16 January 2015

SFFS: A Snippet From FALLEN (now published)

Well, even though I posted a snippet from a first draft short story last week, I decided to take it a different direction for this week's Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday.

As I mentioned last week, my new Aston novella Fallen is now available for your Kindle devices (or with the Kindle app). Thanks to the always-amazing TK Toppin for the awesome cover art. The paperback copy is currently in process, so I'm hoping to have that one available for an upcoming convention in February. Stay tuned!



So, even though Fallen has had several snippets posted here in the past, all of those were draft copies. I'm going to go ahead and post one that I haven't posted before (I hope), and this from the final published edition. So, enjoy this snippet from my new Aston novella Fallen for your enjoyment:

She took the first bowl, grabbing a long cylindrical wooden pin from a nearby shelf. Then she smashed the sweet Roiyo into a liquid pulp, tossing the powder and the flowers into the concoction, working it over like a mad woman. Although I smelled the sweet Roiyo at first, the aroma was quickly overpowered by the flower and powder. I crinkled my nose at the foul, bitter odor.

Her father smiled at my reaction. “Not to worry, my daughter is highly skilled in the healing arts. It may not seem the most pleasant, but it will get the job done.”

“I hope so,” I told him.

Eve ignored us both, concentrating fully on blending the light gray mixture before her. Only when it formed up into a smooth and creamy paste did she set it on the table. Then, she turned to me with a stern tone on her lips. “Off with your clothes.”

Oh my!!! What has Aston gotten himself into now?

Hope you enjoyed it, and hopefully I'll be back in the saddle next week...

09 January 2015

SFFS: A Snippet from "Ridealong"

Whew! It's been forever since I posted a snippet for Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday and with the new year, I figured it was time.

Since last we saw ol' Aston in the SFFS gauntlet, he's been a busy boy. His new novel Life and Death is finished (at least the first draft), his short story collection The Dirty Dozen is all ready pending completion of the cover art, and his novella Fallen is coming out soon (update: it's now available). See its beautiful cover art?


However, here's the issue...I've already posted snippets from almost all of those (even if Life and Death was previously titled Resurrection...links above take you to them)!

Heck, Fallen itself had several snippets over several months in 2013 (yikes!):

SFFS: Snippet 1
SFFS: Snippet 2
SFFS: Snippet 3
SFFS: Snippet 4
SFFS: Snippet 5
SFFS: Snippet 6
SFFS: Snippet 7

So, what's an author to do?

Well, go to the new WIP file, of course.

So, here, hot off the first draft presses, is a snippet from my new Aston short "Ridealong" for your enjoyment:

It had been quite a while since I’d seen Diedra Caine in the flesh. There was no mistaking the chocolate-skinned woman as she approached my ship in her business attire, a dark gray jacket and skirt, with a pale blouse. Around her neck, small golden heart dangled on a chain.

I stepped off the hatch’s staircase onto the black landing pad as she approached. She smiled slightly, a few lines appearing on her smooth face framed by short, dark curls. She’d progressed beyond simple handshakes and gave me a hug. “Aston, it’s been too long.”

I smirked, deciding not to delve into the fact she could have contacted me at any time to set up another job. “Yes, it has.”

She kissed me on both cheeks, which I thought was odd, but went with it. Turning, she motioned with her index finger. “Follow me. We have some cargo to pick up.”

Hope you enjoyed it, and hopefully I'll be back in the saddle for a few more installments in the coming weeks...

01 January 2015

Writing Goals for 2015

Well, now that 2015 is upon us, it's time to start putting together a list of the writing goals I'd like to accomplish this year. Granted, since many of my goals from last year ended up falling short, this list is going to look pretty familiar...

So, here goes:




1. Publish my new Aston short story collection, The Dirty Dozen.

Everything is finished with this one but the cover art. I anticipate completing this one in the first quarter. It will be good to have a second companion collection to my first, Dead or Alive...





