1000) on Resurrection
2. 1100 words (vs. goal of 1000) on "Temptation"

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. 1000 words on Resurrection
2. 1000 words on my new short story "Temptation"

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals

SFFS: An Excerpt from "Shadow World"

After taking a week off, I'm back again with another excerpt for this week's Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. I'm once again digging into the first draft barrel, with a little short story I'm hoping to sneak into a future installment of the Triple-Shots (and if you don't know what that is, head on over and check out the first one). All of the warnings about first draft material aside, hope you enjoy this excerpt from my Aston West short story (tentatively titled) "Shadow World":

The central figure of the three stepped forward and called out, “You brought the goods?”

“Sure did.”

“Show us."

Salty sweat covered my lips as I responded, “Show me the money first.”

He grimaced, which made me think things were about to go south. I glanced back at my ship, doubtful that even sprinting, I’d make it without getting shot.

His voice caught my attention once more. “We figured you might be a bit more distrusting, once we got word about your dealings with Angelika.”

I froze at the name of a blue-skinned black marketer, the same profession these three presumably were. Her double-crosses had been countered by my own, more than a few times.

So, if you enjoyed it (or not), leave a comment...I like interacting with folks.

Weekly Goals - November 22, 2011

Well, it took all the time to get it done, but met all the goals this week...have a feeling that there will be little work done over this coming holiday weekend, though I'll still shoot for a big end to the month.

Results for this week:

1. 1000 words (vs. goal of 1000) on Resurrection
2. 1000 words (vs. goal of 1000) on "Temptation"
3. Plotted a new story, "Demons Within"

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. 1000 words on Resurrection
2. 1000 words on my new short story "Temptation"

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals

Weekly Goals - November 15, 2011

Sadly, didn't hit my swing until just yesterday, and was unable to meet all the goals this past week. So, hopefully things will continue to push along toward the end.

Results for this week:

1. 0 words (vs. goal of 1500) on Resurrection
2. 1000 words (vs. goal of 1000) on "Temptation"
3. Have a title, but couldn't come up with one aspect of the plot that didn't seem like a rip-off of something else...

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. 1000 words on Resurrection
2. 1000 words on my new short story "Temptation"
3. Develop a plot for one new short story

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals

SFFS - An Excerpt from "Samaritan"http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Well, since I've given excerpts from the other two stories in my latest Triple-Shot of Aston West, I figure it's time to put of the third for this week's Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday installment. So, hopefully everyone will enjoy this sampling from my brand new story "Samaritan":

Gut feeling is something you should never dismiss. This is something I’d come to realize through life. Whether or not I trusted my own instincts, they were always right in the end.

When I stumbled upon the craft I saw before me, my gut was telling me to run. And I, like a fool, didn’t trust the direction it gave me.

My ship’s computer Jeanie attempted to join forces with my instinct, her voice carrying over the internal speakers. “This situation does not compute.”

If you liked this excerpt, be sure to head over and pick up my new Triple-Shot (a three-story e-book for under a buck) over at Amazon or Smashwords.

Weekly Goals - November 8, 2011

Well, I was finally able to break the slump, thanks to a well-timed visit to one of my previously-mentioned sanctuary spots (and a well-flavored Jamocha shake). So, the goals were met this week, and now that I've pushed myself over the edge on putting out Aston West Triple-Shots, it's time to pump up some goals on the short story front again.

Results for this week:

1. 1500 words (vs. goal of 1500) on Resurrection
2. Completed (and have you seen it?)

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. 1000 words on Resurrection
2. 1000 words on my new short story "Temptation"
3. Develop a plot for one new short story

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals

Triple-Shots of Aston West

So, if you've checked out the last two SFFS excerpts here on the blog, you have a leg up on everyone else. And if you haven't, get on over and read excerpts from "Dead Man's Forge" and "Ever Dark".

So, now that everyone's up to speed, I'd like to introduce a brand new series we're kicking off with the Aston West universe: Triple-Shots of Aston West, a trio of short stories, all in one e-book for under a buck. The first Triple-Shot is now out, including "Ever Dark", "Samaritan" and the feature story "Dead Man's Forge".

And big thanks to the wonderful cover artist TK Toppin for the great work on the Triple-Shots cover art:


So, get out there and buy a copy (currently up at Smashwords, with the Amazon edition and others coming shortly). Check out three great stories for under a buck, and be sure to check back often for new stories.