2. Publish my new Aston novella Fallen.

The first draft of this one is complete, and it shouldn't be difficult to get some cover art put together. I do have a short story collection that's setting out there, so Fallen may have to wait until the second quarter or so. But, Seeker is patiently waiting for another novella to enter into the stable alongside it...



3. Finish and publish my new Aston novel Life and Death.

Those who've read Friends in Deed and Death Brings Victory know that a lot has happened in the Aston West universe (and if you haven't read them yet, get moving!). Building off of the events in my non-Aston novel The Cure, you can likely guess what's going to happen, but part of the fun is finding out how the story transpires.



4. Publish another Triple-Shot.

I currently have four triple-shots out there, and I'm hoping to keep up the trend of publishing one of these collections each year (my original hope years ago had been to publish one a quarter...how quaint!).


5. Finish the next novella in the Max McCannor series.

Lyndon Perry and I published the first in this series, Escape, a year ago now. The goal is to at least finish (although we're hoping to have them published) the next one by the end of 2015. Although I don't normally like to set goals that depend on other people, I'm hopeful that we can get this done.



All in all, it's going to be a busy year. Thanks to everyone who's purchased a copy of one (or all) of my books, and I'm looking forward to bringing you even more great stories in the near future.

31 December 2014

2014 In Review

So, it's now the end of 2014, and time to look back at my goals for the year, and see what it was that I completed...

1. Finish and publish my new Aston novella Fallen.

Fallen has been finished, and once we have some cover art nailed down, it should be published in the first quarter (I'm hoping in time for my excursion to ConDFW in February). Sadly, didn't quite make it this year.

2. Finish and publish my new Aston novel Resurrection.

Only finished the first draft on this one (now titled Life and Death). Perhaps I can get this expedited in time for my (hopefully I'm going, but still haven't heard from the organizers...) trip to ConQuest in May.

3. Publish another Triple-Shot.

This is one of the goals I actually did finish in its entirety...and if you haven't already picked up a copy, be sure to check out Payback and its companion stories.



4. Finish the next two novellas in the Max McCannor series.

Lyndon Perry and I have both been neck-deep in other projects for most of this year. Although I've been able to get the next installment, tentatively titled Runaway, started, it hasn't gone anywhere so far.

All in all, didn't get a lot completed toward the original goals, but hopefully 2015 will be a bit less hectic on the personal front, and I can get some momentum going. Looking forward to setting up a new post for 2015 tomorrow...

30 December 2014

Sales Update - December 2014

It's been another six months since my most recent sales update in June, so I have some updated numbers. Here goes:


Heroes Die Young also recently went into self-published status after contract termination, similar to Friends in Deed. Like that title, I'll stick with the total across both version in future updates, but will be separated for this one. The previous version sold 1 copy since June (the transition happened around September or so), while the new version has sold 12 copies, for a total of 480 sales (print and e-book total), which means 13 copies have sold since June (for a total of around 2 copies a month over the past six months). This compares to 25 copies sold in the December 2013 - June 2014 range, so sales are a bit down. September was the six-year anniversary of its release, so just under 80 copies per year.

Friends in Deed is chugging along at 134 copies (print and e-book total), which means that 9 copies have sold since December. This compares to around 25 copies during the previous reporting period (which also includes some of those self-accounting issues on the original version). January marks the five-year anniversary of this one, so the average is just over 25 copies per year.

Seeker is struggling along at 97 copies (print and e-book), so only 5 copies have sold since the last update (compared to 8 copies during last June's update). December is the 4-year anniversary for this novel, which means we're running just under an average of around 25 copies per year).

Dead or Alive has sold 101 copies, which means 3 copies have sold since June for a total of just 1 copy every other month over the past six months, compared to 15 copies over the previous twelve months. This title came out in February 2011, which means that we're seeing an average of about 25 copies a year.


The Cure has now sold 108 total copies (print and e-book total), so 1 copy has sold since my past update, compared to 14 copies during the previous update (a significant decrease over the past year, even). This book has been out over 3 years (the anniversary is in July 2011), so I'm seeing around 35 copies per year.

Death Brings Victory was released three years ago this past March, and 70 total copies have sold, meaning 6 copies have sold since the last update, compared to 4 copies during the previous update. This puts it on track with most of my other novels, at just over 25 copies per year.


I now have four Triple-Shot collections out, with the first having been released in November 2011, the second in July 2012, the third in September 2013, and the fourth in August 2014. 107 copies have sold, so 21 copies sold since my last update (versus 9 copies from the previous update). Breaking this down, 56 total copies of the first have sold (7 since the last update), 28 of the second (4 since the last update), 18 of the third (5 since the last update), and 5 of the fourth.


I also have my collaboration with Lyndon Perry, Escape. This title has been out a year now. I haven't gotten an update from Lyndon on all of his sales, but counting the last numbers I had from him and including my own personal sales, 16 copies have sold, so 2 copies have sold since June, for an average of just over 1 copy per month.



Now for the analysis of this latest period:

Since my latest update (June, except as noted above), I've sold 60 books compared to 114  books during the previous update for an average of 10 books per month.

And so I have a statistic when people ask (and quite often they do), the latest "total sales" number now stands at 1113 copies (counting all titles). I wish I could say I was glad for this number, but comparing it to other authors I know (which they say you should never do), it just makes it obvious why my motivation has been in the toilet as of late. Such is life, I suppose.

So, until next time, enjoy the statistics, and good sales to us all!
Thanks for stopping by!

20 December 2014

The Next 90 Days

So, it's been about another 90 days since my last update. Sadly, after completing my first draft of Life and Death, things just fell flat. I began working on a couple of projects, and then around the first week of October, everything stopped.

To be fair, life's circumstances got involved to a large extent, although in the past, that hasn't really stopped everything, just slowed it down a bit. Still, these specific circumstances have been fairly invasive, so who knows for sure?

Motivation has been in the tank, which is likely most of the issue. I start looking at things as a benefit-to-energy-expended ratio. In other words, why continue to put out so much effort at something that gains me nothing? Perhaps that's a bit short-sighted, but as I grow older (having reached another birthday during this period), I start to wonder how much more time I should continue to spend at this pursuit...

Now that I'm in the final stretch of the year, I do have some time off work, so we'll see whether I can get my final batches of editing done on both my novella Fallen, as well as the next Aston series novel, Life and Death. Combining that with my upcoming release of The Dirty Dozen short story collection, maybe things will finally turn the corner. Maybe the start of a brand new year will give me a fresh outlook on life (to be fair, 2014 has been a really crappy year).

So, who knows?

20 November 2014

HDY Giveaway

In case you missed it, I'm conducting a giveaway to celebrate the recent release of the (second edition) paperback version of Heroes Die Young. Enjoy!



Goodreads Book Giveaway


Heroes Die Young by T.M.  Hunter

Heroes Die Young

by T.M. Hunter


Giveaway ends November 27, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

01 November 2014

Monthly Goals - November 2014

For those who missed it back in January, I set up the writing goals I aim to accomplish in 2014. Right after writing that post, I then read Dean Wesley Smith's post about how to be successful at your writing goals.

This past month, I've felt like a sloth by hardly getting anything accomplished. Thankfully, I had the forethought to adjust my goals accordingly (I guess), so things look a little better than they were. Here's how I did against my October goals:


1. Complete final draft of "Inoculation" - Completed, and included in the new short story collection
2. Finalize paperback version of the Heroes Die Young second edition - Finalized, and proof copies are on their way.
3. Finalize new short story collection - All put together, and attempting to come up with a cover concept for The Dirty Dozen
4. Plot out two new short stories - Not Started

And now, the goals for November:

1. Write 3,000 words on my new novel, tentatively titled Healer
2. Finalize new short story collection
3. Plot out two new short stories

Here's to everyone striving to accomplish their writing goals for 2014!

03 October 2014

Monthly Goals - October 2014

For those who missed it back in January, I set up the writing goals I aim to accomplish in 2014. Right after writing that post, I then read Dean Wesley Smith's post about how to be successful at your writing goals.

Life's circumstances have been even worse this month than they were last month, but even so, I was able to get a lot of writing-related work completed this month. That included meeting my daily word count goal every day this past month (continuing the trend from July, not even counting another 9 days or so at the end of June). Here's how I did against my September goals:

1. Write 6,000 words on Life and Death - Around 8,800 words completed, and finished the first draft
2. Write 2,000 words on the next Max McCannor novel - Completed the first chapter, around 1,700 words (and currently waiting on my co-author)
3. Complete final draft of "Inoculation" - Not completed
4. Finalize paperback version of the Heroes Die Young second edition - Finished all the interior work. Need to work with my cover artist for the rest.

And now, the goals for October:

1. Complete final draft of "Inoculation"
2. Finalize paperback version of the Heroes Die Young second edition
3. Finalize new short story collection
4. Plot out two new short stories



Here's to everyone striving to accomplish their writing goals for 2014!

21 September 2014

90 Days

So, I just finished (on Friday) 90 straight days of meeting my daily word count, and wanted to give a recap. Now, I work full time at a day job, so my free time is limited. Maybe yours is, too. You wouldn't think that a low word count each day would add up, but it certainly seems to.

So, I generally set a monthly word count, and it gets divided up by the number of days in a month (I have a spreadsheet to keep track). On most months, 10,000 words ranges around 325 words per day. Mind you, there are days when I get much more done, when the words keep flowing. But if I'm struggling on a particular day, or my free time gets eaten up by other things (family and other obligations), I still get at least the minimum. Once I've finished with the writing for the day, I can also turn my attention to other writing-related activities, such as formatting my manuscripts for publication, and submitting them for publication.

So, what did I get done in these last 90 days with such a low word count goal?

-35,551 total words written
-Over 25,000 words written on my next Aston novel, Life and Death and finished the first draft
-Finished two short stories, which rounds out all the pieces for my next collection
-Published my fourth Aston West Triple-Shot (with one of the two stories mentioned above)
-Published the second edition (e-book) of Heroes Die Young 
-Formatted the paperback version of the Heroes Die Young second edition, for release later this year
-Plotted out the next installment in the Max McCannor series

So, this past weekend, I decided to take a couple days' break from the streak. But now I'm going to get back in the swing of things once more and see how far I can get in the next 90 days or so.

19 September 2014

SFFS: A Final Snippet From "Sacrifice"

It's time for another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday (and don't forget to head over to the SFFS main site to check out all of the other authors this week). For those who haven't already seen my multiple mentions, my brand new Triple-Shot is out. This week, I'll be posting a continuation of my previous snippet from "Sacrifice," which is one of this new Triple-Shot's featured stores. Read and enjoy, and be sure to check out the entire Triple-Shot over at Amazon or Barnes and Noble!





I lifted an eyebrow. Maybe I’d been wrong. “You keep it all hidden?”

Marjorie guffawed and I found myself taking an involuntary step backwards. “You’ve been sent here to be cured of your disease.”
I scowled. “Excuse me?”

“Alcoholism. It controls your every action. You’ve been sent here so that it can be defeated.”

I and my alcoholism had come to a mutually beneficial understanding long ago. It helped me through the low points of life, of which I had many, and I kept it more than adequately satisfied. It had been my best, and longest, relationship ever. Other than a few spots where my drinking had ended up getting me captured by those who wished me harm, or worse.

Marjorie held a hand toward me. “You can conquer it with my help.”

I held both hands up in front of me. “I think I’ll just leave now.”

Her stare bore down into my soul. “Suit yourself. Too bad, though. We were just about to sit down for mealtime.” She clapped her hands twice, and a line of men entered through the room’s back door, carrying tray after tray of cooked meat. They placed them on the long wooden platform that I’d originally thought was a bar. The aroma alone made my mouth salivate.

I looked back at the older woman, whose sinister grin had returned. “Unfortunately, these meals are reserved for those who have chosen to follow me.”

So, there's the end of our set of "Sacrifice" snippets. If you want to find out what happens next, pick up a copy of my latest Triple-Shot. And of course, as always, if you like what you see, pick up a copy of all of my other short story collections as well.

12 September 2014

SFFS: Yet Another Snippet From "Sacrifice"

It's time for another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday (and don't forget to head over to the SFFS main site to check out all of the other authors this week). For those who haven't already seen my multiple mentions, my brand new Triple-Shot is out. This week, I'll be posting a continuation of my previous snippet from "Sacrifice," which is one of this new Triple-Shot's featured stores. Read and enjoy, and be sure to check out the entire Triple-Shot over at Amazon or Barnes and Noble!




“Nonsense,” Marjorie insisted with a pleasant tone directly opposite of the death lock she had on me. “Everyone who enters has been sent here for a reason.”

It was time to alter course and go for the direct approach. “I need a stiff drink. And seeing as how you don’t have any around...” I glanced around as if to search one last time. The eyes of the other patrons trembled, but it wasn’t me they were afraid of, even if they’d figured out I was armed by the bulge in my jacket.

When I turned back to face Marjorie, her contemptuous frown and narrowed eyes told me everything I didn’t want to know. For whatever reason, they all feared her, and I really didn’t want to find out why. Anything that caused these fellows to fear such a tiny person couldn’t be good.

Her look morphed into a satisfied grin as she finally released her hold on me. “Then I’d say you’re definitely in the right place.”

And of course, as always, if you like what you see, pick up a copy of all of my other short story collections.

05 September 2014

SFFS - Another Snippet from "Sacrifice"

It's time for another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. For those who haven't already seen my multiple mentions, my brand new Triple-Shot is out. This week, I'll be posting a continuation of my previous snippet from "Sacrifice," which is one of this new Triple-Shot's featured stores. Read and enjoy, and be sure to check out the entire Triple-Shot over at Amazon or Barnes and Noble!



Every head turned to look. All of them were sober, clean-shaven and dressed as if they were attending a social function. I realized right away there was no way I’d sell my cargo here. And even worse, I had little faith of getting a stiff drink here either. There didn’t appear to be a drop of alcohol out in the open.

I should have turned and walked out those same double swinging doors, but a middle-aged, pencil-thin woman stormed over. She came up to my shoulders, with a pitted, natural face and frazzled hair that made it obvious she wasn’t the local entertainment. She wore a flowery dress that covered every inch of her flat-chested body, and another quick glance around the room confirmed she was the only woman here.

Maybe she actually was the entertainment.

Her eyes were full of pity, as she smiled weakly. “Name’s Marjorie. How can we help you, stranger?”

“I think I’m in the wrong place.” I turned for the exit, but felt a small hand grip my upper arm with extraordinary strength. Circulation to my shooting hand felt like it was completely cut off.

And of course, as always, if you like what you see, pick up a copy of all of my other short story collections.

31 August 2014

Monthly Goals - September 2014

For those who missed it back in January, I set up the writing goals I aim to accomplish in 2014. Right after writing that post, I then read Dean Wesley Smith's post about how to be successful at your writing goals.

Life's circumstances have been even worse this month than they were last month, but even so, I was able to get a lot of writing-related work completed this month. That included meeting my daily word count goal every day this past month (continuing the trend from July, not even counting another 9 days or so at the end of June). Here's how I did against my August goals:

1. Complete first draft of "Payback" - Completed first and final drafts, and published in my latest Triple-Shot
2. Write 4,000 words on Life and Death - Around 7,200 words completed
3. Write 1,000 words on "Inoculation" - Completed the first draft, at around 3,200 words
4. Re-published Heroes Die Young (added goal)
5. Published my latest Triple-Shot, featuring my stories "Sacrifice," "Trust and Obey," and "Payback" (added goal)
 
And now, the goals for September:

1. Write 6,000 words on Life and Death
2. Write 2,000 words on the next Max McCannor novel
3. Complete final draft of "Inoculation"
4. Finalize paperback version of the Heroes Die Young second edition

Here's to everyone striving to accomplish their writing goals for 2014!