SFFS - An Excerpt from "Dead Man's Forge"

Whew! Had a busy week around the house this week, and almost forgot (again) to get signed up in time for Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday, but just got in under the wire. I posted an excerpt from "Ever Dark" last week, and this week I'm going to put out a snippet from my upcoming short story "Dead Man's Forge":

His body convulsed and jerked around, while workers attempted to stabilize him. He didn’t look much older than me and I wasn’t sure if he was even conscious.

The girl, on the other hand, didn’t have any of the same symptoms. She screamed at the top of her lungs, then reached back toward the other pod occupant. “Daddy, I want Mommy!” The young thing sank into a coughing fit, bringing her to silence.

My heart sank as I watched the mob race across to another clay building. The girl had been sent with her dying father, and her mother had been left inside the mountain. My temporary companion sighed and started back for his bar. “Shame for the kid the pods only carry two.”

If you liked this excerpt, be sure to keep an eye out for my upcoming triple-shot short story collection, which I'll be announcing on this blog as well as my main site. And of course, for those who can't wait, check out all sorts of free stories under the Shorts section of AstonWest.com.

Weekly Goals - November 1, 2011

Well, unfortunately between hospital visits and other excitement, nothing at all was completed this past week on my own writing. Did get some reading done, and some editing for a friend (and some re-formatting for another), so not a complete loss I suppose.

Results for this week:

1. 0 words (vs. goal of 1500) on Resurrection

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. 1500 words on Resurrection
2. Put together my first triple-shot short story collection.

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Collateral" (since May 23)

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals

A Brief Sales Update

Since it's been a while, I figured I'd give a quick sales update for those who find an interest in knowing how those without a large fan base do in self-publishing and being published by small presses. I've been tweaking my sales tracking spreadsheets, so can give a bit of a run-down based on total sales:

Heroes Die Young has been in circulation since September 2008 (over three years), and is available in both print and e-book formats. The publisher does some promotion at sci-fi conventions (as do I). Counting both personal sales and publisher sales (except for the publisher's 4Q 2008 sales, which I can't find my statement on), a total of 231 copies have been sold (on top of that, I've given away 198 copies). That breaks down to around 73 copies sold per year.

Friends in Deed has been in circulation since January 2010 (almost two years), and is available in both print and e-book formats. Same publisher as HDY. Counting both personal sales and publisher sales, a total of 65 copies have been sold (41 additional copies given away). So, sales have been slow in comparison, with only around 33 copies per year. I could make guesses as to why it hasn't sold as well as the first, but I'll just stick to the facts for now.

Seeker was my first foray into self-publishing, and is a novella just slightly smaller than Heroes Die Young. It's priced at 99 cents compared to the (currently) $2.99 price point of my first book. Coming out in December 2010, it's been available roughly 11 months and is only available in e-book format. Right now, I've seen sales of around 42 copies, so a little more than the annual sales on FID (although that book is currently running $4.99-$5.99 in its e-book format), but lagging behind HDY.

Dead or Alive was published by a new house, and is a short story collection. It's mostly available in print, with an e-book currently available only on the Smashwords site (and an app for Apple devices, although for the purposes of this post, I'll only be discussing print sales). At the moment, I've seen 19 true sales (and an additional 20 giveaways) between my publisher and myself since the print version was available back in February of this year (so nearly 9 months).

The Cure is my first foray into self-publishing a full-length novel. It's available in both e-book and print formats, and has been since July (the print has only been available since September). To this date, I've seen a total of 2 print sales (3 additional giveaways) and 11 e-book sales (not counting the lag that I've noticed from several vendors under the Smashwords distribution umbrella). Not anything stellar, but it seems roughly on par (13 for the quarter equates to 52 copies for a projected year) with my other titles.

For a few future projects, I'm considering the idea of packaging a trio of short stories into a single e-book and placing them for sale as e-books. If that comes about, I'll be sure to add those into the mix.

Perhaps some conjecture into the how and why will come for another post, but for now, hopefully these facts and figures will be useful to you. And of course, for those who have questions about anything I've posted here, feel free to leave a comment.

SFFS - An Excerpt from "Ever Dark"

With a stay in the hospital (not for me) this week, I almost didn't make it in time for Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday, but did finally get home and get signed up. So, this week, I'm offering up an excerpt from my published Aston West short story "Ever Dark" (one of my favorites).