07 August 2014

Heroes Die Young, Second Edition




Hot off the presses for your Kindle-reading pleasure, here's the second edition of Heroes Die Young:

Space pirate Aston West has come across derelict freighters many times before. But this latest catch, fresh out of a recent battle, proves to be a little more than he expected. He can’t fight the urge to pilfer a valuable cache of illegal contraband, but discovers one last stowaway who tries to kill Aston. Attack craft return to finish the ship off and Aston has no choice but to save her from certain destruction.

Who is she? What was this cargo he just took? Why was the freighter destroyed?

Surrounded by a host of old friends, new acquaintances, and desperate enemies, Aston travels from one system to another, getting the answers he wants, but revealing even more questions, and putting his life motto of never getting involved to the ultimate test. Climaxing in an ending for which even Aston is not prepared, the story will have you gasping for breath, and desperate to find out if heroes truly do die young.

01 August 2014

SFFS: 2 August, 2014

Been far too long since I lasted posted a snippet for Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Life has been a little more than interesting lately, and hoping to get back in the swing of regular posts. In addition to all of the life circumstances, my contract with Champagne Books for Heroes Die Young has reached its end. So, I'll be bringing this one out on my own shortly (just working out final cover art tweaks with TK Toppin). An as such, I figured it's time to bring back an old excerpt from the reworked manuscript. So, for those who've already read it, enjoy the flash back down memory lane. And if not, enjoy!

I moved on to the other bays, going through the same process. As the third bay jettisoned, I heard a metallic clang echo farther down the hold.

I pulled out my Mark II and stood, as a woman with bronze skin and black hair jumped out from a crawlspace under the floor. She raised a disintegrator cannon and pointed it at me. I dropped to the floor just before her first shot hit the bridge door behind me and showered sparks down onto the floor grills. I fired a three-shot burst and she dropped down in the crawlspace again, while minimal damage was done to the aft bulkhead. At least it gave me the opportunity to run toward the bridge door, where the impact mark from her first shot still glowed. Eager for cover, I ducked into a small alcove at the front of the hold as another shot struck the wall. Sparks fell at my feet while I pressed my back firm against the cold hard metal. My heart beat faster than it had in quite a while.

And of course, as always, if you like what you see, pick up a copy of all of my other works through the links above. 

31 July 2014

Monthly Goals - August 2014

For those who missed it back in January, I set up the writing goals I aim to accomplish in 2014. Right after writing that post, I then read Dean Wesley Smith's post about how to be successful at your writing goals.

Life's circumstances have been a bit rough this month, but even so, I was able to get some work completed this month. That included meeting my daily word count goal every day this past month (not even counting another 9 days or so at the end of June). Here's how I did against my July goals:

1. Write 1,000 words on "Payback" - Around 3,200 words completed
2. Write 4,000 words on Life and Death - Around 5,000 words completed
3. Plot out one new short story - Developed plot for "Innoculation"

And now, the goals for August:

1. Complete first draft of "Payback"
2. Write 4,000 words on Life and Death
3. Write 1,000 words on "Innoculation"

Here's to everyone striving to accomplish their writing goals for 2014!

30 June 2014

Monthly Goals - July 2014

For those who missed it back in January, I set up the writing goals I aim to accomplish in 2014. Right after writing that post, I then read Dean Wesley Smith's post about how to be successful at your writing goals.

Sorry for the lack of posts for the past several weeks...but on the plus side, things have been moving quite well on the fiction writing front (more so than the rest of life, but that's another batch of stories entirely). Here's how I did against my June goals:

1. Plot out two new short stories. - Two stories plotted, "Red Light" and "Payback"
2. Write 3,000 words on Resurrection - 5000 words completed, new title of Life and Death.

And now, the goals for July:

1. Write 1,000 words on "Payback"
2. Write 4,000 words on Life and Death
3. Plot out one new short story



Here's to everyone striving to accomplish their writing goals for 2014!

16 June 2014

Meet My Main Character (Blog Hop)


I was tagged by J.C. Cassels at Gotta Name my Blog to talk about my main character. Those who've followed me long enough probably know most of the information below, but it's always good to have a bit of a refresher for the long-time fans and a brief introduction for those who haven't yet met Aston.

1. What is the name of your main character? Is she fictional or an historical person?

Aston West, space pirate extraordinaire (technically, a scavenger pirate, or as it's been referred to in the past, a galactic garbage collector). Aston is completely fictional, as much as he'd like to believe that he's real. But who knows? He may show up on my doorstep any day now and give me a quick kick in the junk for all the trouble I've put him through over the years.

2. When and where is the story set?

Aston doesn't have just one story, but a series of stories and novels. All of these take place across great spans of planets and solar systems in a distant galaxy. While it's unknown for certain whether these all take place in the past, present or future, my personal opinion is that it's a present-day set of tales, all far away from here.

For the sake of giving out more individual information on this question, I'll take my next novel (working title Resurrection). This one spans across three different planets and two different starships (one of which being Aston's new ship to replace the one that met its demise at the end of Death Brings Victory).

3. What should we know about him?

Aston tries to act tough, a symptom of his career choices and his upbringing as one of three orphan brothers. But really, he has a noble sense of right and wrong that he tries to enact through his own brand of vigilante justice when it's necessary. And of course, the most important thing to remember about Aston is that he constantly gets tossed into a mess of trouble. This doesn't end up being too much fun for him, but it's a lot of fun to read along as he tries to get himself out of it all.

4. What is the main conflict?

It varies from story to story, and the novels too. Sometimes, it can be Aston versus old enemies (or old friends). Sometimes, Aston's main conflict is internal. Sometimes, there's a mix of both. In Resurrection, the main conflict is that Aston's old nemesis Elijah Cassus has returned with some nasty surprises in store. But one of those surprises causes both an internal struggle for Aston (how far will he follow Elijah to get his absolution?) as well as an external struggle (with a recently formed relationship).

5. What is the personal goal of the character?

Most times, it's just to get out of the trouble that he's found himself in, and to try and scrape out a living with his scavenging (or his illegal activities). Within the scope of the novels, his goals often get altered or combined, depending on the circumstances.

For Resurrection, Aston's goal originally starts out that he wants to save someone he failed to save before. Along the way, though, he has to figure out a way to right the wrongs he's set in motion.

6. What is the significance of the title of your book?

I try to come up with titles that fit either the story or the novel's main premise. For the novels, I've been attempting to come up with catchy three-word titles (something I'll have to work on for the fourth installment currently in work). As far as any special significance, there isn't any that I know of.

Resurrection is just a title that depicts the main topic behind the plot. I have a feeling I'll need to make it catchier.

7. When can we expect the book to be published?

I have several novels and stories already published (check out the Novels and Collections links at the top of the blog). My hope is that I can get another novella and short story collection published later this year. Resurrection may be out late this year, but I'm guessing that we'll probably see it next year.

Next up is T. K. Toppin. Be sure to check her out. Also, click back, too, to see what characters came before. Thanks for reading!

07 June 2014

Author Extravaganza 2014 Recap

So, today was the 8th annual Author Extravaganza, hosted by the wonderful folks at Town Crier Bookstore up in Emporia, Kansas. I think this is something like the 5th time (according to my last recap back in 2012) I've been in attendance. Overall, it's always a good time, and Town Crier has always been good to independent authors in regards to stocking copies of your books after the signing and such.












So, if I could actually get my pictures to post you'd see a lot of authors join this event. It can make things quite exciting, talking with your fellow authors (and catching up with those who you've seen in past years). But having so many different authors does help in bringing additional customers into the store, which can help you sell your books as well (as long as they don't come in only for that book and then leave the store immediately).


That said, sold four books (two of which were remaining from last year's event), and the store elected to pick up copies of my two novellas. So, all in all, it was an okay event (especially since it looked like most folks were struggling to get a single sale) and I look forward to returning next year.