I stepped down the hall and the hairs in my nose curled. As I turned the corner, a pile of light gray ash lay on the floor along the left wall. A handheld energy weapon rested next to the debris.
Disintegrator cannon fire was one of the more horrific ways to die and not something a decent person would wish on even their worst enemy. Out of paranoia, I lifted my wrist.
“Jeanie, let me know if you see anything inside or outside the freighter.”
“Acknowledged.”
A hatch in the right wall split apart as I approached. Three more piles of ash lay at various spots around the rectangular bridge. Only one energy weapon was nearby, which told me someone had disintegrated unarmed victims.

If you liked this excerpt, feel free to head on over and read the full story in Ray Gun Revival (archived over on Scribd). And of course, several free stories can be found under the Shorts section of AstonWest.com.

Weekly Goals - October 25, 2011

Considering I only had two days where I could actually get writing done, I was glad to see that I still ended up meeting my weekly goal. I think I've found some methods (and locations) that are working better for me than around the house...

Results for this week:

1. 1500 words (vs. goal of 1500) on Resurrection

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. 1500 words on Resurrection

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Collateral" (since May 23)

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals

SFFS - An Excerpt from DEATH BRINGS THE VICTORY

Since I provided an excerpt from my fourth Aston novel last week, I figured that for this week's edition of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday, I'd pull out an excerpt from my third (not-yet-published) Aston novel, Death Brings the Victory. Still in edits, of course, but still good stuff...taken from the prologue:

As far as setup, Aston's ship has just landed at the Torian orbital station (those who've read Heroes Die Young will recognize it) and his good friend Rione Sc'lari is rushing to meet him and just entered his ship:

Aston lay haphazard on the cot along the near wall, unmoving. A makeshift bandage covered his left shoulder, torn from sheets piled on the floor. Everything under him and below the cot was coated dark red.

“Aston!” she called, but received no response. Her breath formed misty vapor clouds as she rushed to his side. Shoving his body had no effect, either. Her entire body shook violently, not from the cold, but from building fear.

His breath wasn’t visible as hers was, so she reached up to his throat. Expecting the worst, she felt for signs of life. At first, she found nothing, then pushing a little deeper, a flicker of hope rose as she finally found faint beats, shallow and slow.

Weekly Goals - October 18, 2011

Finally over the hump, at least for the current week. Try one more week, and then we'll see about bumping up the weekly word count goal.

Results for this week:

1. 1700 words (vs. goal of 1500) on Resurrection

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. 1500 words on Resurrection

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Collateral" (since May 23)

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals

SFFS - An Excerpt from RESURRECTION

Back again for another fun-filled week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Although I haven't yet finished editing the third Aston "in the series" novel, I'm presenting this week's snippet from my fourth one, Resurrection. I will put a little spoiler disclaimer here, and let everyone know that if you haven't read my second book Friends in Deed, and plan to, you might go read it first...don't worry, the snippet will still be here when you get back.

And of course, this is first draft material, so take that as it's offered...

“Aston...” Warm breath eased past my ear along with that voice I hadn’t heard for a very long time. Add on top of that the very idea of a voice being present, and confusion sent chills up and down my spine.

I kept my stare forward, muttering my words. “It can’t be. You’re dead. I killed you myself.”

I turned on my heels and stumbled back at the sight of Lars Cassus standing there in the light. The corner of his mouth curled up, and his voice, which he’d lost even longer ago, returned. “I’m back.”

Action's definitely going to be heating up with this one...can't wait to finish it, and present both novels to the general public in due time.

Weekly Goals - October 11, 2011

Motivation has been sapped, uncertain of the reason...still on pace with last week.

Results for this week:

1. 1000 words (vs. goal of 2000) on Resurrection

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. 1500 words on Resurrection

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Collateral" (since May 23)

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals

SFFS - An Excerpt from "Sweet Embrace"

After taking a week off for some personal reasons, I'm back again with a post for Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Hope you enjoy this excerpt from my unpublished Aston West story "Sweet Embrace" which I'm hoping to find a home for soon:

She looked at the pink bundle in my arms, then back at me. The woman’s eyes narrowed. “We are not a depository for unwanted children.”

I lifted an eyebrow, the implication clear. “This isn’t my child.”

“A likely story.”

I cursed under my breath, which she didn’t take well. She started closing the wooden door, but I shoved my foot into the gap. This one would need some convincing.

Of course, if you enjoy my excerpt, feel free to check out any of my other published short stories over at AstonWest.com (click on my "Shorts"...hee hee).

Weekly Goals - October 4, 2011

Another week coming up short...starting to see a trend.

Results for this week:

1. 900 words (vs. goal of 2000) on Resurrection

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. 2000 words on Resurrection

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Collateral" (since May 23)

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals